paleo for weightloss

[yumyumpoppycat]

Was sorting out some books to take back to the library and found Chris Kresser's your personal paleo Diet. It pretty much fell open on the weight loss page - seemed to be a sign! Soooo enough messing around and procrastination, on the wagon off the wagon, I just need to get my head down and just plow on and lose weight....

Is anyone up for doing paleo or a similar diet with a focus on weightloss?

These are the additional rules, or I guess a good starting point before adding in usual paleo 'rules' :
Eat more protein
Don't snack
Go dairy free
Reduce calorie density by eating more veg
Eat all food within an 8 hour window

and one more for me - in bed by 11.

Will update but be great if others join in!

Thank you. :)

Feeling happy is the way to go. I'm back on full fat Primal, I feel very happy -I had forgotten how lovely coconut is (breakfast this morning)! I don't blame you about the grapefruit I don't want to see another grapefruit ever, any fruit will do, personally I have loved honey melons (~1/2 for breakfast), pomegranates, apples, pears...

Full fat primal is actually quite indulgent isn't it!!

So is it some chemical thing with the combo of food in scarsdale or is it low calories every other week do you think?

Full fat primal is actually quite indulgent isn't it!! It's pure decandence!

Interesting question about how does the scardale works. Because I really really struggled to eat 1000 cals/day (I was just too full) in the first couple of weeks when I was following it almost to the letter (had eggs or fruit instead of bread), I ended up analysing the diet in minute details.
It's a very interesting diet: dr Tarnower clearly believed in using food for healing and in certain aspects he was ahead of his time. There is a small section in his book called What nutrients does the body need to be well nourished?...The vitamins and minerals we all need daily are found in the Scarsdale Medical Diet as follows: He then list the vitamins and minerals and where to find them (I'm particularly impressed with biotin mention). He believed in ketosis but also believed in having some carbs as fuel to 'spare' protein so they can fulfill their primary function

The combination of foods that he uses are not key to the losing weight (with the possible exception of VitC -present in every meal) but are there to ensure all the vit and minerals are there. As swapping green veg and fruit is allowed, I think the most important aspect is the cycling process: there are two proper carb refeed days (fruit for lunch) and two fat refeed days (cheese days); days alternate to be naturally higher or lower in calories but a break for Sunday. Ketosis is cycled too: there is enough glucose for the brain to avoid the headaches and starch for the muscles (unlimited carrots!) but Monday, Thursday and Friday the water consumption rockets followed by bigger weight losses on Tues, Fri and Sat

In optober I thought it best to try to eat more calories, being mindful of the cycling and vitC, but I just couldn't do it on the strict scardale plan, I had to cheat.
VitC. I ditched the grapefruit but substituted it using this list and red peppers and tomatoes became my dearest friends.
Protein quota -Prawns, aren't very filling but are high protein for the days I couldn't meet the protein quota.
Fat Quota -I started to cook with a little olive or coconut oil and left the fat/skin on yet some days I needed to cheat further just to eat 22.5% fat! Cheese and chocolate (85-90%dark or pure unrefined cocoa butter) were my friends.
Carb quota- I didn't bother to make up: the carb refeeds were working well enough and I eat kgs of veg (eg 1/2 cauli or 1/2 cabbage are my standard portion!)

That's interesting Favadi. Your weight-loss was really consistent wasn't it, so clearly alternating between the two re-feeds worked to keep things moving for you. How may eggs did you have? I am not a fan of cottage cheese could I have a latte or normal cheese instead (hopeful)

Oh good grief, cottage cheese! I bought low fat cottage the first week! It still feel queasy at the thought! I made my own for the second week but life got in the way after that. I did taste a few low fat cheeses along the way and some taste nice but I saw no point of going low fat when struggling to meet fat quota! And the creaminess and luxurious taste of a real farmhouse cheese or the richness of a gorgeous piece of chocolate is enough to keep me away from bad choices. :)

How many eggs? Not the tiniest clue :S I just use the eggs from the egg basket and, if that's empty, I bring it to the bottom of the garden and collect some more -I might need to shift a chicken on occasions but generally they come running to me because I bare gifts to them in return for their lovely eggs (my girls love cheese too, especially stilton). I think the eggs are restricted on scardale because of the cholesterol misunderstanding, I have used them on occasion as a lunch substitute instead of cheese or fish options. September and October have been exeptionally warm to have cheese or fish for lunch when leaving early in the morning.

Just read my post to you: I'm so sorry! I hope I didn't mean to sound condescending I hope I didn't (I'm really struggling with emotions right now and just dealing with practicalities)

No not condescending - don't worry!

You are right there is a big difference between how much is in one egg to another. Must be lovely to have hens - i still remember collecting eggs from my gradmothers hen's on summer holidays when we were small.

Hope you are ok?

I'm ok, thank you. :)

I love my hens, they are very funny and I can spend hours watching them.

How is it going? Are you still having workmen around?

Hi Favadi sorry for non posting! Your hens sound lovely Workmen not around at mo but still lots and lots of outstanding work. I spend an inordinate amount of time on floors and walls website ordering tile samples

Eating wise I am aiming for primalish but logging on mfp. I have set my goal for 1300 for now but will try and up and down the calories in the hope of tricking my metabolism a bit like scarsdale. Trying to include the vitamin c list you lined to

Hello everyone, may I join you? I'm a massive paleo convert, and have lost most of my baby weight on it, as well as feeling more healthy overall. Still got 9lbs to go before my goal (8st, pre-baby weight).

However, I cheat very regularly, as in most days! (just a bit though) Current plan is to be very strict till Christmas, and aim to lose 2lb - I know that doesn't sound much but I'm shortish, narrow framed and pear shaped so every pound is noticeable. Well, to me anyway.

Anyone else having a big pre-Christmas effort?

Hi PaleotillChristmas - it is quiet on here isn't it! Hope going strict is working out.

I am doing really well at sticking to low calories at the mo, but there are so many lovely things tempting me that i am def not paleo! Having said at least thanks to trying to be as paleoy as pos I know the foods that work and the ones that screw me up, which is really helpful. I think I will need to get a bit stricter about healthiness now leading up to christmas as I look really craggy and in need of some veg

Hi yumyum, Well I must admit I've had some MILK chocolate, oops. Was due to pmt. Though that's silly because on the months when I've been really strict at the paleo thing I tend to get hardly any pmt. So it's a vicious circle.

Sorry if you've already mentioned it upthread, but which paleo books/websites have you read? I'm a big fan of Robb Wolf (could eat him up too )

Also, do you have much weight to lose? And, if you're bored and would like another question - are you taking any supplements? I'm on vitamin D and omega 3s at the moment. Also toying with different probiotics as my tummy went a bit funny when I cut out dairy. Think it was the lack of "good bacteria" I used to get from natural yoghurt. Lost 2" from my waist though, almost overnight, when I stopped eating dairy. Now to tackle the thighs!

Really pleased you are doing well on low cal, Yumyum.

Hi PaleoTillChristmas, Mark's daily apple is probably the most coprehensive of the websites. There are so many sites...Other than Mark's my favourites are Chris Kresser and Chris Masterjohn - excellent for information; NomnomPaleo and paleocupboard have easy to follow recipes which taste great.

Ps. I have kept the weight off, lost 1 more kg (12 in total since Slimtember) and I fit in my little black dress and thanks to TA's exercises I love wearing skinny jeans. I almost bought a pair of size 8 in the shop where it all began when size 22 was tight.

Yes I like Mark's daily apple too. I've been working through his 90 day journal here It's brilliant!

Have had some chocolate but apart from that not done too badly. Aiming for 8st 7 on Christmas Day!

Best of luck to everyone

Thanks paleo and Favadi! Well done on keeping it off favadi that is the hard bit! I think your plan makes a lot of sense btw paleo as otherwise christmas eating can span 5 weeks instead of just 1 and if you have some none paleo treats over christmas you will enjoy them much more.

I am aiming for primal this week and paleo next week. I tried on my monsoon sale dress for upcoming wedding in 10 days and it now fits properly woo hoo! I am not going to be a skinny minnie but hey I certainly will look a lot better than if I had done nothing! Just need to slim my legs down in the space of 10 days now hmmm.....

Oh and supplements is a tricky one paleotillchristmas. Apparently selective supplementation is better than a multivitamin. In fact multivitamins may be bad for us apparently. Sounds like what you are doing makes sense if you don't eat a lot of fish etc.

Yippee to fitting in nice dresses! 10 days to slim legs down... Dd and I noticed a massive difference on legs and bum in less than a week of which made me buy , which in turn led me to buy .

The Mat dvd is great for everywhere, I still do it when I'm too tired to fit in the perfect design series. The legs portions of the mat dvd are just as effective as the first link but potentially feel easier to do and much easier to do them in front of TV.

ooh ouch but those exercises should work! will give it a try - only 7 days now...

Hi, can I join you please! Im eating this way in the hope of helping my hormones and to lose weight.

Hi ennli! How are you finding it following paleo primal?

Welcome aboard Enlli :)

Enjoy the wedding Yumyum!

Wedding was lovely thanks Favadi! How was holiday festivities at the di Cacao house I am imagining lovely ham?

I did a kind of anti whole 40, baileys, terry's chocolate orange, mince pies.... quite enjoyed it though but I do need to get back to healthier eating again now.

Glad to hear the weddding and festivities were good. Holidays were very merry here too. Ham was plentiful but the most successful dish was the partridge with mushrooms and chestnut and grapes sauce. :) As Epiphany is celebrated in Italy, we are indulging in one more festive meal tonight :)

Oh lucky you Favadi I would love an end of the christmas holiday celebration on the 5th or 6th. DP was a party pooper and wanted decorations down on sat. boo!

In Italy 'La Befana' and not Santa brings the stocking on the night of 5th Jan. I'm sure she'll deliver a lump of coal and a Scrooge night hat for Mr Poppycat next year!