Update on my Paleo Lifestyle

I just wanted to pop in and say, specifically, how successful the Paleolithic Lifestyle has been for me.

Remember, Paleo is a lifestyle change, like vegetarianism, NOT a quick-fix diet to lose weight.  Obviously you CAN lose weight on it (I have been) but you're gonna have to exercise and count calories just like with any other successful diet on the planet.

To recap, the Paleolithic diet (Paleo diet, stone age diet, caveman diet) simply reasons that homo sapien had been eating a certain way for millions of years, then, suddenly (in the grand scheme of things) and quite recently, he discovered fire, learned to cook, and, most importantly learned to farm.

So Paleo Guy spent great huge wodges (for him) of evolutionary time eating what he could find that did NOT require cooking: meat, fish, eggs, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, insects.

He did NOT eat starchy veg that must be cooked (no potatoes, corn didn't even exist), grains (no rice, no bread), lentils (no beans or peanuts), or dairy (asking a passing mammoth to hang on while he milked her was not an option).

Then, suddenly, he developed the means to cook his food and began settling down and farming.  Rice, potatoes, grains, milk, cheese, and bread are very very recent additions to our diet and the Paleo theory is simply that our bodies haven't had time to evolve and adjust and properly cope with these foods.

The Paleolithic diet lifestyle is all about simplicity, not just about "cutting out certain foods".

Simple, simple, simple.  Eat your veggies raw, eat your meat without sugary sauces or carb-laden breading.  Try to stay away from processed anything (sauces, condiments, gravies). Cut sugar out of your life ruthlessly.

Some of the nastiest and worst-for-you foods are the last thing a Paleo would eat, but are America's faves: white bread, chips of any sort, sugary soft drinks, candy, snack foods. All highly processed and filled with empty carbs and sugar.

So, how's the whole Paleo thing working out for me?  Aren't I suffering horribly not eating french fries, bagels, and corn-on-the cob?

Actually no.  I've not missed the grains at all.  I thought I'd have serious cravings, because I'm a crunchy, salty, snacky, crusty bread/crackers type person, but I had none.  I'd have to watch myself to keep from popping a crisp or a cheese cracker that my kids had left behind into my mouth, but other than that, nothing.

I will tell you what I do miss: peanut butter and beans. Huh.  The only real craving I've gotten since I went Paleo was for a big pot of pinto beans that I was boiling for chili (for my family)!  Beans and peanuts are both lentils.

When I reach my goal weight, I'm seriously considering adding lentils back into my diet (so then what will I be?  A Lacto-Lentil-Paleo? ROTFL!) No-sugar-added peanut butter and beans are a superb source of protein and fibre, too.

I still have 5lbs to lose so I have a short while to think about it.