Of late, I have seen a lot of posts about how wrong the Paleo lifestyle is and how people are fooling themselves if they really think "caveman" really ate this way or that way. I had one person tell me that I should just eat "real food" and quit the Paleo lifestyle.
Ummmm....well, the truth of the matter is I use Paleo/Primal to describe my lifestyle because it is easier than truly describe what I have discovered makes me feel and perform my best. I eat real food. I avoid processed foods. I do not eat most grains. I avoid added sugar. I do not eat soy products. I read labels. I cook at home for the most part. I buy high quality ingredients. I do not drink my calories. I do not eat low carb as I do consume sweet potatoes, squash, and some rice. I don't obsess about things.
I do not eat this way because "caveman" did. I eat this way because I have learned to listen to my body. I know that I feel better when I avoid certain things. I know that I work out better if I eat certain things. I know that I have lost weight following my new lifestyle and my weight progress has stalled when I have not.
What I don't get is why some people seem to feel they must cause a fuss over labels like Paleo, primal, whatever. To me, the important thing is to find what works for you. I definitely believe that each of us is very different and what works for me may not work for you. The key is to start listening to your body and figure out how it responds to various things. In working with my nutritionist and meeting many of the others that she works with, it has become clear to me that some people tolerate some foods I cannot tolerate....and I tolerate some things others cannot.
There is no "one size fits all" concept here. AND it does no good to try to discredit what others have found works for them. I want to be as healthy as I can be and I choose to describe my lifestyle as Paleo or primal and it works for me. Maybe some day I will start to describe it as "eating real food, eliminating soy and grains, cooking at home, reading labels, avoiding additives, and avoiding sugar and processed foods" lifestyle.
Yea, I don't know why people are so caught up in labels or want to challenge someone's success either. I wouldn't know what to call what I do, I've taken the best of several plans [what works for me] and i'm a foodie to boot so I eat to fuel but also to enjoy. I don't touch sweets-don't like 'em- no cakes, no ice cream no muffins-Nada. I know grains/ legumes/seeds don't agree with me, no peanuts or peanut butter, either- too fatty and too many calories for little satisfaction, i rather use olive/coconut oils in cooking. the only fruit I have are cranberries [when in season]and when not red or black grapes, which I use for my juicing in small amount, just to sweeten it a little[it's 90% vegetables and a third bunch of parsley]. that's not all the veg I eat either- I have tons of sauteed vegetables, small piece of fish/chicken/beef and also a green salad for my main meal. coffee when I wake up with half and half and organic sugar and immediately head out for exercise. I do intermittent fasting, i'm not eating until after my workouts [protein shake], I perform way better, the one big meal for lunch and juicing the rest. I am not a round the clock hungry person. basically i'm doing it all wrong, right? PfffTZ I always tell people: you shouldn't 'choose' a diet- EVER! and yet not only they do for mental/emotional [not physical] reasons but fight with it for years and years, get pissed off, frustrated, tired of it, call it a 'journey' what???!!! like Moses... leading the people for 40 years to a place that was around the corner--for why?-- Body tells you if you're doing the right or wrong thing, it tells you by giving you energy and burning fat and losing weight~~ which is why people when i read blame the body for the number on the scale I want to bang my head against the wall: the body is telling you 'hey I don't like this!' I never go hungry-what I eat satiates me. body happy. me happy. and I am not thinking of food all day. why? because I gave it what it needs to be happy for a long time. ;p
ReplyDeleteIt took me a long time to learn that if I truly listened to my body, it would tell me what it needed to be fueled most efficiently. I love that I also am not thinking about food all day long. It is quite a release when you can live your life without food being the center of it as it was when I was on "diets" in the past.
DeleteI tire of people judging how others lose weight. Now that of course assumes that people are losing weight in a healthy way!
ReplyDeleteYes, of course, health should always be first.
DeleteI totally agree with Diane on this.
ReplyDelete:-) Marion
yep that's assumed in my statement- I'm referring to learning what type of eater you are: constant snacking? can go long periods of time not eating and be fine? and using it to your advantage and be ready for when it hits. there are foods [even those touted as 'healthy'] that have no place in a menu for weightloss. bottom line is get to know your hunger needs rather than pretend they're not there or work against them because of the latest book.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many "experts" aren't there? And not enough empathy.
ReplyDeleteYep...too many experts who have opinions on what I am doing wrong...and love to voice it...but that's okay. I know I am healthier now than I was in the past and, even if I have to tweak what I am eating from time to time, I know the basics of listening to my body and how it reacts to certain things works for me so I will stick with it.
DeleteThe refusal to accept Paleo/Primal as a way to maintain health "It's not sustainable" or "I would never give up a food group" is just short sided. Come ON! I'm the healthiest I've ever been in my life on this template. What is exactly wrong with eating whole foods?
ReplyDeleteOf course if you checked on me 3 years ago, I would be "parroting" the old WW line of healthy whole grains. I get the heebie-jebbies just typing it.
Blog on! I suspect that this way of eating will gain traction over the next 5-10 years.
I think I meant to type "short sighted" but I've only ingested a half a cup of coffee this AM. Sigh.... ;)
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