Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I have been trying to lose weight for a while now on paleo without much success. Tried high fat, high carb..etc, but my appetite was always there and always demanding more. Now i've known about the satiating ability of protein from a while ago when all the bodybuilding sites were suggesting mass amounts of it, but after reading about healthy cultures consuming rather scant amounts of the stuff--especially the ones on high carb diets-- i decided it was unnecessary.

So I was wondering, is upping the protein really necessary to control your appetite, or should I try something else?

edited Aug 15 at 20:22

patti2003
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asked Aug 15 at 17:45

jackson
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Sleepyhouse22 · Answer 1 · 2012-08-15 18:25:24Z UTC

I've read many places that meat protein is so extremely satiating, and your body will signal that you've had enough.

I'm sorry, but you put a 12 ounce steak in front of me, and it's going to be eaten. All of it. There is no stopping once you start on steak.

Have you tried doing the zone diet and just really working on your portion control/meal balance? It's not something that I've done particularly, but I have applied it to my fruit intake, and I tried for awhile with my protein intake but broke that quickly. Anytime you do HIGH of something, I honestly believe your body strives to balance it out with getting what it is lacking in (high fat/crave carbs) (high carbs/crave fat) (low sugar/crave sugar), etc...

So that's my advice... I can definitely see you benefiting from a balanced zone diet instead of trying high of anything.

(and I didn't break the zone diet because I didn't like it or find it non-beneficial... I just like big steaks a lot more. This just reminded me of what I said to my boyfriend the other day... "I don't want to sugar detox anymore... I'd rather be eating sugar.")

August · Answer 2 · 2012-08-15 18:31:04Z UTC

Protein is satiating, but I think the effect dies off. I am hazy on the percentage- I keep thinking it was 12% of calories. I don't know- I was operating at around 20%, with the bulk of my calories coming from 70% fat. That 12% number came from some study but I can't remember it well enough to search for it. For appetite control, though, it is always worth trying Seth Robert's approach.

Toni · Answer 3 · 2012-08-15 20:12:55Z UTC

When I started Paleo a year ago, I loved the meat aspect of it so much that I'd, too, eat whatever was put in front of me. And I started gaining weight. I finally decided to count calories. I eat strict Paleo -- no dairy even -- and have lost 18 pounds in 5 1/2 months. At first I missed not being able to eat a whole pound of meat at a sitting, but it turns out that protein is more filling that I thought because my appetite has adjusted and now I'm so satisfied with what I do eat that I'm wondering what I'll do when I get to the point that I no longer want to lose weight (which will be in another couple of pounds).

patti2003 · Answer 4 · 2012-08-15 20:19:20Z UTC

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Jenny Ruhl does a great job explaining satiety and protein/fat in Diet 101: The Truth about Low Carb Diets http://www.amazon.com/Diet-101-Truth-About-Diets/dp/0964711656/. Didn't really understand it until reading it. And I've found her explanation to synch with what I've found to be true as I'm no longer ravenous (I eat a very low carb diet because my blood sugar is a bit high). And I LOVE not being ravenous any more.

It's worth reading for the scientific explanation.

answered Aug 15 at 20:19

patti2003
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	assuming you're not a shill, any chance you can give me a brief rundown of it? – jackson Aug 15 at 20:33
	Not a shill. :-) Yep, will try to remember to do this as soon as I can find the book in my house and come back here. – patti2003 Aug 16 at 19:39
	Ruhl explains that hunger is a response to deep drops in blood sugar, even within the normal range, that trigger the brain’s protective systems that ensure it gets a constant supply of glucose. pp 20-24 She says that for many people, a low carb diet reduces blood sugar swings and because of that, hunger is reduced. She said you’d have to test your blood sugar with varying levels of carb intake to determine how varying levels impact your blood sugar to see what level would keep your blood sugar at the most level. Part of this depends on how much glycogen your muscles store. – patti2003 Aug 20 at 19:46
	This has been true in my case. Use to be always hungry. On a VLC diet, rarely hungry. – patti2003 Aug 20 at 19:47

patti2003 · Answer 5 · 2012-08-28 18:20:39Z UTC

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Also see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3139783/

answered Aug 28 at 18:20

patti2003
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Protein and weight control

5 Answers