Paleo and Zone, pros and cons
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dirtybadgermtb
Posts: 140 Member
Back in 2009-2010, there seemed to be a little bit of chatter about Paleo but The Zone and those stupid finger shoes were the big things in CrossFit at the time. Thank God Inov8's came along!
I had always carried a fair amount of belly fat and my head coach put me on The Zone. I was a single man at the time and spending an hour each morning weighing and measuring meals and snacks was not a big deal. One thing that I found on The Zone is that I was never eating a proper recipe at a meal. Everything was a series of part arranged on a plate. There would be n apple, 12 almonds and 4 oz of chicken on a plate. When I was dining out, trying to estimate blocks was a pain in the *kitten*. The good thing was that I dropped 20 lbs of nothing but fat. But, I was also hungry all the time. On 17 blocks/day, that is only 1547 calories and now I eat nearly double that and maintain body weight. In short, The Zone works but it is a lot of trouble and I stayed hungry.
Fast forward about 2 years, I had gained back about 10 lbs that I had initially lost. My wife and I gave Paleo a whirl for the 6 week Paleo Challenge at my box. We gave up all kinds of foods we love and ate regularly for that period of time and lost almost nothing. I am not saying anything bad about Paleo. It is a great blueprint for eating. However these are the mistakes we made:
1. Way too much bacon, brats, sausages and other fatty meats like ribeyes and chicken thighs
2. Bacon wrapped dates
3. Protein shakes made with coconut milk
4. Pork rinds
5. Bacon wrapped asparagus
6. Sweet potato fries cooked in bacon grease.
You get the picture. Rob Wolff and Mark Sisson would have yelled "You're doing it wrong!" Our overall caloric load was just way too high for our activity level. The pros for me were that I really learned how to cook fresh foods and enjoy them, I felt pretty good even though I didn't loose any body fat. I discovered that high gluten products really inflame my gut and I get terrible heartburn (baguettes, pizza, lasagna), and I discovered that I feel no noticeable benefit from cutting out dairy. It just doesn't bother me. The cons for me is that it restricted a lot of food that helped me loose weight on The Zone and that I currently eat on a daily basis now that help me feel great and stay lean such as cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Ezekiel bread, and low carb-low gluten wheat tortillas.
Anyway, long post. I would love to hear some of your experiences with either of these diets-lifestyles.
I had always carried a fair amount of belly fat and my head coach put me on The Zone. I was a single man at the time and spending an hour each morning weighing and measuring meals and snacks was not a big deal. One thing that I found on The Zone is that I was never eating a proper recipe at a meal. Everything was a series of part arranged on a plate. There would be n apple, 12 almonds and 4 oz of chicken on a plate. When I was dining out, trying to estimate blocks was a pain in the *kitten*. The good thing was that I dropped 20 lbs of nothing but fat. But, I was also hungry all the time. On 17 blocks/day, that is only 1547 calories and now I eat nearly double that and maintain body weight. In short, The Zone works but it is a lot of trouble and I stayed hungry.
Fast forward about 2 years, I had gained back about 10 lbs that I had initially lost. My wife and I gave Paleo a whirl for the 6 week Paleo Challenge at my box. We gave up all kinds of foods we love and ate regularly for that period of time and lost almost nothing. I am not saying anything bad about Paleo. It is a great blueprint for eating. However these are the mistakes we made:
1. Way too much bacon, brats, sausages and other fatty meats like ribeyes and chicken thighs
2. Bacon wrapped dates
3. Protein shakes made with coconut milk
4. Pork rinds
5. Bacon wrapped asparagus
6. Sweet potato fries cooked in bacon grease.
You get the picture. Rob Wolff and Mark Sisson would have yelled "You're doing it wrong!" Our overall caloric load was just way too high for our activity level. The pros for me were that I really learned how to cook fresh foods and enjoy them, I felt pretty good even though I didn't loose any body fat. I discovered that high gluten products really inflame my gut and I get terrible heartburn (baguettes, pizza, lasagna), and I discovered that I feel no noticeable benefit from cutting out dairy. It just doesn't bother me. The cons for me is that it restricted a lot of food that helped me loose weight on The Zone and that I currently eat on a daily basis now that help me feel great and stay lean such as cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Ezekiel bread, and low carb-low gluten wheat tortillas.
Anyway, long post. I would love to hear some of your experiences with either of these diets-lifestyles.
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Replies
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A lot of paleo will not allow you to eat bacon, so that might help, but it probably will not help the taste much.0
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I recently did a 4 week paleo challenge at my box, prior to that i have been about 80% paleo for the last year. I did not see major results until I went strict Paleo for 4 weeks. On top of that I did not lose a ton of weight on the scale, but the before and after pictures I took tell the biggest story. I can honestly say I have abs for the first time in my life. I'm 5'7'' 144 lbs, was 148 lbs at the start of the challenge so not over weight but definitely had some belly fat to lose, I'm fitting comfortably in my size 4 jeans again which that and having my body fat below 20% was the real goal
What worked for me was being really strict with fruit and starchy carbs. I tried to eat them around when I was working out, for reference I crossfit 5X per week and usually run 2x week (3-5 miles) and take one complete rest day. I had no more than 1/2 cup of blueberries in my morning green machine smoothie and a small sweet potato post workout. I pretty much ate meat, veggies, and healthy fats. The first two weeks I felt like crap, my workout sucked and I just wanted to sleep all day. Once I got through those two weeks the sugar and carb cravings were gone, that food didnt even sound good anymore. My workouts have all improved, I have hit new PR's in my back squat, clean, clean + jerk, max rep pullups, and the list goes on in the last month.
Now I'm trying to stick to it 95%, no more than three cheats per week, the exception to that is allowing myself half and half in my coffee each day since me and black coffee are not friends A cheat would be a portion of high quality dark chocolate or a little bit of cheese. I've found any gluten or too much dairy and I feel like death. I had ice cream the day after the challenge ended as a reward and I felt so awful it wasn't even worth it.
I highly recommend "It starts with food", also the whole 9 website has really great forums and awesome info. Sorry for the rambling post, just thought I'd put my two cents in.0 -
I've been eating a primal diet for the past 3 months, but I've really only started to eat strict paleo starting in January. I completed the Whole 30, and it really stuck with me I guess. I have the occasional treats of cheese and dark chocolate, and I'm really trying to reign in my sugar consumption.
vulcangreen, you bring up a good point. It's really easy to go really wrong with paleo guidelines. I eat quite a bit of bacon, I'll admit it. I'm not too concerned with that, because I'm staying within my calorie and macro guidelines. When I first started eating paleo, I went crazy eating sweet potatoes and starchy carbs followed by copious amounts of fruit. I thought, 'well it's natural , so I can eat as much as I want!'. Followed by 'Gee, why am I not losing any weight?'
That was followed by slurping down spoonfuls of almond, cashew, and sunbutter. And then a few paleo-ized treats (think lots of medjool dates, honey, maple syrup, and almond flour). Basically, I took anything that I could cram into the "technical" parameters of the paleo guideline, and figured I could eat mass quantities of it. Don't even get my started with pork rinds. YUM.
But alas, that was not the best idea.
I'm starting to find a balance now. I eat my sweet potatoes a few times a week after particularly strenuous workouts. Very limited fruit, since it only increases my sweet tooth. I've learned to cook incredibly tasty meals using new vegetables that I've never tried before. I'm adventerous in the kitchen, as I type this I have kombucha fermenting and sauerkraut as well! I'm no longer hungry and obsessing over food, and feel strong and ready for Crossfit and running. I'm no longer bloated and don't have icky bathroom issues (amen!). And like alysa521, I'm starting to see abs, finally!
For me, eating a paleo diet has changed my life, and I kind of want to scream from the rooftop or grab passerbys on the street and shake them while saying "You gotta try this!".0 -
I've been Primal/Paleo for six months, and I love it! I had been trying to lose 15 pounds for years, and when I started Crossfit and added in paleo... the weight just slid off!
I also eat my fair share of nitrate-free bacon and free-rage chicken thighs. The higher fat content hasn't been a problem for me, because I watch my macros and also continue to watch my calorie intake. I've never looked at Paleo like a free-for-all. I know that I still need to be careful not to overeat.
My problem is with the fruits and sweets. I know I should eat more veggies and fewer servings of fruits/nuts. I try to limit to one serving a day, but that has been hard for me. I also love the paleo desserts and dark chocolate. I really need to figure out a way to get my sweet tooth under control and eat way more veggies! I'm thinking about doing the 21-day Sugar Detox....0 -
I'm following a pale/zone method... but have not really seen much in the last 3 weeks. I think it's my weekend binge drinking :blushing:
I've been pretty good at keeping my husband zone (he won't do paleo because he likes bread/pasta too much). He's at the lowest weight in 10 years.
When I followed a very strict paleo plan, no alcohol at all, I dropped 6 pounds in 40 days, while increasing my strength (via benchmarks CF Total).
While I love being slimmer, I also like enjoying my life a little. I like wine, I like vodka... I like cheese & cream in my coffee with yes! I put twin in my coffee too. Strict Paleo seems like the only plan that works for me to lose weight, but I'm miserable and b!tchy and on edge... not sure if it's worth it?0 -
I started with about 80% Paleo in January then did the Whole 30 Challenge in Feb. I now eat Paleo 100% of the time because I feel so much better. I no longer have headaches (and I lived with a headache, it just got worse or better every day) and I've lost 25 lbs since the 1st of the year. I've cut my diabetes meds in 1/2 and I'm hoping that I can come off them altogether in the next few weeks. I don't eat sweet potatoes, honey, or maple syrup although I may add them back at some point. I also limit bacon to a couple of pieces on Saturday or Sunday. I do eat pecans in my salads and I use coconut oil a lot. I also CrossFit 4 to 6 times a week. Paleo is a lifestyle, not a diet and I plan to eat this way for the rest of my life. I'm 52 and I have more energy now than I've had in years. I'm slowly getting my family to eat more and more Paleo and hope to convert them fully to the Paleo lifestyle soon.0
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I did an 8 week food challenge at my box, where I ate the Zone... I lost 17 pounds and 11.5 inches in 8 weeks. I am still eating Zone now. but it's turning more Paleo by the day. Trying to ease into it, because it's a 180 from what I was eating before. When I started CrossFit I said that I would never eat this way, but almost 12 weeks later I feel amazing.0
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People knock The Zone because of it's reliance on weighing and measuring but it really does work for everyone I know that sticks with it. One thing that I found is that I now need about 4x the fat to maintain body weight now that I got to my goal weight. Otherwise I keep loosing weight and stay hungry around the clock.I did an 8 week food challenge at my box, where I ate the Zone... I lost 17 pounds and 11.5 inches in 8 weeks. I am still eating Zone now. but it's turning more Paleo by the day. Trying to ease into it, because it's a 180 from what I was eating before. When I started CrossFit I said that I would never eat this way, but almost 12 weeks later I feel amazing.0
