Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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i've been paleo now for about a month. to be honest, i have NEVER been on a diet (i know, way of eating.) that i haven't cheated on within the first week. for some reason, paleo is different. except for the 1/2 spoonful of cookie dough i ate (i am a baker by trade) early on, i have been STRICT paleo. and it has been really easy. i cook dinner. we have dinner for breakfast, either in a hash or a scramble, and then leftovers for me for lunch, and then i start all over with a new dinner. (last night texas chili (no beans) over roasted garlic sweet potato chunks and this morning, a sweet potato hash with the chili beef chunks and a fried egg over top).

if you add in the 3 lbs i lost from my colonoscopy (the prep liquid DOES NOT count as cheating! :D) my grand total of weight loss over the 34 days of paleo is... 3 lbs.

i don't eat alot of fruit (a serving every other day?) or sweet potatoes (i cook with them about once a week but then eat them for 2 meals following). i don't eat ANY sugar. or dairy. or beans. or grains.

i considered doing the leptin reset, but i have just gone back to crossfit and really don't want to have to give that up. (i started crossfit in november but was hospitalized for a week with diverticulitis in december and took a month off so i am just getting back into it.) i read that i shouldn't exercise and that really is a deal killer for me. had this been last year, i would have jumped on that bandwagon in a heartbeat! ;)

even today, i signed up for a monthly fee paleo meal plan. i am excited about this as well, but i am afraid if i go a month on this that if i don't lose weight again, i will want to give up paleo altogether.

and this brings me to a nutritionist.

i read on some other posts (i searched the site first so that i wouldn't piss people off with a question that has been asked a hundred times but didn't find all that much.) about some people mentioning that all a nutritionist is is a hand holder. if that is true, then that might be exactly what i need. i have read robb wolfe's book and really feel like i have a handle on what is and isn't paleo. but, clearly, i'm doing something wrong.

but is there such a thing as a weight loss paleo nutritionist? would that be a dietician or is that the same thing?

if anyone could point me in the right direction, i would be truly appreciative!

:)

flag	asked Feb 6 2012 at 18:51 suzanne 91●3

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3 lbs in a month is a pretty good weight-loss particularly if you are exercising and building muscle at the same time! Don't worry about the scale, it is just one aspect of health that gets greatly overemphasized. If you feel better, then you have already impacted your health in a very positive way. – JeJ Feb 7 2012 at 1:26

Nance · Answer 1 · 2012-02-06 19:13:01Z UTC

My only quarrel with your statements is this "clearly, I'm doing something wrong." Wait a minute! Do you really think you got diverticulitis in a month? No, your gut was in trouble for--most likely--decades and expecting radical changes in 1 month is what's wrong.

Important factors include: significant gut healing may take 3-5 months, not weeks; you may have 10 lbs to lose or 100 and that will radically affect how fast your body releases fat; if your metabolism is seriously out of whack and you are doing Crossfit you may make things worse no matter what diet you choose to follow. Fine, try the Crossfit but if you still don't get the results you want consider giving Crossfit a 60- to 90-day break while you work on your metabolism and well-being.

And if you are stressing out over all this, which your question definitely seems to confirm, losing weight just gets that much harder.

My suggestions: 1) If you'd like direct support, get whatever kind of help sounds good to you.
2) Take a deep breath and feel good about yourself as you are right now.
3) Make sure you get good blocks of deep, undisturbed sleep.
4) Find sources of laughter and serenity and visit them often.
5) Just eat to feel better and see what happens.
6) Repeat the above steps as needed.

You haven't really done anything wrong--you just need some time and relaxation to keep your good efforts going.

Ken B · Answer 2 · 2012-02-06 19:11:57Z UTC

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Hit up Amy Kubal at Robb Wolf's site. She is a Paleo RD. http://www.robbwolf.com/consulting/amy-kubal-consulting/

answered Feb 6 2012 at 19:11

Ken B
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thanks, ken. i will give her a look. – suzanne Feb 6 2012 at 19:26

Heidi · Answer 3 · 2012-02-06 20:01:33Z UTC

I don't think you are doing anything wrong. From what you wrote in your question and in the comments in response to Nance's suggestions, it sounds like you don't have a lot of weight to lose -- maybe 10-15 pounds? Maybe 20 max? If so, then 3 pounds in one month is a great weight loss pace for a woman who is close to her ideal body weight. I lost about a pound a week for my first four weeks, then a pound every other week for the next 8 weeks. Then it was a pound every three weeks. Now I'm stalled with weight loss (stalled as soon as I went on the Leptin Reset but the reset for me is about healing a broken metabolism, not necessarily weight loss). I've lost 16 pounds total -- slow and relatively easy. I enjoy my new eating style and really LOVE not being hungry all of the time. The best thing is freedom from carb/sugar cravings and reactive hypoglycemia. I still hope to lose another 10-15 pounds and reach my pre-pregnancy weight, but I believe this will come slowly.

I suggest you keep doing what you're doing and try to concentrate on how good you feel and on healing your metabolism and building muscle tone. My guess is your excess weight will slowly continue to melt off and that's perfectly healthy! If you go two or three weeks without further loss, then maybe try a new strategy, but your current strategy doesn't seem broken to me!

BaconHealsChic · Answer 4 · 2012-02-06 20:21:03Z UTC

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(You may already be doing this but I have found podcasts help me to stay motivated and fit in missing puzzle pieces as I go. If you think you need hand-holding then here are some sources that are free AND cutting edge from all the paleo authorities.)

These podcasts have great interview with Paleo guru's.

answered Feb 6 2012 at 20:21

BaconHealsChic
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funny you should say that. :D my hubby listens to paleo podcasts and we sometimes listen together on the way to crossfit. but at 5:30 am, not alot of that info is retained. haha! since i am a talk radio hound, i will subscribe to a couple of these to listen to while i am in car rider loop at school. maybe it will keep me out of prison from murdering the woman who always pulls to the front of the line and then backs up like she was first. but maybe not. ;) – suzanne Feb 6 2012 at 21:09

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NO! Don't kill her. You'll have to eat soy in prison. :) – BaconHealsChic Feb 6 2012 at 21:35

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haha!!!! ;) maybe i will just let the air out of her tires. ;) – suzanne Feb 6 2012 at 22:10

Beth-WeightMaven · Answer 5 · 2012-02-06 23:45:26Z UTC

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Another person to consider is Liz Wolfe. She is a paleo nutritional therapy practitioner. She does a regular paleo podcast with Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites.

answered Feb 6 2012 at 23:45

Beth-WeightMaven
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Yes. I like her too. – BaconHealsChic Feb 6 2012 at 23:46

considering a nutritionist

5 Answers