If I were describing a diet that people thrived on for 2.6 million years, "unsustainable" would not be the first word that came to mind.
You know why it's not sustainable? It's difficult to stay consistent on this diet given the modern lifestyle. You have to go out of your way to avoid sugary, processesed foods and/or grains.I was doing a good job on this type of diet between May and November of last year. Around mid November, my sweet tooth got the best of me and I finally started dipping into the kids Halloween candy. Shortly after that was Thanksgiving, with all of the stuffing, pies, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, etc. Just after that was Christmas which includes egg nog, Christmas cookies, and holiday feasts. Also Christmas related was a huge road trip - driving from Charlotte, NC to basically Ft Myers, FL and then to Nashville, TN before coming back to Charlotte. It's really, really hard to stay on track when you are eating on the road and fast-food is your only real option.This 6 or 7 stretch of falling off the wagon, so to speak, was enough for me to pack back on 4-5 lbs.
I think the paleo/primal lifestyle is sustainable, what is not sustainable is people's focus and willpower to adapt to the way of eating long term. If you go into the paleo/primal lifestyle as a 'diet' that you will only stay on for a certain period of time to achieve your goal weight then go back to your original way of eating, then yes you will gain weight and after a period of time will likely weigh more than your original weight.The carb binge that you went on around the holidays does not speak to the sustainability of the lifestyle, it speaks more to your lack of willpower to avoid those foods. If you subscribe to this way of living, then you believe those desserts and other carbohydrates are major contributors to inflammation, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, etc. so avoiding them is essential to long term health and wellness. I used to have a big sweet tooth too, and over time my palette adjusted and my desire for sweets greatly diminished.Also I don't buy the fact that the lifestyle is not sustainable if you have to travel as I travel between 75 - 100k miles a year for my job and I am able to find the right foods and maintain the paleo/primal lifestyle while I am on the road.
yes, I have very little will-power (which is odd since that's the name of two of my fantasy football teams). I will readily admit that. A diet that is sustainable long term has to account for that.don't get me wrong - I lost about 15 lbs prior to my binge, which on my frame is quite a lot. i'm not at all in bad shape even after adding 4-5 more lbs. It wasn't a complete slip, I knew what I was eating wasn't the best. I know that you are allowed "cheat days"; I just had too many consecutive cheat days to the point where the exception became the rule.What really got me though was the traveling bit. That is something I really struggled with. I'd like to hear tips on maintaining healthy eating habits while on the road.
If my traveling involves flying, then I get to the airport a little earlier so that way I can sit down at one of the airport restaurants and have breakfast/lunch/dinner. These places have a larger selection of choices that I can work with. If you get to the airport late and have little time before you board, then you will go run to Subway (or the like) to grab something quick. At the restaurants, I will usually go for a burger, no bun, and swap the fries out for a Cesar salad. I have to fly to California a lot for my job so I usually will bring a small pack of nuts (no peanuts) in case I get hungry on the 5 1/2 hour flight.When I am traveling, I usually do research on places around the office and the hotel so I can find a couple of good restaurants to eat while I am there. I have the luxury of visiting the same cities & hotels when I travel so the restaurants I identify serve me during my multiple trips during the year. If I can't go out for some reason, hotel room service is usually an option. Most hotels have a cobb salad on the menu which is low carb and high protein.I will give you traveling by car can be a challenge but with smartphones, GPS, etc. finding a good place to eat is much easier than it was in the decades prior. When I travel by car, I avoid the usual suspects, McD's/Wendy's/Burger King etc. and try to find other places. If I can find a Chipotle then I get a bowl with no rice or beans, extra fajita veggies, double meat, tomato salsa, green & red salsa, and guac. If I can find a Panera bread then I get a large salad. Now obviously it is hard to eat a bowl or salad while driving down the interstate so you have to be purposeful to stop, sit, and eat. A lot of times, places have other ethnic restaurants where I can find good options as well.