Got my first 'telling off' for going Paleo page

[Meatgrrrl]

Some friend said I was looking good and what was I doing... so I told her (fatal mistake)

Her response....

'... beware of diets that make bizarre assumptions about what our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate. (Note: I don't have a problem with the "paleo" diet as such. Just its name, and the ignorant anthrolology behind it).'

[RitaRose]

Honestly, I don't see what's so "bizarre" about eating real food and avoiding toxins. The only disagreement at that point is about what would be considered a real food or a toxin.

The biggest "freak out" points for most people are not eating wheat and eating butter/fat. I just tell them wheat isn't good for me and gloss over the fat part. Emphasizing the veggie part seems to work well, and it's really not untrue...

[Grumpycakes]

That's good advice, you know.

[tim_1522]

Sorry you met with this response, but unfortunately it's all too common. When I initially discovered Primal, read GCBC and WWGF, and was having a lot of success with things, I couldn't help myself and would "evangelize." I've cut that shit out. I've also learned from experience not to call what I'm doing by any sort of "name" and just leave it at a descriptive level.

If someone asks if I've lost weight or if I'm working out then I might say something like "Oh, I'm focusing on eating less processed food, with an adequate level of protein, which coupled with some intense strength training helps build muscle. I'm also trying to get out and walk more and do physical activities that I find enjoyable as well as focusing on getting enough sleep as a natural way to combat stress and promote fat loss" and then leave it at that. Most of the time that gets a neutral response and the subject of conversation changes. The sad fact of the matter is that 90% of the time people ask/say that kind of stuff and they don't really CARE, they are just being polite/conversational.

Occasionally, someone will ask deeper questions. I respond based on my assessment of the situation. Are they proceeding open-minded or is it obvious they want to just pick apart what I'm doing? Yes! this does happen and it's pretty obvious to detect. When I sense a "pick aparter" I'll just revert to parroting some non-controversial "sound bites" about diet and exercise and quickly change the subject myself.

If someone DOES manage to ask some meaningful questions and do so in a manner that indicates they actually WANT to maybe learn something that's outside of the "what everybody's doing" point of view, then I'll slowly become a bit more open about things -- maybe mention how I avoid grains and processed oils and so forth moving into more detail as to what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. This might happen 1 time in a 100 and most of the time it still ends up with something to the effect of "interesting" and not much else. I can safely say that I have never "converted' anyone.

It sucks, but it sure beats the hell out of getting "the treatment" for using your brain to try to improve your health instead of relying on brainwashed doctors, big pharma, and big ag to just do it for you.

[Owly]

Some friend said I was looking good and what was I doing... so I told her (fatal mistake)

Her response....

'... beware of diets that make bizarre assumptions about what our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate. (Note: I don't have a problem with the "paleo" diet as such. Just its name, and the ignorant anthrolology behind it).'

I actually sort of agree with your friend when I read some of the weirdness espoused by parts of the paleosphere. I can understand why people like Kurt Harris have walked away from the "paleo" label. It sort of gets embarrassing to see the pseudo-science and bizarre semi-magical claims that get circulated.

[Meatgrrrl]

Heh, thanks. We carried on chatting .. she bought a massive loaf of bread from the bakery which she said would do for her lunch, and dinner (because she's low on funds), told me how she couldn't sleep, and then asked if my diet was good for mood...
which I said it seemed to be great for me...
Then she asked if it was good for weight loss because she'd been over weight for years, and then said at the end of it, that what I was doing 'Wasn't for her'... and that she 'knew her body'.

I thought that was pretty funny but just said 'well good for you, you have to do what works for you'.

[Meatgrrrl]

I actually sort of agree with your friend when I read some of the weirdness espoused by parts of the paleosphere. I can understand why people like Kurt Harris have walked away from the "paleo" label. It sort of gets embarrassing to see the pseudo-science and bizarre semi-magical claims that get circulated.

I kind of agree too. The reason why I had not gone paleo before now is that I'd read some of the 'critiques' of it and agreed with them. It seemed too outlandish.

And then I tried it.

[Knifegill]

Not afraid of being shunned by the ignorant. Has big mouth, inserts foot often. People ask me what I'm eating almost daily. So I tell them, and I explain why. One of the nurses thinks I'm on a bacon fat diet...

[Meatgrrrl]

:LOL: A bacon fat diet..... Yeah, and how are you doing on that?

[Knifegill]

Better than him. He looks like a stick bug.