My experience going 'paleo'

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.

True, but it would be a ridiculous amount of veg to eat enough for a calorie surplus, not impossible, but surely not easy to do.

i'm almost positive our paleo ancestors drank alcohol. just sayin

I'm doing the Whole30 right now. It's been three weeks as of today. I did it because I needed something to break my crazy addiction to candy. It sounded extreme but it was just what I needed. I was eating 500-700 cals a day in CANDY and certainly not losing weight (even though I was in a deficit - didn't make a whole lot of sense in my mind since a deficit should eventually equal weight loss but whatever).

My experience so far has been okay. The first couple weeks were difficult - cravings, lack of energy, hating everyone and wanting to kick puppies. But this week something just kinda snapped. Energy is here, finally. I feel great. I'm retaining strength in my training. And the best part - cravings are gone, I don't care about food, not even all that hungry over all. I'm not normally one to advocate any sort of deprivation regimen if it isn't needed but dang, I might stick with this or a paleo style of eating most of the time. I finally feel GOOD and I'm seeing results (clearer skin, less bloat, no indigestion, improved stamina and strength, better sleep, some fat loss, flatter tummeh, etc).

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:

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.

True, but it would be a ridiculous amount of veg to eat enough for a calorie surplus, not impossible, but surely not easy to do.

exactly

I eat low carb paleo/primal due to allergies and PCOS/insulin resistance. I've been eating this way for around 8 months now.

I think the first thing to clear up is that there is no one way to do paleo or primal. There are countless books, all containing different variations on the theme. We are all our own N=1 experiment, so it's really a matter of finding what works best for us as individuals. Some of us eat a lot more carbs than others. Some eat a lot more fats. Some of us eat dairy, some don't. Some count calories, others don't want or need to. Some of us favour gentle exercise, and others are CrossFit maniacs. Some are eating this way to ease serious health problems, and others are quite healthy. Some are losing weight, others aren't. There's a whole spectrum of different applications of "paleo" or "primal" ways of eating....I think of this as being similar to how there are different sorts of vegetarians and vegans.

I absolutely count ALL my calories, as they do indeed matter for me. I'm still overweight. I also watch my protein intake because if left to my own devices, I don't usually make it to where I need to be. Tracking works for me. I am hormonally challenged, though certainly not anywhere near as bad as I was, so I've got a different situation than someone who is already lean and in great shape hormonally.

I'm not in favour of dietary dogma of any sort--in fact, it creeps me out to no end! Similarly, I'm not a gung-ho paleo cheerleader, nor am I one of those people who calls it my "lifestyle". I eat this way out of necessity, otherwise I find myself kind of unwell. I do feel great these days, by the way! I have been rather successful at managing my blood sugar and clearing up a whole bunch of other issues I was having, which were mostly related to my food sensitivities.

I view paleo/primal ways of eating as a framework for how I choose my food, rather than a strict set of rules I must follow. The bottom line is that I eat what I know nourishes me and makes me feel good, what I can afford, and what I want to eat. I'm the only one who can be the judge of that.

The paleo/primal boom has been good for me in that I don't have to feel like a total freak because I can't eat certain foods. There are tons of great recipes, and lots of really interesting research and discussion about the nutritional aspects involved in eating this way, so I like that about it. However, I could really do without all the "caveman" discussion and the evangelical, judgemental weirdness that is demonstrated by so many of the paleo/primal enthusiasts.

i'm almost positive our paleo ancestors drank alcohol. just sayin

Fermenting fruits and grains (making beer out of it) is one of our oldest means of preserving food. Last I knew, archeologists had found beer-making stuff in the middle east 1000's of years before the Egyptians, whose commoners drank beer as the largest calorie source in their diet (built the pyramids on the stuff).