How does the Paleo diet work?

all diets work exactly the same, caloric restriction

Yea yea, caloric restriction, it causes fat loss. So why not just eat 1200 calories per day of M&M's if it makes no difference how you're eating?

I just started Paleo Monday!

Let me go back and tell you a little before I go on about Paleo. In February my start weight was 212 pounds. By July I dropped to 158 by eating clean mostly low carb with whole grains included in my diet and working out. Since Aug I have hit a plateau and my weight has been fluctuating from 158-165. I am a 5ft 5 in female and my goal weight is 135.

The first 5 days of Paleo I lost 7 pounds. The first 3 days were hard cutting dairy because I was use to having protien shakes w/ milk, greek yogurt, string cheese, and cottage cheese. I am really excited about the way my body is responding to Paleo and look foward to next weeks progress on the scale. I would really like to see the 140's which I have not seen in 15 years!

Good luck to you and let us know what you do to get over your plateau!!!!!

Melissa

all diets work exactly the same, caloric restriction

I beg to differ. I am eating the same amount or a bit more now and losing weight.

I used to believe as you did. I ended up going down below 800 cals a day to make the scale move. It was my Dr who suggested low carb. As a soon to be biochemist (one more semester lol) I was fascinated why this seemed to go against all I believed.. but here it was working. I did a lot of research and learnt some interesting things, things I should have known from keeping animals.

There are some interesting studies showing obese people who are getting far less than the calories typically should get. These are not people who have access to fast food either, these are the very poor in africa. The reason they became of interest is that they had emaceated children and yet were fat themselves. (both malnourished) How on earth could these active people be obese on (I think) about 1200 cals a day?

Feeding people better often causes weight loss even with the same number of calories. I would never have done so much research if it wasn't working for me.

Speaking of myself I not only tried extreme calorie restriction last summer I took up running. I ran regularly and kept to under 1500 cal a day. I ran 5-8k 3-4 times a week. I even ran in a 5k race. I did this for months. I have lost more weight simply by cutting carbs (I am not advocating this for everyone, just if you are having an improper hormonal response, which according to my Dr can be genetic) in less than a month than I did in months or running and calorie restriction. Though once I drop a bit more I want to get back to running.

1500cals is NOT a big deficit.

No I am not saying I am eating surplus. Though one should be able to eat a little more or less and not gain weight. If it was all stricty calories in vs out if you averaged only ONE extra bite of food a day (at say 20 cals) than you needed you would gain 10 pounds in a decade.

I can tell you from animal husbandry there is a range at which you can feed where an animal will keep optinum weight. Too much or to little from that range and yes you get weight changes.

I am saying I am eating slightly more now (at about 1300 cal) than I was when I wasn't trying to diet. Just by changing WHAT I am eating I am loosing weight. Yes 1300 cal a day IS a deficit. But that should have been deficit before and it was doing squat. Just like poor people with not enough food who are obese, there can be more at play than simply eat less.

And when I went down to 600 cals a day I didn't just boom end up there. I first tried WW.. nothing. Then I cut down to about 1000... did that for a bit.. nothing. Then went 800 nothing.. 600.. and the scale started to move. I went to two different doctors to try to find out why I was quite obese when I typically ate about 1200 a day. That was when the one mentioned trying to go low carb.

If you were eating less than 1000 calories a day and running then yes you were in a BIG deficit.

Once again: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

All diets work the same - calorie deficit. Your body can fight back if is too big yes. Low carb does not have some metabolic advantage

Sigh I have no idea where you get that number. And I didn't think my post was that confusing but I was running on 1500 cal a day.

MFP give my basal rate as 1,829cals a day so 1500 was not a huge deficit and should have been ok for running. MFP has me eating 1300 and some cals a day. This is even MORE of a deficit.

Taub, I have read some of his stuff, mostly as places to find primary articles (as a biochemist its interesting) I don't agree with everything he says but yes I believe some of his stuff. Looking at the primary research its hard not to agree with his conclusions. Hormones are most interesting. I am NOT saying that this is everyone's issue. I am NOT saying everyone should go low carb (though I do think people should not eat empty carbs) I am saying that just telling people to eat less isn't helpful. I know this is not popular on here.. but you have no idea how it felt to the fat person who did EVERYTHING 'right' kept food diaries ate 'healthy' and was still fat. I ran, I worked on farms.. and I was still fat. It made me feel like a freak and weird. Then learning how SOME people have hormonal responses to sugars it intrigued me and its working. You may not like it, but it is true.

Yes Cydnie that is what I was saying. I am not currently doing paleo, though when I go to a more sustainable maitnance diet I will do a modified paleo. I like my dairy and I do think we evolved just happily to digest starch (hence having amylase in our saliva! I do plan to add more game meats (much leaner than our domestic animals) and keep up with the green leafy veggies, slowly add in fruits and complex carbs and see where my tolerance point is.