Side effects of Paleo page

[Francis]

hi guys and girls,

I started eating Primal last week. Well not completely. I still consume milk in coffee and make use of sugar to sweeten. I eat mixed nuts which contains peanuts. For now I've chosen not to be to Paleo strict. I have but out Pasta, rice, breads and cereal although I did eat wheat biscuit cereals twice last week as I got home real late and was hungry. Anyway, my meals for last week have been all meat, vegetables and some potatoes.


I noticed this week, my energy has been a little low and worse my I've been a little depressed. Is this normal side effect of switching to paleo eating?

Thanks

Francis

[Ayla2010]

Yes it is called the carb flu, and it can take a while for some to adjust. But also could be because you are still eating sugar.
You will have to experiment for yourself and see.
Just make sure you are eating when hungry and eating till satisfied, so you are eating enough.

Are you eating added fats? IE cooking in it? Are you just eating lean meats?
The other problem could be not enough fats.
Can you post exactly what you would eat in a day?

[AntonioCal]

I personally think the transition to Paleo is much easier if you just dive right into full Paleo rather than "easing" yourself into it. I think the latter is just an excuse to hang on to some of our favorite non-primal foods. Sometimes you just have to toughen up, stop being a baby, and do whats best for you. No matter what you're going to have to tough it out through the first 1-2 weeks while your body readjusts to your new dietary habits, but I think if you go as close to 100% primal for the first 3 weeks (don't let yourself cheat AT ALL in the beginning) you'll notice a more drastic improvement in the 2nd and 3rd weeks. These are the improvements that will motivate you to continue, but you have to stick it out in the beginning.

[YogaBare]

Are you eating added fats? IE cooking in it? Are you just eating lean meats?
The other problem could be not enough fats.
Can you post exactly what you would eat in a day?

Alternatively the problem could be too few carbs. People have different macro requirements. Low carb definitely doesnt help my mood.

Paleo is not necessarily high fat - low carb

[EagleRiverDee]

Alternatively the problem could be too few carbs. People have different macro requirements. Low carb definitely doesnt help my mood.

Paleo is not necessarily high fat - low carb

I agree with this. Paleo/Primal cuts the crap carbs out of your diet, but you can still have carbs from vegetables, tubers, and fruit. I have days where I eat lots of carbs, and day where I eat very little carbs, it just depends on what I feel my body is asking for.

[Sambo712]

I find that some grilled steak always cheers me up, or perhaps some succulent bacon? Seriously though, sometimes I just need a little fat. Also, when I'm feeling down I try to spend some time in the sun to collect some vitamin D, it really does wonders and it's definitely worth a try.

[Leida]

It is more side effects of low carb, rather than Paleo/Primal. Some people can adapt to very low carbs and feel great. Some people will have more success with increasing veggies, fruit and tubers and having less eggs, nuts, fats and meats.

I find that salmon is the most pick me up food from the protein/fat family. Greek yogurt too.

May I also suggest raw honey instead of sugar. Soul food

[caitijayne]

Alternatively the problem could be too few carbs. People have different macro requirements. Low carb definitely doesnt help my mood.

Paleo is not necessarily high fat - low carb

Yes, this is true. I have been paleo for 1 year now, and i ended up gaining 15-20 lbs from it. i think paleo is a good template to use as a whole foods approach and a natural way of living, but i used to be super skinny and a consistent runner, with lots of energy, before i went paleo. my diet was kind of the shits, essentially conventional healthy. whole grains, cereals, granola bars, sugars, fruit, cold pasta salads, bean salads, low fat everything, yogurts. vegetables once in awhile and meat maybe 4 times a year. i subsisted of carbs and processed "health foods" and i was in really good shape, with good energy, good workouts, and felt good. the only issue is i had terrible gut problems, so i went paleo trying to solve it. my gut problems didnt heal, in fact they got worse, i also stopped running (no energy to do so) and ate all of the best paleo foods but gained 15-20 lbs.......

so the last month and moving forward i am cutting the fat and going back to a high carb low fat diet with a paleo approach and i already am starting to feel like my old self again. hoping to drop the 15-20 lbs and move back to where i was before.

one thing ive learned from all of this, is that you really have to listen to your body, and all of these rules about paleo this and that shouldnt be taken as the be all end all. amongst all my reading and inital fascination about the diet i completely forgot to check in with myself, my history, and how i really felt during all of it. granted, i gave it a year, thinking if i just keep on trucking along itll eventually get better, but it never happened. so im listening to my body now and trying to do whats best for me using a whole foods approach.

[campanella]

^ thank you for posting caiti jayne