100% Paleo....I just cannot do it

[brickboy240]

Yes...I tried living totally "Paleo" for 2 months and found that I just cannot do this.

Why?

Well as one that has a very busy lifestyle and not tons of time to "source" food or prepare foods...this diet is too time consuming. It is also way too limiting for my lifestyle.

Another thing I have found is that it is fairly expensive. The meat and produce areas of the grocery store are the most expensive areas.

I did find that the best take-away from Paleo is the idea that we should eat things that are not processed or least processed and to stay away from too much processed sugars or processed starches. I am NOT going to dump Paleo completely, but modify it so that I am still eating mostly foods that are naturally occurring and staying away from highly processed foods.

(I gave up Cokes a long time ago and have never been a huge cake, pie or dessert guy to begin with. I also don't east fast food so giving up those things for Paleo was never a problem.)

I also found that doing without some whole grains and doing without dairy did not affect my digestive tract at all. Apparently, I am not lactose intolerant nor do I have allergies related to wheat.

I will still eat things like yogurt, corn and beans. Not all the time but now and then. If you choose these foods carefully, there ARE many nutrients, anti-oxidants and fiber to be gained from eating them in moderation.

So I am glad I tried Paleo and did quite a bit of research before doing so. If you are 100% Paleo and like it....great. I just found it too restrictive and not for me and my lifestyle. This lifestyle might also help those with diabetes or lactose intolerance or other health problems that I do not have.

I do think the gist of Paleo is correct - man needs to eat more natural things and forgo the synthetic and processed foods. For that part of Paleo...I think my foray into it was worth it and I plan on sticking with this aspect.

Anybody else doing a modified Paleo styled diet like this?

Thanks,

-Brickboy240

[shaneinhisroom]

My basic rules of eating: Eat foods that are quickly spoilable, shop mostly on the outer perimeter of the grocery, and eat 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fats.

[WillBrink]

Yes...I tried living totally "Paleo" for 2 months and found that I just cannot do this.

Why?

Real Q is, why would you try? There's no real basis in science for many of the recs of (supposed) "Paleo" diets. Some pros/cons to the approach, so use what actually makes sense and don't sweat it. See:

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=127868

[theblackknight]

Paleo is a fad diet.

sent from mah gun,using my sights

[TxRaptor]

I tried paleo because I had never had any experience or formal diet/nutritional instruction. Being weary I read and researched it. I found accounts that were proponents of both sides and decided to try it just like BrickBoy240.

I am not a proponent for 100% paleo.

In my opinion, only you can really understand the affects that a diet change has on your body. While we are all roughly built the same, we don't necessarily handle everything like each other. I am lactose intolerant but I enjoy dairy. When I did paleo and opted to not have dairy then my stool and pains from dairy went away.

What I did learn is that paleo is a nice foundation to start for cleaning up ones diet. I, like the OP, found it to be very time consuming, expensive, and not really joyful. What I took out of it was to eat more non processed foods because my body feels better when I eat cleaner. However I also learned that it is not sustainable nor sane to try and be 100% paleo all the time.

We all need to eat something janky (like a donut, burrito, pie, etc.) every now and then. The key is to not eat bad ALL the time.

As someone who works out 2+ hours everyday, I very quickly can tell if I ate correctly and enough when I start working out. On days I let my diet be a little more "dirty", I feel sluggish and tend to run out of energy quicker. On days I eat healthy, I feel stronger and more energetic.

All my opinions here:
Is paleo for everyone? No.
Is paleo sustainable for life? No, unless you can afford it and are willing to spend the time for food preparation
Does paleo work? For me, yes it did. I now follow a slightly modified paleo diet For you, only you can know that.

I follow what WillBrink had posted in his thread on Paleo:

eat fresh foods when possible, eat a diversity of foods, eat whole foods.

[brickboy240]

Yes...like most things Will has offered up...his advice rings the truest.

However, I had to see what it was like since I was already pretty close to Paleo (minus my occasional yogurt and oatmeal).

The best take-away I got from it was to eat whole foods and foods that are closer to how you would find them in nature.

Also, Paleo proponents say no corn or no bread. However, the ancient Mayans and Incans ground corn and long grains and baked a sort of flat bread.

The Paleo websites also say that wheat of today is not at all like original wheat of 10,000 years ago. Ok...well do you think that the expensive grass fed, organic beef you buy in a store today exactly mimics the red meat animals killed by Paleo man? I seriously doubt it.

Another goof is that turkey meat is "Paleo-safe" to eat. However, up until about 500 years ago....most of Europe and Asia had never eaten turkeys because there were none in those regions!

Also, wouldn't Paleo man living in the area that is modern day Alaska eat an VERY different make-up of foods than man living in what is now modern day Brazil? I think so. So why the generic "Paleo-man approved' diet foods? Sort of a one size fits all menu?

Then there is the whole fad-ish idea that there are groups of nutritious foods we are to totally avoid. Peanuts? Beans? Even Hummus and oatmeal? Sorry, but there are vitamins, fiber, anti-oxidants and other goodies in those foods.

So yeah, I had to try it and parts of it make total sense. Living strictly by it made no sense at all. I want yogurt and a piece of whole grain bread now and then, dammit! LOL

It used to be that fat was the enemy of the day, then it was carbs, now it is gluten. In a year or so...everyone will say gluten is ok and something ELSE will be the new enemy. I am sensing a pattern here.

This plan might be ok for some but like most other fads....I think I will leave it alone.

[WillBrink]

Yes...like most things Will has offered up...his advice rings the truest.

However, I had to see what it was like since I was already pretty close to Paleo (minus my occasional yogurt and oatmeal).

The best take-away I got from it was to eat whole foods and foods that are closer to how you would find them in nature.

Also, Paleo proponents say no corn or no bread. However, the ancient Mayans and Incans ground corn and long grains and baked a sort of flat bread.

The Paleo websites also say that wheat of today is not at all like original wheat of 10,000 years ago. Ok...well do you think that the expensive grass fed, organic beef you buy in a store today exactly mimics the red meat animals killed by Paleo man? I seriously doubt it.

Another goof is that turkey meat is "Paleo-safe" to eat. However, up until about 500 years ago....most of Europe and Asia had never eaten turkeys because there were none in those regions!

Also, wouldn't Paleo man living in the area that is modern day Alaska eat an VERY different make-up of foods than man living in what is now modern day Brazil? I think so. So why the generic "Paleo-man approved' diet foods? Sort of a one size fits all menu?

Then there is the whole fad-ish idea that there are groups of nutritious foods we are to totally avoid. Peanuts? Beans? Even Hummus and oatmeal? Sorry, but there are vitamins, fiber, anti-oxidants and other goodies in those foods.

So yeah, I had to try it and parts of it make total sense. Living strictly by it made no sense at all. I want yogurt and a piece of whole grain bread now and then, dammit! LOL

It used to be that fat was the enemy of the day, then it was carbs, now it is gluten. In a year or so...everyone will say gluten is ok and something ELSE will be the new enemy. I am sensing a pattern here.

This plan might be ok for some but like most other fads....I think I will leave it alone.

I think your post shows what happens when one starts to look at "Paleo" with a critical eye: it falls apart like a house O cards.

[brickboy240]

I really think that most fat people would not BE fat if they cut out all fast foods and soft drinks.

Those things alone are the root of problems for many overweight people I know. It is unbelievable how much soft drinks some people put down in a 24 hour period.

I even kept my daughter out of fast food joints for the most part when she was really young. At age 15, she never craves McDonalds, does not touch soda and is of the mindset that "that is the food that fat people eat...yuck."

-brickboy240

[Boba Fett v2]

There was a guy in my former unit who was on a strict Paleo diet, and that little mother$&#@er was a beast!

[Moltke]

I did a hardcore paleo diet for a month last year and I didn't lose any weight, but I did feel good during it. No junk food, no soda, no processed anything. Just meat, veggies, nuts, fruits, (and some beer).