Most important advice you can give to a newbie....

dyannajoy

Since I am new at this, I am wondering what single thing you feel is most important for me to know about primal/paleo. Thank you so much!

Jindra12

ummm, just eat meats, veggies, and little fruits and make them all from the scratch. You could find many previous threads with this question.

Merci444

Eat plenty of good fats No low fat.

Shadowknight137

Okay. Here's my two cents.

Whenever you feel a "carb craving", always - ALWAYS - target a starch over a fruit. Srsly. It'll make a world of difference. A baked sweet potato is a lot more satiating than, say, a banana or an apple, and a lot of Primal/Paleo folk seem to bring p how sugary fruit it a trigger for them.
Also, if you ever want to snack, stay away from the nuts. That always gives people problems (very caloricaly dense, very unsatiating).

But hey, welcome to Primal/Paleo living. Hope you enjoy yourself. The key thing is to just eat whole, real foods - don't worry/bother about things like Bulletproof coffee or cooking with "Paleo flours", just keep it simple and things should run smoothly.
My diary is open to friends, so feel free to add me if you want any advice, ideas, maybe recipes, etc. ^_^

dyannajoy

Okay. Here's my two cents.

Whenever you feel a "carb craving", always - ALWAYS - target a starch over a fruit. Srsly. It'll make a world of difference. A baked sweet potato is a lot more satiating than, say, a banana or an apple, and a lot of Primal/Paleo folk seem to bring p how sugary fruit it a trigger for them.
Also, if you ever want to snack, stay away from the nuts. That always gives people problems (very caloricaly dense, very unsatiating).

But hey, welcome to Primal/Paleo living. Hope you enjoy yourself. The key thing is to just eat whole, real foods - don't worry/bother about things like Bulletproof coffee or cooking with "Paleo flours", just keep it simple and things should run smoothly.
My diary is open to friends, so feel free to add me if you want any advice, ideas, maybe recipes, etc. ^_^

what great advice......I have never heard/read the one about sweet potatoes instead of fruit or to stay away from nuts. I am addicted to sunflower seeds,,,,,,,mostly emotional I think. I am going to print all of these off to reread from time to time. How long have you been doing paleo and what are the most significant changes you have noted. Thanks!!

dyannajoy

Okay. Here's my two cents.

Whenever you feel a "carb craving", always - ALWAYS - target a starch over a fruit. Srsly. It'll make a world of difference. A baked sweet potato is a lot more satiating than, say, a banana or an apple, and a lot of Primal/Paleo folk seem to bring p how sugary fruit it a trigger for them.
Also, if you ever want to snack, stay away from the nuts. That always gives people problems (very caloricaly dense, very unsatiating).

But hey, welcome to Primal/Paleo living. Hope you enjoy yourself. The key thing is to just eat whole, real foods - don't worry/bother about things like Bulletproof coffee or cooking with "Paleo flours", just keep it simple and things should run smoothly.
My diary is open to friends, so feel free to add me if you want any advice, ideas, maybe recipes, etc. ^_^

p.s. what do you recommend for snacks?

Merci444

Okay. Here's my two cents.

Whenever you feel a "carb craving", always - ALWAYS - target a starch over a fruit. Srsly. It'll make a world of difference. A baked sweet potato is a lot more satiating than, say, a banana or an apple, and a lot of Primal/Paleo folk seem to bring p how sugary fruit it a trigger for them.
Also, if you ever want to snack, stay away from the nuts. That always gives people problems (very caloricaly dense, very unsatiating).

But hey, welcome to Primal/Paleo living. Hope you enjoy yourself. The key thing is to just eat whole, real foods - don't worry/bother about things like Bulletproof coffee or cooking with "Paleo flours", just keep it simple and things should run smoothly.
My diary is open to friends, so feel free to add me if you want any advice, ideas, maybe recipes, etc. ^_^

p.s. what do you recommend for snacks?

I eat avocados with salsa. I also eat cashews (just a few) and I try not to snack too much. When I am desperate, I will have a Lara Bar, but you have to be careful because they are sweet.

Shadowknight137

what great advice......I have never heard/read the one about sweet potatoes instead of fruit or to stay away from nuts. I am addicted to sunflower seeds,,,,,,,mostly emotional I think. I am going to print all of these off to reread from time to time. How long have you been doing paleo and what are the most significant changes you have noted. Thanks!!

Glad you found it useful.

I've been Primal since... Hmm, maybe mid-January? It was shortly after I was diagnosed as Coeliac, anyway, and realised that gluten-free store bought foods (bread, cakes, Oreos, etc) tasted like garbage, so once I started looking up recipes so I could get my own stuff made - bam, Paleo and Primal were everywhere.

Significant changes? I feel more energetic, I'm stronger. My skin cleared up, I dropped a bit of chub (dropped too much weight in general, actually, but that was mostly tied in with nutrient deficiency related to my Coeliacs) and I stopped getting so many headaches. I love it, honestly... Plus I now get to get creative with my cooking, which I love. :P

p.s. what do you recommend for snacks?

Snacks... Hmm... I'm not much of a snacker, myself, so first off I'll recommend increasing the volume of your three main meals - breakfast/lunch/dinner - that way you hopefully won't feel the need to snack. But if you do get the munchies, I'd say have some of these handy:
-Boiled eggs.
-Cherry tomatoes
-Carrot sticks.
-Kale chips
-Jerky
-Gherkins/pickles
-Nori wraps (seaweed - think sushi wrappings)

Those are some of my faves, anyway... well, them and a few squares of Green&Blacks 85% dark chocolate and a big mug of black coffee. ^_^
I used to combined those together along with a meal as a side, which could be a good go too snack. Gt your hands on some Nori wraps, stuff them with some lettuce, steamed broccoli, sliced tomato and gherkin and ether some jerky or a boiled egg - they taste fantastic and are pretty filling.

Howbouto

I think the nuts thing is personal. Nuts are my go to snack after a workout (or maybe the key is after the workout). Other than that I don't snack much; I'm surprized how much I don't need to snack! Another post work out snack I use is apple with coconut butter, yummy!!!

I agree with the fat comment. It shocks me on the amount of fat I eat, but I feel the best when I eat it (not to mention my skin looks flawless and my hair is very shiny!!)

My advice take it one day at a time. When I crave something, I agree to let myself have that when I decide to have my free meal (about once every 2 weeks right now). I am finding most of my craving are more emotional in nature and when that emotion passes I now longer want it. And the only other thing I can think of is plan ahead.

emily2tx

Snacks-
cuties, celery with almond butter (maybe a little honey mixed in), honey patties(yum), homemade trail mix (enjoy life chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut, pecans, unsweetened raisins or dried chopped plums, and sometimes sunflower seeds. made the mistake of adding pumpkin seeds - don't do it!), baby carrots, sliced red bell peppers, macadamia nut hummus(I haven't made this yet, but I plan on it!), fish (leftover), paleo pumpkin bars (check out Elana's Pantry online), dried apricots, grape tomatoes, coconut milk unsweetened ice cream - by So Delicious (pricey, so it makes me not gorge on the whole container), raw almonds, in shell nuts - so it takes longer to eat them! My kids like protein shakes sometimes, that can curb an appetite too. I used to drink them until I stopped drinking skim milk. I am still looking for a good alternative for that.

SweetxCatastrophe

I too think the nuts is a personal thing. I love a good handful (about 12-14) of macadamia nuts, and a bit of almond butter on celery sticks is one of my favorite snacks. I love pistachios too since it takes some work to eat them.

Eat almost a ridiculous amount of fats. When I first read about fats, I figured there way NO WAY I could eat 60ish percent of my calories from fat but guess what, it's pretty easy to do so. Always eat your yolks with your eggs, have veggie sticks with guacamole, oil on your salads or in meat marinades (or roast veggies in oil), butter, try bulletproof coffee (butter and MCT oil blended into coffee..Sounds weird, tastes wonderful).

My biggest piece of advice is to not give up! I've let myself slip lately and I've realized that my aches and pains are returning, I'm getting a dang pimple on my chin, and I just feel like my energy is drained somewhat. Even if it seems easier to just eat junk, don't. I've learned my lesson and won't be making this mistake again lol. You will feel so much better sticking to real foods than convenience foods

Mrs_Duh

Focus on all the great things you get to eat, versus all the things you are missing out on. I used to eat a very low-fat but high-carb diet. I was so worried about cutting out the carbs, but eventually realized that I get to eat all of these wonderful, rich foods now that I'm Primal/Paleo. I used to avoid steak, bacon, sausage, butter, oils, etc... and now I absolutely love being able to eat them! I'd take a juicy steak over brown rice any day! when ever I start feeling like eating sugar or carbs, I just think about how much I'd miss bacon, steak, etc.

KarenisPaleo

Nuts and Nut Butters are the usual topic for differing opinions when it comes to Primal/ Paleo , and I love nuts and nut butters but until you know how they affect you, and your progress, don't overdo it.

And YES to the sweet potato poster! LOVE them and they do get your mind out of the carb gutter if you're struggling on a particular day.

Enjoy your bacon and welcome!!!

dyannajoy

awwwwwwwwwww thanks everyone so much!!! what an amazing amount of good info! I feel better tonight and made it through my third day!! My daughter thinks I am crazy to start this right before Christmas.......but I think....what better time! Besides that...the time is right for my head. I WANT TO DO THIS!! And I know I have found the right people to help me! thank you thank you:flowerforyou:

Fairysoul

My best advice, stick up on meats and veggies, be sure to have coconut oil and olive oil at hand, and check out some great websites, my fav is everydaypaleo.com

Zeromilediet

I'd say look at this with a long view. The focus is on improving your health and part of that will be weight loss if that's how your body responds, and it can also be other results, depending on your circumstances. Don't look at it like a 'diet' for a month or so--this is a way of eating that is difficult in the beginning but you're worth it!

ichorica

I third the sweet potato! I also agree with taking it one day at a time and focusing on all the amazing foods you get to eat! I have found my love of some super yummy veggies this year that I cant wait to plant in my garden next spring! There are so many benefits to this way of eating. Tell yourself that it is possible to eat this way! Focus on the positives! Use your support system (us folks here)!

jennaworksout

great thread, finding some good info!! .....welcome to Paleo! I found the first 2 weeks rough, so If you do as well ..don't give up!! , you'll be glad you didn't :happy:

MMAQueen

Welcome!

I'm relatively new to the whole paleo thing (just under 5 weeks). but for me, the most important thing has been preparedness.

I spend a couple hours every sunday making my lunches and a few dinners for the week. Cooking up meat and vegetables in various ways, putting it in containers and into the freezer.

I also try to make a snack like paleo brownies, loafs, or trailmix for the week as well.

i find nuts very filling and delish, so i guess it's a personal thing, I keep a bag of raw unsalted almonds in my desk at work for when i get a case of the munchies.

for fruit: berries over pretty much all of the rest, they have more anti oxidents and all that other good stuff, and tend to have less sugar.

as for plain old advice: don't be afraid of failure or cheating, just don't make a habit of it.

dyannajoy

so good to see so many who are doing this successfully! AND enjoying it! Thank you!