Paleo diet for weight loss

[Alcatraz84]

Just to be precise, I'm not looking for a "diet" to simply lose weight and look good. I'm looking for an overall diet/lifestyle that would better suit me than what I've always been eating. I'm giving this a one month shot, we'll see.

As others have said, of you feel better eating/eliminating certain foods, go for it, however, eating certain foods (be it paleo, low carb, whatever), will not cause fat/weight loss in and of itself.

You could become literally obese eating a strict paleo diet, just as you could get down to a very low bodyfat getting 100% of your food from McDonalds and KFC. It's all going to come down to cals in vs cals out, aka energy balance.

Btw nice sig

[motiva8]

The whole evolutionary/biochemistry of the primal/paleo solution kinda makes sense I think.

It really doesn't from what i've seen & is selective of how it presents features of evolution. 10-30K years is more than enough generations in a large diversity of humans for natural selection to by chance have a genetic mutation capable of utilising grains as a food source for whatever reason paleo folk reject it. Even if this requires more than a single gene.
It also tends to look at humans as a whole as opposed to isolated populations which is a fairly large mistake when talking about human evolution of diet eg black folks tend to have difficulty with digesting milk products compared to europeans, some tribes in africa have extremely high tolerance to metabolise arsenic & such due to their soil content, that would otherwise kill most humans etc etc

Let alone paleo folks often can't agree on what is/isn't paleo & set arbitrary figures to what constitutes a paleo diet. If anything, a diet subsisting of the local flora & fauna of a person adapting this diet would be much more in line. Alongside disincluding many cruciferous vegetables & such as food sources due to them having been genetically adapted from a wild plant through selective breeding from a much shorter time-period than when grains appeared in the human diet.

In short get tested for celiacs as opposed to self medicating.

Cliffs:
- The idea that paleo makes sense in light of human evolution & our understanding of natural selection/gene mutation seems to not make much sense at all.
- The community sets arbitrary figures/foods for what constitutes paleo & conveniently ignores much more recent foods added to our diet through selective breeding.
- Get tested for celiac if you think it is a problem

[koh19]

you clearly have no idea how dieting works based off of your original post.

going back to your original question

yes paleo can work.
eating 6 meals can work
eating 1 meal can work
eating 500 calories a day and taking an HCG pill can work

as long as you are caloric deficit you can lose weight.

I know that you need a caloric deficit, of course you need one. I never said you can pig out all you want if you avoid grains.

It's just that I think there's something else to it:

-the effect of insulin for example

[koh19]

It really doesn't from what i've seen & is selective of how it presents features of evolution. 10-30K years is more than enough generations in a large diversity of humans for natural selection to by chance have a genetic mutation capable of utilising grains as a food source for whatever reason paleo folk reject it. Even if this requires more than a single gene.
It also tends to look at humans as a whole as opposed to isolated populations which is a fairly large mistake when talking about human evolution of diet eg black folks tend to have difficulty with digesting milk products compared to europeans, some tribes in africa have extremely high tolerance to metabolise arsenic & such due to their soil content, that would otherwise kill most humans etc etc

Let alone paleo folks often can't agree on what is/isn't paleo & set arbitrary figures to what constitutes a paleo diet. If anything, a diet subsisting of the local flora & fauna of a person adapting this diet would be much more in line. Alongside disincluding many cruciferous vegetables & such as food sources due to them having been genetically adapted from a wild plant through selective breeding from a much shorter time-period than when grains appeared in the human diet.

In short get tested for celiacs as opposed to self medicating.

Cliffs:
- The idea that paleo makes sense in light of human evolution & our understanding of natural selection/gene mutation seems to not make much sense at all.
- The community sets arbitrary figures/foods for what constitutes paleo & conveniently ignores much more recent foods added to our diet through selective breeding.
- Get tested for celiac if you think it is a problem

Thanks for that, some good points.

I agree that there are several types of paleo diets but one thing they virtually all agree on is that grains are a problem. Thing is that's really the only part I'm gonna try and cut out for a month (with sugar, high fructose corn syrup,...).

I'm not going full crazy and removing things like eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, that some paleo diet gurus advocate. I'm gonna continue eating dairy (low fat milk/cheese/creme) and things like chickpeas.

So really, the only thing I'm cutting out is grains. I'll give a shot, one month. I just simply feel better without them. I don't think I have celiac or anything that serious, I don't feel freakin' awful when I have grains, it's just that they tend to bloat me up a little, make me feel full/tired...

[WonderPug]

I'm so old that I remember the Châtelperronian epoch and let me tell you, those of us that survived beyond 20 tended to be rather Rubenesque.

[koh19]

I'm so old that I remember the Châtelperronian epoch and let me tell you, those of us that survived beyond 20 tended to be rather Rubenesque.

What?

[necon76]

I'm so old that I remember the Châtelperronian epoch and let me tell you, those of us that survived beyond 20 tended to be rather Rubenesque.

What?

[javin86]

itt op experiences placebo effect

[valeriasg]

Hey guys,

haven't worked out in 4 months (recovering from concussion). Even though I tried to limit my carb intake, I still gained quite a bit of fat, wasn't easy for me, first time ever I couldn't do any physical effort for 4 months.

Anyway, I wanna try and do the 30 day challenge from Robb Wolf's book (the Paleo Solution). I've been approx. 70% paleo for about a week, already feel ten times better. Much more energy, no crashes during the day, feel overall much better.

I need to lose quite a bit of fat. Can this paleo diet work well? I'm also gonna start working out again at the same time so paleo diet + working out again on Monday = can it work to lose quite a bit of fat?

I think you should make the paleo diet your lifestyle. I play tennis 5 hours a day and it's a great workout, it helps me a lot fitness wise. unfortunately, I had a lot of injuries last year and was on and off until I had a disk displacement and had to stop for two months. I obviously gained a lot of fat. However, when I came back into the court, I started the paleo diet and haven't stopped since. I have lost 7 pounds of fat effortlessly and the last time I was this lean I was around 15 years old!! I'm not even craving for junk food anymore and I have more energy. Gluten and dairy are just crap!!

[Gemuadrken]

This thread bugs me.

Why have a restrictive diet? Its pointless.

That being said whatever works best for you is what works best for you. If restrictive diets help you with self control problems, or whatever, then go ahead. But there really is no need to overcomplicate it.

It isnt the name of your diet that affects weight loss/weight gain/overall health, or the specific foods you eat/dont eat, its your calorie, protein, carb, fat, and micronutrient intake.

[necon76]

I think you should make the paleo diet your lifestyle. I play tennis 5 hours a day and it's a great workout, it helps me a lot fitness wise. unfortunately, I had a lot of injuries last year and was on and off until I had a disk displacement and had to stop for two months. I obviously gained a lot of fat. However, when I came back into the court, I started the paleo diet and haven't stopped since. I have lost 7 pounds of fat effortlessly and the last time I was this lean I was around 15 years old!! I'm not even craving for junk food anymore and I have more energy. Gluten and dairy are just crap!!

Age: 17.


You're a funny guy.

[koh19]

This thread bugs me.

Why have a restrictive diet? Its pointless.

That being said whatever works best for you is what works best for you. If restrictive diets help you with self control problems, or whatever, then go ahead. But there really is no need to overcomplicate it.

It isnt the name of your diet that affects weight loss/weight gain/overall health, or the specific foods you eat/dont eat, its your calorie, protein, carb, fat, and micronutrient intake.

Again, I feel ****ty when I eat grains (pasta/bread/...). I don't see how I can go wrong if I eat meat, fish, chicken, milk, fruit, veggies, nuts, healthy fats, etc... That's a healthier diet than what 95% of the population have. I don't have IBS or celiac disease but I do feel sluggish/tired when I have pasta.

[koh19]

I think you should make the paleo diet your lifestyle. I play tennis 5 hours a day and it's a great workout, it helps me a lot fitness wise. unfortunately, I had a lot of injuries last year and was on and off until I had a disk displacement and had to stop for two months. I obviously gained a lot of fat. However, when I came back into the court, I started the paleo diet and haven't stopped since. I have lost 7 pounds of fat effortlessly and the last time I was this lean I was around 15 years old!! I'm not even craving for junk food anymore and I have more energy. Gluten and dairy are just crap!!

I was only gonna cut out grains, sugar, processed foods. Was gonna keep milk, doesn't seem to bother me.

[benz5521]

Again, I feel ****ty when I eat grains (pasta/bread/...). I don't see how I can go wrong if I eat meat, fish, chicken, milk, fruit, veggies, nuts, healthy fats, etc... That's a healthier diet than what 95% of the population have. I don't have IBS or celiac disease but I do feel sluggish/tired when I have pasta.

Don't know how accurate this is but Ian Mccarthy said that is a sign of insulin sensitivity to carbs, not because it comes from pasta. So maybe you're just sensitive to carbs in general.

[necon76]

Again, I feel ****ty when I eat grains (pasta/bread/...). I don't see how I can go wrong if I eat meat, fish, chicken, milk, fruit, veggies, nuts, healthy fats, etc... That's a healthier diet than what 95% of the population have. I don't have IBS or celiac disease but I do feel sluggish/tired when I have pasta.

There's nothing wrong with that. People just take issue with the term paleo as it has a lot of bs claims that go along with it.

[Brofessor]

Just stop calling it the paleo diet. The Paleo diet, as marketed by Loren Cordain, is just another over-exaggerated low carb diet with a silly name. You'll catch a lot less flak telling people you cut back on pasta because it ****s up your insulin levels than telling people you're following the paleo diet.

[MachetePower]

Irritable bowel syndrome? Nah don't think so brah. I don't have serious problems at all when I eat grains, it's just that I feel less bloated, less lethargic, have more energy and focus when I don't eat grains. I've lived my whole life with grains, I haven't felt terrible and sad but I sure feel a difference when I don't eat grains.

Then maybe you do have slight IBS, there is no test for it. Its symptomatic.

[jeffreyweee]

Oh my goodness. Just stop.

You know what the best part of science or being a scientist is? Our results are independent of mentally deficient internet trolls who think they know something because they read a couple stickies on bb.com that perpetuate a misapplication, and gross oversimplification of the system involved, of a Law of Thermodynamic.

The name of the PEER REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION IS: Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A to Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial

Here's part of the abstract from the paper:

OBJECTIVE:
To compare 4 weight-loss diets representing a spectrum of low to high carbohydrate intake for effects on weight loss and related metabolic variables.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:

Twelve-month randomized trial conducted in the United States from February 2003 to October 2005 among 311 free-living, overweight/obese (body mass index, 27-40) nondiabetic, premenopausal women.

INTERVENTION:
Participants were randomly assigned to follow the Atkins (n = 77), Zone (n = 79), LEARN (n = 79), or Ornish (n = 76) diets and received weekly instruction for 2 months, then an additional 10-month follow-up.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Weight loss at 12 months was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included lipid profile (low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels), percentage of body fat, waist-hip ratio, fasting insulin and glucose levels, and blood pressure. Outcomes were assessed at months 0, 2, 6, and 12. The Tukey studentized range test was used to adjust for multiple testing.

RESULTS:
Weight loss was greater for women in the Atkins diet group compared with the other diet groups at 12 months, and mean 12-month weight loss was significantly different between the Atkins and Zone diets (P<.05). Mean 12-month weight loss was as follows: Atkins, -4.7 kg (95% confidence interval [CI], -6.3 to -3.1 kg), Zone, -1.6 kg (95% CI, -2.8 to -0.4 kg), LEARN, -2.6 kg (-3.8 to -1.3 kg), and Ornish, -2.2 kg (-3.6 to -0.8 kg). Weight loss was not statistically different among the Zone, LEARN, and Ornish groups. At 12 months, secondary outcomes for the Atkins group were comparable with or more favorable than the other diet groups.

CONCLUSIONS:
In this study, premenopausal overweight and obese women assigned to follow the Atkins diet, which had the lowest carbohydrate intake, lost more weight at 12 months than women assigned to follow the Zone diet, and had experienced comparable or more favorable metabolic effects than those assigned to the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets [corrected] While questions remain about long-term effects and mechanisms, a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet may be considered a feasible alternative recommendation for weight loss.

It is very important to emphasize this: A direct quote from the paper: "Total energy intake was not different among diet groups at baseline or any subsequent time point (P>.40 for all)" That is to say there was no statistical difference in their change in energy, or Cals out - cals in. Therefore by most peoples assumption weight loss cannot be statistically significant and apparently, inferring from your bolding, there cannot be statistically significant changes in metabolic markers.

It is noted within the paper that every metabolic factor / health measurement made showed Atkins dieters as the healthiest of all diets whether it be blood pressure, LDL/HDL or waistline.

More direct quotes from the paper: At all time points, the statistically significant findings for HDL-C and triglycerides concentrations favored the Atkins group (Table 3). Changes in LDL-C concentrations at 2 months favored the LEARN and Ornish diets over the Atkins diet; however, these differences diminished and were no longer significant at 6 and 12 months.

"Parallel to the group changes in weight, the decrease in mean blood pressure levels was largest in the Atkins group at all time points. At 12 months, the decrease in systolic blood pressure was significantly greater for the Atkins group than for any other group. For diastolic pressure, the only significant pairwise difference at 12 months favored the Atkins over the Ornish group."

It's important to note that this is not a outlier as a study by any means. There are several other studies this past decade that draw the same conclusion, this was just the biggest, most complete study, to date on the topic. Also, what's more interesting is the lead author and investigator was a vegetarian when he began and published this study - not some paleo/atkins slave.


I'd also like to note that the ignorant sheep that refuse to read, learn and understand for themselves and call anything they don't believe to be "bro science" only perpetuates the obesity and health concerns this very forums is trying to correct. I'm only at 3 red bars currently for questioning the bro-code here, I was really hoping for full red.

[jobronze]

I don't see what the big deal is wanting to reduce processed foods from ones diet. Why is that stupid? Paleo might be a fad, but the principles are not. We have major medical issues completely avoidable through diet alone, and cutting down processed foods is a great way to achieve optimal health.

However 2 underlying goals at hand here.

Bodybuilding vs healthy long term living.

Frankly you can bodybuild and get ripped eating anything really... CICO+Genetics. But people forget that the original bodybuilding moments came about from the search for a HEALTHIER body, not just the outside


If man made it.. don't eat it. - Jack Lalane Look how long that MoFO kept kicking.

On a personal note, I'm way less bloated 99% gluten and dairy free.

[CAlexRose]

My doctor has me on a Paleo diet and its great for people with certain food allergies and autoimmune disorders. I have multiple sclerosis and intolerant to dairy and gluten. I also have PCOS/insulin resistance. Not eating soy, dairy, soy, grains, legumes sugar, starches (except yams) etc, and filling up with veggies, some fruits and good quality proteins has done so much for me and my health. I don't believe that we're meant to eat everything just because its sold in a grocery store. If you feel good not eating grains, don't eat it. They're not essential to your health. Some people will never understand that due to their undying need to eat bread, pasta, etc. When you get a chance, read "Wheat Belly" by William Davis, MD.

With that said, you can gain weight on most "diets" and you can gain weight on Paleo. If you eat too much sweets and too many calories, you can still pack on the weight.

[Bossman3]

Again, I feel ****ty when I eat grains (pasta/bread/...). I don't see how I can go wrong if I eat meat, fish, chicken, milk, fruit, veggies, nuts, healthy fats, etc... That's a healthier diet than what 95% of the population have. I don't have IBS or celiac disease but I do feel sluggish/tired when I have pasta.

Remember, the best diet is the one you stick with.

Last year (June) I developed an intolerance to lactose, but only when I drank milk or had Ice cream; cheese, yogurt and other dairy products didn't affect me. When I had milk or ice cream, I got all bloated, constipated and all the fun other stomach problems. I cut them all out completely, except for cheese (my kryponite), and I never had another symptom since.

When I started my lifestyle change last year (March), I ate "clean" and ate whole grain wheat products, lowered caloric intake and cut out caloric heavy beverages etc...In November 2012 I started a 98% paleo (remember...cheese) diet. It has been now 3 months and along with Crossfit training, I have lost 20#. I feel wayy better than I did when I was "clean" eating. Like you said ^^^, I feel sluggish, tired, bloated, constipated, gross, all the above when ever I have bread, cakes, grains etc...I've had regular visits with my primary care physician (every 2 months since february 2012) and he is astonished by my transformation. I beat diabetes type II, all my blood work levels have been textbook normal since September and my Doc cleared me from it. My skin much healthier, clear from blemishes, my hair is fuller, the color is crisper (like a pantene pro v commercial). I have more energy, I sleep better and I feel amazing. PALEO is definitely the way to go.

Every week I do the same thing, I buy a bunch of fresh vegetables. I cut most of them up and put them into a freezer ziploc bag. I buy whatever meat I fancy: fish atleast once a week, lean beef, organic chicken, pork and organic turkey meat. I eat steamed, broiled or stir fried (olive oil) vegetables with the meat (seasoned of course). I eat no bread, no grains, no legumes and no dairy (aside from cheese XD).

Stick with paleo if it works for you. I promote paleo to anyone who wants to cut or build (i know people who are strick paleo and have built amazing muscle definition). If you have any questions on Paleo, PM me. Ive disciplined myself soo well with Paleo I do it without thinking, at restaurants, bbqs, family dinners, everywhere. Keep it up man, you can do it.

[naturalguy]

People get too hung up on the name Paleo and the theories behind it but if you took away the name and didn't say eat this way because caveman did then it would get a very different reaction.

When you look at it objectively and see that it's about eating quality protein, veggies, fruit and healthy fats, even potatoes how can you argue that is bad????

Look if you feel better on it then by all means continue. For myself there is a big difference in how I feel based on certain foods. You are smart to listen to your body.

Programs like paleo, keto, weight watchers, etc. are all ways to help people control their calories and there is nothing wrong with that. People should not be discouraged from it. Believe it or not, not everyone wants to count calories and "macros bro".

Whatever helps people be consistent and reach their goals is a good thing.

[koh19]

People get too hung up on the name Paleo and the theories behind it but if you took away the name and didn't say eat this way because caveman did then it would get a very different reaction.

When you look at it objectively and see that it's about eating quality protein, veggies, fruit and healthy fats, even potatoes how can you argue that is bad????

Look if you feel better on it then by all means continue. For myself there is a big difference in how I feel based on certain foods. You are smart to listen to your body.

Programs like paleo, keto, weight watchers, etc. are all ways to help people control their calories and there is nothing wrong with that. People should not be discouraged from it. Believe it or not, not everyone wants to count calories and "macros bro".

Whatever helps people be consistent and reach their goals is a good thing.

Exactly, I'm just removing grains which make me feel iffy. I'll still be eating a very healthy diet. I might even see amazing results at the gym if I'm not gonna be constantly bloated/irritated from eating bread/pasta.

[naturalguy]

Exactly, I'm just removing grains which make me feel iffy. I'll still be eating a very healthy diet. I might even see amazing results at the gym if I'm not gonna be constantly bloated/irritated from eating bread/pasta.

Absolutely, I am all for anything that improves performance in the gym.

[Silvance1]

First time I did paleo I went from a normal caloric deficit diet to pure paleo. I lost (and I'm completely serious) 14 lbs in 6 days and 2 inches off my waist. I still haven't figured out what all that weight was, because that's not a normal amount of water weight for someone who was already dieting in the first place. A lot of people have said it was "bloat," but failed to elaborate further on what exactly "bloat" is.

A month later I went to Zaxby's after being strictly paleo. I ate some breaded chicken fingers and then threw up because of how intolerant I'd become to gluten in that amount of time.

This could all just be attributed to cleaning up my diet but who knows. One thing I did get out of paleo is a weekly IF day, and after my first IF day my appetite was significantly suppressed for the rest of the diet.

[MDGCT]

My BIO personal nutrition professor (Ph.d) was talking mad sht about the paleo diet this week in class. I think your body's better off when you're not excluding food sources.

I totally agree! There isn't a huge amount of science around the Paleo diet & eating while foods is great but don't leave out the essentials. You may just be making this harder on yourself without reason.

Are you on a BCAA mix? I started taking Xtend throughout the day (not just during workouts) & found I was digesting a massive amount of food with greater ease. I'd give it a try & see if it helps.

[WonderPug]

People get too hung up on the name Paleo and the theories behind it but if you took away the name and didn't say eat this way because caveman did then it would get a very different reaction.

Not exactly.

The objections are to the arbitrary exclusion of foods and the disingenuous assertions of unique benefits imparted by said exclusions.

[koh19]

First time I did paleo I went from a normal caloric deficit diet to pure paleo. I lost (and I'm completely serious) 14 lbs in 6 days and 2 inches off my waist. I still haven't figured out what all that weight was, because that's not a normal amount of water weight for someone who was already dieting in the first place. A lot of people have said it was "bloat," but failed to elaborate further on what exactly "bloat" is.

A month later I went to Zaxby's after being strictly paleo. I ate some breaded chicken fingers and then threw up because of how intolerant I'd become to gluten in that amount of time.

This could all just be attributed to cleaning up my diet but who knows. One thing I did get out of paleo is a weekly IF day, and after my first IF day my appetite was significantly suppressed for the rest of the diet.

Holy cow, 14 lbs in 6 days! Yikes that's amazing.

[Silvance1]

Not exactly.

The objections are to the arbitrary exclusion of foods and the disingenuous assertions of unique benefits imparted by said exclusions.

Which is why the 30 day trial run on paleo is there. Some people digest grains and dairies just fine with no side effects at all. Some people (supposedly 85% of the population) are in some way lactose intolerant. Many people have varying degrees of gluten intolerance or straight out celiacs disease. Whether or not you turn paleo into a lifestyle depends entirely on your own body and your own set of tolerances.

Holy cow, 14 lbs in 6 days! Yikes that's amazing.

Yeah. I know that as much as none of it was actual fat, but the mirror test did show a significant change in my overall size, so something happened.

[WonderPug]

Which is why the 30 day trial run on paleo is there. Some people digest grains and dairies just fine with no side effects at all. Some people (supposedly 85% of the population) are in some way lactose intolerant. Many people have varying degrees of gluten intolerance or straight out celiacs disease. Whether or not you turn paleo into a lifestyle depends entirely on your own body and your own set of tolerances.

That has nothing to do with "paleo". That's just restricting intake of specific compounds due to individual adverse reactions.

First time I did paleo I went from a normal caloric deficit diet to pure paleo. I lost (and I'm completely serious) 14 lbs in 6 days and 2 inches off my waist. I still haven't figured out what all that weight was, because that's not a normal amount of water weight for someone who was already dieting in the first place. A lot of people have said it was "bloat," but failed to elaborate further on what exactly "bloat" is.

Congratulations on losing about 12 pounds of water weight.