Paleo, Primal or What?

Paleo or Primal, what’s up?

I have been thinking about changing my diet a bit, now is the time to experiment. I don’t have any competitions and if something fails miserably, no worries.

I don't eat a lot of starches, it varies depending on my lifting schedule, but on the days I lift with Roy after work, I am eating starch at two meals a day. On the days I do not lift with Roy, I eat starch at one meal.  That’s not much is it?

There are many varying reasons why people may want to do this and many thoughts on how your body will react and exactly what foods should and should not be eaten. We are not machines; we are all very unique (thank goodness) so we will all react differently.

Some who eat “Paleo” say you should not eat potatoes, some say its OK. I really don’t give a damn what “the list” says, I want to try to eat what will allow my body to function at its best and look its best.

Right now it wouldn’t be difficult at all for me to eliminate my brown rice; heck I only eat it once a day! I can replace it with more vegetables.

I am not sure if I will be as strict as many people are - no beets, no peas, no wine….I really am not certain at all about what I shall do, but I will first try to eliminate grains and potatoes and see how that goes. It means I need to start recording my food again. I used to do this for years, and I stopped as I no longer needed to, I had the diet down like clockwork. But If I choose to embark on this, I will want to see how my body reacts to various foods, especially when I veer from the norm.

I do not plan to be a food Nazi, I am reporting only to me (but I am a tough boss, believe me!), and any deviation will be up to me entirely.

My blood work is already excellent, my body fat low, I have a healthy weight and my muscles look full (a little too full actually) so I don’t think that eliminating the starches will make me “deflate” all of a sudden, but I’m not sure exactly what will happen.

I am sure you have heard that right? “Eliminate starch and you lose all your muscle!!!” Well I know some people who don’t eat starch and they look like crap (no muscle) but I also know some who look great. I think it all depends on the rest of the food you eat and your general health and lifestyle.

I suppose my biggest question will be is it grains I am eliminating or starch???

I may not even feel differently or look different, as I said I eat so little starch as it is, it may not make a dramatic difference as it may in a person who was struggling with their metabolism.  

Will I drink wine? You are not supposed to if you are adhering to a Paleo diet, but I am not doing this so I can say “I Eat Paleo” I am doing this to see how I can optimize nutrition for my body, so yes, once in a while I shall drink wine!

Will I give up my beloved peanut butter? Not sure, peanuts are not nuts they are legumes, and almond butter is good but not the same….

So I really am not quite sure how I shall structure all of this, I suppose I am taking it slow, one foot in front of the other. I think I need some help for you all! Once I hear back, I can start giving this more thought....

I would love advise from anyone who has done something like this - Should I try it? Have you eliminated all starches or just grains? Did you have to for health reasons or just because you wanted to? What were your struggles? Did you enjoy it? And were you actually able to see changes, positive changes in your body? Tell me about it!