Doc referred me to Paleo, any advice?
teenster3
Posts: 87 Member
Hello,
I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.
I also received a reply that I do not need Paleo to lose weight. Thoughts?
I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.
I also received a reply that I do not need Paleo to lose weight. Thoughts?
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Replies
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you dont' need paleo to lose weight (or Keto, or Atkins etc)
- put your stats into MFP and select a rate of loss about 1.5-2lbs a week (with 100lbs a week you can do that).
- be honest about your activity level - DO NOT include purposeful activity, but rather daily moving
- set up a routine to weigh yourself - many of us do daily because it helps to identify trends (figure out what works for you)3 -
Thank you. I noticed it is helpful to be using this site to log foods and motivation from others. My doctor also told me about this site, it does help.0
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You do not need to eat Paleo to lose weight, you just need to be in a calorie deficit.
If following a specific plan helps you adhere to the calorie deficit, go for it as long as you are satisfied with what you are eating and you are eating in a nutritionally balanced way. Your doctor probably would have served you better by referring you to a Registered Dietician instead of giving you a very general eating plan7 -
Hello,
I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.
One reply suggested I do not need Paleo to lose weight either, just logging on, exercising and healthy eating. Thoughts???
The bolded part. Yes, eat healthy for health, but weight loss comes down to calories. Decide what healthy eating means to you - most Dr's know little to nothing about nutrition, so I wouldn't be taking their advice as gospel. You don't need to exercise for weight loss either; again, great for health and helps create a bigger deficit, but not vital0 -
You don't need Paleo to lose weight. You need a calorie deficit.
There are thousands of hits on "Paleo Recipes" on Google.
There are a few Paleo groups here on MFP too. Go to Groups an enter Paleo in the search box.
You'd think if a doctor suggested a nutrition plan s/he would have printed info, was that not the case?6 -
Hello,
I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.
I also received a reply that I do not need Paleo to lose weight. Thoughts?
Did your doctor say why he/she was recommending Paleo?
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You didn't ask for people to tell you that you don't need paleo to lose weight, you asked for information on paleo.
Google The Ultimate Paleo; this will take you to a very informative website, from which you can print out a list of foods that do or do not fit on a paleo lifestyle.
If you are a reader, go read Wired to Eat, by Rob Wolf. If you have a science background, he explains beautifully just why he advocates a paleo lifestyle (my background is chemistry and engineering, so I really enjoyed it.) Even if you don't have a science background, slog through the first half of the book, with all the explanations, and get to his 30-Day Paleo Reset Diet. He's put together a specific plan, with menus and recipes, for people new to paleo.
I had already lost 140+ pounds but had plateau'd. My surgeon recommended the book to me. I've been eating paleo for 11 days, and I'm down 7 pounds, and feel better overall. I have another 100+ pounds to lose, and for me, paleo is a sustainable lifestyle.
Good luck!16 -
You don't need to eat "paleo," "high fat," "clean," "keto," "low carb," or anything else in particular to lose weight. All you need do is consume fewer calories than you burn on average.
GPs in the US tend to have little detailed knowledge of diets. They, too, seem to be easily swayed by headlines. Mine recently told me to stop eating processed food and exercise 30 minutes a day to lose weight. He snubbed my response that I didn't eat processed food and was counting calories. Sigh. I'm losing weight and he still is convinced I'm doing it wrong since I'm not doing exactly what he has decided will work. If you hang around awhile on the MFP forums you will see lots of people being thrown for a loop by weird suggestions from physicians of how to lose weight.8 -
Not paleo but a reasonable and not so restrictive version of it...
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/
A paleo diet or variations of it won't necessarily lead to weight loss, the author of the Primal Blueprint recommends calorie counting for weight loss, along with recommendations for macros of carbs, proteins and fats along with the primal blueprint.5 -
I am on a restricted version of the paleo diet. It is tough and expensive at first when you buy all the oil, spices, and other staples. Don't buy flour or waste time trying to make treats/desserts. it's unnecessary, time consuming, and most paleo treats are gross unless made by a professional.
Base your meals around protein and vegetables. Example: Salmon with roasted vegetables. Easy meal right there. Meal prep- take one day out of the week to prepate your meals. Invest in a pressure cooker or slow cooker. It will become your best friend in the kitchen. Beef, eggs, seafood, lamb, goat, duck, chicken, other poultry are good protein sources. Some saving tips: if you buy a whole chicken, save the bones after you roast it to make broth. Use that broth as a soup base, sauces, or gravy. Also save the fat from the chicken to cook other things like eggs. This can be done with any meat.
Buy vegetables and fruits in season for affordability (plus, it gets you to expand your taste if you try something different). Check out farmer markets for inspiration. Here, its the perfect season for leafy greens, cabbages, zucchini, cucumber, berries, and melons. frozen and bagged vegetables are also acceptable. Paleo people can get gung ho about organic food. I prefer local above anything since i get to support local farmers, and they're usually cheaper. Otherwise, I buy whatever is on sale. Basically what I can afford, even if its conventional. Anything is better than nothing.
A common misconception is that paleo = low carb. Sweet potatoes, potatoes (depending on who you talk to), taro, parsnips, winter squashes, mangoes, figs are all high in carbs and acceptable on the diet.
If you are looking for recipes, Stupid Easy Paleo and Nomnom Paleo are simple and tasty. I get a lot of ideas from Pinterest and Instagram. Even if you decide not to eat 100% paleo, it's always fun to check out different ways to make meals.2 -
Paleo itself won't help you lose weight, it's simple calories in/out. However -- I've found that choosing Paleo foods for those calories has helped to cut down on my cravings, and I'm not so hungry between meals. There are a ton of recipes on Pinterest, and Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo has great recipes and tips. Good luck!1
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Hello,
I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.
I also received a reply that I do not need Paleo to lose weight. Thoughts?
No you don't need Paleo to lose weight, but if it helps you stay under a calorie deficit then that's a plus. Personally though, I'd get a recommendation to a dietician.1 -
Paleo often involves avoiding refined and highly processed foods- good for health. Look up some of the books on paleo or primal and just jump in.
Good luck.
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You don't need paleo to lose, and personally I find some of the foods paleo would ban (legumes and dairy) to be helpful, whereas plenty of others find whole grains helpful (indeed, I get a farm box, and if I could not eat any of the fresh, local corn that is in season now so is in my box, that would make things more difficult for me).
That said, I don't know why your doctor recommended paleo. If it is because he or she wants to encourage you to eat more home cooked foods or more vegetables and protein, you can certainly do that without doing paleo. If it is for other reasons (suspected food sensitivities, I dunno), then maybe it is specifically helpful for you.
I do have some advice on how to do it, as I did it for a while and found it easy (it wasn't too much unlike how I normally eat). Main thing is don't think you need to follow someone else's plan or recipes -- start by looking at what you do now and thinking through what things you want to change.
Paleo is just not adding sugar, not using grains or legumes or dairy, so the vast majority of recipes are paleo anyway. A meal of salmon, potatoes, and broccoli is paleo; a meal of pork chops, apples and sauerkraut, and cauliflower is paleo; a steak with sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts is; a salad with chicken and olives and pine nuts and various other veg with a homemade vinaigrette is paleo; a stew with root veg and lamb and tomatoes is, etc.1 -
Hello,
I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.
I also received a reply that I do not need Paleo to lose weight. Thoughts?
Get a new doctor.7 -
There is reasoning behind this advice. Your doctor is not a dietitian so going through the all the details of nutrition and is time consuming and not their strongest skill, so many doctors just recommend an already formed program that may sound reasonable to them. Paleo basically just gives you structure, the limitations make some people reduce their calories, it's often nutrition focused so you are less likely to develop a deficiency, you will likely be eating enough protein for satiety and muscle retention...etc. Paleo is not the worst plan to follow, it's just a canned solution that lacks flexibility and the ability to adapt to your own preference. It's a good start for those who feel they would enjoy this kind of eating, but is not necessary for weight loss.
A DIY program allows better flexibility and customization to your own situation, and allows you to build your own habits that work for you instead of canned general ones. If you wish to follow your doctor's advice, you could use Paleo as a starting point to see how you feel on it and if there are some aspects of it that may feel like a good addition to your long term weight management plan, but knowing that you have the option to tweak and change anything that feels too restrictive or unsustainable to you is liberating.
Regardless of what you decide to do, make sure to put effort into logging your calories accurately. It's an invaluable skill for any dieting strategy regardless of the specifics. Calories, after all, is what governs how your weight behaves. Anything else is just details.7 -
Eat less than you have been eating. Buy a kitchen scale that for about 24 dollars at Walmart or Target to weigh and log your food. Get enough protein and fat. OK to go over.
Carbs do not matter --can be up or down.
Some of this might be helpful: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
Here are some recipes: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/category/nutrition/recipes/
My husband and I often buy rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and then make salad and a cooked vegetable side dish. -- We try to keep things easy.0 -
Hello,
I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.
I also received a reply that I do not need Paleo to lose weight. Thoughts?
Get a new doctor.
I 2nd this4 -
One reply suggested I do not need Paleo to lose weight either, just logging on, exercising and healthy eating. Thoughts???[/b]
All you need is a calorie deficit and the ability to sustain that deficit for an extended period of time to lose 100+lbs.
If Paleo eating helps you create and sustain that deficit long term then great, but if eating other foods you enjoy helps you more then do that.
Logging is a tool to help accountability, give accuracy and is very educational.
Exercise is needed for health but not for weight loss. It's relative importance for weight loss is dwarfed by how much you eat.
Healthy eating is a given but that can be in a multitude of different styles, patterns and diets. Think of an overall healthy diet rather than focusing on individual good or bad food items. Also remember for perspective that just losing that amount of excess weight will dramatically improve your health.
Don't be afraid to experiment, there's many different paths to get to your goal but sustainability and calorie deficit are universal. Many of us failed many times before we succeeded, look at experimentation and (temporary) failure as a learning experience rather than a trigger to give up.2 -
Yep. It's just a question of eating a little less than you need to to stay the same weight - if you do that consistently, you will lose weight. Slow and steady is the key - trying to lose too fast causes health problems, cravings, binging and relapses.
Some people find things like Palaeo and low carb helpful because they feel more satisfied eating less if the diet is high in protein and vegetables. That's all it is. It works for some, not for others. You need to experiment to find what approach works best for you. There are Palaeo groups on myfitnesspal if you want to try it out.2 -
It's not just about weight loss for the OP, she in on multiple medications and suffers pain. While we don't know what the medication is for or what causes her pain, it is possible that her medical doctor determined paleo may be a good option for her based on their knowledge of the OP's medical condition plus what they have researched for the those conditions other than medicine.
For some people their health is improved not just because of weight loss but due to the actual foods they are consuming or not consuming...
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tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »It's not just about weight loss for the OP, she in on multiple medications and suffers pain. While we don't know what the medication is for or what causes her pain, it is possible that her medical doctor determined paleo may be a good option for her based on their knowledge of the OP's medical condition plus what they have researched for the those conditions other than medicine.
For some people their health is improved not just because of weight loss but due to the actual foods they are consuming or not consuming...
Rather than guessing, that is why I asked this very question upthread:snickerscharlie wrote: »Did your doctor say why he/she was recommending Paleo?
I'm reserving any specific advice until I know more about her individual circumstances, but the posters advising her (since she did ask) that all that's needed for weight loss is to eat less than you burn are correct in doing so. 4 -
Op, like others said you don't need to do low carb/'paleo' in order weight-the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals is what matters. However, if the plan appeals to you then no harm in giving it a try-it may make it easier for you to stick to your calorie targets.1
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If you have alot of weight to lose, and you are having alot of trouble losing weight- it's likely that
you are insulin resistant, hyperglycemic, and have high triglycerides ( and prediabetic). That's a condition- in and of its self which- makes it hard to lose weight, and probably keeps you stuck in carb-craving/ fat storage cycle. Until you get that situation under control, you will struggle.
You can do that by starving yourself and exercising- or you can interrupt that cycle with diet, and really reduce your insulin response by eating food that doesn't cause an insulin spike (low glycemic index, high fiber foods), and encourage your body to rely upon fat and protein which ( in contrast to sugar, refined grains, and processed food)- have a slow, steady absorption into your system.
In broad concept, Paleo is a good way to do that. It's not the only way, but there is a TON of support available for Paleo dieters all over the internet, and the traditional Medical community currently sees it as a way to "treat diabetes" with diet instead of drugs.
When your body is more healthy and functioning metabolically, you can refine your approach- and find a diet that really works for your body's individual needs. If Paleo is a formula that works for you NOW- and helps you to build some positive momentum, confidence, and healthy metabolic function-- Try it. Do it. (and don't let anyone discourage you because it is currently "trendy").
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Ready2Getcut wrote: »If you have alot of weight to lose, and you are having alot of trouble losing weight- it's likely that
you are insulin resistant, hyperglycemic, and have high triglycerides ( and prediabetic). That's a condition- in and of its self which- makes it hard to lose weight, and probably keeps you stuck in carb-craving/ fat storage cycle. Until you get that situation under control, you will struggle.
You can do that by starving yourself and exercising- or you can interrupt that cycle with diet, and really reduce your insulin response by eating food that doesn't cause an insulin spike (low glycemic index, high fiber foods), and encourage your body to rely upon fat and protein which ( in contrast to sugar, refined grains, and processed food)- have a slow, steady absorption into your system.
In broad concept, Paleo is a good way to do that. It's not the only way, but there is a TON of support available for Paleo dieters all over the internet, and the traditional Medical community currently sees it as a way to "treat diabetes" with diet instead of drugs.
When your body is more healthy and functioning metabolically, you can refine your approach- and find a diet that really works for your body's individual needs. If Paleo is a formula that works for you NOW- and helps you to build some positive momentum, confidence, and healthy metabolic function-- Try it. Do it. (and don't let anyone discourage you because it is currently "trendy").
I agree.1 -
I would just make sure if you are planning on going down the paleo route that you consume enough protein in order to accomodate that lack of carb intake. I was finding that the weight was dropping off when I first started paleo and couldn't get to the gym, but as I started integrating exercise I felt weak and lacking energy, so had to up my protein consumption as a result. I found it worked really well for me personally, but not something that I could sustain long term. best of luck!"0
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Also -- there's a Primal/Paleo group on here, I'd suggest joining and reading through their message board. Lots of great posts with tips, recommendations, etc to help you get started!0
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