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Thread: Could I get away with a paleo-style diet?

  1. #1
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    Default Could I get away with a paleo-style diet?

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    Hey Jordan, thanks for all the info you are providing. The whole SS community is proving to be quite a goldmine.


    I'm 6ft tall (184cm), just under 200lbs (90kg) and 23 years old. I honestly don't know my exact bodyfat percentage is, but according to some very rough estimates, it is somewhere between 15-20 (some flab, but not really "fat"). I used to be quite a chunky bastard, weighing 230 lbs, and it was not muscle.

    So in other words, I'm the kind of guy who tends to put on flab quite easily, and although I certainly wouldn't consider myself to be fat right now, I really don't like the idea of pushing my fat levels to the point where the were before. This is not a case of being worried about beach muscles, since lets face it, I never had beach muscles. It's just a case of not wanting to get, you know, properly fat.

    For some time now, my meal plan has consisted of "Drink a lot of milk and eat everything". This is probably not a very smart plan for someone with my fat gaining ability, and unsurprisingly, I've been getting fatter.

    Now onto the actual question: Do you think I could get away with a paleo-style diet? I say paleo style because to my knowledge, milk is strictly forbidden, under penalty of death on a "proper" paleo diet. It makes sense, at least to my feeble mind, that this type of diet might be very appropriate for someone like me.

    If you think this could work, could you give me some pointers on how much of everything I should be eating? I apologize if this is an overly broad question, but I really am a complete novice when it comes to nutrition.

    In case you are interested, here are my lifts as of last friday:

    Squat: 95kgx5

    Deadlift: 115kgx5

    Press: 50kgx5

    Bench press: 70kgx5

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goatamon View Post
    Now onto the actual question: Do you think I could get away with a paleo-style diet? I say paleo style because to my knowledge, milk is strictly forbidden, under penalty of death on a "proper" paleo diet. It makes sense, at least to my feeble mind, that this type of diet might be very appropriate for someone like me.

    If you think this could work, could you give me some pointers on how much of everything I should be eating? I apologize if this is an overly broad question, but I really am a complete novice when it comes to nutrition.
    I think if you wanted to follow a "paleo-esque" diet, you'd be fine. People shouting about paleo doesn't have this or that should be shot on site. Paleo is a set of dietary principles, a way of thinking about intake, not some sort of religion. Overall, I really like the principles and food quality of the Paleo approach.

    I think the best approach using Paleo guidelines involves eating large amounts of meat/animal proteins 4-5x a day, lots of veggies, seasonal fruits occasionally, and then having some paleo carbs pre and post workout (potatoes, roots, tubers, or paleo-friendly carbs like rice/corn/etc.). While running this "base" paleo template, you can add raw dairy/dairy to the mix and use the amount of milk you drink to dial in the way you're gaining/losing weight. If you're anti milk, eat more meat/coconut oil/nuts.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jordan Feigenbaum View Post
    I think if you wanted to follow a "paleo-esque" diet, you'd be fine. People shouting about paleo doesn't have this or that should be shot on site. Paleo is a set of dietary principles, a way of thinking about intake, not some sort of religion. Overall, I really like the principles and food quality of the Paleo approach.

    I think the best approach using Paleo guidelines involves eating large amounts of meat/animal proteins 4-5x a day, lots of veggies, seasonal fruits occasionally, and then having some paleo carbs pre and post workout (potatoes, roots, tubers, or paleo-friendly carbs like rice/corn/etc.). While running this "base" paleo template, you can add raw dairy/dairy to the mix and use the amount of milk you drink to dial in the way you're gaining/losing weight. If you're anti milk, eat more meat/coconut oil/nuts.
    Alright, thanks for the pointers. I am definitely not anti-milk, I love the stuff.

    So, in a broad sense, the main change here is that I'll be cutting out the grains (pasta, bread etc.), and replacing with more veggies and dead animal. This is correct, right?

    One more thing: What about beans? I know that they are not strictly paleo, but as we've established that doesn't matter, but is there any reason not to eat beans?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goatamon View Post
    Alright, thanks for the pointers. I am definitely not anti-milk, I love the stuff.

    So, in a broad sense, the main change here is that I'll be cutting out the grains (pasta, bread etc.), and replacing with more veggies and dead animal. This is correct, right?

    One more thing: What about beans? I know that they are not strictly paleo, but as we've established that doesn't matter, but is there any reason not to eat beans?
    You're basically cutting out all heavily processed foods (besides maybe a protein supplement), although I'll readily admit it I'm fairly confident it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, and trying to find ways to get in enough cals/macros to support your goals. I'd probably be pretty heavy on the taters if I were the messiah of 100% Paleo.

    Beans are fine in my opinion as long as you sprout/cook them really well, unless you have an autoimmune thing, in which case you might see a benefit from eliminating beans, nightshades, potatoes, etc. I don't like them for the main source of people's protein though.

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    Ok thanks again, I think I got this. Now I just gotta find a substitute for my beloved sandwiches...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Goatamon View Post
    Ok thanks again, I think I got this. Now I just gotta find a substitute for my beloved sandwiches...
    If you're desperate(as I've been before), you can do lettuce wraps instead of bread. Buy a head of lettuce, cut it into appropriate size to encase whatever you're eating and use that as a wrap. I did this with cheeseburgers for quite some time actually. It's not a sandwich, but I enjoy the handheld quality of sandwiches, so this covered that desire.

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    Quote Originally Posted by tzanghi View Post
    If you're desperate(as I've been before), you can do lettuce wraps instead of bread. Buy a head of lettuce, cut it into appropriate size to encase whatever you're eating and use that as a wrap. I did this with cheeseburgers for quite some time actually. It's not a sandwich, but I enjoy the handheld quality of sandwiches, so this covered that desire.
    Wow, thats actually pretty clever. The whole point of sandwiches for me is that they are quick to make so I don't actually have to cook anything. Thanks.

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