Day 3 on Paleo- suggestions please!
MKC6714
Posts: 3 Member
Hi Everyone-
Today is my 3rd day on Paleo. So far I like it alot, but am having a very hard time giving up cream in my coffee. My fiance and I are doing Paleo together as we prepare for our wedding in June- to me it's more of a lifestyle change instead of a "diet". He heard about Paleo from his fellow crossfitters. I am not much of a workout girl because I have a bad back from a car accident and can only do low impact cardio. Just curious if Paleo really works for weight loss.... I have tried WW and had no luck but a few pounds- I would eat junk because it was within my points allowance (eg. mc donalds cheeseburger was only 6pts).... I also tried Herbalife and gained back every pound I lost (and more) when I stopped bc I couldn't sustain living on shakes for the rest of my life.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Paleo on losing weight. Thank you in advance for your help!
Today is my 3rd day on Paleo. So far I like it alot, but am having a very hard time giving up cream in my coffee. My fiance and I are doing Paleo together as we prepare for our wedding in June- to me it's more of a lifestyle change instead of a "diet". He heard about Paleo from his fellow crossfitters. I am not much of a workout girl because I have a bad back from a car accident and can only do low impact cardio. Just curious if Paleo really works for weight loss.... I have tried WW and had no luck but a few pounds- I would eat junk because it was within my points allowance (eg. mc donalds cheeseburger was only 6pts).... I also tried Herbalife and gained back every pound I lost (and more) when I stopped bc I couldn't sustain living on shakes for the rest of my life.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Paleo on losing weight. Thank you in advance for your help!
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Don't get me started on WW or Herbalife or any of that other nonsense. I have a big hate on for WW because their low fat, ultra low calorie BS is what started me down a 20 year long road of sickness/obesity. Their advice has hurt other members of my family too, and unlike me, they still believe the lies and their health has deteriorated to the point that they have almost no quality of life... at under 60 years of age.
Really, throw away everything you believe about dieting and weight loss. Paleo really does have to be a permanent lifestyle choice to reap the full benefits. That does not mean that you will always have to eat strict Paleo 100% forever. There is much leeway depending on your personal situation and ability to get back on track when needed.
I'm more focused on health than weight loss. If you'd like to see the list of illnesses resolved, see my story under the pinned "Success Stories". As for weight loss, see below. I've been ketogenic Primal/Paleo for almost 18 months. All lost without hunger, struggling, "willpower" (because willpower doesn't resolve malnutrition), and on 1500-2000 calories per day. Weight loss is slow now, as it should be, since I only have 15-20 pounds left to lose (I'll let my body decide where it would like to settle). I expect that last little bit to take a year and maybe more to finally go. The stricter my Paleo lifestyle, the faster my weight loss but I will be living this lifestyle forever it is not a race and there is no finish line.
I have a ketogenic (high fat, mod protein, low carb) Paleo lifestyle because that's what works best for me. You can peek at my diary any time; it's open.0 -
Hey MKC - Welcome to the club! I follow the Primal Blueprint and in it Mark Sisson says a small amount of dairy is ok as long as you tolerate it. But if you give up dairy altogether, consider it a small price to pay to get your health back. I'd recommend removing dairy from your diet for a few weeks and then adding back your morning coffee+cream and see if it affects you. As for exercise, I'm starting to follow the recommendation in the primal blueprint by doing pushups squats and planks 3-4 times a week. I also walk as much as possible. In the winter I am using an elliptical trainer a few times a week.0
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I agree with Mike. Try hard to skip all dairy for the first few weeks and then add it back and see how it goes. If you can't do coffee without cream, try coconut cream (get the full fat canned coconut milk and don't shake it, the fat seperates from the milk...use the thick creamy fat). if you don't like it with coconut cream then consider just stopping coffee until you are ready to try cream again. Sometimes, going 2-4 weeks without coffee is good for you. I did it in the past (and am currently not drinking it) and in the first week lost 5 pounds! Coffee can act on hormones and for some people can cause fluctuations in insulin levels. I drink green tea for a hot benerage in place of coffee when abstaining.0
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Its my Day 4 too!
Coconut creamer was the very first recipe I made! There are variations but I used 1 can coconut milk, 1 egg, and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice blended in the blender then put in a mason jar in the fridge. I even brought some to work. Its super yummy in coffee or black teas like Earl Grey or Chai.
I have made some really yummy food and am already feel so much healthier.
ETA: feel free to add me as a friend0 -
I followed strict paleo for 30 days last August (for health reasons, not weight loss), but to my happy surprise I lost 12 pounds that month. I had been struggling with 5-7 more pounds to reach my goal range and exceeded it! Since the beginning of October, I added back in some dairy and was more like 80% paleo - I gained only 2 pounds back and have stayed steady since then (even through the many treats of the holidays!!). So I would say paleo is definitely effective for weight loss, but you have to make it a lifestyle. I'm sure if I started eating grains and dairy everyday again, my weight would go right back up. No question.
I gave up my coffee in August, but couldn't make it permanent. I don't think I'm addicted to the caffeine, I just enjoy the ritual. I use coconut milk or almond milk, and have found a few recipes for lattes when I want some flavor added. You can use pumpkin puree, maple syrup and coconut milk - warm it up and add it to your coffee, sprinkle some cinnamon on top - yum!! You can also so something similar with dark cocoa, or a piece of a dark chocolate candy bar. Also yummy.
Congrats on your upcoming wedding and good luck on your paleo journey!0 -
Coconut milk is a decent replacement. You'll also learn to like black if you drink it for a few weeks.
Personally, I follow a more Primal approach. I have don't eliminate full-fat dairy, though I do try to limit it somewhat (ex: I generally use almond milk rather than cow's milk).
As for your weight loss question, it's a little more complex. Paleo is more health-focused and is about eating real foods rather than weight loss.
With that said, people do generally lose weight by dropping empty carbs from grains and sugar and replacing them with more filling foods like meat and vegetables.
Personally, I generally eat a lower-carb version of Paleo (I limit starches and high-carb fruits), and the closer I stick to 100%, the better I do for weigh-loss/maintenance.
As redredy said, coconut milk is a decent alternative as well. It's still different than cream, but you get used to it pretty quick.0 -
I still drink cream in my coffee but the closest I came to a decent replacement was coconut oil + butter blended with a hand blender. I was drinking a double-double from Tim Hortons (hey I'm really Canadian!) and went from that much sugar to only cream now. But I always felt coconut cream was too thin (like milk) in my coffee and all the other additions (pumpkin puree, cinnamon, vanilla extract) did not do the trick. Maple syrup was okay but once I did a couple 21 day sugar detoxes I dropped that quick.
Warning: because of the fat it is very filling so manage your meals / other nutrient intake for the day appropriately! I found it easy to just drink that coffee in the morning and be good until lunch, and that's not appropriate for me for every day because I definitely wasn't getting in my veggies!0 -
Mark Sisson says that Primal is not a religion and he suggests that many people do well on an 80:20 ratio. That is eat primal 80% of the time. This allows for so called "cheats" which make life more colourful. After all eating is not a religion. Dairy cream is actually considered OK if you tolerate diary.
There is a wealth of information on the Paleo/Primal way of life, so google "Marks Daily Apple" for a good place to start.0 -
I have never stopped putting Half and Half in my coffee and likely will not stop. I only drink the one cup in the morning so I see no issue with it and Dairy has posed no issue in my health so far, so until it does coffee with H&H will be in my life. That said, the more you read about this lifestyle the better you can figure out if dairy is contributing to your weight and health, then you can make an educated choice to stop or continue with dairy and other things. I have been wheat free for nearly 3 months now and with the smallest effort lost 40 lbs.0
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I have never stopped putting Half and Half in my coffee and likely will not stop. I only drink the one cup in the morning so I see no issue with it and Dairy has posed no issue in my health so far, so until it does coffee with H&H will be in my life. That said, the more you read about this lifestyle the better you can figure out if dairy is contributing to your weight and health, then you can make an educated choice to stop or continue with dairy and other things. I have been wheat free for nearly 3 months now and with the smallest effort lost 40 lbs.
It took me a year to finally give quitting dairy a try for a month. I didn't think I had any issues with it either. I had full fat cream (pasteurized and contains carrageenan) and full fat cheese (only Kraft is stocked in my isolated location, modified milk ingredients, colour, other crap ingredients). I can tell you that my body definitely does have an issue with dairy. When I add it back in I get digestive problems, which I get used to after awhile (but I don't want to get "used to" something sub-optimal for health). I had 6 months of initial fast weight loss after going Primal, but now that I'm nearing my healthy weight (20 or so left) weight loss is very slow. On months that I do not consume dairy (except butter), I lose TWICE as much fat than months that I do have dairy (and not even cream anymore, just cheese in moderate amounts). I now love my BP coffee and don't even want cream in it.
My point is, just like with wheat, one doesn't fully know what something does to health if we don't take a break from it. I think raw, grass-fed, full fat dairy is fine, and even healthy, for many people. However, the pasteurized and processed stuff has nothing positive to offer for establishing optimal health. It's personal choice to choose to keep consuming it and it might not be a big issue for some people, but be careful in justifying it just because of being unwilling to try a month without it. I used to do that too.0 -
Agreed, but one thing at a time for me and the weight is coming off nicely. My wife is very excited she can feel my ribs now when we hug, before she had to bend over my gut.0
