What the Primal/Paleo lifestyle is about ... and not:
heniko
Posts: 796 Member
WHAT THE PALEO/PRIMAL LIFESTYLE IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT:
It is not about eating raw meat!!!!
It's eating whole, clean foods -- meats (grass- fed if possible), vegetables, fruits, fats.
It's not eating grains and sugary foods.
It's not eating heavily processed foods.
It's eating a little good quality dark chocolate for a treat.
It's not being scared to eat fat.
It's walking, lifting heavy things, being active.
It's not killing yourself with excessive cardio exercise.
It's about never feeling bloated or gassy (sorry if that's TMI, but it's been one of the biggest changes for me).
It's NOT being hungry!!!! (which I always was when doing low fat Weight Watchers)
Not making prefect the enemy of good or good enough
Making the right decisions 80% of the time and leaving 20% for error, "off days" or anything else that may come up!
It's about total health - sleep, managing stress, play... not just about food.
It's about lowering cholesterol and having better overall health.
It's about clearing up skin that is prone to breakouts.
It's figuring out what works for me and tweaking it.
It's about feeling better than I've felt in many years.
Please feel free to add your own!
It is not about eating raw meat!!!!
It's eating whole, clean foods -- meats (grass- fed if possible), vegetables, fruits, fats.
It's not eating grains and sugary foods.
It's not eating heavily processed foods.
It's eating a little good quality dark chocolate for a treat.
It's not being scared to eat fat.
It's walking, lifting heavy things, being active.
It's not killing yourself with excessive cardio exercise.
It's about never feeling bloated or gassy (sorry if that's TMI, but it's been one of the biggest changes for me).
It's NOT being hungry!!!! (which I always was when doing low fat Weight Watchers)
Not making prefect the enemy of good or good enough
Making the right decisions 80% of the time and leaving 20% for error, "off days" or anything else that may come up!
It's about total health - sleep, managing stress, play... not just about food.
It's about lowering cholesterol and having better overall health.
It's about clearing up skin that is prone to breakouts.
It's figuring out what works for me and tweaking it.
It's about feeling better than I've felt in many years.
Please feel free to add your own!
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Replies
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It's about healing yourself completely-- both body AND mind (no more mindless tracking and obsessive weigh ins)0
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Yes! Thanks for putting this up!0
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i don't know much about clean eating or all of the rules, so i got a clean eating cookbook yesterday, maybe that will help. i have been eating a lot cleaner than i used to, and if i can't eat totally clean, then i go for stuff with natural and/or organic ingrediants. (or at least i try to) even if i stay within my calories, and i eat something processed or pre-made, i won't lose anything. i eat a ton of fruits and veggies and fish, and i don't eat regular meat anymore (partially because now it makes me sick) i only eat venison that my dad gets while hunting (i know hunting can be a controversial, but it's organic and lean and pretty low in calories compared to other meat)
i've heard that eating clean does not involve counting calories, but i'm not that confident yet...i would like to use clean eating when i reach my ideal weight for maintanance. that's why i'm trying to start now and learn as much about it as possible, so by the time i get down another 90lbs i can stay healthy without logging or counting
thanks for this post 0 -
It is NOT about counting calories, carbs or anything else.
It IS about listening to your body and eating when you are hungry and NOT forcing yourself to eat when your not just because some chart says you have a certain number of calories to eat...............0 -
While I agree with everyone Grokette said (hey girl) if you are a newbie ... tracking your food to see what you are eating, seeing which foods make you feel full and overall 'good' is key. If you are not that confident then counting calories I think is fine, until you get to know your body. I mean it does take time to overcome and sorry for this word but detox the body from all the crap we have been eating before. But as Grokette said, just cos some chart said you need to eat 1500cal ... and you don't need to eat all of those calories ... and you can go over on days you feel hungrier (sp) ... I mean you need to work out what works for you!
I personally when I began changing my lifestyle I was still tracking calories .. not really counting them ... just logging all I ate after I ate so I would be accountable for any crap I put into my mouth. But after a few weeks, I got to know what my body needed ... I would advise reading Mark Sisson's site .. it's free and has alot of information, recipes, ideas and support!!! have a great blessed day!0 -
It IS about learning what foods are healthy for your body, and which foods harm it.
It is NOT about everyone doing the same thing, cookie-cutter style, since our bodies are all different and so we need to eat/sleep/play/work out different too.
It IS about learning how to be healthy by doing your own research instead of trusting the government to tell you what's best.
It is NOT about recreating how a caveman ate.
It IS about using paleolithic-era anthropology to figure out where to start with out with our diet modifications, but it's only a starting point.
It is NOT about pretending we are still cavemen. But we do admit we aren't *that* far evolved away yet, either.
It IS about using science (of all kinds, not just government sponsored) to learn about our health.
It is NOT about dogma, anger, or religious-like fervor (but some of the people who eat this way are.... it's just not the lifestyle that does it to them).0 -
love your add-ins Lady Daraine! all very very true!0
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BUMPin' this one 0
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It's about healing yourself completely-- both body AND mind (no more mindless tracking and obsessive weigh ins)
Agree 100%.0 -
bump0
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bump0
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I'm new to Primal. I just started a little over a week ago. I lost about 10lbs by calorie restriction (about 7 of those were from calorie restriction. Upping my calories let me eat more and I still lost more weight.) My carbs were already about 140-150 and I had to make sure I got my fruits and veggies so the grains and starches are the ones that were mostly cut out.
I spent so much time enforcing the "carbs are your body's primary source of energy. We need carbs" thing - especially on MFP. But I still had questions. "What if we take away those carbs? The body will want to burn protein from muscles. But what if we are getting enough protein?...???? That's where it stopped - It didn't make sense that the body will start burning fat...until I started researching low carb and came across Marks Daily Apple. I started reading and it was like the flood gates opened in my head and all my questions and confusion cleared up. He answered my questions.
I started it off with a 26 hour fast and dropped back down to my lowest weight at 120.4 (all my fluctuations makes it stay above my true weight). I had a little light-headedness but not the shakes I got 2 hours after a high carb breakfast. NO SHAKES AT ALL! By the end of the first week I had broke 120. I am now 119.2!! MY FLUCTUATIONS ARE COMPLETELY GONE.
My tummy is the smallest it has been. Having IBS I had to deal with all kinds of bloating, gas, cramping, constipation, etc. I also have a hiatal hernia. I don't feel that anymore. That spot is soft now and not bubbly or gurgly or painful like it used to be. And this is after only 11 days (and this past weekend I had to eat something that were starches and carbs - I had no choice at the time).
I'm still having trouble getting enough calories but am still new and still have to get to the grocery store. But I am loving it!!!0 -
Welcome Hpsnickers1 to the Primal family! Glad to have you! I've been applying the principles to my family about 1,5-2m it gets easier and does wonders for your life all around!
Lost 10lbs in one week? WOW amazing!0 -
... is not about eating raw meat! But I already said that LOL! I just saw this disturbing reports on TV about a man claiming he is eating Paleo and eating raw meat!
but it is ...
Eating Primal is all about getting back to basics and eating some of the foods that your ancestors ate.
Eating foods in their natural state as often as possible.
Eliminating foods that make you feel bad and sick
Saying NO to cheap genetically manipulated faux foods!
Demanding and seeking out quality food
Eating Primal is about getting in the kitchen and preparing your meals from scratch whether you are Julia Child or just throwing a meat on the grill with some veg!
Primal fitness to me is all about ditching the chronic cardio for regular low impact aerboics, lifting heavy things then sometimes sprinting or other HIIT activity.
Living a Primal lifestyle is also about reducing your total toxic load by taking into consideration the total toxicity of all the products in your home that you use for cleaning, personal care, decorating and enhancing your home, plus taking into consideration outside air and water pollution.
Living a Primal lifestyle is all about getting back to basics. Getting outside and playing, hanging with your loved ones, and your pets, trying to live as simply as possible, slowing down from the frenetic pace of modern life.0 -
... is not about eating raw meat! But I already said that LOL! I just saw this disturbing reports on TV about a man claiming he is eating Paleo and eating raw meat!
but it is ...
Eating Primal is all about getting back to basics and eating some of the foods that your ancestors ate.
Eating foods in their natural state as often as possible.
Eliminating foods that make you feel bad and sick
Saying NO to cheap genetically manipulated faux foods!
Demanding and seeking out quality food
Eating Primal is about getting in the kitchen and preparing your meals from scratch whether you are Julia Child or just throwing a meat on the grill with some veg!
Primal fitness to me is all about ditching the chronic cardio for regular low impact aerboics, lifting heavy things then sometimes sprinting or other HIIT activity.
Living a Primal lifestyle is also about reducing your total toxic load by taking into consideration the total toxicity of all the products in your home that you use for cleaning, personal care, decorating and enhancing your home, plus taking into consideration outside air and water pollution.
Living a Primal lifestyle is all about getting back to basics. Getting outside and playing, hanging with your loved ones, and your pets, trying to live as simply as possible, slowing down from the frenetic pace of modern life.0 -
What it is, what it isn't... in my opinion you should always be tracking caloric intake and weighing in weekly.
Don't make it a religion, it's just a nutrition lifestyle.0 -
Not trying to be rude, but isn't weighing in weekly making it a religion? If you lost, you can tell by how your clothes fit also.
Tracking calories and others are optional in Paleo/Primal but not required since eating meat, fruit and veg even if you eat ALOT you won't going over your calories often. I have yet to met a person who can eat 3000cal of meat, veg and fruit a day ... in a sedentary lifestyle.0 -
Not trying to be rude, but isn't weighing in weekly making it a religion?
If using a spreadsheet is a religious endeavor, you might want to speak to a few hundred thousand Accountants about their career choice
Tracking calories and others are optional in Paleo/Primal but not required since eating meat, fruit and veg even if you eat ALOT you won't going over your calories often. I have yet to met a person who can eat 3000cal of meat, veg and fruit a day ... in a sedentary lifestyle.
You'll get optimal results tracking. Will you get results without tracking? Entirely possible, perfectly plausible, and yes it happens all the time. Will you get optimal results through tracking? Absolutely.0 -
Enjoyed this post very much 0
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And what if she did want to "make it her religion?" I don't care to follow the Primal Blueprint, but I support her if she chooses to do so. If she wants to cut grains from her diet, good for her. If she chooses to never again step on a scale, that is her choice. Thank goodness we live in a society where we are all free to CHOOSE!0
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Thank you for this. I've been considering this lifestyle0
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Thanks Nan, sbwood888 and Steph!
Steph - please join us on our Paleo/Primal group or our No Grain No Prain group
sbwood888 - Thank you very much for your comment! Not measuring and weighing really liberating! And since I'm eating more protein getting fuller on less calories...
But BTW to squared I do track my calories cos i want to be sure I'm on track. Another person posted about not weighing or counting ... but in fact if you eat clean and eat your proteins you get fuller hence eat less calories so essentially it's not a must to count calories
And the religion part - you call it religion another may call it dedication to not staying fat and unhealthy0 -
Bump :flowerforyou:0
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It's not about reality or science.0
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what is it about then? Cos I would science nor reality says we should lose weight and be healthy by microwaving meal packets or downing shakes0
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bump! 0
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But BTW to squared I do track my calories cos i want to be sure I'm on track. Another person posted about not weighing or counting ... but in fact if you eat clean and eat your proteins you get fuller hence eat less calories so essentially it's not a must to count calories
I'm glad you track, because I'm of the opinion that you should. Eating anything to capacity makes you full, and most people don't understand their body's own self-reporting mechanisms around hunger and fullness, which is why it's so important to track caloric intake. Because even professionals might think they have the numbers right, but they can be off, miscalculate, etc.And the religion part - you call it religion another may call it dedication to not staying fat and unhealthy
Please don't misunderstand, I wasn't calling it a religion. I was just saying don't turn it into one. Dedication to health is spectacular and I would never try to sway anyone from that. I've simply been seeing a number of these "defending my choice" threads lately from a number of people, and they do sometimes get very dogmatic about it. I wasn't specifically referring to you whatsoever, and I apologize for making you feel like I was.0 -
It's not about reality or science.
Glad to see the local Jester is still with us. 0 -
It is the only way I have found to be healthy, from the inside out, in my whole entire life. And I have been "dieting" since I was 12-13 yrs old. For the 1st time in my life, I am not dieting, but look and feel better than I ever have.0
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It's not about reality or science.
Help me out here ... let's set aside the 'catchy' name (paleo/primal) and tell me why you feel eating meat/poultry/fish, vegetables and fruit is not about reality or science?
It is a fact that there is absolutely *no* amino acid available in these food sources that can only be obtained in grains, beans or dairy products. The converse is not true. Therefore, why eat low quality food sources?0
This discussion has been closed.
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