Have any of you done a paleo diet? What were your... - Fly Fatass, Fly!

I did a two week "what's it like if I do this?" paleo break over the new year. I lost 8 pounds, and found i could eat a lot more quantity of food while still hitting my calorie goals when i was eating strictly paleo. I've stuck with some of it, long term -- no processed sugars, very minimal wheat, but I added dairy back into my diet because i just can't. I tried a bunch of new recipes and incorporated several into the rotation, and learned to think way more creatively about lunch food. So it was a good experience. - Jenica

Thanks, Jenica! - LB: #TeamMonique

I actually did that diet for nearly a decade. I lost a fair amount of weight, but also had a lot more energy. I did always have milk and cheese though. I am actually going back to that diet long term since it was the healthiest my body has ever felt. I recommend it, LB. - Tamara J.

We've pretty much abandoned the American ideal that Dinner Has A Starch Product. Last night's BBQ pork was eaten with yellow squash and asparagus and corn on the cob. The corn and BBQ sauce (sugar!) aren't strictly paleo, but still: the notion that vegetables are "real food" all on their own is sort of paradigm shifting. - Jenica

Any good pointers to recipe sites? I'm not ready to commit to this kind of thing (no pasta! no dairy! no sugar!), but I'd like to maybe do a paleo night in addition to my regularly scheduled vegetarian night... - WebGoddess

This is a great site for recipes http://www.paleoplan.com/recipes... - Tamara J.

I've had fun with the following: http://beta.primal-palate.com/ http://everydaypaleo.com/ http://paleoparents.com/tag... http://nomnompaleo.com/ http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/wellfed... - Jenica

And the one Tamara linked! I couldn't find that one! This http://www.paleoplan.com/2011... was SPECTACULAR. - Jenica

Ohhhh, Jenica - that does look good - along with the asparagus balsamic salad, that would make a nice dinner some night soon!! Thanks for the links, guys!! - WebGoddess

Now I'm intrigued. I had thought paleo was largely meat, minimal veg. But I'm always up for any diet that forefronts the veggies - RudĩϐЯaЯïan

Paleo as I have been able to understand it is meat, veg, nuts, fruits, and natural minimally processed sugars. Kicks out processed sugars, dairy, beans, corn, and grains. With the exception of my pasta-and-cheese issues, it really suits me about 5 days out of 7, and is pretty easy for me. - Jenica

hmm, the recommended foods list is light on non-nut proteins. And the no-no food list is pretty high on them! Farro is on neither list though -- i could live on farro. :) - RudĩϐЯaЯïan

I personally had the best results with the FDH diet. That is its German name...here it would likely be the EHOI diet or something. The idea is that you can eat pretty much everything...but half of it. (The German name is "Friß die Hälfte", which literally translates to "eat half of it". It is not very easy to follow but it does work. ;) - Die Leberwurst

Rudy, it's not gonna work for a vegetarian. meat is half the point. :) - Jenica

Sadly, cutting portions is not doing anything for me. I need a kickstart and I am hoping this will help. - Jenny from Android

Is it safe to do this for a long time? Or is this more of a cleanse/short term thing? Because it looks tasty.... - Soup in a TARDIS

Soup, it's very similar to the set of dietary restrictions I'm on for completely different reasons (concentrating on meat and vegetables and fruits, no sugars or starches at all, no grains at all...) and my doctor said that what I'm doing is completely safe long term. So I'm guessing this one isn't bad. - lris

It's safe. I know people who have been doing it for 2+ years and healthwise are better than they ever have been. Unlike Atkins, you can have fruits and veggies. I have noticed slight variations in the Paleo regimen. The Whole30 (which is what I plan to start with b/c it's just for 30 days) says no dairy, but other sites say you can have some in moderation. This would probably be the one thing I add back in after 30 days - it's not so much the cheese b/c I don't eat tons of it by any means, but my yogurt! I'm gonna miss it something awlful!! - Jenny

No dairy? How are women supposed to take in calcium? It's kind of vital. - Soup in a TARDIS

Dark green vegetables. - Jenica

Soup, see http://whole9life.com/2012... - LB: #TeamMonique

almonds too, right? - holly #ravingfangirl

The calcium from other sources is actually a lot better for you than the calcium from dairy. - lris

A handful of recipes: http://paleobrarian.blogspot.com/ - Betsy #TeamMonique

Oooh, thanks guys! - Soup in a TARDIS

Thank you all! - LB: #TeamMonique

I did paleo for a few weeks before I becmae cooking-lazy again; it actually forced me to eat fresher food and was much more delicious than my usual fare. A bit more expensive because you can't use cheapo frozen/fast options, but my energy level felt much better and my inflammation went down. I'm now doing gluten-free, but essentially as paleo (since paleo also restricts you from certain leaky-gut problematic foods like beans, dairy, etc). - ωαřмaiden ❤Marrit Woman❤

I have no problem with the paleo diet, other than the name. The assumption that this is how all paleolithic peoples ate irritates me. People ate different things all over the world, depending on where they lived. However, if we eat more whole foods and less processed foods (and focus on plants), we'll likely be much healthier and possibly thinner. - Laura Krier

Sorry for the soapbox moment. - Laura Krier

Laura, the name bugs me too -- especially given that, generally, paleolithic peoples probably had a lifespan of 30-40 years. This is probably the greatest diet in the world but I can't seem to get past that "but it's what our ancestors ate!" aspect of it. - Stephen Mack #TeamMomo

LOL - I was telling Mom about it last night and that was what she kept saying - the life span thing bothered her, too. I mentioned that they couldn't just go to the store to get well-fed proteins, they had to actually go hunt, which would limit their lifespan by a bit... - WebGoddess

I keep quipping with friends that if they want to go paleo, they should also give up on things like stoves and refrigerators. :-D But yeah, the diet itself makes sense even if the name/premise don't (to me). - lris

I have a friend here that got into paleo almost a year ago and she's very gung-ho about the diet. She ended up dating a man who is also into paleo and they had a paleo potluck that was quite yummy - first time I've walked away from a potluck dinner feeling satisfied without a gross I-ate-too-much feeling. I am interested in the no-grains and no-dairy aspect of it, considering I have problems with both gluten/wheat & dairy, but there are many meats I won't/don't eat so I'm reluctant to go even 50% paleo. - Corinne L

Revisiting this thread now that I'm paleoing. Thank you all again! - LB: #TeamMonique

I'm doing 85-90% raw vegan which is similar in that you avoid processed foods. It's working for me so far. - Yvonne

Hooray! - LB: #TeamMonique