My experience going 'paleo'

Riemersma4

Can you help me understand why one paleo person would say one thing and another would say what seems to be the complete opposite?:flowerforyou:
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^because one of them is wrong

Let's not discount the possibility that both are wrong! ;-)

Readlikeabook

That's good to hear. I love it when people realize what's good for them. Actually I have some recipes if you want them, let me know.

Best of luck to you!

I'd love some recipes, thank you!


And CoachReddy, thanks so much!! I feel so welcome here Very glad I joined.

Readlikeabook

I don't mean to disagree with you but my husband who spent lots of time researching maintains that no you do not need to be worrying about calories, "deficits" and the like. This is part of my frustration/fear of it. Unclear rules and people seeming to be in direct contradiction with one another?

Can you help me understand why one paleo person would say one thing and another would say what seems to be the complete opposite?

So if I eat 10,000 calories per day of clean paleo food I won't gain weight.

Cool.

See what i'm getting at?

I don't know how you could eat 10,000 calories of Paleo food. That would be about 5 gallons of food. I know I can easily eat 10,000 calories of high carb food.

If I eat 2,000 cal / day of Paleo like stuff, I lose weight. If I eat 2,000 cal / day of high carb, processed food. I gain weight. I don't have to explain it, I just know it.

Look I actually, on the whole, approve of paleo but the idea that total calorie intake isn't important is just horse poop.

I see what you're saying-- sorry, maybe my original post wasn't worded in the best way. What I meant was, *I* found that I was at a deficit while doing the Whole30 and was able to lose weight without counting calories. That definitely won't work for everyone, but I was fortunate that choosing to replace grains and starches with a lot more leafy greens and vegetables worked for *me*.

I know folks who have lost and folks who have gained on "paleo", so it's very much a "if it works for you, great" approach, in terms of counting calories. :-)

tomcornhole

Why even use my fitness pal if you don't need to count calories?

To track micro nutrients. Found out I was woefully short on potassium when I started using MFP. And, to be honest, to track calories. I was curious what my caloric intake was like. Turns out I am right where MFP recommends I be to lose what I am losing. So I may have gotten to where I am either way. I did not need to count calories to lose weight on the Slow Carb Diet. It just happened because the type of food on that diet can be eaten in much larger quantities than the type of food I used to eat (Big Macs and french fries). So it is somewhat self regulating in that sense.

I like to experiment so I may try eating 2,000 calories of whatever I want vs. 2,000 calories of Slow Carb food (Paleoish). I'd bet a dime on a donut I stop losing weight.

4themoney

ahhh, my friend!! the issues is, i was in calorie deficit, for about two years. and i did not lose ONE SINGLE POUND. NOTHING. i tried the eat more to lose more weight thought process too. i joined MFP in jan 2012 and it wasn't until i "went paleo" in jan 2013 that i started losing pounds and inches!!!! so, it's definitely NOT due to a deficit.

read up on your body and how it deals with foods ( on a hormonal, metabolic, digestive level). it's pretty interesting when you read the science behind all of this.

i joined MFP to track cals in and out originally ( back in jan 2012). i did that til about aug and then deleted that acct and started this one, with a focus on fat loss and not weight loss ( inches vs pounds on the scale). so, i don't log much, but i do keep in touch w friends and give support. i log on occasion to check where my macros are. i do like knowing that i'm staying within limits for carbs and what not. but i don't worry about the actual number of calories i consume. i stopped doing that back in aug when i started with the teta brothers at metabolic effect.

if my body can identify and know what to do with things like veggies, fruit, and animals ( protein) i'm gonna stick with that. i haven't counted calories at all in the past 70 some days and i've lost over 16 lbs and as of today over 17 inches....... ( in 68 days of eating like this)

Because you are in a calorie deficit, double your food intake but stay paleo and see if you still lose weight......................

Im glad it's working for you but calories matter, telling someone they don't is irresponsible.

Why even use my fitness pal if you don't need to count calories?

4themoney

at the end of the day, i like eating this way.
and NO ONE will convince me that a diet FREE from processed foods is bad for me :-)

i'm so happy i'm getting my kids on board. they are on spring break this week so it's the perfect time to start switching over to more paleo friendly breakfasts and lunches :-)

peachfigs

The best part of my experience was that there was no calorie counting involved, and everything was measured in your hands-- a serving of protein was the size and thickness of your palm, and fill the rest of your plate with as many veggies as you want.

As long as you're in a deficit, yes. You can eat as many veggies as you want. If you're eating veggies in such an amount that results in a surplus, you'll gain weight (just like any other foods in a surplus). The number of calories you're consuming DOES matter.

I don't believe in restricting any foods that I don't have an allergy or intolerance to. I think it's unnecessary for weight loss and extreme.

That being said, here's some groups that will have like-minded people:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/37-primal-paleo-support-group

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/621-the-primal-life-tips-from-the-cave

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/438-primal-paleo-challenges

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/852-paleo


Edit: Typo. :grumble:

I don't mean to disagree with you but my husband who spent lots of time researching maintains that no you do not need to be worrying about calories, "deficits" and the like. This is part of my frustration/fear of it. Unclear rules and people seeming to be in direct contradiction with one another?

Can you help me understand why one paleo person would say one thing and another would say what seems to be the complete opposite?:flowerforyou:

I think the reason why the majority of people lose weight on a paleo diet is because by cutting out all of the refined, processed "food", theyre already at a calorie deficit anyway. When your body gets used to being fuelled properly, it no longer relies on sugar and 'white food' (bread, pasta, etc) and is more efficient, which is why you don't feel hungry enough to over eat, and therefore continue at a calorie deficit.

However, if you're greedy, it doesn't matter what diet you're on, you will still put on weight.

peachfigs

Also, for recipes, Punchfork has a great paleo section.

WendyTerry420

I don't mean to disagree with you but my husband who spent lots of time researching maintains that no you do not need to be worrying about calories, "deficits" and the like. This is part of my frustration/fear of it. Unclear rules and people seeming to be in direct contradiction with one another?

Can you help me understand why one paleo person would say one thing and another would say what seems to be the complete opposite?

So if I eat 10,000 calories per day of clean paleo food I won't gain weight.

Cool.

See what i'm getting at?

I don't know how you could eat 10,000 calories of Paleo food. That would be about 5 gallons of food. I know I can easily eat 10,000 calories of high carb food.

If I eat 2,000 cal / day of Paleo like stuff, I lose weight. If I eat 2,000 cal / day of high carb, processed food. I gain weight. I don't have to explain it, I just know it.

There is not a doubt in my mind that I could gain weight on a paleo diet. Ribs, for one - I could eat a slab at a time. For two, nuts and seeds are very high calorie and I could eat handful after handful if I let myself. While it's true that cutting out grains could cut a bunch of calories, adding in more fats would put me way over.

ETA: Three: homemade hemp milk is paleo, and I could drink a quart of that in one sitting, even if I leave out the honey, it's still over 600 calories per quart.

tomcornhole

What is the point of all of this? To validate your approach or just denigrate Paleo? People spend too much time bashing something they haven't tried.

WendyTerry420

What is the point of all of this? To validate your approach or just denigrate Paleo? People spend too much time bashing something they haven't tried.

I thought the point was to have a discussion. It is my belief that discussion is the whole point of the forums. :flowerforyou:

caribougal

The best part of my experience was that there was no calorie counting involved, and everything was measured in your hands-- a serving of protein was the size and thickness of your palm, and fill the rest of your plate with as many veggies as you want.

As long as you're in a deficit, yes. You can eat as many veggies as you want. If you're eating veggies in such an amount that results in a surplus, you'll gain weight (just like any other foods in a surplus). The number of calories you're consuming DOES matter.

I don't believe in restricting any foods that I don't have an allergy or intolerance to. I think it's unnecessary for weight loss and extreme.

Obviously, many people, even most people, lose weight on diets that just focus on calorie reduction. That doesn't negate the fact that some people PREFER to diet through elimination. For me, I do better if I think, "That's not on my plan." or, "If I eat that, I will feel bloated after."

Particularly for high carb foods like rice, bread, pasta, chips, pretzels, and CANDY(!!!), I find it very hard to moderate. In fact, I feel more "deprived" moderating a measly serving of those than eliminating them. Incidentally, those are the exact foods eliminated with Paleo. So it works for me and doesn't feel "extreme".

The other thing I like about it is that it helps me feel much more in control of my choices. I feel empowered to say "YES" to non-Paleo foods when I want or need to, and I can enjoy them as a treat. I also know that when I let my old eating behaviors sneak back in, I recognize the emotional aspect of my eating. I can let myself have my guilty pity party meal, and then get back to eating healthy with the next meal. And know that one meal won't derail my diet.

If restriction/elimination feels extreme for you, don't do it. But realize that it works very well for some people.

caribougal

This is what I have been MOST curious about. If there's no calorie counting involved, then why do MFP?

---

(p.s. My husband is doing paleo and as a result I have "recipes" i guess you could say by default. I don't have time to write anything here but you are free FR me and then to peruse my Food Diary. Mostly around my dinners you'll find paleo'd meals. However sometimes I add things to his paleo meals like today for instance I added two things to make it into a "torta" sandwich. DISCLAIMER: In my newsfeed I am quite open about my feelings on the difficulty of his transition as perceived by me who is NOT paleo-ing. I have supportive friends and one of them even happened to be a paleo person when my husband decided to start his kick. I've found it to be extremely difficult to watch him put himself thru that as well as to tolerate his moods and other changes. Also I'm trying to eat right according to MY plan and it affects me. For that reason it's all in there sometimes. So judge for yourself if it's worth risking seeing me vent at times to have access to those food ideas. :flowerforyou:)

I think I saw your post on another paleo thread about your Paleo-crazy hubby and I meant to respond. From what you've said, it does sound like your hubby is taking things to an extreme. I can imagine how annoying that would be for you. I hope he chills out soon! I can admit that when I first started, I also was very strict, and totally absorbed into reading about everything Paleo. I struggled for the first few weeks, but I think it was not only that I was adjusting to less carbs but in fact, I was way under in calories and HANGRY!!

Give him time. No one can stay Paleo Perfect 100% of the time, because it's too damned annoying in our modern world of convenience foods. After a while, hopefully he'll learn when and how to flex. And be more considerate of you.

caribougal

For the "it's about eating at a deficit" and "cal in/out" crowd:

It's not that you're wrong. Of course you're right. It's just that it's simplifying things as if it's an easy math equation for us all to figure out. And it's NOT easy for lots of people.

Often people find that they lose on Paleo when they couldn't on other diets. Sometimes, that's because they actually do have food sensitivities that they were unaware of. When they eliminate the aggravating food, they let their gut heal and are better able to digest and metabolize what they are eating.

Sometimes, it may just be that they weren't truly counting calories correctly on the high carb/cal foods that they were eating. Not hard to do when actual serving sizes are quite a bit smaller than most people think for high cal foods. So eating Paleo enables them to truly be eating at a deficit.

Finally, many people lose on Paleo because they find that by reducing the amount of carbs/sugars, they have less cravings for those foods. And, more room on their plate for lower cal veggies.

caribougal

For those considering a Whole30...

Read up on it. It's a great way to do an N=1 experiment. It's super strict for a reason, but it's ONLY 30 days (unless you choose to extend it). It's not Whole365.

After the 30 days, maybe you have lost weight, maybe you haven't. Maybe you feel better, maybe it was a month of hell.

You learn from it. That's the point.

CoachReddy

I don't mean to disagree with you but my husband who spent lots of time researching maintains that no you do not need to be worrying about calories, "deficits" and the like. This is part of my frustration/fear of it. Unclear rules and people seeming to be in direct contradiction with one another?

Can you help me understand why one paleo person would say one thing and another would say what seems to be the complete opposite?

So if I eat 10,000 calories per day of clean paleo food I won't gain weight.

Cool.

See what i'm getting at?

I don't know how you could eat 10,000 calories of Paleo food. That would be about 5 gallons of food. I know I can easily eat 10,000 calories of high carb food.

If I eat 2,000 cal / day of Paleo like stuff, I lose weight. If I eat 2,000 cal / day of high carb, processed food. I gain weight. I don't have to explain it, I just know it.

There is not a doubt in my mind that I could gain weight on a paleo diet. Ribs, for one - I could eat a slab at a time. For two, nuts and seeds are very high calorie and I could eat handful after handful if I let myself. While it's true that cutting out grains could cut a bunch of calories, adding in more fats would put me way over.

ETA: Three: homemade hemp milk is paleo, and I could drink a quart of that in one sitting, even if I leave out the honey, it's still over 600 calories per quart.

so what we've established is that you 1) don't understand paleo and 2) could use some more self control...

eric_sg61

I hate the term paleo/primal. The food you eat today, no matter how natural or organic it is, in no way resembles the food eaten during the paleo epoch.

WendyTerry420

I don't mean to disagree with you but my husband who spent lots of time researching maintains that no you do not need to be worrying about calories, "deficits" and the like. This is part of my frustration/fear of it. Unclear rules and people seeming to be in direct contradiction with one another?

Can you help me understand why one paleo person would say one thing and another would say what seems to be the complete opposite?

So if I eat 10,000 calories per day of clean paleo food I won't gain weight.

Cool.

See what i'm getting at?

I don't know how you could eat 10,000 calories of Paleo food. That would be about 5 gallons of food. I know I can easily eat 10,000 calories of high carb food.

If I eat 2,000 cal / day of Paleo like stuff, I lose weight. If I eat 2,000 cal / day of high carb, processed food. I gain weight. I don't have to explain it, I just know it.

There is not a doubt in my mind that I could gain weight on a paleo diet. Ribs, for one - I could eat a slab at a time. For two, nuts and seeds are very high calorie and I could eat handful after handful if I let myself. While it's true that cutting out grains could cut a bunch of calories, adding in more fats would put me way over.

ETA: Three: homemade hemp milk is paleo, and I could drink a quart of that in one sitting, even if I leave out the honey, it's still over 600 calories per quart.

so what we've established is that you 1) don't understand paleo and 2) could use some more self control...

And we've established that you have no clue regarding the difference between "could" and "would."

The point is that it's possible.

And as for not understanding paleo, nuts *are* acceptable, hemp milk is acceptable, and meat is acceptable. All foods that I listed are paleo acceptable foods.

CoachReddy

also, I'm making some bone marrow stock right now. so awesome.