# Paleo diet



## Raymii (Nov 3, 2013)

Wifey is a bit overweight, and just regular exercise doesn't cut it anymore. As an addition to our daily hour of working out she now wants to try the paleo diet. Are there people here who have experience with this? It seems to me that cutting a whole category of food out of your daily intake is not a good idea...


----------



## HalfEatenPie (Nov 3, 2013)

If I recall it's basically the Atkins Diet with a new name.  

Can't say for certain if it works because I"ve never done it.


----------



## notFound (Nov 3, 2013)

Unfortunately, as much as it'd be easy this way, there are no fixed guidelines on what works, it really depends on many factors and some diets work for some people and others don't work. With my brother coming from a medical background, he always recommends not to try any of these 'extreme' diets because they can do more long term damage than good. One big factor, is to always look at the quality of the food, the lower quality the food you eat the more likely you are to put on weight, unfortunately there is a higher price tag involved.


----------



## DearLeaderJohn (Nov 3, 2013)

The best way to lose weight is to simply reduce portions. The body is great at adapting to portion sizes so eventually she'll be able to eat much smaller portions and feel full which means lower calorie intake as well as fats, sugars etc.


----------



## texteditor (Nov 3, 2013)

HalfEatenPie said:


> If I recall it's basically the Atkins Diet with a new name.
> 
> Can't say for certain if it works because I"ve never done it.


Nah, way too many sugary fruits/veggies and still too high of carb recommendations to be Atkins


----------



## HalfEatenPie (Nov 3, 2013)

texteditor said:


> Nah, way too many sugary fruits/veggies and still too high of carb recommendations to be Atkins


Hm well then I stand corrected.  I never really looked into the Atkins diet to be honest and I heard a friend of mine say it's basically the same thing with a different name.  I just went off of that.


----------



## Shados (Nov 3, 2013)

Raymii said:


> Wifey is a bit overweight, and just regular exercise doesn't cut it anymore. As an addition to our daily hour of working out she now wants to try the paleo diet. Are there people here who have experience with this? It seems to me that cutting a whole category of food out of your daily intake is not a good idea...


Not a great idea to cut out any category of food unless you have specific medical issues with certain kinds of food. Realistically, just exercising an hour a day should be more than sufficient if she's eating a fairly balanced diet. Does kind of depend on what you're already eating and what kind of exercise you're doing; building muscle is great and does help increase metabolic rate, but realistically you primarily want lots of cardio if losing weight is your goal. Also, seriously, speak to a nutritionist, because the internet ain't much of a medical clinic .


----------



## MannDude (Nov 3, 2013)

I always thought the key to weight loss was simply to burn more calories than you consume.

For good, low calorie meals check out http://www.reddit.com/r/1200isplenty/ . This sub-reddit is devoted to those who intake 1,200 calories a day or less. Which to some sounds too little, but looking over some of the food and recipes it doesn't seem that these people are starving themselves.

I could afford to lose about 30lbs~ or so. I've always been tall/skinny, and used to eat like a monster too. But the past few years I've been more idle and metabolism isn't what it used to be... My 32X32 jeans are collecting dust as I had to move up to 34X32 

Too cheap to buy new pants. I need to lose a bit of weight to fit into old ones


----------



## drmike (Nov 3, 2013)

People gain weight because they 1. eat poorly 2. lack proper nutrients  3. are usually fairly stationary 4. eat meals consisting of animal feed.

Let's think about this logically.  Livestock grazes on open fields of green.  Come right before the trip to slaughter, they pull them from the fields, which removes the exercise component and the fresh/whole nutrition.   Instead they start feeding them corn and dried grains.  Why?  To fatten them up for maximum profit.

So,  if you want to lose weight, cut:  1. all grass/grains - especially wheat, rye and oats (your body can't digest these).  2. Breads, crackers, battered, sweets, cakes, cookies, pies, etc.  3. SUGAR, especially white useless sugar.  Replace with Stevia (no glycemic blip from the stuff, unlike honey, molasses and other alt sugars)

You should also stick to a strict eating meal time.  Advising a large breakfast with carb emphasis and lower on proteins.   Then throughout the day, light healthy snacks, no chips, dips, pretzels, candy, etc.  Instead try fresh crispy foods... Apples, pears, carrots, etc.  If you must have crunch, look at nuts.  Dinner should be protein high and carb low.   Eat at least 3 hours prior to sleep.   Again, evening should be none of the bad snacks.

Other big space no one seems to look at today is beverages.   If you consume soda pop in large doses, it's ugly outcome for you in future, especially if you consume the "diet" versions --- which tend to ferment in your stomach and are highly toxic.   Replace those with green tea, other teas you might like, spring/mineral water, lemonade (fresh squeezed), good coffee.  Fresh brewed from bulk or tea bags.  Local honey or stevia for sweetener.

Folks don't talk about it, but the reason why people are so hungry so often is because your food, even the good organic yuppie varieties are usually devoid of key nutrients.  Most of what you consume is water and ash content.  Your body wants building materials, so it signals that you are hungry again.  Since food isn't going to fulfill your needs, you MUST supplement with bio-available vitamins and nutrients.  There are tons of options out there, more than ever.

Finally, introduce exercise, regular exercise.  Like running to the corner store for supplies or biking to do errands.  Yard work is another good option.  Swimming at the local pool is something everyone can do.


----------



## MannDude (Nov 3, 2013)

drmike said:


> Like running to the corn store for supplies or biking to do errands.  Yardwork is another good option.  Swimming at the local pool is something everyone can do.


Guess who is just a few short minutes of walking a mile to the store, and a mile back? This guy.

My fridge is looking quite empty. Need to get some groceries


----------



## drmike (Nov 3, 2013)

MannDude said:


> Guess who is just a few short minutes of walking a mile to the store, and a mile back? This guy.
> 
> My fridge is looking quite empty. Need to get some groceries


Grocery runs are great.  Even better when you have a local farmers market or forward thinking local retailers.  Saves a bundle over time on gas and vehicle costs not to mention your health.


----------



## MartinD (Nov 3, 2013)

Losing weight = eat less, exercise more.


There is no secret formula, no quick path, no special diet and no miracle pill.


----------



## texteditor (Nov 3, 2013)

Well there is clenbuterol, but it could cook you from the inside out


----------



## nunim (Nov 3, 2013)

MannDude said:


> ... I could afford to lose about 30lbs~ or so. I've always been tall/skinny, and used to eat like a monster too. But the past few years I've been more idle and metabolism isn't what it used to be... My 32X32 jeans are collecting dust as I had to move up to 34X32  ...


The part about 32 becoming 34 hit home for me, as like most of in this industry, I could stand to lose a bit of weight.   The wife and I have been trying to eat a little bit healthier like trying eating salad at least 3 nights a week, not going out to eat as often, etc..  The part I'm having a bit of a problem with is caffeine intake, my wife likes to drink those diet energy drinks, which I know are absolutely terrible for you, coffee would be a good idea but it's not so great for you with a lot of cream and sugar :unsure: Tea?  I can drink it straight but the wife needs cream and sugar.. Should we move to Meth in the mornings?  I can't think of a reasonably healthy way to wake up.


----------



## drmike (Nov 3, 2013)

> Should we move to Meth in the mornings? I can't think of a reasonably healthy way to wake up.


Nope.  Need to make sure you are getting enough sleep and quality sleep.

Early morning should be purging waste and starting to rehydrate.   Juices are a good beverage for morning.  You get some nutrition, some natural sugar and carbs and ideally a bit of fiber.

If you insist on energy drinks, get stevia based ones or straight cane sugar.  No fake sugar.  Energy drinks can be alright, but should make sure you getting a beverage that is actually beneficial and not toxic.   Caffeine like most other things here is a stimulant.  Best taken along with nutrients otherwise depleting things in the body and draining your adrenals.


----------



## fisle (Nov 4, 2013)

nunim said:


> The part about 32 becoming 34 hit home for me, as like most of in this industry, I could stand to lose a bit of weight.   The wife and I have been trying to eat a little bit healthier like trying eating salad at least 3 nights a week, not going out to eat as often, etc..  The part I'm having a bit of a problem with is caffeine intake, my wife likes to drink those diet energy drinks, which I know are absolutely terrible for you, coffee would be a good idea but it's not so great for you with a lot of cream and sugar :unsure: Tea?  I can drink it straight but the wife needs cream and sugar.. Should we move to Meth in the mornings?  I can't think of a reasonably healthy way to wake up.



If your body is already addicted to caffeine (which it probably is ), you could try caffeine pills.

I'd recommend trying to gradually lower your caffeine intake, then stopping for a while. No good in taking caffeine every day. Just on special days when you need it.

Except caffeine is a good fat burner, especially combined with cardio.


----------



## nunim (Nov 4, 2013)

fisle said:


> If your body is already addicted to caffeine (which it probably is ), you could try caffeine pills.
> 
> I'd recommend trying to gradually lower your caffeine intake, then stopping for a while. No good in taking caffeine every day. Just on special days when you need it...


I drink a decent amount of caffeine throughout the day but when I really need it is the mornings, I'm not what one would call an early riser...  It's hard to do tech support at 8am, without caffeine I'd be telling people to "rm -rf /" just so I didn't have to deal with them.


----------



## pcan (Nov 5, 2013)

As notFound said, diet is higly subjective. I don't believe on a generic diet that completely changes the food choice one is
used to. The diet is not something that need to be followed for a while to fix the weight problem, then back to "normal". The key to weight control is a sustainable food routine, something practical that can be followed easily and always. Everyone is different, the perfect balance should be found experimentally.
Things that worked for me:
- calories mostly at breakfast and lunch. Dinner is light.
- total ban on carbonated drinks. I only drink water.
- small portions
- vegetables and fruits every day
- meat 2 times at week max. This is not related to weight, but I found that limiting meat improves my health.


----------



## drmike (Nov 12, 2013)

Paleo is gluten-free and dairy free right?

Gluten is a plague and why folks in industrialized nations are lugging around the tire set on center.  Tons of info on why cutting gluten is a  good idea.

The dairy part isn't a great idea.   But, for average person it makes sense.  Dairy should be whole nutrition.  Not pasteurized.   If you can't get such, then start looking at undenatured whey for supplementation.   Similarly, both buttermilk and ghee are other alternatives from whole whey parts of milk used by local cultures for many centuries.


----------



## graeme (Nov 20, 2013)

My experience has been that the closer I move my diet to paleo, the more weight I lose.

It is really just common sense - eat what you have evolved to eat.

I think a strict paleo diet is over the top: there are perfectly good foods that are not paleo (milk, and milk products, for example - provided you have inherited the genes to digest milk properly as an adult).

Calories counting is not a good idea. It is hard to sustain, and you tend to offset it by reducing movement etc. I suggest reading "good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes if you want the details. If you eat healthy food, you will tend to eat fewer calories naturally - it is more filling, takes longer to digest.

The best rule is not to eat heavily processed food. Buy meat, vegetables and fruit - not ready made meals, factory made bread, etc. Definitely no sugary drinks.

Finally. Saturated fat is NOT bad for you.

http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6340

Cut out the sugar, processed food, and carbs.


----------



## marlencrabapple (Nov 20, 2013)

I managed to lose maybe 20 lbs doing keto which is basically atkins, which is basically paleo minus the sugar, and I was eating a ton of food. I think there's really something to the whole no carbs/ketosis thing.


----------



## MannDude (Nov 21, 2013)

marlencrabapple said:


> I managed to lose maybe 20 lbs doing keto which is basically atkins, which is basically paleo minus the sugar, and I was eating a ton of food. I think there's really something to the whole no carbs/ketosis thing.


Was just reading up on that today. I think I could afford to drop 20-30 lbs. I used to be under my healthy weight for my age and heigth, but now I'm a bit over it. Would like to diet + getting a workout bench.

Keto seems nice because I can still eat food that I find palatable and pleasing, for the most part.

How long did it take you to lose the 20lbs with keto? Did you also mix in additional things like exercise and activity where you may not have done it before?

I've got a rack of pants that I can't wear because they're size 32. I'm too cheap to buy new pants when I've got perfectly good ones hung up. I think losing 20lbs would let me go back to 32.


----------



## marlencrabapple (Nov 22, 2013)

MannDude said:


> Was just reading up on that today. I think I could afford to drop 20-30 lbs. I used to be under my healthy weight for my age and heigth, but now I'm a bit over it. Would like to diet + getting a workout bench.
> 
> Keto seems nice because I can still eat food that I find palatable and pleasing, for the most part.
> 
> ...


In terms of exercise the only thing I did more of was walking, and this was probably over the course of a few months (February through May).

I gained a lot of it back after I got a job though. After I managed to lose weight for the first time in my life I convinced myself I could also take a full time job and go to school full time and ended up having no time for my health ;_;


----------



## raindog308 (Nov 22, 2013)

Losing weight is all about calories in vs. burn out.

No doubt, it's _easier_ to lose weight (eat less than you burn) if your diet isn't fast food.  But you could lose weight eating nothing but fast food if you didn't eat much of it (or burned a ton).  Of course, there's more to overall health than just the calorie count - you should eat well-balanced meals.

If you're geeky, try a BodyMedia sensor or similar - you can track exactly how many calories you + what food you consume on their web site.


----------



## shovenose (Nov 22, 2013)

Meh I would never bother with a diet. Especially because I've been underweight my entire life.


----------



## scv (Nov 22, 2013)

shovenose said:


> Meh I would never bother with a diet. Especially because I've been underweight my entire life.


Welcome back shovenose!


----------



## raindog308 (Nov 22, 2013)

shovenose said:


> Meh I would never bother with a diet. Especially because I've been underweight my entire life.


Well that's insightful.

Personally, I don't bother with ovarian cancer prevention.  Especially because I've been male my entire life.


----------



## Aldryic C'boas (Nov 22, 2013)

Personally, I don't bother paying any heed to rage quitters.  Especially because they'll just be back within the week anyway.


----------

