Two Down Paleo Wrap Up

I have been remiss in my blogging due to a couple of nutty weeks at school, but I am here to try to remedy that. I finished Paleo two days ago and have already moved on to my (mostly) Raw Vegan diet.

While there were several aspects of Paleo I enjoyed, there were also some major issues I had with the diet that made it problematic. As I did with Atkins, I provide you with my Pros and Cons list of Paleo:

Pros                                                                         Cons

Emphasis on Fresh Foods                                         Restrictive

No "Counting"                                                          Unclear Rules

Athlete Friendly                                                         Lack of Satiety

(Lots of cooking)                                                       (Weight Loss)


The absolute best and greatest redeeming quality to Paleo, in my opinion, is its emphasis on eating high quantities of fresh, clean foods, especially vegetables. Any diet which pushes foods that are natural, unprocessed, and healthy earns major points in my book. Likewise, one can eat as many of these clean foods as they want; there is very little counting or calorie tracking on Paleo.

Personally, I enjoyed how often I had to cook on Paleo, but then again, I like to cook. On my busiest days, when time is an issue, the amount of time I spent in the kitchen was a bit frustrating, but well worth it. Being fully in control of the foods going into my body, knowing the ingredients and in what quantities, gave me a full knowledge of just how many great vitamins and minerals I was getting to consume. For someone with not a lot of time to spend preparing food, Paleo could be tough, it requires dedication.

For the athlete in me, Paleo left me with plenty of energy for exercise and long workouts were no longer a problem, except that they made me all the more hungry. Unfortunately, in my case, I was hungry all the time on Paleo. As I may have mentioned before, this is something that may be entirely my fault, as I do not eat ninety percent of the proteins that are the very cornerstone of Paleo. My mom, full meat eater that she is, said she had no problems with hunger; Paleo left her feeling fully satisfied (in the hunger sense).

Now when it comes to satisfying cravings, Paleo fails rather miserably. Both my mom and I have a pretty big sweet tooth, and about the sweetest food you can eat on Paleo is a berry. This leads to binges and so-called "cheating." Now, Paleo allows for a 85-15 split on Paleo vs. non-Paleo eating. Basically, it tells you to cheat within reason. Unfortunately, this can, at times, lead to the individual consumption of and entire mini-bundt cake or a full Dennys pancake breakfast. (those may or may not have been me)

My mom also struggled a bit with the clarity of the Paleo rules, trying to decide whether or not a particular food is sufficiently processed, to be considered "processed," was a tough issue for her. Unlike Raw Vegan, there are no clear cut rules for determining the proper degree of naturalness necessary from a food. Now, in her case, my mom stated she did lose weight on Paleo, on the order of a couple pounds per week. I, on the other hand, gained weight on Paleo.

However, despite the fact that I gained weight on Paleo, I did not gain dimension, which indicates to me that I may have converted some of my fat to muscle mass, thereby increasing my weight without increasing my size. The emphasis of Paleo on quality sources of protein and on mineral and vitamin rich foods most likely allowed for this conversion. I am certainly not going to complain about some numbers on a scale if my pants still fit.

In the end, Id say I like Paleo as a diet principle, with its clean eating and higher protein intake, but in practice, it comes with several strong issues. Paleo may yet earn a lasting place in the lifestyle diet field, but I do not think it has anything particularly unique or special to offer to the individual that another diet couldnt provide equally well. If Paleo appeals to you, and you think it might work with your lifestyle, by all means, give it a try. From a nutritional and personal standpoint I can say that Paleo certainly does more good than harm and is far healthier than many diets out there.

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One Down Three to Go Atkins Wrap Up

Fall has finally arrived here in earnest, leaves are blooming colors, air is crisper, days are growing shorter, and I have reached my last day of Atkins. Its amazing how quickly the last three weeks have flown by. Despite many of my issues on Atkins, I am stunned at how quickly it has become habit. I know the carbohydrate counts of almost all of my favored foods and its easy to keep track and make the right choices in terms of my hunger, nutritional needs and cravings.

While I may have complained a bit about Atkins and its restrictive limitations, its not the demon I have, in fits of anger, made it out to be. But neither is it all sunshine and rainbows; like many things, there are both upsides and downsides to Atkins.

Here are, in my experience, the benefits and drawbacks :

Benefits :                                                                     Drawbacks :

- Rapid weight loss                                                       - Restrictive 

- Easy to follow                                                            - Not athlete friendly 

- Filling                                                                         - Requires carbohydrate counting 

If Im being honest, Atkins was much easier than I thought it would be. While I knew there were plenty of foods I had to say no to, including freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in my chemistry class, the fact that I could go home and eat plenty of allowed foods made it much easier to resist. I didnt feel like I had to hungry all the time, a rarity on many diets. The rules of allowed and forbidden foods are simple, and require no guesswork. 

On the other hand, I very much dislike the weakness I feel when it comes to working out. I feel fine on a normal, walking around basis, but most activities that substantially raise my heart rate seem much more difficult. Ketosis is not athlete friendly. (Not that Im a full blown athlete, but Im extrapolating here) I also have found Ive gotten kind of bored with the foods I am allowed to eat. While I have pushed myself to eat more of the items on the Atkins list that I would normally avoid, there are only so many items on that list. 

Atkins certainly has a place in the modern lifestyle diet field, as its weight loss, during induction, may well be unparalleled. For a person with a lot of weight to loose, Atkins might be a good way to kickstart that loss. Especially in a culture that places so much emphasis on processed sugar, it would certainly be educational to be forced to avoid almost all forms of refined carbohydrate, replacing the carbs with more nutritionally sound food. 

However, from a nutritional standpoint, I shudder to think of how many saturated fats and processed foods I have consumed on Atkins. Though I understand most people (myself included) would go stir-crazy without some form of sugar in their lives, I simply cannot endorse sugar substitutes as being in any way healthy. Likewise, Atkins allows foods like diet sodas, mayonnaise, gelatin desserts and cream, many of which, in my opinion, shouldnt really be a part of a truly healthy diet. 

Perhaps this is why, during my research I have come to admire some of the theory behind Paleo, which I begin tomorrow. Paleo emphasizes natural, unprocessed foods. Type of macromolecule aside, (carbohydrate, fat or protein) it is apparent to me that the best foods are the most natural ones. Well see how Paleo fares under my very intense scrutiny. Until tomorrow!

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