Paleo Diet

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Replies

  • Chuckw40
    Chuckw40 Posts: 201
    See what you are saying about carbs not getting transformed to fat goes against all the research I have been doing.

    Point me in the direction you've been looking! I may be wrong.

    Here is one example: Taken from http://www.carbrotationdiet.com/carbs-make-you-fat.htm

    1. Your body can store all carbs as fat when the muscles and the liver are already full of glycogen. So if you continuously eat a high carbohydrate diet this can lead to increased fat storage. Also, you can store more of your carb calories as fat when you eat too many processed and refined carbs. The key is to consume moderate carbs and choose carbs that have at least 2gms of fiber per serving. This will help control insulin spikes, which leads us to number 2.
  • Delaina1
    Delaina1 Posts: 168 Member
    I gave the wrong link! This is the link to the cookbook! I love it and it has changed my mind about what is "healthy" and "normal."

    http://39c5f-pejdw9drfopg3xs8-q1s.hop.clickbank.net/
  • Chuckw40
    Chuckw40 Posts: 201
    Here is another: Taken from http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2007/04/24/5143/why-eating-too-many-carbs-makes-you-fat/
    Barry Groves, PhD
    Apr 24, 2007

    Carbs and carbs alone, not fat, increase body weight. It doesn't matter whether the carbs are from sugar, bread, fruit, or vegetables: They’re all rapidly digested and quickly converted to blood glucose. A short time after a carb-rich meal, the glucose in your bloodstream rises rapidly, and your pancreas produces a large amount of insulin to take the excess glucose out.

    Just as eating fat doesn’t raise blood glucose, it doesn't raise insulin levels either. This is important because insulin is the hormone responsible for body fat storage. Because fats do not elicit an insulin response, they cannot be stored as body fat.
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
    I have to say that this has been a very interesting read, though I'm back with my original question on the whole eating like a caveman thing, and that is, how on earth do we know what they ate. Like anything related to archaeology, it's all guesswork based on limited clues.

    Personally I'm of the belief that you should simply eat as fresh and unprocessed as you can, and listen to your body. It will tell you what works for you and what doesn't. Some people can handle grains, some people can't, same with dairy, same with meat, etc. Which is what I am ... finally... putting into practice, slowly.

    Just my .02
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    Skimmed, but this is from a keto site (and they ARE carbophobic lol):

    http://www.ketotic.org/2011/04/extra-glycogen-de-novo-lipogenesis-and.html

    Regarding whether or not excess carbohydrates turn to fat: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10365981
    Here is one example: Taken from http://www.carbrotationdiet.com/carbs-make-you-fat.htm

    1. Your body can store all carbs as fat when the muscles and the liver are already full of glycogen. So if you continuously eat a high carbohydrate diet this can lead to increased fat storage. Also, you can store more of your carb calories as fat when you eat too many processed and refined carbs. The key is to consume moderate carbs and choose carbs that have at least 2gms of fiber per serving. This will help control insulin spikes, which leads us to number 2.

    Glycogen loading does occur, but... not on any regular diet. There is a study whose name escapes me but deals with glycogen loading and you'd be looking at a caloric excess of 3,000-4,000 calories before that becomes and issue.

    May also consider researching the Okinawan Diet --- which I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND -- but it may shed some light on our question.
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    Regarding the effects on insulin and fat loss:

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319
  • Chuckw40
    Chuckw40 Posts: 201
    Skimmed, but this is from a keto site (and they ARE carbophobic lol):

    http://www.ketotic.org/2011/04/extra-glycogen-de-novo-lipogenesis-and.html

    Regarding whether or not excess carbohydrates turn to fat: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10365981
    Here is one example: Taken from http://www.carbrotationdiet.com/carbs-make-you-fat.htm

    1. Your body can store all carbs as fat when the muscles and the liver are already full of glycogen. So if you continuously eat a high carbohydrate diet this can lead to increased fat storage. Also, you can store more of your carb calories as fat when you eat too many processed and refined carbs. The key is to consume moderate carbs and choose carbs that have at least 2gms of fiber per serving. This will help control insulin spikes, which leads us to number 2.

    Glycogen loading does occur, but... not on any regular diet. There is a study whose name escapes me but deals with glycogen loading and you'd be looking at a caloric excess of 3,000-4,000 calories before that becomes and issue.

    May also consider researching the Okinawan Diet --- which I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND -- but it may shed some light on our question.

    I think it is funny that you posted that link since the author is clearly saying that the study was anything but conclusive and openly mocked it.
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    I think it is funny that you posted that link since the author is clearly saying that the study was anything but conclusive and openly mocked it.

    The first one? I told you, it's from a keto site. They are on a NO CARB diet (to reach ketogenesis).
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Check out the book "Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It" by Gary Taubes. He is a science journalist and spent 5 years gathering research and evidence to prove what all the carbs are doing to us. He explained the science and biology that goes on inside us when we ingest carbs and fats and proteins. He explains what the cortisol does (it can do bad and good inside us). He also talks about different enzymes involved in the whole process. The book has 17 pages of sources from where he gathered his research. It's a "more readable" expansion of his book Good Calories, Bad Calories which is mostly scientific reading.

    Whether you choose to believe it or not is entirely up to you. But it was very, very interesting reading that will make you think. I found it enlightening.
  • Chuckw40
    Chuckw40 Posts: 201
    Regarding the effects on insulin and fat loss:

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319

    I skimmed this and will definitely read it all later but in the first few sentences it says that carbs are broken down into glucose and allowed to enter your liver, muscles, and FAT CELLS.

    So, as I thought, carbs do get stored as fat. :wink:
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    I have to say that this has been a very interesting read, though I'm back with my original question on the whole eating like a caveman thing, and that is, how on earth do we know what they ate. Like anything related to archaeology, it's all guesswork based on limited clues.

    Personally I'm of the belief that you should simply eat as fresh and unprocessed as you can, and listen to your body. It will tell you what works for you and what doesn't. Some people can handle grains, some people can't, same with dairy, same with meat, etc. Which is what I am ... finally... putting into practice, slowly.

    Just my .02

    Since there was no record keeping back then nutrition anthropologists have had to use modern-day hunter-gatherers as their "test subjects". I don't have my book with me or I would post a little more info on that. At the time of the study there were 229 hunterer-gatherer tribes.
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    Regarding the effects on insulin and fat loss:

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319
    I skimmed this an will definately read it all later but in the first few sentences is says that carbs are broken down into glucose and allowed to enter you liver, muscles, and FAT CELLS.

    So, as I thought, carbs do get stored as fat. :wink:

    lol read the article. :laugh:

    There is a lot of conflicting information out there, but I would strongly encourage you to read any studies cited FIRST then see if an author's interpretation of the study makes logical, and scientific sense.

    Like the law of thermodynamics. Which Gary Taubes ignores.

    Edit:

    In his summary. His book covers a pretty broad spectrum and hits and misses in equal measure all over the place.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Regarding the effects on insulin and fat loss:

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319

    I skimmed this and will definitely read it all later but in the first few sentences it says that carbs are broken down into glucose and allowed to enter your liver, muscles, and FAT CELLS.

    So, as I thought, carbs do get stored as fat. :wink:

    Carbs drive insulin and insulin drives fat storage.
  • Chuckw40
    Chuckw40 Posts: 201
    Regarding the effects on insulin and fat loss:

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319
    I skimmed this an will definately read it all later but in the first few sentences is says that carbs are broken down into glucose and allowed to enter you liver, muscles, and FAT CELLS.

    So, as I thought, carbs do get stored as fat. :wink:

    lol read the article. :laugh:

    There is a lot of conflicting information out there, but I would strongly encourage you to read any studies cited FIRST then see if an author's interpretation of the study makes logical, and scientific sense.

    Like the law of thermodynamics. Which Gary Taubes ignores.

    Edit:

    In his summary. His book covers a pretty broad spectrum and hits and misses in equal measure all over the place.

    You would think something so important as the food we put into our bodies would be much clearer, ya know? I can only say that I got fat by eating too much of the following... Quarter Pounders with cheese, French Fries, Reese's cups, Little Debbies, Wendy's, Potato chips, and most of all Soda!

    This makes it very easy for me to figure out what to cut out in order to lose weight. But I have moved beyond that now and want to know what i should avoid in order to keep myself healthy for many years to come. This is where the confusion starts...
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Regarding the effects on insulin and fat loss:

    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319
    I skimmed this an will definately read it all later but in the first few sentences is says that carbs are broken down into glucose and allowed to enter you liver, muscles, and FAT CELLS.

    So, as I thought, carbs do get stored as fat. :wink:

    lol read the article. :laugh:

    There is a lot of conflicting information out there, but I would strongly encourage you to read any studies cited FIRST then see if an author's interpretation of the study makes logical, and scientific sense.

    Like the law of thermodynamics. Which Gary Taubes ignores.

    Edit:

    In his summary. His book covers a pretty broad spectrum and hits and misses in equal measure all over the place.

    You would think something so important as the food we put into our bodies would be much clearer, ya know? I can only say that I got fat by eating too much of the following... Quarter Pounders with cheese, Reese's cups, Little Debbies, Wendy's, Potato chips, and most of all Soda!

    This makes it very easy for me to figure out what to cut out in order to lose weight. But I have moved beyond that now and want to know what i should avoid in order to keep myself healthy for many years to come. This is where the confusion starts...

    I agree. I've researched all sides and came to my own conclusion - because my journey was more about getting healthy than it was losing weight. I did a study on me (cut out grains, legumes and sugars and started eating more meat and fat) and it turned out very, very successful. Will this work for everyone? I have no idea. But life is hopefully a never ending journey of discovery and knowledge.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    I have to say that this has been a very interesting read, though I'm back with my original question on the whole eating like a caveman thing, and that is, how on earth do we know what they ate. Like anything related to archaeology, it's all guesswork based on limited clues.

    Personally I'm of the belief that you should simply eat as fresh and unprocessed as you can, and listen to your body. It will tell you what works for you and what doesn't. Some people can handle grains, some people can't, same with dairy, same with meat, etc. Which is what I am ... finally... putting into practice, slowly.

    Just my .02

    Fair question, and I think the confusion comes from the terms that get thrown around, like Paleo, Primal, Caveman. Really it (IMHO) should have been coined the hunter gatherer diet, I don’t know, that might have caused people to freak out too. But to directly answer your question, we “know” by several ways. First we can study the bones of “cavemen” and see what they ate by the some kind of marker on the cellular level, (gee for the life of me I can’t think what that is right now, someone help). But anyhow by studying the bones you can tell if a person mostly ate meat or veggies, and what type of veggies. That is one way. Another is to study what types of foods were available, thru fossil records. Another way is the study of modern hunter gatherer societies, the diets of Native Americans, that were recorded, the diets of Natives in South America that were/are still eating their native diet, the Bushmen in Africa, the Inuit and other northern Native peoples. There really isn’t that mush dispute as to what they ate, there might be some dispute as to how much they ate of Fats/Carbs/protein but not a lot.

    And again this is not about reenacting the caveman life style, it’s about learning from them, and applying it to our life.
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    You would think something so important as the food we put into our bodies would be much clearer, ya know? I can only say that I got fat by eating too much of the following... Quarter Pounders with cheese, French Fries, Reese's cups, Little Debbies, Wendy's, Potato chips, and most of all Soda!

    You would think, right?
    This makes it very easy for me to figure out what to cut out in order to lose weight. But I have moved beyond that now and want to know what i should avoid in order to keep myself healthy for many years to come. This is where the confusion starts...

    #1. Figure out how many calories you need for your lifestyle goal, whether it be to lose fat, or gain muscle, or run a marathon, or go scuba diving with sharks. Try to come within that calorie goal -- on average.

    #2. Figure out how many calories you need for your lifestyle goal, whether it be to lose fat, or gain muscle, or run a marathon, or go scuba diving with sharks. Try to come within that calorie goal -- on average.

    #3. Figure out how many calories you need for your lifestyle goal, whether it be to lose fat, or gain muscle, or run a marathon, or go scuba diving with sharks. Try to come within that calorie goal -- on average.

    #4. Try to make whole foods, veggies, foods high in healthy fats, etc., as much a part of your diet as possible.

    #5. Don't obsess over your diet.
  • katt742
    katt742 Posts: 196 Member
    You would think something so important as the food we put into our bodies would be much clearer, ya know? I can only say that I got fat by eating too much of the following... Quarter Pounders with cheese, French Fries, Reese's cups, Little Debbies, Wendy's, Potato chips, and most of all Soda!

    You would think, right?
    This makes it very easy for me to figure out what to cut out in order to lose weight. But I have moved beyond that now and want to know what i should avoid in order to keep myself healthy for many years to come. This is where the confusion starts...

    #1. Figure out how many calories you need for your lifestyle goal, whether it be to lose fat, or gain muscle, or run a marathon, or go scuba diving with sharks. Try to come within that calorie goal -- on average.

    #2. Figure out how many calories you need for your lifestyle goal, whether it be to lose fat, or gain muscle, or run a marathon, or go scuba diving with sharks. Try to come within that calorie goal -- on average.

    #3. Figure out how many calories you need for your lifestyle goal, whether it be to lose fat, or gain muscle, or run a marathon, or go scuba diving with sharks. Try to come within that calorie goal -- on average.

    #4. Try to make whole foods, veggies, foods high in healthy fats, etc., as much a part of your diet as possible.

    #5. Don't obsess over your diet.

    Hmmmm....makes sense Teemo... lol. =)
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    Also, for the record, I am by no means saying not to THINK about your diet. I AM saying that this fear of carbs and gluten is a little bit irrational. If you can keep that sort of dietary restriction going for the rest of your life... then more power to you, I suppose.* But it's not necessary . . . and yes, I can accept that eating "paleo" is easier than eating "Atkins" but since neither is necessary, or better, than having a wider palate available why limit yourself?

    You can also be what sounds like a "weekend" paleo dieter (no offense intended) but really that's really the same thing. I'd also note that there are probably some foods that are simply and universally bad for you that you probably SHOULD avoid. French fries, I suppose. And most sweet candy (not including chocolates). Carbs and grains don't fall into that category.

    *The high rate of relapse among Atkins dieters would suggest that it is more difficult than you'd expect. And why wouldn't it be? You're obsessing over what you're eating or what you're going to be eating every moment of every day. "I'm going out to this restaurant with co-workers... can I find a carb-free food on the menu?!" "Is this pasta processed gluten?" And... so on.

    ===

    Look, I don't have all the answers, either. And if someday someone does a study that conclusively says grains are evil then I'm happy to jump aboard the paleo diet. But as of this moment, the paleo diet is no better or worse than a balanced diet. The only difference is one requires more upkeep.
  • LisaKyle11
    LisaKyle11 Posts: 662 Member
    Well, this "debate" aside, I can tell you from personal experience, that until I cut my carb intake down (and I'm talking grains here), I could not shake those last 10 lbs. I was in the gym, 2 hr/day, doing all this cardio, strength training, blah blah, and couldn't understand why I didn't look fit/cut (and yes, while watching my calories). I did what everyone gets told to do - eat low fat, get plenty of whole grains.

    Well, when I changed my diet to include healthy fats, and got rid of the grains, guess what happened? Boom, the weight fell off, and now I have muscle definition like I've never had in my life. In addition, I do probably 1/3 of the cardio that I did before (I've kept the weight training up), so I'm actually exercising less, but look better, AND I'm still losing weight. Also, I now don't have that terrible bloated feeling (which I didn't realize I was getting from grains, until I cut them out), and I no longer get those terrible carb cravings, and the "I have to eat NOW!!!!" feelings like I used to.

    My "diet" totally easy to do (meaning sustainable for my lifetime), but that doesn't mean that I won't enjoy a slice of pizza or a beer, or a little sweet treat every once in a while. But living this lifestyle at least 80% of the time, has made a WORLD of difference in my health and my body (feel free to look at my before and after pix). So there's definately something to it.

    awesome!!
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    Also, for the record, I am by no means saying not to THINK about your diet. I AM saying that this fear of carbs and gluten is a little bit irrational. If you can keep that sort of dietary restriction going for the rest of your life... then more power to you, I suppose.* But it's not necessary . . . and yes, I can accept that eating "paleo" is easier than eating "Atkins" but since neither is necessary, or better, than having a wider palate available why limit yourself?

    You can also be what sounds like a "weekend" paleo dieter (no offense intended) but really that's really the same thing. I'd also note that there are probably some foods that are simply and universally bad for you that you probably SHOULD avoid. French fries, I suppose. And most sweet candy (not including chocolates). Carbs and grains don't fall into that category.

    *The high rate of relapse among Atkins dieters would suggest that it is more difficult than you'd expect. And why wouldn't it be? You're obsessing over what you're eating or what you're going to be eating every moment of every day. "I'm going out to this restaurant with co-workers... can I find a carb-free food on the menu?!" "Is this pasta processed gluten?" And... so on.

    ===

    Look, I don't have all the answers, either. And if someday someone does a study that conclusively says grains are evil then I'm happy to jump aboard the paleo diet. But as of this moment, the paleo diet is no better or worse than a balanced diet. The only difference is one requires more upkeep.

    With all due respect (and really I have enjoyed this) but,,,, Really? What is the difference between thinking to yourself “does this restaurant have carb free/low carb options” and thinking to yourself “does this restaurant have low calorie options”? For a person that is predisposed to gaining weight NO MATTER WHAT DIET YOU CHOOSE, you will always have to think about what you eat. And IMO the Paleo diet is LESS RESTRICTIVE, and much easier to follow for life. Because the “low carb” part of the diet is really only for weight loss, once a person is at their optimal weight there is no longer any need to count carbs. You simply avoid the foods that make you fat, PROCESSED CARBS!

    A dinner would look like this at any restaurant, “I’ll have the steak, with veggies on the side, no dinner roll please, oh and bring lots of butter for the veggies” “what to drink?” “Oh I’ll have a glass of wine and also bring me a glass of water too please.” A salad before hand and maybe some grilled shrimp as an appetizer. You eat until you’re full and stop eating. Someone that is eating in moderation a “balanced” diet would have to decide how much steak they could “have” how many fries they could “have” how much wine they could “have”, and then worry if they guessed right on 4 ounces or did they really have 5 ounces of steak. They would need to stop eating when they hit their allotted calories, no matter if they were full or not. If they had fires, or a baked potato, and maybe a little ice cream because they starved themselves all day so they could, the resulting carb crash would make them crave more food before they went to bed that night. While the Paleo eater would be satiated, and go to bed feeling great.
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    With all due respect (and really I have enjoyed this) but,,,, Really? What is the difference between thinking to yourself “does this restaurant have carb free/low carb options” and thinking to yourself “does this restaurant have low calorie options”? For a person that is predisposed to gaining weight NO MATTER WHAT DIET YOU CHOOSE, you will always have to think about what you eat. And IMO the Paleo diet is LESS RESTRICTIVE, and much easier to follow for life. Because the “low carb” part of the diet is really only for weight loss, once a person is at their optimal weight there is no longer any need to count carbs. You simply avoid the foods that make you fat, PROCESSED CARBS!

    I don't know. Why is the rate of relapse so high for Atkins dieters? And carbs are everywhere. Donuts in the conference room, spaghetti and pasta and your grandma's house, etc.
    A dinner would look like this at any restaurant, “I’ll have the steak, with veggies on the side, no dinner roll please, oh and bring lots of butter for the veggies” “what to drink?” “Oh I’ll have a glass of wine and also bring me a glass of water too please.” A salad before hand and maybe some grilled shrimp as an appetizer. You eat until you’re full and stop eating. Someone that is eating in moderation a “balanced” diet would have to decide how much steak they could “have” how many fries they could “have” how much wine they could “have”, and then worry if they guessed right on 4 ounces or did they really have 5 ounces of steak. They would need to stop eating when they hit their allotted calories, no matter if they were full or not. If they had fires, or a baked potato, and maybe a little ice cream because they starved themselves all day so they could, the resulting carb crash would make them crave more food before they went to bed that night. While the Paleo eater would be satiated, and go to bed feeling great.

    Whoa, whoa. Are you saying that you don't have to count calories on the paleo diet?
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    With all due respect (and really I have enjoyed this) but,,,, Really? What is the difference between thinking to yourself “does this restaurant have carb free/low carb options” and thinking to yourself “does this restaurant have low calorie options”? For a person that is predisposed to gaining weight NO MATTER WHAT DIET YOU CHOOSE, you will always have to think about what you eat. And IMO the Paleo diet is LESS RESTRICTIVE, and much easier to follow for life. Because the “low carb” part of the diet is really only for weight loss, once a person is at their optimal weight there is no longer any need to count carbs. You simply avoid the foods that make you fat, PROCESSED CARBS!

    I don't know. Why is the rate of relapse so high for Atkins dieters? And carbs are everywhere. Donuts in the conference room, spaghetti and pasta and your grandma's house, etc.
    A dinner would look like this at any restaurant, “I’ll have the steak, with veggies on the side, no dinner roll please, oh and bring lots of butter for the veggies” “what to drink?” “Oh I’ll have a glass of wine and also bring me a glass of water too please.” A salad before hand and maybe some grilled shrimp as an appetizer. You eat until you’re full and stop eating. Someone that is eating in moderation a “balanced” diet would have to decide how much steak they could “have” how many fries they could “have” how much wine they could “have”, and then worry if they guessed right on 4 ounces or did they really have 5 ounces of steak. They would need to stop eating when they hit their allotted calories, no matter if they were full or not. If they had fires, or a baked potato, and maybe a little ice cream because they starved themselves all day so they could, the resulting carb crash would make them crave more food before they went to bed that night. While the Paleo eater would be satiated, and go to bed feeling great.

    Whoa, whoa. Are you saying that you don't have to count calories on the paleo diet?

    Yes that is exactly what I’m saying. If you are not trying to lose weight, and really, if you do it right, even if you are trying to lose weight you could do it without counting calories. And here is why. If you are doing it right most of the bulk in your diet will be very low calorie vegetables, fruits, and berries. It is really hard to go over calories when you eat like that. In fact you hit on it earlier, when you said what do you do after you have eaten your apple, and you still have calories left to fill. Real, nutrient dense foods fill you up and don’t overload you with calories, like grains and processed sugars do. One of the common threads you will hear from people that eat the “paleo” way is “How can I get my calories up” or “how can I get my fat intake up”, or “I just don’t feel hungry, but I’m low on calories, what do I do?”
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
    hpsnickers1 and freerange... thanks for the response. Though I still have some issues with the basic premise, the working concept sounds interesting. I'll be doing more reading on it.
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    lol I know what the paleo diet says. I just wanted a response from you.
    Yes that is exactly what I’m saying. If you are not trying to lose weight, and really, if you do it right, even if you are trying to lose weight you could do it without counting calories. And here is why. If you are doing it right most of the bulk in your diet will be very low calorie vegetables, fruits, and berries. It is really hard to go over calories when you eat like that. In fact you hit on it earlier, when you said what do you do after you have eaten your apple, and you still have calories left to fill. Real, nutrient dense foods fill you up and don’t overload you with calories, like grains and processed sugars do. One of the common threads you will hear from people that eat the “paleo” way is “How can I get my calories up” or “how can I get my fat intake up”, or “I just don’t feel hungry, but I’m low on calories, what do I do?”

    Because what you've just said is that you can eat a steak, veggies, butter, wine, salad, grilled shrimp and "eat until you're full and stop eating" and that calories don't matter. Which is what the paleo diet tells you. And that makes absolutely no sense.

    1. The law of thermodynamics.

    2. Your assumption that following the paleo diet makes it impossible to overeat when the dinner you just listed puts you in excess of 2,000 calories already.

    3. Your assumption that the paleo diet somehow makes calorie counting intrinsically unnecessary.

    It's simply not true.
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    If you truly believe that following the paleo diet means you can eat whatever you want without regard to counting calories then... I don't know. Your grossly exaggerated example rings untrue, however.
    A dinner would look like this at any restaurant, “I’ll have the steak, with veggies on the side, no dinner roll please, oh and bring lots of butter for the veggies” “what to drink?” “Oh I’ll have a glass of wine and also bring me a glass of water too please.” A salad before hand and maybe some grilled shrimp as an appetizer. You eat until you’re full and stop eating.

    Yes, and in the process you've consumed 2,000 calories. (Not to mention that wine is discouraged in the paleo diet). I also don't see how this is any different from being able to eat a balanced diet. The only difference is if I don't want the shrimp appetizer I can have a roll on the side. You apparently can't.

    Wow. :laugh:
    Someone that is eating in moderation a “balanced” diet would have to decide how much steak they could “have” how many fries they could “have” how much wine they could “have”, and then worry if they guessed right on 4 ounces or did they really have 5 ounces of steak. They would need to stop eating when they hit their allotted calories, no matter if they were full or not. If they had fires, or a baked potato, and maybe a little ice cream because they starved themselves all day so they could, the resulting carb crash would make them crave more food before they went to bed that night. While the Paleo eater would be satiated, and go to bed feeling great.

    lol I don't even... if you don't stop eating when you hit your alloted calories, guess what? You're gaining weight! That's how weight gain works. That's how weight gain works WITH carbs and grains. That's how weight gains works WITHOUT carbs and grains. Does this mean you can't go over your calorie goal ever? Of course not. You're suggesting two equally implausible and exaggerated scenarios here though:

    (1) That eating "paleo" means you never go over your calories.
    (2) That eating a balanced diet means you always go over your calories.

    That's not how things work. I can sit down and have a steak and wine and shrimp just like you. I can also sit down and have a nice burger and ice cream afterward. I can also have fries and a baked potato and spaghetti and meatballs. I don't have to "starve myself all day" to eat it.

    Yes, I have macronutrient/calorie goals for myself. No, it's not a bother to maintain since I know roughly what the macros are in just about everything I eat. If I don't know... then too bad. It's not the end of the world.
  • looney9708
    looney9708 Posts: 174 Member
    I have to say that this has been a very interesting read, though I'm back with my original question on the whole eating like a caveman thing, and that is, how on earth do we know what they ate. Like anything related to archaeology, it's all guesswork based on limited clues.

    Personally I'm of the belief that you should simply eat as fresh and unprocessed as you can, and listen to your body. It will tell you what works for you and what doesn't. Some people can handle grains, some people can't, same with dairy, same with meat, etc. Which is what I am ... finally... putting into practice, slowly.

    Just my .02

    all paleo is, is eating clean. No processed foods which cavemen never ate and are destroying our bodies. There is way too much thought on this. It will make you feel amazing. I feel indulgent eating this way and not at all deprived! I have so increased my fruits/veggies it makes up for all the macronutrients I would be missing by chemically inputting them into the foods. Instead I am getting them naturally. It isn't a difficult way to eat and is not a diet. You won't lose more weight, I just feel better so I do it. Everyone should try it.

    My entire gym was completely against it when we did our first Paleo challenge. Only half or so did the challenge and after seeing the drastic increase in strength, endurance, loss of inches, and just a general feeling great philosophy, the ENTIRE gym is on board! Just try it before you knock it. IT IS NOT ADKINS or a fad. It is truly a way of life!
  • looney9708
    looney9708 Posts: 174 Member
    AND when I eat Paleo I do NOT crave sugar and my hunger is amazingly controlled!
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member

    Yes, and in the process you've consumed 2,000 calories. (Not to mention that wine is discouraged in the paleo diet). I also don't see how this is any different from being able to eat a balanced diet. The only difference is if I don't want the shrimp appetizer I can have a roll on the side. You apparently can't.

    Actually no, here is the data from MFP for the following
    1 cup broccoli and cauliflower 25
    Applebee’s side salad 230
    Applebee’s 7oz sirloin and grilled shrimp (no sides) 390
    red wine 300 ml 222
    Butter 2 table spoons 140
    Total calories 1007

    Now lets do it with a “balanced” diet

    Order of fries 390
    Side salad 230
    dinner roll 227
    same sirloin and shrimp 390
    same wine 222
    butter 1 table spoon 70
    ketchup for the fries 2 tbls 40
    Total calories 1569


    Point being if you are looking at cals only the paleo diet is lower, if you eat everything on your plate, without having to think about it. And there are no insulin spiking (fat storage device) in there except for maybe the wine, and if I was being really good (I hate wine) and had only water you can see what that would do. And I don’t know about you but that is a big meal for me, I’m 6’3 and right now weigh 223, I would probably be full before I finished that whole meal. And would not be hungry again a few hours later due to carb crash.

    The balanced diet has fried food, “trans” fats, has high starch insulin spiking foods, fries and dinner roll, and processed sugars, ketchup. So if you were on a “balanced” diet and you had a breakfast of say 300 cals and maybe a small snack during the day, and your alloted calories for the day is 2000 how would you fit that in?

    We are not talking treat meals, once a week, kind of deal. I could eat like this everyday without thinking and be well within my 2000 a day calories without counting. Even though I do count calories now, most days I have 1000 or more calories left over for dinner, and guess what, most days I don’t eat them all. And I’m NEVER hungry.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member

    (1) That eating "paleo" means you never go over your calories.
    (2) That eating a balanced diet means you always go over your calories.

    Not at all, again. I know there will be times a person goes over on the Paleo way, but IMO it’s harder to do because you’re not eating high calorie foods. And I’m assuming to stay within your calories on a “balanced” diet you WILL have to work harder at it. The point I’m making is what I said earlier, you can do the paleo diet without counting calories, just learn a few simple guidelines and stick to them most of the time. With the balanced diet approach you WILL have to count calories for life. Which means you will have to become good at remembering how many calories different foods have, and how to judge, accurately, the difference between a 6 oz steak and a 7oz steak, and fries, and rolls, and everything else.
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