Paleo Transition?

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I'm going back to crossfit for the first time since September. While I was in school I ate crappy foods and never exercised. I gained 30 lbs. in 3 months. I'm trying to get back on track. I feel like I'm starting from scratch. At my lightest I was 130, and now I'm 160. My ultimate goal is to be 120lbs. at 5'3". My plan is to do crossfit 3 times a week. I have to take public transportation to crossfit, and it's a 1.5 hour journey, so I HAVE to be committed to this.

Aside from exercise I have to start eating better. No more Dairy Queen! Many many people have suggested that I try a paleo eating style. The idea is very attractive to me except I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to that 100%. Has anyone had an experience with a slow transition to paleo. I'm thinking about starting off with clean eating, and incorporating three paleo meals a week along with all paleo snacks. Then the next week might be 4 paleo males, the next week 5, and so on. Giving up grains wont be to difficult for me, but I think dairy will be a challenge. I love milk and yogurt. does any one have any advice for me? Thanks!

Replies

  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I love milk and yogurt. does any one have any advice for me? Thanks!

    Don't go paleo.

    Eat at a moderate calorie deficit containing a good percentage of whole foods and adequate protein and fat.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    Elimination diets rarely work. Rather than aiming to eliminate grains completely, I stick to whole grains and limit added sugars, processed foods, and simple/refined carbs. I can't eat dairy, so I can't really help with that issue, but I will say that almond milk is a delicious and low-calorie alternative.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    I'm going back to crossfit for the first time since September. While I was in school I ate crappy foods and never exercised. I gained 30 lbs. in 3 months. I'm trying to get back on track. I feel like I'm starting from scratch. At my lightest I was 130, and now I'm 160. My ultimate goal is to be 120lbs. at 5'3". My plan is to do crossfit 3 times a week. I have to take public transportation to crossfit, and it's a 1.5 hour journey, so I HAVE to be committed to this.

    Aside from exercise I have to start eating better. No more Dairy Queen! Many many people have suggested that I try a paleo eating style. The idea is very attractive to me except I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to that 100%. Has anyone had an experience with a slow transition to paleo. I'm thinking about starting off with clean eating, and incorporating three paleo meals a week along with all paleo snacks. Then the next week might be 4 paleo males, the next week 5, and so on. Giving up grains wont be to difficult for me, but I think dairy will be a challenge. I love milk and yogurt. does any one have any advice for me? Thanks!

    I did. It's been close to 2 years. It's no big deal to transition. The mental block may be what's stopping you. I never set out to eat paleo but ended up eating that way due to food intolerance. Then I discovered there was name that (more or less) described the way I ate.

    However, I don't eat butter, bacon, other deli meats, exclusively grass-fed beef, an inordinate number of eggs, and I don't put coconut oil in everything. I also do eat beans, which the paleo crowd tends to shun.

    So what do I eat? Vegetables, fruit, quinoa, lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, olive oil and coconut oil,. fresh herbs as condiments, lots of water, decaf unflavored tea, and brown Basmati rice.

    It works for me in terms of how I feel with my health. I don't see it as an elimination diet. I get my macros and micros met on a daily basis. It's simply a way of eating that works for me. I've gained a lot in terms of my health so continuing to eat this way works.

    I enjoy cooking and meal planning so the effort is no big deal.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    I love milk and yogurt. does any one have any advice for me? Thanks!

    Don't go paleo.

    Eat at a moderate calorie deficit containing a good percentage of whole foods and adequate protein and fat.

    this times a million…

    paleo is not a magical potion for fat loss...
  • beckerkra
    beckerkra Posts: 80 Member
    Options
    I love milk and yogurt. does any one have any advice for me? Thanks!

    Don't go paleo.

    Eat at a moderate calorie deficit containing a good percentage of whole foods and adequate protein and fat.

    this times a million…

    paleo is not a magical potion for fat loss...

    I have to agree here, even though I do eat very similar to paleo typically. It's the closest "diet" to how I eat if I were to choose one, but I specifically do NOT follow any one type of diet because I refuse to restrict myself 100% on any food I enjoy, period (take a look at my diary if you want to see my holiday over-indulgence over the last couple weeks haha!). Paleo is closest though because of how I eat with a much higher focus on protein and fats to keep me satisfied longer to assist in my intermittent fasting I do. The foods that paleo promotes is inherently lower carb and higher protein. I've just found that eating a lower macro of carbs and higher in protein and fat I no longer really have issues with hunger.

    The main thing I will tell you that lead to my own personal success so far and why so many people fail when they "choose a diet" is that for the most part, people really aren't looking at long-term. People have a clear goal in their mind, I won't deny that, but typically the goal is to look good, but it never crosses their mind as to what they need to do to "maintain" that good look. They're so focused on losing the weight that they lose sight of the bigger picture that once they lose the weight, that doesn't mean your "diet" stops. Then comes the hardest part of all, MAINTAIN. The BIGGEST question you need to ask yourself if you feel the need to choose a specific way of dieting or a specific food type is, "Is this TRULY something I want to do and maintain for the rest of my life." If your answer to that question is, "Well, I only wanted to do this until I hit my goal" than you're going to be a classic case of the yo-yo dieter. This is the big question I ask myself whenever I intend on changing part of my lifestyle whether it be in fitness, nutrition, or anything really when it comes to my lifestyle. Everything I've been doing that I've lost the weight so far in my own success so far has become so easy and habitual to me because I very specifically only chose things that I felt beyond doubt I could maintain the rest of my life. For example: I LOVE meat, so well, I eat a TON of meat, which lead me down a line of thought. Well if I love meat so much, than why am I bothering with buns when I have a burger, or buns when I eat pulled pork. If I forego the buns, than I give myself a slightly larger portion of meat and I'm super happy! I get more protein, I stay full longer, it's all a win-win scenario for me.

    Every person is different, and really in the end what matters most is what are you going to be able to do to eat at a proper deficit from your TDEE and keep that chosen lifestyle up for the rest of your life only modifying the "amount" of calories based on when you need to cut fat, maintain, or bulk muscle if lifting weights.

    Eat at a proper deficit to TDEE and experiment with foods until you find what works right for you to maintain with the least amount of work possible to make it more fun and easy.

    Want to know what TDEE is? http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974889-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    I hope this helps! =)
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
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    I'm going back to crossfit for the first time since September. While I was in school I ate crappy foods and never exercised. I gained 30 lbs. in 3 months. I'm trying to get back on track. I feel like I'm starting from scratch. At my lightest I was 130, and now I'm 160. My ultimate goal is to be 120lbs. at 5'3". My plan is to do crossfit 3 times a week. I have to take public transportation to crossfit, and it's a 1.5 hour journey, so I HAVE to be committed to this.

    Aside from exercise I have to start eating better. No more Dairy Queen! Many many people have suggested that I try a paleo eating style. The idea is very attractive to me except I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to that 100%. Has anyone had an experience with a slow transition to paleo. I'm thinking about starting off with clean eating, and incorporating three paleo meals a week along with all paleo snacks. Then the next week might be 4 paleo males, the next week 5, and so on. Giving up grains wont be to difficult for me, but I think dairy will be a challenge. I love milk and yogurt. does any one have any advice for me? Thanks!

    Primal eating for you.............it is the 80/20 approach which sounds like what you would be doing anyway.
  • Michele0812
    Options
    I love milk and yogurt. does any one have any advice for me? Thanks!

    Don't go paleo.

    Eat at a moderate calorie deficit containing a good percentage of whole foods and adequate protein and fat.

    this times a million…

    paleo is not a magical potion for fat loss...

    I have to agree here, even though I do eat very similarly diet paleo typically. It's the closest "diet" to how I eat if I were to choose one, but I specifically do NOT follow any one type of diet because I refuse to restrict myself 100% on any food I enjoy, period (take a look at my diary if you want to see my holiday over-indulgence over the last couple weeks haha!). Paleo is closest though because of how I eat with a much higher focus on protein and fats to keep me satisfied longer to assist in my intermittent fasting I do. The foods that paleo promotes is inherently lower carb and higher protein. I've just found that eating a lower macro of carbs and higher in protein and fat I no longer really have issues with hunger.

    The main thing I will tell you that lead to my own personal success so far and why so many people fail when they "choose a diet" is that for the most part, people really aren't looking at long-term. People have a clear goal in there mind, I won't deny that, but typically the goal is to look good, but it never crosses their mind as to what they need to do to "maintain" that good look. They're so focused on losing the weight that they lose sight of the bigger picture that once they lose the weight, that doesn't mean your "diet" stops. Then comes the hardest part of all, MAINTAIN. The BIGGEST question you need to ask yourself if you feel the need to choose a specific way of dieting or a specific food type is, "Is this TRULY something I want to do and maintain for the rest of my life." If your answer to that question is, "Well, I only wanted to do this until I hit my goal" than you're going to be a classic case of the yo-yo dieter. This is the big question I ask myself whenever I intend on changing part of my lifestyle whether it be in fitness, nutrition, or anything really when it comes to my lifestyle. Everything I've been doing that I've lost the weight so far in my own success so far has become so easy and habitual to me because I very specifically only chose things that I felt beyond doubt I could maintain the rest of my life. For example: I LOVE meat, so well, I eat a TON of meat, which lead me down a line of thought. Well if I love meat so much, than why am I bothering with buns when I have a burger, or buns when I eat pulled pork. If I forego the buns, than I give myself a slightly larger portion of meat and I'm super happy! I get more protein, I stay full longer, it's all a win-win scenario for me.

    Every person is different, and really in the end what matters most is what are you going to be able to do to eat at a proper deficit from your TDEE and keep that chosen lifestyle up for the rest of your life only modifying the "amount" of calories based on when you need to cut fat, maintain, or bulk muscle if lifting weights.

    Eat at a proper deficit to TDEE and experiment with foods until you find what works right for you to maintain with the least amount of work possible to make it more fun and easy.

    Want to know what TDEE is? http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974889-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    I hope this helps! =)

    Ditto.

    It's amazing how we can make weight loss more complicated than it really is lol. I am definately guilty of this. If I allowed myself a calorie budget and ate whatever I wanted within reason as long as I met my particular calorie goal I probably would be more sucessful with those last few pounds. I have a friend who is losing weight this way lol. Instead I go to extremes trying to follow particular diets that deny particular foods, or that call for really clean eating and then I fall off the band wagon because they're just not maintainable for me lol.

    I have tried paleo in the past and I had sucess with it, probably because I was watching my calories, but it wasn't maintainable for me so it ended up not working after awhile lol because I don't really like meat except fish and the processed kinds and I can't see myself giving up bread, rice and pasta forever.
  • beckerkra
    beckerkra Posts: 80 Member
    Options
    Ditto.

    It's amazing how we can make weight loss more complicated than it really is lol. I am definately guilty of this. If I allowed myself a calorie budget and ate whatever I wanted within reason as long as I met my particular calorie goal I probably would be more sucessful with those last few pounds. I have a friend who is losing weight this way lol. Instead I go to extremes trying to follow particular diets that deny particular foods, or that call for really clean eating and then I fall off the band wagon because they're just not maintainable for me lol.

    I have tried paleo in the past and I had sucess with it, probably because I was watching my calories, but it wasn't maintainable for me so it ended up not working after awhile lol because I don't really like meat except fish and the processed kinds and I can't see myself giving up bread, rice and pasta forever.

    Yea, I've been so guilty of the same types of things in the past too lol!
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,365 Member
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    If you are going to do paleo don't just do it for weight loss. Best way to lose weight is the way you intend to maintain the lost, so unless you intend to continue eating the paleo why bother starting.

    If you are serious about doing paleo as a lifestyle change there is plenty of information on the web.

    A good in betweener is primal blueprint, plenty of info there too..all free of charge at marksdailyapple.com

    I have a gluten intolerance that gives me terrible acid reflux, along with some auto-immune issues so I essentially follow the principles of primal with some tweaking.

    No one way of eating is going to suit everyone, find one that you can do and will do long term.