Over the past few weeks I have been converting my eating over to a “Paleo Diet” lifestyle - at least until I get to a desitred body weight and fat % level. I am certainly not strict, but am trying to at least keep my cheats to a minimum and of better quality. A Google search of Loren Cordain or Paleo eating will provide clues as to what this entails for those who are unfamiliar, but the basics are no sugar, grains, legumes, and dairy. I am pretty good with the first 3, though I am a little more forgiving of the dairy, as my body is very tolerant of it.
I would love to start a thread, if there is interest of any great Paleo recipes you have. They don’t have to be specifically designed for Paleo eating. It may just happen to be a lamb stew that is fantastic and happens to be compliant.
I know I could easily just go to any of the paleo boards out there, but there are some great cooks on this board, plus I’m curious if any of you have pursued this type of eating and your results.
Steve, sort of. It’s not a “go nuts with saturated fat” plan. Grass-fed meat is strongly preferred. A lot of the fat will come from things like avocado, coconut, and nuts (sparingly and sans cashews and obviously peanuts).
Chris, welcome aboard. We can certainly venture together.
As I further research rhyme and reasoning in this some of the items that come into question are wine (#1 issue and something I will NOT give up), and potatoes. It seems like in general potatoes are a reduce, especially white ones, however yams are more friendly, with sweet potatoes a little less so, and then maybe other colored ones like purple, etc, which we had tonight roasted with onions and finished with truffle oil. Threw a lamb rack on the Big Green Egg. Also, blanched and pan fried some kale in a litle balsamic and a bit of bacon. Tasty meal.
Chipotle on Paleo not quite as fun (no rice, beans, or tortilla), but there are some nice choices. Had the “salad” with chicken, fajita veg, pico, med verde salsa, guac, and a slight cheat with easy sour cream. Was quite tasty, and I’m now at the Mendoza level, so further motivated.
Chris, I’m not sure which makes it more taboo - the M&M’s themselves or the size of your hand.
Tonight was sushi with the kids. Discipline was tested. Had some grilled mackeral with salt and pepper. Did go over the line a little with some miso soup and a little soy sauce on the fish. Otherise some great sashimi saved the day.
I am Not an advocate of the Paleo Diet, nor am I opposed to its practice. I think the adoption of a local/slow foods diet is probably best for people and planet.
However, I have been enjoying reading about food history. The National Geographic five-year coverage of food issues has really been fun (so far) to read. Not long ago, the magazine did an article about the"real" Paleo Diet. I am sharing it, along with a rebuttal from a Paleo-centric blog. I hope it helps.
About 4 years ago I went strict Paleo including no alcohol with the exception of plant based alcohol such as wine and tequila. I lost 30+ pounds over 4 months and kept it off for a long time. My weight crept up over late 2014 and 2015 and I went back to Paleo on January 4th. I’m down 20 pounds so far. I think I would be down more but have cheated here and there. Also, I’m 46 years old now and the metabolism isn’t what it used to be. Overall I’m pleased.
Paleo isn’t a calorie restriction diet. It’s a type-of-food restriction diet. Some people end up restricting calories when they do it because they cut out high calorie foods like desserts, bread, pasta, rice etc. But cutting calories isn’t the aim.
I do a modified Paleo by accident, meaning I made food choices on my own that happen to coincide with Paleo to a large extent. I would never follow it as is, nor any other fad diet I have ever come across. That said, though the “science” behind it ludicrous, some aspects are good no matter what the reasoning is, like cutting out (or down on) sugar, heavily processed foods, empty carbohydrates.
As for it being incompatible with your cycling that both is and isn’t the case. The basic diet won’t work for you, but the author wrote another book called Paleo for Athletes in which he describes in detail how to modify the diet when training for endurance events like marathons and triathlons. While I still don’t buy into many aspects of the diet, I found Paleo for Athletes very interesting and useful in understanding how the body handles various forms of fuel during phases of training and competition.
I am not in the least bit advocating this diet, but I am practically obsessed with books on training, diets and nutrition, so I read whatever I can get my hands on, including the silly ones. This book had some good stuff in it though, without too much sorting of wheat from chaff necessary.
I don’t strictly follow Paleo per se (I mean, I am still drinking wine on the weekends!), and honestly don’t pay attention to the stuff about eating like our ancestors etc etc., but have sort of backed into a modified version of it and it’s really working for me.
I originally cut out certain categories of foods for health reasons - I have Hashimoto’s disease where my body essentially is attacking my thyroid - and many people with hashimoto’s have had success cutting out gluten, dairy, soy and sugar, so I started there. I completely eliminated those, and then when I started reading about Paleo, I also cut out processed foods, grains and legumes. My diet basically consists of organic protein, vegetables, fruit and nuts/nut milk, and I really am enjoying the food I eat and it’s very easy to make delicious meals . More importantly, for the first time in 3 years, my thyroid numbers are in the normal range, my worst symptoms have disappeared, and I have lost over 10 pounds in the 3 months I have followed this type of eating.
I was hoping to find others here who are following a similar eating/lifestyle for support and food inspirational ideas, and wasn’t really looking for a debate on the science . . .
Sure I know it’s not a calorie restriction focus, the comment was on the potentially similar unsustainability.
I’m not likely to read the book, but does it claim that a modified paleo diet can by optimal, or rather it is manageable for endurance athletes. From what I’ve read Ketosis isn’t generally compatible with high performance.
Funny I’m on a high sugar high empty carb diet and have been at my lowest weight and highest cardiovascular fitness consistently for 20 years. But that’s part of lifestyle change not just diet.
I honestly don’t remember what it claimed - I read it shortly after it came out maybe 10 years ago or so. Since I had no interest in the diet itself or any prosthelytizing, I did’t pay much attention to the religion of it. If I had to guess, he probably did claim his diet was optimal (most gurus do), but the modifications for performance athletes were significant, and included adding back in various carbs and even pure glucose when necessary at stages during training to satisfy the demands put on the body. So I don’t imagine maintaining a ketogenic state throughout was part of it.
You probably will find what you’re looking for; but if you bring up a controversial diet, you’ll more than likely encounter some controversy as well. Especially here!
Russell - I know a lot of people who have followed the Paleo lifestyle for many years and are in great physical shape. Many people who do Crossfit, for example, adhere to this eating style. I actually think it is quite possible to sustain it long term since it’s not at all about restricting calories or portion control, and once you eliminate certain foods, the cravings go away and it would be a conscious choice to go back to consuming them.
As for Paleo and ketosis, I know for sure I am not in ketosis - Paleo allows sweet potatoes and fruit, which I eat in abundance, so it’s not a no carb diet.
No doubt. Just figured it was worth being specific about my goal in bumping this old thread! Happy to engage in discussion . . . just would also love to hear what other people are eating.
I should have been more clear…grain based alcohol isn’t allowed so no beer, whiskey, vodka, gin, etc. Depending on which book you read, alcohol in general isn’t good for Paleo but some people think that Tequila and Wine are okay.
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