New Guy Here; Cheapest Paleo Diet Regime?

[Toast]

Hello everyone. I subscribed to the newsletter a few weeks ago but haven't really done much to improve my diet or exercise regime other than eating 4 eggs, spinach, and mushrooms every morning. Right now I don't exercise at all, which I hate since I used to exercise a lot. I'm currently 19 years old in the second semester of my first year in college. There is a reason why I stopped exercising, so I'll tell a bit about my history in this spoiler:

 

The first time I started working out regularly was when I signed up for a weightlifting class at my High School Junior year. After taking the class for just a few months I realized that I really enjoyed lifting and wish I had started sooner. I would always feel satisfied coming out of the weight room feeling like I've accomplished something. I actually started working out after school too on the off days by running or lifting more. I was really enjoying my progress.

 

Anyway, come senior year and I join the class again and continue to improve my strength. By the end of March I was 5ft 8in, 165lbs, able to bench over 150lbs (that was a lot for me at the time), squat over 200lbs, and was on my way of finally getting a six pack. Then, something strange happened.

 

While running outside in very cold weather as a warm up for tennis (I was on the team since freshman year), I felt like I pulled a muscle in my left pelvic area and immediately started having pain. I had to stop running or else it would get worse, so I walked back to the courts, explained my situation to my coach, and went home. After about an hour I started feeling very sick and had pretty bad diarrhea. I told my mom about it and she gave me a 3 day prescription of Flagyl (it kills infection causing bacteria in your GI tract). She carries antibiotics with her because she’s a nurse.

 

The morning after I take the first pill, my lower intestinal tract is hurting. I take a shit and find green stool in the toilet. I’ve never seen this before and immediately get paranoid. I look on the Internet and find out that my intestines my not be absorbing all the nutrients from my food. After hearing this, I stop taking Flagyl and, for some reason, barely ate anything the whole day (I think I ate under 500 calories). Thankfully it was a Saturday and I was allowed to do pretty much nothing.

 

The next day, I have to wake up at 5 A.M. to work as an election judge at a church for the Illinois primaries. (Perfect timing right?) I take a shit at the church and find that my stool is gray and has a clay-like consistency. I heard that that could be a sign of internal bleeding in my intestines, so now I get really paranoid. The whole day at the job I stay spooked about my health. Also, for some reason I start thinking my intestines are infested with parasites, which is one of my all-time fears.

 

After this, I start fearing to take a shit and start eating much less than I did before. At school, I don’t feel as motivated to lift anymore and slowly I feel my energy draining from me. I fall into pretty bad depression; unmotivated to work at school and talk to people. After a few days, I lost over 10 pounds, and a week after the incident I lose over 20. I did not want to be losing that much weight at the time. My mom brings me to our family doctor and she prescribes some antibiotic I forgot the name to for two weeks. After taking the antibiotics I start feeling a sense of security and start eating regularly again, making my weight hover around 140. Unfortunately, while on the antibiotics, my doctor said there’s a chance that I could easily break a tendon and suggested I don’t do any hard physical work. So for the two weeks I didn’t work out at all and at this point I’m pretty much out of the tennis team. After I get off the antibiotics, I attempt to lift again but for some reason I don’t have a lot of energy and I can’t lift for more than 20 minutes. I eventually stop lifting and I graduate High School feeling really weak.

 

Over summer break, I slowly regain my energy back. I get over my depression and fear of parasites, but I still feel like there’s problems with my intestines. I’ll sporadically have pain in my rectum and lower intestines. I’ve been wanting to have a colonoscopy since then but they’re very expensive. Also, I was incredibly lazy physically over the summer. I didn’t work out at all and have worked out inconsistently over my first semester in college.

 

TL;DR, I lifted a lot in High School but stopped the end of senior year because I started having problems with my intestines. I recovered over the summer but haven’t lifted consistently since a year ago, and now I want to get back into it.

 

My family bought a membership at Life Time Fitness, but I'm too much of a pussy to go because of anxiety and shit. I know for sure that I can stay healthy without a membership at a gym, but I’m finding it very hard to motivate myself to get into a routine. I had a much easier time at school since I was told what to do, but now that I have to tell myself it’s a lot harder to get started. I really want to get back into a routine since I loved the feeling of satisfaction after a workout.

 

Going back to my diet, I still eat cereal grains, processed foods, pizza, and other crap. I would like to eat a full Paleo diet, but the price of organic food is always much higher than processed food, and I don't even have a job right now. Also, my parents always go to Costco and buy food in bulk since it's much more cost effective. I don’t want to be bringing in food when there are already stockpiles of it in the house. There's just never really anything considered Paleo in my house at times. So what I want to know is what's the cheapest Paleo Diet regime that I can go through? I honestly don't care about the taste of the food. I just want to have a diet where I'll stay "healthy."

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who answers my question. My history is pretty long and it isn’t really necessary to understand my situation. I look forward to leveling up with you all.

EDIT: I forgot to mention this: I want to get into some kind of martial arts at some point in my life, specifically Aikido. Any advice on that? Also, what's the pros and cons of drinking protein supplements, and which ones should I use and avoid?

[Morrigainz]

Milythael is doing paleo on $50 a week. You might check with him for ideas.

[AnnleaArtsy]

You don't absolutely HAVE to eat organic. Regular fruits and veggies are better then nothing. And something I have found is if you eliminate anything processed from the store then your grocery bill really isn't that high as you may think. My husband and I actually spend less then what we used to just by cutting out a whole bunch of stuff that's bad for you. Sure if you buy some pizza, cookies, and a bunch of juice plus some healthy stuff then yup..your bill will be higher. 

 

But it's all about baby steps. For example..you can replace that pizza for a home made soup that will last you almost a week. That home made soup can be made with chicken and/or beans with veggies that are on sale. You can even make your own broth by using a method of simmering bones from a chicken in a big pot with herbs and spices. It sounds weird but it's good. My mom in law makes this bone broth that is full of calcium and you can freeze the stuff and make it last. 

 

Also just be aware of what you can spend and spend according to that and no higher and you will be fine. And what about talking to your parents? 

[Toast]

Milythael is doing paleo on $50 a week. You might check with him for ideas.

 

Okay how would I be able to find and contact him here? I don't know how to navigate this forum too well yet.

You don't absolutely HAVE to eat organic. Regular fruits and veggies are better then nothing. And something I have found is if you eliminate anything processed from the store then your grocery bill really isn't that high as you may think. My husband and I actually spend less then what we used to just by cutting out a whole bunch of stuff that's bad for you. Sure if you buy some pizza, cookies, and a bunch of juice plus some healthy stuff then yup..your bill will be higher.

But it's all about baby steps. For example..you can replace that pizza for a home made soup that will last you almost a week. That home made soup can be made with chicken and/or beans with veggies that are on sale. You can even make your own broth by using a method of simmering bones from a chicken in a big pot with herbs and spices. It sounds weird but it's good. My mom in law makes this bone broth that is full of calcium and you can freeze the stuff and make it last.

Also just be aware of what you can spend and spend according to that and no higher and you will be fine. And what about talking to your parents?

Well I was kinda hoping for something really simple lol. I don't cook a lot and I'd personally like to start out with a really simple order of food before making up my own stuff. I just feel odd having all this food in the house and since it's mostly just my mom, dad, and little sister (my older brother and sister are out of state for college), I'm reluctant to bring even more. We tend to waste a good amount of food already as it is, although it would still be a good idea to talk to my parents about it wouldn't it?

[MariahSnow]

My family bought a membership at Life Time Fitness, but I'm too much of a pussy to go because of anxiety and shit. I know for sure that I can stay healthy without a membership at a gym, but I’m finding it very hard to motivate myself to get into a routine. I had a much easier time at school since I was told what to do, but now that I have to tell myself it’s a lot harder to get started. I really want to get back into a routine since I loved the feeling of satisfaction after a workout.

 

You can absolutely stay healthy without a gym membership. But if you want to get back into a gym, take baby steps. I'm naturally shy and anxious, so gyms were a huge nightmare for me for a long time. What I did to get over it was put my headphones on and do something like walking on the treadmill for a bit. That way you can scope out what's at the gym, where the weights are, where the machines are, etc. And you aren't obviously lost and wandering, or in people's way! 

[Toast]

You can absolutely stay healthy without a gym membership. But if you want to get back into a gym, take baby steps. I'm naturally shy and anxious, so gyms were a huge nightmare for me for a long time. What I did to get over it was put my headphones on and do something like walking on the treadmill for a bit. That way you can scope out what's at the gym, where the weights are, where the machines are, etc. And you aren't obviously lost and wandering, or in people's way!

Yeah it's always the first step that's the hardest for me. I asked my brother about the place he went to regularly before going to college, and he said there's not much people after 8 PM, so I think I'll be fine going at that time.

[AnnleaArtsy]

 

Well I was kinda hoping for something really simple lol. I don't cook a lot and I'd personally like to start out with a really simple order of food before making up my own stuff. I just feel odd having all this food in the house and since it's mostly just my mom, dad, and little sister (my older brother and sister are out of state for college), I'm reluctant to bring even more. We tend to waste a good amount of food already as it is, although it would still be a good idea to talk to my parents about it wouldn't it?

 

Definitely...and who knows...maybe they are willing to go on this too. They might even like Steve's website. I sometimes swear the dude has actual powers lol.

[Teros]

I also hate cooking (screw dishes).  Do you by any chance have a crockpot?  it's so worth it.  It does a few things for you:

makes cooking easier since you just throw everything in a pot and leave it be.

makes the food ready for you since it's cooked low and slow so it will be ready when you are hungry (which helps with straying and eating junk.  you're committed to eating XYZ because it's already made)

you can make a huge amount of stuff.  You can throw a whole roast in the crockpot with some water/broth/or seasonings and you'll have food for DAYS.

it's nearly screw-up proof.  Gonna undercook a roast? burn it?  crockpot pot will make it just right.

they're cheap.  found one for 30ish bucks.

less hassle since you just clean one pot every few days.

 

lastly, with the summer coming up, it doesn't make nearly as much heat.  So no oven on 450 degrees in july weather.

[sneaky]

 

Okay how would I be able to find and contact him here? I don't know how to navigate this forum too well yet.Well I was kinda hoping for something really simple lol. I don't cook a lot and I'd personally like to start out with a really simple order of food before making up my own stuff. I just feel odd having all this food in the house and since it's mostly just my mom, dad, and little sister (my older brother and sister are out of state for college), I'm reluctant to bring even more. We tend to waste a good amount of food already as it is, although it would still be a good idea to talk to my parents about it wouldn't it?

I'm also a college freshman, though I'm in the dorms rather than living at home (though I think my dad pines for summers and breaks so my older brother and I are home again). I definitely suggest talking to your parents. My dad has the absolute worst eating habits I have ever seen, so I was really worried about going home for the weekend and ruining the eating habits I'd established at school, but he was really understanding (yes, I did cheat a bit with some once in a while treats, but it's all about balance). Before I left he even took me to the store to stock up on healthy food for me to snack on while at school. Best of all, he started talking to me about wanting to lose weight, and get healthier, that he'd even cut out his favorite junk food and was working on not drinking soda anymore. So this summer we're planning on eating healthier meals and doing more active things, like taking our dogs to dog parks and lengthening their walks. Seriously, you never know how supportive your parents will be until you talk to them. 

[Toast]

I also hate cooking (screw dishes).  Do you by any chance have a crockpot?  it's so worth it.  It does a few things for you:

makes cooking easier since you just throw everything in a pot and leave it be.

makes the food ready for you since it's cooked low and slow so it will be ready when you are hungry (which helps with straying and eating junk.  you're committed to eating XYZ because it's already made)

you can make a huge amount of stuff.  You can throw a whole roast in the crockpot with some water/broth/or seasonings and you'll have food for DAYS.

it's nearly screw-up proof.  Gonna undercook a roast? burn it?  crockpot pot will make it just right.

they're cheap.  found one for 30ish bucks.

less hassle since you just clean one pot every few days.

 

lastly, with the summer coming up, it doesn't make nearly as much heat.  So no oven on 450 degrees in july weather.

 

Hmmm this actually sounds like a really good idea. I'll keep this in mind. By the way, does this mean you'll have to keep the crockpot on 24/7 until you finish the food? If yes, how much electricity is used?

 

I'm also a college freshman, though I'm in the dorms rather than living at home (though I think my dad pines for summers and breaks so my older brother and I are home again). I definitely suggest talking to your parents. My dad has the absolute worst eating habits I have ever seen, so I was really worried about going home for the weekend and ruining the eating habits I'd established at school, but he was really understanding (yes, I did cheat a bit with some once in a while treats, but it's all about balance). Before I left he even took me to the store to stock up on healthy food for me to snack on while at school. Best of all, he started talking to me about wanting to lose weight, and get healthier, that he'd even cut out his favorite junk food and was working on not drinking soda anymore. So this summer we're planning on eating healthier meals and doing more active things, like taking our dogs to dog parks and lengthening their walks. Seriously, you never know how supportive your parents will be until you talk to them.

Yeah I really don't expect them to react negatively other than being reluctant to follow a regime since it's just all around easier to buy processed food in bulk.

I forgot to mention this: I want to get into some kind of martial arts at some point in my life, specifically Aikido. Any advice on that? Also, what's the pros and cons of drinking protein supplements, and which ones should I use and avoid?

[Ancalagon The Black]

Buddy, I am in your boat too. I am a graduate student and therefore, in some ways much poorer than you are. I was on the paleo bandwagon too but then I realized that grass fed meats, organic veggies et al are just non sustainable on my current income. So, I resolved to optimize the situation and buy and eat the best I could without breaking the bank.

 

I used to be a rabid paleo nut but realized that while the principle of paleo are good, it is not the be-all and end-all in this world and getting off the paleo high horse actually served me better in terms of income and nutrition. As Steve once said in his post, you have to make do with the best that you can. I can give you an idea of what I generally eat and remember that I am also a big believer in eating and lifting big.

 

Having said that, I follow starting strength 3 times a week and have recently started Couch to 5 K 3 times a week. So, its a lifting + running combination. I also intermittently fast (overnight and skip breakfast) for 12-14 hours and workout with nothing in me than a plain coffee. Then, I eat everything in the remaining hours. (which makes me feel very good). I don't eat carbs regularly than in one meal as you will see. Of course, I will still enjoy the occasional beer when I go out with friends and relax (I don't drink alone). One should enjoy life instead of denying himself pleasures.

 

Here is what I eat generally in no particular order:

 

1. Steel cut oatmeal (Bob's Red Mill) - very cheap. I buy it in bulk and its like possibly $0.15 a cup. These are very healthy food.

2. Whole Milk with Cream - local, farmer's milk but cheap on the gallon. Very organic, unprocessed ... very, very tasty. Goes very well with the oatmeal and the whey protein

3. Optimum Nutrition Natural 5lb Whey Protein - cheap when bought in the huge 5lb tub. I got the chocolate

4. Cage Free Organic Local Eggs - perfect health food, about $0.20 an egg.

5. Chicken breasts - I buy huge strips of them from Wegmans. Inorganic but quite cheap. I can get a 6lb strip for about $10. Not bad?

6. Frozen veggies - $1.99 a bag. I buy bags in bulk (hence, discountz) from Wegmans. Inorganic but once again, quite cheap. There are different kinds like corn and carrots, mushrooms and peas etc. I mix and match.

7. Deli meat from Wegmans - different kinds, inorganic but cheap when bought in bulk. So many different kinds, ham, beef, turkey, chicken, bologna, salami etc.

8. Roasted Nori (seaweed) - I make nori wraps with the deli meat. That serves as my lunch. I don't have to use any kind of wheat then, in my lunch. I spice it up with different spices, condiments etc. This is a little expensive but its one of the optimizations I do.

9. Nuts - usually cashew bought in 5lb bulk from Amazon - cheap-ish and delicious. I encourage everyone to order nuts from Amazon.

10. Ground beef, some pork etc. I buy this in moderation from local places. These are delicious and I prepare them as treats to myself on Sunday - which is the day I rest and just eat and don't fast. [i also play massive amounts of video games on Sundays.]

 

My average grocery bill for the month is ~150 (given that I buy in bulk. I calculated this in Mint.com ). This is about $5 a day. I haven't found a way to go cheaper than that. Usually I eat out once a week as well with friends at nice, local restaurants. That bill comes to about ~75. So, my food expenditure per day in any given month < $8. I find myself quite sustained by this.

 

You may think that I eat the same foods over and over again and its boring but this is one of the best ways that I have hit upon which suits me and my lifestyle. I have plenty of other graduate student friends who never cook, always eat unhealthily outside and are quite unfit because they don't think about what they are doing in life. Its great that you are thinking about your health and your life. I encourage you to keep following this path.

[Ancalagon The Black]

As far as supplements are concerned, you don't really need anything. Real food is always good. Having said that, I take:

 

1. Optimum Nutrition Natural Whey Protein (Chocolate) - Its very very delicious and creamy with whole milk and is a very nutritious combination.

2. Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men Multivitamin - 2 a day (less than the 3/day dosage). Its fine. I don't need all that extra stuff in me. Sometimes I think that even 2 is overkill. It keeps a 180 tab bottle for about 3 months. Which is great !

3. Jarrow's Balanced Fish Oil - Excellent DHA-EPA balanced fish oil. The best prepared that I have found which is also cheap. I take 5 capsules a day - about 2 grams of EPA and 1 gram of DHA.

 

Thats it. I cannot honestly tell you if I have had real improvements after taking these.

[Toast]

1. Steel cut oatmeal (Bob's Red Mill) - very cheap. I buy it in bulk and its like possibly $0.15 a cup. These are very healthy food.

2. Whole Milk with Cream - local, farmer's milk but cheap on the gallon. Very organic, unprocessed ... very, very tasty. Goes very well with the oatmeal and the whey protein

3. Optimum Nutrition Natural 5lb Whey Protein - cheap when bought in the huge 5lb tub. I got the chocolate

4. Cage Free Organic Local Eggs - perfect health food, about $0.20 an egg.

5. Chicken breasts - I buy huge strips of them from Wegmans. Inorganic but quite cheap. I can get a 6lb strip for about $10. Not bad?

6. Frozen veggies - $1.99 a bag. I buy bags in bulk (hence, discountz) from Wegmans. Inorganic but once again, quite cheap. There are different kinds like corn and carrots, mushrooms and peas etc. I mix and match.

7. Deli meat from Wegmans - different kinds, inorganic but cheap when bought in bulk. So many different kinds, ham, beef, turkey, chicken, bologna, salami etc.

8. Roasted Nori (seaweed) - I make nori wraps with the deli meat. That serves as my lunch. I don't have to use any kind of wheat then, in my lunch. I spice it up with different spices, condiments etc. This is a little expensive but its one of the optimizations I do.

9. Nuts - usually cashew bought in 5lb bulk from Amazon - cheap-ish and delicious. I encourage everyone to order nuts from Amazon.

10. Ground beef, some pork etc. I buy this in moderation from local places. These are delicious and I prepare them as treats to myself on Sunday - which is the day I rest and just eat and don't fast. [i also play massive amounts of video games on Sundays.]

Thanks for your reply Ancalagon! I would like to ask you a few questions:

1. You mentioned that you buy a lot of your food from Wegmans. What's so great about Wegmans if you buy so much food from it?

2. About the Whey Protein, should I drink it before or after a work out?

3. You mentioned that you intermittent fast but only for about 12 hours. I tried fasting for 24 hours once, but the morning after I was done I had red stool when I took a shit. I've been reluctant to try fasting again ever since. How has intermittent fasting helped you personally?

Also, I have a question for everyone else reading: I finally went to Life Time Fitness Friday and did quite a bit of lifting. I did chest press, lat pull down, squats, shoulder press, rows, assisted dips, and leg extensions and curls. I had a headache the whole time there and was on the verge of throwing up after about 50 minutes of working out, so I just left after the leg stuff. I have a strong belief I had about a 10 second convulsion when trying to sleep Saturday night. I had a long explanation of why I believe this but I accidentally deleted it so I'll just answer any questions about it. When I woke up Sunday, I was very sore, so sore that I could hardly move my arms or legs without having pain.

Now, I still have a lot of pain today (Monday), especially in my lats, and I was planning on lifting today. Should I still lift today?

[Ancalagon The Black]

Hey ! Hows it going? Here are some of my responses to your questions:

 

1. I shop from Wegmans because its the only grocery store of note around. The alternatives are Walmart and Tops. There is nothing great per se about it other than being a regional chain and that, everyone in our small town goes there.

 

2. Just drink it after your workout. It should be fine. I mix it in milk to get more calories and goodness.

 

3. I fast for about 12-14 hours everyday but make no mistake about it. In the other 12-10 hours, I eat a lot of food and get the same number of calories that I would otherwise. IF has worked for me so far. I never liked eating breakfast and considered it a pain to cook and clean every morning. Now, I just make stuff at night and get sleep for 8 hours. That usually does the trick.

 

Also, STOP LIFTING WITH NO PLAN !!  Go here: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

 

and start the basic Starting Strength plan. You don't need to do so many exercises in one day. You must go in with a plan and do 3-4 compound lifts. Squat, OHP, Bench, Deadlift, Pullups. Thats all that you need. Follow the basic starting strength pattern and I assure you that you will not go wrong. Just take it easy today and start reading the above link. You will gain a lot of useful knowledge. Also, don't do curls. Its useless.

[Toast]

and start the basic Starting Strength plan. You don't need to do so many exercises in one day. You must go in with a plan and do 3-4 compound lifts. Squat, OHP, Bench, Deadlift, Pullups. Thats all that you need. Follow the basic starting strength pattern and I assure you that you will not go wrong. Just take it easy today and start reading the above link. You will gain a lot of useful knowledge. Also, don't do curls. Its useless.

I'm not sure what "OHP" stands for, so I'm assuming it stands for Overhead Press, which I'm assuming is shoulder press. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, I don't know if my gym has benches or barbells. If it has neither, I'd be fine just using machines right?

[mommydeathcreeper]

Also, I have a question for everyone else reading: I finally went to Life Time Fitness Friday and did quite a bit of lifting. I did chest press, lat pull down, squats, shoulder press, rows, assisted dips, and leg extensions and curls. I had a headache the whole time there and was on the verge of throwing up after about 50 minutes of working out, so I just left after the leg stuff. I have a strong belief I had about a 10 second convulsion when trying to sleep Saturday night. I had a long explanation of why I believe this but I accidentally deleted it so I'll just answer any questions about it. When I woke up Sunday, I was very sore, so sore that I could hardly move my arms or legs without having pain.

Now, I still have a lot of pain today (Monday), especially in my lats, and I was planning on lifting today. Should I still lift today?

Did you stretch afterwards? The first time I worked out I didn't stretch at all and I nearly fell down the stairs because my legs gave out and could barely walk. I was like that for days. Stretching actually makes a huge difference; Steve wrote an article about it somewhere.

 

As for feeling like throwing up, I don't know. You may have just pushed yourself too hard.

[Ancalagon The Black]

OHP is overhead press. Machines are not cool for reasons which you will find elsewhere on nerdfitness.

 

Go to your gym on a recon mission and find out if they have barbells or dumbbells.

[Toast]

OHP is overhead press. Machines are not cool for reasons which you will find elsewhere on nerdfitness.

 

Go to your gym on a recon mission and find out if they have barbells or dumbbells.

They have barbells but they're almost always taken. I suppose I could use dumbbells if I can't use a barbell. Could I squat and deadlift effectively with dumbbells?

[Ancalagon The Black]

No you cannot. You need to be one of those people who take the barbells, not wait for them to be taken. Find out when are the times that the gym is empty and then go at those times. For instance, I go to the gym at 1:30 PM just because its after lunch and its empty for the next 2 hours. Its a college gym so there are lots of people in there usually but not at that time. I found it out through trial and error.

[Toast]

No you cannot. You need to be one of those people who take the barbells, not wait for them to be taken. Find out when are the times that the gym is empty and then go at those times. For instance, I go to the gym at 1:30 PM just because its after lunch and its empty for the next 2 hours. Its a college gym so there are lots of people in there usually but not at that time. I found it out through trial and error.

Okay I'll see what I can do tonight. Thanks for your help man.