Tip A Good Diet Goes Goofy Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating Tip A Good Diet Goes Goofy It started out as a fine idea at least for very overweight people then things got weird by Chris Shugart February 8, 2017May 18, 2022 Tags Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements, Paleo Diet, Tips Paleo Solid Idea Silly People The idea behind paleo is pretty solid. To get leaner and healthier, drop the junk food, colas, fast food, and sugar. Nothing new there. But the idea was packaged nicely: eat like a caveman because your physiology is basically the same as your Paleolithic ancestors and your body can't handle modern foods. Besides getting rid of the obvious "no duh" stuff that makes us fat, most paleo eaters also upped their protein intakes, lowered their carb intakes, and dropped their overall calories. And the quality of their foods certainly improved since things like sugar and even wheat were off the ingredient list. That limits choices, which of course limits daily calories. Same reason most vegans lose weight initially – there ain't much left to eat! Paleo dieters also replaced their corn and vegetable oils with coconut oil and other quality choices. Good move. But then things got wacky. Eating Strategy or Food Religion Paleo became sort of a snooty food-religion, much like veganism. Most paleo promoters frowned on beans, rice, oatmeal, potatoes, any type of dairy including good-for-ya yogurt and kefir, and an array of healthy supplements. All because these things aren't "paleo." Of course, neither is an apple. The apple as we know it didn't exist in edible form during the Flintstones era. It took some agricultural evolution to make it red and delicious. (Oh no, agriculture!) For some, paleo just became another low-carb diet wrapped in a new organic-hemp package. Thing is, low-carb diets don't do squat for building muscle. And here's where the problem comes in. I tried paleo for almost a year. I didn't go full paleo, keeping workout nutrition supplements in the mix, but I bought into some of it. I lost a little fat at first, then gained it back. Why? Because my weight-trained muscles were screaming for carbs. I ignored them and packed in more paleo fats and proteins. Then my workouts suffered and my gains stagnated. The cure? Beans, rice, potatoes, oats. You know, the non-paleo stuff that has never made a single person fat in the history of fat people. A lot of former paleo people seem to be doing this, calling it "hybrid paleo." But why the label? It's just healthy eating. That doesn't require a brand, a T-shirt line, or a smug attitude. You're just eating beans, asshole. The test for any lifestyle-based diet plan that promises fat loss is simple: Does this eating strategy tell you to never eat certain perfectly healthy foods that have never made anyone fat? Yes? Then it's goofy. At the very least, it has crossed the line into food religion territory. Besides, these days the paleo marketplace is full of foods that are just as junky as candy bars. High-calorie paleo flours, honey and date infused food bars etc. Oh, they're "paleo-ish" but the original idea has been lost. Listen, if my very overweight aunt was excited about doing paleo, I'd encourage her. It's a fine plan for obese couch jockeys and people who have no desire to build muscle. For the rest of us, not so much. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Eating Catching Up On Creatine Creatine has been around a while. From the best ways to use it to the best type to buy, here’s what we know now. Creatine, Nutrition & Supplements, Workout Nutrition Nikhil Rao May 7 Eating Oh Go Ahead and Pig Out It isn't as damaging as you might believe and, wonder of wonders, you might actually enjoy life for a few moments! Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements TC Luoma December 9 Diet & Fat Loss Tip Eat Flourless Chocolate Cake A high protein, no-sugar-added dessert that'll fire up the gain train and kill your cravings for junky desserts. Get the recipe here. Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Protein, Recipes, Tips Dani Shugart May 7 Eating Tip The Best Healthy Eating Fat Loss Tip Adopting this simple practice will make you lose body fat, not to mention providing you with better nutrition than you've probably ever had before. Diet Strategy, Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips TC Luoma September 2