Paleo Diet for Bandsters

[Cpt. Ahab 5]

Hi,

I searched the entire forum and haven't found any info on the topic of Paleo (aka, Caveman diet, Primal Blueprint) lifestyle. I was banded on May 22nd. At my heaviest I was 250lbs - 90+ days later I'm at 210 - so pretty good loss. I feel great.

I have read a ton of posts on these forums about what people eat and one thing that struck me as odd was that people continued their bad behavior of craving and eating carbs. In fact the entire post-op diet plan concentrates heavily on sweet stuff: jell-o, pudding, crystal-light, Protein Shakes (sweet flavors: choco, fruit, vanilla, etc.) No wonder people are having problems and constantly complaining.

So here some things I'd like to share. About a month ago, I completely ditched all guidelines from the nutritional guide and decided that I would only eat things naturally occurring in nature. So, no artificial sweeteners, flavors, processed foods, etc. Instead I started buying organic, grass-fed, sustainable, and all that new age bull. As I did this I still age some carbs: whole grains, crispy/crunchy crackers, tortilla chips - all organic and "good for you." Then someone I know mentioned that what I was doing was close to the Primal Blueprint or Paleo lifestyle. Since then I've read up on the topic and completely made the switch to not eat agricultural products (grains). I am still eating dairy (Greek yogurt, Kefir, butter, etc.) Got rid of all the artificial fats (PAM sprays, canola oils, I can't believe it's not butters, blah, blah) and went primal.

Since I've started doing this, my energy levels skyrocketed and my weightloss increased. Before my doctor told me I'd expect to shed about a 1 pound per week. I'm 10cc in a 14cc band - so pretty tight. I get full on a small bowl of food - at that rate I was still losing about 1 lbs per week.

After I started on the Paleo, my weightloss from week to week increased to 2.5 lbs. My energy is high, my skin looks better and firmer and my cholesterol actually dropped (despite using animal fats such as lard or tallow or butter to cook with).

I talked to my doctor about this today and he was pretty impressed. His comment was that as long as I felt good about it and had no issues with any of the foods that I was eating he was 100% behind and actually mentioned that he supports the Paleo / natural foods diets.

Anyway - thought I'd share and ask if anyone out there has tried this and what were your results?

I'm not trying to sell or promote something here - just curious. If I read the book first, I probably would have been a skeptic as always, but since it was an experiment that worked out and already had a name - I'm happy with it.

Ahab.

[YolandaSready 17]

Great site- I have been looking for ideas to learn to eat healthier- I think I will incorporate this. I just got banded 08/25 so I am only 19 days out but right now I am counting my calories and I know for a fact I am not getting enough to lose... right now I am getting only 900 calroes a day which I think has me on a plateau... Thank you so very much for sharing.

[Cpt. Ahab 5]

Great site- I have been looking for ideas to learn to eat healthier- I think I will incorporate this. I just got banded 08/25 so I am only 19 days out but right now I am counting my calories and I know for a fact I am not getting enough to lose... right now I am getting only 900 calroes a day which I think has me on a plateau... Thank you so very much for sharing.

Hi...one cool thing about being banded and then adjusted is that your food intake will be very very low and way below your daily caloric needs so you won't have to worry about counting calories. After that it's important to eat only the good things. There's a reason bandsters aren't supposed to be eating rice, Pasta, bread - not only these things have the propensity to get lodged, but they are super bad for you. That one switch of completely saying goodbye to grain-based carbs (you still get enough through veggies and fruit) was the turning point.

Good Luck!!

[Rachel412 116]

I tried to go primal in the past. I thought that the diet was great and I could certainly see myself losing weight with it. My problem was it was too expensive to buy all of the types of foods I'd need to eat. I'm so glad it's working so well for you!

[Jenn1214 120]

My fiance tried it and actually gained weight. Maybe it works better for bandsters (he'll be banded in February hopefully).

[IAmJacksLapBand 5]

Finally someone that is headed the same direction as me. I am a CrossFitter but still am having trouble given I have a few more things working against me.

Our group leans heavily towards Paleo or Zone diet. I have difficulty with Zone because of the need to be really precise on preparing meals and the fact that I can only eat small zone meals.

I am also a vegetarian and am working now to cut out any dairy products. I will eventually be pescatarian (only fish on occasion).

Can you point me in the direction of your paleo resources or any meals/shopping guidelines you follow?

I am really happy to see another Bandster on this path and enjoying success.

I mentioned it to my doctor and was told that vegetarian and anything that does not follow the band nutrition plan is doomed to fail. Not what I wanted to hear.

[xavier 153]

Great if it works but most diets are short lived...thats why we needed surgical intervention. I never dieted since I got my band and I believe my past diets are actually how I got obese. I now only make changes I can keep up for a lifetime.I became vegetarian with some fish before I even got my band...any doc who tells any patient (banded or not) that they should be eating meat is just plain wrong. Theres nothing wrong with eating meat but not eating it is one of many healthy lifestyles to choose from. Unfortunately a lot of the nutrition info people are getting from their nutritionists and nurses and doctors is way out of date.

[Cpt. Ahab 5]

Finally someone that is headed the same direction as me. I am a CrossFitter but still am having trouble given I have a few more things working against me.

Our group leans heavily towards Paleo or Zone diet. I have difficulty with Zone because of the need to be really precise on preparing meals and the fact that I can only eat small zone meals.

I am also a vegetarian and am working now to cut out any dairy products. I will eventually be pescatarian (only fish on occasion).

Can you point me in the direction of your paleo resources or any meals/shopping guidelines you follow?

I am really happy to see another Bandster on this path and enjoying success.

I mentioned it to my doctor and was told that vegetarian and anything that does not follow the band nutrition plan is doomed to fail. Not what I wanted to hear.

What turned me on to the Paleo lifestyle (not a diet) was the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson, then I just started searching on the web for various sources of information about food and fitness. That said, for me Paleo is not just diet. The fact that I'm not supposed to eat carbs because of the band only supports the notion. Now, instead of any processed, artificial, etc. foods I eat wholesome, organic and natural produce and meats. Yes it can be pricey at times - but there are ways to buy local and organic without killing your wallet.

The best part about the whole thing is the exercise - low impact - simple - cheap and it does give you lots of energy.

Good luck!

[Stefaniebythesea 0]

I was banded 3 years ago and at first did great. I have since reverted back to some of my old habits and while I am still not at my original 237 pounds, I have not passed below 199! At present I am back up to 215.

While visiting my family this past week, we were talking of the Paleo "diet". Its not a diet per se but a way of eating naturally and the way your body is designed to eat. I am interested because I have a renewed sense of wanting to get my life back on track.

Oddly enough, I am successful in every other way but with my weight. I don't want to feel depressed about it and I guess I am looking for a forum or a group of peeps who have a vested interested in the Paleo lifestyle. I am curious to know how many of you are following the Paleo path and how you are doing.

[**IP~LB** 279]

I am Paleo and a CrossFitter also!..I was so excited to see this thread. I was 317 and started Paleo and helped me lose some weight before my surgery. My surgery was Dec 4 and I have lost 32.5 pounds from it and now I entered a crossfit competition Feb 17 2013!!

[Stefaniebythesea 0]

What is a crossfitter???? I feel silly I don't know.....please enlighten me?

[**IP~LB** 279]

CrossFit is a strength and conditioning brand. CrossFit combines weightlifting, sprinting, and gymnastics.

They have them all over the country now. Probably one right down the street from where you live. I have 8 of them within a 10 mile radius.

It is such a supportive place to go for weight loss. www.crossfit.com

Try it! You will love it!

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I'm not into the Paleo diet myself, however I commend you for trying to find out what works best for your body and metabolism. Too often I see people who are like lemmings, following the herd, doing exactly what everyone else is doing without questioning if it's truly right for them.

I'm a huge advocate of playing with your nutritional intake to figure out what works best for you and your body. I think if more people did this there would be a lot more people losing weight easier.

Good thread. Keep doing what works for you

[Jachut 487]

I made paleo chocolate the other day - does that count? Virgin coconut oil, cacao powder, yumm. I sad up all night with reflux from the oily richness of it do pakeo does not always mean you can eat all you like.

I worry about two things with it - dairy being the first. Paleo does not include dairy and my bones are already stuffed. As a bands tear I am unlike to eat the pure quantity of food to get enough Calcium from other sources.

I also rely heavily on nuts and seeds and one oats for my digestion and those strictly speaking are not allowed either.

But we can all take what we want from a philosophy can't we? And I agree strongly getting banded to eat Protein shakes flavored with instant pudding is doing zilch for anyone's health.

[HilaryInRC 116]

I am doing the Whole30 right now, which is a strict form of Paleo. I was unable to lose weight eating Primal (paleo + dairy + natural sugars + almond/coconut flour). But, now that I have stripped down to just eating meat, veggies, a little fruit, a little nuts, eggs, ghee or olive oil, and green tea, I'm starting to lose some weight and my carb cravings are dying off.

I am not a crossfitter, I do yoga. But, I think a super-clean Paleo diet is really healthy. Primal may not be strict enough to cause weight loss.