Hi,

I searched the entire forum and haven't found any info on the topic of Paleo (aka, Caveman diet, Primal Blueprint) lifestyle. I was banded on May 22nd. At my heaviest I was 250lbs - 90+ days later I'm at 210 - so pretty good loss. I feel great.

I have read a ton of posts on these forums about what people eat and one thing that struck me as odd was that people continued their bad behavior of craving and eating carbs. In fact the entire post-op diet plan concentrates heavily on sweet stuff: jell-o, pudding, crystal-light, Protein shakes (sweet flavors: choco, fruit, vanilla, etc.) No wonder people are having problems and constantly complaining.

So here some things I'd like to share. About a month ago, I completely ditched all guidelines from the nutritional guide and decided that I would only eat things naturally occurring in nature. So, no artificial sweeteners, flavors, processed foods, etc. Instead I started buying organic, grass-fed, sustainable, and all that new age bull. As I did this I still age some carbs: whole grains, crispy/crunchy crackers, tortilla chips - all organic and "good for you." Then someone I know mentioned that what I was doing was close to the Primal Blueprint or Paleo lifestyle. Since then I've read up on the topic and completely made the switch to not eat agricultural products (grains). I am still eating dairy (Greek yogurt, Kefir, butter, etc.) Got rid of all the artificial fats (PAM sprays, canola oils, I can't believe it's not butters, blah, blah) and went primal.

Since I've started doing this, my energy levels skyrocketed and my weightloss increased. Before my doctor told me I'd expect to shed about a 1 pound per week. I'm 10cc in a 14cc band - so pretty tight. I get full on a small bowl of food - at that rate I was still losing about 1 lbs per week.

After I started on the Paleo, my weightloss from week to week increased to 2.5 lbs. My energy is high, my skin looks better and firmer and my cholesterol actually dropped (despite using animal fats such as lard or tallow or butter to cook with).

I talked to my doctor about this today and he was pretty impressed. His comment was that as long as I felt good about it and had no issues with any of the foods that I was eating he was 100% behind and actually mentioned that he supports the Paleo / natural foods diets.

Anyway - thought I'd share and ask if anyone out there has tried this and what were your results?

I'm not trying to sell or promote something here - just curious. If I read the book first, I probably would have been a skeptic as always, but since it was an experiment that worked out and already had a name - I'm happy with it.

Ahab.

I have trouble going as extreme as what I find Paleo to be, but I do eat as clean as possible. It fits my lifestyle of being a .heavy lifter. I am able to build the muscle that I want and while still keeping a lean look.

I do not eat processed food. I do take in a lot of Protein and veggies through the day. It is a lot easier to do in the summer though, when all the fruits and veggies are in season!

I love hearing about how others stick to their new healthy lifestyle!!

Have you watched the documentary on NetFlix entitled, "Forks Over Knives"? This plan in the video is described by doctor's who manage patients with some serious health issue which all seem to disappear when they adopt and follow a "whole foods, plant-based diet".

My primary care physician asked me to watch it when I told her I was considering lap band surgery.

Hello aloudwhisper,

A Paleo diet cosists of meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, butter/ghee, olive oil, and coconut oil.

You are not supposed to eat grains, legumes, dairy, processed food, alcohol, and starches (including potatoes other than sweet potatoes).

Sugar-substitutes, honey, agave nectar and the like are a gray area. I personally think they are bad for us and keep us eating dessert-like foods which is a psychological habit we need to break. I am trying to break the dessert habit now, but I find that instead of icecream, I'll go for nut butter, dates, or oranges. Grrr...it is a hard habit to break.

Some people who eat Paleo limit their carbs from fruit and sweet potato, and other watch fats and limit nuts/coconut products. Others don't worry about carbs or fats.

-Hilary

Thanks so much Hillary. I will look into this. I really need a better way if eating. I start off good, but often fall off the wagon. I honestly don't like the idea of never having pralines and cream ice cream every couple of months, but right now my focus is all about getting off this weight.

Aloudwhisper,

Please don't think I know it all. I certainly don't. There are people on this website that have had great success with losing weight. I am not one of them. Even with the band I yo-yo. Weight lost, then gained, then lost, then gained. My paleo diet experiences are experimental. I actually lost weight the fastest when I was on a vegan diet. But, my triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar were really out of whack. I don't have blood sugar crashes on the Paleo diet. I've also managed to cut my triglycerides in half. But, my doctor did put me on Lipitor now, despite these changes. She says I only have to stay on it for a few months, until my cholesterol comes down. In two weeks on a clean Paleo diet, I've lost about 3.5 lbs, which is okay. I think if I exercised more, cut my carbs lower, or cut my fats that I could lose weight faster.

Anyway, I would recommend the books:

Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes

Wheat Belly by William Davis

The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf

The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson

It Starts with food by Dallas And Melissa Hartwig

Best, Hilary

Aloudwhisper' date='

Please don't think I know it all. I certainly don't. There are people on this website that have had great success with losing weight. I am not one of them. Even with the band I yo-yo. Weight lost, then gained, then lost, then gained. My paleo diet experiences are experimental. I actually lost weight the fastest when I was on a vegan diet. But, my triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar were really out of whack. I don't have blood sugar crashes on the Paleo diet. I've also managed to cut my triglycerides in half. But, my doctor did put me on Lipitor now, despite these changes. She says I only have to stay on it for a few months, until my cholesterol comes down. In two weeks on a clean Paleo diet, I've lost about 3.5 lbs, which is okay. I think if I exercised more, cut my carbs lower, or cut my fats that I could lose weight faster.

Anyway, I would recommend the books:

Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes

Wheat Belly by William Davis

The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf

The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson

It Starts with food by Dallas And Melissa Hartwig

Best, Hilary[/quote']

Thanks so much. I am going to look into this.

Hello aloudwhisper' date='

A Paleo diet cosists of meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, butter/ghee, olive oil, and coconut oil.

You are not supposed to eat grains, legumes, dairy, processed food, alcohol, and starches (including potatoes other than sweet potatoes).

Sugar-substitutes, honey, agave nectar and the like are a gray area. I personally think they are bad for us and keep us eating dessert-like foods which is a psychological habit we need to break. I am trying to break the dessert habit now, but I find that instead of icecream, I'll go for nut butter, dates, or oranges. Grrr...it is a hard habit to break.

Some people who eat Paleo limit their carbs from fruit and sweet potato, and other watch fats and limit nuts/coconut products. Others don't worry about carbs or fats.

-Hilary[/quote']

Have you ever tried South Beach? This sounds somewhat similar.