The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

[AuburnAlumni]

I studied the diet for a while and bought the book by Dr. Cordain. Fascinating stuff and backed by a lot of quality facts.

Anyway, I've been "hardcore" Paleo for close to 2 weeks now. No dairy. No grains. No legumes (beans/peanuts).

Just lean meat, seafood, fruits, and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and oils (olive oil, etc.)


I've already dropped from 228 to 220 in 2 weeks. Obviously, most of that weight was water weight but I can already tell I"m leaning up rapidly.

I haven't been jittery or lightheaded and my workouts have been great. Actually, my energy levels have been great and stable throughout the day. I'm never hungry because I'm eating high fiber, high protein foods.

Anyone else tried Paleo? I'm a huge fan after this 2 week period.

I've been a Personal Trainer/Nutritionist for 15 years and after looking at the diet closely and seeing its effects personally, I think I'm gonna go this direction for the long haul.

[NDAlum]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

Makes sense to me.

What is the macro breakdown or is there one?

*Eggs are in there too, right?

[elgreazy1]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

No grains as in no carbs whatsoever? Seems like yet another fad diet. I understand limiting carbs and all, but absolutely none works against the foundation of the human body's function. I lost 30+ pounds on a modified Atkins/low-carb diet and while it was great, it simply wasn't sustainable for over a year due to food costs, lack of variety in the diet, and time in preparation of meals.

But this "diet" does have some good things working for it that almost any sustainable lifestyle change diet incorporates: healthy fats, protein, limited carbs, high fiber, etc.

[AuburnAlumni]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

No grains as in no carbs whatsoever? Seems like yet another fad diet. I understand limiting carbs and all, but absolutely none works against the foundation of the human body's function.

There are plenty of carbohydrates in fruit and veggies. This is nowhere near a "zero carb" diet. I eat peaches, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, oranges, bananas, etc. There are also plenty of carbs in carrots, tomatoes, etc.

The modern "Western Diet" is so ridiculously skewed towards carbohydrates its scary.

Human Beings have been on this planet for 2.7 million years. Agriculture (i.e. farming) and the consumption of dairy products began roughly 10,000 years ago. In the evolutionary frame of mind..that is not near enough time for our bodies to adapt to these newer foods. Our ancestors for 98% of the time that we have existed lived on a diet dominated by lean meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables.

I lost 30+ pounds on a modified Atkins/low-carb diet and while it was great, it simply wasn't sustainable for over a year due to food costs, lack of variety in the diet, and time in preparation of meals.

The Atkins diet is a horrible creation. Sure, you lose weight but it is unhealthy weight loss in that it actually IS a "zero carb" diet. It also encourages eating tons of bacon, sausage, and other highly saturated fat meats. It also discourages eating fruits and vegetables which are the most nutritious foods on the planet.

What is the macro breakdown or is there one?

*Eggs are in there too, right?

Basically Jess, if it was around 1 million years ago...eat it.

The main focus is lean animal protein. Eggs are included. Carbohydrates make up roughly 22-30% of your intake, lean protein around 35-40%, and good fats the remainder.

It's an extremely healthy, well rounded way of eating and has been shown to relieve many modern day "food based diseases" such as acne, food allergies, etc. Most of these conditions are based on our body's inability to fully adapt to dairy, grains, and legumes, which all have ingredients within them which can aggravate our bodies (such as lactose intolerance) or strip minerals from the body (such as phytates, which exist in grains).

I'd suggest taking a look at it. Lots of great case studies, research, etc.

By no means is this a "fad diet". You aren't going zero anything. You are simply eating whole, natural foods that the Human Race has been genetically designed to eat for almost 3 million years.

[Hassan Darkside]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

I read a little about this a couple months ago when I was debating on not using soap/shampoo when I shower and the overall reviews seem to be favorable.

I might try this over the summer. Any tips on where to start?

[erich20012001]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

I read a little about this a couple months ago when I was debating on not using soap/shampoo when I shower and the overall reviews seem to be favorable.

I might try this over the summer. Any tips on where to start?

Just wondering, are you still going no soap/shampoo when you shower?

[Jonesy]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

I like the basic principles of the diet (less refined crap and sugar, more meat, fruit, veges etc) and i mainly eat like that but i don't follow the diet 100%.

I like my carbs too much (steel cut oats ftw!) and it's not that compatible with modern life in some regards imo but it def has it merits and I have no doubt its way healthier than the vast majority of diets out there.

Kinda funny how Lyle McDonald (a nutrition guru) calls them 'Paleotards' and likens it to a cult more than a diet but anything that encourages people to eat more natural whole natural foods and less refined sugar and transfat is fine by me.

Intermittent fasting's where its at for me......

[UNC_Pete]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

I believe Sean May used this diet while playing at UNC. I am not sure it was called the paleo diet but it was pretty much eat anything natural that a caveman would have. It is an interesting idea, I'd never be able to follow it, though.

If you remember, May did lean up quite a bit at UNC.

[Jonesy]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

AA I'm just curious where you get any calcium (for bones and teeth) in a diet like this?

[AuburnAlumni]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

AA I'm just curious where you get any calcium (for bones and teeth) in a diet like this?

Ah yes..here is the long winded answer direct from the source. There is actually quite a lot of calcium in veggies such as Spinach and Broccoli.

In the U.S. calcium intake is one of the highest in the world, yet paradoxically we also have one of the highest rates of bone demineralization (osteoporosis). Bone mineral content is dependent not just upon calcium intake but upon net calcium balance (calcium intake minus calcium excretion). Most nutritionists focus upon the calcium intake side of the calcium balance equation, however few realize that the calcium excretion side of the equation is just as important.

Bone health is substantially dependent on dietary acid/base balance. All foods upon digestion ultimately must report to the kidney as either acid or base. When the diet yields a net acid load (such as low-carb fad diets that restrict consumption of fruits and vegetables), the acid must be buffered by the alkaline stores of base in the body. Calcium salts in the bones represent the largest store of alkaline base in the body and are depleted and eliminated in the urine when the diet produces a net acid load. The highest acid-producing foods are hard cheeses, cereal grains, salted foods, meats, and legumes, whereas the only alkaline, base-producing foods are fruits and vegetables. Because the average American diet is overloaded with grains, cheeses, salted processed foods, and fatty meats at the expense of fruits and vegetables, it produces a net acid load and promotes bone demineralization. By replacing hard cheeses, cereal grains, and processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance which brings us also back into calcium balance. The goal is to avoid a net acid load on your kidneys.

[Jonesy]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

cool thanks for that. I knew some veges were pretty full of calcium but i wasn't sure if it would be enough.

I guess the fact we weight lift should be enough to ensure decent bone density anyway.

[EnigmaNemesis]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

I never looked into the "Paleo diet" ... but I fell more in line to common sense when I was dieting before. And it sounds similar and very Mediterranean which is some of the best food intakes in the world.

Lean Meats, Seafood (salmon, shrimp), fruits and veggies (apples, bananas, blueberries, broccoli), nuts, and oils (mainly olive oil when cooking). Salads (spinach leaves and romaine, tomatoes) with shrimp were great for lunches.

I dropped weight very fast (40lbs in just over 3 months) and leaned up and started to solidify muscle VERY fast with just 120 pushups a night and some random walking a few days a week.

I did have rice though, mainly high fiber brown or jasmine. It did not hurt, since it was only a 1/4 portions and most of the fill was the broccoli, etc.

Basically lean proteins, high fiber and plenty of the healthy "living" carbs from the fruits and vegetables. Not the processed sugar crap in most things.

Another benefit is I had WAY more energy, felt cleaner and healthier, and sleeping was amazing. No problem sleeping 6-7 hours max and being up like a bell.

Then the winter came, and I got lazy haha, and put on another 30lbs. But since dropped 25 of that in a little over a month. Back to the gym again, and back on the track of eating right again. (Women will screw that up for you sometimes when in a relationship).

[VTPack919]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

This sounds like a pretty interesting diet... Is there a book out there on this you would recommend?

[AuburnAlumni]

This sounds like a pretty interesting diet... Is there a book out there on this you would recommend?

The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain

[VTPack919]

Re: The Paleo Diet..I'm a convert.

The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain

I appreciate it!