Paleo Diet/ Primal Lifestyle

[Jim]

Not purely diet, and therefore purely a food topic, nor is it purely a fitness topic. It's both.


I'm curious, are there other members who consume a paleo type of diet or live a "paleo" or "primal" lifestyle. As briefly mentioned in the past, I was forced off wheat, oats, and dairy due to allergies, and I never really consumed a lot of sugary foods and therefore simple carbs. I have, for years, eaten mostly leaner meats, abundant fruits and vegetables, and try to eat healthy. I barely drink alcohol, and today when I do, it's a hard cider.

Then there is the hiking. Moderate to brisk hiking is regarded as a foundation of old time, or paleo lifestyle fitness. Unlike a guy in Florida who wants to eat meat and veggies but doesn't really have the ability or motivation to hike 15 miles and 4000' at a given time, we can, and many of us frequently do.

So, are there many here who regard themselves in this light, even if only by default, or is it shunned in favor of other ways? The beer and pizza lifestyle, or candy and cardio lifestyle?

[SpiderLegs]

Don't really follow a named diet, kind of a mish-mash of Paleo, Mediterranean, and Intermittent Fasting. Bascially try to eat lots of veggies, small amount of fruit, little bit of meat around dinner. Personally I need a little bit of carbs for fuel, so add about a half cup of brown rice to my dinner. The one rule I try to follow is don't eat anything white, so try to avoid flour, sugar, pasta, potatoes. Doing that has really help with inflammation issues, noticed my joints don't hurt as bad.

My only vice is alcohol. Tend to have a couple of drinks after dinner every night. Right now trying to give up beer during the week and switch to red wine.

[Bailey3289]

Actually the Paleo is pretty good. If you're looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, it's what I would recommend.

@spiderlegs: I think you're doing great. There's really no need to follow a certain type of diet just to keep your body fit. You just have to avoid certain things like what you have identified. Potatoes, flour, etc.

http://cooklikeacaveman.com/paleo-cookbook-review/

Glad my friend referred this one to me. It's been wonderful and the adjustment wasn't as hard as I would've expected.

Anyway, been trying to lose weight a lot and hiking does a lot of good to me but losing weight is not its forte. So I had to put in a good diet just to keep me in better shape.

[SpiderLegs]

Played around with the diets I listed above and personally I think that you need to tailor your diet to your own personal genetics, fitness and age. Some of the diets out there are designed for sedentary people and cutting out all carbs is an easy way to help them lose weight. But if I am doing a 4+ hour hike, I need some carbs for fuel and a little brown rice fits the bill.

I usually do a hypertrophy weightlifting routine over the winter to make sure that I keep my body balanced and build strength. Downside is that doing squats and deadlifts makes me gain 15 pounds. So a quick way for me to lose the weight is to do a workout inspired by Dr. Phil Maffetone that I used to do when I raced bikes. Do a long endurance day fueled only my a couple of cups of coffee. I make sure that I tell someone exactly where I am going and make sure that I am hiking at a place like the White Tanks so if I really crash due to lack of food I know I will run into someone. But I always bring along bail out food if I just can't hack it. I make sure that I am out on the trail for at least 4 hours, drink lots of water and I can usually lose at least 5 pounds of excess weight left over from indulging over the holidays and my lifting routine. Do it two weekends in a row and it got me down to almost my ideal hiking weight. So unless you're a Kenyon marathon runner all you are doing is burning excess bodyfat for fuel.

[azbackpackr]

It sounds similar to Atkins low carb diet, which worked for me last summer to lose 20 pounds, which would not come off any other way. I gained back 5 pounds on the one month river trip in the fall, however.

[SpiderLegs]

Know this thread is about diet, does anyone else specifically train for hiking? Used to go to Jackson WY for work in a past job and I would go work out at Mountain Athlete's gym. They have been written up in Outside Magazine and other outdoor related magazines. Quite a few of the mountain guides that work at Grand Teton National Park work out there. So I would go and work out and then hang out and pick the brains of guys who just got back from Everest or other big climbs to find out what they were doing. Then just tone it down for my 1-2 day peak bagging or hiking trips.

[BobP]

Downside is that doing squats and deadlifts makes me gain 15 pounds..

To me weight means nothing and everything....when I was 190pds I was probably my most fit and at my strongest fighting weight. At 170, I was a lot faster but not as strong. My ideal high school weight was 155-160. Now I'm between 163-168 depending on the time of day and hydration level and it suits me pretty well. When I ran cross country in college, I was 136 pounds and I had to quit because I couldn't keep weight on and ate like a pig but was losing muscle. To me fitness is all about how you feel...not how much or little you weigh.

I'm lucky I eat and drink whatever I want with quanties of whatever I want and exercise accordingly. My only diet is I usually eat 5 or 6 smaller meals a day instead of the main 3. I don't count calories but if I were to guess I would say somewhere close to 3k per day.

[SpiderLegs]

Well for me the perfect balance between being strong and being fast is around 180-185 pounds. If I do a hypertrophy strength routine around the holidays I bounce up to 200 pounds. So I slap on the muscle and then work off the fat until I hit the low 180's. Back in college when I was racing bikes I weighed 135 pounds, which on a 6'3" frame looked pretty sick. Really don't obsess about weight, I only weigh myself once a month. More obsessed right now with joint mobility and diet, those two things have really helped me since I hit my 40's and my 50's are right around the corner.

[Trishness]

I try to stick to a diet that is low in processed food, sodium and sugars which basically means I cook everything from scratch. I eat lots of broiled or grilled fish, skinless chicken and seafood (sans butter and nothing fried), fresh vegetables, fruits and legumes. Carbs just load pounds on me so I limit potatoes, pasta, bread and rice. Lean red meat once a week and then it's a very nicely grilled medium rare steak! My downfall is ice cream. Oh and red wine. LOVE my red wine and it's good for my heart. I quit smoking NINE months ago (June 2012) and my metabolism tanked so I put on 15 pounds. Trying to lose that is so difficult especially after age 50.

[Tough_Boots]

I started getting really active about 3.5 years ago after I had back surgery. Started at about 210 and began dropping weight pretty quickly just from hiking on the weekends. I added in running and shed weight like crazy. I got down to about 160 and was pretty excited because I had always been overweight. Then I added cycling into my routine to build muscle. 160 was just to light for me and I was kind of feeling weak and crappy most of the time. I'm vegetarian and have been for 12 years and I'll admit I wasn't getting enough protein. I could have added certain things to my diet but I'm pretty lazy so I started taking whey protein daily which has been a lifesaver. I now stay at about 170 and feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm also 13 months smoke free so that helps, too Now if I could only get rid of the beer gut...

I work in a bookstore and see all the diet fads come through. All they are is fads and there's a new big one every few months. If you want to be active and feel good-- just keep training and learn about basic nutrition. If you want to lose weight-- burn more calories than you consume. Exercise like crazy to increase your metabolism. It's simple.

[SgtLumpy]

Kind of fun to read about what people eat, I think. I've been all over the map from omnivore to vegan to macro to junk food. SpiderLegs and BobP describe some points that ring true to me. I am my STRONGEST at around 212 lbs. I'm faster at 185, but lose upper body strength. When I was a rock climbing junkie I dropped down to 165. Looked sick and couldn't do as many push ups or curl/bench as much, but that lightweight frame was easier to push and pull up the face of the slabs.

As I get older I've discovered something I think interesting. Calorie INTAKE is a much bigger factor in body weight than calorie EXPENDITURE. ie, in my youth, if I simply kept active and tipped the scales in favor of the negative, I'd lose weight. Take in 3000 cals, burn 3100 cals, I'd lose weight. But as I get older, it doesn't seem to work the same. I can burn thousands of extra calories every week hiking/biking/walking/running. But drink a beer or a slice of pizza and none of that expenditure matters.

Old age seems to put more fat into my belly and face than it did when I was younger when the fat seemed more evenly distributed. I suppose that's why you see a lot of old men with skinny legs and arms but big guts.

I'm just plain happy I can get out and walk several miles daily. I've got a pot belly, but not a television..


Sgt Lumpy - n0eq

[outdoor_lover]

@Tough_Boots
Congratulations on being Smoke Free for that long! I'm envious and hope to be the same someday. ;)

[Trishness]

@Tough_Boots YEAH! Another ex-smoker! Did you gain weight also? I have to admit that I feel amazing despite the extra poundage.

[oceanwithin]

Personally I wonder about Paleo advocating *too much* protein. I think it comes down to quality of protein, not quantity -- I.E. getting protein from leafy greens, grains and raw nuts instead of just meat. I've been a vegetarian for 12+ years and frequently get asked the whole "how do you get enough protein if you exercise a lot" question. Being that I got my black belt, ran a few half marathons and have managed to do some pretty gnarly adventures (grand canyon rim cubed!) while being a veggie, I think I'm doing okay without meat. But what works for one definitely doesn't always work for another in regards to diet, you just have to figure out what works best for your body.

[Jim]

Personally I wonder about Paleo advocating *too much* protein. I think it comes down to quality of protein, not quantity -- I.E. getting protein from leafy greens, grains and raw nuts instead of just meat. I've been a vegetarian for 12+ years and frequently get asked the whole "how do you get enough protein if you exercise a lot" question. Being that I got my black belt, ran a few half marathons and have managed to do some pretty gnarly adventures (grand canyon rim cubed!) while being a veggie, I think I'm doing okay without meat. But what works for one definitely doesn't always work for another in regards to diet, you just have to figure out what works best for your body.

As a self expressed vegetarian, you mention some of the common misconceptions there. Paleo, is a "lifestyle", not simply a diet. The lifestyle was what I was asking about. I will say that the diet side emphasized eating a lot of organically grown vegetables and fruits, as well as nuts. Grass fed animals are also a part of it. Grain, especially corn, wheat and soy, are basically the meat of your diet. Taboo. I won't touch on the rest, since I had no intention of starting a debate about anything. However, too much protein, really isn't something anyone would ever worry about.

I was wondering if anyone who is familiar with the lifestyle was a member and would read this thread, since hiking is basically one of the main components of the activity side of the lifestyle. Not running, spinning, using a boring thread mill, or doing anything extreme in the name of fitness; such as a mandatory cardio day in the gym where the goal is a HR at 60 to 80% of a person's max for 45 minutes.

[Trishness]

I think it comes down to quality of protein, not quantity -- I.E. getting protein from leafy greens, grains and raw nuts instead of just meat.

QUALITY not quantity is the key. I was Lacto-Ovo veggie for years and it was all about the usable protein.....93% of the protein in an egg is usable by your body. It was also about complementing proteins such as having whole grain bread with a legume butter. I could never go complete veggie just because I do love my dairy.

[azbackpackr]

I love dairy too, but am also aware that dairy products do not agree with a lot of people. I think it's silly, though, when people say that the only animal that should drink cow's milk is a calf. (Humans eat thousands of things that animals don't eat!) Many people are very healthy with dairy, others can't tolerate it.

[Hippy]

I rock the fruit and veggies and ever since I've moved up to GCV I've been eating a good amount of rice and pastas (with mass amounts of veggies mixed in!) I've been veg for just over2 years now and I've probably hit my lifetime hiking/fitness high in the same time. I think it's more the people I'm surrounded with (HIKERS!!) but I do love my veggies...it's tough up here to stay "clean" as I call it, but whatever, I'm still in great shape and hiking like a beast.
My pre-hike meals usually are tons of veggies night before and just as many fruits that morning with trail mixes and a big juicy apple or three along the trail. Pretty sure I have more energy when I eat fresh foods, last time I accidently ate cheese I felt "bogged down" and lazy the rest of the day, oops! What's worse is most people would say "oh it's all in your head" yeah, no, I didn't KNOW I'd eaten cheese until I saw the rest of the sandwich the next day. And no, i'm not lactose intolerant, my body just refuses animal products nowadays, whatever, to each their own, i'm a veggie powered powerhouse

[Trishness]

Hippy.....when I was 27 I could hike like a powerhouse too. I think it's awesome that you take care of your body and feed it what it wants and needs. As you age...metabolism changes as does the way your body reacts to not only what you put into it but also to how you treat it. When you are 50+ things change.......

When I was 27 I weighed 102 pounds, could do cartwheels, roundoffs, aeriels, back-bends and back-walkovers, back flips. I was a gymnast in HS and a cheerleader. My forte then was the balance beam and floor. Age catches up with you <Sneaky little heathen> and all those high impact landings have made their mark on my knees and ankles.

[SpiderLegs]

I was wondering if anyone who is familiar with the lifestyle was a member and would read this thread, since hiking is basically one of the main components of the activity side of the lifestyle. Not running, spinning, using a boring thread mill, or doing anything extreme in the name of fitness; such as a mandatory cardio day in the gym where the goal is a HR at 60 to 80% of a person's max for 45 minutes.

I can speak to this a little bit. Used to race bikes at a pretty elite level in my 20's, did not do much in my 30's due to career/family stuff and then hit my 40's hard. I was overweight so I started running and did a bunch of running races. Downside was that I was always hurt. So started lifting and replacing running with walking my dog every day and doing hikes on the weekends. I'm now healthier and stronger than I have ever been. Easy to give up running, I was a slow runner anyways. Discovered my fast hiking pace is only 2 minutes a mile slower than running pace. So when I figured out that by spending an extra 10-15 minutes on my Saturday morning trail kept me from getting hurt it was a no brainer to start hiking a lot more.