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Wanting to try paleo

post #1 of 5
12/11/12 at 9:51am
Thread Starter 

I am really wanting to plunge in to the paleo diet.  I'm not sure that tiptoeing in is going to work.  I guess right now I eat a pretty typical American diet and limit fast food.  We do currently have lots of deer meat from a deer my son killed so I feel like we are good in the meat area.  Anyone have any opinions about the best way to get started?  Should I just focus on slowing getting my body used to less sugar, etc, or just jump in?

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post #2 of 5
12/11/12 at 3:14pm

I would suggest giving up all grains/gluten to begin with. That is a huge factor for paleo/primal eaters so it's a good place to start. There are a lot of great websites and resources out there to be found! Wishing you the best of luck! 

post #3 of 5
12/11/12 at 6:22pm

I'm half way through week 3.

 

I jumped in. I started googling paleo recipes, bookmarked my favourites, and printed them off. I made a paleo binder divided into main dishes, sides and snacks, and condements and extras.

 

I meal planned a week at a time. I doubled our grocery bill the first week, but I didn't want us getting desperate by Thursday. Week two was better, but still more than we typically spent.

 

I find it's all or nothing for me. ...with that being said, I'm also in for the long haul here, so didn't want to be SO strict I'd just give up. We're not perfectly paleo, and we're not "Whole30" or whatever it is I appreciate honey in my coffee and bake paleo muffins with maple syrup. Our meat was grocery store meat, I still bought bacon, "natural" lunch meat, and nitrate-free turkey dogs because I figured they were the lesser of evils while I figure out what the heck I'm doing.

 

DS and DH are not entirely ob board, but I'm practising the "this is what I'm serving/keeping in the house, what you do on your own time is your business" philosophy,

post #4 of 5
12/12/12 at 6:12am

Hello,

 

You will not be able to lower your carbs right away without becoming genuinely sick: lightheaded, loss of vision, memory impairment, blood pressure problems... The transition to a lower carb sugarless diet must be gradual.

 

Giving up grain foods is a good idea to start with. However, you shouldn't deal with carb cravings by switching to other types of carbs such as fruit. I think it's extremely helpful to use a food calculator such as the popular fitday to learn just how much protein, carbs, and fats you are eating.

 

Find the baseline protein that you want to eat, set a maximum of carbs you want to eat, calculate the baseline calories you need to eat each day, and then get the balance of calories from fat. My dietary ratio is: 20% protein (80g), 60% fat, and 16% carbohydrate.

 

During the beginning, you can address carb cravings (if you have them, which you probably will) by eating more protein. Once you are better adapted to lower/low carb, you can reduce the protein to your calculated baseline amount. (Somehow protein has a metabolic effect of addressing carb needs whereas fat, although a superior fuel, doesn't. I don't recall the details of this.)

 

A carb craving is commonly considered to be "hunger" but it is actually an affect of the mood, the mind, and brain. It's an insulin imbalance. Shakiness, fogginess, irritability are all carb cravings, not hunger. Real hunger is a sensation in the stomach that doesn't affect the mood or nervous system.

 

Paleo is simple and easy. This is one of the appeals of the diet. You will eventually find that you are eating much less food because the food is more concentrated in nourishment. Each one of our meals is about the portion size of a restaurant appetizer.

 

If you are used to eating fast food you find the flavors of simple foods to be bland. Use natural spices and willpower until you get accustomed to appreciate the variety of subtle flavors present in natural unprocessed food.

 

Good luck and good health

Puma

post #5 of 5
12/12/12 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 

Wow, thanks so much for the tips!  I think eliminating grains would be a great way to start.  i'm interested in the food calculator and need to get that as a phone app.  I do much better when I have numbers right there looking at me to keep me accountable.  There are so many different thoughts out there as to what is better to eat that I get confused!!  I think I am picking the better foods and then realize, dang, I should have bought organic.  Or I am happy how much we like fruit and then read about glycemic numbers.  I guess that's why i am thinking I need to find one way to go and try it!!!