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Paleo / Primal Blueprint type diets (1 Viewer)

I recently dropped 70 LBs on the diet (high carb, little meat) I was on but had recently plateaued and couldn't take the last 15-20 LBs off (yes, I was huge).I just switched to the Primal Lifestyle on Saturday and so far I feel like I have been eating like a pig. I have lost 1 LB in 4 days thus far with no negative signs. I read Marksdailyapple for about 3 days before I switched and everything he was saying made sense. I will say that I have felt more satisfied in the last 4 day than I did at anytime on the previous diet. I just have to keep pounding into my brain that fat is good. Also, I was running like a mad man and could feel the toll it was taking on my body. With the Primal blueprint fitness program, I will be much easier on myself which should produce better results.
Update? Are you still on this, and is it still working? Curious to hear more success stories from folks on paleo/primal.

Also, is there value in a modified paleo/primal that is more regular-life friendly? I don't really care about the gluten stuff, and I don't want to have to be perusing gluten-free food aisles or avoiding regular beers, etc. I'm fine with cutting out most or all dairy -- the only dairy I have anyone is a tiny bit of milk in my coffee in the morning. And going low carb makes a whole lot of sense to me. I suppose maybe what I'm looking at is a paleo-atkins hybrid, with lots of meat and vegetables, and good carbs instead of no carbs (i.e., a dish with sweet potato and turkey is fine; not a bag of cookies).

Thoughts from the gurus in here? TIA
I think you are on the right track. Sweet potatoes are pretty good source or carbs. The problem with Atkins is the stuff like hot dogs and processed crap like the shakes. The Paleo is more work to be sure but you know what is healthy and which isn't right? I mean you know what's better between a hot dog and a ribeye right? French fries and broccoli? Shamrock shake and all fruit smoothly? .
This makes sense to me. For instance, my wife started whipping up these delicious breakfast shakes for me a couple of weeks ago that I had to stop to try out atkins -- almond milk, a tiny bit of almond butter, a banana, flax seeds, and ice, all blended. They taste fantastic, and the ingredients seem like pretty healthy, balanced and reasonable ones to me. :shrug: But atkins won't allow for it.
Exactly, but you could eat 6 hotdogs without the bun and that's ok. Atkins is all about ketosis. Which I think is more or less a body hack. It works in the short term no doubt. But no way a hot dog is healthier for you than a banana.

 
I recently dropped 70 LBs on the diet (high carb, little meat) I was on but had recently plateaued and couldn't take the last 15-20 LBs off (yes, I was huge).I just switched to the Primal Lifestyle on Saturday and so far I feel like I have been eating like a pig. I have lost 1 LB in 4 days thus far with no negative signs. I read Marksdailyapple for about 3 days before I switched and everything he was saying made sense. I will say that I have felt more satisfied in the last 4 day than I did at anytime on the previous diet. I just have to keep pounding into my brain that fat is good. Also, I was running like a mad man and could feel the toll it was taking on my body. With the Primal blueprint fitness program, I will be much easier on myself which should produce better results.
Update? Are you still on this, and is it still working? Curious to hear more success stories from folks on paleo/primal.

Also, is there value in a modified paleo/primal that is more regular-life friendly? I don't really care about the gluten stuff, and I don't want to have to be perusing gluten-free food aisles or avoiding regular beers, etc. I'm fine with cutting out most or all dairy -- the only dairy I have anyone is a tiny bit of milk in my coffee in the morning. And going low carb makes a whole lot of sense to me. I suppose maybe what I'm looking at is a paleo-atkins hybrid, with lots of meat and vegetables, and good carbs instead of no carbs (i.e., a dish with sweet potato and turkey is fine; not a bag of cookies).

Thoughts from the gurus in here? TIA
I think you are on the right track. Sweet potatoes are pretty good source or carbs. The problem with Atkins is the stuff like hot dogs and processed crap like the shakes. The Paleo is more work to be sure but you know what is healthy and which isn't right? I mean you know what's better between a hot dog and a ribeye right? French fries and broccoli? Shamrock shake and all fruit smoothly? .
This makes sense to me. For instance, my wife started whipping up these delicious breakfast shakes for me a couple of weeks ago that I had to stop to try out atkins -- almond milk, a tiny bit of almond butter, a banana, flax seeds, and ice, all blended. They taste fantastic, and the ingredients seem like pretty healthy, balanced and reasonable ones to me. :shrug: But atkins won't allow for it.
Exactly, but you could eat 6 hotdogs without the bun and that's ok. Atkins is all about ketosis. Which I think is more or less a body hack. It works in the short term no doubt. But no way a hot dog is healthier for you than a banana.
Hack is exactly the way a personal trainer buddy of mine described it. And he said once you reintroduce carbs, the weight will automatically pour back on.

 
As I mentioned in the other thread, I once lost about 60 pounds in the course of 6 months following primal diet, while still drinking quite heavily. I think the key to rapid weight loss though is to utilize tools like intermittent fasting and simple protein shakes to break through plateaus you reach. I find the primal diet to be both intuitive and easy to follow.

After years of reading your weight loss exploits, I'm glad to see you are onto the right path. No shtick.

 
If you are going to do this plan for the long haul. If you are going to stop once the weight is off then don't do it.

Do what you will be successful doing. Forever.

 
As I mentioned in the other thread, I once lost about 60 pounds in the course of 6 months following primal diet, while still drinking quite heavily. I think the key to rapid weight loss though is to utilize tools like intermittent fasting and simple protein shakes to break through plateaus you reach. I find the primal diet to be both intuitive and easy to follow.

After years of reading your weight loss exploits, I'm glad to see you are onto the right path. No shtick.
Thanks man. I'll sift through this thread some more, but is there a current "favorite" website that breaks down primal for dumb guys like me? I just need the basics -- I'm not the kind of guy who is going to read labels for gluten, or who is going to be exacting and start measuring and weighing out my meals, but some basics and guidance would be helpful.

If you are going to do this plan for the long haul. If you are going to stop once the weight is off then don't do it.

Do what you will be successful doing. Forever.
I guess that's why my buddy convinced me to pass on Atkins. My plan was to use atkins to kick-start a diet and then level out over time into a relaxed diet that works. According to him, that will never work, and the second I get out of ketosis and start to take in carbs of any kind, I'll blow right back up. That's exactly what I don't want.

 
I've always preferred Mark's Daily Apple, since reading a link MT posted to it years back. His book, The Primal Blueprint was pretty quick though I'm sure there is a more updated version out.

 
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As I mentioned in the other thread, I once lost about 60 pounds in the course of 6 months following primal diet, while still drinking quite heavily. I think the key to rapid weight loss though is to utilize tools like intermittent fasting and simple protein shakes to break through plateaus you reach. I find the primal diet to be both intuitive and easy to follow.

After years of reading your weight loss exploits, I'm glad to see you are onto the right path. No shtick.
Thanks man. I'll sift through this thread some more, but is there a current "favorite" website that breaks down primal for dumb guys like me? I just need the basics -- I'm not the kind of guy who is going to read labels for gluten, or who is going to be exacting and start measuring and weighing out my meals, but some basics and guidance would be helpful.

If you are going to do this plan for the long haul. If you are going to stop once the weight is off then don't do it.

Do what you will be successful doing. Forever.
I guess that's why my buddy convinced me to pass on Atkins. My plan was to use atkins to kick-start a diet and then level out over time into a relaxed diet that works. According to him, that will never work, and the second I get out of ketosis and start to take in carbs of any kind, I'll blow right back up. That's exactly what I don't want.
just us mfp, estimate when you have to. If you are not eating a balanced diet mfp will tell you. If you are under or over eating mfp will tell you.Discipline.

 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?

 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?
i run.
 
I have done a poor job of strength training though, happens in the winter. I will be better once it warms up. Push ups, lunges, squats, planks, burpees, and mountain climbers intermittently while jogging in the park. Still doing my morning ab routine, but that's really it. Consistently, anyway?

 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?
Give the gym another try. Less than an hour a session 3x/week is plenty to get a great whole body workout. The body weight stuff is good but there really is no substitute for lifting weights.

 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?
Give the gym another try. Less than an hour a session 3x/week is plenty to get a great whole body workout. The body weight stuff is good but there really is no substitute for lifting weights.
dpends on goals, muscle definition is easier to attain with weights though.
 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?
Give the gym another try. Less than an hour a session 3x/week is plenty to get a great whole body workout. The body weight stuff is good but there really is no substitute for lifting weights.
Maybe, but that can be hard to get to. I've never been able to be a gym guy without a workout partner, and it's been years since I had a regular gym GB.

I started doing this 7-minute workout a few weeks ago. It's awesome. Yeah it's only 7 minutes, but it's pretty intense, and I found the benefits to my legs and core after just a couple of weeks. When it got easier, I added in a couple other exercises at the end (dumbell curls and shrugs, etc.).

I've since added in this thing for under $150. You need a decent stretch of space in a basement to fit it, but I really enjoy doing it, and get a great upper body burn with it, doing just the basics (chest/flys, rows, curls). Great for burning and building lean muscle in your upper body.

So, I'm planning to morph these together starting next week, into a 20 minute or so workout around 5:30am, that is 8 minutes of the circuit stuff with another 10-15 minutes of the Total Gym workout. It gets a good burn, and will help me get a full body workout with the added upper body work I want. It's not heavy weights, but when the day comes that I'm too skinny and need to bulk up more, I'll worry about heavy weights....

Bottom line -- if I don't squeeze these things in early morning, it will never happen. I have a similar work week, a 1.5 hr commute, and a toddler and newborn. Time is not a luxury I can afford these days.

 
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Oat, can you buy a treadmill and put it in your basement or something? Wake up, quick 20 min jog and go about your day. That's what I'd do if I were you.

 
Oat, can you buy a treadmill and put it in your basement or something? Wake up, quick 20 min jog and go about your day. That's what I'd do if I were you.
I suppose I could, but I enjoy the bodyweight/strength exercises more. They get up a pretty good cardio workout, but with the resistance training, and I like the idea of putting on some upper body muscle.

 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?
Give the gym another try. Less than an hour a session 3x/week is plenty to get a great whole body workout. The body weight stuff is good but there really is no substitute for lifting weights.
Maybe, but that can be hard to get to. I've never been able to be a gym guy without a workout partner, and it's been years since I had a regular gym GB.

I started doing this 7-minute workout a few weeks ago. It's awesome. Yeah it's only 7 minutes, but it's pretty intense, and I found the benefits to my legs and core after just a couple of weeks. When it got easier, I added in a couple other exercises at the end (dumbell curls and shrugs, etc.).

I've since added in this thing for under $150. You need a decent stretch of space in a basement to fit it, but I really enjoy doing it, and get a great upper body burn with it, doing just the basics (chest/flys, rows, curls). Great for burning and building lean muscle in your upper body.

So, I'm planning to morph these together starting next week, into a 20 minute or so workout around 5:30am, that is 8 minutes of the circuit stuff with another 10-15 minutes of the Total Gym workout. It gets a good burn, and will help me get a full body workout with the added upper body work I want. It's not heavy weights, but when the day comes that I'm too skinny and need to bulk up more, I'll worry about heavy weights....

Bottom line -- if I don't squeeze these things in early morning, it will never happen. I have a similar work week, a 1.5 hr commute, and a toddler and newborn. Time is not a luxury I can afford these days.
Your plan makes sense and seems sustainable. Good luck with it.

 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?
Give the gym another try. Less than an hour a session 3x/week is plenty to get a great whole body workout. The body weight stuff is good but there really is no substitute for lifting weights.
Maybe, but that can be hard to get to. I've never been able to be a gym guy without a workout partner, and it's been years since I had a regular gym GB.

I started doing this 7-minute workout a few weeks ago. It's awesome. Yeah it's only 7 minutes, but it's pretty intense, and I found the benefits to my legs and core after just a couple of weeks. When it got easier, I added in a couple other exercises at the end (dumbell curls and shrugs, etc.).

I've since added in this thing for under $150. You need a decent stretch of space in a basement to fit it, but I really enjoy doing it, and get a great upper body burn with it, doing just the basics (chest/flys, rows, curls). Great for burning and building lean muscle in your upper body.

So, I'm planning to morph these together starting next week, into a 20 minute or so workout around 5:30am, that is 8 minutes of the circuit stuff with another 10-15 minutes of the Total Gym workout. It gets a good burn, and will help me get a full body workout with the added upper body work I want. It's not heavy weights, but when the day comes that I'm too skinny and need to bulk up more, I'll worry about heavy weights....

Bottom line -- if I don't squeeze these things in early morning, it will never happen. I have a similar work week, a 1.5 hr commute, and a toddler and newborn. Time is not a luxury I can afford these days.
Your plan makes sense and seems sustainable. Good luck with it.
Thanks. :thumbup:

 
Oat, can you buy a treadmill and put it in your basement or something? Wake up, quick 20 min jog and go about your day. That's what I'd do if I were you.
I suppose I could, but I enjoy the bodyweight/strength exercises more. They get up a pretty good cardio workout, but with the resistance training, and I like the idea of putting on some upper body muscle.
I like strength training more too, but you're not burning very many calories with a 7 min strength training workout or whatever you are doing. One thing I noticed pretty quickly using MFP was that is is way easier to hit those calorie goals on cardio days than on strength training days because strength training isn't a big calorie burner.Just my two cents.

 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?
The 7 minute workout that Tanner has been pimping seems pretty solid. I mean if you can't find 7 minutes a day for a workout then you just don't want to workout.

 
Hey Otis,

Congrats on wandering into the Paleo thread. I have been Paleo since March 2011 and I have loved every minute of it. For March, I am going into Ketosis as I have put on some weight since I have dealing with my chronic back pain and haven't been able to work out as much. Paleo has been the right lifestyle (not a diet) for me as I found that my body had many issues with the Standard American Diet. Since going Paleo, I have found out that I have sensitivities to dairy as well as gluten. Also, pre-Paleo I had IBS and that has gone away. My wife had issues with her gallbladder and since going Paleo that has resolved itself too.

As you stated earlier in the thread, you have to be really careful with how you eat going forward. If you go back to the SAD, you will put the weight on quickly. Also bouncing between Paleo and the SAD day in and day out will have similar effects. This doesn't mean you can't ever splurge, but you will learn to love it as a treat rather than a frequent occurrence.

As you get more into this and you think the diet is for you let me know. I can get you plugged into something that really helped to dial in my diet. Every person responds differently to different foods, so there is no one size fits all approach to the Paleo lifestyle. Certain foods I may not be able to eat without gaining weight you may be able to without a problem.

if you haven't come across this yet - this is a great chart for you. Mark Sisson's carbohydrate curve - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/press/the-primal-blueprint-diagrams/#axzz2uqGAd3y3

PM me with any specific questions. Good luck GB :thumbup:

 
I don't think MFP is accurate enough to use it as a measure of calories burned. What burns more calories?

I invested all of $50 bucks in resistance bands a year ago and started doing 20 minute hiit sessions with them every other day. I'm 100% sold on the benefits of hiit, particularly the very small investment in time needed. I like using the bands so much that I've increased how much I work out. Sometimes I do two a days, or ten minute sessions for the the hell of it because I'm watching tv.

 
As I mentioned in the other thread, I once lost about 60 pounds in the course of 6 months following primal diet, while still drinking quite heavily. I think the key to rapid weight loss though is to utilize tools like intermittent fasting and simple protein shakes to break through plateaus you reach. I find the primal diet to be both intuitive and easy to follow.

After years of reading your weight loss exploits, I'm glad to see you are onto the right path. No shtick.
Nice work slapdash. Have you made it a lifestyle? Any creep on the weight?

 
Welcome to Otis.

I blew out last night and I'm still not really over it. Ugh. I think there is a chance this style of diet can make hangovers worse, I'm having fewer of them so they stand out, or age factors. Either way I think I need to stick to booze if I blow out.

I have no issue staying on point 6 days a week. It's the 7th that is an issue

 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?
The 7 minute workout that Tanner has been pimping seems pretty solid. I mean if you can't find 7 minutes a day for a workout then you just don't want to workout.
One thing is you are supposed to do the 7 minute workout 3 times in a row. Now obviously doing it once is better than not doing it but the whole 7 minute thing is misleading
 
I really need to find out a way to get back into exercising. I don't move around nearly enough. Never have a been a fan of the gym, but not sure what other options there are with a moderately heavy work schedule (50-60 hours a week). Any suggestions for what is working for you?
The 7 minute workout that Tanner has been pimping seems pretty solid. I mean if you can't find 7 minutes a day for a workout then you just don't want to workout.
One thing is you are supposed to do the 7 minute workout 3 times in a row. Now obviously doing it once is better than not doing it but the whole 7 minute thing is misleading
No, that's the 21 minute workout

 
Not sure if its been mentioned but Crossfit matches up well with the Paleo/Primal lifestyle. Most workouts are 15-20 minutes. With minimal equipment you can do it in your home.

 
As I mentioned in the other thread, I once lost about 60 pounds in the course of 6 months following primal diet, while still drinking quite heavily. I think the key to rapid weight loss though is to utilize tools like intermittent fasting and simple protein shakes to break through plateaus you reach. I find the primal diet to be both intuitive and easy to follow.

After years of reading your weight loss exploits, I'm glad to see you are onto the right path. No shtick.
Nice work slapdash. Have you made it a lifestyle? Any creep on the weight?
Yes on the eating, no on everything else the last 3 years or so. That has resulted in some creep, but the 60 pounds figure had me about as light as possible (155).

 
In general, the workouts that do best with this macro profile are ones that resemble HIIT. Any straight line cardio of more than 30-45 min is going to open up glycogen reserves. Of course, one could just eat a banana and move on with your life.

 
In general, the workouts that do best with this macro profile are ones that resemble HIIT. Any straight line cardio of more than 30-45 min is going to open up glycogen reserves. Of course, one could just eat a banana and move on with your life.
What would be the impact of say 30 minutes on elliptical for 3 days a week? Or that 7 minute workout 3 times a week on the ketosis aspects of a Paleo diet.

 
In general, the workouts that do best with this macro profile are ones that resemble HIIT. Any straight line cardio of more than 30-45 min is going to open up glycogen reserves. Of course, one could just eat a banana and move on with your life.
Eat a banana instead of 30-45 minutes of cardio? Tell me more!

 
:in: I'm already doing Atkins to give me a kick-start. Currently at ~50 carbs per day. Will likely transition to paleo for the long term as I get closer to my goal weight.

Thanks for all the info!

 
In general, the workouts that do best with this macro profile are ones that resemble HIIT. Any straight line cardio of more than 30-45 min is going to open up glycogen reserves. Of course, one could just eat a banana and move on with your life.
What would be the impact of say 30 minutes on elliptical for 3 days a week? Or that 7 minute workout 3 times a week on the ketosis aspects of a Paleo diet.
A lot of people just try to match their carb consumption to their workout. So if you're going to do some cardio, eat a banana (as culdeus suggests). I've known people who take a little squeeze bear of honey to the gym for the same purpose. You're essentially doing the same thing as runners do with Goo or the cubes or whatever. Giving yourself just enough easily processed carbs to fuel the workout.

 
1g per minute of cardio is a good a rule of thumb as anything.
Isn't this counterproductive to burning fat? I would think that if you are on a Paleo plan, at least you have been for a while, cardio will burn fat without the need for carbs.

:confused:

 
I was thinking of doing a targetted ketosis diet for 2 weeks. Basically just running the Atkins induction phase for that length of time. And not weighing myself at all until the two weeks are up. Doing only some cardio for 30 minutes 3 times per week. I bet I lose at least 7 pounds doing this. Starting Monday. Skiing this weekend.

 
I was thinking of doing a targetted ketosis diet for 2 weeks. Basically just running the Atkins induction phase for that length of time. And not weighing myself at all until the two weeks are up. Doing only some cardio for 30 minutes 3 times per week. I bet I lose at least 7 pounds doing this. Starting Monday. Skiing this weekend.
Are you currently overweight? By how much?

 
I don't think MFP is accurate enough to use it as a measure of calories burned. What burns more calories?

I invested all of $50 bucks in resistance bands a year ago and started doing 20 minute hiit sessions with them every other day. I'm 100% sold on the benefits of hiit, particularly the very small investment in time needed. I like using the bands so much that I've increased how much I work out. Sometimes I do two a days, or ten minute sessions for the the hell of it because I'm watching tv.
I used to do HIIT with jump rope and I loved it. It will beat you down, but the results for a couple of minutes of exercise is remarkable.

 
Starting today I am to attempt to enter ketosis for two weeks. Need to kick start my weight loss which has fallen off in the past three weeks.

 
SacramentoBob said:
I don't think MFP is accurate enough to use it as a measure of calories burned. What burns more calories?

I invested all of $50 bucks in resistance bands a year ago and started doing 20 minute hiit sessions with them every other day. I'm 100% sold on the benefits of hiit, particularly the very small investment in time needed. I like using the bands so much that I've increased how much I work out. Sometimes I do two a days, or ten minute sessions for the the hell of it because I'm watching tv.
I used to do HIIT with jump rope and I loved it. It will beat you down, but the results for a couple of minutes of exercise is remarkable.
What was your jump rope routine?

 
So Culdeus, do you recommend lifting or another exercise for me? I am about 205 (BF scale says 34% body fat). I want to drop to about 175. Then build muscle back up. Will a program like stronglifts work for me or should I just focus on the diet until I get to a respectable fat level? I plan to do Atkins induction meaning keeping carbs under 30 per day for three weeks to get me down under 200 lbs. At that point I am going to switch to a more pure paleo diet. Will I have the energy reserves to lift on a progressive program like stronglifts? Or should I just focus on dropping fat through ketosis?

 

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