Starting A "Paleo" lifestyle change: Gluten-free, grain-free

SammySweetheart

I am starting a Paleo lifestyle change today. No more grains. No more gluten. No more processed foods. I threw out literally everything in my pantry and everything in my freezer.

I would love to hear from anyone who is having success on Paleo. I would love to mooch off your recipes and meal ideas (and share some that I find as I go). I'd also love to make some Paleo friends who help me through this process.

Thanks guys!

SassyStef

I have been tinkering with this idea for about two weeks lol I also like the primal too. add me

Nbean24

I just ordered the book and the cookbook - my soon to be sister in law has had great results with it. I hope to start it by the end of this week!

tammietifanie

Bump! I can't eat Gluten so i would love to know if Paleo works.....

ceebs9

Head over here.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/232749-palelo-support-group

mjslazak

After finishing "The New Evolutionary Diet," which talks a lot about a Paleo-influenced diet, I'm trying to move this way, too. I would love to hear others' ideas, too. If there's a downside for me, it's that I don't eat meat aside from fish, so it definitely adds to the challenge of cleaning up my diet & getting ample protein.

crissa413

Bump! Would love to know how this works...any recommendations on reading up on it? I've heard gluten-free is a good way to lose weight and am very interested in trying it out.

kristy_estes21

So you never eat grains again?

DrBorkBork

I'm a Primal Blueprinter, which is a little more lenient than Paleo. I strongly recommend the book Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso, though. It's awesome. 1 month grocery list, meal plan, recipes, workout plan, and how to get the rest of your family on board, too!
Best $20 splurge you'll make this month

sushilicious

Paleo

BR1986FB

Been Paleo/Primal for almost 4 months. Have dropped 30+ lbs, 5 pant sizes and significant bodyfat. It's not for everybody but it is effective for those that do it. Have also been intermittent fasting daily for the last month+.

Christiane81

http://primitivefamily.wordpress.com/ This blog is excellent if you are getting into the lifestyle

zacherybinx

Hmm had never heard of paleo diet or lifestyle before this thread...definitely peeking my interest though.

MissKim

There are several of us on here, and a couple of groups you can join, just add us as friends and I'm sure you'll find them! Even if people don't agree with the lifestyle, I encourage people to actually do your own research on it, it's very eye-opening, at least it was for me.

KimberSt

I only have one question....since your body requires certain enzymes which come from grains, how do you get around that?

BodyByBrusselSprouts

I have been eating Primal for about 3 weeks now. Primal is a slightly less strict version of Paleo (you can have some dairy for example). I am loving it now. For the first 7-10 days it was pretty rough. It was like quitting smoking all over again: brain fog, cravings grouchy and tired. But then boom, it was like someone opened the window shades. I've felt great since. I've lost 8 lbs so far. The raccoon-like dark circles under my eyes that I have had forever are gone. My sleep is great, deeper and shorter. Everyday in the last week or so I have woken up before my alarm. Weird.

Last night for dinner I made portobello pizzas. Get some big portabello mushroom caps, coat em in olive oil cover them in stewed tomatoes oregano basil sausage peppers onions whatever you want on pizza and bake for about a 20 minutes. I put mozzarella and parmesian cheese on them but they are good without too.

I also make a hash in the morning with onions peppers bacon or chopped steak (or both) feta cheese and a huge handful of spinach. Sautee and when nearly done stir in 3 or 4 eggs and scramble it all together. Delish!

Good luck. Lots of haters on here, decide for yourself
dave

BodyByBrusselSprouts

I would like to know specifically which enzyme(s) one gets from grains that they don't get elsewhere.
dave

skinnybitch1987

This is what I do and it has worked amazingly for me! I guess some advice I could give is try to count carbs instead of calories, invest in a good fiber pill the first month lol, Don't be afraid to eat fatty meat or bacon or cook with butter, and feeling "off" the first few weeks is normal while your body learns to process without all that sugar : )

You're gonna love it!

amysj303

I only have one question....since your body requires certain enzymes which come from grains, how do you get around that?

I am curious about what enzymes you think we need that are in grains? I was reading this study that a lot Paleo points to as evidence that grains are bad for us, but the truth is, for most of us who tolerate gluten well, grains are just unnecessary-there's more protein in meat, more fiber in vegetables, more B-vitamins in meat.
grains are just easy to grow, easy to store, easy to transport and that makes them ideal for say, feeding starving people in remote areas. It's better than nothing but there is something better than grains for almost every essential nutrient we need.
I am trying two weeks without flour, I think my diary is public. I am trying to cut out simple sugar too, but that's harder. I haven't eliminated dairy or corn.

SammySweetheart

@cbarber9: thanks!
@davidwhitt: I actually quit smoking 3 weeks ago, so I feel like I can do anything now! Also: your portobello pizza idea is absolutely genius and totally made my tummy growl. I just found out my favorite local pizza joint is offering gluten free crust, too =D
@skinny*****: why in the world would I need a fiber pill with all the fruits and veggies I'll be eating?

DianaPowerUp

I only have one question....since your body requires certain enzymes which come from grains, how do you get around that?

Which enzymes are those? Keep in mind that we do eat veggies, fruits, and nuts, so maybe whatever you're referring to is found in those items. Also, man didn't evolve eating grains. That was something that came later, and then the agricultural era boomed. Before then, it man was a hunter/gatherer, so obviously the human body functions without grains.

I've been pretty primal for about 2-3 mos now. I never had any "carb flu" or anything like that to begin with, but I guess I was already kinda low carb just b/c of the calories, so it didn't effect me too much. But what I did notice, is that after being on a plateau for about a month, I dropped 3 lbs in the first wk! The next wk I dropped another, then another...the only way I can keep weight on now is to "slip up" and add some grains in there.

I look better, I feel better, I don't need to work out like a maniac, like I was before....it's been great, and it's totally easy to do. Tomorrow I get my bloodwork, so we'll see how my new lifestyle is actually affecting my health.

edorice

I only have one question....since your body requires certain enzymes which come from grains, how do you get around that?

Enzymes from grains? The best enzymes that the body needs is from raw food. The enzyme Amylase is needed in order to digest carbohydrates. Lipase for fats, and Protease for protein digestion. The Primal Blueprint does recommend that you supplement with a good probiotic.

Livestrong has a list of high enzyme foods: papaya, raw fruits & veggies, raw nuts & seeds, and sprouts. This doesn't include the bread basket from The Olive Garden.

mjslazak

Thx for the reading list suggestion!

ResilientWoman

Does Paleo/Primal work? See my profile, friend me. LOL

Zeromilediet

There are a number of *paleo* blogs and websites you'll find by simply googling as a search term. This website has a basic primer for what the eating guidelines are about: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-101/ (note I have no ties or whatever to this site or person).

I've been moving toward *paleo* for over a month now and have altered my MFP goals to reflect paleo percents for protein, fat & carbohydrates. It's been difficult to get sufficient protein (I don't use supplements) using real food (meat/poultry/fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts) and easily hit the carb max for the day by eating certain fruits, and a 3 to 4 times a week indulgence in espresso which has sugar (and I'm steadily reducing the sugar--virtually the only sugar remaining in my diet). As a result of tossing grains, dairy (mostly) and sugar out of my diet, many days I don't max the calorie goal and interestingly, also don't feel hungry because what I *do* eat satisfies my body's needs.

One poster on another thread commented Paleo is a stupid name and as any marketer knows, branding is everything :-) When asked about it, I tell friends it's a *real food* diet. Unlike some people who are eating paleo or primal or evolution or whatever, I don't try to mimic the foods we've become accustomed to such as bread, cake, cookies, pasta etc. using nut or root flours. That's just my decision and the choices others make are what works for them. Let me just say it hasn't been easy--I'm in my 50s: changing a lifetime of eating to something contrary to what was 'normal', and with the pervasive influence of prepared and processed food literally at every turn (they have coffee shops & hamburger franchises at Home Depot ... arrrgh!)--I can only say it takes a committment. I was known for making wonderful multi-grain loaves, foccacia, sweet baked goods, and homemade pasta, and my adored stand mixer now only gets used for making sausage. Seems almost a shame, eh? :-) I could have saved myself a small fortune in mixing bowls, baking pans, waffle & panini makers et al haha!

Results for me have been no more achey joints and a slow but steady reduction in weight--but more satisfying to me is the belly bloating is gone and I've lost an inch off each thigh, and off my waist and hips. Throughout my adult life I've struggled to reduce my 'thunder thighs'--it's where I've always carried fat regardless of what I did, and until five years ago that was running, weights, ballet, and martial arts. I used to think it was so unfair that you could see every bone in my rib cage and still had these saddles on my legs! For how I now feel physically, mentally and emotionally every day, this is how I want to live the rest of my life; it's better than garlic bread or chocolate peanut butter cake :-)

Results may vary for anyone who tries it, and the committment to making a lifetime change to what is regarded as 'food' will also vary. Like anything in life, nothing worth having or doing will happen unless you're willing to work at it and believe you deserve it.

SammySweetheart

Thanks for the inspiration, Zeromilediet!

SammySweetheart

Thanks for the portobello cap pizza recipe, davidwhitt! I totally LOVED it! I used Cadia's Organic Roasted Garlic Tomato Pasta Sauce, Trader Joe's nitrate-free black forest ham, fresh basil and onion chives from my herb garden, and a sprinkling of parmesan! It was FANTASTIC!

BodyByBrusselSprouts

Glad you liked it! I am a bit of a foodie. I love food. That had been the problem. And that is why I like the primal lifestyle. It is easy to stick to because everything I cook tastes so damn good. The fact that I am using things like bacon, butter and steak and still losing weigh astounds me. I started my weight loss journey doing the cleansing diets from Dr Hyman's books. I REALLY had to work to get my food to just taste ok.

dave

DrBorkBork

I'm with David on Primal/Paleo being the most delicious WOE out there! I've turned into a total foodie, and LOVE food porn. It DOES it for me!
It's so easy to stick to b/c it's the best food I've ever had, both taste-wise, and health wise. Eating out is so much less stressful, and I'm not worried about eating 6 meals a day. I eat when I'm hungry, and my friends who want to eat out and used to freak out over helping me stick to my previous diet now get the answer "We can go anywhere that has meat & veggies". Which is, like, EVERYWHERE!

sbwood888

I googled gluten--just trying to figure out what is bad about it. I only found a description of what gluten is. I read that it is bad if you have Celiac Disease. Is anybody willing to fill me in? I was wondering why gluten and grain should be avoided. Can anybody help me out? :happy:

Mandz1984

I've also been thinking about going primal. I've been doing weight watchers and I've lost weight, but I'm ready to move on to something healthier and involving less processed foods. I've done atkins in the past and know it works, but it really has to be a life change with low carbing or the weight comes back fast. I've been reading a lot on marksdailyapple.com and I think I might buy the book this weekend.

My husband is a runner and doesn't think he can give up his grains. Any primal/paleo runners out there?