Paleo... your take

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so i hired a trainer/competing bodybuilder to help me lose weight due to the side effects of my anxiety medication.


he gives me a basic paleo diet tweaked alittle with ezekiel bread for carb days.

whats your take on the diet? my goals are to loose weight and breakdown my body fat.
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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Can you see yourself eating this way for the rest of your life? Some people really like it, but if you can't see yourself giving up the foods required, it may be better to choose a weight loss strategy that you find sustainable.
  • StephanieOugh2014
    StephanieOugh2014 Posts: 35 Member
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    There's nothing wrong with Paleo as long as your eating a fair amount of veggies and carbs from sweet potatos etc. It's only bad if you just eat fat and meat all the time.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I think the concept ("diet of prehistoric humans") silly, but you shouldn't really care what I think.

    If you want to lose weight (and your body breaks down fat in that process, yes), you need a sustained calorie deficit, which means: eat less than you burn, and do it consistently for a long time. (This is not something I think or believe, it's fact.) Because it's something you have to adhere to for a long time, it has to be something you can adhere to for a long time. Can you eat like this for a long time? You are the only one who knows, and it may take you a while to find out. If it sounds dreadful even before you begin, chances are that you won't be able to stick to it. But if it appeals to you, go ahead.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,397 MFP Moderator
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    I found it overly and unnecessarily restrictive and overall, it caused me to spin my wheels for 9 months.


    I rather focus on getting more nutrient dense foods while concentrating on calories and protein as a primary goal, and then I incorporate the occasional treat.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    I found it overly and unnecessarily restrictive and overall, it caused me to spin my wheels for 9 months.


    I rather focus on getting more nutrient dense foods while concentrating on calories and protein as a primary goal, and then I incorporate the occasional treat.

    what does spin my wheels mean?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,397 MFP Moderator
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    raven56706 wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    I found it overly and unnecessarily restrictive and overall, it caused me to spin my wheels for 9 months.


    I rather focus on getting more nutrient dense foods while concentrating on calories and protein as a primary goal, and then I incorporate the occasional treat.

    what does spin my wheels mean?

    I tried to eat that lifestyle and I didn't address my goal of weight loss. It also cut out some foods I loved which made it harder to stick with the lifestyle.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    raven56706 wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    I found it overly and unnecessarily restrictive and overall, it caused me to spin my wheels for 9 months.


    I rather focus on getting more nutrient dense foods while concentrating on calories and protein as a primary goal, and then I incorporate the occasional treat.

    what does spin my wheels mean?

    It means you go nowhere. Waste time.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
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    ok because i have been on it for one week and its fine. Problem is im very limited.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,397 MFP Moderator
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    raven56706 wrote: »
    ok because i have been on it for one week and its fine. Problem is im very limited.

    It's one of many ways of eating (albeit, if you eat grains, you really aren't following the lifestyle overly too much). But if your goal is weight loss, you have to eat less calories than you expend. Otherwise, you won't lose weight. The dietary choice of eating style is just one way of getting there.
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,363 Member
    edited February 2016
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    raven56706 wrote: »
    ok because i have been on it for one week and its fine. Problem is im very limited.

    Do you mean limited in what you can consume?

    Have a look at marksdailyapple.com for a more moderate approach to paleo with regards to food and drink. Still no grains though.
  • HorrorGeekLiz
    HorrorGeekLiz Posts: 195 Member
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    I'm not 100% strict, but it is the diet I'm following. I'm allergic to milk, so I can't eat dairy anyway. I don't mind ditching the grains, but I will occasionally eat rice. I refuse to give up white potatoes (I hate sweet potatoes, and it's a whole, natural food. I refuse to accept it as a bad.) or peanut butter (though I do enjoy almond butter, since it is three times the price, I'm eating the peanut butter...but I do only eat natural peanut butter.)

    Admittedly, I "cheat", but I only add those extra items once in a while. The majority of the time, I'm completely on plan, and I don't find it overly restrictive. I have been using recipes to add variety to my meals, and I eat lots of fruits and vegetables. To me, it's a great way of eating. It focuses on natural foods, and it is something I can live with long term.

    What it comes down to though, is do YOU find it something you can live with long term? Are you ready for a drastic dietary change? It won't work unless it works for you.

    I personally don't think any one diet is superior to another. What works for some people does not work for all people.

    Weight loss is math - CICO. However, overall HEALTH comes with eating more real foods, less processed garbage. However you incorporate more real foods is up to you. Paleo is just one option.
  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
    edited February 2016
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    Nothing special about the Paleo diet. If you like to eat that way go for it. Problem I have is a ridiculous premise which has been debunked by science .



    Claims by proponents of the carbohydrate-averse food regimen supposedly based on what our paleolithic ancestors ate do not stand up to scientific scrutiny
    http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/18/paleo-diet-critics-science




    http://scepticalnutritionist.com.au/?p=873

    Critic no.2: the archaeological scientist

    Dr Christina Warriner from the University of Oklahoma takes aim at present day paleo diets saying they have ‘no basis in archaeological reality’. She should know as she is an archaeological scientist who studies the health and dietary histories of ancient peoples using bone chemistry and ancient DNA.

    Warriner dismisses the very idea that there was one diet that adequately describes the way ancient peoples ate. Firstly, primitive diets varied greatly according to latitude. There is no doubt that people living close to the Arctic ate a diet based on meat, fish and seafood – there was little plant food available. But plant foods were abundant in the tropics and undoubtedly formed a larger part of the diets of humans living in these areas.

    Primitive diets also varied greatly with the seasons. Plants produce seeds and fruits at different times of the year, and animals migrate and fish spawn on a seasonal cycle. This ensured that primitive diets varied from month to month. It also demanded that people move from area to area to make the most of available food resources.

    What about the idea that Palaeolithic peoples did not eat grains and legumes? It’s another myth, according to Warriner. She cites evidence that 30,000 years ago primitive humans were using stone tools similar to a mortar and pestle to grind seeds and grains. More tellingly, studies of fossilised human dental plaque have found remains of grains, legumes and tubers – all on the banned list of modern paleo diets.

    Warriner also makes the point that the foods recommended in modern paleo diets bear little resemblance to the foods our ancestors ate. In fact, virtually all of the recommended foods are products of modern agriculture. Modern day carrots, fat and sweet, are nothing like the small, fibrous, bitter wild carrots from which they were bred. Broccoli is ‘a human invention’. Bananas are the ultimate product of modern agriculture, totally dependent on humans for their reproduction. To Palaeolithic peoples meat typically meant lean meat from small game animals, together with the organs and bone marrow – quite different to the meats consumed in quantity by 21st Century cavemen.




    We are not biologically identical to our Paleolithic predecessors, nor do we have access to the foods they ate. And deducing dietary guidelines from modern foraging societies is difficult because they vary so much by geography, season and opportunity
    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-paleo-diet-half-baked-how-hunter-gatherer-really-eat/
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I like that it introduces people to more whole foods...I do not like that it then turns around and demonizes certain whole foods and unnecessarily eliminates other things for basically being inherently evil...like, there's nothing wrong with a good quality bread...so in that RE, I think it's stupid.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    It's a goofy theory and is very restrictive. All you need to do to lose weight is eat fewer calories than you burn over time. You don't need to worry about "carb days" or legumes or anything like that.
  • runner475
    runner475 Posts: 1,236 Member
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    I was on Paleo for almost one year. I missed on all my favorite foods besides I barely could focus on weight loss.

    However one thing I would acknowledge - it taught me the importance of nutritionally dense foods. Not Paleo but that period when I was following that lifestyle I realized in the end Calorie Deficit plus 80% nutritionally dense food - that's what matters for weight loss.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    Complete and utter nonsense is my take on the whole Paleo Diet.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    The diet is good. The premise is silly. The restrictions are unnecessary...
  • Kimberly_Harper
    Kimberly_Harper Posts: 406 Member
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    My doctor put me on Paleo to lose weight. I did. 60 pounds. I still eat that way, but only because it works for me and I enjoy it. It isn't for everyone, and it isn't the only way to lose weight. It worked for me along with MFP because even though Paleo discourages calorie-counting, not all of us are adept at self-control, and there are several calorie dense foods like almonds and avocados that if consumed too much can ruin your calorie intake. So, by taking out grains, dairy, etc. I was/am able to eat more lower calorie foods and stay full. (or, if I eat the higher calorie items, MFP tracking helps me to stay accountable and resist eating the whole bag of almonds)

    I agree with the people who say if you don't see yourself maintaining that kind of a lifestyle long-term, or you constantly crave the foods you avoid then it isn't the right way to approach weight loss. But if you like it, and it is working for you then it does feel great. There is a paleo group here is the link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/37-primal-paleo-support-group

  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I read up on it. Too many restrictions for me.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    My doctor put me on Paleo to lose weight. I did. 60 pounds. I still eat that way, but only because it works for me and I enjoy it. It isn't for everyone, and it isn't the only way to lose weight. It worked for me along with MFP because even though Paleo discourages calorie-counting, not all of us are adept at self-control, and there are several calorie dense foods like almonds and avocados that if consumed too much can ruin your calorie intake. So, by taking out grains, dairy, etc. I was/am able to eat more lower calorie foods and stay full. (or, if I eat the higher calorie items, MFP tracking helps me to stay accountable and resist eating the whole bag of almonds)

    I agree with the people who say if you don't see yourself maintaining that kind of a lifestyle long-term, or you constantly crave the foods you avoid then it isn't the right way to approach weight loss. But if you like it, and it is working for you then it does feel great. There is a paleo group here is the link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/37-primal-paleo-support-group

    I like this post very much.