My experience with the Paleo Diet

AZRickD

New member
From about September 2011 through about a full year, I had been "sick" (intermittent fatigue). Some upper GI (stomach) issues. Nothing to speak of in the lower GI. Aches.

Three or so months of blah followed by a month or so of okay, repeat. All blood tests were negative. Doctors stumped. Riding hours dwindling to the lower double-digits per year. Sleeping 12+ hours per day on the bad periods.

In September 2012, during the beginning of another episode, I decided to dose myself with some pro-biotics. My symptoms reversed within a few days but that could have been coincidental.

In November I met up with a dirt biker during our series Competition Committee meeting. He was looking great (a little pudgy before). He said he had been on the Paleo Diet for the last several months and his weight had dropped (without trying) and his energy was up. He explained, very basically, that it consisted of dropping ALL grains from the diet as well as legumes (beans, soy, peanuts). And the food that you replace it with is high quality meat (fish and ribeye steak for me), veggies (gobs, including the paleo favorite "Big-Ass Salad"), and good fats (animal, olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil). No processed oil (Canola, corn, soy, etc). No processed food. If not cooked myself from raw ingredients, don't eat it. I went home and googled and was on my way.

Results after about six weeks --

I removed grain totally from my diet. I have no idea if I had any kind of gluten sensitivy which is a primary concern to many. On the other hand, within days of dropping all forms of wheat, oats, rice, etc, the biggest change was the near complete disappearance of hypoglycemia symptoms. No beans (legumes), either. This is coupled with removing processed sugar from my menu as well which leads to blood sugar spikes and crashes. No cake, pancakes, sweat tea. Keeping fruit to a minimum.

I also go longer between meals. Not because I'm trying to reduce calories (I'm actually stuffing myself most days - veggies and meat, mostly) -- I'm just not particulary hungry more often than not. Yesterday afternoon I went on a mountain bike ride around Deem Hill (my standard getting-back-into-shape half-lap). Normally I'd have to down a glass of OJ to get me through it and then I'd come back hungry as well. Not this time.

As a bonus, I've also dropped about 20 to 25 pounds without doing much exercise during the period other than stretching (P90-X Stretch) and a short ab workout for my back. I'm fitting into clothes I haven't worn since the last time I was in shape (just before the Sept 2011 chronic illness).

Part of the Paleo program is to go 100% Paleo for a few weeks and re-introduce some foods one at a time to see if there is a sensitivity (not necessarily an allergy). I didn't notice much of anything when I tried a good hunk of bread one day, or dairy at another time. But I got a rude awakening when I tried my fave peppers. I used to cook with them all the time. They were one of my go-to Wok-able veggies.

Peppers (green, red, jalpeneo, etc, etc) are part of the nightshade family (also includes potatos, eggplants, tobacco, tomatoes). They have alkaloids (tomatine, nicotine, etc) which I later found out can cause problems.

This wasn't a re-introduction, really. They were on sale and I grabbed a back of mixed mini-bell peppers. I took two of them to work and munched on one late in the morning. My skin got itchy, my stomach gurgled, a couple of muscle groups started to ache (forearm, shin), and the areas around a couple of joints started to ache. This lasted for about four hours.

I googled "Paleo + peppers" and learned of the nightshade connection. After the symptoms subsided I decided to go guinea pig and munched on another one. The symptoms returned and lasted for eight hours and it sucked. It reminded me of what I was going through last fall when I first got sick. I was going through bunches of peppers back then, not-so conincidentally, I surmise. I've had two accidental re-introductions since (restaurant food). Similar results.
 
Been on it for 4 weeks, lost 11 pounds with only still walking for 45 minutes a day at 4.0 MPH at a 4% grade on my treadmill. I was running the same amount but not watching my food intake and had zero results with weight loss and still fatigued during the day. Not on a full blown paleo but more just staying away from man made/engineered foods.

Glad to see its working for you. Now maybe you won't be such a bottlenecker now....LOL!
 
After about three months I have dropped a total of 30 pounds and mostly stable at 197 lbs. Again, without trying to lose weight. Excersize includes only P90X "Stretch" 5 days a week and P90X Abs 3 or so days a week for my back issues. I might do the rare MTB ride but usually not because it's a bit chilly in the Phoenix mornings still.

I did a 2.5 hour hare scramble last month without pitting and without any kind of Gatorade-like substance in my Camelbak. Pre race meals were normal paleo. Protein, fat, carbs (veggies and yams). Post race was more of the same (plus beer).

Two weeks ago we did a long reset enduro of about five hours. I stuffed a baggy full of bacon, half a yam, and a nut bar. I had planned to have a bottle of Gatorade at the gas pit but I forgot it. Also, my water has a squeeze of lemon and a light pinch of salt --> calcium, sodium, and chloride.

Through it all my blood sugar was nominal. I was wiped at the end of the enduro, and I was hungry, but no sugar crash.

We have another 2.5 hour hare scramble next weekend. No special plans.
 
Great info., Rick. Glad you're finding such good results. I'll take a closer look as I do think that "what goes in" affects how we feel...

Jeff
 
If you're searching for info, use search terms "paleo" + "fill in the blank."

To find out what foods are good for you...

paleo + protein
paleo + fat
paleo + vegetables
paleo + oil

To find out what foods are bad for you and why...

paleo + grains
paleo + legumes
paleo + peanuts
paleo + bad fats (processed vegetable oil)
paleo + nightshades

You'll be sent to sites like paleohacks.com, mark's daily apple and others.

Sifting through the bad and good information, misinformation and contradictory information will take some time, but you'll begin to make some sense of it.

You'll hear a lot of "What would Grog eat?" which is intended to guide people toward a simpler diet. I ignore the caveman aspect of the diet and seek simple, high-quality, unprocessed food. Do some experimentation to find if you have any foods that cause you problems (nightshades, dairy, nuts...)

And lastly, try to avoid using nuts as your "snack food." The best thing to do for a between-meal snack is to make a mini-meal that contains, veggies (your main carb source), fat, and protein. I try to keep very little nuts on-hand (because I will pig out on them). I use nuts to sprinkle on my "Big-Ass Salad."
 
Google paleo + cholesterol.

Supposedly it lessens it, as the Paleo theorists link high cholesterol and high tri-glycerides (fatty acid chains in blood) to inflammation and consumption of grains and legumes.

I'll have a full blood panel done in a couple of months.

Edit: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/cholesterol-is-not-bad/

Inflammation as the root of the problem
The real cause of the problem is inflammation at the artery level. This inflammation is caused by chronically high levels of insulin, which is caused by excess carbohydrate consumption. Trans fats and vegetable oils also cause inflammation. We only really see LDL’s negative consequences when it becomes oxidized by free radicals. A diet high in antioxidants (vegetables and fruits) and low in carbohydrates will reduce factors of oxidation in the body.

Aim for high HDL and low triglycerides
Triglycerides is the name we give to the fatty acids once they are circulating in the bloodstreams. High levels is a bad thing. Again, high triglycerides are caused mainly by chronically high carbohydrate intake from grains and legumes.

To reach a higher level of HDL, be sure to reduce your sources of omega-6 fats, mainly from vegetable oils, but also from an excess of nuts. Taking a good quality fish oil daily is a good idea.

Saturated fats will also raise the good HDL, so lots of it is a good thing. Think coconut oil, lard, butter, beef tallow, …
 
Well, keep us posted after your tests. I have a high LDL, as does my brother and did my father. Both of our HDLs are very high, and triglycerides low. No heart disease history. Drug happy doc wants to load me up with Lipitor which I refused. Like a shotgun to the liver.
 
Well, keep us posted after your tests. I have a high LDL, as does my brother and did my father. Both of our HDLs are very high, and triglycerides low. No heart disease history. Drug happy doc wants to load me up with Lipitor which I refused. Like a shotgun to the liver.

Eat a serving of raw almonds (~30) per day. This and white fish helps significantly reduce the bad cholesterol. I also cut down on cheese and other dairy products and knocked about 40 points off my bad cholesterol. Exercise increases the good stuff, so I went from 220 total to about 150-160 total cholesterol. My doctor is not drug happy, and she suggested I modify my diet instead of drugs. And here I am now, eating one serving of raw almonds per day and doing great.

I also recently lost 20lbs, but I didn't have any symptoms other than being big and sweaty. I cut my food intake and increased my activity (fad diet, I know!) and dropped about 5 inches off my waist and 20 lbs from my frame. Doing great, still feel good, but I hate having to buy a completely new wardrobe. That sucks, having to go shopping and spend money.

Good luck to everyone on their way to good health, it is absolutely worth it. Off to the gym I go!
 
I don't eat much fat. Chicken and fish mostly. Red meat maybe once every two weeks. No dairy except a splash in my coffee in the AM. No fried stuff, no fatty snacks. Omega 3 with every meal. Not perfect, but not bad either. Its practical considering my hectic family lifestyle. I also train hard, real hard. I'm under 180lbs. Lipitor turned a multi black belt Jujitsu instructor I work with into a shadow of himself that now walks with a cane from the muscle damage in his legs. No thanks, I'll take my chances. That class of drug was conceived for post heart attack treatment, then they figured they could make a fortune if everyone was on it. I need to find another doctor, this guy loves to write tickets for EVERYTHING. Then again, today most people are lazy and want quick easy answers and a pill to solve their problems.
 
Been Paleo for over two years. This is the best thing you can do for yourself.
You can stay lean have energy and gain muscle mass very quickly.
My Doc said I was crazy until she saw my blood markers after 3 months.
Google
Robb Wolf
Mark's Daily Apple
Art Devanny he hasn't eaten a grain in over 30 years and is 73 years old 208lbs and 8% body fat.
 
Don't have the paper work handy but what was supposed to go up went up and what was supposed to go down went down.
I'm also off blood pressure pills I was to be on for the rest of my life.
 
I don't eat much fat. Chicken and fish mostly. Red meat maybe once every two weeks. No dairy except a splash in my coffee in the AM. No fried stuff, no fatty snacks. Omega 3 with every meal. Not perfect, but not bad either. Its practical considering my hectic family lifestyle. I also train hard, real hard. I'm under 180lbs. Lipitor turned a multi black belt Jujitsu instructor I work with into a shadow of himself that now walks with a cane from the muscle damage in his legs. No thanks, I'll take my chances. That class of drug was conceived for post heart attack treatment, then they figured they could make a fortune if everyone was on it. I need to find another doctor, this guy loves to write tickets for EVERYTHING. Then again, today most people are lazy and want quick easy answers and a pill to solve their problems.

Just tell the doc "no." It's your body. When I wanted to lower my cholesterol I just googled what to eat, and almonds was the easiest to add and cheese easiest to remove (but I still love me some smoked gruyere...). It can be done, just find what works and stick with it.
 
Not to mention all the waste/weight you will lose cleaning out your intestions and bowels. Pretty gross and makes you wonder how many years ago it was you swalled that piece of gum??:p
 
That's very likely,

Done correctly, the new Paleo guy will eventually find a way to replace all those grains and beans with veggies (and yams). Preparing them correctly, and flavorly is the key. No need to eat what you don't like. You're giving up a lot of "comfort food." Make it easy on yourself.

That being said, don't eat a big hunk of meat at meal time. Protein should be a modest minority of all you eat. Lots of veggies, covered in butter or olive oil, and garlic and spices of course.
 
That being said, don't eat a big hunk of meat at meal time. Protein should be a modest minority of all you eat. Lots of veggies, covered in butter or olive oil, and garlic and spices of course.

Sure if you call 1to 2 pounds of meat a day a small amount.
 
Google "protein per day" and you will find estimates of .5 to .7 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. That's just several ounces of meat per day.

16 oz of top sirloin = 843 calories which includes protein and fat. Another 700 calories in veggies and starch and you are good for the day.
 
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