Do you follow a primal/paleo type eating plan?

[500Decibels]

I'm thinking of going primal. It's a big step especially as I prefer grains and pulses to meat but I'm thinking in terms of health and weight loss.

I'd just like to know how you find it and how it's worked for you in terms of weight loss and how you feel.

Off and on
I feel better, I have a tendency to low blood sugars which are fine if I avoid sugar/carby stuff. Less sleepy in the afternoon, don't get as ravenously hungry
I'm not totally paleo/primal but I try and keep the majority of my diet that way

I would go for what your body actually feels best with and look at Paul Mckenna's way of eating because people need to change their lifestyle as well as what they eat.

I'm on no wheat but I eat other healthy carbs like rye, spelt bread, whole rice org, oats, etc. I eat some fish with salads and plenty of vegetables and lentils eye.

I got ill on the Atkins but DH is brilliant with it , we're all different, if you like meat then have veg. and salads with it just don't eat it with any carbs and you'll lose weight.

Thanks for your posts.
Ppeatfruit you've got me thinking.
I think I actually feel best eating less meat and more vegetables and pulses like chick peas. I definitely feel crap eating wheat and sugar.
It makes me feel lethargic. I should probably just start off with giving up in those two, right?

We used to do primal and lost quite a bit of weight. I moved away from it as I found it really difficult to eat out. (It wasn't really...steak minus chips and with green veg would have done nicely, but I was being a bit bloody-minded.) It does take more work than a diet like Weight Watchers where you can grab anything off the shelves at the supermarket, calculate points and then eat it. You have to pre-plan meals.

I did feel a million times better without wheat and limiting sugar, which is why I'm giving the Hemsley + Hemsley book a go. They advocate good fats like butter and coconut oil, meat, fish, pulses and loads of veg. Unlike a lot of primal/paleo and the various "I quit sugar" type books, they actually seem to be limiting sugar in desserts. There's no xylitol and rice malt syrup. Instead there's 1/2tsp raw honey or maple syrup and lots of sweet spices. It's got a bit of food combining, which I've never done before so apparently I shouldn't have roast sweet potatoes with my steak (boo) but I could do roast cauliflower which I'm quite fond of so no real hardship there. There's still pre-planning meals but I've come to the conclusion that it's a small price to pay for getting to a healthy weight.

Agree with goodas and ppeat, there's not necessarily any need to tie yourself strictly to a set of rules. Your diet (in the true sense of the word) needs to work on a practical level and provide a source of pleasure (health conditions such as allergies/coeliac disease notwithstanding of course). Eating in a way that is based on paleo can be incredibly healthy but you may find that you miss certain foods hugely (so have them in small amounts) or cutting out others completely is too hard (in which case be prepared to bend your general approach when necessary). This is also much more likely to make it a sustainable thing, because you won't feel deprived by banning anything completely.

I'd second Hemsley Hemsley, also Hugh Fearnley W's latest book (no gluten or dairy). If you want to go hard core for a bit then reintroduce foods to see how your body responds then look at The Whole 30 or Dr Mark Hyman's Ultrametabolism. These are paleo based and you will almost certainly lose weight but they will enable you to identify what works/doesn't for your body.

500decibels Yes see how you cope without wheat esp. that has a very high GM (see the book Wheat Belly by William Davis M.D.)

Hi sleepwhen thanks for reminding me about HFW's new book I wanted it for Xmas I'll get it for my b\day instead!

DesertIsland The best fat is olive oil IME . I use it for everything and DH is healthy although he's OW the docs can't understand it, but he eats a lot of garlic/onions and olive oil (he's on the Meditteranean diet but it would work better for his weight if he food combined).

I food combine and it's amazing for weight and health.

Oh ppeat also check out Anna Jones' A Modern Way To Eat - fab vegetarian food, my favourite recipe in there is the coconut and sweet potato dahl.

Thanks sleepwhen I love dahl not too keen on coconut though, I'm going to make butternut squash curry soup for supper tonight!

Thank you
I love Dahl and I love curry. Those meals sound fab.

Oooh, I shall have to see if I can find that coconut and sweet potato dahl. Sounds lush!!

It is here (23 Sept post) with the addition of smoked haddock if you like that, if you don't then leave it out and use veg stock instead of chicken if you are vegetarian

Oooh, lovely. Thanks for that, sleep!