primal/paleo vs an "overall healthy" diet... convince me!

Cheri_Moves
Cheri_Moves Posts: 625 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey there!

So I am playing around with the idea of switching to a more primal diet (no grains, processed foods). I would like to shed the last of my stubborn fat and have gotten some feedback that this is the way to go.

BUT: a few concerns...
1. I eat pretty high protein and I'm worried about loosing my cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and whey.
2. Isn't it pretty low carb? Ive lost weight and gained weight because of the "damages" caused by LC.
3. Aren't the choices very limited and costly?
4. Is it really worth it? and WHY?

I would love to hear what you have to say! (As long as it is helpful and back by some knowledge base.) If you know of some good articles, links, books, etc... SHOOT!

And if you're all for "overall" healthy eating and think paleo/primal is unnecessary, please, same goes for you!!!

Thanks,
Cheri
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Replies

  • adiannen83
    adiannen83 Posts: 32 Member
    Well I don't have a huge knowledge base to pull from and you can probably google as well as I can LoL. I would just say to consider this before switching from an overall healthy lifestyle (my word preference) to a more primitive lifestyle. To me the term diet suggests short-term. I would ask myself, is this the kind of eating that I can keep up for the rest of my life? Is the kind of lifestyle that will allow me to live the way I want to? Will this plan allow me to stop without gaining back the weight I lost while on it? To me, if even one of these answers is no, I won't switch. You have to find what works for you and your lifestyle!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods: good.
    Eliminating food items when you do not have an intolerance or allergy or even a reason to eliminate them = not necessary.


    My suggestion would be to take some of the good aspects of paleo, and apply them to your diet without worrying about whether or not your ancestors ate it or whether or not it meets the approval of a rather arbitrary list.

    In other words, eat lots of whole foods. Eat within a range of calorie and macronutrients that aligns with your body composition goals. Don't neglect micronutrients but at the same time don't stress out over some treats.

    That's my opinion.
  • Cheri_Moves
    Cheri_Moves Posts: 625 Member
    Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods: good.
    Eliminating food items when you do not have an intolerance or allergy or even a reason to eliminate them = not necessary.


    My suggestion would be to take some of the good aspects of paleo, and apply them to your diet without worrying about whether or not your ancestors ate it or whether or not it meets the approval of a rather arbitrary list.

    In other words, eat lots of whole foods. Eat within a range of calorie and macronutrients that aligns with your body composition goals. Don't neglect micronutrients but at the same time don't stress out over some treats.

    That's my opinion.

    thanks for your reply. I've seen you on the forums before, and you seems to know your stuff... so my questions is this: Do you think making these changes would help me break a 6 month plateau? I just finished a tri that I spent 6 months training for and I am looking to make whatever HEALTHY, REASONABLE changes necessary to do this.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods: good.
    Eliminating food items when you do not have an intolerance or allergy or even a reason to eliminate them = not necessary.


    My suggestion would be to take some of the good aspects of paleo, and apply them to your diet without worrying about whether or not your ancestors ate it or whether or not it meets the approval of a rather arbitrary list.

    In other words, eat lots of whole foods. Eat within a range of calorie and macronutrients that aligns with your body composition goals. Don't neglect micronutrients but at the same time don't stress out over some treats.

    That's my opinion.

    thanks for your reply. I've seen you on the forums before, and you seems to know your stuff... so my questions is this: Do you think making these changes would help me break a 6 month plateau? I just finished a tri that I spent 6 months training for and I am looking to make whatever HEALTHY, REASONABLE changes necessary to do this.

    I think that any change resulting in a plateau being broken will be a result of a change to calorie and macronutrient intake and not a result of changing the names of the foods you eat.

    I don't mean that sarcastically either, just to be clear.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods: good.
    Eliminating food items when you do not have an intolerance or allergy or even a reason to eliminate them = not necessary.


    My suggestion would be to take some of the good aspects of paleo, and apply them to your diet without worrying about whether or not your ancestors ate it or whether or not it meets the approval of a rather arbitrary list.

    In other words, eat lots of whole foods. Eat within a range of calorie and macronutrients that aligns with your body composition goals. Don't neglect micronutrients but at the same time don't stress out over some treats.

    That's my opinion.

    thanks for your reply. I've seen you on the forums before, and you seems to know your stuff... so my questions is this: Do you think making these changes would help me break a 6 month plateau? I just finished a tri that I spent 6 months training for and I am looking to make whatever HEALTHY, REASONABLE changes necessary to do this.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Some analysis and so on of a paleo type diet at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3009971/ - paleo seemed to allow consumption of less food as it was an ad lib trial.
  • Cheri_Moves
    Cheri_Moves Posts: 625 Member
    Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods: good.
    Eliminating food items when you do not have an intolerance or allergy or even a reason to eliminate them = not necessary.


    My suggestion would be to take some of the good aspects of paleo, and apply them to your diet without worrying about whether or not your ancestors ate it or whether or not it meets the approval of a rather arbitrary list.

    In other words, eat lots of whole foods. Eat within a range of calorie and macronutrients that aligns with your body composition goals. Don't neglect micronutrients but at the same time don't stress out over some treats.

    That's my opinion.

    thanks for your reply. I've seen you on the forums before, and you seems to know your stuff... so my questions is this: Do you think making these changes would help me break a 6 month plateau? I just finished a tri that I spent 6 months training for and I am looking to make whatever HEALTHY, REASONABLE changes necessary to do this.

    EXACTLY... Now, what do you have to say about this??? And to be clear, I have done a lot in those 6 months to try to break the plateau, but couldn't compromise my training. So I felt limited.
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
    I have been eating paleo for a while. I stopped eating processed food when I was diagnosed with diabetes 5 years ago. I also quit eating bread, rice, pasta, any sugary drink, and most carbs. That stuff all tastes like CRAP now. A normal meal for me is fish or chicken with some kind of veggie. I do like my cheese though, so that is the only non paleo thing I do. Otherwise I have to say I don't get hungry, I usually feel full after eating. I don't get bloated/ retain water. My down fall in the past has been beer or wine. I've broken that habit now so I expect to see some pretty awesome changes.
  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
    There are lots of paleo/primal bashers on MFP, so I'm sure they'll post. I recommend posting this in the Paleo group to ask. Feel free to view my diary.

    To answer your questions:
    1. I eat pretty high protein and I'm worried about loosing my cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and whey. -
    These are totally OK to eat with the "primal blueprint". Not sure about whey, though. People think paleo means eating all meat all day. I don't think I really eat that much more meat than I did before, except that at times instead of snacking on a cookie or pretzel, or eating a fast-food lunch because I'm short on time, I might eat grass-fed beef jerky instead. And, I'm definitely eating a lot more eggs... I used to eat a bagel thin every morning. Now I eat eggs and avocado, or just drink a bullet-proof coffee.

    2. Isn't it pretty low carb? Ive lost weight and gained weight because of the "damages" caused by LC.
    For weight loss, recommended carb intake is 50-100g, and 100-150g on maintenance. But the focus is more on getting high quality nutrient-dense carbs, not just being low carb.

    3. Aren't the choices very limited and costly?
    I actually feel like I'm eating a very tasty and varied diet. Feel free to view my diary. Lots of fresh veggies, berries, seafood, and meats. I'm eating healthier breakfasts at home instead of buying junk on my way to work, packing my lunch more (and saving money), and have introduced healthier veggie side dishes to my family. Yes, the goal is to use the best quality meats and veggies as possible... organic and local preferred, grass-fed beef, pastured eggs and chicken. But we all do the best that reality and our wallets can afford. No one is perfect, and if you can't buy that stuff all the time, that shouldn't stop you. There are ways to get that stuff on sale. Initially there is some investment to buy new staples that you might not have, but really the most important one is coconut oil to cook with instead of nasty canola oil, and save your olive oil for drizzling on food, not cooking food.

    4. Is it really worth it? and WHY?
    The first week was hard, no lie. Your body has to adjust to having less easy sugars to burn. But 1 month into it, I've lost 8 lbs, 3% body fat, feel great, satiated, and like I've been eating more delicious foods than I did before. I used to crave something sweet after every lunch and dinner. Now my sweet tooth is pretty much gone, and fruits and berries, especially now in season, taste plenty sweet and delicious to me. For me, I feel like I'm eating healthier, eating way more veggies than I did before (the space on my plate that used to have the pasta/rice/beans/bread now has veggies), and eating good food.

    Finally, this is a good website to explain the rationale behind this diet:
    www.marksdailyapple.com

    Good luck with your choice.
  • Cheri_Moves
    Cheri_Moves Posts: 625 Member
    I have been eating paleo for a while. I stopped eating processed food when I was diagnosed with diabetes 5 years ago. I also quit eating bread, rice, pasta, any sugary drink, and most carbs. That stuff all tastes like CRAP now. A normal meal for me is fish or chicken with some kind of veggie. I do like my cheese though, so that is the only non paleo thing I do. Otherwise I have to say I don't get hungry, I usually feel full after eating. I don't get bloated/ retain water. My down fall in the past has been beer or wine. I've broken that habit now so I expect to see some pretty awesome changes.

    Thank you for sharing your experience :wink:
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods: good.
    Eliminating food items when you do not have an intolerance or allergy or even a reason to eliminate them = not necessary.


    My suggestion would be to take some of the good aspects of paleo, and apply them to your diet without worrying about whether or not your ancestors ate it or whether or not it meets the approval of a rather arbitrary list.

    In other words, eat lots of whole foods. Eat within a range of calorie and macronutrients that aligns with your body composition goals. Don't neglect micronutrients but at the same time don't stress out over some treats.

    That's my opinion.

    thanks for your reply. I've seen you on the forums before, and you seems to know your stuff... so my questions is this: Do you think making these changes would help me break a 6 month plateau? I just finished a tri that I spent 6 months training for and I am looking to make whatever HEALTHY, REASONABLE changes necessary to do this.

    EXACTLY... Now, what do you have to say about this??? And to be clear, I have done a lot in those 6 months to try to break the plateau, but couldn't compromise my training. So I felt limited.

    You dind't list caloric intake, macro breakdown, what your training was like while you were training, what your diet/macros/training are now, ht/wt, TDEE etc etc
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    great advice from sidesteal
  • Cheri_Moves
    Cheri_Moves Posts: 625 Member
    There are lots of paleo/primal bashers on MFP, so I'm sure they'll post. I recommend posting this in the Paleo group to ask. Feel free to view my diary.

    To answer your questions:
    1. I eat pretty high protein and I'm worried about loosing my cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and whey. -
    These are totally OK to eat with the "primal blueprint". Not sure about whey, though. People think paleo means eating all meat all day. I don't think I really eat that much more meat than I did before, except that at times instead of snacking on a cookie or pretzel, or eating a fast-food lunch because I'm short on time, I might eat grass-fed beef jerky instead. And, I'm definitely eating a lot more eggs... I used to eat a bagel thin every morning. Now I eat eggs and avocado, or just drink a bullet-proof coffee.

    2. Isn't it pretty low carb? Ive lost weight and gained weight because of the "damages" caused by LC.
    For weight loss, recommended carb intake is 50-100g, and 100-150g on maintenance. But the focus is more on getting high quality nutrient-dense carbs, not just being low carb.

    3. Aren't the choices very limited and costly?
    I actually feel like I'm eating a very tasty and varied diet. Feel free to view my diary. Lots of fresh veggies, berries, seafood, and meats. I'm eating healthier breakfasts at home instead of buying junk on my way to work, packing my lunch more (and saving money), and have introduced healthier veggie side dishes to my family. Yes, the goal is to use the best quality meats and veggies as possible... organic and local preferred, grass-fed beef, pastured eggs and chicken. But we all do the best that reality and our wallets can afford. No one is perfect, and if you can't buy that stuff all the time, that shouldn't stop you. There are ways to get that stuff on sale. Initially there is some investment to buy new staples that you might not have, but really the most important one is coconut oil to cook with instead of nasty canola oil, and save your olive oil for drizzling on food, not cooking food.

    4. Is it really worth it? and WHY?
    The first week was hard, no lie. Your body has to adjust to having less easy sugars to burn. But 1 month into it, I've lost 8 lbs, 3% body fat, feel great, satiated, and like I've been eating more delicious foods than I did before. I used to crave something sweet after every lunch and dinner. Now my sweet tooth is pretty much gone, and fruits and berries, especially now in season, taste plenty sweet and delicious to me. For me, I feel like I'm eating healthier, eating way more veggies than I did before (the space on my plate that used to have the pasta/rice/beans/bread now has veggies), and eating good food.

    Finally, this is a good website to explain the rationale behind this diet:
    www.marksdailyapple.com

    Good luck with your choice.

    I really appreciate you spending the time to respond so thoroughly! I wanted to hear the pros/cons of this "delima" :wink: So I know some of what'll pop up will be bashing! (I'm not down for that though.)

    I will be checking out the website you left me. thanks again!
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
    I have been eating paleo for a while. I stopped eating processed food when I was diagnosed with diabetes 5 years ago. I also quit eating bread, rice, pasta, any sugary drink, and most carbs. That stuff all tastes like CRAP now. A normal meal for me is fish or chicken with some kind of veggie. I do like my cheese though, so that is the only non paleo thing I do. Otherwise I have to say I don't get hungry, I usually feel full after eating. I don't get bloated/ retain water. My down fall in the past has been beer or wine. I've broken that habit now so I expect to see some pretty awesome changes.

    Thank you for sharing your experience :wink:

    Oh and my blood sugar is awesome this way. I've never been on insulin. My A1C is below 6 - which is the non diabetic range. So I must be doing something right.
  • Cheri_Moves
    Cheri_Moves Posts: 625 Member
    Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods: good.
    Eliminating food items when you do not have an intolerance or allergy or even a reason to eliminate them = not necessary.


    My suggestion would be to take some of the good aspects of paleo, and apply them to your diet without worrying about whether or not your ancestors ate it or whether or not it meets the approval of a rather arbitrary list.

    In other words, eat lots of whole foods. Eat within a range of calorie and macronutrients that aligns with your body composition goals. Don't neglect micronutrients but at the same time don't stress out over some treats.

    That's my opinion.

    thanks for your reply. I've seen you on the forums before, and you seems to know your stuff... so my questions is this: Do you think making these changes would help me break a 6 month plateau? I just finished a tri that I spent 6 months training for and I am looking to make whatever HEALTHY, REASONABLE changes necessary to do this.

    EXACTLY... Now, what do you have to say about this??? And to be clear, I have done a lot in those 6 months to try to break the plateau, but couldn't compromise my training. So I felt limited.

    You dind't list caloric intake, macro breakdown, what your training was like while you were training, what your diet/macros/training are now, ht/wt, TDEE etc etc

    ok- I am 5'7", 28 yo, 154, 23% BF... started training in February. did mostly tri training (swim/bike/run) but also did some heavy lifting (NROLFW for 3 months) and crossfit style high intensity strength for the past 2 months. workouts 6 days/week, at least 60 minutes a day. Was eating 1200 (stupid, I know) in february, and worked my way up to 1900-2100 with the help of a nutritionist. (Ive been eating there for at least the past 2 months) I try to eat a 40/30/30 macro breakdown and get between 115-150 grams of protein a day, mostly from whole foods.

    ETA: TDEE ranges from 2500-3000 a day.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods: good.
    Eliminating food items when you do not have an intolerance or allergy or even a reason to eliminate them = not necessary.


    My suggestion would be to take some of the good aspects of paleo, and apply them to your diet without worrying about whether or not your ancestors ate it or whether or not it meets the approval of a rather arbitrary list.

    In other words, eat lots of whole foods. Eat within a range of calorie and macronutrients that aligns with your body composition goals. Don't neglect micronutrients but at the same time don't stress out over some treats.

    That's my opinion.

    thanks for your reply. I've seen you on the forums before, and you seems to know your stuff... so my questions is this: Do you think making these changes would help me break a 6 month plateau? I just finished a tri that I spent 6 months training for and I am looking to make whatever HEALTHY, REASONABLE changes necessary to do this.

    EXACTLY... Now, what do you have to say about this??? And to be clear, I have done a lot in those 6 months to try to break the plateau, but couldn't compromise my training. So I felt limited.

    You dind't list caloric intake, macro breakdown, what your training was like while you were training, what your diet/macros/training are now, ht/wt, TDEE etc etc

    ok- I am 5'7", 28 yo, 154, 23% BF... started training in February. did mostly tri training (swim/bike/run) but also did some heavy lifting (NROLFW for 3 months) and crossfit style high intensity strength for the past 2 months. workouts 6 days/week, at least 60 minutes a day. Was eating 1200 (stupid, I know) in february, and worked my way up to 1900-2100 with the help of a nutritionist. (Ive been eating there for at least the past 2 months) I try to eat a 40/30/30 macro breakdown and get between 115-150 grams of protein a day, mostly from whole foods.

    When's the last time you took a week or more off from both diet and exercise?
  • Cheri_Moves
    Cheri_Moves Posts: 625 Member
    Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods: good.
    Eliminating food items when you do not have an intolerance or allergy or even a reason to eliminate them = not necessary.


    My suggestion would be to take some of the good aspects of paleo, and apply them to your diet without worrying about whether or not your ancestors ate it or whether or not it meets the approval of a rather arbitrary list.

    In other words, eat lots of whole foods. Eat within a range of calorie and macronutrients that aligns with your body composition goals. Don't neglect micronutrients but at the same time don't stress out over some treats.

    That's my opinion.

    thanks for your reply. I've seen you on the forums before, and you seems to know your stuff... so my questions is this: Do you think making these changes would help me break a 6 month plateau? I just finished a tri that I spent 6 months training for and I am looking to make whatever HEALTHY, REASONABLE changes necessary to do this.

    EXACTLY... Now, what do you have to say about this??? And to be clear, I have done a lot in those 6 months to try to break the plateau, but couldn't compromise my training. So I felt limited.

    You dind't list caloric intake, macro breakdown, what your training was like while you were training, what your diet/macros/training are now, ht/wt, TDEE etc etc

    ok- I am 5'7", 28 yo, 154, 23% BF... started training in February. did mostly tri training (swim/bike/run) but also did some heavy lifting (NROLFW for 3 months) and crossfit style high intensity strength for the past 2 months. workouts 6 days/week, at least 60 minutes a day. Was eating 1200 (stupid, I know) in february, and worked my way up to 1900-2100 with the help of a nutritionist. (Ive been eating there for at least the past 2 months) I try to eat a 40/30/30 macro breakdown and get between 115-150 grams of protein a day, mostly from whole foods.

    When's the last time you took a week or more off from both diet and exercise?

    I took a "diet break" a few months back... but when I restarted I was eating almost 2k a day anyway, so I haven't felt the need to. And I wanted to do a full recovery week this week from the tri, but EXERCISE IS AN ADDICTION, and I am struggling to stay away from the gym! lol

    (I appreciate your help, btw!)
  • 1holegrouper
    1holegrouper Posts: 323 Member
    The Paleo diet has a lot of different interpretations. I guess if you looked at my diet it would be considered some part of Paleo. If my daily food was put on a large plate you would see 80% vegetables; mainly leafy greens. You would see chicken, fish, olive oil, almonds, flax seed (ground of course) and some fruit. If you looked at calories you would find that about 75% come from fats. But, good ones! Occasionally I would add a non gluten grain like Quinoa but since I'm in fat burning mode I usually leave that out. I used to be in a high protein mindset but, with the help of my nutritionist/trainer's input, I have adjusted that. The bodybuilding culture of the past few years has put too much emphasis on protein as a panacea in my opinion. I used to eat 1.5g/pound I weighed. That was crazy.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member

    I took a "diet break" a few months back... but when I restarted I was eating almost 2k a day anyway, so I haven't felt the need to. And I wanted to do a full recovery week this week from the tri, but EXERCISE IS AN ADDICTION, and I am struggling to stay away from the gym! lol

    (I appreciate your help, btw!)

    So if I understand you correctly, you've been training 6x a week for 6 months straight with no breaks? If that's a case I would try to take a full week or more off from exercise and eat at maintenance during that time. When you resume set a moderate deficit and see what happens
  • Cheri_Moves
    Cheri_Moves Posts: 625 Member

    I took a "diet break" a few months back... but when I restarted I was eating almost 2k a day anyway, so I haven't felt the need to. And I wanted to do a full recovery week this week from the tri, but EXERCISE IS AN ADDICTION, and I am struggling to stay away from the gym! lol

    (I appreciate your help, btw!)

    So if I understand you correctly, you've been training 6x a week for 6 months straight with no breaks? If that's a case I would try to take a full week or more off from exercise and eat at maintenance during that time. When you resume set a moderate deficit and see what happens

    That's EXACTLY what i was thinking, but I ended up at the gym yesterday, out of compulsivity, and had the worst workout ever. I researched recovery times, and realized I TRULY DO need a break.

    Thanks again!

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