Paleo Diet Again....

wonderwoman

wonderwoman

Cathlete
I know that there are some of you out there on the Paleo Diet and I want to try it. I am not doing it for weight loss just to be a healthier better version of myself and because of all the health benefits. I am afraid to start this way of eating because of lack of good nutrition. Not getting enough to eat and lacking in vitamins/minerals.
I have been reading a lot of articles on line about it and my fears are beginning to subside. However, I am not sure what the macronutrients should be. I know from reading that it's higher in fat than protein and carbs. I do not want to eat to much fat to much protein etc etc..
I am 39 years old 5'2 and weigh 122 pounds. I work out 5 days a week combination of weights and cardio. Cardio's are pretty intense and I lift heavy 10-12 reps.

Thanks for anyone who responds to my question.
 
If you are fat phobic, then paleo is probably not the diet for you. The basic principles are simple and do not require that you monitor macronutrients closely: eat from the list when you are hungry. What is on your personal list depends on what you are looking for. As far as I can tell, it consists of unprocessed vegetables, berries, liberal amounts of happy healthy animals, some nuts and seeds. Some people eat tubers such as sweet potatoes, potatoes because there have been tribes that have eaten and cooked tubers for a very long time. The paleo diet is more about what you don't eat: no legumes, grains, processed sugars, processed meats, dairy.

Why are you afraid you won't get enough calories? If you restrict fats, you can run that risk, but fat is where most of your calories should come from anyway. You can vary your protein intake as needed on an individual basis.

Why do you think you would be lacking in vitamins and minerals? What do you think you would be missing? Processed foods are typically stripped of their nutritional components and then 'fortified' to prevent scurvy and bone loss. They don't really have something that isn't found in fruits, vegetables, and happy healthy animals. I don't eat strictly paleo because I like the variety of legumes and I enjoy dairy, but it all depends on what you want out of your diet.

I don't eat paleo style anymore. I personally didn't find a benefit from eliminating dairy,oatmeal, and legumes. I still focus on healthy fats for my calories and lots of veggies for the bulk of my diet. I don't focus on protein because I have sensitive kidneys.

Have you read Mark's Daily Apple?
 
I guess I'm afraid because for my whole entire life I have always eaten carbs and dairy. I thought whole grains and diary were suppose to be good for you. Thanks for the website.
 
Well. if its working for you, then maybe you don't need to change it?

There are carbs on paleo, its not necessarily a low carb diet, a lot of people do eat the tubers. Until you try it for a week, you won't really know how your body will respond. As for dairy: a lot of people are subtly sensitive or allergic to it. Do you suffer from dark circles under your eyes? Do you have a runny nose that doesn't seem to come from a cold or hayfever? Those are signs that you might be allergic to dairy. Do you have unaccountable bloating or diarrhea? A lot of people are allergic so for that reason going paleo can help them. I like my yogurt personally and I don't seem to be having a problem, so again it just depends on you.

Btw, regards 'you have done it your whole life' if you want to go paleo you must give up those outdated ideas. (the irony I know, calling low fat high carb diets out dated but then going to an ancient way of eating.) You cannot do both paleo and low fat. They are mutually exclusive.

The whole carb thing has been out the window for about 10 years now (maybe longer.) but the paleo concepts/diet hasn't been around as long as low carb has.

If you decide to do a low carb version of paleo (which doesn't have to be low carb but I can gaurantee you its hard to do low fat.) you may get the 'low carb flu' to begin with, but if you are lucky to convert to fat burning, then you might lose some weight. But, if you aren't trying to lose weight, maybe low carb isn't necessary for you (unless you are having bad cholesterol numbers, especially high tryglycerides.)

Incidentally, I believe that Cathe has ventured into Paleo. She mentioned it at one point.

Remember: just because we think something for a long time, does not make it true nor does it make it false. The only real way to know for sure is to test it out for yourself.

Btw: whole grains is also an outmoded concept. Some people like grains and do ok with them, many people don't. I personally gain when I'm eating a lot of wheat. It depends on the person. But, I do ok with some black beans, which are not paleo (some people are afraid of the phytic acid.) I don't do so well with peanuts at all, I always gain (probably the omega 6 fatty acids, bear in mind that not all fats are created equal).

Are you trying to cut a few pounds or gain muscle? Or neither?
 
I have been paleo since August and have never felt better - I don't count calories or pay attention to macronutrient at all(a God-send for someone who is ocd like me!). In the beginning I didn't think I could give up grains and beans because they were a huge part of my diet at the time. I made the switch slowly though, first getting rid of grains then after a week or two I stopped eating legumes and for me (dairy isn't a huge part of my diet anyways), its been life changing. I never knew so much was affected by my diet - my "allergies" that I suffered from on a daily basis - 95% gone! The joint pain I blamed on my workouts - gone! I sleep like a rock and rarely suffer from that low blood-sugar feeling that I used to(when I do its because I screwed up and didn't have good snacks handy for those long days!). I know paleo isn't for everybody but for me its fabulous. I do have "cheats" from time to time - but those have actually been a blessing in disguise because they remind me how badly I feel when I eat off paleo and it just reinforces to me why I do eat this way!

I say give it a shot if it peaks your interest - if its not for you you can just go back to you're usual way of eating - no harm, no foul! If you do give it a try I'd give it more than a week though, usually that first week is when people experience the 'carb-flu' (withdrawal symptoms), and during that time you may not feel so great or have the best energy, but for a lot of people after about a week they start to feel great! Like someone else mentioned, if you haven't already, check out Mark's Daily Apple or Robb Wolf - there is a wealth of info on those 2 sites! Good luck and let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
 
Thanks Bonne.
Like I said before the main reason I want to try it is for health reasons. On somedays I walk around feeling bloated and I dont know what it is. Early in the morning is the only time of day when my belly is most flat. As the day progresses my belly is like a balloon. From what I've been reading it also seems that there are many benefits to eating Paleo. I also want to see more muscle definition and if I lose a few inches along the way even better!
I know that the transition phase last a few weeks I'm not looking forward to that but hopefully it will be worth it!
Bonne- Do you eat eggs for breakfast everyday? Can you eat larabars?
 
wonderwoman said:
Thanks Bonne.
Like I said before the main reason I want to try it is for health reasons. On somedays I walk around feeling bloated and I dont know what it is. Early in the morning is the only time of day when my belly is most flat. As the day progresses my belly is like a balloon. From what I've been reading it also seems that there are many benefits to eating Paleo. I also want to see more muscle definition and if I lose a few inches along the way even better!
I know that the transition phase last a few weeks I'm not looking forward to that but hopefully it will be worth it!
Bonne- Do you eat eggs for breakfast everyday? Can you eat larabars?
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You might try an elimination diet to see what the culprit is, I have discovered that I can have some milk in my diet but cheese and rice are problematic. Also, I am very sensitive to sugar alcohols. Those can cause bloating.
 
I went Paleo a year ago and love it. I wasn't looking for anything specific as far as results - I didn't ono there was a "problem." But my unexpected results - far less gas, less Pms, I quit loosing handfulls of hair when I dried it, less fatigue and afternoon sluggishness, no more reused trips to the bathroom three times a day... yup a lot. I don't think it has to be for everyone but many could benefit from Robb Wolf 's 30 day challenge or The Whole 30.

Jen
 
wonderwoman said:
Thanks Bonne.
Like I said before the main reason I want to try it is for health reasons. On somedays I walk around feeling bloated and I dont know what it is. Early in the morning is the only time of day when my belly is most flat. As the day progresses my belly is like a balloon. From what I've been reading it also seems that there are many benefits to eating Paleo. I also want to see more muscle definition and if I lose a few inches along the way even better!
I know that the transition phase last a few weeks I'm not looking forward to that but hopefully it will be worth it!
Bonne- Do you eat eggs for breakfast everyday? Can you eat larabars?
Click to expand...
I had the same problem with bloating until I gave up bread and cereal. Cereal was the real culprit. I looked like I did after my appendectomy - swollen.

I would like to try this diet but I don't think I can follow it 100%.
 
I think as long as we try our best its worth a shot. I too don't think I could give up the wine. I also don't know if I want to give the unsweetened almond milk I have with my protein shake. Instead of having it everyday maybe every other day. And protein powder? I don't think our ancestors had access to that. I drink Isolyze protein powder which has no carbs and no sugar so to me that comes close enough.
 
Most Pelo stuff I've read isn't into protein powder. I just basically eat unprocessed food. Except for wine and peanut butter ;)
 
wonderwoman said:
Thanks Bonne.
Like I said before the main reason I want to try it is for health reasons. On somedays I walk around feeling bloated and I dont know what it is. Early in the morning is the only time of day when my belly is most flat. As the day progresses my belly is like a balloon. From what I've been reading it also seems that there are many benefits to eating Paleo. I also want to see more muscle definition and if I lose a few inches along the way even better!
I know that the transition phase last a few weeks I'm not looking forward to that but hopefully it will be worth it!
Bonne- Do you eat eggs for breakfast everyday? Can you eat larabars?
Click to expand...

Bloating was one of the things I was trying to get rid of as well - Now pretty much the only time I feel bloated any more is when I stray from paleo (or as one of my paleo friend calls it - going rogue :)). It has helped immensely for me...you know before I made the switch I didn't think I felt bad...that is until I found out how feeling really good really feels.

I do eat eggs almost every day for breakfast - but if thats not really your cup of tea, you will find that what you think of as 'breakfast food' doesn't necessarily have to be what you have for breakfast...its really a strange thing to wrap your mind around sometimes. One friend of mine has soup for breakfast most mornings and another has sausage and roasted veggies.

There are a lot of great paleo recipe site out there too. One of the things that I did before I made the switch was to collect a bunch of different recipes and meal ideas so that I wouldn't get bored or feel deprived.
 
I don't mind eating eggs for breakfast everyday. It's my favorite. Today is my 3 rd day and so far so good. I don't feel hungry. However, I have noticed that when I wake up I feel really hungry.
 
Thanks for this thread. I gave up grains for lent. Although I only ate grains at breakfast and lunch before I have been wondering what to eat in place, especially at breakfast. My usual was a fruit, protein and a grain of some sort. I have looked into paleo but not sure it is for me. This thread has been very helpful, I plan to check out the website stated.
I always have greek yogurt with protein powder pre-workout and love it. I hate the thought of giving it up but also suffer from tummy bloat as days goes on as well as under eye circles that were mentioned.
I also recall Cathe mentioning somewhere along the line about going paleo but not sure where I read that. I do know another cast member recently switched.

Thanks again ladies :D
 
I've recently gone paleo (well, except for some dairy -- I love it way too much, and it doesn't bother me), and like others said, I never really felt "bad", but I can't believe how great I feel now. It's quite remarkable. My belly flattened within a few days -- my DH's too.

Anyway, one of my favorite breakfasts when I'm craving something sweet is to mash a banana with an egg, toss in some frozen blueberries, a little vanilla, and some cinnamon, and scramble it in a pan with coconut oil like you would for regular scrambled eggs. It's so tasty, and almost has the texture of bread pudding. Yum!
 
wonderwoman said:
Sorry if its TMI but should I be using a fiber supplement? Or will this too pass?
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If you are eating enough veggies you probably won't need one. You can eat as much of those as you want. I don't know of anything on the paleo diet which would cause constipation either. Excess fiber can cause bloating.
 
I love Paleo! Although I will say I'm not as strict as some. I will eat a little natural peanut butter, small amounts of rice or potatoes and a little cheese. I think the most important thing is to try to totally avoid added sugars of all kinds, wheat and processed foods. Many also give up other grains, dairy and legumes. As far as I can tell, I'm not sensitive to those things in small amounts.

Breakfast is usually eggs (with onion, bell pepper or other veggies), sometimes bacon and almost always some fruit. For lunch I normally have a green salad, often with grilled chicken or tuna on it and dinner is usually meat and veggies. DH and I have found that much of the bread we used to eat was really just a handle. In eating like cavemen we've rediscovered forks! A hamburger tastes better without the bun. Taco meat is great served on a bed of lettuce. Once you get used to it, you don't even miss most of the bread.

We do try to buy grass-fed beef as much as possible, because it's much better for you than the typical grain-fed. I think we're going to buy a chest freezer and a quarter of a cow this spring from a local rancher. (Much cheaper that way!) I highly recommend avoiding artificial sweeteners too. Our bodies don't know what to make of all the chemicals, so I think I'd be better off eating real sugar. Mostly I just satisfy any sweet cravings with fruit. After a while, you don't miss the sweets.

I've lost 44.8 pounds so far, and haven't been hungry or grumpy! I highly recommend reading the Paleo Solution by Robb Wolfe, Wheat Bellies (I think the author's name is Davis) and Gary Taubes' book Good Calories Bad Calories. Also the cookbook Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie and Charles Mayfield.
 
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