Please share your best 'getting started' tips.....

wiginn

Hi everyone, I have been lurking I this group for a couple of weeks and am just finishing up reading the Primal Blueprint. In preparation, I have done my best to avoid bread and most grain-based products this past week. I updated myfitnesspal goals for calories, protein, fats and carbs to hopefully lose 1-2 pounds per week. I have been losing and gaining the same 2 pounds for months now, so I am hoping a high protein, good fat, no grain diet will be what I need.

I'm looking for any additional tips or ideas anyone's willing to share as I embark on this lifestyle change.

Thanks!

caribougal

Get thee to a market and buy:
Coconut oil
Pastured butter
Pastured eggs
Avocados
Lots of veggies and berries
Grass-fed beef jerky for emergencies.
Almonds
Almond butter

Those are my staples. Plus, the best quality meats and seafood you can afford.

booyainyoface

1- rid your house of junk
2- go buy the above
3- go to a few websites for recipes (paleomg.com and health-bent at my two favorites)

Zeromilediet

^^this

Get rid of stuff that's not paleo ... it's too easy to tempt if it's in the cupboard. If you're transitioning and still cling to wanting baked goods, use coconut flour instead. There are good recipes if you Google or go to Chowstalker.com

kpbella1128

Get thee to a market and buy:
Coconut oil
Pastured butter
Pastured eggs
Avocados
Lots of veggies and berries
Grass-fed beef jerky for emergencies.
Almonds
Almond butter

Those are my staples. Plus, the best quality meats and seafood you can afford.

This and clean out your fridge/pantry of all processed crap!

Also - some great books to read:

It Starts With Food
Practical Paleo
Primal Blueprint

wiginn

Thanks everyone! Like I said, am just finishing reading the Primal Blueprint - should be done today. I've been doing lots of online reading, too! Trying to get a meal plan and recipes together for the upcoming week.

What do you do with coconut oil besides using it for cooking, if anything? Looks like a shopping trip is in order!

Zeromilediet

I combine coconut oil 1/2 and 1/2 with ghee (similar to clarified butter) to use for cooking ; adds a butter flavour :-)

Also use it in a body butter mix (coconut oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, essential oil usually lavender or rosemary) and homemade toothpaste.

Some people use it for other personal care, and take it by the spoonful or mixed in refreshments.

Edit to add: http://www.hybridrastamama.com/2012/01/160-uses-for-coconut-oil.html

CRody44

I didn’t intend to go primal. I have had Type 2 Diabetes for about 9 years but never got a handle on it. When I decided to get serious, I saw that my blood sugar spiked every time I ate pastas, so I quit them. My grains of choice were in sourdough bread, home made pizza and fried rice, but these also spiked my BS, so I quit them. I replaced them with fresh fruits and veggies bought at the Farmers Market. We haven’t used industrial oils for a few years so that was nothing new. Three months into eating better, my daughter, who eats Paleo, gave me several of her books to read up on and I saw that I was already over 80% Primal, so with minor changes, I am probably 90% now. After three months Primal, my blood sugar was .1 over normal and my Lipids were all in the very acceptable range, enough to get me off Statins I was eating about 8 cups of fresh fruit a day, and the next morning, my BS was still elevated so I have cut the fruit to the morning after workouts.
So what I would suggest, as does Sessons in his book, is to take it one step at a time and let your body become accustom to the change for a few weeks before you make another change.

Here is some good reading
http://www.archevore.com/
http://eatingacademy.com/
http://everydaypaleo.com/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://robbwolf.com/
http://thepaleodiet.com/

http://nomnompaleo.com/ (recipes)

Loren Cordain “The Paleo Diet”
Robb Wolf “The Paleo Solution”
Mark Sisson “The Primal Blueprint”
Mark Sisson “The Primal Blueprint 21 day Total Body Transformation”
Gary Taubes “Good Calories, Bad Calories”

Knoxvilla5

All of the above comments plus this: Finger food helps the initial phase--at least it did for me.

I suggest taking an hour, collect the top 10 finger foods you would like to try this next week, go buy the stuff, and again: GET RID OF TEMPTATION. Don't have it in your house. Give it away to a non-primal/paleo friend or a food pantry--there's an economic crisis going on so I'm pretty sure SOMEBODY could use it.

As for really sticking to it, TAKE MEAL PICS. Post them on here every time you have a primo primal plate. It keeps you enthused about the process and engaged.

A few of my favorite finger foods:

1. SHRIMP!
2. Meatballs
3. Mini meat patties
4. Pork medallions
5. Fruit (BERRIES: strawberries, blueberries, etc)
6. Fruit (bananas, apples, melon balls, etc)
7. Veggies (raw discs of zucchini, cucumber, carrots, radishes, etc)
8. Veggies (raw bite-sized broccoli, cauliflower, celery, etc)
9. Veggies (a trio of sautéed peppers, mushrooms, & onions)
10. Lettuce wraps (OMG! Sautéed diced chicken and veggies as filler?! Too good! Nori seaweed helps keep it together)

Knoxvilla5

I didn’t intend to go primal. I have had Type 2 Diabetes for about 9 years but never got a handle on it. When I decided to get serious, I saw that my blood sugar spiked every time I ate pastas, so I quit them. My grains of choice were in sourdough bread, home made pizza and fried rice, but these also spiked my BS, so I quit them. I replaced them with fresh fruits and veggies bought at the Farmers Market. We haven’t used industrial oils for a few years so that was nothing new. Three months into eating better, my daughter, who eats Paleo, gave me several of her books to read up on and I saw that I was already over 80% Primal, so with minor changes, I am probably 90% now. After three months Primal, my blood sugar was .1 over normal and my Lipids were all in the very acceptable range, enough to get me off Statins I was eating about 8 cups of fresh fruit a day, and the next morning, my BS was still elevated so I have cut the fruit to the morning after workouts.
So what I would suggest, as does Sessions in his book, is to take it one step at a time and let your body become accustom to the change for a few weeks before you make another change.

Here is some good reading
http://www.archevore.com/
http://eatingacademy.com/
http://everydaypaleo.com/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://robbwolf.com/
http://thepaleodiet.com/

http://nomnompaleo.com/ (recipes)

Loren Cordain “The Paleo Diet”
Robb Wolf “The Paleo Solution”
Mark Sisson “The Primal Blueprint”
Mark Sisson “The Primal Blueprint 21 day Total Body Transformation”
Gary Taubes “Good Calories, Bad Calories”

Nice links--you make it easy on a newb!

queensey

Thank you guy for all useful links and tips for newbies like me!

skwidlund

Plan, plan, plan. Breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks if you can - it will help when you're short on time or tired and are tempted to eat something else. And cooking extra protein or chopping extra veggies to keep in the fridge to grab in a pinch are helpful no matter how long you've been eating this way!

wiginn

Thanks again to everyone for all the tips & links!! :flowerforyou:

1twistedjew

Find a Trader Joes in the area! You can do Paleo much more reasonable there.

1twistedjew

Exactly! It is almost impossible to do Paleo through a drive through.

1twistedjew

Read the book Quantum Paleo. You can get the kindle version for $2.99. If you don't have a kindle download the app and read it on your computer. It has been one of my favourites.

wiginn

Read the book Quantum Paleo. You can get the kindle version for $2.99. If you don't have a kindle download the app and read it on your computer. It has been one of my favourites.

Thanks - I do have a kindle and will check that one out.

Just got back from the grocery store and was really disappointed in the lack of organic meats....going to have to figure something out there for sure. Did stop at a local farm stand, though, and was able to get loads of fresh veggies, local eggs and even some ground beef. Not sure if this is totally primal or not, but we had a meat-crust pizza for dinner tonight - loaded with fresh peppers and fresh tomatoes. It was delicious. Have a crustless quiche already baked for breakfasts this week and am boiling eggs to dice up in salads with my fresh veggies. Trying to plan ahead as everyone has recommended.

One more question - everything I have read says that fat and protein is more satiating than carbs, but today I have found myself "feeling hungry" about 20 minutes after eating a high protein/fat/low carb meal. Is that typical at first?

Thanks.

amanda6393

What do you do with coconut oil besides using it for cooking, if anything? Looks like a shopping trip is in order!

I whip some of my coconut oil with a hand beater until it's light and fluffy (about 5 minutes) and use it about once a week as an all-over body moisturiser before bed. Great for really dry skin.
It smells divine!

monkeydharma

One more question - everything I have read says that fat and protein is more satiating than carbs, but today I have found myself "feeling hungry" about 20 minutes after eating a high protein/fat/low carb meal. Is that typical at first?

Yes.

It takes a couple of weeks for your body to change from burning carbohydrates as a primary fuel source to burning fat. Your body is used to burning carbs, so it will be hollering at first that it NEEDS MORE!!!! You may find that after a few days, you might get headachy and feel flu-ish. We refer to that as the 'carb flu'. It goes away after a couple of days. Stay the course, be diligent about avoiding grains and sugars and you'll find yourself bursting with energy in no time!

MrsCurtisinTX

My finance and I are starting Paleo today and all this information is soooo helpful! Thank You!

Fairysoul

Here are my tips. Plan your meals, don't buy things you will probably cheat on. And don't be afraid to ask questions!