Going Paleo? Does it work?

Discussion in 'Health' started by StrandLeper, Feb 24, 2016.


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  1. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    A few years ago, after the holiday season, I tipped the scale at 201. I am 6'2" and was not stoked about that... Was very active... And didn't understand. I went to the website www.marksdailyapple.com read, ordered some books. Some academic, some pop. And went cold turkey hard core Paleo. Three months later, without more exercise, I hit 179... For the first time since college.

    Staying under 180 was tough, but I stayed at 185 for three years easily. Then my wife decided that she wanted to learn to cook... Has become a chef level cook... And pastry chef.

    Well, even with some good mileage (8-12 hours per week on the bike and on the trainer), with all of the carbs flying around my house, I tipped the scale north of 200 last week. Not cool.

    Taking the paleo dive again, but this time doing it for the sake of weight AND for the ability to forgo fuel during ultra distance events.

    For this thread, I will note my eating patterns, my weight, and my transition from fueling with carbs during distance rides to fueling with stored body fat during distance rides.

    Why? To hold myself accountable. To document the journey, and to perhaps inspire others trapped in the cardio - carb rat wheel.

    Goal: 179 for second Temecula race, and able to go 12 hours with little to no fueling.

    Here goes nothing:

    Sunday 2-21 201

    Light ride 20 miles and 2500 feet.

    No grain or processed foods.

    Full fat Greek yogurt with nuts, flax seeds and 1/4 of a banana.

    A lettuce wrap burger (home made) with Avo and cheese

    Heirloom tomato and pine nut and feta cheese salad.

    Green smoothie (spinach kale cucumber broccoli)

    Ribs

    Choc soufflé by wife for my BD ( very low carb)

    Monday 2-22 199

    Similar eating, no processed foods, but had almond butter and jelly on a paleo roll (a tortilla made from coconut meat). Handful of nuts at night.

    1 hour light cycling on trainer with a set of ten bench presses and pull ups every 30 minutes

    Tuesday 2-23 198

    Same diet as Monday. No workout other than 15 minutes of stretches.

    Wednesday 2-24 197

    Eggs, avo and tomato for brekkie.

    Chicken leg and thigh, string cheese.

    A few hands full of home made nut mix.

    Choc soufflé and raspberries.

    Green smoothie.

    1 hour ride with 8.5 miles and 1500 feet.
     
  2. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Whoa... way too much thinking for my lifestyle. Eat, exercise, repeat. :thumbsup:

    Of course, I am one of the slowest on the forum, so perhaps I should put a little more thought into my diet. :oops:
     
  3. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    Good luck Strand. May your stomach shrink and mind be satiated. Beware Filet 'O Fish Fridays.
     
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  4. hill^billy

    hill^billy iMTB Rockstah

    My wife is on Paleo, which puts me mostly on it but not completly. For some reason most people only embrace cardio work outs, and diets. The truth is if you balance diet, cardio, and strength training you will just about vaporize your fat! Carbs and protien are what you need to fuel when your on the discipline train. Good luck on your journey! I'm certain you will reach your goal.
     
  5. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    A few years back I went this route, upped the protein/healthy fats and cut out most carbs .Hard to cut them all out when wife isnt completely committed but i rarely do any refined sugar type stuff, tortillas, bread or wheat products. (Well, occasionally bread happens (ezekiel) but not very often, and still eat some oats before a big ride...and on vacation, I eat whatever!). Lots of vegetables, some fruit. I initially lost twenty pounds of fat in about 4 months and stayed there for a while; weight has crept up a a bit this year but im also into bodybuilding so its not just about the number on the scale for me but body composition. (to be fair ive always struggled with my weight, slow metabolism i guess). My blood pressure has gone down and other health factors have improved. Also seems like i hardly ever get sick anymore. I think my endurance has improved but hard to say for sure. So overall my experience has been positive. On the really long rides i do bring eats with me, a mix of some carbs, and protein. I always bring the raddest stuff, there's nothing like eating leftover bbq pork and "Mr Cheesos" on bell ridge!. Fueling only with body fat during the really long rides...I dunno about that. 12 hours of hard exercise with no fueling will destroy your health.

    "
     
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  6. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    Invest in trying to interest your wife some cookbooks aimed for the athlete maybe.

    Diets should not be short term efforts to try and "dive" in regards to your weight, but tuned to your lifestyle.
     
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  7. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    True, its been well documented that strength training is more effective for losing fat than long-duration low-intensity cardio. And how you eat plays at least as much of a role in fat loss as exercise, if not more.
    Who am i to talk? im still a fat-@ss :)
     
  8. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    I had an obese friend who lost over a hundred pounds by simply eating fruit only before noon. As much as he wanted, juice included. No other changes. Don't know the science behind it. He was not an athlete, just a working guy. FWIW.

    Best wishes for success, Strand.
     
  9. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    True that @Varaxis. I just scored a boatload of primal cookbooks for her. That's the beauty of primal imho, it is very much a lifestyle. Being conscious of how you are fueling your body and taking care to give it the best fuel. I fought the carbs in the house pretty successfully until she started the "holiday baking" this year (she's Italian and came up with a caramel dark chocolate sea salt cookie. I really don't need to say any more) She does moderate cardio, eats smart (a bit more Carby than me), and has 7 percent body fat or so. So I just have to get back to the Paleo mind set. She is starting to make primal side dishes and is doing amazing things with Quinoa... But you know, when she rolls out that fresh pasta.... And starts stretching that on the racks...

    @sir crashalot i don't think I can go a full 12 without needing fuel, although a guy who has won the Leadville trail (running) 100 three times has become so "fat adapted" that he can go 40 hours without bonking. I just want to be able to do the next Temecula race more simply. Show up and blow up. :)
     
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  10. ridinrox

    ridinrox Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Fullerton
    Name:
    Roxanne
    Current Bike:
    '16 Giant Trance Advance
    If you'd like my opinion here's my take:

    I don't believe in diets. I prefer real food vs processed. However, I eat anything and everything but in moderation.

    I don't stuff myself; I eat until I'm satisfied. I don't eat past 7:00pm, go to bed by 9:00. I have a beer or two a day (real beer). I don't take supplements nor believe in them either.

    I'm 5'10, 123 lbs. I'm relatively toned bc of surfing, running and now mtbing.

    I have no ass but I don't care bc I'm not about to do squats or lunges. :geek:

    There ya have it....:thumbsup:
     
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  11. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    Gotcha strand, guess i misunderstood that bit. And what is SirHypoctritalot eating for breakfast...Cheerios!
    We found an awesome substitute for wheat pasta... organic lentil pasta made by a company called Tolerant. Of course its not completely carbless but it has fewer carbs and more protein than wheat... and of course is amylopectin A free. (amylopectin A, the type of starch found in wheat and some other grains, is the most easily digested form of starch and raises blood sugar just as fast as simple sugars). No doubt it pales in comparison to homemade pasta though!
     
  12. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    Wisdom. If one eats right, whole foods instead of processed, supplements generally arent necessary. only extra stuff I take is salmon oil and curcurmin (natural advil, haha). And the occasional multi mineral supplement since our farm soils have been depleted of many trace minerals.
     
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  13. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    I read this somewhere. And it makes sense.

    "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

    ("Food" being stuff not or very minimally processed.)
     
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  14. siata94

    siata94 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    lake forest
    Name:
    siata
    Current Bike:
    lazy goat
  15. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    When we are asking our bodies to do what is required in order to ride the hills that we ride, I just think that it behooves us to give fuel considerable thought. Not a "diet" guy. Just a guy who works a f'ing ton, tries to get in good exercise a ton and tries to watch his weight... with the 200 lb number being the "no go zone." As for @ridinrox , more power to you!

    There is a good book just released that is a bit pedantic with all of the primal marketing hooks that Sisson deals in, but it talks about the Paleo appoach to endurance racing... and the right way to train, and how not to train. I waded through the chaff, to pull out some wheat (pun intended) https://www.primalblueprint.com/primal-endurance/

    Putting it all in the blender as seeing how it goes... and documenting it.
     
  16. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Words to live by.


    Slightly underweight = longer life. Eat often; forget the three-meals dogma.

    Oh yea...and pick the right parents : / (like ridinrox did...)
     
  17. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I'm watching this thread intently...
     
  18. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    Question - does this mean not eating at restaurants? By watching what you eat, carefully reading nutrition facts, you become really conscious about not knowing what exactly is in what the restaurants serve.

    Somewhat related, I know that scientists can't agree on just how bad "typical" intake levels of salt are for you; some think it's fine based on new evidence and some think that it's a real problem based on historical evidence.

    Make sure to be more thankful for things that go your way, if you find yourself troubling others and/or refusing more things than normal due to your limited diet. Don't end up disconnecting from everything that interrupts your focus.
     
  19. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    I tried low carb for a bit, but it really didn't work with me. I just felt kinda' gross from it. Calorie-restriction is probably the best idea from what I've seen.
    But yeah, everything in moderation and "eat the colors of the rainbow" are the advice I follow (but have a gut, so who am I to talk).
     
  20. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    @Varaxis as to restaurants, I really don't do lots. I have a breakfast place in town that I eat at twice a week or so. eggs, bacon, avocado, tomato. Pretty a easy. I eat at the LB Montage a few times per month and you can eat as primal as possible there.

    As to troubling others, that is a great point. The key is, I think, don't be a douche about it. When we are at mother in laws for a pasta dinner, I would just take a little bit of pasta and eat an extra meatball. When I am at a birthday party, just take a small piece of cake, don't be a triathlete and make a big deal about how you "don't eat that." When wife makes a big protein with lots of sugary sauce, smile, make sure your piece is less saucy and thank her... Then skip the blueberries you were going to eat after your workout.

    The philosophy is aim for 100 percent, be stoked at 80 percent.

    When traveling on business I take nuts and a powdered mix in case there are no options... But if you understand the dietary concepts of Paleo, you can eat fairly close to ideal at a Carl's Jr.
     
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  21. ridinrox

    ridinrox Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Fullerton
    Name:
    Roxanne
    Current Bike:
    '16 Giant Trance Advance
    That was kinda my point Dan:

    Enjoy your life, don't be one of those "dieters" (excluding people w allergies
    of course). Who cares if you're a few pounds overweight or underweight (me).

    If you want to be an athelete train like an athelete.

    We all have different body types and metabolisms. How boring if we all looked the same. It bums me out that we get so hung up on performance - enjoy the ride!
     
  22. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    As the resident fat guy on IMTB, I've read all of the posts above looking for the different perspectives... Great topic. And I can't wait to see how far you can take it. Push the limits, Strandleper! The body is a wonderful gift... :thumbsup:

    Everyone else seems to be sharing, so I will, as well... I think I've told everyone I've ridden with this story, but here goes... July 2012, I pushed the scale down about 300 pounds, and my size 42s were getting quite snug. Then the light bulb went off and I started counting calories and riding a bike again. After riding a lot of road miles as a kid, I hoped it would come back quickly. It did... And I dropped down to the 200-205 range, which is where I try to stay to keep the wife happy. :whistling: The holidays were not a good time. :unsure:

    Question... I'm curious, because I made the mistake of running large caloric deficits when I was losing weight in the beginning. I would burn hundreds of calories riding, but wouldn't balance that out with intake. As a result, I lost a lot of muscle mass along with the fat. I'm assuming that the large quantity of protein in the paleo diet makes up for the calorie deficit during exercise? Or, how do you keep the body from burning its own muscles during exercise when you run low on fat stores? Simply conditioning the body?

    Either way... Great goal. Good luck with the journey.
     
  23. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    If you gnash over a restaurant meal or other transgression, you're missing the big picture. The key is lifestyle, which includes diet. Try to find an enjoyable, balanced MO that promotes health but takes little or no effort to maintain. Food-wise, it's mostly about keeping your wits about you in the grocery store. Beyond that, keep indulgences in check (read: abstaining not required).

    And, I have to repeat Rox's words above: "We all have different body types and metabolisms." In our affluent, on-demand world, we tend to think we can get whatever we want. But some things we can't. Work the hand you get dealt as best you can, and be happy. Mental health can't be overlooked, and is inexorably linked to physical health.
     
  24. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    once your body becomes fat adapted, meaning you have transitioned from carb fueling, you won't run out of fat to burn... Until you run out of fat. Thanks 2Faust29. I will keep everyone posted... every day. :)
     
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  25. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    @mike you nailed it. Don't stress over the occasional meal ... Aim for 100, be happy with 80. That's what I love about the primal lifestyle, and why I was able to stick around 185 for so long. It's not too hard to switch from cookies to an awesome nut mix that custom made from a few random bags of nuts at trader joes... Or to decide "you know what, I don't need to eat right now, even though it is lunchtime... Cuz I am not hungry".

    I am trying to work the hand I have been dealt. Monster high stress job that I love. Lifestyle that limits free time due to choices I have made. But I want to ride and surf to the best of my ability... And have energy to be "present" with my family when I am being a husband or a dad. The energy that I Have, even when I drifted slightly from primal is insane.

    I am already fairly primal, I just drifted a bit. When my dr got my heart tests and blood work back for my big 50 yo birthday physical she said "WTF are you eating and WTF is your exercise routine? Cuz I want to bottle it and sell it." I said, "too late. Mark sisson already has."
     
  26. hill^billy

    hill^billy iMTB Rockstah


    PROTIEN, is the way to keep your body from burning muscle when your fat store is low, so your assumtion is correct. For just about everyone there is always some fat to burn, I have noticed that I have burned through some muscle from time to time but you can always build it back up. I look at excercise as a quality of life senerio, period. And weight training is a big part in it, it keeps me from burrning out from to much riding, and really helps to keep me injury free in every day life. At 55 I am not as strong as I used to be but, I'm not that far off strength wise now, and it really has surprised me. Up until recently we have been taught that we are strong when we are young and then we fade away fast when we are old. Only if you don't maintain will the latter be true! Luckly I have this other amazing outlet called mountain biking because Lord knows there are plenty of things that can derail a good plan, ( I have recently been delt my share) , a good plan should be a train chugging down one track. Like Mike says and is odvious were not all delt the same hand and there are no guarantees, it's how you handle that hand your delt. BTW it's perfectly fine in my mind to deviate once and awhile and go hog wild, my only exception is SUGAR! Then I put my foot down regaurdless if it hurts somones feelings or not, sugar reeks havik on the body.
     
  27. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    Hmm, this thread has inspired me to go learn adobe illustrator and take all my body function and nutrition knowledge and turn it into a giant infographic.

    Probably can have a decent one done in a couple months, allowing time to actually learn the basics of the program and making the graphics first.
     
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  28. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    Thursday 2-25 195.8

    Green smoothie (small)

    Yogurt nuts and flax seed

    Lettuce wrap burger chees and avo (small)

    Ribs (three)

    2 Paleo bars

    1 almond butter & jelly roll

    One hour on trainer with 3 weight sets (bench press, pull ups, push ups) every twenty minutes. Easy pace on trainer, hr around 130.

    Listened to Roxy Music's Stranded. Such a good album. Wife was on the elliptical and then did some weights and the treadmill. It's cool to workout together after a long day.
     
  29. MnMDan

    MnMDan Member

    Location:
    Irvine, CA
    Name:
    Dan Eitman
    Current Bike:
    Trek Superfly FS
    Most "diets" (even those espoused by casual dietitians and nutritionists) are motivated by questionable science and the $$'s behind that questionable science.

    Fore example, the root of the food pyramid we all grew up with is based on high food prices in Sweden in the early 70's, and has been modified over the years. The reason back then was to ensure consumption of local food as a way to lower overall food prices and reduce reliance on imports.

    The importance of milk is based on the dairy producers in the US, who are also price-supported through regulation. Up until refrigeration became widespread, human biology mimicked every other animal in the world...milk was used during the initial stages of growth, but not consumed after infancy as the body adapted to easier to obtain (and digest) sources of protein, calcium, etc. (and the body's need for what milk had decreased).

    National Geographic has an interesting series on food over the past few issues, including the effects of diet on populations. Paleo is one such subject, and notes that following the published paleo diets today have very little to do with the true "paleo" diet of our ancestors. There are populations and diet models that continue to follow historical paleo dietary models. Vegan, vegetarian, mediterranean, pacific island, and amazonian diets are also looked at with peer-reviewed science as the source.

    For any diet, consider this:
    Who is publishing/backing the plan? (Funny how most paleo diets are heavy on meats, yet a true paleo diet is more of a "gatherer" nature, not a "hunter")
    What is the science behind it? (Any analysis of large populations or biophysiology?)
    Is the desired diet in-line with your activities?

    For most of us, portion control is really the best option. Simple, and less expensive than most of the other options. If you try to justify anything more complex than that, then you must also track the other changes and effects. Weight loss may be water loss, muscle loss, fat loss, or some combo.
     
  30. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    Dr. Tim Noakes (the godfather of endurance fitness "Lore of Running" author... who recently reconsidered his entire approach to endurance fitness based upon the principals of paleo consumption)

    Gary Taubes

    Dr. William Davis

    Maimonides

    Mark Sisson

    (Many, many others... this is just a diverse selection... a Saffa Dr., a very diligent research author with a background in physics from Harvard, a pop MD writer, a Hebrew scholar from 900 years ago, and a health entrepreneur who makes tons of money selling Paleo stuff ... and I think it is RAD that he makes tons of money selling Paleo stuff as this style of eating has completely transformed the lives of people that I know... and if he did not push it out there to try and make money off of it, most people would not know about it.)

    The Paleo option is actually inexpensive. I bought a few books, read a few academic papers online, and rented a book on tape. I don't take any supplements except for some fish oil when I remember, and MCT oil every other day or so. I buy my nuts at TJ's, and my green smoothie. I only drink half of the green smoothie each day. The powder that I travel with is much cheaper than fast food. The meat and fish is not cheap... but good meat and fish is not cheap and you shouldn't be eating sh*t meat no matter what your eating regimen.

    There is a LOT of good science behind the idea that wheat, grains and refined carbs are horrible for you, and certain fats, meats, etc. are good for you. It is all about the way that our bodies metabolize what we eat.

    If you are eating the wrong stuff, portion control may make you lose weight, but you won't be able to perform at a peak level... no way, no how. I guess that eating less of the "wrong stuff" is "less bad" for you, however.

    If you understand the science behind how your body turns what you eat into energy, you can eat to maximize that efficiency... I have spent a few years learning that science and practicing it. My wife's amazing cooking over the last six months lured me away from that discipline. (Now she is promising to limit the cookie baking and open a few of the primal cookbooks that I bought her)

    My goal is to get to an optimal level of fitness... with balance... and to document it.
     


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