Should I try Paleo?

lmkelly679

I'm thinking of trying paleo but i still have questions... i found a list of allowed and not allowed foods and foods to have moderately. My question is, do i count calories or just stick with the food list and not worry about counting? Also I'm a coffee addict and LOVE starbucks so how can I have my coffee? I usually have 2tbs half and half with sweet and low and drink nonfat lattes from starbucks (I can do without the syrups) Any help would be great! :-)

caribougal

Technically, you shouldn't have to track calories if you're eating really strict paleo, because it's hard to over eat when you eat mostly meat and veg.

But reality is that if you are trying to lose weight, and especially in the beginning, it's good to track. You can eat too many cals from things like nuts, nut butters, fats and lots of fruit. Once you learn about how to eat in a sustainable way, you can stop tracking. Just like any diet.

I pay attention to cals and macros.

ajwolters

I watch my carbs, not so much calories. I try to keep fruit to one or none a day. I'm hypothyroid, and keeping the carbs down is the only way to keep my weight from blooming back up over 130. I have carbs set at 15% of calories now that I'm at my goal weight. I *used to* be a coffee addict. Switched to decaf for a year, and just quit it entirely this month to get myself off sweetener (was using Stevia in the Raw). I'm now drinking decaf green tea in the morning, and herbal tea the rest of the day. Still trying to wean off dairy.

caribougal

Coffee. Totally fine on paleo. Well, probably not technically but we're human.

Strict paleo would say no cream. You could sub in almond milk or coconut milk. But it's not the same.

Or, you could declare yourself "Primal" and add the cream.

For the past 30 years I've added sugar or a sweetener to my coffee. I never thought I would like it any other way. When I went Primal, I switched to a teaspoon of honey. After a while, I just started to skip the honey. Now I don't sweeten it at all and the idea of sweet coffee kind of grosses me out.

Instead of nonfat latte, go for full fat and enjoy. You could do an almond milk latte.

momof2osaurus

I would tell anyone who asked that, yes, you should try Paleo (or Primal). I tried it not counting calories and wasn't losing any weight. So I tracked for a day or so and realized I wasn't eating nearly enough. I'm still struggling to eat enough, which...well, if you knew me, you'd know that was NOT normal. I try to keep my carbs under 75g because I'm definitely trying to lose weight.

lmkelly679

Thanks for the advice! Green tea sounds like a good idea, i love that stuff. Is it ok to add a little honey in the beginning and try to wean myself off of it or is honey not allowed for paleo?

momof2osaurus

Thanks for the advice! Green tea sounds like a good idea, i love that stuff. Is it ok to add a little honey in the beginning and try to wean myself off of it or is honey not allowed for paleo?

Honey is allowed! So is maple syrup. Some people also use stevia.

lmkelly679

Great! Thanks!

ajwolters

Coffee. Totally fine on paleo.

Yes. And I miss it, only because I miss the sweet hot drink. I don't care for unsweetened coffee at all. Being off caffeine, though, has made me noticeably calmer. Eventually, I'd like to stop drinking tea, too, but for now it's how I stay off coffee. I'd like to be able to get up in the morning and just have a glass of water to start my day and not need the hot beverage ritual.