Guy at work has dropped 150+ pounds...

[rudeguy]

... using the caveman diet. I'm still struggling with my weight, so I'm giving it a shot.

Anyone tried this diet?
Thoughts?
Tips?

 

[highland145]

What is it? Meat and women? Good one, imo.

 

[blackdogdeek]

there's a thread somewhere here about this. i've been doing it off and on for a while but i've been somewhat strict for the past couple of months meaning i cheat for a couple of meals on the weekends. the hardest thing is that i'm the only one in the household on the diet so there's always a different meal for me. i've probably dropped between 15-20 lbs since april. be wary that after about the first two weeks on the diet you may experience a drop in energy as your body gets used to not having carbs but it will pass.

the biggest tip i can give is to stock up your fridge with the foods you can eat so that you don't cheat out of necessity.

the second biggest tip i can give you is to make sure you eat enough fats so that you stay satiated between meals.

good luck and let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

[destrekor]

Also known as the Paleo Diet.

Essentially - fats, proteins, only naturally-sourced carbs (found in other foods, mostly whole foods), ideally zero grains (otherwise minimal).

Think dead animals, nuts, vegetables, fruits, etc.

If it can be killed, or is something that can be found growing naturally "in the wild" (and is not a grain), it is basically fair game.

 

[shortylickens]

For those who dont know the Caveman diet is basically the Atkins diet. I'm not saying Atkins is bad, but all you haters need to be aware the guy was basically right. Pretty much every diet that works involves to some degree removing sugar and starch (they both raise blood sugar) & increasing fiber and protein.

 

[rudeguy]

For those who dont know the Caveman diet is basically the Atkins diet. I'm not saying Atkins is bad, but all you haters need to be aware the guy was basically right. Pretty much every diet that works involves to some degree removing sugar and starch (they both raise blood sugar) & increasing fiber and protein.

Kind of but not really

I eat carbs. I eat plenty of fruit which is loaded with carbs.


The main thing is no grains, dairy or legumes. The grains are the hard part.


Also...only 6 eggs per week. This is hard for me. Eggs are a great way to fill up and don't have any carbs or fat. I'm still trying to figure out why I can only have six per week.

 

[chimaxi83]

I just started an Atkins type diet myself, and it really isn't that bad as far as what's restricted. I did a checkup and blood work before I started, because I'm interested in seeing cholesterol improvements with a relatively high fat diet. I eat a lot of meat, eggs, cheese, and green vegetables, and limit myself to maybe 20g of carbs a day, which I've found are mostly in the form of salad dressing when I have it.

Three weeks and I'm down 17 pounds, and I feel fine too. Hardest was giving up anything that requires bread, like sexy pizza lol. I don't eat much fruit either, other than strawberries sometimes. The married life and a new baby plump you up sometimes

 

[crownjules]

Why no legumes? Those are naturally occurring in nature and really good for you.

 

[chimaxi83]

For me, I don't have legumes right now because I just started the diet and trying to follow it to the letter. I decided to extend the first phase of the diet, which switches your body from a carb metabolism to a fat metabolism. It restricts daily carbs to 20g. Legumes are loaded with good fiber but typically have too high of a carb content for beginning dieters on this kind of plan.

 

[pauldun170]

I've known a couple of people who lost weight switching over but the biggest impact was cutting out the piss poor eating habits they had, not the paleo diet itself.

 

[RbSX]

Kind of but not really

I eat carbs. I eat plenty of fruit which is loaded with carbs.


The main thing is no grains, dairy or legumes. The grains are the hard part.


Also...only 6 eggs per week. This is hard for me. Eggs are a great way to fill up and don't have any carbs or fat. I'm still trying to figure out why I can only have six per week.

Fruits are not good for the purpose of losing fat and weight as it causes your blood sugar levels to spike rapidly. There are really only two times of the day to eat fruit, either right in te morning or right after an intense workout.

 

[Wyndru]

I've known a couple of people who lost weight switching over but the biggest impact was cutting out the piss poor eating habits they had, not the paleo diet itself.

Yeah, I think most diets do just this...simply make you more aware of what you are eating. For most that is enough to start losing weight. The hard part is staying consistent to these new cautious food decisions, that is my weakness.

150 lbs...that is some serious weight loss, good for him.

 

[shortylickens]

I just started an Atkins type diet myself, and it really isn't that bad as far as what's restricted. I did a checkup and blood work before I started, because I'm interested in seeing cholesterol improvements with a relatively high fat diet. I eat a lot of meat, eggs, cheese, and green vegetables, and limit myself to maybe 20g of carbs a day, which I've found are mostly in the form of salad dressing when I have it.

Three weeks and I'm down 17 pounds, and I feel fine too. Hardest was giving up anything that requires bread, like sexy pizza lol. I don't eat much fruit either, other than strawberries sometimes. The married life and a new baby plump you up sometimes

The hardest part is those first two day when you gotta let all the sugar drain from your blood and you feel like shit. Then those first two weeks when you cant have ANY sugar or starch.

 

[blinky8225]

Why no legumes? Those are naturally occurring in nature and really good for you.

Actually, the two most popular legumes, peanuts and soybeans, were not part of the American diet until very recently. They've only been commonly consumed by humans in US since WWII. It's only because the US government has subsidized them that they have become very popular.

Just because they are a novel part of our diet doesn't mean that they are bad however. In general, the Paleo diet eliminates all foods that people are commonly allergic to---gluten, diary, peanuts, and soybeans. Also, some people are concerned about the effect of soybeans on our endocrine system since they may act as phytoestrogens.

 

[highland145]

Actually, the two most popular legumes, peanuts and soybeans, were not part of the American diet until very recently. They've only been commonly consumed by humans in US since WWII. It's only because the US government has subsidized them that they have become very popular.

Just because they are a novel part of our diet doesn't mean that they are bad however. In general, the Paleo diet eliminates all foods that people are commonly allergic to---gluten, diary, peanuts, and soybeans. Also, some people are concerned about the effect of soybeans on our endocrine system since they may act as phytoestrogens.

Reason enough, right there.

 

[spamsk8r]

Also...only 6 eggs per week. This is hard for me. Eggs are a great way to fill up and don't have any carbs or fat. I'm still trying to figure out why I can only have six per week.

Not sure where you got this from, but I know that Robb Wolf in his Paleo Solution books doesn't put any limit on number of eggs consumed, and Loren Cordain has amended some of his earlier statements on limiting dietary fat/cholesterol. Eat the eggs, they're fine (unless you have an allergy or something).

 

[chimaxi83]

I eat probably 3-4 eggs a day... I'm addicted heh. Weight is dropping and I'll get blood workd/cholesterol redone sometime in July or August to see the changes.

 

[Doppel]

I guess you can crank down on almonds instead of peanuts, as they are not a legume it would appear. Also, without sodium added they taste perfectly fine.

Btw, the fructose (sugar from fruit) has a low glycemic index: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose

Fructose is often recommended for diabetics because it does not trigger the production of insulin by pancreatic β cells, probably because β cells have low levels of GLUT5.[54][55][56] Fructose has a very low glycemic index of 19 ± 2, compared with 100 for glucose and 68 ± 5 for sucrose.[57]

For eggs, modern thinking is that they are not as bad as once thought and IIRC only a small amount of diet cholesterol intake actually dictates one's cholesterol levels, so some people eat huge amounts of eggs knowing this. That said, the american heart association still advises limited intake--I think one/day. You can see this on their website.

I've changed my diet up recently in an effort to improve blood pressure, among other things. I'm tracking all intake on fitday and have been forced to admit that keeping under the daily limit of sodium is almost impossible unless I eschew most processed food (which I am trying to do now). Potassium is ok because I eat a lot of veggies/fruit. Today I was about 30% fat (avocado+almonds the main source), protein (no-sodium added kidney beans [can of] and tuna [also very hard to find without sh*t ton of sodium, but I found it]), 25% protein or so, rest carbs. A large study I found indicated that a high-carb diet is not great for tricgylercides and blood pressure (too bad low-fat dieters, you're doing more harm than good!).

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Fruits are not good for the purpose of losing fat and weight as it causes your blood sugar levels to spike rapidly. There are really only two times of the day to eat fruit, either right in te morning or right after an intense workout.

This is only true if you're eating a ton of high calorie fruit - like dried fruit. Otherwise, the dietary fiber in the fruit itself actually delays the absorption through the gut. Fruit is a much, much better source of carbohydrate than something like processed hamburger helper noodle junk. I rarely discourage the consumption of fruit, even with individuals who are trying to lose weight. It's a tiny portion of caloric intake and it's super rich in anti-oxidants and vitamins. There are better places to cut calories and be more stringent with.

 

[HarryLui]

Fresh fruit also contain huge amount of water and can fill you up, unlike dried fruit.

 

[rudeguy]

Fresh fruit also contain huge amount of water and can fill you up, unlike dried fruit.

A peach and a banana make a great lunch. I've been trading one meal for either fruit or a small salad. I feel much better than if I hit the buffet.

I have my Paleo book to my mom. Time to hit up the library to get another!

 

[SociallyChallenged]

A peach and a banana make a great lunch. I've been trading one meal for either fruit or a small salad. I feel much better than if I hit the buffet.

I have my Paleo book to my mom. Time to hit up the library to get another!

Well, no, I wouldn't go this far. Each meal should be relatively balanced - protein, carbs, fat. A peach and banana = entirely carbs without any fat or protein to slow digestion. Fiber can only do so much. A much better meal would be 8oz of chicken/beef, half a plate of veggies, and a handful of almonds. Way better rounded, more satiating. Fruit makes a good snack or addition to a meal, but it should never really make a meal in itself.

 

[lokiju]

That's the basic idea behind it.

My wife and I started off about 3 months ago doing Paleo specifically but found quickly that we both couldn't stick to it as my wife is hypoglycemic and that level of low carbs caused her to become faint very often.

So we do consume some carbs but aim for roughly 50 total per day NET carbs.

I've lost 33lbs in just under 3 months. Started on March 24th. I've been using the Calorie Counter app on my iPhone which sync with http://www.fatsecret.com and for me has been a great way to track and graph my progress. It keeps me motivated to see the progress I've made already when I'm feeling like I'm not making great progress on a given day or week.

I started off at 252lbs and today am at 219lbs.

I'm 6'3" FWIW.

All in all, we've morphed into focusing on mostly caring about NET carbs and carb avoidance specifically in the evening hours.

It's worked better than we could of ever hoped.

We've been taking the Atkins method to counting NET carbs, which is to take total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols if applicable. Sugar alcohols are basically artificial sweeteners.

An example of NET cars is as follows.

We get the high fiber whole wheat tortilla wraps from the grocery store. The total carbs listed is 11 and the total fiber is 6. 11-6=5 Net carbs, which is what we count as carb intake.

When it comes to things like artificially sweetened goods like say a "sugar free" Reese's peanut butter cup. The total carbs might be something like 20 while the sugar alcohols are 18 and you're left with 2 net carbs.

I was pretty suspicious of this net carb method and still can't point to any studies that back it up completely but I do know that we've seen tremendous results while consuming things with artificial sweeteners when we have a craving.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

That's the basic idea behind it.

My wife and I started off about 3 months ago doing Paleo specifically but found quickly that we both couldn't stick to it as my wife is hypoglycemic and that level of low carbs caused her to become faint very often.

So we do consume some carbs but aim for roughly 50 total per day NET carbs.

I've lost 33lbs in just under 3 months. Started on March 24th. I've been using the Calorie Counter app on my iPhone which sync with http://www.fatsecret.com and for me has been a great way to track and graph my progress. It keeps me motivated to see the progress I've made already when I'm feeling like I'm not making great progress on a given day or week.

I started off at 252lbs and today am at 219lbs.

I'm 6'3" FWIW.

All in all, we've morphed into focusing on mostly caring about NET carbs and carb avoidance specifically in the evening hours.

It's worked better than we could of ever hoped.

We've been taking the Atkins method to counting NET carbs, which is to take total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols if applicable. Sugar alcohols are basically artificial sweeteners.

An example of NET cars is as follows.

We get the high fiber whole wheat tortilla wraps from the grocery store. The total carbs listed is 11 and the total fiber is 6. 11-6=5 Net carbs, which is what we count as carb intake.

When it comes to things like artificially sweetened goods like say a "sugar free" Reese's peanut butter cup. The total carbs might be something like 20 while the sugar alcohols are 18 and you're left with 2 net carbs.

I was pretty suspicious of this net carb method and still can't point to any studies that back it up completely but I do know that we've seen tremendous results while consuming things with artificial sweeteners when we have a craving.

While subtracting the grams of fiber from the total number of carbs is valid, since fiber by default isn't metabolized, it is not a great thing to completely nix sugar alcohols. While they don't have the 4kcal per 1g like most carbs, they do tend to have ~2kcal per 1g. They're less calorically dense, but are not zero calories. I feel like some people could skew their diet to take in more sugar alcohols, which in itself isn't really advised. Paleo is geared toward taking in less processed food sources, not MORE processed. Sugar alcohols tend to be in heavily processed goods, so I'd try to nix them and regular sugar from the diet. That is, if you're trying to be strict Paleo.

 

[lokiju]

While subtracting the grams of fiber from the total number of carbs is valid, since fiber by default isn't metabolized, it is not a great thing to completely nix sugar alcohols. While they don't have the 4kcal per 1g like most carbs, they do tend to have ~2kcal per 1g. They're less calorically dense, but are not zero calories. I feel like some people could skew their diet to take in more sugar alcohols, which in itself isn't really advised. Paleo is geared toward taking in less processed food sources, not MORE processed. Sugar alcohols tend to be in heavily processed goods, so I'd try to nix them and regular sugar from the diet. That is, if you're trying to be strict Paleo.

I don't disagree with anything you stated, just sharing my weight loss story. I agree it's not cut and dry when it comes to sugar alcohols and calculating Net carbs and there is conflicting information out there about it. As well, I do not contest the avoiding processed goods as it relates to Paleo, I'm not doing Paleo anymore, but just Net card avoidance and have favorable results (as does my wife).

Also, I know others who have or say they're on the Paleo diet that do not seem to have any results.

I have to assume they're not being as truthful as they claim to sticking to what they say they're doing but perhaps some have little results due to their body difference than others do. YMMV.