Paleo versus traditional diet..... Weigh in please! :-)
PaleoRDH
Posts: 266 Member
HELLO GANG! Thank you for being here........
OK so I have a question. Last year my husband and I did strict Paleo for 6 weeks (we did it for lent). After the 6 weeks were up, I was crushed to find out I hadn't lost ANY weight at all. My husband did (of course, men!). This year we eased into it again, and then started strict paleo a month ago. After thinking about the last time we did it, I realized I was eating too much of the things Paleo relies on..... like nuts, nut butters, avacados, coconut milk and coconut oil, and olive oil. Granted I know those are good fats, but when you're trying to lose weight you obviously shouldn't eat a lot of them. SOOOO this time I limited those products. Anyhow, after doing it a month, I lost 6 pounds. Although I'm glad to be rid of 6 pounds, I was a little disappointed because, back in the day, I'd lose that in a week on Weight Watchers. After being so super strict and having NOOOO breads of any kind, no refined sugar, no dairy (except Greek yogurt) I expected it to be more. The only outside circumstance I have right now is that I take Coumadin (a blood thinner) for a clotting disorder, which has been known to make people gain weight, ALTHOUGH, I was NOT taking it last year when I tried Paleo for the first time with no success.
I thought I'd run this by you smart nutrition people and see if you have any experience with this? Even though I do feel pretty good on this "clean" eating program, I lost more weight on Weight Watchers, or so it seemed................... Ideas? Thanks again!!!!
OK so I have a question. Last year my husband and I did strict Paleo for 6 weeks (we did it for lent). After the 6 weeks were up, I was crushed to find out I hadn't lost ANY weight at all. My husband did (of course, men!). This year we eased into it again, and then started strict paleo a month ago. After thinking about the last time we did it, I realized I was eating too much of the things Paleo relies on..... like nuts, nut butters, avacados, coconut milk and coconut oil, and olive oil. Granted I know those are good fats, but when you're trying to lose weight you obviously shouldn't eat a lot of them. SOOOO this time I limited those products. Anyhow, after doing it a month, I lost 6 pounds. Although I'm glad to be rid of 6 pounds, I was a little disappointed because, back in the day, I'd lose that in a week on Weight Watchers. After being so super strict and having NOOOO breads of any kind, no refined sugar, no dairy (except Greek yogurt) I expected it to be more. The only outside circumstance I have right now is that I take Coumadin (a blood thinner) for a clotting disorder, which has been known to make people gain weight, ALTHOUGH, I was NOT taking it last year when I tried Paleo for the first time with no success.
I thought I'd run this by you smart nutrition people and see if you have any experience with this? Even though I do feel pretty good on this "clean" eating program, I lost more weight on Weight Watchers, or so it seemed................... Ideas? Thanks again!!!!
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If you consider Paleo to be a method of losing weight, you are bound to be disappointed. It really is a lifestyle with weight loss as a side effect (up to a point). It may take years for some people to get to a place where their body is finished recovering from being improperly fed and moved. I haven't seen the scale budge a whole lot in the last 2 months, but I know I have changed body composition. I never did measurements, so I will never know for sure what's going where, but it's a positive direction. Perhaps that is something you are experiencing and aren't aware of it. I also suspect yu might actually be consuming too much fat. It can happen. at a certain point, one needs to ratchet in the calories. Robb Wolf has an interesting blog about that.0
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Ditto Divemunkey. It has taken me 18 months to loose 10kgs (thats a little under 2 stone) but my body looks 5ks thinner and fitter. So hang in there PaleoRDH because Paleo is forever.0
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This is a lifestyle not a diet. If you what to lose weight eat less!0
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If you want to lose weight, then eat at a caloric deficit. As previously noted, Paleo is not a weight loss "diet" per se.
Having said that, I find it very hard to eat my daily requirement of calories when adhering to Paleo foods. Let's fact it: there just aren't so many calories in fish, chicken, beef, and veggies...
Disclosure: I don't eat strictly Paleo, although my rough guess is that my diet is 90% Paleo/Primal.
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This is a lifestyle not a diet. If you what to lose weight eat less!
LOL, I had stomach surgery 12 years ago thanks to a gastric ulcer, I eat about as much as a toddler, which is why my diary is closed. I don't need "OMG you only ate 700 calories today, gasp!" when that's all I hold. But, like I said, it's been 12 years and I've been able to lose weight before during that time without a problem. It just seems this particular eating plan doesn't work as well. My question was whether anyone else has noticed this. You'd think that giving up all breads, sugars and dairy would make for amazing weight loss, but go figure, it doesn't. I thank you for responding though........eat less........got it.0 -
If you consider Paleo to be a method of losing weight, you are bound to be disappointed. It really is a lifestyle with weight loss as a side effect (up to a point). It may take years for some people to get to a place where their body is finished recovering from being improperly fed and moved. I haven't seen the scale budge a whole lot in the last 2 months, but I know I have changed body composition. I never did measurements, so I will never know for sure what's going where, but it's a positive direction. Perhaps that is something you are experiencing and aren't aware of it. I also suspect yu might actually be consuming too much fat. It can happen. at a certain point, one needs to ratchet in the calories. Robb Wolf has an interesting blog about that.
Thank you I appreciate your input. I've been super careful about the fats....... I don't have any for bfast or lunch, (I have greek yogurt for bfast and then a salad for lunch; usually spinach with shredded rotisserie chicken and other veggies, no dressing) and fruit for a snack at 3:00, and the dinner recipes I make (mostly from Everyday Paleo, PaleOMG, etc) I typically don't use the oil called for because there's plenty of fat in the meat. If I sautee veggies, I only use a drizzle of olive oil with my Misto. Hmmmmm. Maybe my body is just still adjusting. Thanks again!0 -
It's a lifestyle choice for me. I just can't eat grains, legumes, or even lots of fruit and be healthy. My trick is that instead of limiting fat, I eat a lot. I try to keep them the healthy kinds: animal fat, coconut oil, nut oils, olive oil, butter, avocados, eggs, full fat dairy (not so paleo, but works for me at the moment).
One possibility is that you don't have a lot of weight to lose. Since I'm over 200, I lose a bit faster, but there will be weeks when the scale doesn't budge. I'm expecting my weight loss to be very slow during the last 40lbs. That's when taking body measurements becomes important. Also, since you aren't always able to eat enough, that could slow your weight loss. That's why fat would help, you get lots of calories and nutrients in a smaller amount of food plus it will help your metabolism.
Healthy fat HELPS weight loss. I know that Loren Cordain stresses low fat and I understand his reasoning (most of us aren't eating wild food), but some other paleo/primal experts stress higher fat. According to my research and experience, higher fat is ideal. What is important is the kind of fat.0 -
It's a lifestyle choice for me. I just can't eat grains, legumes, or even lots of fruit and be healthy. My trick is that instead of limiting fat, I eat a lot. I try to keep them the healthy kinds: animal fat, coconut oil, nut oils, olive oil, butter, avocados, eggs, full fat dairy (not so paleo, but works for me at the moment).
One possibility is that you don't have a lot of weight to lose. Since I'm over 200, I lose a bit faster, but there will be weeks when the scale doesn't budge. I'm expecting my weight loss to be very slow during the last 40lbs. That's when taking body measurements becomes important. Also, since you aren't always able to eat enough, that could slow your weight loss. That's why fat would help, you get lots of calories and nutrients in a smaller amount of food plus it will help your metabolism.
Healthy fat HELPS weight loss. I know that Loren Cordain stresses low fat and I understand his reasoning (most of us aren't eating wild food), but some other paleo/primal experts stress higher fat. According to my research and experience, higher fat is ideal. What is important is the kind of fat.
Thank you soooo much for your kind response. I know I don't eat enough, but since I've been like that for so long I know it's not a factor. I guess I don't have a whole heck of a lot to lose but this is the most I've weighed in a loooooong time so I'm so depressed about it. I was always super thin until a massive blood clot almost killed me, put me on bed rest, and left me with a permanent foot injury. Now I guess I want the weight off so bad, I literally cried when I saw only 6 pounds gone, it made me think that if I was doing Weight Watchers, it would've been 15. I've been watching everything, limiting fats, doing everything right. SIgh. I'm just forging ahead................ best of luck to you too on your journey, sounds like you are doing great!0 -
I think your limited amount of calories might be slowing you down some. but I doubt you would be doing much better on WW given you can't eat in quantity. They would just have you eating filler calories with lots of fibrous foods. From what you say you've been eating you should be fine. I would still add more fat to that. maybe more avocado and coconut oil would help. If I was in your boat, I would concentrate on protein and fat mostly, as most of the carby things you can eat will just fill you up and are less required for survival.0
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Paleo helped me to maintain a calorie deficit while losing weight with the confidence that I was getting the most bang for the buck nutritionally. Even without the low calorie deficit I would have lost weight, but probably not nearly as fast. Maintenance has been simple and some days I do have to make sure I eat enough calories.0
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Hi, and welcome to the group.
It sounds like you've had a rough time. My good friend just went through the same issue with a clot in her arm. Very scary, and also scary to be on Coumadin. I'm glad you're on the way to recovery.
Like others have said, if you're interested in Paleo, it requires quite a mind shift from traditional diets. It's not intended to be a fast weight loss diet. Of course I'm as impatient about wanting to be THINNER, FITTER, NOW! It's hard when you see others dropping 2-3 lbs every other minute. But often those that do have 50+ lbs to lose and they lose fast in the beginning.
I tell myself that a healthy sustainable weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week. I've been eating "primal" for about 2 months. I lost 11 lbs. Some weeks the scale didn't move at all, and I just told myself that I knew I was nourishing my body correctly so it was ok. I wish I had taken body measurements because more than pounds I see the difference in my clothes. I've definitely gone down at least one size.
I just finished reading It Starts With Food. It's a great motivator. You asked about whether you were eating too much fat. It's so hard to mentally accept fat after years of avoiding it. From what you said it sounds like you aren't actually eating so much. I'm going from memory here, but I think the book recommends the following template per meal: 1-2 palm-sized portions of protein, and fill the rest of your plate with veggies. For fats, 1-2 Servings per meal. That might be 1-2 TB coconut or olive oil or nut butters, a handful of olives, a closed handful of nuts. Fruit is 1-2 servings per day (or none).
I'm only 5'1, and I now weigh 133.6. I try to stay on the lower end of the portion spectrum because I'm not terribly active and I'm clearly not a giant. You're welcome to view my diary. I'm just starting the Whole30 plan and I'm on Day 2.
Another option for you is to do your quick weight loss diet (weight watchers if that works for you) to drop what you want, and then come back to Paleo/Primal when you're ready for a lifestyle of healthy eating to maintain.0 -
If you consider Paleo to be a method of losing weight, you are bound to be disappointed. It really is a lifestyle with weight loss as a side effect (up to a point). It may take years for some people to get to a place where their body is finished recovering from being improperly fed and moved. I haven't seen the scale budge a whole lot in the last 2 months, but I know I have changed body composition. I never did measurements, so I will never know for sure what's going where, but it's a positive direction. Perhaps that is something you are experiencing and aren't aware of it. I also suspect yu might actually be consuming too much fat. It can happen. at a certain point, one needs to ratchet in the calories. Robb Wolf has an interesting blog about that.
Thank you I appreciate your input. I've been super careful about the fats....... I don't have any for bfast or lunch, (I have greek yogurt for bfast and then a salad for lunch; usually spinach with shredded rotisserie chicken and other veggies, no dressing) and fruit for a snack at 3:00, and the dinner recipes I make (mostly from Everyday Paleo, PaleOMG, etc) I typically don't use the oil called for because there's plenty of fat in the meat. If I sautee veggies, I only use a drizzle of olive oil with my Misto. Hmmmmm. Maybe my body is just still adjusting. Thanks again!
Have you read the book, It Starts with Food. You can get it on Amazon for 9.99 kindle version. Its is great book explaining why you want to eat the primal/paleo way. Well worth the money. Good luck and welcome to the group.0 -
Thank you so much guys! I'm very interested in Paleo, as is my very fit and athletic hubby. Like caribougal suggested, I might have to end up losing it another way and then coming back to Paleo for maintenance. I had a good friend over for brunch today (healthy Paleo lunch of salmon, mashed cauliflower and tossed salad, LOL!)........ she is a personal trainer at Better Bodies, and she suggested the Zone diet, saying that many of her clients have had major success on it. My hubby wants to stay Paleo because he said he knows his body just can't handle the breads, he'll start gaining right away. For me, you guys may be right I may not do any better on any other plan given my new health problems, I may just have to stay with this for the long haul, I'll have to play around a little and see what works for me. I'm over 40 now too so, female fat gets really stubborn then! But it CAN be done and no way am I giving up! Thanks again to you all I feel much better now and have a plan to test the waters and see what works best for me......................!0
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Hi, and welcome to the group.
It sounds like you've had a rough time. My good friend just went through the same issue with a clot in her arm. Very scary, and also scary to be on Coumadin. I'm glad you're on the way to recovery.
Like others have said, if you're interested in Paleo, it requires quite a mind shift from traditional diets. It's not intended to be a fast weight loss diet. Of course I'm as impatient about wanting to be THINNER, FITTER, NOW! It's hard when you see others dropping 2-3 lbs every other minute. But often those that do have 50+ lbs to lose and they lose fast in the beginning.
I tell myself that a healthy sustainable weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week. I've been eating "primal" for about 2 months. I lost 11 lbs. Some weeks the scale didn't move at all, and I just told myself that I knew I was nourishing my body correctly so it was ok. I wish I had taken body measurements because more than pounds I see the difference in my clothes. I've definitely gone down at least one size.
I just finished reading It Starts With Food. It's a great motivator. You asked about whether you were eating too much fat. It's so hard to mentally accept fat after years of avoiding it. From what you said it sounds like you aren't actually eating so much. I'm going from memory here, but I think the book recommends the following template per meal: 1-2 palm-sized portions of protein, and fill the rest of your plate with veggies. For fats, 1-2 Servings per meal. That might be 1-2 TB coconut or olive oil or nut butters, a handful of olives, a closed handful of nuts. Fruit is 1-2 servings per day (or none).
I'm only 5'1, and I now weigh 133.6. I try to stay on the lower end of the portion spectrum because I'm not terribly active and I'm clearly not a giant. You're welcome to view my diary. I'm just starting the Whole30 plan and I'm on Day 2.
Another option for you is to do your quick weight loss diet (weight watchers if that works for you) to drop what you want, and then come back to Paleo/Primal when you're ready for a lifestyle of healthy eating to maintain.
Thank you so much for your long and caring reply! Yes that blood clot was devastating, it almost took my life and left me permanently injured, but I'm determined to overcome it! I think you're right about possibly losing the weight another way and then coming back to Paleo to maintain. I love the healthy way I feel when I eat this way........ it's definitely in my future.0 -
with only 38.5lbs to lose, 6 pounds in one month is very very healthy! I would suspect that 6lbs in one week is going to be a lot of water weight and not the extra fat. I started with 44lbs to lose and I'm doing great if I am losing .75 - 1.25 pounds a week. If you are eating a Paleo diet because you want to treat your body better, fuel it the way it was designed, and be as healthy as humanly possible, going to WW or conventional diets is not the way to do it. I think adding more fats in will help as well, Primal/Paleo is about teaching your body to use fat as fuel instead of carbs, so if you're not eating enough fat your body is not being fueled. I think this would be especially important considering your stomach issues and inability to eat very much. I hope you're able to figure out a system that works for you! And remember, all that crap we see on TV about these crazy people losing rediculous amounts of weight in a week or month are not healthy and EXTREMELY unrealistic.0
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I'm going ask you three silly questions but it could be the root of your problem.
Do you drink lots of water daily?
Do you sleep good for at least 6 hours daily?
Do you exercise intense for more than a total of 30 minutes a day?
I think you are on right track with the nutrient plan. It must be something other than nutrient plan. Maybe your body is responding it slowly or late. Maybe in a month you could lose a crazy # per a week. It happened to me.
I know weight watcher won't work in a long term because of sugar and carbs. It will work in a short term but not in a long term, no way.0 -
I'm going ask you three silly questions but it could be the root of your problem.
Do you drink lots of water daily?
Do you sleep good for at least 6 hours daily?
Do you exercise intense for more than a total of 30 minutes a day?
I think you are on right track with the nutrient plan. It must be something other than nutrient plan. Maybe your body is responding it slowly or late. Maybe in a month you could lose a crazy # per a week. It happened to me.
I know weight watcher won't work in a long term because of sugar and carbs. It will work in a short term but not in a long term, no way.
Thank you yes I decided to stick this out, I looked at my WW books and there are breads in every meal, YIKERS!
YES I drink an insane amount of water..........I've done that most of my life to keep my skin clear, plus I live in Arizona where it's muy caliente! YES I sleep a lot, we are in bed about 8:30pm and I get up at 5:30, so like 8 to 9 hours depending on how my 3 year old is behaving at bedtime. NO on the exercise. Today I started the C25K program, which is 3 days a week (M,W,F) and on T,Th I'm going to have my hubby help me lift weights in our home gym, we have a ton of free weights, you'd be jealous, LOL! My hubby is into that stuff.........soooooo............ I used to be a long distance runner but now thanks to permanent damage to my left leg from a blood clot, I have to take things slow. That's how I put the extra weight on, long story, sigh! But thank you I appreciate your suggestions very very much.......... I'm listening! :happy:0 -
with only 38.5lbs to lose, 6 pounds in one month is very very healthy! I would suspect that 6lbs in one week is going to be a lot of water weight and not the extra fat. I started with 44lbs to lose and I'm doing great if I am losing .75 - 1.25 pounds a week. If you are eating a Paleo diet because you want to treat your body better, fuel it the way it was designed, and be as healthy as humanly possible, going to WW or conventional diets is not the way to do it. I think adding more fats in will help as well, Primal/Paleo is about teaching your body to use fat as fuel instead of carbs, so if you're not eating enough fat your body is not being fueled. I think this would be especially important considering your stomach issues and inability to eat very much. I hope you're able to figure out a system that works for you! And remember, all that crap we see on TV about these crazy people losing rediculous amounts of weight in a week or month are not healthy and EXTREMELY unrealistic.
Thank you my dear and I think you're right about the fat.........OMG it's so scarey to think that fat can be your friend.......but I guess it is! I'm going to increase my fats, which should take me closer to the 1200 calories, and take a leap of faith here! For tomorrow I packed some fats in my goody bag and there are fats in the dinner I'm making....................... cross the fingers! BTW I lost 2 more pounds, so down 8..........YAY! Thanks for your support! :flowerforyou:0 -
I'm about to post a separate topic on this, but I had this crazy conversation with my butcher just now at the local health market. We got into a big discussion about paleo (which we do each time I see him). When I told him what I ate today, and that I was hungry, he walked me over to the dairy counter, pulled a bottle of grass-fed half and half cream from the shelf, opened it up and told me to chug. It was the kind with real cream on the top. He wanted me to just drink down the fat. And, it was heavenly. Three cheers for fat!0
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with only 38.5lbs to lose, 6 pounds in one month is very very healthy! I would suspect that 6lbs in one week is going to be a lot of water weight and not the extra fat. I started with 44lbs to lose and I'm doing great if I am losing .75 - 1.25 pounds a week. If you are eating a Paleo diet because you want to treat your body better, fuel it the way it was designed, and be as healthy as humanly possible, going to WW or conventional diets is not the way to do it. I think adding more fats in will help as well, Primal/Paleo is about teaching your body to use fat as fuel instead of carbs, so if you're not eating enough fat your body is not being fueled. I think this would be especially important considering your stomach issues and inability to eat very much. I hope you're able to figure out a system that works for you! And remember, all that crap we see on TV about these crazy people losing rediculous amounts of weight in a week or month are not healthy and EXTREMELY unrealistic.
Thank you my dear and I think you're right about the fat.........OMG it's so scarey to think that fat can be your friend.......but I guess it is! I'm going to increase my fats, which should take me closer to the 1200 calories, and take a leap of faith here! For tomorrow I packed some fats in my goody bag and there are fats in the dinner I'm making....................... cross the fingers! BTW I lost 2 more pounds, so down 8..........YAY! Thanks for your support! :flowerforyou:
Bacons might be your new best friend as it have served me very well. You might want to save those bacon greases when you don't need it at that time for later use. You could use the bacon grease to cook anything and it is very helpful when you are trying to cook egg without sticking it to the pan.0 -
I'm going ask you three silly questions but it could be the root of your problem.
Do you drink lots of water daily?
Do you sleep good for at least 6 hours daily?
Do you exercise intense for more than a total of 30 minutes a day?
I think you are on right track with the nutrient plan. It must be something other than nutrient plan. Maybe your body is responding it slowly or late. Maybe in a month you could lose a crazy # per a week. It happened to me.
I know weight watcher won't work in a long term because of sugar and carbs. It will work in a short term but not in a long term, no way.
Thank you yes I decided to stick this out, I looked at my WW books and there are breads in every meal, YIKERS!
YES I drink an insane amount of water..........I've done that most of my life to keep my skin clear, plus I live in Arizona where it's muy caliente! YES I sleep a lot, we are in bed about 8:30pm and I get up at 5:30, so like 8 to 9 hours depending on how my 3 year old is behaving at bedtime. NO on the exercise. Today I started the C25K program, which is 3 days a week (M,W,F) and on T,Th I'm going to have my hubby help me lift weights in our home gym, we have a ton of free weights, you'd be jealous, LOL! My hubby is into that stuff.........soooooo............ I used to be a long distance runner but now thanks to permanent damage to my left leg from a blood clot, I have to take things slow. That's how I put the extra weight on, long story, sigh! But thank you I appreciate your suggestions very very much.......... I'm listening! :happy:
Ummm, you are pretty much on the right track. Bummer that I couldn't help you as you have expected from us.0
This discussion has been closed.