Going The Primal Route....

[LauraB0927]

After being diagnosed in May, my honeymoon is over and I'm noticing that I'm starting to develop a lot of sensitivities or my body is just going through a rough phase. Nothing in my food journal seems to be different or out of the ordinary, so I'm thinking I'm just hitting a rough patch. I've been eating right and exercising and so far am happy to report that I've lost 13 pounds since June which I'm overjoyed about. But I've hit a plateau with the weight loss and that combined with me not feeling well lately, I feel like something has to change....

Just today, I started going toward the Primal route after reading most of the book by Mark Sisson. It seems to make sense to me, and I love meat, eggs, etc. anyway, so its a win/win for me. This morning, I made an awesome crust-less quiche with eggs, spinach, and Canadian Bacon. I'm thinking of doing a slightly modified version and add quinoa once in a while since its a chenopod and not a grain - plus I love it too much to give it up. I'm also pretty addicted to the Honey Nut Chex (and they're great for road trips) so I can't bear to deny myself a handful of them once in a while.

I've seen other posts about people doing the Paleo/Primal diet (not sure what the notable difference is between them) and was hoping to see what your experiences were with it. Was it successful? What was your average weight loss per week/month? If you stopped did you put the weight right back on? Any helpful tips that anyone can give me would be much appreciated!!!

[rosetapper23]

I have only positive things to say about the primal/paleo diet. Mark Sisson is wonderful, and I oftentimes visit his site, marksdailyapple.com. His site includes many yummy recipes that I've personally tried. The BEST book I've read on this topic is "Primal Body, Primal Mind" by Nora Gedgaudas. She is really down on gluten and does an excellent job of going into the chemistry and physiology of nutrition, food intolerances, vitamins, minerals, etc.

When I would follow the diet to the letter, I would always lose five pounds a week. I would then follow the diet somewhat and cheat a little bit (you know, like with the Chex cereal!) and simply maintain my weightloss. Currently, I'm following a low-protein diet because I'm taking a supplement that treats my cancer that requires that I eat very little foods containing iron. Otherwise, I'd be back on the paleo diet in a hot second.

The main difference between the two is that the paleo diet allows you to eat/drink dairy, eat bacon, an occasional potato, and drink some alcohol. The primal diet is very stringent and doesn't allow beans, grains, dairy, cured meats, etc. However, I must say that the weightloss is much greater on a primal diet--and I never felt better in my life. It's perfect for celiacs.

[eatmeat4good]

I love being Paleo/Primal. It's the same thing but different authors, guru's, call it different things. Basically it's meat, good fats, vegetables, nuts, and fruits in that order of importance/priority.

When I am strict I feel fabulous and my body works great.

I gained muscle rapidly on the Paleo diet.

I lost fat rapidly too. About 80 pounds of it just melted off of me.

Took me about a year but I kept getting stronger and feeling better.

My Muscle to Fat ratio totally corrected.

I was saying, "Who knew there was a skinny B**** inside me all that time?!!"

In May I went off of it for a while and was not strict in May, June, and July.

I gained weight but not as rapidly as when I was sick with gluten.

I now stay on Paleo most of the time with the exception of brief episodes of "Chocolate Indulgences." My body can handle those indulgences as long as I'm Paleo most of the time.

I don't feel good physically at all when I eat grains.

The first year I was only gluten free.

The second year Paleo...with Mark's Daily Apple as a guide.

I didn't buy any books...just steaks.

Anyway it was the second miracle for me.

The first miracle was finding out about what gluten can do and did to me.

I highly recommend it.

My son is Paleo now too, and he went from 225 to 189 in just a few months.

He also developed what I would call the male physique...whereas before he had a belly and um..."man boobs." That is all gone and he is solid muscle.

He is Celiac too, so maybe his body would have done that anyway with normal absorption, but it has been so fun to watch him admire himself in the mirror and box and kick around the house when before he was a lethargic kid.

If you stick with it, it totally works.

There are just a few of us Paleo folks on here, but we all support each other no matter the inclination, be it vegetarian, meat-eater, or vegan or normal gluten free. We all avoid gluten so we have that in common!

Good luck to you and let us know how you are doing!

It's fun to hear!

[Ghosty]

I know of many that have seen success with a Paleo / Primal diet. Personally, I follow Paleo, and have seen some success.

Just need to add a correction to some posts above. The main difference between Paleo and Primal is that Primal allows dairy, not the other way around. Though this really isn't a big issue, as the main thing is to find out if dairy causes you problems, and if it doesn't, you might bring it back in. Some dairy hurts people worse than others. For me... Pasteurized cow milk DESTROYS me, where a bit of cheese is generally ok (sinuses get plugged up a bit). Still...I avoid all dairy. Anyway, a lot of people consider themselves Paleo + milk, as they feel they need milk.

Back on point... the foods in a Paleo / Primal diet are generally good for fat loss in that you are getting a lot of what you need in food that is satiating. Avoiding sugars and grains def helps with taking in quality calories, and because you're taking in satiating foods, some people see success with fat loss on these diets.

I would recommend ditching the chex. Get some almonds, cranberries, coconut flakes and other healthier things, mix em up, and it should satisfy you better than the chex.

Good luck.

[lizard00]

I eat pretty much Paleo. Though I will eat beans and potatoes from time to time. There are a few things I don't agree with, but I do know for a fact that I don't handle grains super well. I can eat them from time to time, but I definitely feel better on a higher protein diet. When we do dairy products, it's always raw and pastured. Aside from cheese, we're not huge dairy people anyway.

I didn't start eating like this to lose weight, but it's kind of hard not to. When I'm strict, I lose weight pretty quickly.

[eatmeat4good]

Just need to add a correction to some posts above. The main difference between Paleo and Primal is that Primal allows dairy, not the other way around.

that I did not know...

....And to think all this time I have been calling myself "Paleo" when I am really Primal!

Well I like the word Paleo better so I'm keeping it.

But that was interesting to know.

[LauraB0927]

Thank you so much for your responses!! I know its only been two days, but I did feel like I had more energy today and I noticed that I was full after meals and not looking around for snacks (BIG improvement). I dont want to sound over-confident but the scale slipped a bit down in the past two days, so I'm very hopeful. Maybe this spare tire I have been carrying around will finally go away! Plus I'm hoping that I continue to feel better too - my intestinal tract has been messed up for the last two weeks which kept me home during my free time.

The veggies have been the hardest part for me since I began going gluten free - growing up my mom was always rushing me to dance class, volleyball, gymnastics, and whatever else you can think of, so she only had time to cook fast and quick meals, like hot dogs or buy us fast food. Well intentioned - but detrimental in the end. I think because of that I never developed a taste for veggies and I'm trying to think of new ways that I can sneak them into my food. The spinach hid very well in the quiche and I've been boiling and mashing cauliflower, adding garlic, and wha-la! - imitation mashed potatoes that I've become very fond of.

I'm so happy that you all have been so responsive - this has been a tough journey and I'm learning something new every day. Thank you again so much!

[rosetapper23]

Laura,

One of the best things about the paleo/primal diet is that the fat in your middle is what disappears first! I'd always had trouble losing that darned muffin top, but it just melted away on this diet. It was amazing!

Also, regarding vegetables, the secret is to poor melted organic butter all over them (so decadent!) or melt cheese on top--yum!! One of my favorite meals is to take one half of an organic rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods and warm it up in the oven alongside some broccoli (that roasts for 20 minutes first by itself). Then after placing it all on my plate, I drizzle (or pour!) melted organic butter all over the chicken breast and the broccoli. All of the other diets I've followed never allowed me to put fat anywhere on my plate--this diet is so freeing!

Also, have you ever considered buying a solar oven? A solar oven cooks meats and veggies so nicely--very succulent. I don't have one, but my neighbor lets me add my meat alongside hers when she's using it. She's following the paleo/primal diet, too.

[eatmeat4good]

Glad it is working for you so fast! It did me too. ya know that muffin top Rosetapper is referring to? I had one since second grade but now I don't since being Paleo...I mean Primal...I mean...eating meat.

Here is how to survive with minimal cooking. You know those roasting bags you can buy for roasting turkey? I get those and each week I buy a turkey breast (with bone in) and a large roast and put them both in the bag to cook at the same time on a cookie sheet. Then when done, the breasts pull right off the bone and I let it cool then slice it crossways for slices and put them in a ziplock. Then slice the roast up and put it in a ziplock. That way when you are hungry you can just grab a slice or two of meat and/or nuke it with vegetables and as Rosetapper says...slather it in butter and have an avocado...OMG! This has saved my life! I hate to cook! The meat is always tender and delicious this way, and we are less tempted to grab carbs when there is always meat to be had.

I don't like veggies much...but I love fake mashed potato's made by mashing cauliflower the way you described!

[rosetapper23]

eatmeat4good,

We could live happily as roommates--LOL!

[LauraB0927]

Rosetapper - I am LOVING the sound of pouring butter over everything - or cheese!!! Now, I'm not a fan of fancy or moldy looking cheeses and I'm perfectly happy with the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, are those appropriate for this diet? I didn't think they were but if it'll help me eat broccoli and it wont affect the diet too bad, then I'm willing to give it a shot. Hell, I'd melt cheese over anything and everything!!! And I've never even heard of a solar oven, but I did look it up, and it may be a good investment for me somewhere down the line. Thanks!!

Eatmeat4good - I love those roasting bags, in fact my family makes fun of me because my mom will cook turkey in it every once in a while (she tends to burn the hell out of turkey when she doesn't use that bag), and I do a small dance in the kitchen when I see that bag come out of the oven. I will make sure to get them and do some bulk cooking on weekends to last me through the week. Thank you again!!

If my scale is accurate (which I sure hope it is!) then I've lost three (almost 4) pounds since Saturday...does this sound normal for Paleo/Primal? I always make sure to weigh myself in the morning right before I get in the shower, and I can't believe the numbers when I see them. I'm in such shock because when I was exercising like a maniac and counting calories several months ago I was lucky if I lost one pound per week. I'm not hungry in between meals anymore and now I actually feel full after meals (which aren't large anyway) which is great. Thank you all so much for all your support - it makes this whole process so much easier!

[Pauliewog]

I just started eating paleo/primal 5 days ago. I have lost 4.5 pounds. I realize it is probably a lot of water weight but I don't care so long as the scale moves down! As I considered doing this, I also read Why We Get Fat: and what to do about it. It isn't specifically a paleo book, but it goes into the science and research behind eating grain/carb free.

If you like the taste, I recommend sesame oil drizzled on steamed veggies or on salad. I usually don't eat salad dressing unless I make it. In a pinch I just use straight sesame oil and a bit of salt. very good!

[LauraB0927]

I just started eating paleo/primal 5 days ago. I have lost 4.5 pounds. I realize it is probably a lot of water weight but I don't care so long as the scale moves down! As I considered doing this, I also read Why We Get Fat: and what to do about it. It isn't specifically a paleo book, but it goes into the science and research behind eating grain/carb free.

If you like the taste, I recommend sesame oil drizzled on steamed veggies or on salad. I usually don't eat salad dressing unless I make it. In a pinch I just use straight sesame oil and a bit of salt. very good!

Congrats to you for the weight loss!!! I definitely will try the sesame oil, maybe on some baby arugula??

[eatmeat4good]

Laura! Yay!!!! I am doing the happy dance for you! Yes you can have cheese if dairy doesn't bother you! I eat it now but in the beginning of being gluten free I had to give up dairy due to nausea. Anyway it was a happy day when I got it back!

Depending on how much weight you have to lose, what you are losing now is consistent with Paleo/Primal eating. I consistently lost like one or two pounds a week until it was all gone. I couldn't believe my eyes! And I was never hungry. Best of all, you don't have to worry about processed food and cross contamination...because you aren't eating any of it! Yay again!

Another really strange benefit is my muscles started growing and getting stronger without me exercising. Maybe that is because I was so malnourished from Celiac, but whatever the reason, it was a really nice fringe benefit!! Now that I have muscle I CAN exercise but before I was just dragging and sooooo tired....I don't feel that way when I eat like a cavewoman! You guys inspire me.

Pauliewog!- I've never tried sesame oil...but you are inspiring me to try it!

Sounds yummy! Maybe I will start to like salad?!

Laura- I have burned the hell out a turkey or two... that is why I use the bags now! Plus if I have to cook at someone else's house on vacation or visiting...I can use the roasting bag and not worry about their contaminated pans!

Keep going you guys, you can do this!!

It's fun knowing other cave"men" are out there!

Thanks for sharing.

[LauraB0927]

I'm so glad that I tried this and I cant tell you how appreciative I am for all the support I've found on the forum. The past few days have been pain/cramp/D/C free which I haven't had in a few weeks. I was starting to become frustrated and needed a big change.

eatmeat4good - I'm so glad that I can eat my cheese! I could down a whole pack of muenster or cheddar cheese (not that I'll do that now) but its great that I can incorporate it some way without having to do raw dairy. I was told by my dietician that raw milk is illegal in NJ (where I live) so I'm assuming maybe raw cheese would be too? Either way, I don't think I would really enjoy either of them.

After seeing my small successes in such a short period of time, my mom and sister are now interested in starting the diet too (no one else in my immediate family has gluten issues) so it'll be nice cooking together and coming up with some new recipes to try!! Maybe I can convince my mom to get me a solar oven for the house...or I'll just put it on my bridal registry!!! Much love and best wishes to all of you!

[rosetapper23]

Don't forget to check out the recipes on marksdailyapple.com--you can download the recipe books for free (or order them in print for $$). Also, people provide their own recipes all the time. The Forum there is also awesome, and the people sound VERY intelligent. I've discovered that there are also meetup.com groups that are paleo/primal, and they always state, "celiacs welcome" when they have get-togethers.

Congrats on your weightloss, which is normal for being on the diet for only a few days. I really did lose five pounds per week when I was following the diet closely. Good luck!

[ChristineWas]

I didn't buy any books...just steaks.

Lol!

Thanks to this thread, I feel motivated to keep going with this. Thanks, everyone. My husband and I just went strictly paleo, but got hit with some sort of bug right when we started. (No, we weren't detoxing... it was the beginning of the first official day, so my body wouldn't even know anything was different yet.) After throwing up, all of the foods I'd just eaten pre-up-chuck didn't look appealing anymore. I really wanted to reach for comfort food (cheese!) when my appetite returned. (Comfort food that makes me feel sick, ironically.)

Anyway... I am sure this will be worth it.

[LauraB0927]

Lol!

Thanks to this thread, I feel motivated to keep going with this. Thanks, everyone. My husband and I just went strictly paleo, but got hit with some sort of bug right when we started. (No, we weren't detoxing... it was the beginning of the first official day, so my body wouldn't even know anything was different yet.) After throwing up, all of the foods I'd just eaten pre-up-chuck didn't look appealing anymore. I really wanted to reach for comfort food (cheese!) when my appetite returned. (Comfort food that makes me feel sick, ironically.)

Anyway... I am sure this will be worth it.

I'm sorry to hear that you and your hubby got sick, but that's great that you wanna keep going with it! I continue to see steady results and like I said in an earlier post this is the first time in several weeks that I haven't had cramps or reactions to food. I wish you the best! Let us know how you're doing!!

[AmyNColorado]

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced being irritable and low mood on the paleo diet. I went to a paleo mostly diet to try to clear up remaining symptoms and while my stomach feels great...my moods are irritable. I hear alot that people had success with depression symptoms when going paleo but that hasn't been my case. My depression seems to have gotten worse and my medications aren't helping. It's more quick temper/anxiety than sadness. I'm also very active outdoors, I exercise sometimes twice a day. I do eat alot of fruit allowed on the diet and I don't follow it religiously because I don't need to lose weight.

Does anyone else have this problem?

[LauraB0927]

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced being irritable and low mood on the paleo diet. I went to a paleo mostly diet to try to clear up remaining symptoms and while my stomach feels great...my moods are irritable. I hear alot that people had success with depression symptoms when going paleo but that hasn't been my case. My depression seems to have gotten worse and my medications aren't helping. It's more quick temper/anxiety than sadness. I'm also very active outdoors, I exercise sometimes twice a day. I do eat alot of fruit allowed on the diet and I don't follow it religiously because I don't need to lose weight.

Does anyone else have this problem?

I havent't yet experienced any mood symptoms but I still get pretty tired in the middle of the day. Granted, that also happened before I started the Primal/Paleo diet. For the past couple weeks (only started Primal/Paleo last week) I've just felt more fatigued and low energy, but I was also feeling pretty crappy with eating the processed foods, which I seemed to develop some sensitivities to. Maybe your body is craving more carbs and is missing it? Not sure if this helps but hang in there!!

[eatmeat4good]

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced being irritable and low mood on the paleo diet. I went to a paleo mostly diet to try to clear up remaining symptoms and while my stomach feels great...my moods are irritable. I hear alot that people had success with depression symptoms when going paleo but that hasn't been my case. My depression seems to have gotten worse and my medications aren't helping. It's more quick temper/anxiety than sadness. I'm also very active outdoors, I exercise sometimes twice a day. I do eat alot of fruit allowed on the diet and I don't follow it religiously because I don't need to lose weight.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Are you taking vitamin supplements regularly?

Even a slight deficiency in the B vitamins can cause symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Make sure you are getting enough essential fats from good fats like avocado and olive oil and omega 3 from Salmon. These things should help you. Make sure you take a multiple vitamin daily. Many people make the mistake of going low fat but there are reasons your body/brain needs more fat when you are eating Paleo. It makes you a fat burner and not a sugar burner in Sisson's words and this is a good thing. Unless you are eating too much sugar and you are still a sugar burner.,,,in which case your symptoms of inflammation would continue according to the Paleo theory. It isn't just for weight control, it is also about controlling inflammation and insulin resistance which has been linked to depression. You should find the research and reasons in these links. (Mark'sdailyapple.com)

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Of course depression isn't always only related to diet and vitamin deficiencies, so make sure you talk to your Dr. if things do not improve or you feel worse.

[AmyNColorado]

Thanks, I actually take B12 shots monthly, an omega 3 and a vitamin D pill regularly, doesn't seem to help. I eat fruit...is that the type of sugar you're talking about? I eat at least one fat serving per meal such as avocado or olive oil. I'm an active mtn biker, climber and hiker and eat alot of nuts as well on the trail! He mentions:

"If you can handle exercising without having to carb-load, you

[rosetapper23]

B12 is only one of the B vitamins, and I would highly recommend that you take a Co-Enzyme Vitamin B Complex, because ALL B vitamins are extremely important. If you're not absorbing B12, you may be having absorption problems with some or all of the rest of the B vitamins.

[LauraB0927]

Ok, so interestingly enough I think my body is telling me that Primal is the way to go.....I've been pretty good at following the diet for the last week except for some non-raw cheese here and there. My sister came back from her vacation today and we all went to PF Changs for lunch. I figured one day of cheating a bit couldn't be that bad and I will go back to strictly Primal tomorrow. I had the gluten-free Mongolian Beef and the lettuce wraps (with a little bit of brown rice) and it was fantastic. Now my abdomen is feeling pretty sensitive but its definitely not a glutening (I know that because I don't look 8 months pregnant right now). Just a lot of gas and feeling uncomfortable. I'm convinced now that my body absolutely loved the Primal diet and its trying to steer me back to it. To add onto that, this past week of being Primal was the most comfortable week for me, no pain or gas, I felt fabulous.

How fast do people develop other food sensitivities after going gluten free? I've been gluten free since May and could basically eat any gluten-free free food I wanted to - including the muffins, pastas, corn, soy, etc. Could I also be developing other sensitivities now? What are your sensitivity symptoms? I never had this before so I just wanted to get some feedback.

[gatita]

Paleo/primal sure sounds interesting, although right now I am starting on the Eat-Clean diet, which allows some grains and starchy carbs.

Can any of you share what you eat in a day, ie. your menu plan? I'm curious how people apply this to their real lives. Thanks in advance!