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Hi everyone,

I've been reading, watching and listening everything I can find about paleo for the past year or so. I've always been taught to make the best possible decision based on fact and evidence, and the majority of signs indicate that paleo is a no-brainer.

HOWEVER

I have a personal, most likely psychological worry that paleo wouldn't work for me and I'd gain weight. Probably due to the lack of calorie counting and other safety nets associated with all other failed attempts of the past.

I also read in a number of places people showing that they have gained weight while moving to paleo. I haven't spotted any common failings in these people, although I usually see an over reliance on fruit and paleoised treats (having sex with your pants on - as some paleo writers describe it).

Can anyone help me out? Or tell me stop being such a worrier and just try it already!

Cheers, John

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 "Probably due to the lack of calorie counting and other safety nets associated with all other failed attempts of the past." John, if all those past attempts were "failed," then the calorie counting and whatever other measuring were obviously not "safety nets." Jump on in; the water's fine here! – Amy B. Oct 1 at 19:07

5 Answers

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I see this all the time. My advice is always the same: don't worry about being perfect, what's the worst that can happen? You've been living your whole life eating the way you are right now. What's the worst that can happen if you live "paleo" for the next 30 days? You can always go back to what you're currently doing. We're not forcing you to live like this forever.

If you've been doing a ton of reading, then you probably have a good idea of where you want to start. That is, you probably know what level of buy in you want, like fruit or fake paleoified foods. Just pick you level of buy in, then actually buy in for 30ish days. See how you look, feel, and perform. If you don't like it, then go back. All you've lost is 30 days, which is a lot less then the last year of reading and planning that you've been doing.

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A lot of sense! My main problem is that I can't do things by halves... So I have to throw everything at it, and do it properly. Maybe that's a good trait, hmm. – Ethnomusicolog3 Oct 1 at 18:30
Well everyone is different, so there's no perfect or optimal or proper way of doing this. You have to try something and see how it works for you. You can sit around and read and theorize all you want, but until you make a change, you won't know what will happen for you. It's not "going half way", it's trying a protocol and seeing how it works for you and then tweaking from there. I've been doing this for 4 years and I still tweak every now and then; I'll never have it "perfect" but I'm closer today than I was yesterday. – miked Oct 1 at 18:45
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I still track my food, using myfitnesspal.com with adjusted fat/protein/carb/sugar levels - it definitely helps my psych/emotional eating issues!

I lost 5 pounds in my first week of Paleo and have dropped about a pound every two weeks since [I am on week 4-5 right now]. I love fruit, but I limit my intake to under one cup [and only berries] per day. I've packed our kitchen and pantry with paleo things only and am determined to try to stay away from 'paleo treats' as much as I can.

My suggestion is GET STARTED. It doesn't have to be perfect at first, and you might not see results right away, but give it a couple months before making any decisions. You'll probably feel better just having started!

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What macro ratios do you use? I've found that hardened paleo eaters don't like talking about that. Probably because it inspires counting etc. – Ethnomusicolog3 Oct 1 at 18:29
The ratios depend on your goals. Weight loss? fewer carbs. Hypertrophy? more protein. Go all day without feeling hungry? Lots of fat. All depends on your who you are and what your goals are. That's why there's no consensus and we don't like talking about it. – miked Oct 1 at 18:43
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 Probably a good time for me to delete my apps and focus on living without piles of technology then. – Ethnomusicolog3 Oct 1 at 19:25
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This is my opinion only however you can over analyze anything to death and still not have all the answers. You talk about jumping right in, but until you start, you won't know what your 'all in' is. This isn't a diet, it's a different way of looking at eating and listening to your body. What works for one person on paleo won't always work for another. If you have been researching for a year, you probably have a head full of info, time to put it to the test for you.

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You're quite right. Too much information can, indeed be a bad thing. – Ethnomusicolog3 Oct 1 at 19:36
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Unfortunately there are many variations of Paleo out there it will make your head spin. Some dairy without fruit, some fruit without dairy, no dairy no fruit, some sugar some not and so on and so on. Miked is right, just pick what you like and don't like about Paleo and jump in. If you polled 10 different Paleos, you'd probably get 10 different slight modifications of the lifestyle. It's that fragmented out there. Step one and the foundation of the lifestyle is NO PROCESSED FOODS -NONE!!! Start there and you'll be fine...

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Calorie count if you want! Just cut out gluten and cut down on fruit - those 2 should help keep calories down straightaway. Eat dairy or not - up to you. Eat lots of veg - that's a must! Eat carby veg like sweet potato and white rice if you need it to support your jogging - if you don't know, just eat a little to start with and see how it goes. Get your protein from a mixture of meat and fish and eggs - lots if you want, less if you're watching the calories.

Just do it!

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