I’ve noticed a lot of threads about losing weight, getting fit, changing body shape etc and wanted to start an open and honest debate about diet (right way/wrong way/good tips etc), keeping all opinions together in one big thread. I’m no expert, just someone who has gone through a lot of diets with varied success, and thought I’d get the ball rolling and share my opinions. I’ve recently taken up paleo diet and thought I could share some tips. As always apologies for length – I can’t seem to shut up when I get going. Feel free to skip and post your own opinions, suggestions etc. Why paleo? I’ve always been overweight to some degree, sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller depending what diet I’m doing. I’ve grown to accept this and you could say I’ve grown complacent. However, start of this year I was ordering clothes off the internet and going by their online measurement system, it was saying I was a much larger size than I know I am. Turns out my waist is seriously disproportionate to the rest of me. I’m three sizes bigger around the midriff than I am around the rest of my body. My ‘waist/hip ratio’ measurement is way out of whack. I did a little digging on the internet about how/why some people’s waists are so disproportionate to their general size. Turns out that although I’m careful in avoiding too much fat/sugary foods, my body shape is caused by eating too much processed food high in simple carbs (pasta, rice, cereals, grains, and yes – unfortunately also alcohol). Our metabolism simply isn’t equipped to handle this onslaught of processed meals we now see as the norm. The body breaks these carbs down into sugar and stores it as fat right on your mid-section (hence the term ‘beer belly’!). Apparently regardless of BMI, a shape like mine that’s bigger around the middle is a ticking time bomb for heart disease and diabetes. That is quite scary. Apparently ‘going paleo’ is a good start to reversing this. If you’ve never heard of paleo, I’d certainly recommend giving it a go. First off, it’s NOTHING like Atkins. I’ve done Atkins and gave up after two weeks of feeling like shit (even though I lost 12lbs in 2 weeks, I just knew there was something not right about eating bacon but not allowed peas). Paleo is quite logical: you eat, and exercise, as nature intended you to. 200,000 years ago humans didn’t have refined food and they survived just fine. Since January, I'm slowly but surely transitioning over to paleo. So far the scales haven’t changed significantly, but I’ve lost 3 inches off the waist, and that’s my priority. I accept I’m always going to be on the bigger side, but I want that hip/waist ratio back down to a normal proportion. Why I think paleo is a good start Extreme diets and excessive exercise don’t work because we’re still wired to withstand all that drought, starvation etc our Paleolithic ancestors had to cope with. Our minds have evolved to a point where we are now incredibly efficient at sourcing energy (farming/processing/preserving food); our bodies haven’t evolved quite so much. We’re built to survive through extreme situations. When food is plentiful, we’re built to handle the occasional overload of calories, where excess energy is stored as fat. For early man this wasn’t a problem, this excess fat was essential for surviving frequent periods of famine. Thing is, food is now a hell of a lot more plentiful for us in the western world. Regardless of how much fat has been stored, our brain doesn’t have a shut-off switch to not crave/source more energy. We’re still wired to ‘survival’ mode and still feel the same desire to consume high calorie food. To counteract this the solution is simple, right? Eat less, exercise more = weight loss. Thing is, fall too far below your daily calorie requirements and the body perceives this loss of energy as a threat to survival and will kick into ‘starvation mode’, doing whatever it can to make sure energy is conserved. It slows metabolism down and reduces non-essential functions like keeping extremities warm (which is why dieters feel the cold more). It also releases hormones, to signal your brain to make sourcing energy its no.1 priority (hence why that donut now looks so delicious). After significant periods of dieting your body works hard to claw back what’s been lost; to get back to the set-point weight it was before the ‘famine’. I’ve read somewhere that it takes about 6 years for your body to accept a new lower weight as the right set-point, and will constantly work against you to get back to your previous ‘fat’ weight. This was how man survived, but our technological advances make this survival instinct pretty difficult to manage. The true way to lose weight that stays off is to eat ‘a little bit’ less, exercise ‘a little bit’ more = very slow, but assured weight loss. I’ve done my homework and know all this stuff about nutrition and the right way to do it: it’s just putting it into practice isn’t that easy! Losing weight this way is excruciatingly boring and slow. There’s no “wow I’ve lost 3lbs this week”, more like 0.5lbs a week. To keep it off takes time and patience – it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I forget this, and get distracted by short-term goals (“If I lose X amount by X time” etc) and forget the bigger picture. Like a majority of us on diets, I find myself trying that little bit harder, exercising more than I should or cutting more calories than is good for me – to squeeze a few extra lbs to come off here or there to meet a short-term goal. Classic yo-yo behaviour! Inevitably after meeting said goal, the weight goes right back on again, and I’m back to square one. I only have to look at a muffin and I put on weight. How I think paleo is different I think paleo is the way to go. Putting aside weight/shape, I’ve noticed some nice side effects from eating this way. I have psoriasis, which is especially noticeable on my legs, but since switching it’s practically disappeared. I’m sleeping a lot better, and my skin looks a lot healthier too. If I lose no weight but keep getting that waist/hip ratio down and the psoriasis remains at bay, I’m sold on its benefits. It doesn’t feel like a diet as such either, just a logical scientific way of eating. For the first time in a long time I’m not counting calories. I’m just careful to eat a balanced diet, only consuming natural foods that I know are of nutritional value. Biggest problem I’m having is exercise. To be true to the paleo way, I’m supposed to be as active as possible all day every day, without exerting myself too much (to the point where you get muscle strains etc). I’m also meant to push/pull heavy things and ‘run all out as fast as I can’ for a few minutes, a few times a week. This is meant to mimic the sort of exercise our Paleolithic ancestors would do – they had to walk long distances to find their food or run fast to chase it down. They had to run away from predators, climb hills, build shelters and fight each other for dominance. I’m sure they used up every calorie they consumed just to survive in that tough environment. This level of activity is hard to mimic when you do a desk job at an office 9 hours a day. All things considered though, it’s going ok. I feel better, and I have to learn to be patient. Lasting weight loss isn’t meant to just drop off. It’s a slow process, but I’m heading in the right direction. My goal over the next few months is to establish some sort of exercise regime that I can stick to.
I have been eating paleo-ish. Heres why its -ish... I many times can't afford grass fed beef, free range chicken, etc. I do what I can to eat very natural, as natural as I can afford. Mostly veggies and lean meats. I do have a free things that are not paleo.. Greek yogurt, corn or rice cakes, and the occasional glass of real milk not full fat. I can feel a huge difference in the way the furnace is running. I added in oatmeal one day and my stomach bloated out, and I was actually in pain. Odd.. I didnt know that happened to me before I stopped it.. I eat maybe one fruit a day and thats if I've been doing lots of activity, and need the carbs that an apple or a banana provides. Typically its greens. Brocoli, asparagus, spinach, and lettuces, etc.. I love that my foods now consist of stuff I know. One ingredient, maybe three tops. My nut butter has two ingredients. Almonds and sea salt. If even.. Lol. No nitrate bacon is still awesome. Phuck its bacon. No I don't eat a ton of it, like many in paleo, but I can eat it here and there. Bottom line is there is no magic bullet, pill, diet. Everyone is different and it boils down to what works for you. Diet really is a huge portion when it comes to fat loss. I would almost say its 80% diet and 20% gym. The gym plays a key factor, to build muscle. But you can't work off a bad diet. You'll just spin your wheels. Let me know what works for you as you progress on this journey. I'm interested in seeing, and hearing, how you do. Its not an easy journey but as time goes by you will see it does become a lifestyle. When you eat to live you look at food differently than when you live to eat.. Sounds funny but I notice that in myself at times.. Good luck!!
Thanks for starting this conversation. I'd not heard of "Paleo" and your post piqued my interest. I'm always on the lookout for strategies for leading a healthier lifestyle and the Paleo-way has some interesting tenets. I goggled it and was most surprised by the recommendation to eliminate legumes from your diet. I read a bit more and now have a better understanding of why this may be a good direction. Anywho, my diet - in an attempt to eat right (or leaning in that direction), I eat food as close to its natural state as possible. I have no rules for measures, fat content, or calories. I also eat every few hours or whenever I have a desire and I do my best to stop when I'm no longer hungry. I plan to read more about Paleo and look forward to other ideas presented on this thread for dieting the right way.
for us we try not to get too captured with a new fad or trend... granted there might very well be new things we can learn and incorporate into our lifestyle and we certainly encourage that the reality is that what works for some may not for others (many lifestyle factors involved here) but I think everyone can agree (and save a ton of money in the process to) that in the most simple terms.......... weight loss and healthy living is about two very basic facts: finding a way to eat healthier finding a way to exercise more we try and keep our focus here and only here over the years t and I have worked hard to find a way to keep it as simple as possible and lifestyle appropriate (fits within our schedules and part of our life every single day - not a fad we do for a week or month or year - but a routine or practice which we do every day or on a regular basis quite naturally) by doing this and staying focused on these basic things (eating healthier and exercising) instead of every other thing or things ------we reached the healthiest point we have both ever been at and we have a lifestyle now centered around these two things.... ............except on vacation and a weekend splurge here and there rob
I agree, there is no magic cure, just eat less, exercise more, but it ain't easy! Like you say, it has to fit in with your lifestyle. Us two are longstanding, dedicated gym bunnies (it's where we met!), and in the run up to our Nov 2012 TTR trip, I was hammering the gym maybe 9 classes a week, and was in the best shape of my adult life (Go ME!!). HOWEVER.......since I got back, and was working away from home, with shit cold weather, snow, and no Blanco to drag me kicking and screaming to the gym, I kinda let it lapse, and it shows! Although I was still eating healthily, without the exercise, I've gained 7lb! EEKKK!!! (I'm 5'2" and every lb shows!) I'm now back at home for a few weeks, and down the gym every day, and cutting out my daily treats, but it hurts! One of my little tricks for not overdoing it is I will ask myself "Do I want to eat this more than I want to look like I did last year?" Biscuit back in the tin!! Did BodyPump this morning, for the first time this year. I'm anticipating not being able to move tomorrow LOL xx :daisy:
You know, we recently have been making an effort to eat "healthier" as well. What I have found is that I am shopping in the outer ring of the grocery store - the only time I really go into the aisles is to find food for our 4 and 5 year old, who are not quite to the 'paleo state' yet. I keep an eye on my calories, try to eat within a healthy range, and we have been focusing on eating low-carb. And, if we DO eat carbs, I try to make sure they are healthy carbs - like quinoa, brown rice, etc. As far as exercise go, I recently had an assessment to figure out what heart rate zone to exercise in to make sure I am in my fat-burning zone, opposed to my carb/blood sugar-burning zone. Doing this has made a BIG change in the shape of my body. I am targeting more moderate heart rate zones instead of the extremely high heart rate zones you would be in from like a spinning class or something like that. The trainer who did the assessment for me told me that I should exercise in a HIGH heart rate zone about 1x/week - my other workouts should be in the fat-burning zone, since fat-burning is what my personal goal is to accomplish. It was a light-bulb moment for me! I didn't have a lot of weight to lose, but I have trimmed 7lbs in the past month just by keeping to the outer ring of the grocery store and modifying my workouts to be in line with what I am trying to accomplish. I feel like a million bucks!
Eating healthier is an on-going goal. I may not hitch my wagon to a particular fad diet but I recognize dietary guidance is evolving and I am always open to something new. We eat way different today than we did when we first got married 25 years ago...we're not "thinner" but I believe we are in better shape mentally and physically. I get we could always benefit by exercising more, but I am also interesting in exercising more efficiently. I like the idea of determining my heart rate for fat burning. It may be time for me to consult a professional...but then there is always Goggle!
With all the talk of GMO's I get nervous for my health, as well as the health of the future generations. So its not so much that I'm hitching to a diet wagon.. Just hitching to a wagon that is healthier, and helps me run optimally. I work out everyday. My rest days I am still active in some way, as I can't sit still. I love challenging my body. Seeing what it can do. And my engine needs the best fuel.. Although I love a good crappy food day. lol. Or crappy food vacation. hahaha Pesticides, GMO's, antibiotics, chemicals and growth hormones are things I would like to avoid. Things more in its natural state is a beautiful thing. Just something to consider.
I was following a few people on Facebook that were on Paleo and started looking into it a little bit more and last January I started getting more into it and I love it. I have a huge sweet tooth. Ate a ton of cheese. I have totally given up dairy. Eat a piece of dark chocolate here and there but I must say I love it. I enjoy cooking for the first time in my life. I have lost 13 lbs so far. I have doubled up on working out. lifting free weights so I know I am gaining muscle weight. I ran my 1st 5k yesterday so I really can't say anything bad about it. I am really loving it.
Thanks for the input everyone! I'm looking more positive for fitting in paleo this week. Last week wasn't great - I find once you 'slip up' it's extra hard to get back on track. Thing is, my body feels worse for days after eating carbs/processed junk. Could be in my head, but I definitely notice a difference sticking to 'natural'. BTW, I don't eat the 'grass fed' stuff either. That would be way out of my price range! I have switched to unsweetened almond milk and it really is great. Really filling, so don't get snacky during the day if I use it in a fruit smoothie in the morning. Determined to fit in more exercise this week. I can't stand the gym, but will commit to an hour each day this week on the bike!
