Paelo Challenge

rosadona

i've thought that this is probably how i should be eating for a long time, but it's been hard for me. i'm a nanny, which means i spend two 10 hour days with a goldfish, pb&j, ice cream lovin' kid. i'm also a big stress eater, and the cravings are always for carby sugary monstrosities. however, i'm gonna try to commit to it this time. accountability helps and that's what i'm aiming to do with this site. good luck everyone!

rachpiper720

Thanks to all the current paleos for contributing their stories and super useful links and recommendations!! :bigsmile: You're really helping all us newbs out.

For those that do follow the diet, what does your typical workout week look like?

My workout consists of 2 body weight workouts a week that last ~15-20 minutes, one 15-20 sprinting session a week, and ~3-5 hours of walking a week. I have gained so much muscle doing this! The walking/hiking will increase now that the mountains are almost snow-free! Yay!

Chuckw40

I have been trying to follow the Primal Blueprint but I am really lousy at avoiding rice! Other than that I was keeping my carbs below 100 and for the first few weeks I was losing fast. Then I hit a wall and haven't been able to drop an ounce in the past 2 weeks. I admit that I have been feeling really bummed so I have been eating some bad things like pasta.

kellibean13

Thanks to all the current paleos for contributing their stories and super useful links and recommendations!! :bigsmile: You're really helping all us newbs out.

For those that do follow the diet, what does your typical workout week look like?

And this is where I stray from strict Paleo...:embarassed:

I'm an endurance event junkie. I run half marathons, and I'm currently training for my first triathlon. Both Cordain and Wolf say in their books (and I'm paraphrasing here) that our ancestors wouldn't have done these sorts of things, and therefore neither should we, BUT...I don't do these things just for the "exercise." I do them for hugely personal reasons: testing my limits, increasing my mental and physical strength, and reaching goals. I'll again reiterate what I mentioned in my previous post: I'm a big advocate of doing what works best at an individual level, and endurance events work for me.

All that being said, Wolf does a good job of laying out what a beginner's workout should look like in his book The Paleo Solution. I've also seen that the CrossFit and Paleo movements have quite a bit of overlap. Once my training season is over, I fully intend to devote myself to strength building exercise as outlined by Wolf.

(Additionally, Cordain and some-other-famous-elite-triathlon-trainer-whose-name-I-can't-remember-right-now recently published "The Paleo Diet for Athletes," which in my mind proves that you CAN combine endurance training with a Paleo lifestyle. I haven't yet read the book, but I have heard it's really great for Paleo athletes).

kellibean13

I have been trying to follow the Primal Blueprint but I am really lousy at avoiding rice! Other than that I was keeping my carbs below 100 and for the first few weeks I was losing fast. Then I hit a wall and haven't been able to drop an ounce in the past 2 weeks. I admit that I have been feeling really bummed so I have been eating some bad things like pasta.

Don't give up! And DON'T beat yourself up! We all have slip ups and this is NOT a religion, so it's not like you're going to a bad place for eating rice. ;-)

Just get back on the wagon and cut out those grain-based carbs! You know you can do this, and you know you'll feel awesome!

LdyGeko

The best part for me is not farting all day long of most days and the amazement of how those old foods make me feel if have one of them as a treat.

LOL

There it is!

Eat Paleo = Don't Fart.

OMG, this is hilarious - this is why I love PALEO - for me yes, but more for my hubby - no more waking up in the middle of the night with my eyes watering and choking from his "bombs", ROFL>>>>>

Zeromilediet

Thanks to all the current paleos for contributing their stories and super useful links and recommendations!! :bigsmile: You're really helping all us newbs out.

For those that do follow the diet, what does your typical workout week look like?

Um ... workout. Yeah, well I haven't got to that part yet :-) My workout is gardening, walking, and regularly running after grandkids. I've did kickboxing with my daughter a month ago on a trial membership--the problem is my spouse thinks fitness is 'nonsense,' and the only reason to go to a gym apparently is to get in shape to attract someone (ergo, why do I want to do that?). After being a very active person from my 20s to when I met him five years ago, it was tough to dial it down to slug-bait and it's so easy to not make the time to keep fit. That being said, I've set up a weights space in the basement and working on getting muscles back before I become a totally atrophied old lady.

From my own past experience, looking at the crossfit program it's awesome, but if that's too much for you or too expensive, do some reading and create your own routine. Basic principles are to have (1) active 'play' days (get some friends together and play pick up volleyball, baseball, or dance til you drop, etc), (2) walk everyday for 30 minutes, (3) get someone to show you how to do some weight training--suggest a personal trainer for 1-2 months--you can also do a good workout using your own body weight to do pull ups, push ups, ab exercises, lunges, squats etc. Lose the goal of exercise for weight loss and adopt a new one of exercise for fitness and health.

samb

I also heard that this diet makes your breath a little stinky and your pee smell to high heaven (because the fat is being released in your pee I think). Is this true?

Even if it did...the health benefits are worth an extra pack of Listerine strips and a few extra moments before opening the bathroom door after you're done...

I honestly have not noticed anything like this whatsoever, maybe some have idk, but my diet is still pretty low in fat - that part actually has not changed much at all...

samb

LMAO

The best part for me is not farting all day long of most days and the amazement of how those old foods make me feel if have one of them as a treat.

LOL

There it is!

Eat Paleo = Don't Fart.

OMG, this is hilarious - this is why I love PALEO - for me yes, but more for my hubby - no more waking up in the middle of the night with my eyes watering and choking from his "bombs", ROFL>>>>>

samb

i've thought that this is probably how i should be eating for a long time, but it's been hard for me. i'm a nanny, which means i spend two 10 hour days with a goldfish, pb&j, ice cream lovin' kid. i'm also a big stress eater, and the cravings are always for carby sugary monstrosities. however, i'm gonna try to commit to it this time. accountability helps and that's what i'm aiming to do with this site. good luck everyone!

You just have to be strong, pack snacks and meals for yourself to eat while he/she eats the other stuff...and after a couple weeks you may not even want foods like that at all. I know I don't crave them at all and I don't even want to eat them really when they are around anymore. It helps knowing how much of a difference they make on my body as well.

samb

I find it hard to get to my 1200 calorie goal usually as well! I always feel so full from the protein! But don't worry, I don't starve myself!!

I'll join! I've been primal for a couple months now, and have had AMAZING results. I have most lost inches which has equated to about an 8% body fat drop, but no weight loss. I do tend to cheat a little more than I should, so I want to do strict for 1 month. To all those who are concerned about the not counting calories thing: I find it hard to eat my 1950 calorie load when I am eating strictly primal foods. If I cheat, then not a problem. I just find it hard to overeat meat. Eating the nuts is what'll get ya! Just eat when you get hungry and don't eat when you aren't. So, count me in!!!

samb

Hello to everyone! I've been Paleo since June 1 and am loving the results! My current profile pic was taken today, and the outfit I'm wearing FIT ME at the beginning of the month!

Way to go!!!!

Aurelina

i've thought that this is probably how i should be eating for a long time, but it's been hard for me. i'm a nanny, which means i spend two 10 hour days with a goldfish, pb&j, ice cream lovin' kid. i'm also a big stress eater, and the cravings are always for carby sugary monstrosities. however, i'm gonna try to commit to it this time. accountability helps and that's what i'm aiming to do with this site. good luck everyone!

Heya, welcome! I find when I'm nourished I don't crave sweets. I keep homemade jerky around for stressy munchies.

I guess you have to feed them the stuff the parents want? A friend was a nanny to a family that gave the kids a shocking amount of crap and she was a careful paleo eater herself. It was hard for her to be part of it cause the kids weren't that well. The father was very ill and refused to consider that diet and nutrition might impact his health so the soda pop and crap never stopped. She eventually had to step aside.

astilson33

Count me in My first challenge since i've joined this website! Should be fun, i'm excited to start!

BR1986FB

For those that do follow the diet, what does your typical workout week look like?

You will find that eating like this helps you cut back on exercise since you likely won't be taking in as many carbs.

I was a Beachbody "junkie" and did 5 rounds of P90X/Insanity combined. I did the "six small meals a day" crap and found myself constantly hungry. This was partially due to having to constantly feed my body carbs due to excessive "chronic cardio" as Mark Sisson calls it.

I scaled my workouts back to three 45 minute walks per week, which is actually BETTER for burning fat IF you want to keep muscle mass, and 3 intense 30+/- minute powerlifting routines. Fat is melting off me like crazy. I've cut my workout time down from 7-10 hours per week to about 3.5 and have probably DOUBLED my results.

As I mentioned, you will not need AS much exercise eating Paleo because the diet does most of the work for you.

pyro13g

For those that do follow the diet, what does your typical workout week look like?

Year round . 1 brief (12 minutes or so) High Intensity Lifting every 7-10 days. If I do something like Big 5 it's 10 days or more.

Summer: grass mowing(two acres) and gardening. The norm is about 6 hours mowing a week and 5 or so in the garden.

Winter : Snowboarding.

shesnotthere

My grocery store had a organic beef and chicken on sale, so I stocked up. Organic isn't grass-fed, but it's a start. I also made myself get some fish, wahoo and smoked salmon. I'd never had wahoo before, it was pretty good last night. I am going to start getting whatever wild caught fish is on sale I guess.

RiverInTheRoad

All right folks, I need a vote here. I can either keep us as one big group or I can split us up into teams of 3-4 to keep it tight knit and really focused. The challenge is not closed yet but will be closing on Sunday at 7:00pm (so I can split teams up if that's what we want). I recommend all members of this challenge add at least one current paleo for motivation and individual support as well. Doesn't hurt to keep in touch with someone that's been through the beginning "carb crash" and beyond. Here is the current list of participants:

KaylaShianne
shesnotthere
rachpiper720
astilson33
Sporty98
momof8munchkins
rosadona
nakcinco
girlinahat

If I missed you or you would like to join (or un-join for that matter), please PM me and I will update the list.

RiverInTheRoad

And now for a little shameless self promotion. I think it would be a little lame to litter this forum with all my receipts, personal meal plans and grocery lists, etc. Sooooo I've started keeping a blog chronicling the whole 30 days.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/RiverInTheRoad

**TO ALL WHO ARE PARTICIPATING**:

* I recommend you also either start a blog about this OR add a little snippet at the end of your current blog so you can keep better track of your progress, your meal plans and your overall experience with the whole thing. I know how much it's going to help me and I want to help every one else succeed in this as well.

I do have a couple of "homework assignment" for participants as well:

* Please purchase all food for your meal plan for the week before the challenge starts if you can (so you won't feel the need to run out and get something "bad" because you didn't have anything in the kitchen).

*Over the weekend, please take your measurements (Bust, Chest, Waist, Hips, Midway, Thighs, Calves, Upper Arms and anything else you want to!). We will only be doing this twice [one at the beginning of the challenge and one at the end] unless you want to measure more but I think it would have more of a "kick" if you waited a month.

So, that's it for updates. I will wait until Sunday for any stragglers and for a final decision on the "split up or stick together" vote.

kellibean13

I recommend all members of this challenge add at least one current paleo for motivation and individual support as well. Doesn't hurt to keep in touch with someone that's been through the beginning "carb crash" and beyond. Here is the current list of participants:

I've been Paleo for about a month, so I am happy to share my newbie knowledge with anyone who needs it. There are other more experienced and knowledgeable Paleos on MFP, but I am excited to share my one month of knowledge with anyone who wants or needs it!