Maybe I should ease into the paleo diet instead.

[babycakes1970]

After reading Spezzys post about her carb flu and Bros thread about how he has been feeling since his diet change (although it does not all sound like it is related to his diet) I have started to think that perhaps I would have a greater chance at lasting success if I eased into it by doing a few changes each month. I could give up refined sugar and bread first (just an example). I have been trying to add more protein for a while, mostly in the form of protein bars. I am giving those up now. I have special needs family members who depend on me and IF I cannot avoid getting carb flu then I need to at least minimize it.

[ebm1224]

i'm new to paleo myself but, like with any dietary changes, the questions i would ask are:

1) why do you want to change your diet?

2) what are your overall health goals?

3) what's your diet like now?

[bigm141414]

A lot of people ease into by slowly cutting out non paleo stuff. Even spezzy did this at the beginning. And pay no attention to her at the moment, she's just cranky

What were your eating habits like before? Cutting refined sugars and bread are a great first step. Protein bars are full of other stuff which may not be healthy, fyi.

[Guest guest4729]

Small transitions work just fine. The first thing I removed was bread/bagels. A few days later I removed pasta. A few days after that I removed rice. After that I tried eating some more of my granola bars since I had only recently bought new ones, but now I've tried eliminating those. Slow and steady wins the race. Do it over a month if you really feel it's necessary.

[spezzy]

yes, yes. do small transitions. i reduced one thing out of my diet every few weeks. (a lot of the stuff as i ran out of it, i just didnt buy more)

also: ive reduced my carbs to under 50g a day. that's lower than you'll be going. i'm eating 95% meat.

my normal paleo diet = not cranky.

this diet = im pretty irritable, but its less today than it was yesterday

[babycakes1970]

i'm new to paleo myself but, like with any dietary changes, the questions i would ask are:

1) why do you want to change your diet?

2) what are your overall health goals?

3) what's your diet like now?

I want to change my diet to lose weight and get stronger. My overall health goals are to remain healthy.My diet is not as bad as it used to be although I tend to eat a lot of carbs. The weight that I have lost so far is because of eating in moderation and exercise. I am not making the progress I had hoped for because I keep plateauing and it is time for a diet change to see if it helps the weight loss. If nothing else I will get even healthier at least.

[ebm1224]

if you track your meals on a nutrition tracker, maybe find the biggest sources of carbs to eliminate first. slow is a great idea.

[oystergirl]

I agree with what everyone said here..taking time to transition is so key because it does not become overwhelming and each step you take is an accomplishment. consistency is key but so is listening to your body. I would remove known sources of high fructose corn syrup first, then go with white sugar, then white flour, then all gluten grains. I eat paleo modified which is an Archevore/Weston Price type diet which focuses on nutrient dense foods and eliminates all the neolithic agents of disease while keeping a modest amount of white rice/potato in there to keep me from getting cranky...you can google it as dr. kurt harris has a great, though not recently updated site with tons of information. Best of luck and rock on! Alex

[babycakes1970]

I agree with what everyone said here..taking time to transition is so key because it does not become overwhelming and each step you take is an accomplishment. consistency is key but so is listening to your body. I would remove known sources of high fructose corn syrup first, then go with white sugar, then white flour, then all gluten grains. I eat paleo modified which is an Archevore/Weston Price type diet which focuses on nutrient dense foods and eliminates all the neolithic ag

ents of disease while keeping a modest amount of white rice/potato in there to keep me from getting cranky...you can google it as dr. kurt harris has a great, though not recently updated site with tons of information. Best of luck and rock on! Alex

That diet you mentioned is definitely worth considering since last night my husband made the most awesome twice baked potatoes!

[Pat G]

Twice baked Potatoes?

what?!?!?!?!

please explain

[Bro]

I'm really glad to see this thread because I now feel like it's my personal obligation to spread information about what happened to me. I know some people might not agree with what I think happened, and I'm alright with that. I would really advise you to just not jump right into it. When I'm ready to begin the Paleo Diet again, I'm going to start by first adding Paleo foods to my diet before I start taking away the non Paleo foods. And even then, I'm going to try to keep a high amount of carbs in my diet until I'm ready to gradually reduce them.

Don't be an idiot like me. Do all your research, keep in touch with the members of the community, and pay very close attention to how you feel every step of the way.

[babycakes1970]

Twice baked Potatoes?

what?!?!?!?!

please explain

They are basically baked potatoes with the potato scraped out mashed and flavored in our case with bacon,cheddar cheese ,ricotta cheese and sour cream with bacon bits. Then they are baked again. They are not paleo diet that is for sure! Thank God we do not eat like that every week or I would never lose any weight at all LOL.

[babycakes1970]

Maybe you need some twice baked potatoes Bro!

[Centurion]

I'm going to agreee with everyone else and say ease into it. I've been trying Paleo for almost a week now and did not ease into it. I went from a normal day being coffee with a couple of sugars for breakfast, sandwich and a chocolate bar for lunch, variety for dinner (usually some kind of meat with pasta) and then most of the time having a snack in the evening (usually chocolate again) to having 2/3 eggs and some bacon plus sugarless coffee in the morning, a pack of meat (chorizo, salami, etc.) and some fruit for lunch and then some meat with a whole load of veggies for dinner. I hadn't really planned in advance to go Paleo, I just decided I wanted to cut back on chocolate and then ended up going a lot further. Frankly I think it's stressing me out more than it should and I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't last, I think not easing into it has just overwhelmed me slightly, at the moment it feels like I'm forcing myself through it everyday and I figure with a little more time that will either go away or I'll end up reverting back to my old eating habits (though hopefully with less chocolate)

[Zorch]

Nothing wrong with easing into paleo (or any other positive lifestyle change, for that manner). Find what works for you, and find a way to make it sustainable. I know I didn't rush headlong into lifestyle changes, so much as things gradually evolved over time as I learned more. And I expect to continue tweaking/refining as time goes on.

[Loren Wade]

That diet you mentioned is definitely worth considering since last night my husband made the most awesome twice baked potatoes!

It's still along the paleo/primal lines.

[tazer]

you can make those potatoes a bit healthier by reducing the cheese and butter and adding more bacon and fresh chives! also, proper seasoning will do wonders! i like adding turmeric, paprika, and cayenne.

[Oogiem]

I have started to think that perhaps I would have a greater chance at lasting success if I eased into it by doing a few changes each month.

That's what I am doing. I am working on one meal at a time. I started with breakfast. Went from cereal and milk to typically an egg smashed up with a cracker. Been removing the crackers and making scrambled eggs or omelets with some grated hard cheese instead. Once a month or so I go back and have oatmeal or make waffles. Now I'm working on lunches, usually they are leftovers from dinner but often include rice. Trying to reduce that and also reduce the wheat. Do whatever works for you.

[AprilMay]

This is something that I have been working on as well. This week I am to the point where I have completely cut out all gluten/grain. Its been tough, but with a few things still mixed in that I like, like cheese and a bit of sugar, I am finding that I can cope. Next week, the sugar gets the ax. Thank God for stevia in my coffee and honey in my tea. I know honey is a sugar basically, but when its local and unpasteurized, its so good for you in moderation. Eventually, the dairy will go as well, but one step at a time.

[Ryan Sannar]

I would personally focus on primal, it allows for more things. But everybody is right, slowly working your way in works, just try to regulate your stuff, making meals in advance and having healthy snacks in the fridge waiting for you (bacon dipped in 90% dark chocolate) can help.

[Hemi]

I eventually esteem to be paleo, but for now I'm going wheat-free and overall low carb with whole foods as much as possible. It's easier for me to just cut that stuff out because I feel amazing right off the bat when I eat low carb. I never get that energy drain, in fact, I end up with more energy and focus than I can manage sometimes. Everybody's different.

As time goes on, I hope to fine tune it so that I can lose more bodyfat while maintaining as much muscle as I can (I worked hard for it, dammit).

bacon dipped in 90% dark chocolate

HEAVEN. *faints*

[oystergirl]

See Tazer, it is amazing to me that each of us considers different things healthy. Full fat butter and cream are extremely healthy foods if you can find grass fed versions or even organic versions. They are full of healthy saturated fat and butter is the number one thyroid stimulating and supporting food in the world, far exceeding seaweeds or iodine in its benefits. They also contain wonderful levels of fat soluble vitamins that are easily assimilated by the body. I think those baked potatoes are very healthy just the way they are!

[Cookie]

I have done a bit more in between. I swapped straight over with a couple of small concessions. I am keeping my coffee for now (which is mocha with milk, so even less paleo than regular coffee), I have 2 or 3 of those a day. I am also not limiting my fruit - while I don't eat a heap, with 3 young children, a partner who works two jobs and a business to run, I can't afford to go cold turkey on the sugar because of withdrawals. So if I am feeling a bit off, I have a bit of watermelon or something.

In keeping those two things, I have found it really easy so far. Erm, I am only on day 4, so that doesn't mean much I guess, but in my young and stupid days I did Atkins just to lose weight and felt like shit from withdrawals for the first two weeks (admittedly, after that I felt great!). So yes, physically no problems here.