What are your thoughts about the Paleo Diet?
I have used it with clients to great success, although its not a diet, its a way of life. I have had clients lose 20-30 pounds within 2 months and make drastic changes in their life in a sustainable way. This is the most natural and back to the way nature intended style of living. Before food became commerce, people were way healthier and diseases of today were virtually non existent.
As someone who is Paleo, it takes little research to understand that Paleo is a LIFESTYLE, not just a diet. And remember, DIET simply means a way of food consumption. It does not necessarily mean eating for weight loss.
I am about 80% Paleo, and by that I mean I follow a Paleo lifestyle, however, I do allow myself some non-Paleo items sometimes, including milk and a little sugar (for my tea).
A Paleo lifestyle is particularly helpful for athletes, since it consists of eating a high protein (great for recovery), fruit, and vegetable diet (terrific for energy).
My 2 cents.
/dislike.
Diets should not be followed. However, if there is a way to make it more friendly for everyone it might work. My beef with it is that it leaves out sugars and fats.
Putting clients on this usually means they already lack self motivation, and is a recipe for them to regress terribly. Two weeks of this and they’d most likely hit up the nearest McD or BK on the way home after a workout.
I have been reading up on it lately. I am an Alaskan Athabascan Indian and grains and vegetables are non existing in our traditional diet. In fact the only thing other than meat that we eat is berries. Because this is so similar to my ancestoral diet I am seriously considering doing it once I finish reading the two books that I have, by Wolfe and Cordain. When I say ancestoral I am only talking 100 to 200 years ago not 10,000 years ago so my genetic make up is well suited for this type of diet. With the rampant number of diabetic Alaskan Natives this has given me a serious pause for consideration.
Three things about diets always come to mind. First do people loss weight on them, is it safe and is it enduring? Call it the Paleo diet, the Med diet or the Volume diet it appears they are all very plant based. Hunter gathers ate little meat and more grains, roots, and plants. Always fascinating to read the latest doctoral theories. There is always a grain of truth.
Studies show that people generally loss weight on any diet, if they stick with it because they are conscious and mindful of what goes into their mouths and therefore eat less. Plant based diets have added value because we are actually filling our bodies with nutrient dense foods. The greatest challenges for any dieter, is the beginning, prior to the starting line, the drive, the motivation and after the regime.
While plant based diets, or diets low in meat get my support, and certainly that of the AICR and the ADA, diets fail in the long run unless they become a daily way of life. In other words, cut back on what you are already eating by adding healthly alternatives, baby step by baby step, and you have a better chance of resilience.