jumacstar

Would love to hear how you are getting on now that you have the book.
I'm following a stricter version of Paleo, doing Whole30 the basics of which are available on their website. It's a great challenge esp knowing you are only doing it for 30 days, the only thing I find difficult is breakfast (not keen on eggs) but I find I've lost the bad carb cravings I had (bread, chips) and eat a lot less to feel satisfied and now don't experience the mid afternoon energy dip, plus the weight is melting rapidly (I 'cheat' and weigh myself everyday even though you're not meant to).
Hope it's going well for you.

CharCycles

Simplicity....The tone of your email is frustration and I totally hear you! The advice I would give you is to quit obsessing about every detail. I'm getting started primally and just realizing how much of my food life revolves around wheat products and carbs. After hours of reading and figuring the best approach (because I'm not good at the cold-turkey approach), I have decided to attack one thing at a time.
Instead of removing a bunch of stuff from my diet (which is already fairly healthy but...) I am adding tons of vegetables at every opportunity. VARIETY is the key. If you eat nothing but salad you are going to go crazy. Mix it up. My thought is that by adding and substituting more than deprivation, my consumption of the bad stuff will automatically decline! So far, it's working!
The philosophy of this is more about training your body and metabolism to work differently. That means using fat for fuel instead of that 'easy to access' glycogen. That way you don't have to worry about just dieting for awhile and then going back to your old, wicked ways. If and when you do, your body will let you know it isn't happy. You need to see some progress and positive changes and then you will be fired up to keep it up.
As far as I'm concerned, if you limit your portions, eat more frequently and start moving in vegetables and moving out some of the bad stuff you are on the right track!
I wish you all the best and can't wait to hear about your first successes!!!!

Moxy12345

I started paleo 4 weeks ago and am having great results. I'm finding it very easy to adopt eating less than 30 grams of carbs per day but the first week carb cravings were intense. I just kept telling myself they would pass and by the second week, they faded rather quickly. Now I'm not feeling deprived at all and have lost 20 lbs and a dress size. I'm feeling more energetic and confident that I have finally found a lifestyle that will work for me.

For exercise right now I'm just walking and increasing the distance each week. Its enough of a challenge for a reformed couch potato I know that if I try to do too much at once, I will give up on everything.

amoebacat

I've been on/off Atkins for the last 3 years and since January went Paleo. Started listening to Robb Wolf's podcast and read "Paleo Solution," Art DeVany's "New Evolution Diet" and in the middle of Mark Sisson's "Primal Blueprint." They all agree on the main points. Eat plants and animals, move naturally and you're golden. That's an oversimplification but it's what I try to do.

I use predominantly coconut oil for cooking. Saturated fat has a higher smoke point and thus it's more stable to cook with. I use olive oil raw as salad dressing. I actually don't use bacon drippings as much as I'd like because it's a little higher in omega 6's. Same with chicken/duck fat. I'm trying to balance out my omega 3/6 ratio by eating salmon (usually canned) or sardines every day.

I also found that cow's milk and most dairy gives my skin issues. I used to have bad acne on my jaw line and back as well as serious dandruff and it's cleared up. It returns if I go on a bender with pizza or something. So I stay away from most dairy. I'm gonna try goat cheese and feta to see if that has the same effect.

I try to get outside when I exercise. It's summer so I use it as an excuse to tan. I do a lot of light walking and biking. Occasionally I'll sprint through the park near my house. And twice a week I do 35 lb. kettle bell swings with some other body weight exercises thrown in.

At my highest I was 215 lbs. at 5' 1" tall. I'm now 150 lbs. with about 30 more to lose. Also, if you're concerned about all the fat (especially saturated animal fat) I had some blood work done recently after being on the diet for a while.
LDL 100
HDL 47
Trig 55
High fat / low carb is the only way I should be eating and Paleo is the healthiest diet I've ever been on. Good luck!!

indyrunnr

I have been primal since December 26, 2010 on my doctor's advice. I was 100% compliant and got frustrated with no weight loss. I am now drinking beer on the weekends and adding more and more dark chocolate. I am not gaining weight, but as expected, I am still not losing.
I finally broke down and gave up caffeine to see if my adrenals are a wreck, which I suspect they are and I am finally sleeping at night (4 nights in a row is huge for me!) Today is day 11 without caffeine and I am TIRED AND HUNGRY.
Here are today's stats- any help is more than appreciated!!

Calories
1,728
Fat
136.0
1,180
68%
Saturated
84.3
722
42%
Polyunsaturated
7.6
67
4%
Monounsaturated
31.8
284
16%
Carbohydrate
55.4
205
12%
Dietary Fiber
21.1
Protein
87.2
343
20%
Alcohol
0.0
0
0%

PJT13

Hi, I'm in the UK where Paleo hasn't caught on so well as over the pond, so there;'s less support. However your websites - Paleosolutions by Robb Wolf, Marks Daily apple and Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet are so good, thanks for the electronic age! I follow an 'Approach to Paleo', and 80/20 regime which Loren Cordain advocates. It allows for 'holidays' when it may be impossible to eat a truly Paleo/Primal diet. I'm a lazy keep fitter, but do 'Swim 'n' gym' every week alternating according to my mood. I'm 60, 180 cms tall and have kept my weight at 75 Kgs now for 5 years following the above regime. It works, but you do have to make some lifestyle choices - the hardest of which, for many, is forgoing bread and pasta, but the results are worth it! Happy hunter gathering!

PJT13

Hi Simplicity, Go girl! Get with the lifestyle thing and you won't go wrong. Paleo/Primal isn't just a diet, it's a whole new way of thinking about food and what our bodies need. Have a look at my previous post for information. I recommend all those websites and their associated books. Once you get into the frame of mind of being a 'cave woman', thinking, now what's available for me to eat from thie 'garden of Eden' bearing in mind that bread and pasta didn't exist and that cows weren't domesticated either, then you start to realise that what's available is meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts and berries. Then you start getting creative about how to use them. My biggest difficulty was breakfast, but my solution was simplicity (no pun inrtended) itself - two boiled eggs, a handful of Blueberries and maybe a tomato. Sometimes I'll have a chicken breast left over from the night before. Easy, when you think about it. Good luck!

PJT13

Hi Emma, I'm in the UK also and most meat in the UK IS grass fed whereas in the USA it's grain, so don't go overboard on the internet! Loren Cordain's book and website, as well as Marks Daily Apple are really good too.

GayleJames

I have been doing Primal since nov 2010 and really like it. It is a progression from Atkins that I was doing for several years. I eat, no grains, legumes, corns or nightshades. I really like this lifestyle. I have not done crossfit yet.

I really love this site. It is really keeping my calorie count and activities where they need to be to lean out. I am 176 lb woman hoping to get to 170.

CrystalFee

Hi,

Check the web dietdoctor, the new wave in Sweden, you will not eat bread as all cravings will be gone
Good luck
CrystalFee