Anyone doing Paleo/Primal/low carb ?

[Alice_in_Wonderland]

Hello, I would love to get a thread going for anyone doing Primal/Paleo or Low Carb way of eating. I have really embraced the Primal/Paleo life style and it has helped my health completely change for the better. Since November I have lost about 15lbs.
So please join me here. Let's discuss various recipes, foods, fine points of the diet, exercise, and whatever else comes up. I am excited to get to know all of you and spread the word on what this way of eating will do for you.
Thanks!!!

 

[LiloH]

Hello, I would love to get a thread going for anyone doing Primal/Paleo or Low Carb way of eating. I have really embraced the Primal/Paleo life style and it has helped my health completely change for the better. Since November I have lost about 15lbs.
So please join me here. Let's discuss various recipes, foods, fine points of the diet, exercise, and whatever else comes up. I am excited to get to know all of you and spread the word on what this way of eating will do for you.
Thanks!!!

Hey there! I am just over a year on a Primal-type diet. I'm not sure I follow it in the strictest sense, but I go out of my way to eat food that is processed as little as possible and to stay as close to natural as I can.

I have to agree that it has made a tremendous difference in my life. I've lost a ton of weight (75lbs) but also just FEEL better. I have more energy and no longer get bi-weekly migraines that had plagued me for many years.

When I first started I didn't think this would be any more successful (or, in my case NOT successful) than any other diet I'd followed but it's been a rousing success and something I've found it very easy to sustain for a 13 months at this point.

My current favorite Primal (and maybe?) Paleo dessert is a banana and chocolate almond shake. I freeze a banana or two, add unsweetened chocolate almond milk and then blend with my immersion blender. It's really yummy and actually takes a lot like the chocolate banana things (I haven't had one in so long I forget the name!!) at Starbucks. Plus, it's totally all good on my diet.

Anyone else out there with some good recipes?

 

[Alice_in_Wonderland]

Hey there! I am just over a year on a Primal-type diet. I'm not sure I follow it in the strictest sense, but I go out of my way to eat food that is processed as little as possible and to stay as close to natural as I can.

I have to agree that it has made a tremendous difference in my life. I've lost a ton of weight (75lbs) but also just FEEL better. I have more energy and no longer get bi-weekly migraines that had plagued me for many years.

When I first started I didn't think this would be any more successful (or, in my case NOT successful) than any other diet I'd followed but it's been a rousing success and something I've found it very easy to sustain for a 13 months at this point.

My current favorite Primal (and maybe?) Paleo dessert is a banana and chocolate almond shake. I freeze a banana or two, add unsweetened chocolate almond milk and then blend with my immersion blender. It's really yummy and actually takes a lot like the chocolate banana things (I haven't had one in so long I forget the name!!) at Starbucks. Plus, it's totally all good on my diet.

Anyone else out there with some good recipes?

I am so glad you jumped in!! Thanks!!
Wow-75lbs. that is awesome. You must feel so much better now! Is there a particular plan that you follow? I basically do Primal Blueprint. But, occasionally I allow myself a baked potato. I am half Irish and half Russian so potatoes are a big part of my cultural identity.

For dessert I have been sticking to dark chocolate or berries and cream. But, I just got a Paleo cookbook (quick and easy meals for primal blueprint) and as soon as I get some ingredients from Bob's Red Mills I will be trying a few new recipes. I will definitely share those.

Thanks again for jumping on here. It would be nice to get a little group going on here

 

[LiloH]

I am so glad you jumped in!! Thanks!!
Wow-75lbs. that is awesome. You must feel so much better now! Is there a particular plan that you follow? I basically do Primal Blueprint. But, occasionally I allow myself a baked potato. I am half Irish and half Russian so potatoes are a big part of my cultural identity.

For dessert I have been sticking to dark chocolate or berries and cream. But, I just got a Paleo cookbook (quick and easy meals for primal blueprint) and as soon as I get some ingredients from Bob's Red Mills I will be trying a few new recipes. I will definitely share those.

Thanks again for jumping on here. It would be nice to get a little group going on here

I really don't follow any particular documented plan though it's probably pretty close to the Primal Blueprint. I really just avoid processed foods, refined sugar and refined carbs. I also eat very occasional potatoes but more often sweet potatoes. I went about six months without eating a single potato and when I tried one again after that I realized they don't taste good to me anymore. Weird.

I love the Bob's Red Mill stuff! I see you are in the Philly area too. The newer Giant stores have tons of that stuff and it's really great. I've made lots of stuff with almond and/or coconut flour. My hubby makes great pancakes with those two things. Yum! I attempted banana coconut waffles last night but it was not a success.

I read on your blog that your hubby doesn't do Paleo/Primal. That must be hard to make stuff you can both eat. How are you handling that?

 

[Alice_in_Wonderland]

Liloh-the new Giants are great but do they carry almond and coconut flour?

I have a question for you, do you count carbs or calories or both?
What do you think the key was for you getting the weight off?
I am grain free and pretty low carb but I just can't get my weight below 300lbs for some reason. So frustrating. So if you can give some advice I would love it!

No, my dh isn't paleo. But, he definitely is loving all the meat I am cooking at meal time. I usually build meals around the meat. Then i just have a bunch of veggies with it and make him a carb to go with all of that. Giving up grains really doesn't bother me. So when I see him eating bread or nachos i don't get too bothered.

Hope that you a great day!!

 

[kla]

Hey, Alice & Lilo -- we've been Primal Blueprinters since the beginning of this year, and I have to say it's changed our lives. I started out losing about 70 lbs through South Beach, which I followed for about 2 years, and starting a simple exercise plan. Once I got to Phase 3 and was able to bring carbs back into the picture, I steadily started gaining again. Definite carboholic; once I start, I just can't stop. When I found the Primal Blueprint and saw that it was okay to cut grains and refined sugars out of my diet forever, it was like the answer I had always been looking for. To me, even though it's counter to conventional diet wisdom, Primal Blueprint makes so much sense.

I'm now down to the lowest clothing size I've ever been in my adult life -- even the pre-pregnancy clothes are a little loose!

We're pretty strict about it and stick to the 60/30/10 principle like a religion. In the beginning, I started a food diary at fitday.com just to iron out what 60 percent fat in my diet felt like, but now it's pretty much second nature. We find the recipes like the ones at Mark's Daily Apple so satisfying that we don't ever "cheat," and that has pretty much been true since starting PB. Once in a while we'll laugh about really, really wanting a slice of pizza or an Amoroso roll, but then we just have a tablespoon of coconut oil or some nuts & work through it...

I have to say, Alice, that it's much easier to be PB if everyone in the house is doing it. When my kids are sitting in front of me with a bowl of ice cream, it just makes it that much harder to not want a bowl of ice cream myself. Also, something that Mark mentions when the weight loss stalls is to fast -- just skip a meal. Have you tried that? We've done it a few times and it's really helped my husband determine what "hungry" feels like to him. I also recently saw something on high intensity interval training (HIIT) that plays into the whole "sprint once a week" principle. Even though a typical HIIT workout is only 15-20 minutes long, it is really supposed to jump-start weight loss. I do a very mild HIIT workout in the pool once a week (I don't ever go 100 percent sprint), but am thinking of getting a stationary bike to do a workout at home. (I just can't see myself sprinting across our yard once a week -- the neighbors would think I lost it!)

I think you live pretty close to us, Alice, if your info is correct -- we're in Montgomery County. It's nice to meet some fellow PB'ers on the DIS boards!

 

[Alice_in_Wonderland]

KLA-You are in montco! I am in chester co. So cool!! Nice to see we are all in the same area. We should start a club-lol. Maybe a primal dinner )

Well, KLA, I sorta fast. Mark suggested once that you do a 12-16 hour fast over night and I basically do that every night. I stop eating around 5pm and don't eat again until about 6a.m. I counted my calories yesterday and I only had about 1400. I am having trouble doing Mark's exercise routine due to my size and bad knees. I mostly do a lot of walking.

KLA-I am so glad you joined in our thread. Thanks!

 

[kla]

Hey, Lilo, I didn't see that you live around Philly, as well. Hi, and thanks for letting me join your thread, guys!

I love the Bob's Red Mill stuff! I see you are in the Philly area too. The newer Giant stores have tons of that stuff and it's really great. I've made lots of stuff with almond and/or coconut flour. My hubby makes great pancakes with those two things. Yum! I attempted banana coconut waffles last night but it was not a success.

Almond & coconut flour have saved our sanity! I am a big fan of baked goods, though not as much now. Last week, for a special occasion, I made a sugarless carrot cake out of almond flour and it was divine! These are a couple of our favorites:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread12313.html
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-pies-fill-er-up/

Here's the carrot cake recipe. I subbed coconut oil for the grapeseed oil, and 1/2 c. pureed butternut squash for the agave nectar. I didn't add any sweetner at all and found the raisins and squash made up for it:
http://www.elanaspantry.com/carrot-cake/

We buy our coconut flour from Amazon and make our own almond flour -- both much cheaper than grocery store prices!

 

[Alice_in_Wonderland]

Hey, Lilo, I didn't see that you live around Philly, as well. Hi, and thanks for letting me join your thread, guys!



Almond & coconut flour have saved our sanity! I am a big fan of baked goods, though not as much now. Last week, for a special occasion, I made a sugarless carrot cake out of almond flour and it was divine! These are a couple of our favorites:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread12313.html
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-pies-fill-er-up/

Here's the carrot cake recipe. I subbed coconut oil for the grapeseed oil, and 1/2 c. pureed butternut squash for the agave nectar. I didn't add any sweetner at all and found the raisins and squash made up for it:
http://www.elanaspantry.com/carrot-cake/

We buy our coconut flour from Amazon and make our own almond flour -- both much cheaper than grocery store prices!

KLA-you must have been reading my mind. I have been craving carrot cake lately. Thanks for posting those recipes!!!

 

[kla]

Make sure & top it with some unsweetened homemade whipped cream! Yum!

 

[Alice_in_Wonderland]

Make sure & top it with some unsweetened homemade whipped cream! Yum!

that sounds so good!!

 

[rubato]

Hi ladies. As some of you know, I do my own modified version of this type of eating. I'm a vegetarian, so no meats or fish of any kind. I make up for it with plain greek yogurts and eggs, but can't live completely grain free (whole grains only). I also am learning that I cannot live sugar free no matter how much I want to. I am a marathon runner, and when training or racing, my body needs simple sugar to turn into glycogen. So, I've learned to live sugar free unless I'm training.

As of right now, I am 3 pounds away from my complete dream weight. I am cutting down on my body fat too, which is wonderful. I am trying desperately to get it down to 19% which puts me officially in athlete range. I started at 29.7%, so it's a big undertaking. Cutting out processed crap and sugar has certainly helped with that. I think I'm at about 24% now, so I may need to lose a little more than those 3 pounds to get there, but I'll reevaluate then.

Oh, I don't live in Philly. Is this a problem?

kla: I love HIIT! I do it once a week to really get the metabolism going. Whatever calories you burn while doing it can pretty much be multiplied by 3 because it keeps the metabolism up a lot longer. I do mine on the road or treadmill for about 30 minutes.

Alice: My husband is a carb addict, meat eater. I have to make 2 seperate meals every night. But, he is doing his own diet and has managed to lose almost 40 pounds this year, so it's okay. I also have an 11 year old son that eats like a teenager, so his junk is in the house too. It's really hard, isn't it?
Do you have access to a pool? Taking the stress off of those knees would be great! Or, maybe a bike? Of course, as long as you can handle the walking, that's great too.

Lilo: Congrats on the 75 pounds. That's a major accomplishment! You must feel amazing!

 

[Alice_in_Wonderland]

Hi ladies. As some of you know, I do my own modified version of this type of eating. I'm a vegetarian, so no meats or fish of any kind. I make up for it with plain greek yogurts and eggs, but can't live completely grain free (whole grains only). I also am learning that I cannot live sugar free no matter how much I want to. I am a marathon runner, and when training or racing, my body needs simple sugar to turn into glycogen. So, I've learned to live sugar free unless I'm training.

As of right now, I am 3 pounds away from my complete dream weight. I am cutting down on my body fat too, which is wonderful. I am trying desperately to get it down to 19% which puts me officially in athlete range. I started at 29.7%, so it's a big undertaking. Cutting out processed crap and sugar has certainly helped with that. I think I'm at about 24% now, so I may need to lose a little more than those 3 pounds to get there, but I'll reevaluate then.

Oh, I don't live in Philly. Is this a problem?

kla: I love HIIT! I do it once a week to really get the metabolism going. Whatever calories you burn while doing it can pretty much be multiplied by 3 because it keeps the metabolism up a lot longer. I do mine on the road or treadmill for about 30 minutes.

Alice: My husband is a carb addict, meat eater. I have to make 2 seperate meals every night. But, he is doing his own diet and has managed to lose almost 40 pounds this year, so it's okay. I also have an 11 year old son that eats like a teenager, so his junk is in the house too. It's really hard, isn't it?
Do you have access to a pool? Taking the stress off of those knees would be great! Or, maybe a bike? Of course, as long as you can handle the walking, that's great too.

Lilo: Congrats on the 75 pounds. That's a major accomplishment! You must feel amazing!

Hey Tandy, thank for joining in. We will let you join the party even if you don't live in Philly-lol.
Wow-you have such a strict diet. I just now picked up a container of hemp protein that I am going to try. Since it is both paleo and vegetarian maybe that would help your protein in take?
So glad you know the pain of living with a carb addicted meat-aholic. My husband will eat almost all the the protein I make and then add carbs and cheese to it.
Thanks for the suggestions on exercise. Sadly I have no access to a pool and can't afford a y membership right now. I am not allow to ride bikes per my orthopedist. I used to do kettlebells (somehow managed to not lose weight doing them) but I think I will start doing that again a few times a week.

So glad you jumped in on the thread!! The more the merrier!!!

 

[kla]

Hey, Tandy, congrats on the dream-weight status!! You must be very disciplined to not eat meat or junk that's around all the time. Eggs are a great protein source and very Primal! I read a story once about a man who lived to be over 100 years old who attributed his long life to eggs -- he claimed to eat more than 10 eggs a day!

Alice, I don't know if you know this, but the Y has a program called Open Doors that basically prices memberships on a sliding scale. If there's one convenient to you, you should check it out. I started swimming when I was at around 200 lbs. Walking always seemed very strenuous in those days, but I didn't mind getting in the pool for an hour. Swimming has helped me gradually build up strength and lose pounds. Now I try to swim about 3-4 miles per week and walk about 5-10 miles. You might also check out the local fitness centers; ours was recently running a $24.95/month special, which is very reasonable.

Tandy, I plan to get more serious about the HIIT, esp. now that you tell me it burns 3x more calories!

 

[Alice_in_Wonderland]

KLA-thanks for that info!!

 

[rubato]

Yes, eggs are my friends! I'm trying to get about 100 grams of protein a day and it's REALLY hard when you don't eat meat. But, I'm close most days.

I will look at the hemp protein and see about that. When I was vegan a long time ago, I took vegetable protein powder supplements. But, now at least I can eat eggs and dairy.

The monthly Y pass is a great idea. I hope that works out.

 

[LaughingSphinx]

Paleoish (I guess we're moving into more of a Primal phase) here! My DH tried Paleo with me for a while but claimed to be too attached to his pasta and tortillas to do it full-time. However, he does eat a lot more veggies and meat than he used to, so I won't complain too much. (When we married, his animal protein consumption was limited to pepperoni and whatever I used to make tacos. He's made progress.)

I can't get over how much better I feel when I'm eating clean, and how strong the carb cravings/withdrawal are if I do deviate. Kinda frightening, to be honest.