Thinking about paleo...

It will make you grumpy*

*From my own personal observations on these forums

Don't do it. It's basically a modified adkins

Atkins is low/no carb. Paleo is no/low junk. BIG DIFFERENCE. It is lower carb by default because, let's face it, junk food is mostly CARBS and that's where the majority of our carbs come from.

I've always seen primal and paleo used interchangeably. Can you explain the difference?

Ask yourself what I asked myself before starting low carb: Could you happily eat steak every day for the rest of your life? If the answer is yes, go for it.

You can expect your food bill to skyrocket, by the way, so be prepared for that.

I have a few co-workers who swear by the paleo diet and for them it has been very successful. I looked into it and, like others have mentioned, it is a bit too restrictive for me. Personally, I'm mainly going with portion control & increasing exercise.

I would suggest to do research on it. Like other here suggested check out some of the forums. Maybe even try it for a few weeks. If you feel it is something you can do then go for it.

Best of luck with whichever choice you make.

I've always seen primal and paleo used interchangeably. Can you explain the difference?

Dairy.

Paleo excludes:
All processed foods (whatever the definition of the day is for processed)
Potatoes and tomatoes
Beans and other leagumes (incl peanuts/peanut butter)
All grains (incl rice, wheat, barley, corn, etc...)
All dairy and dairy products
All alcoholic beverages

Basically what you are left with is meat, some vegetables, and nuts

Primal is exactly the same, but dairy and (depends on the person) rice are removed from the evil foods list.

Strict paleo is by definition gluten free and usually low carb (unless you enjoy eating boatloads of sweet potatoes).

A lot of people on paleo tend to go to the place where they way undereat necessary calories and feel plenty full, depending on how that is handled it can lead into an ED trap (almost every orthorexic is either paleo or vegan (raw especailly)). Almost everyone on paleo will eventually have to try to figure out how to eat more calories.

I've always seen primal and paleo used interchangeably. Can you explain the difference?

Dairy.

Paleo excludes:
All processed foods (whatever the definition of the day is for processed)
Potatoes and tomatoes
Beans and other leagumes (incl peanuts/peanut butter)
All grains (incl rice, wheat, barley, corn, etc...)
All dairy and dairy products
All alcoholic beverages

Basically what you are left with is meat, some vegetables, and nuts

Primal is exactly the same, but dairy and (depends on the person) rice are removed from the evil foods list.

Strict paleo is by definition gluten free and usually low carb (unless you enjoy eating boatloads of sweet potatoes).

A lot of people on paleo tend to go to the place where they way undereat necessary calories and feel plenty full, depending on how that is handled it can lead into an ED trap (almost every orthorexic is either paleo or vegan (raw especailly)). Almost everyone on paleo will eventually have to try to figure out how to eat more calories.

I had to look up "orthorexia"! I had no idea what it meant. I can see how that could happen, but I don't see it happening to "a lot" of people who eat paleo style. Also, I like your definitions of paleo/primal, but I find that paleo is more of a template and is different for everyone. I find that for me, it's just the opposite and I even joke that my friends on MFP shouldn't expect to see that "SnicciFit has completed her diary and is under her calorie goal" very often, because I tend to eat a lot of calories (while losing body fat). It's different for everyone, but as long as the majority of my calories come from fat, I do very well. Others might do better on higher protein or higher carb...

That was a bit of rant. Sorry. What I'm trying to say is, that paleo/primal can be what you make it. Try it out and see what works for you and what doesn't, and tweak it from there

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I did it for a long time, and it still do in large part now. I followed the 20% rule (allowing 20% of your intake to be "cheats") and did eat dairy. Personally, I found that I had more energy, felt better, slept better, my hair/skin improved and of course I dropped weight. It helped push me through a plateau and honestly improved my overall well-being.

That being said, it is challenging. But you get used to it really quickly. Like any diet, it takes some planning and foresight but it is not as imposing as it seems. Eating out -- just order meat or a salad. Every place has those. Have a big event or a craving? Plan your 20% for that (if you go that route). Grocery shopping is a breeze and my food bills actually decreased. Although the meat I was getting was more expensive, I wasn't buying 1/3 of the things I used to.

The key thing to note here is that this is not a low carb diet. You still eat the natural carbs in things like fruit and vegetables. It is no processed carbs or refined sugar (and sugar is really the big thing). Thant you eating proteins and the healthy fats. Fat keeps you full longer. Next time you are in the store compare the low fat yogurt to the regular yogurt. Usually the calorie difference is negligible. All you are doing is adding more chemicals to make up for the flavor lost when you cut the fat -- which typically means more sugar.

The way I explained it to people: your body runs on energy. You get that energy quickly from carbs and sugar, or you can get it by burning fat. Your body wants to take the easy route, and burns sugar and carbs first. Then it tells you you are hungry again. Back in "paleo day" you didnt have ready access to food so that didnt matter. But today we do. So people eat again and your body never gets to the point where its forced to burn fat (okay..never is an exaggeration but you get what i mean). When you cut those things out, your body readjusts and begins to burn fat first -- because thats the only energy source available.

Now -- YOU ARE LIKELY TO GET SICK AT FIRST. That is just your body adjusting to its new process and purging the stored chemicals. Don't give up! Most people do paleo as a 30 day challenge for a reason. It takes that long to adjust physically and to learn the lifestyle.

In short, give it a shot. After seeing how much different I felt, I will never go back to eating the way i used to. While I may not be strict on the 20% anymore, I still focus my diet choices on meat, veggies and fruit first. While I may indulge in a sandwich or pizza here and there, I almost never buy chips or anything in a box or bag. The way I feel without it is just too good! Feel free to message me with questions or if you want some resources!

I am currently eating paleo and I wasn't aware that tomatoes were on the 'avoid' list. I eat a ton of tomatoes!

I think Primal lets you add in other little bits of stuff, too, like the occasional red wine and dark chocolate.

It's actually easier than one would think to eat a Paleo or mostly Paleo diet and fit it into your lifestyle. I'm not saying I don't miss Diet Coke, popcorn, french bread (us SF peeps dig our sourdough), the occasional alcoholic drink (some folks say that tequila made from 100% agave is fine), and pancakes, but I have found other foods and meals that I love and don't feel deprived very often. Most restaurants have a couple of lean protein choices along with veggies and salads - with a little effort and some special attention to the menus, you can navigate eating out quite easily. All diets, in my opinion, benefit from a lot of planning and strategy - anticipate things like afternoon munchies, eating out, special events, etc so you can get through them easily...this is no different on Paleo than it is on weight watchers, Atkins, south Beach, whatever.

I think that after starting the plan and learning the ins and outs of it, most people tend to follow something similar to the 80/20 rule, which is a common thread to a lot of eating plans and helps make them sustainable over long periods of time. As long as you don't have any special dietary considerations that would make it preferable for you to avoid certain food groups all together, like Celiac's or lactose intolerance, you can tweak and adjust the plan to make it fit into your particular lifestyle.

My biggest piece of advice if you choose to explore Paleo is to not listen to all the negative Nellies out there that want to tell you how stupid it is. I'm pretty sure there weren't any cavemen who lived in an area where coffee beans, tea leaves, eggs, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, green beans, bok choy, coconuts, and almonds were completely abundant all year round. But as Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, creators of the Whole9 movement and Whole30 plan have said, "we are more interested in health than history." If you like the diet, it allows you to reach your goals without constantly being hungry, and it makes you happy, then good luck to you!

I've always seen primal and paleo used interchangeably. Can you explain the difference?

Dairy.

Paleo excludes:
All processed foods (whatever the definition of the day is for processed)
Potatoes and tomatoes
Beans and other leagumes (incl peanuts/peanut butter)
All grains (incl rice, wheat, barley, corn, etc...)
All dairy and dairy products
All alcoholic beverages

Basically what you are left with is meat, some vegetables, and nuts

Primal is exactly the same, but dairy and (depends on the person) rice are removed from the evil foods list.

Strict paleo is by definition gluten free and usually low carb (unless you enjoy eating boatloads of sweet potatoes).

A lot of people on paleo tend to go to the place where they way undereat necessary calories and feel plenty full, depending on how that is handled it can lead into an ED trap (almost every orthorexic is either paleo or vegan (raw especailly)). Almost everyone on paleo will eventually have to try to figure out how to eat more calories.

I had to look up "orthorexia"! I had no idea what it meant. I can see how that could happen, but I don't see it happening to "a lot" of people who eat paleo style. Also, I like your definitions of paleo/primal, but I find that paleo is more of a template and is different for everyone. I find that for me, it's just the opposite and I even joke that my friends on MFP shouldn't expect to see that "SnicciFit has completed her diary and is under her calorie goal" very often, because I tend to eat a lot of calories (while losing body fat). It's different for everyone, but as long as the majority of my calories come from fat, I do very well. Others might do better on higher protein or higher carb...

That was a bit of rant. Sorry. What I'm trying to say is, that paleo/primal can be what you make it. Try it out and see what works for you and what doesn't, and tweak it from there

What about beans? Are beans banned in the "primal" WOE (way of eating)?

I've always seen primal and paleo used interchangeably. Can you explain the difference?

Dairy.

Paleo excludes:
All processed foods (whatever the definition of the day is for processed)
Potatoes and tomatoes
Beans and other leagumes (incl peanuts/peanut butter)
All grains (incl rice, wheat, barley, corn, etc...)
All dairy and dairy products
All alcoholic beverages

Basically what you are left with is meat, some vegetables, and nuts

Primal is exactly the same, but dairy and (depends on the person) rice are removed from the evil foods list.

Strict paleo is by definition gluten free and usually low carb (unless you enjoy eating boatloads of sweet potatoes).

A lot of people on paleo tend to go to the place where they way undereat necessary calories and feel plenty full, depending on how that is handled it can lead into an ED trap (almost every orthorexic is either paleo or vegan (raw especailly)). Almost everyone on paleo will eventually have to try to figure out how to eat more calories.

I had to look up "orthorexia"! I had no idea what it meant. I can see how that could happen, but I don't see it happening to "a lot" of people who eat paleo style. Also, I like your definitions of paleo/primal, but I find that paleo is more of a template and is different for everyone. I find that for me, it's just the opposite and I even joke that my friends on MFP shouldn't expect to see that "SnicciFit has completed her diary and is under her calorie goal" very often, because I tend to eat a lot of calories (while losing body fat). It's different for everyone, but as long as the majority of my calories come from fat, I do very well. Others might do better on higher protein or higher carb...

That was a bit of rant. Sorry. What I'm trying to say is, that paleo/primal can be what you make it. Try it out and see what works for you and what doesn't, and tweak it from there

What about beans? Are beans banned in the "primal" WOE (way of eating)?

Yes. Another reason it wasn't sustainable for me.

That sounds like a misery inducing type of a life--no dairy (goodbye froyo, goodbye greek yogurt, cottage cheese, mozz, and all things delicious). Goodbye beans, pasta, bread, oatmeal, wraps, (popcorn?), and tofu. I don't know what I'd eat...fish, vegetables, and sweet potatoes I guess...oh and pistachios since other nuts make me itch.

Also, there are other options for pasta, my favorite being black bean spaghetti which is made from black beans and water. You can find creative ways to do the paleo diet.

Also, there are other options for pasta, my favorite being black bean spaghetti which is made from black beans and water. You can find creative ways to do the paleo diet.

That's not spaghetti. That's black beans made to look like spaghetti. Also, black beans aren't paleo.

I spaghetti squash!