Has Paleo had its day?

I was thinking the same.

I was also thinking, what is next.

I think the mania has ended but it has had it's effect and it will stay known - like Mediterranean diet is now. Many will still loosely follow out but the novelty has faded.

Ketomania will fade too. Give it another year or two. I will still be there but not such a popular thing.

tennisdude2004 wrote: »

The clean eating and whole foods threads seem to have disappeared too.

Maybe they finally got the message they were not welcome.

No. Just wait until January and they'll all be back. All are welcome though. Every thread is an opportunity.

As for Paleo, I thought it had had its day, but then again, I saw a raspberry ketones thread just last week

The word or term Paleo is owned by no one. It can mean absolutely anything. Paleo meat bars. Yuck, I need a bucket. Coconut oil. Fat, fat, fat is where it's at. Eat coconut oil 3Xday for the big WIN. Grassfed butter in your coffee and tea. Those with the biggest and smartest marketing campaigns have made out like bandits, laughing all the way to the bank.

Paleo is very confusing because it's mostly alot of malarkey. Many of those that have lost whopping boatloads of weight going paleo have eaten it all back. You just don't hear about the going in reverse rebound weight gain sad stories. They keep starting over, thinking that another round of paleo will fix it. It won't. Just give me another round and I promise not to slide back off the goose when all of the paleo is done.

I'm waiting for the next big thing, too. It's coming because dieting is big biz. Dieting books, meal replacement powders and drinks, slick marketing campaigns. Multi-millionaires. There's gold in those hills, diets.

I'll play devils advocate on this one.

First, I agree that "Paleo" can be looked at as a gimmick. Paleo bars, paleo this and that--some of it is completely marketing.

That being said, the basic tenets of Paleo (depending on who you follow--because there are different levels) are helpful in changing eating patterns.

For example, trying to stick to foods that aren't processed (make your own food), meat that is hormone free and as close to the initial production line (or avoiding production lines) as possible, lots of vegetables, avoid processed flours and sugars, unplugging from modern technology and exercise are all good things and are tenets of the majority of paleo plans.

Removing whole food groups is where it gets tricky as saying you can't have legumes, grains or dairy is where the diet turns into a potential fraud. I guess here is where there is probably a lot of dissent, as who wants to give up grains and dairy?

I was full Paleo for about a year, and lost 50 pounds. I liked it as I felt better. Have I introduced grains, legumes and dairy? Yes, but my body feels it when I go overboard. Do I really care if have hard cheeses sometimes or make a loaf of non-Paleo bread? No. I enjoy it when I do it.

The bottom line for me is that the framework of any diet is doing something that makes you feel better. What works for one person may not work for another. You can take tenets of one diet and mix it with another. For example, eating as close to Paleo as possible while following CICO is what works for me. Is it a fraud? Not in the least as my relationship with food has changed. Isn't that what most people need?

Labeling diets as good or bad isn't productive.

The problem is, for most of these diets the majority of people don't pick and choose what sounds reasonable. They go full cult. You can pick and choose good points in every single named diet, even the wackiest of them. What's wrong the blood type diet? It encourages whole foods and good exercise habits. What's wrong with raw vegan? It encourages more fruits and vegetables. A few people use these diets just to have some structure or because a certain way of eating jives well with their preferences and ability to regulate calories. They don't go full cult. That's a different case, and we don't have the diets to thank for it, but the sense and effort of the person using it.

amusedmonkey wrote: »

The problem is, for most of these diets the majority of people don't pick and choose what sounds reasonable. They go full cult.

Absolutely right about this.

Wish the paleo warriors that posted here actually come back to post about their actual experience to convey to others. I'm sure there are some that are still doing a form of it, but there were lots that used to be so argumentative about it and saying they'd never go back to eating processed foods, grains or dairy.

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tennisdude2004 wrote: »

NovusDies wrote: »

I don't think Paleo ever stood a chance. If "feeling good" requires too many rules, effort, or money without enough weight loss people will stop caring.

Keto is going to be hard to topple, IMO, because of the water weight loss and how so many people do not seem to know what that is. It is still so common to want quick results with minimal effort. The additional "magic" of keto will, no doubt, fade but not completely since ACV, cleanses, and detoxes are still around.

We are probably due for another round of a miracle diet drug with the resulting pop-up weight loss clinics though. Weight loss and class action lawsuits for everyone!

Why does it need to be toppled?

Because it's currently a faddy craze. It's best for many if it gets downgraded from magic back to preference and need status, just like any other diet. As it stands, it's rampant with misinformation and unrealistic expectations.

Paleo isn't hard to understand you just haven't looked into enough from the sounds of it. Eat meat and veggies ... kind of simple if you ask me. There are other things you can eat as well but that's all there really is to it.

Keto is the "in thing", I can't do it cause of IBS but if either program works for you or you find it easy to follow go for it.