Hi!

I am so happy to see all these messages from people eating Paleo! I have read much on the subject and am convinced it is the way for me.

I have been doing my best to eat Paleo since 10/6/03 (about two weeks).

I have not lost any weight yet (but I am not very overweight). Wondering if it is because I have not stuck to the Paleo WOE religiously yet.

The first five days I was very good about it (and noticed lots of sweating--is that normal?). Then we went on vacation and it got a bit harder. Had bread half a slice of cheesecake two days in a row. Then on the car ride home, stopped for lunch and the least offesive choice of food was chili (but it had beans in it!!). Then I have had bread two more times and (terrible I know) ordered a pizza one night this week. Still, overall I have had way less grains, legumes & dairy than before.

I have noticed that when I eat grains I feel more "bloated full" and get heartburn. So I think I may be on my way to not eating them at all (since it is starting to not be fun). So far I don't miss legumes at all. And although I have always been a cheese lover, haven't minded giving it up.

Have other people had some shakey starts like this (i.e. little bits of cheating here and there)?

Also, are squashes considered Paleo? I had read somewhere that winter ones were but then I read that they can't be eaten raw so I am confused. What squashes (if any) are considered Paleo?

Thanks!

JPaleo

Welcome JPaleo!

So glad you joined us!


Anytime I have eaten any grains, I would get heartburn. If you really want to read a fantastic book, check out "Life Without Bread". That book will explain why you get the heartburn. I use to think heartburn and other digestive ailments were related to eating fatty foods. That is what most people blame it on! But, once I went into this woe fully, I found out just how wrong that is. I can eat chicken skins, sausage, pork ribs with all the fat, bacon, etc. and I never get any digestive problems. But, if I were to eat, say pizza, look out! I remember thinking it was the sausage on the pizza that gave me heart burn... NO, NO, NO! It was the CRUST! Pure and simple. All that dough in my gut! OHHHH!!!!

I would suggest that you eat whatever paleo food you want for about a month, since you really don't have that much weight to lose. Eat all the fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, meat, animal fat, eggs, that you want. Just try and listen to your body and see what it wants, and then feed it fresh, whole food. Olive oil is good. AND DON'T EVER SKIMP ON ANIMAL FAT!!!! You need it, and it is good for you! Cholesterol in food cannot hurt you. Animal fat is your friend, and will only help you. Even saturated fat... that is the best type of fat! Although, you might want to look into grass-fed animal sources.

This is the initiation into paleo eating. Once your body adjusts to it, you will start to feel great! But, at first, you should expect to feel a bit weird. I remember feeling that way. I think it might have something to do with not eating enough fat. When you cut out those starchy veggies and grains, you really cut out a lot of carbs... especially carbs that stick around your system and keep releasing sugar into your blood stream. Now, you don't have that, and you need FAT! After this initiation time, just start cutting back on fruit and nuts, if you notice weight gain. But, in order to give up all the wrong foods, just be good to yourself and eat whatever paleo foods you want! Get use to eating these foods. You will find they are incredibly satisfying. One thing for the road : make trail mix, and take fresh fruit... or pemmican!

That is my suggestion... cuz I was there at one time.

Take care, good luck, post any questions you have to this board, and it's good to have ya here!

Welcome!

Everything Dean said is the absolute truth. If you follow his advice, you can't go wrong.

I too, cheated by having 1 dessert at the weekend, but I haven't done so in 2 weeks and I've dropped a few pounds. So it does work if you don't cheat.
Nothing beats the satisfaction of going shopping yesterday and buying 3 sizes smaller clothing! Yay! Even beats the taste of chocolate.

Good luck, you can do it!!

Welcome JPaleo! to this site and way of eating.

Since you don't have much weight to lose, I guess you want to eat right and be healthy and you have made an excellent choice to do just that.

It took me six months to figure out what I was doing and I cheated lots. Now all the cravings have gone. Our office always has all sorts of tempting high carb treats lying around (cookies, chocolates, cakes) but they no longer interest me. Pizza was my favorite food in my old life and now I no longer crave it at all. My one of my favorite foods now is greasy hamburgers fried in coconut oil because I can't get pure lard, topped with fried mushrooms and bacon, served with a huge green mixed salad with tomatoes, and berries for dessert. Don't let those cravings get you down and if you cheat don't beat yourself up over it. All those cravings will pass and become almost non-existent and the cheats will be fewer and far between.

Anyway, good luck and remember we are here to help if needed.

PS I don't know anything about squashes because they have never been part of my family eating history and have never appealed to me. Perhaps someone else on the site knows.

Excellent Advice Deano!!!

Bread, flour products are terrible for us.

The only exception MIGHT be unsprouted, fermented sourdough or black Russian bread. But it's so hard to find these days - so i usually just stay away from bread period.

It wouldn't be so bad if we could really curtail how much of that stuff we ate once we started - say once a month - have some pizza. But what inevitably begins to happen is the "Creeping Carbs" where one day we may have a slice of bread, then the next day a dessert, then the day after mashed potatoes etc etc etc.

It's the consistency of anything that will have the most marked outcome. If we eat great Paleo Foods consistently - they will shape our health & bodies. But if Non Paleo foods become too prevalent in the diet - we will look and feel like poo-poo

Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions!

When I started this thread I hadn't lost any weight but now I have. It's nice but mostly I want to be healthy and the stop sugar highs and lows and IBS that has bothered me most of my adult life.

Two nights ago I broke down and ate a lot of Peanut M&Ms. Afterwards I felt sick. I slept very badly that night, woke up in the morning puffy and had diarrhea immediately (first time since starting Paleo). Then I was crabby and unfocused all day. I only started feeling better late this morning.

That was enough to convince me that my body does not like candy!!

As for other cheats, I have not had bread in over two weeks. And I have had no problem staying away from legumes.

I am on the fence about dairy. I am not craving it but I think it is the least offensive of the non-Paleo foods. We are using butter for cooking, since it is so stable. And occasionally I snack on a mozzerella cheese stick.

I have noticed that I am more alert all day (no more afternoon sleepiness). So that is good.

It's just hard sometimes to think about the things I crave. But I am hoping the cravings fade.

I also have had some issues with fruit starting to give me sugar highs and lows (never use too). But I hope that is just my body adjusting.

-J

Hi J.
You are not alone in how carbs and sugars make you feel. I am telling you - they are basically a drug that is being pushed on us whenever we eat most pre-packaged, processed, manufactured food. Can we say the word "Conspiracy"?

I used to be a graphic artist in my mother-in-laws printing business. I was dealing with this older gentlemen on a project and we got into the discussion of foods, health etc.

He said - "You know the government WANTS us to be addicted to carbs becasue when we are, we become more passive, groggy, less sharp minded, and less likely to think clearly about how this country is going into the (potty)."

He said "If we were to be meat eaters like in olden times, we would be moire aggressive, less willing to take crap, sharp thinkers, less addictive in general etc. - we would be much more dangerous to any group trying to pass off bad or corrupt ideas."

At the time, I didn't really give his theory as much afterthought as it deserved . It is an interesting concept