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Yo guys
I recently started following a paleo diet, to some degree. I've had people telling me about the "caveman diet" for a long time and urging me to try it out. After hearing more about it than usual in the last few months, including pro sc2 player Sheth was swapping to it and having great success (http://www.teamliquidpro.com/news/2013/01/21/starcraft-weight-and-pain) I decided to have a go myself. After all, I love eating meat, more of it couldn't be bad right?
The diet itself can be read about here: http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/
Basically it emphasises lot's of natural, unprocessed foods and removing grains, dairy, legumes (beans etc) and junk foods which it claims the body isn't adjusted for and struggles to process and digest.
Pic of Paleo meal (ignore the rice): http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=368527336579911&set=pb.130791517020162.-2207520000.1362448584&type=3&theater
(Carribean chicken, seasoned vegies and kimchi)
For me a diet is just a guideline on getting good nutrition and cutting out excess crap from what I want to eat. Whilst I avoid most grains, legumes and dairy with this diet I still eat some and aren't super strict about the diet, it's more a guideline to eating well so I don't gorge on crap.
Large servings of meat, eggs and vegetables at all my meals + several pieces of fruit/nuts throughout the day for snacks has been amazing. I rarely crave junk anymore, and can always eat until I'm full. I feel physically stronger, more energetic and mentally a lot more positive probably because my body is satisfied all the time and I'm not stuffing my face with chocolate late at night!
Some common recipes I cook:
Breakfast: Omelette (2 servings) -
Ingredients:
6-8 eggs (depending on size)
~400gm of frozen vegies (capsicum, beans, broccoli, cauliflower)
2 rashers of bacon (optional)
+any leftovers, chicken, roast vegies or whatever else.
Mixed herbs or Oregano
salt + pepper
Preparation:
1) Defrost vegies in microwave
2) dice bacon
3) chuck them both in the fry pan to fry up
4) break the eggs into a bowl and add a good amount of pepper + herbs, if not using bacon add some salt too.
5) whisk the eggs thoroughly till a thick yellow paste with no lumps
6) Once the bacon and vegies are cooked to your liking pour the eggs over and reduce frypan to low heat. Cook ~7-8 minutes or until browning and then turn over and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side or until browning.
^^
breakfast/lunch of champions 
As for vegies, frozen vegies get pretty boring after a while so myself and Dot have started baking up a bigass batch of pumpkin, sweet potato and carrots once a week. We brush them all lightly in oil and mixed herbs and bake them for about 30-40 minutes @180degrees then increase to 230degrees for another 10 minutes to crisp them up. Apparently if you add cinnamon it's delicious, looking to try this on our next batch 
Result = a constant supply of delicious roast vegies to go along with every meal.
Often dinner is just a good serving of roast vegies + whatever the meat of the day is:
Pork chops
Lamb chops
Steak
One of Jinxx's amazing chicken marinades: http://www.sc2sea.com/showthread.php?t=6600
Roast Lamb
Dot has become super pro at cooking meat and insists it must sit to room temperature, then rub in garlic, herbs, salt and pepper and let it sit for 10 minutes before cooking it on high temperature either with a turnover every 30second-minute constantly for the whole process or for 2-3 minutes on each side with just one turnover, or until just nice and pink but not too bloody inside.
The Actual Results
Ok so since on this I've dropped about 3-4kg in the past I'd say month or 6 weeks. Most importantly I feel a lot stronger. Partly because I'm ensuring I go jogging 5-6km at least twice a week. This isn't really a lot of exercise especially since in the past I used to go to the gym 5 times a week, however it's completely sustainable and fits my busy work schedule really well. I'm working to slowly increase the amount of exercise I do without every cutting into the rest of my life.
Overall I feel a lot happier and more positive and still eat the occasional grains, pasta or dairy without any real adverse effects other than feeling a bit more bloated/lethargic than I do after a Paleo meal.
Feedback
I'd like to hear anyones input on what possible vitamin deficiencies are possible on a paleo diet, for instance where do I get calcium if I don't eat dairy? Any issues you guys have with it or reasons you like/dislike the diet!
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calcium is in green veggies like spinach.
i follow the autoimmune protocol of paleo + white rice. recently i realized my ecezma gets worse with the white rice so i had to cut it out and low carb. 
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On March 05 2013 11:56 AoN.DimSum wrote:calcium is in green veggies like spinach. i follow the autoimmune protocol of paleo + white rice. recently i realized my ecezma gets worse with the white rice so i had to cut it out and low carb.
do you have brown rice now?
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Interesting, I've been experimenting with cutting all non-organic sugar intake in the last few months, and I've seen good results. Good luck!
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I tried it and found that it was as effective as any other low-carbohydrate diet.
I quit for lifestyle reasons. It was relatively expensive and time-consuming, and following it made it very difficult to eat socially. (And I really like peanut butter bagel sandwiches.)
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Thanks AoN.DimSum I eat a lot of green vegies so I should be fine for calcium
@zf that's a shame! I realised that my grocery costs are quite similar/a bit less, probably because I spend less money on junk!
Eating socially I tend to just break the diet, though I try to minimise it. Barbeque's are great though!
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If you aren't eating dairy I wouldn't be too confident that you are getting enough calcium from green vegetables, the reason being that while they can be high in calcium (and even iron) the calcium found in leafy greens such as spinach are often bound to oxalates, which greatly lessens their bioavailability. A good "paleo" source of calcium would be crushed eggshell, bone meal, or bone broth. Of the three bone broth is certainly the easiest to work in as a food, since it can be the base of many a soup or stew; the others can be a bit trickier to implement in a tasty fashion.
If you aren't regularly eating ruminant liver (beef/lamb/bison) it's possible you are getting a suboptimal amount of copper and vitamin A (preformed, not as carotene from vegetables), though it should not be enough to raise worries of an overt deficiency of either nutrient. The amount of vitamin C you get will depend on the type of vegetables you consume and how often you eat fruit, so that is another thing to be conscious of on some level. If you find you are eating more poultry and less beef or seafood you may not be getting enough selenium, but if you are eating beef or fish regularly that should not be a problem.
There aren't too many worries with overt deficiency on a whole foods paleo diet, my only word of caution would be that you do not fall into the "carbohydrates are evil" trap that so many do when adopting a paleo diet. Moderate carbohydrate intake from fruits, vegetables, potatoes, milk, and even white rice is unlikely to cause issues for most people, and often helps people who are having trouble on a very low carbohydrate version of paleo.
Best of luck!
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On March 05 2013 15:05 TroW wrote:
If you aren't eating dairy I wouldn't be too confident that you are getting enough calcium from green vegetables, the reason being that while they can be high in calcium (and even iron) the calcium found in leafy greens such as spinach are often bound to oxalates, which greatly lessens their bioavailability. A good "paleo" source of calcium would be crushed eggshell, bone meal, or bone broth. Of the three bone broth is certainly the easiest to work in as a food, since it can be the base of many a soup or stew; the others can be a bit trickier to implement in a tasty fashion.
If you aren't regularly eating ruminant liver (beef/lamb/bison) it's possible you are getting a suboptimal amount of copper and vitamin A (preformed, not as carotene from vegetables), though it should not be enough to raise worries of an overt deficiency of either nutrient. The amount of vitamin C you get will depend on the type of vegetables you consume and how often you eat fruit, so that is another thing to be conscious of on some level. If you find you are eating more poultry and less beef or seafood you may not be getting enough selenium, but if you are eating beef or fish regularly that should not be a problem.
There aren't too many worries with overt deficiency on a whole foods paleo diet, my only word of caution would be that you do not fall into the "carbohydrates are evil" trap that so many do when adopting a paleo diet. Moderate carbohydrate intake from fruits, vegetables, potatoes, milk, and even white rice is unlikely to cause issues for most people, and often helps people who are having trouble on a very low carbohydrate version of paleo.
Best of luck!
Thanks for all that info! Hmmm I wonder if Viet Pho soup has bone-broth in it, I will keep having some dairy every now and then so hopefully that won't cause an issue.
I eat a lot of beef so selenium should be ok. I eat lots of fruit and eat vitamin C tablets like a candy twice a day . I don't really eat any liver I'll keep an eye on vitamin A and copper deficiencies.
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While we're talking about Paleo, is it okay to not cook at all when on the diet and just eat Paleo-friendly foods unprepared?
What makes Paleo work great for me is the fact that all the stuff you're allowed to eat I like anyways, so I eat nuts, boiled eggs, raw veggies, fresh fruit, chicken boiled in water just with salt and never get bored with it.
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i can see avoiding grains and processed shit, but what's with no beans?? beans are fucking awesome and generally pretty healthy. i am no nutritionist so i dont know why that is
my only experience with paleo stuff is once I made some pad thai recipe i saw using zucchini instead of noodles, i think. it was pretty good actually
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I think just about everyone should take a simple multivitamin (for guys, make sure no iron). It can't hurt, and ensures that you're getting all your essential nutrients in case you have any diet-related deficiencies.
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I don't get the paleo diet. It sounds to me like a pseudo intellectual way to rationalize eating lots of meat and eggs every day. Congrats, you can now convince yourself that the food you want to eat anyway is good for you.
A lot of benefits from good food don't show themselves right away, but only after years of use. If some person switches to a paleo diet and cuts out refined sugar along the way, he'll probably end up feeling a lot better and healthier and lose weight. (imagine that) That doesn't mean it's good for you long-term and it doesn't mean it's the best possible diet.
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On March 06 2013 03:23 Grumbels wrote:
I don't get the paleo diet. It sounds to me like a pseudo intellectual way to rationalize eating lots of meat and eggs every day. Congrats, you can now convince yourself that the food you want to eat anyway is good for you.
Huh? The paleo diet is actually quite restrictive. Try eating only meat and vegetables. It's not cheap and it's not easy to make, unlike daily plates of pasta.
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I don't understand how people can feel strong without any carbohydrate income. I feel sleepy without rice tbh. I understand why it makes your body look better tho.
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On March 06 2013 04:05 Boblion wrote:
I don't understand how people can feel strong without any carbohydrate income. I feel sleepy without rice tbh. I understand why it makes your body look better tho.
That's because you're used to eating a lot of carbohydrates, your body can adjust if you're eating lower amounts of carbs consistently.
On March 06 2013 03:59 Kukaracha wrote:Show nested quote +On March 06 2013 03:23 Grumbels wrote:
I don't get the paleo diet. It sounds to me like a pseudo intellectual way to rationalize eating lots of meat and eggs every day. Congrats, you can now convince yourself that the food you want to eat anyway is good for you. Huh? The paleo diet is actually quite restrictive. Try eating only meat and vegetables. It's not cheap and it's not easy to make, unlike daily plates of pasta.
A lot of people basically only care about meat. (try to say the word bacon on reddit and watch the ensuing lovefest) The paleo diet is primarily about eating a lot of meat, hence its popularity.
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On March 06 2013 04:10 Grumbels wrote:Show nested quote +On March 06 2013 04:05 Boblion wrote:
I don't understand how people can feel strong without any carbohydrate income. I feel sleepy without rice tbh. I understand why it makes your body look better tho. That's because you're used to eating a lot of carbohydrates, your body can adjust if you're eating lower amounts of carbs consistently.
That's what i'm trying lately but it is annoying :3
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On March 06 2013 04:05 Boblion wrote:
I don't understand how people can feel strong without any carbohydrate income. I feel sleepy without rice tbh. I understand why it makes your body look better tho.
People nowadays have the idea that they have to eat a lot of carbs, but it's just an extrapolation of sportive nutrition (what is usually called 421 GPL - 4 portions of glucids, 2 of proteines, and 1 of lipids). You don't need much energy if you live a sedentary life.
On March 06 2013 04:10 Grumbels wrote:
A lot of people basically only care about meat. (try to say the word bacon on reddit and watch the ensuing lovefest) The paleo diet is primarily about eating a lot of meat, hence its popularity.
Well, maybe we didn't frequent the same communities. As far as I know, meat is to be consumed with moderation, although at every meal. From what I read, what is stressed is vegetable consumption : anything you want, as much as you want (which isn't a lot of fun).
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By the way I just had an exam yesterday, and the subject was obesity. Boblion, did you know that France will be as fat as the US is now by 2020? Right now, obese people represent 14,5% of the population, but the numbers climb by 5.9% every year. That means that one third of France will be obese in just seven years.
So, paleo gogogo!
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I'm closer of being underweight lol i only do this to get better results when i'm practicing. (1m80 and ~70kg)
Bodyfat around 15%.
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EPT
