PALEO (Cavemen) Eaters...

sjohnny

I'm curious as to what besides what you eat makes up the "Paleo lifestyle".

testease

please,

i said i tried it. It sucked

Congrats on these health improvements. I havent needed improvments because i never let mine decline in the first place.

if you don't need improvements why did you see the need to loose 30+ lbs?

So i can put 30 on and still be in my weight class? Cutting while training for a meet isnt the best policy.

Acg67

I'm curious as to what besides what you eat makes up the "Paleo lifestyle".

Shunning modern medicine and living in a cave

sjohnny

Part of ANY eating style is finding what works for you and what you can maintain. if you feel you are constantly depriving yourself of something then obviously then that eating style is not for you. It is about making CHOICES and in some effect finding a different set of perimeters - and maybe changing your perimeters you may find yourself wanting or craving different foods than what you had before - is that going to change overnight, in a week - no probably not...You could sit a whole ice cream buffet in front of me and I probably wouldn't care...stick a nice rare steak in front of me with some roasted broccilli and we are talking...

Maybe something like this would help tighten up the perimeter

DonniesGirl69

If you can't do it forever, don't do it at all.

Just my opinion.

MMAQueen

I've been eating paleo for almost 4 weeks now. I've got more energy, am sleeping better and generally feel more well. The first week was a bit rough, because my body wanted crap. It's like breaking any addiction.

Despite what a lot of people hear are saying. it is sustainable. Like everything else, you have to find a balance that works for you. There is a paleo/primal support group here on MFP you should check it out for some less negative answers

gauchogirl

I swear by it. BUT I also count calories, so I'll know if I'm in the ballpark. I don't sweat it if I go over though, as long as I know it's healthy foods.

Be warned though, Paleo isn't about losing weight as much as it is about eating the right foods for longevity and health. You will feel AMAZING, and weight loss is (usually) an awesome side-effect.

ETA: It IS sustainable, with a little effort (much less than traditional "dieting.")

ambervaldez79

I wanted to try it for the 30 days to see if I felt better by eliminating junk from my diet. I have been on it for a week with the exception of coffee. The first few days I felt like hell, but now I actually feel great. I have had a few cravings, but it was because I was hungry and stuck at work. So far, so good! I am less concerned about bashing someone about the "diet" they choose and more concerned about my health. The negative remarks are just silly and childish.

Dave198lbs

I wanted to try it for the 30 days to see if I felt better by eliminating junk from my diet. I have been on it for a week with the exception of coffee. The first few days I felt like hell, but now I actually feel great. I have had a few cravings, but it was because I was hungry and stuck at work. So far, so good! I am less concerned about bashing someone about the "diet" they choose and more concerned about my health. The negative remarks are just silly and childish.

true

what is really sad is the bashers have to misrepresent the eating style as something it isn't.

the most unfortunate thing about this diet plan is the cave man nonsense

_lizzie_

Cavemen ate primarily nuts and berries with some random amounts of meat thrown in - usually scavenged (i.e. carrion), There is also documentation of them being cannibals. Good luck with that.

Oh my....You have a nice, meaty looking arm there :bigsmile:

_stephanie0

That's why I gave up my Paleo Card

Giving up all sorts of "cards" aren't we?

Sorry, saw you gave up your man card on another thread and had to say something. I promise I'm not stalking you.... don't look out your window... seriously, don't.

this made me LOL.... :laugh:

i guess ill throw my 0.02 in too....


i did paleo. its awesome. i feel great on it. BUT! i also realized oatmeal and greek yogurt are healthy too!!
eat healthy, cut out junk. no need to label it. if those healthy foods like yogurt and oats dont "disagree" with you then why cut it out ?


good luck!

jofjltncb6

For what it's worth (admittedly, probably not much), after a one year absence, I plan to add steel cut oats back into my diet starting tomorrow for breakfast. I don't expect any problems whatsoever, but I also don't want to consistently displace some other more nutrient dense food from my daily intake.

caribougal

I'm curious as to what besides what you eat makes up the "Paleo lifestyle".

Shunning modern medicine and living in a cave

There's your snarky answer.

People like to say "lifestyle" because by using the word "diet" it can imply that it's a short-term weight loss thing. It always makes me think of swingers, though. I'm not sure if there are Paleo swingers... Could be.

I think of it as a food philosophy or mindset. It gives me a framework to make choices about what I eat. The "yes" foods are the most nutriitious. The no foods are less nutritious, and for some people, can actually be harmful if they are related to poor digestion or reactions. I'm not perfect all the time and don't set an expectation for myself to be perfect. But the framework helps me eat healthy most of the time so I can be in control of my decisions, including when to enjoy a treat, rather than being driven by cravings as I was often before.

The other part of the mindset that really appeals to me is the focus on eating the best quality you can find and afford. It emphasizes eating pastured eggs and chicken over factory farmed ones. Grass-finished beef over CAFO corn-finished. Wild over farmed fish. Etc. I'm fortunate to live in a place that really encourages this and I'm surrounded by great farms and like-minded "locavores". I do my best, and try to put my shopping dollars behind my food philosophy.

Lastly, this is obviously not unique to Paleo, but the emphasis is also on exercise, getting sleep, and making time for play. I'm terrible at making time for all three of those things. But I like that the blogs I follow remind me that being healthy is more than just eating right. Again, nothing earth shattering or unique to that idea, but it is part of Paleo.

Oh, and I love my western medicine-trained doctors and work in the Pharma industry. Actually, several of my physician customers follow the Paleo diet and recommend it, especially for patients with diabetes or with metabolic disorder. I don't live in a cave, but it would be fun to camp in one. I do like to eat the marrow out of bones, though, ever since I was little.

paleofatman

This is something I'm wanting to jump on to at the beginning of the year.

Do you swear by it? Any of you think it's not worth it? Better than counting calories?

Need some advice from those who've done it before !

Thanks in advance

There are many naysayers but this "paleo" or "primal" or whatever-you-call-it works for very many people. The internet is full of (anecdotal) evidence of the good things this diet brings.

For me? I'm absolutely sold on it. I've lost a total of 60 pounds in two years merely by being paleo-ish. Fifteen of those pounds have been lost in the last five months by being strict-paleo. I don't count carbs, or calories, but based upon what I know about the various foods I eat, my daily carb intake is less than 20 gm and I estimate 60% to 70% of my total calorie intake is from fat. I feel good and I am losing weight.

Two years ago I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic with VERY high blood pressure (I am now 60 years old). My blood glucose now ranges from 75 to 88 in any given 24-hour period and my blood pressure is now that of a fit 20 year old. At first all I did was cut out processed carbs; no sugar, no bread, no pasta, etc. In the last five months I've cut out ALL carbs except those trace amounts found in vegetables and even in meat. This morning my blood glucose was 81 mg/dL, down from a high of 250 mg/dL, and my blood pressure was 105/66, down from a high of 140/110.

The naysayers claim we cannot eat as the cavemen did since there is are no mammoths or aurochs running around today but they've misunderstood the concept. The whole idea, the foundation stone if you will, is that we should only be eating "real" food: fresh vegetables, quality fats and meats from quality animals. If it comes in a box or can, it's not real food. Foods that require the addition of vitamins, such as "breakfast" cereals, are not real food.

The naysayers also claim it is too restrictive. Except for the exclusion of all those processed carbs, they don't know what they are saying. With the huge variety of vegetables, and the various kinds of meats and fish available to us, how can it be restrictive? I don't eat potatoes or rice but many do. I don't eat fruit but many do. I avoid grains as if they are the plague but many paleos still eat them and do well.

It is also said one cannot get enough energy from a low-carb diet. Remember, fat has 9 calories per gram whereas carbs and protein have only 4 calories per gram. An endurance athlete does need to supplement with carbs but most people do quite well on a low-carb diet. In fact, just in the past few months a story was published on the internet about a guy winning a marathon with a record-breaking time, for that particular course, and he was strict-paleo. (He was also a bare-foot runner as I recall, eschewing the thick-soled, high-heeled bricks we now call running shoes.) It takes a few weeks to convert to fat-burning and one does suffer withdrawal symptoms upon quitting carbs but burning fat as energy is more efficient. One's body stores a LOT more energy in the form of slow-burning fat than it does in the form of quick-burning glucose, which is why endurance athletes must continually ingest carbs to keep their energy levels up.

Is the paleo diet for everyone? Nope, some simply do not do well on low-carb. But for those of us that do become fat-burners and stick to it, the diet is literally, in my case anyway, a lifesaver.

ambervaldez79

I was having symptoms of IBS before I started eating paleo-like. I was sure eating more fiber, fruits, and veggies was going to make it worse! I haven't had a flare-up in a week. I haven't had any cheese, milk, or grains in my diet at all this past week. I'm thinking I eliminated something that I had an intolerance to. I just had something with a little cheese not thinking anything of it. It tore my stomach up!!

MorbidMander

I've tried it, it is SO hard. I caved in after a few days, lol.

sunsnstatheart

I tried hunting and scavenging for a while. Neighbors complained about me bludgeoning pigeons and stealing their tomatoes. So I had to stop.

ambervaldez79

Morbid, I'm only a week in! The first few days I almost cracked. I'm just trying it out to see if it makes me feel better. Usually I'm drained, irritable, and dealing with chronic stomach problems. The first few days I had a headache, but I have felt great since. Well, that is until I had dairy.

Dave198lbs

I tried hunting and scavenging for a while. Neighbors complained about me bludgeoning pigeons and stealing their tomatoes. So I had to stop.

ya...u a funny boy

can't describe the actual protocol so make up lame jokes about something you don't really understand

good job

MorbidMander

Morbid, I'm only a week in! The first few days I almost cracked. I'm just trying it out to see if it makes me feel better. Usually I'm drained, irritable, and dealing with chronic stomach problems. The first few days I had a headache, but I have felt great since. Well, that is until I had dairy.

Well I'm sure if you're really dedicated you'll be just fine! It sounds like it's really helping you I wish I could've stuck to it, but I am too poor to eat all natural foods all the time. Le sigh. Oh well. I'll just have to wait until I'm making more monies.