The new Paleo/Primal thread - please reintroduce yourself, newcomers welcome!

[misscph1973]

Wow, we got to 1000 messages!

Welcome back from the previous thread and welcome to all new!

I have been Paleo since September last year, I started as an ex-vegetarian/vegan, I wanted to give up gluten and I had been doing 5:2/IF, which lead me to Paleo/primal. I am 40, I have 2 kids age 8 and 6. I have no major health issues, but I would like it to stay that way. I have bad skin, which has improved since starting Paleo and my dandruff has disappeared. I have gained some weight since starting Paleo, but I was not overweight before, although I would like to get back on my pre Paleo weight - I just love Paleo mayonnaise too much ;) I still practice IF and I lift weights 2-3 times per week. My family is also Paleo.

I have just come back from a camping weekend where I was not strict Paleo as I was camping with other families and I just didn't want to spend my entire weekend telling my kids "no, you cant have it". I do think that Paleo camping is entirely possible, think tinned fish, nuts, sausages, eggs etc.

[FavadiCacao]

That's great news! I'm so pleased that your symptoms are finally improving, it has been such a long road for you. Steak is far nicer than some ''lovely'' treats.

[foolishpeach]

Good news blackjack!

[foolishpeach]

Just thought I'd give this thread a little bump. How is everyone getting on?

All is ok with me, I'm finding it easier and easier to live without the trashy foods I "treated" myself to before.

I also think I'm still losing fat - I'm wearing a top today which was too tight around my abdomen a couple of weeks ago and fits well now.

One thing I've been wondering about is what people eat for quick dinners - when dh and I are both at work all day I really miss ready meals etc!

[Needsmorecake]

Just wanted to check in, ive just done 4 weeks of paleo and have dropped 13 lbs. It would have been more, but i went away for a weekend, and then it took me 3 days after the weekend to get back on track.
however, im really pleased, with myself, and the results, and how good i feel.
:)
and im excited to see what the next 4 weeks is going to bring.

[ElephantMug]

Hello! Can I join in? I have been Paleo-ish for about 3 years but had a bit of a wibble during pregnancy with DC3 but now he is nearly 1, I really need to get back on track.
I'm on Day 4 of a Whole-30 style reset to try to kick the bad habits (curse you, Snickers) and could do with buddies!

[Blackjackcrossed]

Welcome elephant I'm normally on paleo but I'm having a break this week as we're on holiday and it's too restricting , I'm sticking to gluten and sugar free.

There's a paleo restaurant around the corner, we might visit tomorrow!

See you all on Monday when I return to my paleo based elimination diet.

[Itsjustmeagain]

Hi I posted a while back (I think about january!) to say hi and under a different user name - well I have actually stuck to the diet despite not posting again!.

I have lost about 25 pounds and more importantly my blood pressure has come right down so i am starting to reduce the medication i was on.

I have really enjoyed the food especially the fact I have been eating massive plates of food plus treats (I have grown to love baking with things like ground almonds and coconut flour). I have eaten pretty much what I want, today I made brownies! but I am still losing weight at a nice steady rate. So I am ultra happy!

[DogsRus73]

Hi, can I join in please? I'm relatively new to paleo, been doing it 5 weeks or so and have lost 15lbs which is about halfway to what I need to lose to be the 'right' BMI. I'm rubbish at normal diets and have only lost weight properly once before which was when I was doing a lot of running. I kept it off for a couple of years but then got injured and couldn't run anymore which combined with a new job with ready access to cakes everyday and very little spare time meant I put most of the weight back on again.
So far I'm really enjoying paleo. Every week when I weigh myself I'm surprised I've lost weight as I don't feel like I'm dieting!
Surprisingly I'm not missing cakes and biscuits, but I am missing bread. Apart from a Nakd bar that hubby bought me yesterday I haven't really done any substituting for treats, but I do eat 2-3 pieces of fruit a day which I guess I should cut down a little.

[PrettyReckless]

I'm new to paleo too, sounds like you're having lots of success dogs

I'm only 5 days in and trying to see this as a life style change rather than a diet.

Can anyone tell me if what I'm eating is paleo /ok?

Typical meals:
B - 3 egg omelette with tomatoes or onions and a smoothly with strawberries, blueberries
L - chicken salad with olive oil dressing (lettuce radish cucumber toms etc)
D - chicken stirfry loads of veg / full English no sausage or beans, replaced with tinned and fresh toms and sweet potato gratin / cod with vegetable casserole and extra steamed veg.

I'm eating a lot of fruit as a snack, is this ok?
I've also cut tea / coffee out completely and have had any dairy other than odd bit of butter for cooking (mainly olive oil)
I'm eating shit loads of eggs!

Any ideas for lunches? Getting sick of salad but it's the only thing I can pre prepare as can't cook at work, only heat up.

[DogsRus73]

PR have you tried leftovers for lunch? I usually have a salad but it can get a bit samey so I also take anything leftover from the evening meal the night before e.g. Bolognese (without the pasta obviously), Meatzza (basically meatloaf with pizza topping, only good if you're allowing dairy), cold sausages/bacon. I have on occasion even been really lazy and not reheated the Bolognese - it was, if anything, nicer!

Not an expert but your diet sounds fine. If you don't lose weight then you might need to cut the fruit and sweet potatoes out but I've found 3 or 4 pieces of fruit a day and sweet potato once or twice a week hasn't stopped me losing weight. I've even had the odd 'real' potato which I know is a bit of a cheat and this week I've reintroduced a small amount of dairy as I was worried about calcium - still lost two pounds though.

[inthetide]

Hello paleo peeps. I've been toying with the idea of paleo for a while now, and have thee 'paleo approach' book. But life is so fast and furious I just can't focus long enough to meal plan beyond our staple recipes . I'm glad I've found a community of folk as when I mention paleo to folk round here they look at me like I'm off the 'normal' chart.

So, my question to you all is, what are your fail safes for breakfast and lunch? In terms of: convenience (preparation time, washing up creation), portability (lunch) and general easiness? Did I mention life is fast and furious? Sorry if it's been asked before.

[TooSpotty]

Hello. Can I join? I've been low-GIing, no sugar for several months and have lost three stone overall but my weight loss has stalled. I am insulin resistant and Whole 30 was suggested to me as a good kick start to my diet and a good insulin-reducing measure. So I'm starting tomorrow, well, later today! It doesn't require massive lifestyle change for me but it's a bit daunting nonetheless.

I wanted to ask about exercise. I work four days a week and have young children so it's a bit challenging. At the moment I generally manage one interval training class a week and a personal training session. I also try to get Zumba in if I can. Would the Shred DVD be OK for filling in the gaps between those, do you think?

[Rainydayblues]

Hi Spotty - welcome to the thread, I'm a chronic name changer but have been doing this in various degrees of strictness for a few years now.
Your exercise needs depend on your goals - personally I find that if I focus on exercise as a means on getting and staying healthy and keeping my body youthful in terms of flexibility then it remains a vital long term aspect of my life regardless of what I'm doing with my diet - it's not necessary for weight loss - I've lost 4kg by mostly sitting on my arse...not recommended - I'm recovering from minor exploratory surgery but the point remains. I've gone strict on Paleo for healing rather than weight loss and that is what has made the difference.
I think what you've suggested is enough from a health and fitness perspective, try to give yourself a break between hard session for your muscles to recover and grow, especially if you are not extremely fit already - injuries help no one. Walking between sessions might be more appropriate for this than The Shred, most of all do what you enjoy....because you're moser likely to stick to it. I normally do 2-3 Bootcamp interval sessions a week and maybe 1-2 runs but if I exercise 5 times a week my appetite is enormous and weight loss can be very challenging to achieve.

[TooSpotty]

Thanks, Rainyday. Great weight loss! Exercise is important to me because I'm insulin resistant, so activity is as crucial as what I eat. I was exercising five or six times a week before I went back to work from maternity leave so I'm feeling the lack of it, but time is now a huge problem. My PT thinks I'm now too fit for walking to count as exercise for me, although obviously I try to do as much as possible during the working day just for the activity. But I thought I'd see the Whole 30 as a chance to reset the exercise a bit too!

[Rainydayblues]

Mark Sissons suggests walking rather than running with weight bearing intervals and the odd sprint. I think it's odd that your PT is so down on walking, a brisk walk uses different muscles to running and circuits...so I don't raise my heart rate as much but that's not the only aim I feel it work my glutes, I have to concentrate on my core and I experience a feeling of well being... Have you read much by way of the website Daily apple? Is your PT a Paleo/cross fit coach?

[TooSpotty]

No, I don't know the Daily Apple. I'll have a look, thanks.

My PT does HIIT type stuff but isn't a paleo trainer. The walking stuff is about getting out of breath/cardio.

[yumyumpoppycat]

Hi favadi [waves] Actually we went to the seaside yest and we had fish and chips too

www.channel4.com/programmes/the-worlds-best-diet/4od I watched this last night its on 4 od. Basically the program showed that unprocessed traditional foods are the healthiest, not exactly a revelation but it also seems that it doesn't matter too much what particular foods people eat so long as they are natural and unprocessed. The country with the slimmest women I think was south Korea where they eat a large variety of fish and lots of vegetables and also kimichi 3 times a day (fermented veg seems to be a big paleo thing too). I quite like watching these programmes sometimes as it gets me focused on not wanting to eat sugary foods!

[yumyumpoppycat]

oops wrong paleo thread!

[Firsttimer7259]

Hi can I join, I started out w dukan 3 weeks ago, it made me anxious and I've been loosely doing primal a la mda from about day 4. The last week I've been amazed I feel great I'm losing weight pretty quickly as I'm in ketosis most of the time. I'm staying at pil so bit of carbs has happened but I'm finding ketostix helpful in working out what I can get away w and what takes me out of ketosis. Now that its established I feel so good!! I'm walking a lot and swimming when I can and some bodyweight exercises but I'm not hard or strict or hungry but I can see a change. I'm so excited about this - what a revelation!

[Rainydayblues]

Firsttimer that's brilliant news! glad you're enjoying eating like this. It does take a while to get your head around it. I'm doing it but I'm really strict because my motivation is mostly for the health benefits and I've had many, the weight loss is a very pleasant side effect. I don't think I am in ketosis but I have still lost 9lbs in 10 weeks and I have very little to lose. Socialising can be tricky, although most people are supportive when you are driven by a need to improve your health rather than your appearance. Keep a diary noting all your health issues, even skin complaints and look back in 2 months - you should see an improvement that will spur you on and keep you on the straight and narrow.

[Firsttimer7259]

rainy thanks I'll try the health diary idea I do somehow look better, my skin looks nourished somehow. I'm a bit hesitant around my pil, I don't like discussing my weight while I'm here. I'm a bit heavy and they are quite looks/weight conscious. Their d has recovered from an ed in her teens and I hate when they start talking about weight it feels odd and wrong and I get scared it triggers her. It feels easy enough to just get on with this way of eating quietly until we get home and I can be more free

[SarahPrimalJoyFoods]

Hi @firsttimer7259 sounds like you're really going well :-) Anyone training hard on paleo/ primal might find it useful to read this post by Robb Wolf discussing carbs/ paleo and the effect on hormones - Robb Wolf article

The Perfect Health Diet by Paul Jaminet also talks about this. It kinda sounds counter-intuitive at first (grains being off the menu etc) but it really does make sense. Personally if I'm going to have a carb post-training (and having it after is the important bit) I can't go near white potatoes (in the nightshade family) but I can cope with a small amount of white rice (defo not wholegrain) or sweet spuds. Anyone else gone down this route?

[Rainydayblues]

Have been trying to find good AIP recipes by googling. I'm always surprised by the amount of sugar Paleo people shove into their recipes, there is always an unusually high number of puddings on Paleo blogs, but even mains are seasoned with the sweet stuff, sure they Paleo it, using coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, apple, banana etc but I'm not convinced it's a good idea to sweeten your food so much, the sugar demons just never leave the building!

[SarahPrimalJoyFoods]

Have you tried //www.autoimmune-paleo.com - Mickey Trescott has tonnes of AIP recipes and a facebook page, definitely worth checking out. Agree on the sugar fix - once a sugar addict, always a sugar addict! I have to be careful about intake of paleo treats & alternatives for that reason

[Rainydayblues]

Thanks Sarah Mickey is indeed a fountain of knowledge.