Hello everyone - I been a member here since the start of the year on this ID I was a member previously for a few years using the site for reference whilst I was on Atkins.

I lost 11 stone on Atkins and kept it off for 6 years but in the last 5 years I have put a lot of it back on - I got married stopped working out and i gave up.

I been weight training on and off, never been a huge fan of running but like swimming,cycling and alike.

I was wondering if anyone can help me RE: the Paleo lifestyle, needless to say I will be researching loads on here over the next few weeks but any general pointers to get me up and running ( pardon the pun!) would be appreciated.

I have a basic knowledge on Paleo but I would rather people treat me as a total novice :-)

I can do low carb (20 grams or less a day ) fairly easily, but I understand with Paleo carbs are not as restricted but more that you can have veg and fruit ( to some degree and im not likely to have much of any fruit to start with) and hearty protein source in meals.

Am I also right in thinking that for fat loss I should be basically looking for more natural workouts, kettle bells, running etc?

any help would be great - as you can see im new to this.

PS - I just bought the Paleo For Dummies book too.

Thanks,

Stephen

Welcome Stephen,

The modern Paleolithic diet is not meant to exactly replicate what our ancestors ate which varied with season and geography. Instead, it is meant to take the general concepts and apply them to our modern food supply as best we can to restore optimal human health and reverse the epidemic of chronic diseases that have plagued humans since the agricultural revolution. Essentially, it is a diet focused on consuming whole, fresh, natural unprocessed real foods, such as meats, eggs, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts and healthy fats. It eliminates the top three food toxins –sugar, gluten, and processed seed or vegetable oils, making it an anti-inflammatory diet. You eat foods that are nutrient dense, with many naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and protein, over foods that have less nutrition. Vegetables are an important part of a real foods lifestyle, but no hunter-gather society was exclusively vegetarian. It’s not a low calorie “diet" either-- you eat as much as needed to maintain strength, energy and a healthy weight. Fat isn’t the enemy -- it’s a great energy source when it comes from high quality foods like avocado, coconut, grass-fed butter and meats, fish, olives, and nuts.

Here is a one page description that captures the highlights and some of the options (e.g. maybe add dairy later if tolerated) : http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/paleo-basics/

Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint book and blog is one of the first popular resources for Paleo and still my favorite. His 21 day transformation book is a shorter "how to" guide, good if you want to dive in and need direction. Good pointers here to get you up and running. Also review his Carb Curve. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/pres.../#axzz3VaEMiwuA

You have a challenging goal and I might suggest you stay under the 50g Ketogenic level at least to start. Definitely sign up for his email list and get his Fitness Guide. It has links to videos of him doing many levels from very beginner to very advanced of Many exercises. A great resource for an appropriate exercise routine for you as you progress.


Robb Wolf of The Paleo Solution distills down Paleo even further to a Quick Start guide.
Two Pages..love it! http://robbwolf.com/wp-content/uplo..._QuickStart.pdf

I am ketogenic, but wanted to add this to help you with enough exercises (and proper way to do them) that you never get bored or run out.

www.exrx.net

Welcome!

Depending on how pokey your metabolism is, you might need to give the higher carb stuff on Paleo a miss.

If you're going paleo because it allows fruit or starchy veggies and some other plan doesn't, then I think you've missed the point of paleo, or at least paleo for weight loss and health.

Hi Jey100 - Thank you so much for all of the extensive info - this is exactly what I needed.

I am going to research and check this all out today and over this week. I have been keeping to my usual 20 grams or less Low Carb Lifestyle so far but I came down with the flu last week wghich has hit me pretty bad.

I will give this a good look but might have more questions.

Once again I really appreciate it.

Stephen

Hey ya - Thanks for this as well - I will check it out when I get back from work this eve :-)

Hi Nancy - Thanks for your repy.

the main reason I am going for Paleo is more about the lifestyle and the fact you can have veg and fruit to some degree ( as I put above) but the thing is I dont actually "like" starchy veg or fruit thats too sweet.. .. Im quite in touch with my metabolism and even my ketone levels to some extent so I tend to keep away from Carbs.

As far as weight loss goes.. thats my main question in that I want to understand how Paleo works for weight loss.


Obviously cutting out major carbs and refined sugars are going to help regardless :-)

Thanks for your help

Stephen

Hello everyone - just an update - Im now almost (4 days off) 3 months of living paleo So I thought I would publish whats happened to me besides feeling like a new man!

Weight when starting - 312 pounds,
Waist Size when starting 50" (!!)
Weight Today - 290.4 pounds
Waist Size Today 44"

I fI can point out though.. I have had quite a few slip ups and a whole week or two of reverting to eating rubbish. I been back on paleo for a good 3 weeks at the time of this message.

Congratulations Stephen!!
Thank you for sharing your exciting update. They say it takes 21 days to change a habit, one reason Mark Sisson has a 21 day Transformation book, so being on Paleo for three weeks is more really good news. You know you can do it without slip-ups , handle work and social situations, and live your life to the fullest.
Time to own it and share it. Go up to userCP in top bar and proudly change that current weight, and plan is more LC Paleo now.

btw, thinking that 50 to 44" in waist doesn't seem to jive with a 22 pound loss, but it does with LC. That is likely a large amount of Inflammation around your visceral organs that has disappeared and good news for your health. This is the area where you most want the inflammation and bloating to disappear and it is doing so rapidly.

Hi Jey - Thank you kindly, thas very nice of you and encouraging :-)

I was going to ask how to go about changing these things.. Do you know how to make the bar thing that some people have in their signatures that show how much they lost too?

Thanks again :-)

also yes your right I been very LC doign Paleo.. as in very strictly cutting carbs to get me going. thats quite interesting to know (and relieveing) The aim is to get back to my original weight of 14.5 stone and a 36 inch waist would be good for me.

Thanks again :-)

You are most welcome!
Usually if you see someone else's "bar thingie" you like, just click on it and you can design and sign up for your own.
One is called Ticker Factory, My Fitness Pal has one I think, there are others.
Great goals! Some people just note them and progress in their "Signature" on the UserCP (Like my quotes)

Ah Thank you kindly Jey - your fantastic. and thanks for all the suort. You make this an awesome forum community :-)

Stephen

I think your waist is probably less outsized than you think. I am a woman, weigh 230 lbs and my waist is 50". I don't look awfully odd, either. For a man of your size, I think 44" probably is pretty good as far as waist sizes go.

hi there Jschwab :-)

Well thank you, What I am trying to do is get back to my original size of 14.5 Stone (203 pounds) from where im at now of 290 and I used to be a size 36 inch waist.

So its more of a target :-)

Yeah, you are making a lot of progress towards that goal!