Paleo lifestyle... Have you tried it? How did you feel?

Bump.....I am curious also.

Yes. Through Crossfit.

It's ok.

Top athletes like rich froning do not follow a 'paleo' diet.

It's just like any other diet.

I tried primal for a while (paleo + dairy). I developed really bad body odor and breath. Didn't notice any positive changes either, in the way I felt, so I quit doing it. It's also VERY expensive-I was spending more on my food, than I was for my family of 4! Now I'm back to eating the foods I enjoy and not restricting any food groups. I'm happy, healthy and eating in a way that's sustainable for me, for the next 40+ years

It is an unnecessarily strict diet and unnecessarily strict diets often interfere with diet adherence.

It is an unnecessarily strict diet and unnecessarily strict diets often interfere with diet adherence.

Depends on why you have to adhere to the diet!

I have to be gluten free so a primal diet isn't that far a jump. To be honest I do miss nice bread but have suffered the consequences of testing the intolerance.

I don't go as low carb as some do, I love my fruit and veggies too much.

I followed the paleo guidelines for three months. However I was exercising and watching calories and I did not notice a difference between eating by the strict guidelines of paleo and eating my everyday normal foods. It was very limiting for me. I did find quite a few recipes that I still use today but I would rather have a diet where I can eat a bowl of cereal if I would like versus a diet where I pretty much have to cook constantly. Some people just don't have time for that.

I'm slowly going primal/paleo. Not on purpose at first. I have a gluten, rice and dairy free diet, for medical reasons (gluten and dairy ; rice because I never could digest it for some reason). I ended up following some paleo recipes because they match my diet possibilities. Also, I struggled to eat enough proteins and paleo has a great protein focus. Without changing anything, I had only two differences with a primal diet (a bit more with a paleo diet). One is legume consumption. And even then, they're "OK-ish" from what I learned, in the primal diet. (Not paleo though.) Second, I ate quite a lot of fruits. Now I'm eating less fruits because they were a bit responsible for my protein struggle (they make me full but lack proteins and fats, so let's resume "they make me empty-full") and more eggs and meat. Since I struggle less with proteins, I abandonned legumes. I only ate them because of proteins anyway, I never was fond of their taste.

I'm feeling way better since I don't eat gluten and dairy (but's that's normal since I'm sick with them so that could not apply to everyone), and since I started following some primal rules I feel even better because I'm not always lacking proteins. (At the worst, it was difficult to stand, my legs felt like cotton and supporting my own weight was difficult enough. I could barely lift anything and I don't mean like heavy weights, just groceries, and was absolutely incapable of doing exercise like plank etc. because my arms couldn't support more than a few lbs and I was trembling and down in 2 seconds - not exaggerating.)

I guess the only remaining step toward a primal diet, for me, is to actually call my diet "primal".

I tried it for a while this summer and lost weight quickly and actually went down to a weight I hadn't seen since before kids. However, I found it too restricting and not manageable for the long term. After I stopped paleo, I binged on all the foods I couldn't eat (cake, doughnuts, cookies) for a while and gained it all back. This showed me that restricting too much is not good for me, and I have to include the foods I love in moderation for any eating plan to stick.

How did I feel? - like total crap the first few days when my carbs were much lower than usual, then felt better. However, I found that my performance in the gym declined. There were actually a few days where my blood sugar got too low and had to quit in the middle of a personal training session. I even tried to up my carbs by eating more sweet potatoes, etc, but I still felt like I had less energy in the gym.

At the end of the day, I learn from my paleo experiment that eating protein, veggies and healthy fats in my meals kept me full for longer. I lost weight because I ate only protein and veggies which made me full and therefore I ate less calories. I continue to try and make my meals with protein and veggies, but will still eat pasta, bread, rice, etc. too.

I've been Primal/Paleo for about 5 or 6 months now, and I love it!!! Now that I'm past the first few months I've added a few things back in (for example, Peanut Butter. I love almond butter, but it's too pricey for me to buy every week) I also eat a lot of unprocessed, unflavored dairy products. I've found it extremely easy to sustain myself eating Paleo. Once a month or so I will add in a day where I eat whatever I want, but for the most part I don't even miss processed foods. And I hardly ever get hungry, because most of may calories come from protein and good quality fats, not simple carbs. It's an awesome lifestyle. And don't believe anyone when they say it must be unhealthy because it cuts out food groups. Your body can't tell if you're eating a grain or a vegetable, all it knows is what the food is made up of, ie carbs, protein, fiber, calories, etc. If the macros and calories balance out, your body will be happy.

It is an unnecessarily strict diet and unnecessarily strict diets often interfere with diet adherence.

This 100%.

On the other hand if you apply the philosophy in a less strict manner and consume mostly whole and minimally processed foods and not beat yourself up when you fail to conform 100% you may find you can stick to your diet better........Now what's that called......IIFYM.

This I don't understand, because eating paleo/ primal is so much more expensive and time consuming than how I eat now. I literally was spending more money on just me, eating primal, than what was being spent on my husband and three kids, for all their food combined. Nuts and seeds are really expensive, meat is pricey (especially if you follow the 'rules' and get grass fed, locally raised etc), organic (again, those rules) vegetables and fruit are pretty much double in cost etc etc. And eggs-1.89 for conventional eggs vs. $5 for 'free range' local eggs?!

And the time involved in making all my meals from scratch, from home was absolutely ridiculous. It's great that you found something that you like, but I honestly don't know how anyone can say this way of eating is cheaper and less time consuming :huh:

I'd agree with that. I can't imagine how it's cheaper. If you look at what people on a tight budget eat, it's not fresh meats and veggies; it's highly processed foods. If you look at what people in a rush eat, it's not fresh meats and veggies; it's highly processed food. I think there are a lot of positive aspects to the foods you eat on a paleo diet (although all the caveman talk for "why" it works annoys me), but saving time and money aren't on the list.

I eat paleo for two meals a day....breakfast and lunch. Not because I believe in it, but because it's easy to eat low cal that way, and that leaves my evenings free to eat whatever basically.

because we all know our paleolithic brethren loved some peanut butter...

I think I just fell in love :blushing: