Paleo is about making a healthy lifestyle change and getting your body back to how it should be; however for many it is just about weight loss.
I wont lie to you I am into Paleo for weight loss. It is great to feel healthier but that was the original mission of following the Paleo lifestyle.
I also felt it suited me rather well because I am not a big carb addict, I don’t eat much processed food and I have an addiction with olive oil.
At the start of this blog I weighed in at 12 stone 2 pounds (170 pounds) and wanted to use the Paleo diet to go to target. At the time of writing this I weigh in at 11 stone and ½ a pound (154.5 pounds) so it is nice to say that already I have shifted a stone in weight and that weight loss is very much possible when you follow the Paleo way of life.
But you also have to realize that many people follow Paleo for a healthy lifestyle and that if you do want to lose weight you can’t eat the same as them. You can easily lose weight on Paleo but what you lose depends on the daily decisions you make on your body.
This is why I would make the following suggestions if you are following Paleo for weight loss:
#1 – Limit Avocados
I love avocados they are absolutely delicious. To quote my mother “I eat them like apples”. They are just so addictive and if I have one I want another six. They are a brilliant source of natural fat, but if you are following Paleo and also having olive oil and coconut oil in your meals then those calories WILL add up.
I bought a large avocado on day 26 of my Whole 30. It was delicious and it was rather a shock when I realized that my breakfast (that also had fresh tomatoes and a banana) came in at more than 400 calories.
Many people are having a couple of these a day and you have to remember that weight loss is always down to calorie counting so if you have a lot of avocado and oils and want to lose weight then you need to look at reducing them.
#2 – Eat lots of soup
A big part of Paleo is lots of vegetables and a brilliant way of getting them in your daily diet is with soup. I have soup at least four times a week (if not more) and as I have a soup machine it makes things a lot easier. I will put it in the machine and 25 minutes later I have blended soup.
Plus when you make soup there is no fat involved its just pure vegetable and you couldn’t find anything that is better for you than this!
#3 – Have meals without fat
Fat is of course a big thing on the Paleo diet but don’t over do it. As I mentioned above with avocados it is very high calorie. Aim for some meals in between where oils have not been used but you still have a very healthy meal.
For example a soup and salad, slow cooked chicken and vegetables, meatloaf and salad, vegetable stir fry, tuna salad or stuffed red peppers.
I still have some meals with oils as our bodies need fat in order to balance out our diet, but it is not everyday and it is not with every meal. For example last night I enjoyed a tray bake of fresh vegetables with some pork kebabs. It has 40ml of coconut oil per portion and was delicious. But I know a meal like this is not going to affect my weight loss because this meal is not an everyday occurrence.
#4 – Snack on fruit not nuts
Nuts are dried fruit are very high in calories and also very addictive. You can end up sat there on an evening snacking on nuts and you soon end up forgetting how many of them you are having and now often you are eating them.
It then becomes habit and before you know it you are spending 600 calories a day just on nuts and dried fruit.
However if you compare this to fruit you’ll see it is a different story. If you look at the size of an average banana it will be around 60 calories. Nobody would be able to eat 10 of them in one sitting (like they can with nuts) because they are filling and full of fiber.
Even a big fruit eater would probably only get through 250 calories a day and that is really pushing it. So if you are a snacker think about swapping the nuts for apples, oranges, bananas and pears. They are not as addictive as exotic fruit and you are less likely to go back for more.
#5 – Careful of sauces
One of the things I see a lot of is people recreating the heavy fattening sauces now that they are on Paleo.
You are now making these sauces from natural ingredients but they are STILL high in calories. Those sauces that you made with double cream before have been replaced with coconut milk or the homemade mayonnaise you are now making.
These calories add up over the week and if you want weight loss then you need to be careful over what sauces you add to your meals.
#6 – Fill up on protein
Protein is fantastic for weight loss. Shall I tell you why? Because it naturally fills you up for ages and this means that you are not snacking and you will generally eat a lot less.
I always make sure that on days that I exercise (and the day after) I always have a lot of protein so that I don’t want to eat everything in sight!
Chicken, eggs and salmon will be the main focus of the meal with lots of vegetables and salad to go with it.
#7 – Have lots of honey
Honey compared to a lot of other sweet treats is very natural and very low in calories. Compare this to chocolate or doughnut binges and you are onto a winner.
If you usually have a lot of sugars in your diet then add honey to meals and then because you are getting your sugar naturally via meals then you are likely to eat less sugar elsewhere and crave it less.
I have honey and mustard dressing on my salad, honey roasted vegetables, honey on my slow cooked pork and used on Paleo baked goods.