Finished with week 2 and all is going pretty well. This just isn't a hard 'diet' to stick to. I don't even have cheat meals, just cheat hot chocolates a couple of times a week. I'm still having a bit of trouble motivating myself to work out hard instead of intermittently, and my weight loss is suffering a bit for it. I'll get my head around that soon enough.

While I wouldn't say I'm full of energy, I'm not dog-tired like I was during week 1, so I must be getting used to it. I dropped 4.5 more pounds in week 2, totaling 11.5 lbs so far. A quarter of the way to my goal already, can't beat that. The interesting thing about this diet, so far, for me, is that even when I don't exercise I still don't gain weight. I generally maintain, but I've even lost a pound on a day when I didn't exercise. That hasn't happened to me in, like, forever. Usually, no matter how hard I diet, if I don't also exercise I'll gain weight. So I can't imagine how much quicker I might start dropping weight if I can stick to an exercise program for a bit.

So, so far so good. I love what I'm eating, I haven't been craving any sweets (unusual for me as well). And let me tell you, I work with folks who love to bake, and we have a counter full of goodies every day during this time of year. And I do mean goodies. Haven't even really been tempted. I like that.

Now excuse me while I have one of my cheat hot chocolates. My only craving. Well, that and this little filly I've had my eye on for a bit now, some serious cravings there. Drop another 10, I might even risk rejection and ask her for a hike...... ;-)

Edited by idester on 12/20/2011 20:11:32 MST.

Any idea how many calories you're taking in? And do you know what you were taking in prior to the diet change?

"Any idea how many calories you're taking in? And do you know what you were taking in prior to the diet change?"

Really, absolutely no idea. I've never been a spreadsheet/note taking kinda guy. Certainly less calories now as I was on a junk food binge for a bit before starting Paleo - plenty of empty calories unfortunately. Even when I was eating fairly well I snacked on toast/butter, lots of milk and lots of cheese.

But I'm not hungry at all these days, I eat til I'm satisfied, and pretty much snack most of the day - just healthy snacks (carrots/celery, shrimp, usually eat an avocado during the day as a snack).

Fair enough. I'm mostly interested in if the weight loss is actually due to content vs just taking in less.

"I'm mostly interested in if the weight loss is actually due to content vs just taking in less."

If I had to guess, I'd say a bit of both. Couldn't even begin to guess, though, on the percentages.

"Drop another 10, I might even risk rejection and ask her for a hike...... ;-)"

Hey, you're a Paleo Man. If she refuses, just grab her by the hair....and hope she doesn't have a black belt in karate. ;)

I also have a hunch you're going to develop another craving come spring, one that involves long days wandering around in some very craveable high country. If that doesn't shift your exercise program into high gear, I don't know what will.

Go get 'er, Doug! :)

"I'm mostly interested in if the weight loss is actually due to content vs just taking in less."

A major factor in Paleo eating is insulin control. Your insulin levels remain steady and rarely spike. Insulin triggers fat deposition (hindering fat loss) and the low blood sugar that follows an insulin surge leads to hunger/cravings/consumption. This is what I attribute the lack of a "sweet tooth" to.

Just a brief (simple) explanation of how content can = taking in less.

Edited by Feileung on 12/20/2011 22:05:53 MST.

The exercise comes more easily if you realize that "gut fat" almost always means coronary fat. The motivation is called FEAR OF THE BIG ONE.


BTW, You can often substitute real and natural fruit juices for fresh fruit.

At 68 years, 5' 10" and 183 lbs. I hear your hurt. I'm beginning to lose too. Mostly thru exercise and a more sane diet with very few sweets. And ONE beer per week. (Aaarrrgghh!)

No week 3 update? I bet Doug is back up 10lbs and snacking on pop tarts :)

Edited by dandydan on 12/29/2011 22:59:15 MST.

Welllllllll, only back up 2 pounds and snacking on chocolate. Lots of stress this past week, I won't bother getting into it, but I'm settled back down and back into the program. ;-) So at the end of week 3 I was at 191. Ate mostly paleo, but cheated a lot with both chocolate and hot chocolate. And one Wendy's burger (I know, I know!) and a lunch at Red, Hot & Blue (barbecue).

Tomorrow morning, breakfast is salmon with asparagus. Back on. Not expecting to be much below 190 by Monday morning, but at least I'll be heading in the right direction again!

Uhhh, thanks, Dan, for keeping track..... ;-)

Doug, it's Christmas season! You'd have to have a will like Batman and be as mirthless as he is to resist the charms of the Chocolate Eggman!

But, chocolate is a good paleo possibility. Just make sure it doesn't contain too much sugar. A good rule of thumb is 70% cacao, bitter chocolate. 80% and up I find too bitter and brittle and dry for my taste.

You're inspiring me, Doug! I really should be eating Paleo, but I've had more trouble keeping to it. Staying off dairy isn't hard for me, but the grains, the grains, carbohydrates....I keep playing with gluten-free baking, but I think that even gluten-free isn't quite enough for me. Judging from some of the things said here about Paleo, I may not have been allowing for as much fats as I should have to help control blood sugar. Maybe if I up that ante, it will be easier---once all the holiday goodies are gone!

My question is, what are you going to do for the trail? www.heatherlovespaleo.com has some good suggestions that I haven't had a chance to try out yet.

Try the Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa Bar to satisfy the chocolate urge. 1 or 2 squares makes a good treat. I can't go back to the 70% now -- it tastes too sweet...

Hey Doug just letting you know that you're inspiring to many! I play baseball at a d1 university and the day i stepped in the door freshman year my trainer gave me a copy of "the primal blueprint" by mark sisson and told me i had to lose weight. There are tons of similarities between the two diets. I struggled a lot with "giving up this and I cant have that" at the beginning. My trainer really helped me with these words of wisdom:

He said that changing over to a primal/paleo diet is more than just a change of diet its a lifestyle change. He also believes strongly that it is not about sacrifice its about altering the way you look at the food you eat. He always says shoot for 80% of your base intake of foods (major meals) to be whole foods such as lean meats, fish, fruits and vegetables but that if you are out with buddies and are getting pizza you dont have to say no, his mantra is "crush it, love it, and then get back on it" meaning if you've been dominating the paleo diet and you and a friend are at lunch and get a burger, enjoy it like you never have before then next meal get back on it and eat something that aligns with the lifestyle change you're making. It really makes you appreciate the foods that may not be "primal/paleo". That idea of this being a lifestyle change more than an end all be all "if you eat a fastfood burger you're screwed" type of deal.

You're doing all the right things and coming from a guy who ate all of the wrong things and found more joy in seeing how many pieces of pizza I could eat at Izzy's than I did eating a boring old chicken breast for the first 20 years of my life, the grass is much greener on the other side. The paleo way of life is the way to be, I've been on it for 3 years now and will never go back to the way I ate and lived before. Thats not to say I don't enjoy the crap out of a wendy's cheeseburger now and again. Never in my life had I ever felt so alive than I did after a few months of the primal diet. Keep it up, you're an inspiration to all!
Happy Trails,
-Karl

Karl, I too feel the "Primal Blueprint" is the best way to "go primal". It is the clearest and most logical book about the whole lifestyle that I've read to date. And, strangely enough for a diabetic going on 15 years now, it is the first book that thoroughly explained how insulin works and why lowering carbs is so important. No one (certainly never my doctor) had ever explained the insulin process to me before. And it's so true, as Mark Sisson, the author of the book says: It's all about the insulin! Control the insulin and you control not only your weight, but your entire immune system, digestive system, hormone levels, and sense of well-being. Do primal as a lifestyle (meaning not just the eating, but all the other points that Sisson focuses on), and you feel better than you've ever felt before... which is actually the normal, natural way to be feeling most of the time!

My thoughts exactly Miguel, whenever you are trying out a new diet or new "lifestyle" like primal or paleo you gotta remember that its not for everyone, you have to find one that works for you. Our trainer always says you gotta ask yourself these three questions whenever trying a new thing:
1) Does the story make sense? - Does the foundation of the lifestyle resonate with you, if not then its just another hail mary attempt to better the path of your life
2) Does the research support it? - Is there valid facts to back up the arguments being made
3) Is it working? - After a while on the new lifestyle look back and see if you're making improvements, if you are then keep on trucking, if not then maybe take it a different direction

To me it made all the sense in the world, I mean, when was the last time you saw an obese animal in nature?
Crush it and love it,
-Karl

The reason that you don't see an obese animal in nature is because the animal doesn't over eat and take in more calories than it burns, not to mention most wild animals get a lot of exercise. Want to lose weight? Reduce your caloric intake. Period.

I was skeptical too, so I took the time to do a thorough review of the medical literature. As it turns out, there are quite a few controlled studies showing that people on low carb diets lose more weight than those on high carb, low fat diets, while maintaining lower triglyceride levels. Not that it's needed, but Doug has my support and confidence as well.
Keep up the good work!

David, you keep saying that. As a diabetic my life literally depends on my being able to control my insulin and my weight. I am not obese. Never have been. In fact I was extremely lean and in fantastic shape (I'd just finished 6 months of bicycling around Europe) when I got diabetes. Have almost never overeaten in my life, and I most certainly never ate as much as so many North Americans do! (the portions at American restaurants still astounds me!). And yet now, with daily injections of insulin according to the 4 to 6 times a day blood sugar testing (more insulin when blood sugar is high, less when BG's are low), when I eat a lot of carbs my blood sugar goes sky high and I must inject more insulin, and for the first time in my life I started gaining weight. In the last two years, while following the primal diet both religiously and at times not so religiously, I've watched how my weight and sense of well-being fluctuate right in accordance with the amount of BG's I have and the increase and decrease in injected insulin. I always gain weight when I inject more insulin, even if the amount of food doesn't increase. It is always due to the amount of carbs that I eat (the worst culprit is bread... my blood sugars explode to astronomical highs whenever I eat bread. Rice less so). I have been keeping daily records of my blood sugars and insulin doses and weight for 15 years. I have never been able to gain as much control over my blood sugars and weight as in the last two years going primal. Among diabetics the primal/paleo lifestyle is now almost de rigeur and is fast becoming the basis of diabetic control. And since obesity and gaining weight are a major factor in both succumbing to diabetes and controlling it, I think the science behind low carb makes more sense than anything that has come before. Diabetes is not an "aberrant" disease, but a symptom of the way the general populace eats and lives, so anything that works to control and lessen the impact of the disease (and in many cases of Type 2 diabetes, actually "cure" the disease) applies to the non-diabetic population as well. Simply thinking only in terms of limiting calories doesn't work. It never has. That's why so many millions of people who try very hard to diet and cut back on how much they consume never succeed in losing weight. It isn't simply about "will power". It's the type of food people eat. And the current obsession with low fat/high carb in the States is the very reason why obesity is an epidemic (YES, IT IS A DISEASE! IT IS NOT NORMAL FOR SO MANY PEOPLE TO BE SO FAT! I wish people would stop trying to find platitudes to excuse the epidemic!). Americans, to the rest of the world, are famous for their obesity. As long as everyone continues to think only in terms of calories in/ calories out the epidemic will never get reversed. I do acknowledge that lowering the amount of food you eat is just as important, too. However, when you lower your carbs and up your fat you will also naturally tend to eat less. Satiety is an extremely important factor in how much you eat. Carbs make you hungry because of the increase in blood sugar and insulin.

P.S. Wild animals can and do overeat when they get the chance. Gorging is very common among predators. And yes, animals do get fat... they must, in order to make it through the long winters. It is the fat in their bodies that they live off during those times, not the carbs.

Edited by butuki on 01/05/2012 19:36:03 MST.