Paleo and Looking to Make Paleo/Primal Friends!

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PaleoMichelle
PaleoMichelle Posts: 29
in Introduce Yourself
Hello MFP!

It's good to be here! I'm only a few days old on MFP; so far it seems like a great tool. It has certainly opened my eyes to some of my eating behaviors. You can't change what you don't know...

I have been paleo on and off for several months, and have muddled my way through close to a 20 lbs weight loss. I now have my husband onboard the paleo train (he is naturally thin and fit as can be), and it certainly has made it easier to remain committed with him joining in. I have been recommitted, full-force paleo for just over 3 weeks. Now, I am looking to curb my carb intake, as that really tends to affect my weight.

Paleo has already worked wonders for me: pain in the lower right quadrant of my gut is quickly easing, my rosacea is calming, I have much more energy for a variety of activities. Plus, it is something that I feel I can maintain forever, since I never really feel deprived and certainly never hungry.

I would love some new paleo/primal friends on MFP. It's always nice to get encouragement from people who don't think that your diet is crazy.

Cheers!
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Replies

  • cavegrl140
    cavegrl140 Posts: 19
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    I'm so glad to have met a fellow paleo girl.

    I came aboard the train at the end of September, 2011, after initially watching a documentary on Netflix out of boredom. It was called "Fat Head" and I was very intrigued. I have lived the low fat high fibre diet for at least 20 years since I was 16 and a chubby teenager. I have rolled up and down the scale, (my highest was 196 and I am 5'8"). While I could always mange to drop 20-30 pounds by "dieting" and some exercise, I was never able to fully come down in my weight. There were years where I killed myself with exercise 7 days a week and still I couldn't get rid of those last 20-25 pounds. Talk about frustrating.

    I remember deciding after watching the documentary and looking up other information sources that I was going to do this. Talk about a hard concept to wrap your head around after having it pounded into you by other dieters that you MUST watch your fat intake and you MUST consume lots of grain. The first morning I got out of bed and ate breakfast, I felt so deliciously NAUGHTY while I consumed my three slices of bacon, two whole fried eggs, (I hadn't eaten the yolks in years), and a cup of berries with coconut milk on them. My head kept screaming "OMG! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" and my body was sighing in absolute RELIEF! How conflicting!

    Long story short, I dropped 23 pounds after about 2 months and I will not ever go back to consuming that much grain or refined sugar again. Carbs, I have learned, are NOT my friend. I don't care how much fibre is in there and beneficial. I can get fibre from my leafy greens. I had a little experiment recently to see if I could tolerate sugars and grains and I gained back 6 pounds. I almost died when I got on the scale. Plus, I had been feeling a little sluggish. 3 days back to avoiding the stuff and I've kicked 3 of those pounds. This made sense to me after reading some information on blood types and diets. Apparently, as a type O, I am not very carb tolerant at all.... Well there you go! So here I stand today at 143 carrying those 3 extra pounds of the 6 I initially gained back. I expect that by next week, I'll be back to 140 which is a perfectly healthy weight for me at my height and build. Sure, I'd love to drop another 5-10 but if the scale never budges below 140, I'll be totally ok with that - just so long as it doesn't start creeping up again :)

    Please let me know if you have any questions at all. I'm more than happy to talk about this any time!
  • blinkinglight
    blinkinglight Posts: 92
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    I have been paleo since January (2012). My husband eats paleo as well. It's so helpful to have a supportive spouse!

    I have gone from 190 to 160 in that time. I was a size 12, now a size 6. I also do CrossFit.

    I really limit my carbs. I try to keep it under 50g/day and under 30g of sugar. I typically eat a sweet potato or fruit after a workout and veggies throughout the day, that's how I get my carbs.
  • PaleoMichelle
    PaleoMichelle Posts: 29
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    I'm glad to have met you too! Thank you so much for sharing your story.

    I saw "Fat Head" some time ago too. Although I was already on the paleo wagon, at that point I was starting to doubt my fat consumption. It helped reassure me when his medical results were so impressive, despite eating pretty garbagy (yet low carb) food.

    I too am an O blood type. Primal living really is the way to go for us.

    I'm happy that you've had such wonderful success. Your sugar experiment is quite interesting too.
  • PaleoMichelle
    PaleoMichelle Posts: 29
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    Nice to meet you blinkinglight!

    It's great to hear of your successes. The clothing size change is pretty dramatic. Congratulations!
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    I just started eating primally about a month ago (and, thanks to a few circumstances, am still working on fully switching over), and have loved it so far. I even dropped 6lbs in two weeks when I first started and was being fairly strict with it (after 6+ months of the scale not moving at all, despite eating at a deficit and working out 5 days a week).

    Feel free to add me. I'd love to have more friends on the paleo/primal wagon. :)
  • SweetxCatastrophe
    SweetxCatastrophe Posts: 593 Member
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    Don't ya just hate naturally skinny husbands lol - - mine is the exact same. Lucky for me he has no idea we're "eating paleo" and doesn't seem to miss any of the carb heavy meals. He can still add carbs to his meals besides what I cook but he doesn't seem to want them. I'm still working on finding the right balance of fruit since I seem to lose a lot slower the more fruit I eat, but my clothes are fitting better
  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
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    I am looking for more paleo firend please add me if you like!
  • acerz
    acerz Posts: 18
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    I just started CrossFit and I'm really wanting to do Paleo. I find it rather difficult (and expensive). Do you have any recipes to ease into this lifestyle?
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
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    I'm a newbie to Paleo but like the principle of it.

    I have reduced my carbs loads, in particular pasta and rice and if we eat bread it's home baked rye. I also try to get at least 100g of protein a day.

    I like "Mark's Daily Apple" website and have just ordered the cook book. :drinker:
  • PaleoMichelle
    PaleoMichelle Posts: 29
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    Mark's Daily Apple is a staple in my life. The Friday Success Stories are always inspiring!
  • kaylarachellee
    kaylarachellee Posts: 201 Member
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    My parents do paleo... I try!
  • zellagrrl
    zellagrrl Posts: 439
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    Same-- feel free to add me. I started on this about a month ago when my ND suggested I give up grains (stupid Hashimoto's) and minimize carbs (PCOS). At any rate, I haven't lost any weight, but I'll take the inches that I've lost happily! I work out at least 3x week/weights, some cardio.
  • Michelle81285
    Michelle81285 Posts: 107
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    I did paleo a while back and loved it. I don't really know why I stopped but I am considering starting it again because while I was on it I felt so much better and I realized that diary and grains just don't agree with my body and the make me feel bloated!
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    I just started CrossFit and I'm really wanting to do Paleo. I find it rather difficult (and expensive). Do you have any recipes to ease into this lifestyle?

    It shouldn't be too terribly expensive to get started. The most expensive part is getting the organic stuff, which you can mitigate by seeking out farmer's markets and co-ops. Barring that, just do the best you can until you can spare more money (I highly recommend checking out Mark Sisson's "The Primal Blueprint" book; in it, he talks about the different grades of foods (pastured, organic, free range, etc) and which ones are "best", "better", "good", and "avoid".

    The easiest way to get started is by cutting out bread. Whenever you have meals that would use bread, simply don't eat it. Instead of buns for burgers, use a big leaf of lettuce (I've found iceburg, and other crispy lettuces hold up best). Instead of bread for a sandwich, layer a couple of pieces of meat with your other toppings, then roll the meat into a tube shape.

    You can also swap out peanut butter for almond butter. Making your own almond butter with raw almonds is cheap and easy (though can take some time) and makes a great veggie dip.
  • PaleoMichelle
    PaleoMichelle Posts: 29
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    These are all excellent suggestions, Dragonwolf!
  • Awake_Alive
    Awake_Alive Posts: 261 Member
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    Been easing in to Primal for a month...would love to have you as a friend!
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
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    I am thinking of starting Paleo this month. Gonna read the Primal blueprint on vaca. Love hearing all your success stories. Having a hard time losing weight, so I hope this helps.
  • allyjoy83
    allyjoy83 Posts: 176 Member
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    Hello all! I've recently started paleo-living, and it's been great for me thus far (better skin, weight loss, more energy). I'm dairy friendly, though (I love cheese). My biggest concern is that, with starting P90x last week, that I'm running too high of a calorie deficit, and I can't figure out where to get the calories. I'm trying really hard to keep my calorie count in a healthy range so as not to go into "starvation mode" (whether it's a myth or not). Any advice would be much appreciated!

    Also, if you want to add me as a friend, totally down to converse about paleo living.


    As for recipes, I've found some of these websites inspiring/interesting:

    http://nomnompaleo.com/

    http://www.foodrenegade.com/recipes/

    http://www.health-bent.com/paleo-diet-recipes
  • PaleoMichelle
    PaleoMichelle Posts: 29
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    Allyjoy83, since you are not dairy averse, adding a bit of butter to meals (e.g., topping eggs with a pat) could be a quick way to add some calories without messing with carbs or having to shift your meals at all.

    Same with coconut oil. You could add some to meals without really having to shift your diet otherwise.

    Having too high of a calorie deficit isn't a problem for me yet :)
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Allyjoy83, since you are not dairy averse, adding a bit of butter to meals (e.g., topping eggs with a pat) could be a quick way to add some calories without messing with carbs or having to shift your meals at all.

    Same with coconut oil. You could add some to meals without really having to shift your diet otherwise.

    Having too high of a calorie deficit isn't a problem for me yet :)

    Coconut oil is the mana of the gods. :)

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