Paleo - Pros/Cons

waldo56

Tell that to Art Devaney who has been at this for over 30 years

Getting nutritional advice from an economist makes about as much sense as having your dietician manage your financial portfolio.

To be fair, John Walker, the guy that started Audodesk (makers of AutoCAD) did write a very good diet book, The Hackers Diet, basically calorie counting for people who are gifted with numbers and good at that whole math thing.

twinmom01

Why do people get so pushy about this particular topic...seriously...

My question to those who bash it because you say it is restrictive or cutting out certain food groups isn't worth it - have you even tried???

There are some on this thread that have responded, said they tried it and they didn't like eating within the lifestyle - wonderful they had something concrete to bring to the table...

If someone wants to give it a whirl what does it matter if they have to give up something...not everyone has sucess on the "everything in moderation" way...what works for one may not work for another.

Like I said in my previous post I wound up identifying with the Paleo/Primal way of eating after I had already dropped a bunch of stuff from my eating style - I am sure there are lots of people out there who eat a Paleo/Primal without even knowing it or "identifying" with it.

There are tons and tons of misconceptions with the whole Paleo/Primal since there are so many cooks in the kitchen and people use the terms interchangeably...there is no one definative set of guidelines...I mean a person can choose to "follow" oneo f the main people and live, breath and die by what that one person says...to me it is no different than people out there that follow any other type of eating style.

The thing is you have to figure out what works for you...i know I spent a long time watching every single calorie and living on processed "diet" food because that is the way I was conditioned by society, and TV and magazines and ads..."Oh loose up to 5 lbs in 2 weeks - just eat Special K for 28 meals"..."Oh here pay more for single serve packs because you dont' have the willpower to do your own portion control"...

Read. Try. See what works for you

uniqsol

Hopefully you haven't been put off by the argumentative side discussions! That can become draining when you're seeking advice & help.

From all the resources I've been tackling over the past 6 months, it seems that primal is a bit more lenient than paleo, overall. Some helpful reading for me have been at 3 New Leaves, Mark's Daily Apple (be aware, there is a TON of info here, so it can be good to search the sight to start pinpointing initial questions), and CrossFit.

For me, there are times when I've been more strict and less strict, depending on how I'm feeling. I've made notes in a journal when things don't work or work really well for me. I try to approach it as sticking to foods that are fairly healthy (i.e. lean meats, veggies, some fruits/nuts) and, as they say, avoid the inner aisles of the grocery store, lol.
Don't beat yourself up if you get off track. Everyone does! But once you start eating healthier, your tastes will begin to change & you'll not crave many (overly) processed foods anymore.

Hope that helps! Feel free to friend me as support is always welcome

bm99

Why do people get so pushy about this particular topic...seriously...

My question to those who bash it because you say it is restrictive or cutting out certain food groups isn't worth it - have you even tried???

It's about as reasonable as refusing to eat foods that are a certain color. There is just NO evidence to back up the restrictions.

pattyproulx

ORLY?

He regularly makes **** up based on his own assumptions:

Fair enough, but please go find me a nutritionist (or anyone for that matter) that hasn't made a claim that is refuted by some expert.

With that said, I'm not saying your guy is wrong, but it's easy to find an expert who disagrees with some statement, or an expert who disagree with other experts - especially in the fields of nutrition, biology, and evolution.

I have done plenty of research. If you believe you have sufficient research to back the idea of grain and dairy and legume elimination then I'd be more than happy to read it. So far I've seen nothing conclusive aside from hypothesis that aren't well grounded.

Just because I do not agree with your ideas does not mean I have not done research on this.

Your point has not been proven. I count calories and I do not eliminate food items. Your diet is more restrictive than mine.

Please show me conclusive evidence that dairy, grains, and legumes should be eaten. If there was such conclusive evidence, there'd be no argument either way.

I've read enough research to convince me to try the elimination of those foods, and having done it, my experience tells me that I should limit my consumption of those items.

That's great that you've done your research. You clearly haven't found enough evidence to make you think it's worth the restrictions and that's fine. Your saying that our diet is more restrictive than yours doesn't make it so. I've been on a paleo-style diet for 2 years now and I did the calorie-counting thing prior and I much prefer Paleo (it doesn't mean it's for everyone and that some people won't find it too restrictive - because it's clear that some do - but for me, I'd rather restrict what I can eat rather than how much)

bm99

but for me, I'd rather restrict what I can eat rather than how much)

But you still have to eat within a certain number of calories to lose or maintain weight no matter what kind of food you're eating. I imagine it's just as easy to get fat on a paleo diet as it is on a well balanced diet. If you overeat, you gain.

Jacwhite22

I'm a week in and have lost 5.2 lbs and feel great. It's only been a week soooo......

When you cut carbs.....you lose water weight/glycogen.

Sidesteal

Please show me conclusive evidence that dairy, grains, and legumes should be eaten. If there was such conclusive evidence, there'd be no argument either way.

I am claiming that food elimination should be based on sufficient data that shows justification for removal of that food. If you claim that the above items should be eliminated then the burden of proof is on you to support those claims.

Jipples

but for me, I'd rather restrict what I can eat rather than how much)

But you still have to eat within a certain number of calories to lose or maintain weight no matter what kind of food you're eating. I imagine it's just as easy to get fat on a paleo diet as it is on a well balanced diet. If you overeat, you gain.

false

victoria4321

Please show me conclusive evidence that dairy, grains, and legumes should be eaten. If there was such conclusive evidence, there'd be no argument either way.

I'm interested in this too. Aside from them costing less, I never hear any real benefits from eating grains and legumes. I know they're high in fiber but so are fruits and vegetables.

RonSwanson66

Fair enough, but please go find me a nutritionist (or anyone for that matter) that hasn't made a claim that is refuted by some expert.

Intelligent people who are experts in their field can disagree, but that's a far cry from pulling **** out of your *kitten* with no basis in fact.

Please show me conclusive evidence that dairy, grains, and legumes should be eaten. If there was such conclusive evidence, there'd be no argument either way.

See if you can spot the difference between these two statements:

(1) "You should eat dairy, grains and legumes in order to be healthy"

(2) "There's no need to exclude dairy, grains and/or legumes to be healthy (unless you have a specific intolerance)"

You're hearing #1, but we're saying #2.

Jipples

I'm a week in and have lost 5.2 lbs and feel great. It's only been a week soooo......

When you cut carbs.....you lose water weight/glycogen.

Which is why I said its only been a week.

I know I've felt better though

bm99

but for me, I'd rather restrict what I can eat rather than how much)

But you still have to eat within a certain number of calories to lose or maintain weight no matter what kind of food you're eating. I imagine it's just as easy to get fat on a paleo diet as it is on a well balanced diet. If you overeat, you gain.

false

Ohhh... so it's a MAGIC diet that can disregard the laws of thermodynamics?

Sidesteal

Your saying that our diet is more restrictive than yours doesn't make it so.

The set of available foods for me is larger than the set of available foods to anyone who adheres to Paleo. If you do not consider this a restriction then I'm not sure how to proceed with this discussion.

Our weight and body composition (yours AND mine) are both determined by energy balance and macronutrient sufficiency. You are still required to eat within a given range in order to get favorable results. The only difference is that I prefer to keep track for accuracy.

RonSwanson66

but for me, I'd rather restrict what I can eat rather than how much)

But you still have to eat within a certain number of calories to lose or maintain weight no matter what kind of food you're eating. I imagine it's just as easy to get fat on a paleo diet as it is on a well balanced diet. If you overeat, you gain.

false

Why do you believe that?

Sidesteal

but for me, I'd rather restrict what I can eat rather than how much)

But you still have to eat within a certain number of calories to lose or maintain weight no matter what kind of food you're eating. I imagine it's just as easy to get fat on a paleo diet as it is on a well balanced diet. If you overeat, you gain.

false

Are you going to hit us with "you can't overeat on a paleo diet"?

waldo56

Fair enough, but please go find me a nutritionist (or anyone for that matter) that hasn't made a claim that is refuted by some expert.

I can't recall the last time I heard anyone refute something that Lyle McDonald (of bodyrecomposition.com) said/wrote.

Jipples

but for me, I'd rather restrict what I can eat rather than how much)

But you still have to eat within a certain number of calories to lose or maintain weight no matter what kind of food you're eating. I imagine it's just as easy to get fat on a paleo diet as it is on a well balanced diet. If you overeat, you gain.

false

Ohhh... so it's a MAGIC diet that can disregard the laws of thermodynamics?

Nah, it's not magic. So you're saying a calorie is a calorie and your body processes all food the same way and with the same efficiency?

Sidesteal

but for me, I'd rather restrict what I can eat rather than how much)

But you still have to eat within a certain number of calories to lose or maintain weight no matter what kind of food you're eating. I imagine it's just as easy to get fat on a paleo diet as it is on a well balanced diet. If you overeat, you gain.

false

Ohhh... so it's a MAGIC diet that can disregard the laws of thermodynamics?

Nah, it's not magic. So you're saying a calorie is a calorie and your body processes all food the same way and with the same efficiency?

That's a massive strawman.

Nobody with any clue whatsoever would claim that macronutrients have identical Thermic Effect nor would they claim that macronutrient composition is irrelevant.

Thermic effect of feeding fits nicely into a thermodynamic model. It's accounted for on the calories-out side of the equation.

pattyproulx

but for me, I'd rather restrict what I can eat rather than how much)

But you still have to eat within a certain number of calories to lose or maintain weight no matter what kind of food you're eating. I imagine it's just as easy to get fat on a paleo diet as it is on a well balanced diet. If you overeat, you gain.

I can only speak for myself and my wife but you'd imagine wrong.
On a Paleo diet, I have a hard time reaching 3000 calories if I try (without restricting myself, I'd usually be around 2200-2500).
Before that, eating 4000+ calories was an easy task and when I decided to curb my eating and count calories, I was always hungry eating the standard low-fat, whole-grain diet, (or a 'well-balanced' diet as you like to call it) .

As soon as I'd get off the calorie-counting, I'd slowly gain all the weight back because my body would go back to eating to satiety (which would be about 3500 calories on the standard diet).

While Paleo, the only time I have a hard time maintaining weight is if I start cheating too much.

Again, it's just a different type of restriction.