Paleo Eating/Clean eating

Breastmilk is paleo.

It's the only milk that is.

I don't specifically eat Paleo but it ends up pretty darn close. No grains or starches, no caloric drinks, no processed food. My wife and I are a bit over 2 months in and we're both very happy with it. My wife has lost 20 lbs and after a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and 'points' she feels like this is something she can happily maintain for life. In addition she's feeling much, much healthier.

I allow myself some limited exceptions immediately after/during a workout or practice (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) in that I will have allow something like a Gatorade in the middle of a 2 hour practice, and have a milk & whey protein as well as a slice of toast after. If I am on the run and can't immediately refuel I use a Clif or Quest bar. The body just can't replace that much energy that fast without some help from fast sugars to maintain muscle and blood sugar balance.

Yes, it does end up being very healthy, but even if you don't buy into the whole 'Paleo' idea, you are cutting most if not all of the foods that are very fast-digesting and high calorie in one fell swoop. It's a simple to use method that allows you to eat a lot of delicious food while constraining your caloric intake. It takes some adjustment, but I really don't have a craving for bread or potato or beer now. It's still yummy in small doses on the occasional (monthly) minor cheat day, but after you've broken the habit you don't really miss it. When we have really broken from it (on a cruise, all-day meeting with pizza lunch served, etc.) that food beats me up so bad on the inside that I just can't wait to eat goods meats and veggies again.

As bonus I had a big egg, egg white, onion, pepper, chicken sausage, cheddar cheese Frittata with a side of bacon yesterday... and I was obeying my diet to a T.

Today I want to give you some basic concepts to keep in mind in thinking about how and what you eat. They are discussing meat, fruit and vegetables fresh produce, seasonal foods, compost, packaging and engineered foods........ Read some more interesting articles here:
http://greenninjas.org/eating-green-and-staying-healthy-2/

BTW, just wanted to add, in these 17 days since we've been doing this, i have NOT COUNTED CALORIES ONE SINGLE DAY. i have managed to lse 8 lbs. in this timeframe. never logged one single meal or even my exercise into MFP. i can't believe i can lose without managing and obsessing over my food. i eat when i'm hungry (my appetite has decreased drastically) and stop when i'm full. it's SUPER EASY.

I have no idea what this form of eating is, but I've been reading comments in the forums for years (this is a new account for me). What you said above is very interesting.

my husband and i started a few weeks ago by wanting to try the JJ Virgin diet, then as we got into it, i started doing more research and came across paleo. we modified a few things (such as we are not eating eggs right now) but the part about not counting calories come from the JJ Virgin diet. you eliminate:
1. soy
2. peanuts
3. gluten
4. dairy
5. sugar
6. eggs
7. corn
for 3 weeks, then introduce one of the above each week to see how your body reacts. once we found paleo, we kind of kept some of each of the ideas. JJ virgin's advice is to not count calories. she said just eliminate these foods and watch your body work. (exercise is important to me, i am an avid gym-aholic. LOL) anyway, we are not to the point of re-introducing foods yet, and not sure we really will on a full-time basis. its MUCh easier than i anticipated, and we feel great and my husband has lost 17 lbs. (he has alot more to lose than i do, which i think is why he has dropped so much)

*edited to add a bit

You're losing weight because you're eating less due to the amount of protein you consume, which is known to keep you full. It's basically atkins rehashed with a new name, low carb, high protein.

that's not true at all. i am eating far more since we started. my appetite has decreased, but overall, the AMOUNT of foods i am eating has drastically increased as compared to when i was calorie counting and just eating Lean Cuisine and other ways of cutting caloires.

BTW, just wanted to add, in these 17 days since we've been doing this, i have NOT COUNTED CALORIES ONE SINGLE DAY. i have managed to lse 8 lbs. in this timeframe. never logged one single meal or even my exercise into MFP. i can't believe i can lose without managing and obsessing over my food. i eat when i'm hungry (my appetite has decreased drastically) and stop when i'm full. it's SUPER EASY.

I have no idea what this form of eating is, but I've been reading comments in the forums for years (this is a new account for me). What you said above is very interesting.

my husband and i started a few weeks ago by wanting to try the JJ Virgin diet, then as we got into it, i started doing more research and came across paleo. we modified a few things (such as we are not eating eggs right now) but the part about not counting calories come from the JJ Virgin diet. you eliminate:
1. soy
2. peanuts
3. gluten
4. dairy
5. sugar
6. eggs
7. corn
for 3 weeks, then introduce one of the above each week to see how your body reacts. once we found paleo, we kind of kept some of each of the ideas. JJ virgin's advice is to not count calories. she said just eliminate these foods and watch your body work. (exercise is important to me, i am an avid gym-aholic. LOL) anyway, we are not to the point of re-introducing foods yet, and not sure we really will on a full-time basis. its MUCh easier than i anticipated, and we feel great and my husband has lost 17 lbs. (he has alot more to lose than i do, which i think is why he has dropped so much)

*edited to add a bit

You're losing weight because you're eating less due to the amount of protein you consume, which is known to keep you full. It's basically atkins rehashed with a new name, low carb, high protein.

that's not true at all. i am eating far more since we started. my appetite has decreased, but overall, the AMOUNT of foods i am eating has drastically increased as compared to when i was calorie counting and just eating Lean Cuisine and other ways of cutting caloires.

+1

I eat significantly more now compared to what I consumed before changing; it's just food that's better for me. When I was looking to lose weight (now looking to gain with being pregnant again), I lost over 40 pounds and was able to maintain my goal weight easily.

OP, I personally did cold turkey when I did the change. I did the Whole30 to see whether it was something I wanted to continue and after the first week, I noticed significant improvements and I knew I would continue. I tried the "going slow" thing and it was disasterous. I either had to commit to it completely...or not at all.

My paleo experience:

Did it for about 18 months. There was, as with pretty much any diet, that immediate two week weight loss. That was great, but I very quickly plateaued. Turns out I love paleo food too much, and was, plainly and simply, eating too much "clean" food. I put in strict caloric restrictions and voila, weight started coming off again.

Eventually I plateaued again. But this time at an intake level that just couldn't be reduced anymore. The only alternative was to increase daily caloric expenditure (ie add lots of exercise), but that was proving extremely difficult while fuelling on low carb paleo.

So I hit the reset button. Dumped paleo, added back carbs in place of fat, upped daily intake by about 30%, and added lots of exercise (weights and cardio). Took about 4 weeks for my body to adjust, but it did adjust. Now I'm fitter than ever and the weight is falling off again.

Bottom line: there is nothing "wrong" with paleo, but it sure isn't a magic bullet. If you eat at caloric excess, you will gain weight, and it is quite easy to eat to excess on a diet (yes, it *is* a diet) that worships at the altar of Bacon.

i think anything can be thrown into the fad category. it's all in the individuals perspective.

Yep. Completely agree with that.

Due to 10000 years of intensive farming and selective crop breeding, step one is get a time machine.
You'll then have to decide which part of the planet you would like to live with it's very restricted sources to provide you with your diet.


I'm all for eating more fresh, less processed 'whole' foods. Especially more vegetables. Just don't call it paleo. It makes it look like you don't have a clue what you are talking about.

THIS. A million times, THIS

check out chowstalker.com for some super serious paleo-inspired eats. That site has some really incredible recipes on there, even if you aren't necessarily buying into the whole Paleo way of life. Mmmm

Turning Paleo has been the best thing I have ever done. I've managed to drop over 16 kgs easily with more falling off each week.. I have more energy than ever before.. I don't get crazy sugar highs and crashes every day.. I am full.. sleep well and happy.. Fad - no fad.. its worked for me for the past 8 months and I'll never look back