Anyone follow a Paleo diet?

StillRachB · ‎07-21-2016

I’m overweight and my joints and muscles always ache. The doctor suggested a Paleo diet to reduce inflammation and shed some weight, but he didn’t give me much guidance other than “you may want to try Paleo.” The problem is, I don’t eat a ton of meat. I eat no poultry. Fish once or twice a week, and beef *maybe* once a week. Eggs about three times a week. I prefer veggies, fruits and grains. Paleo eliminates grains. Does anyone here follow a Paleo diet? Does your body feel better? Any tips for success?

jackthebear · ‎03-11-2010

losing some weight will help your joints and muscles no matter what diet you undertake

phoenixbrd · ‎03-27-2010

I don't follow a paleo diet for the very reasons you stated....I don't eat meat/dairy. I eat lots of whole fresh food, lots of fruits and veggies, and I feel great. If you are hungry add a yummy baked potato. or add a few yukon golds or a cup of beans to your salad. If weight loss is your goal, you can begin by adding more whole foods to your plate and less processed food. I keep an oil free dressing that I make in the refrig as well as salsa that I can add to veggies, salad, or potato. I certainly wouldn't eat paleo especially if pain relief is your goal. I keep my food/meals very simple for health/cruelty free reasons. I find simple whole foods = pain free and weight loss.

Set a one month goal for yourself and see how you feel at the end of the month. Weight loss is possible and I'll bet you feel better. Just stating what has worked for me. Wish you much success!

jackthebear · ‎03-11-2010

@phoenixbrd wrote:

I don't follow a paleo diet for the very reasons you stated....I don't eat meat/dairy. I concentrate on eating lots of whole fresh food, lots of fruits and veggies, and I feel great.

sensible approach

Sweetbay magnolia · ‎04-14-2013

I really think a lot depends on your age. What my body does at 59 is not the same as it was even 10 years ago.

I have hypothyroidism (and lest anyone should suspect that I am dreaming that up or that "diet could have fixed that", no).

I have advancing arthritis. I have been healthy over time but it runs in my family. I have worked physically demanding jobs in all nature of weather for 30 years. If you have never worked in below freezing weather, or wet weather, for long shifts at a time (I'm not talking about work around the house), well, it takes its toll. No time nor money to tweak dietary restrictions. We go well beyond the normal endurance on a frequent basis.

That said, I do feel better with some beef in the diet but I try to stick to lean meats/fish, little dairy, and many fuits/veggies. I like whole wheat but I do think it raises inflammation in my body so I feel better when I eat it minimally.

Cogito ergo sum

dsw503 · ‎08-18-2010

Yes, I have been eating Paleo for 4 years. I started by following Whole30 (30 days of strictly following Paleo) and then adding in things I hadn't been eating (like grains, dairy, beans) to see how my body reacted. Most valuable for me for was reducing inflammation and I do feel better. Google Whole30 for more info about Paleo.

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

@jackthebear wrote:
@phoenixbrd wrote:

I don't follow a paleo diet for the very reasons you stated....I don't eat meat/dairy. I concentrate on eating lots of whole fresh food, lots of fruits and veggies, and I feel great.
sensible approach

ITA.

Low Fat, Whole Foods, Plant Based.

For me...lots of starches, beans, fruit/veg for long-term health.

Winkk · ‎03-15-2010

Do you keep a food diary? I know it sounds like a simple thing to do but it is very eye opening. I use MyFitnessPal.com. You enter what foods you are eating for the day and it shows how many calories, carbs, fat, etc you are eating. If you are over in some categories then you adjust your diet.

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@StillRachB I don't do Paleo but something close to it. I have completely reshaped my body in the past few months by getting rid of dairy, grains, and sugar. I am not overweight but I have definitely lost about 10 pounds and have to make sure I eat enough to keep it so I am not going too far down.

Out of the things you listed that you do eat, the grains are what you want to try and get rid of. More and more science is pointing to grains as very inflammatory to the gut and thereby causing havoc in other parts of the body. It's probably your culprit.

Other inflammatory foods outside of grains are dairy, corn, and sugar. If you can ditch them, you'll probably see a difference.

And before you panic, if you bake, it is very easy to make a quick bread or muffins or pitas out of almond flour, coconut flour, garbanzo bean flour, etc.

If you don't bake, it's literally throw some ingredients together, pour into a bread pan and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Super simple to do to learn and do.

I just made some pumpkin almond bread and I'll be making almond flour crackers this weekend. No grains and my body is very happy. Good Luck!

QueenDanceALot · ‎04-18-2013

Recently, scientists have learned that fat (the fat on your body, not the fat you eat) is an active endocrine organ, one that can secrete many proteins and chemicals, including cytokines, a very pro-inflammatory protein.

The adipose tissue on your body releases these inflammatory cytokines. If you are overfat (meaning your bodyfat percentage is high - a separate measurement than your body weight), researchers call this resulting release of cytokines, "a state of low grade, chronic inflammation".

So, bodyfat has been identified (and particularly, visceal bodyfat) as a major cause of inflammation AND of a compromised immune system. Scientists have been able to measure reduction in inflammation when bodyfat is reduced.

The major takeaway is that body composition is key to inflammation levels. Ideal bodyfat levels for women fall between 18 and 28%. When you lose body weight you will inevitably lose both lean body tissue (muscle, bone, water) as well as bodyfat, so your percentage of bodyfat may not change much. This used to be called "skinny fat" (and still is, in some circles). So, proper exercise to build and preserve muscle mass as well as bone density is necessary as well as diet adherence.

If you like fruits and vegetables and are not a fan of animal protein, then you may very well want to go the plant based, high carb (WHOLE FOOD carbs, not flour and other processed carbohydrates - but fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans) low fat direction. Lots of info online to do this way of eating.

I find that people do not do well on any diet where the foods are not something that appeal to them. I know I don't like to eat things that, well, I don't like!

You do have to keep in mind, though, that eating a heavy grain diet won't work for weight loss if you eat high fat. But lots of people seem to have weight loss success with the high carb low fat plan. I lost some weight on that way of eating (even though that wasn't what I wanted). But now I've cut out grains and high starch, so I eat a much higher fat content. I am not doing it for weight loss, though.