Paleo diet?

[Crankin]

I eat pretty much like Tulip, but in the past 2 months, I've let more things like Ezekial bread, whole wheat bagels, and the occasional waffle back in, as well as frozen yogurt/soft serve ice cream. All was fine until I came back from vacation, where I didn't restrict myself at all. I initially lost all of the weight (3lbs.) gained there, but it's been up a pound or two since then. Not critical, and where I was at may be too low for me, anyway. The thing is, I haven't noticed any difference in the way I feel when eating less grains. I've never been a junk food or sugar eater since I've been about 25, when I initially lost 25 pounds I gained in the years after graduating college. I hear all of you saying how great you feel, but I haven't felt any sudden burst of energy. I'm not tired, either.
I do eat 2 squares of dark chocolate a night after dinner and that seems to stop any dessert cravings. I've been doing this for years. I cut down on meat in April/May and that coincided with my weight going really low. I didn't stop eating fish or chicken, though. I've added beef and pork back in, but I don't eat that much of it. I've never been a dairy person, I hate milk, and have cut way down on my cheese consumption.
Overall, a "low glycemic" approach seems to work well for me. I enjoy the Paleo recipes I have from the one cookbook I bought, but I know when 3 PM comes and I am craving a slice of Ezekial bread and hummus, no matter how many carrots I eat, I won't be satisfied until I have the bread. I find it fairly easy to eat this way in restaurants, as long as I stay away from Italian and Asian, which I do.

[Catrin]

I've decided after my week long experiment going Paleo to try a full 30 day experiment. We shall see, but I was encouraged by differences I saw in just that time period especially where energy levels were concerned.

As far as dark chocolate and red wine (which I don't drink anyway), I like Mark Butler's approach (Mark's Daily Apple and The Primal Blueprint) that these are things that can be enjoyed in moderation. No reason to give up good quality >75% dark chocolate. So I will report back on September 20 to say whether it will change from experiment status or just become part of my lifestyle. My personal crack is good quality ice cream, and that really isn't good for someone who is insulin resistant anyway...

[GLC1968]

I think it's Mark Sisson, isn't it?

Yeah, I kept dark chocolate in my world but found that eventually (it took awhile) even the 75%+ dark stuff would trigger sugar or sweets cravings. Now I find it easier to stick to the plan if I don't eat it, but I still have it occasionally.

Wine doesn't bother me digestively, but it does mess with my sleep patterns so I keep it as a very occasional indulgence as well.

Your experiences/reactions could be completely different from mine.

It's amazing how much one can learn about how their body reacts to certain foods from simple elimination and controlled reintroduction! I feel like a walking science experiment!

[Catrin]

It will be interesting to see how this goes, and I actually rarely eat chocolate. I do like the occasional craft beer and I will have to see if that causes cravings. I find I don't miss bread at all - which is a total surprise! At least not yet...

[westtexas]

Catrin, I'm glad it's going well for you. My current fixation within the Paleosphere is bone broth. I cook some meat in coconut oil or ghee, add it to a simmering pot of bone broth I've already prepared, and then sautee my veggies of choice in the meat drippings/remaining oil. Stick all that on top of some raw baby spinach or kale in a big bowl and pour the broth and meat on top. Yum.

The guy at Whole Foods is always giving me the weirdest look because I'm always buying center cut marrow bones. Once he asked if I had a dog, and I went all veterinarian on him and told him why dogs shouldn't have bones. When I told him it was for bone broth, which is super nutrient rich (especially minerals!), he wigged out.

I eat "weird" food and I love it. I love how it makes me feel, and I'm glad you are finding it works for you too.

[Catrin]

I tried coconut oil this evening for the first time, and I really like it! The jar at Trader Joe's wasn't cheap, but it took so little that I can see it will last for some time.

Bone broth sounds interesting...once I get used to eating beef again. Outside of the grass-fed ground beef I had last week, I've not eaten beef in years. Looking for a grass-fed source that won't break the bank. I succeeded with pasture-raised chicken and ground beef, will likely get some other beef from the same farmer. I just froze the organs/neck from the chicken until I am brave enough/figure out what to do with them.

[GLC1968]

Catrin, I'm glad it's going well for you. My current fixation within the Paleosphere is bone broth. I cook some meat in coconut oil or ghee, add it to a simmering pot of bone broth I've already prepared, and then sautee my veggies of choice in the meat drippings/remaining oil. Stick all that on top of some raw baby spinach or kale in a big bowl and pour the broth and meat on top. Yum.

The guy at Whole Foods is always giving me the weirdest look because I'm always buying center cut marrow bones. Once he asked if I had a dog, and I went all veterinarian on him and told him why dogs shouldn't have bones. When I told him it was for bone broth, which is super nutrient rich (especially minerals!), he wigged out.

I eat "weird" food and I love it. I love how it makes me feel, and I'm glad you are finding it works for you too.

Bone broth is good for the dogs too though, right??

I sometimes pour a little bone broth on their food and they gobble it up. I figure it's good for the dog with the bad hips. When I made my broth, I gave all the leftover veggies to the dogs and boy, did they go crazy for it!

[Catrin]

Oooh, I found a new Paleo food tracking website. It breaks everything down to the nutrient/mineral/etc level. So if you really want to see where the Omega-6 is coming from you can. They are working on a mobile version, and it is apparent it's not be around that long but does allow the addition of new foods/recipes, etc. I am going to give it a shot for awhile.

[westtexas]

Bone broth is good for the dogs too though, right??

I sometimes pour a little bone broth on their food and they gobble it up. I figure it's good for the dog with the bad hips. When I made my broth, I gave all the leftover veggies to the dogs and boy, did they go crazy for it!

I bet it is!! I have been recommending that my clients with dogs with gastrointestinal upset or other illnesses feed them bone broth by syringe when they won't eat. I swear it's what saved my little rescue greyhound from distemper last year.

Catrin - you can use chicken bones just as well as beef/bison bones. I roast whole chickens and chicken thighs in the oven and save the carcass bones and thigh bones in the freezer. When I have a good amount I boil them for about an hour. They don't take as long as the long bones of the ruminants.

[PamNY]

Once he asked if I had a dog, and I went all veterinarian on him and told him why dogs shouldn't have bones.

Dogs shouldn't have bones?

I'm sure I'm missing something -- but paleo sounds like BARF for humans.

[Susan]

My current fixation within the Paleosphere is bone broth. I cook some meat in coconut oil or ghee, add it to a simmering pot of bone broth I've already prepared, and then sautee my veggies of choice in the meat drippings/remaining oil. Stick all that on top of some raw baby spinach or kale in a big bowl and pour the broth and meat on top. Yum.

The guy at Whole Foods is always giving me the weirdest look because I'm always buying center cut marrow bones. Once he asked if I had a dog, and I went all veterinarian on him and told him why dogs shouldn't have bones. When I told him it was for bone broth, which is super nutrient rich (especially minerals!), he wigged out.

I eat "weird" food and I love it. I love how it makes me feel, and I'm glad you are finding it works for you too.

Gladly it's not weird to use marrow bones here, you can buy them precut. You can eat the (hot!) cooked marrow with a little salt or use it as spread (ok, eating Paleo you won't do that ) - it's very satiating.
I try to have some bone broth ready as often as possible too. If you whisk 2 eggs in hot broth it makes a very good small meal.

[GLC1968]

If you whisk 2 eggs in hot broth it makes a very good small meal.

Oooh, that sounds like a great idea for a quick snack for my husband (who works from home all day and wants to eat when he gets bored)! Thanks for sharing that, I bet he'd love it!