Paleo anyone?

flippy1234
flippy1234 Posts: 686 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,
Is anyone doing the Paleo diet right now? If so, how is it going? Comments, complaints?
«1

Replies

  • MDAPebbles67
    MDAPebbles67 Posts: 181 Member
    There is a wonderful Primal/Paleo support group here on MFP. I have been eating Paleo for 5 years. I love it.
  • flippy1234
    flippy1234 Posts: 686 Member
    Are you worried about any long term health effects? I have heard that it has not been studied enough.
  • hmthomas317
    hmthomas317 Posts: 42 Member
    Paleo is a big commitment but it pays off and you will feel incredible. The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolff is a great book to get if you are really interested in how and why Paleo works. He explains the science behind it and there is also a thirty day challenge included with recipes to get you started.
  • Kimberly_Harper
    Kimberly_Harper Posts: 409 Member
    flippy1234 wrote: »
    Are you worried about any long term health effects? I have heard that it has not been studied enough.

    For me, I'm not worried, mainly because at the end of the day when I finish logging, I notice that I have gotten most of my "RDA" of vitamins and everything just from veggies, fruit, meat, etc.. (I do take a multi-supplement just to take care of anything I missed) So, I get 8-ish hours of sleep per night, try to exercise more, eat a balanced diet where I hit most of my nutrition goals and feel great.

  • TiffanyR71
    TiffanyR71 Posts: 217 Member
    It *may* make you feel wonderful- it may not... It's not for everyone (including me) - try it and see if it works well for you!
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    It's a fad diet with zero scientific support and a ridiculous premise.

    If you want to follow it, have fun with that. Just don't go thinking it's any more magical thank the Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Cayenne Pepper diet or the myriad other fad diets that came before it.

    Or, you could just follow CICO and eat whatever you like. Your choice.
  • leodru
    leodru Posts: 321 Member
    I've followed paleo at points and can't say it changed my life. It did get me back into eating things that are good for me (more vegetables) and did get me to reverse bad habits like eating low fat products. Nothing wrong with a eating nutritious foods. It's healthy than what the majority of the public eats at this point.
  • samharmony
    samharmony Posts: 15 Member
    I've only been doing Paleo for a few months, and am looking at it more of a lifestyle change than diet. I've enjoyed looking up new recipes, and finding fun new things to eat. I've found a few good staples that everyone in my house likes (Chicken fried rice, using cauliflower as rice).
    It's not for everyone but give it a month and see if you like it. I started Paleo as a Lent challenge with a group of ladies from church, at the end of Lent this year most of us decided to stick with it.
  • Kimberly_Harper
    Kimberly_Harper Posts: 409 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    It's a fad diet with zero scientific support and a ridiculous premise.

    If you want to follow it, have fun with that. Just don't go thinking it's any more magical thank the Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Cayenne Pepper diet or the myriad other fad diets that came before it.

    Or, you could just follow CICO and eat whatever you like. Your choice.

    LOL I knew it would be less than an hour before someone chimed in with this. segacs is right, though - it isn't magic. It is worth trying, however. I tried it as a "what the heck" thing and I'm really glad I did. It isn't for everyone, but I love it mainly because I am now more conscious about my nutrition and lifestyle as a whole, and because it has gotten me back into the kitchen, experimenting with foods and spices and home-cooked meals. It was more of a guide for me on how to get healthy again when I was in a very unhealthy part of my life.
  • MDAPebbles67
    MDAPebbles67 Posts: 181 Member
    flippy1234 wrote: »
    Are you worried about any long term health effects? I have heard that it has not been studied enough.

    I am not sure what long term health effects could occur by simply avoiding things like wheat, sugar, processed food and seed oils.

    I eat all of the macronutrients Protein, Fats and Carbohydrates. I eat 1600-2000 calories a day. I have lost a good amount of weight.

    Like others said, try it and see if you feel better in any way. :)
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    I know someone doing paleo. She's skinny as all heck, but as bright as a star. She does not deviate and I'm jealous of her for her success, but it's something that I couldn't even begin to stick with.
  • MDAPebbles67
    MDAPebbles67 Posts: 181 Member
    TiffanyR71 wrote: »
    It *may* make you feel wonderful- it may not... It's not for everyone (including me) - try it and see if it works well for you!

    I was referring to the Primal/Paleo support group as wonderful...as in very supportive. Whether the op tries Paleo or not, that is the place to get better information instead of the main forum.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    It's a fad diet with zero scientific support and a ridiculous premise.

    If you want to follow it, have fun with that. Just don't go thinking it's any more magical thank the Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Cayenne Pepper diet or the myriad other fad diets that came before it.

    Or, you could just follow CICO and eat whatever you like. Your choice.

    You think a diet that admittedly has some pretty wild claims, but still promotes eating whole natural foods and not starving yourself to diets like the grapefruit or ceyenne pepper diet?
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    It's a fad diet with zero scientific support and a ridiculous premise.

    If you want to follow it, have fun with that. Just don't go thinking it's any more magical thank the Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Cayenne Pepper diet or the myriad other fad diets that came before it.

    Or, you could just follow CICO and eat whatever you like. Your choice.

    You think a diet that admittedly has some pretty wild claims, but still promotes eating whole natural foods and not starving yourself to diets like the grapefruit or ceyenne pepper diet?

    LOL! I forgot about the grapefruit diet! It was the rage of the (well, I won't say the decade because it will date us).
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    You think a diet that admittedly has some pretty wild claims, but still promotes eating whole natural foods and not starving yourself to diets like the grapefruit or ceyenne pepper diet?

    Fad diet is fad diet is fad diet.

    "Natural" is a buzzword that is really only popular among people who don't understand science very well. Chemicals are natural. All food is made up of chemicals. All food is processed, even if the process is simply picking the fruit off the tree or collecting the egg from the henhouse. And nothing in the paleo diet even remotely resembles how paleolithic people lived (which, really, why would you want to emulate their lifestyle? They usually died by age 30.)

    For maybe the first time in human history, we -- well, those of us lucky enough to live in wealthy developed nations -- have access to an abundance of food and an abundance of choice. Too bad we keep using superstition to make silly restrictive choices that are based not on evidence, but on hype.

    Having said that, if it floats your boat, hey, more power to you.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    You think a diet that admittedly has some pretty wild claims, but still promotes eating whole natural foods and not starving yourself to diets like the grapefruit or ceyenne pepper diet?

    Fad diet is fad diet is fad diet.

    "Natural" is a buzzword that is really only popular among people who don't understand science very well. Chemicals are natural. All food is made up of chemicals. All food is processed, even if the process is simply picking the fruit off the tree or collecting the egg from the henhouse. And nothing in the paleo diet even remotely resembles how paleolithic people lived (which, really, why would you want to emulate their lifestyle? They usually died by age 30.)

    For maybe the first time in human history, we -- well, those of us lucky enough to live in wealthy developed nations -- have access to an abundance of food and an abundance of choice. Too bad we keep using superstition to make silly restrictive choices that are based not on evidence, but on hype.

    Having said that, if it floats your boat, hey, more power to you.

    Love this!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    You think a diet that admittedly has some pretty wild claims, but still promotes eating whole natural foods and not starving yourself to diets like the grapefruit or ceyenne pepper diet?

    Fad diet is fad diet is fad diet.

    "Natural" is a buzzword that is really only popular among people who don't understand science very well. Chemicals are natural. All food is made up of chemicals. All food is processed, even if the process is simply picking the fruit off the tree or collecting the egg from the henhouse. And nothing in the paleo diet even remotely resembles how paleolithic people lived (which, really, why would you want to emulate their lifestyle? They usually died by age 30.)

    For maybe the first time in human history, we -- well, those of us lucky enough to live in wealthy developed nations -- have access to an abundance of food and an abundance of choice. Too bad we keep using superstition to make silly restrictive choices that are based not on evidence, but on hype.

    Having said that, if it floats your boat, hey, more power to you.

    Most of that sounds just as silly as some of the Paleo Diet claims. And no, fad diets are not all the same, even though they may share an adjective.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    edited April 2015
    OP, the one thing I've noticed on this site is that there are very few people that actually follow this very restrictive diet, though many say they do. If you check the food diaries of those who say they follow it, it's usually full of stuff not promoted by the diet (though most have closed diaries).

    I'm not trying to sway you one way or the other, just pointing out that based on this site, it doesn't seem an easy diet to adhere to. Best of luck to you, whatever you choose.
  • Spartanxi
    Spartanxi Posts: 46 Member
    Ketogenic dieter here!
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    It's a fad diet with zero scientific support and a ridiculous premise.

    If you want to follow it, have fun with that. Just don't go thinking it's any more magical thank the Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Cayenne Pepper diet or the myriad other fad diets that came before it.

    Or, you could just follow CICO and eat whatever you like. Your choice.

    You think a diet that admittedly has some pretty wild claims, but still promotes eating whole natural foods and not starving yourself to diets like the grapefruit or ceyenne pepper diet?

    Any diet that isn't based on actual science or histroy, and uses outlandish claims while being very restrictive is a fad diet in my opinion.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    Most of that sounds just as silly as some of the Paleo Diet claims. And no, fad diets are not all the same, even though they may share an adjective.

    The specifics are different, but the premise is the same. That premise being, you need to restrict your food choices and divide them among "good" or "permitted" foods, vs. "bad" or "prohibited" foods.

    If you want to, then fine. That's your choice, and your luxury to make that choice. Just, it wouldn't be any different than, say, eating vegan, or eating kosher or halal. Recognize that it's a moral or religious choice, not a health or science-based one. And then do as you please.

    But to promote the idea that it's necessary to radically alter one's diet or to completely restrict certain foods in order to lose weight or be healthy? That's just not a claim supported by any real evidence. Which makes it faith-based, not science-based.

    And yes, in that way, it's exactly like the grapefruit diet.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    segacs wrote: »
    It's a fad diet with zero scientific support and a ridiculous premise.

    If you want to follow it, have fun with that. Just don't go thinking it's any more magical thank the Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Cayenne Pepper diet or the myriad other fad diets that came before it.

    Or, you could just follow CICO and eat whatever you like. Your choice.

    You think a diet that admittedly has some pretty wild claims, but still promotes eating whole natural foods and not starving yourself to diets like the grapefruit or ceyenne pepper diet?

    Any diet that isn't based on actual science or histroy, and uses outlandish claims while being very restrictive is a fad diet in my opinion.

    Whether something is a fad has to do with popularity, not science.
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    Been 4 years on paleo (90%) paleo- love it, helps my IBS. I don't miss grains or bread or pasta and I would only consider them around that time of the month (oats or a bread roll to halp my carb cravings). I've never been a big eater of pasta or rice or potatoes so my meals haven't changed much. I stopped being veggie after 12 years to go paleo but instead of a quorn steak I have a chicken breat now. Tonights dinner is pork loin steak with ratatouille-style veg ( aubergine, courgette, onions, mushrooms, peppers- in a home made tomato and herb sauce) If I'd had any in the house I'd of added a side of broccoli.
    For me it's about replacing garins with veg- e.g. bologniaise sauce over kale or broccoli instead of pasta. It's much more flavourful for me. I don't always call it paleo- it's just the way i eat.
  • mls100771
    mls100771 Posts: 125 Member
    Look, any diet that you follow that gets you away from eating the tremendous amounts of refined foods, the pounds of sugar, and the gallons of saturated fats we consume, then how bad can it be?
  • ProfessorPupil
    ProfessorPupil Posts: 76 Member
    I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on Paleo. My own personal experience was that I lost 96 lbs eating Paleo, then gained it all back because it was far too restrictive for me to live like that long term. I've never been less healthy in my life. I was better off before I lost the weight.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    mls100771 wrote: »
    Look, any diet that you follow that gets you away from eating the tremendous amounts of refined foods, the pounds of sugar, and the gallons of saturated fats we consume, then how bad can it be?

    Is the Paleo diet about reducing the amount of saturated fat in the diet? I've never done it, but I thought one the premises of the diet was that saturated fat wasn't harmful?
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
    I tried it, I love meat, and fresh veggies, but I found that without carbs I lacked energy for football, basketball, and strenuous lifts. I'm not against Paleo, but I do have a problem with the cultish devotion some people have to it. Many people treat it like a religion. Ironically, it's usually the crossfit cultists that fall into that mindset. If it works for you, do it, just be aware that some folks out there take it to the extreme.

    Rigger
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    mls100771 wrote: »
    Look, any diet that you follow that gets you away from eating the tremendous amounts of refined foods, the pounds of sugar, and the gallons of saturated fats we consume, then how bad can it be?

    Is the Paleo diet about reducing the amount of saturated fat in the diet? I've never done it, but I thought one the premises of the diet was that saturated fat wasn't harmful?

    That is my understanding as well. I did a little reading on the diet, though not a whole lot since I knew it wasn't for me as soon as I read legumes were frowned upon, and from what I saw saturated fat is promoted rather discouraged
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    segacs wrote: »
    It's a fad diet with zero scientific support and a ridiculous premise.

    If you want to follow it, have fun with that. Just don't go thinking it's any more magical thank the Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Cayenne Pepper diet or the myriad other fad diets that came before it.

    Or, you could just follow CICO and eat whatever you like. Your choice.

    You think a diet that admittedly has some pretty wild claims, but still promotes eating whole natural foods and not starving yourself to diets like the grapefruit or ceyenne pepper diet?

    Any diet that isn't based on actual science or histroy, and uses outlandish claims while being very restrictive is a fad diet in my opinion.

    Whether something is a fad has to do with popularity, not science.

    In your opinion. That's fine.

    Not sure what "time frame" constitutes a fad in your opinion, but I would think that Paleo would still fit that bill.

    Also,
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_faddism
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    It's a fad diet with zero scientific support and a ridiculous premise.

    If you want to follow it, have fun with that. Just don't go thinking it's any more magical thank the Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Cayenne Pepper diet or the myriad other fad diets that came before it.

    Or, you could just follow CICO and eat whatever you like. Your choice.

    LOL I knew it would be less than an hour before someone chimed in with this. segacs is right, though - it isn't magic. It is worth trying, however. I tried it as a "what the heck" thing and I'm really glad I did. It isn't for everyone, but I love it mainly because I am now more conscious about my nutrition and lifestyle as a whole, and because it has gotten me back into the kitchen, experimenting with foods and spices and home-cooked meals. It was more of a guide for me on how to get healthy again when I was in a very unhealthy part of my life.

    This is how I think of it.

    I'm not doing it now, mainly because I can't see any reason (for me) to give up grains and beans, and I'd miss dairy a lot, but depending on the person it can be a useful way to get yourself to focus on cooking (if only because it's hard to do without it) and the nature of the constraints are that at least at first most people probably end up with a calorie deficit even if they don't have logging down yet. And following a new way of eating can be motivating to some people, just as it can be a pointless drag to others.

    I don't like the claims that grains and beans and dairy are bad for us, because I just don't think the evidence is there, but if someone wants to experiment with it and see if they feel better I see no harm.

    It is my impression that when people have been doing it for a while they usually find a way to overeat within the restrictions (or just start following it less rigorously).
This discussion has been closed.