Ahh that is sucky. I understand the missing sugar. I'm not much for bread but I love sugar. I'm focusing on fruit and finding recipes. I also have a little chocolate mixed with nuts.

Howdy all! I have a question for you guys - how many of you do dairy? If you tolerate dairy, have you ever tried cutting it out? What happened? I'm thinking of doing a short experiment to try to lose a few more pounds before a beach vacation in Feb. I'm open to other ideas - I stick to a primal eating plan (around 1200-1300 cals/day, with less than 50g carbs, and lots of veggies, proteins and fats) and run or walk 3 miles daily. Curious to hear about your experiences...

I do dairy, but only in small amounts - otherwise it flares up my arthritis, but fortunately due to lots of experimentation I know pretty much EXACTLY how much I can eat! I ate vegan for 3+ years, and I believe that cutting out dairy was the main reason I felt so good at the beginning of my vegan experiment. My husband, who also eats primally, can have dairy in pretty much unlimited amounts and has lots of keifr, homemade yogurt, ghee, butter, cheese, heavy cream, etc. without any negative effects.

Sugar is a tough one... I'm still struggling with this one... I will still use one packet of Sugar in the Raw a day if I have coffee, which I know only has 20 calories, but that combined with the 2 Tbsp.'s of half & half (even if it is organic and only has 40 calories...) somehow makes me feel like I'm "cheating"... I've also been allowing myself a few squares of very dark chocolate (about 100 calories worth or so...) as a "treat", but the trouble is I seem to want that "treat" every single day... ;)

I've thought about trying to completely cut out sugar for a few weeks to see if it makes any real difference, but I'm not sure I should bother since realistically I don't see myself giving up the occasional decadent dessert every once in a while...

Although I would like to get to a place where I think that it would feel very liberating not to feel I needed something sweet everyday... Just not sure if that is possible, but hey, you never know...

I do dairy. I tried to cut it out, but I couldn't part with the cheese. I think cheese has been crucial to my success. There are times when one of those mini babybels has filled a hunger no amount of almonds or broccoli would. It's never made a huge impact on me, I have no intolerance to it and didn't notice any symptoms when I returned to it like I have when I've cheated with wheat.

The only sugar I'm allowing myself is the occasional chocolate. I don't really miss it at all.

I've been allowing myself a small amount of dairy in the form of 1 to 2 tbsp of organic half & half and maybe a tbsp of organic pastured butter a day and it hasn't made any difference in my maintaince... I've completely cut out dairy before, but I only think it helped my weight loss because of the reduction in calories from cutting it out...

I do dairy but limit it to cheese only. Technically I am allergic to dairy but find that if I keep it to a minimum I can eat it and so I choose cheese as my cheat. I don't mind not having milk or yogurt but I love cheese.

I really love cheese too... but it's just one of those foods that I could never seem to just have one serving of... I guess all those years of eating pizza and pretty much having cheese on almost everything really did me in... lol... ;)

First off, 1200-1300 cals/day seems VERY low, especially for a primal/paleo diet. The only dairy I eat is cheese and some cream or half/half in my morning coffee. I haven't noticed any problems from it. Are you questioning whether eliminating it completely will help you lose quicker? If so, I guess the only way to find out is to try it. I would try upping my fat calories (and total calorie intake) . I know Jimmy Moore (Liven' la vida low Carb, Low Carb conversations, and ask the low Carb experts) says he has to eat an 80% fat diet to lose weight because too much protein kicks him out of ketosis. I personally don't count my calories but I do keep Carb intake low, my protein moderate and my fat high. My weakness is my red wine in the evening. I know if cut that out completely I would drop pretty quickly. I would be interested in knowing if cutting out your dairy made the difference.

Thanks, all, for the comments and thoughts.

Bindiboop - totally agree on carbs low, protein medium and fat high - that's exactly what I've been doing. And around 2 glasses of red wine a week as my indulgence. The calories seem to work for me - I've been losing 2-3lbs/week until this week (only lost 1lb this week). I'll definitely raise that number when I get to maintenance. And yeah, I'm wondering if cutting out dairy and maybe nuts would help me with a quick pre-vacation loss and of course you're right - need to try it to find out. I just thought I'd poll my favorite gang of experts to see if there were others out there who had gone down this road before.

I've just spent the last few weeks traveling for work and found this plan relatively easy to stick to. Bringing along cooked bacon, raw almonds and apple slices and storing them in hotel mini-fridges helped. Anyone else have any travel tips for eating our way? I'm learning as I go...

dancerindenver - when we travel we bring our own snacks - almonds, fruit, jerky, olives, guacamole packs, pemmican. I have the paleogogo app for finding paleo (or pseudo paleo) meals at restaurants, but honestly most of the time we just eat at chipotle (burrito bowls without rice) or panera (salads, without croutons/wontons/tortillas and no or very limited dressing) when on the road. We'll sometimes stop at a steakhouse type place or a mexican place, because those are easy joints to find paleo-ish options at.

If we're on an actual VACATION where we want to try the local cuisine, we just keep paleo 'rules' in mind and don't worry about being too strict. Obviously no cake or anything, but I'm not going to lose sleep over a little stray soy, etc.

My body can tolerate cheese, greek yogurt and cream. So those are what I stick with, but in small amounts. I agree that sometimes a small piece of cheese just get that spot. I try to stay with flavorful cheeses (feta, this sharp white cheddar I like, and even goal cheese). I've also found my body does good with the farmer's cheese I make.

I am working on taking snacks. I am going to try carrying jerky, fruit and nuts. That may be what I need.

Please tell me how to make farmer's cheese!!

I watched a guy on youtube make it but now I can't think of his name.

I use:

1 half gallon milk
1/4 c vinegar
1tsp salt

other spices if I feel fancy

Heat milk to it hot, but not boiling. Turn off heat and pour vinegar. Let it sit until the whey separates from the curd. Drain into a cheese clothe, season and tie. I let it hand for about 10 min over the sink and then refrigerate.

If you want to make more there are some good ones on youtube that even do mozzarella.

Looks like its been sort of quiet here... I have to admit I've been a little lax lately sticking to "strict paleo"... since I've been really focusing on my IF and experimenting with getting my diet in the ketogenic range to try and really make a dent it some stubborn body fat that I would like to get rid of... I know "paleo" is very compatible with what I'm trying to do and for the most part everything I'm eating is very paleo friendly... But that little bit of extra flexibility is mentally making it a bit easier for me to stick with right now... So for me, maybe this idea of an 80/20 rule is probably a good idea...

I've been cheating lately- major carb binges. I need to get back on track.

EagleRiverDee... I'm right there with ya... :) Those carbs can be a slippery slope... I've been rationalizing... I tell myself something like "It's only a bit of honey" and then I think "Well, wouldn't that be good over a sliced up banana... and while you at it why not add some chopped nuts..." and then it's all over... I wind up having some dark chocolate too, because at point I just can't help myself... and I probably could of just had a bowl of ice cream with about the same amount of sugar :dizzy:

Funny thing is I always thought I would have more trouble staying away from the bread, pasta, and rice than I would the sweets... But I guess I'm more of sugar addict than I realized...

Oh, well... I guess the one good thing is at least I'm not kidding myself about it as much anymore...

I had some slips too until it gave me stomach pains. No more bread for me. I want to try to get to 90/10 but I took am trying to drop some body fat.

Not exactly back on track yet... but I haven't had any chocolate in over a week and I cut out the one Sugar in the Raw packet I was using in my coffee... And speaking of coffee... Has anybody here tried making "Bullet Proof" coffee? From what I can gather it's coffee with BUTTER and COCONUT OIL in it! Which sounds a bit over the top to me... but maybe it's just one of those things along the lines of "Don't knock it till you try it"?

Actually, this brings me to my next question... Does anybody have any recommendations for "paleo" cookbooks that they like? One of my problem areas seems to be with sauces and salad dressings... and saw that one of the PB cookbooks is just for that... Anyone have that one? I might just go ahead and buy it sight unseen, because with all the "Big ***" salads that I eat I really need to stop being so lazy and start making my own salad dressings again...

I use fast paleo for all my recipes. Marks daily apple .com has some great ones for sauces too. Somewhere on his site he has recipes for ketchup, mustard and mayo.

Thanks Radiojane... I'll check those out...

I really like Well Fed by Melissa Jouwan.

I also purchased Practical Paleo and I forget, another one, but Well Fed is the one that I use the most, to be honest.

Rana... thanks.. I was looking at Well Fed on amazon... it looked really good... I almost just went ahead and bought it, but I decided I wanted to take a look at in person first, so I've got to take a walk over to Barnes & Noble... I'm just afraid I'll come out of there with every paleo cookbook they have... I've been known to get carried away there... lol...

Jez... I really like exotic stuff too... and even though I can find pretty much anything here in NYC (you should see some of stuff they have down in Chinatown... It's still alive!) whenever I bring up the subject of trying something different at home, my family gives me a look like I'm crazy and tells me there is no way they're going to eat anything like that... So I only get to try stuff like that when I'm eating out too...

A few weeks ago though I did special order some fresh game that was supposedly hunted on some estate in Scotland and then flown next day air to New York and tried this really elaborate recipe which was basically a really fancy stew... I didn't tell my family what was in it and I made noodles to go with it for them, so I think they just thought it was goulash or something... lol... No one really complained... just said it was really "rich" and "heavy" but good... the only real problem is we could have all probably just gone out to dinner for what it wound up costing to make... lol... But I would definitely do it again for a special occasion or maybe a holiday or something like that...

I'm still rocking this Primal diet. Mostly. I've got some bad habits and need to quit them. I've got a sweet tooth that I've been giving in to lately, and wine...I love wine. I'm thinking of giving alcohol up for Lent, since I think I would stick with it for that. LOL. My breakfasts and lunches are pretty much 100% Primal. Dinner is my pitfall. Some because of me, but a lot because of my DH who seems to just not want to go along. Like last night he brought home Gyros. I mean, I love Gyros, of course. But of course I weigh up a pound this morning due to the bread. :(

EagleRiverDee,

I understand. My DH often wants to go out for Thai and Chinese, (and I am even wheat intolerant). Those places never have gluten-free menus. That or he pushes Margaritas if we go out for Mexican, where they at least have a steak fajita salad.

At least with Gyros at home you can ditch the bread and wrap the contents in romaine leaves.

Well I did decide to give up alcohol for Lent, and I'm going to also put a focus on eating right and not giving in to my sweet tooth. I've been about 70% Primal lately- dinners have been a pitfall. Both DH and I have been using panko breading on some dishes, cooking more potatoes, etc. It's not terrible by conventional standards, but definitely not primal. My breakfast and lunches remain primal, though. My biggest pitfall right now is in the evenings I'm tired and trying to follow a new Primal recipe or whatever just isn't working for me. I think I need to start doing Primal Crockpot recipes, haha, so it'll just be ready when we get home.

I'm having some issues with the same thing at dinner. I think I'm going to have to start doing more planning ahead and maybe cook ahead on weekends. Most of the time I don't keep non primal foods in the house (except for my pre portioned cheese - I couldn't part with cheese), but my boyfriend INSISTED that I bring potatoes back for him, and once we determined that nightshades really don't bug him the way dairy does, I started buying those pre made mashed potatoes. Well, every time I make them, at least a spoonful goes into my mouth!

I'm hosting a dinner party on Tuesday, and I'm making it a completely primal affair, partly to stay on plan and partly because my BIL is celiac. Monday is the holiday so maybe I'll just pre make most of the dinner and then do the same for the rest of the week.

This made me laugh... because I do the exact same thing in my house when I'm cooking for my family... It's funny to, because I can mix up a whole batch of brownies to make for my family and not even think about licking the spoon (well that's a lie... I do think about it, but at least I don't do it) but leave me around a bowl of mashed potatoes too long and I just can't be trusted... :)

LOL- Mash potatoes are a weakness of mine as well. I'm of Irish descent, I think I'm genetically predisposed to loving potatoes! :)

I like this... Maybe this is part of my problem... I have the dreaded "potato" gene... :D

Looks like it been quiet here... I'm happy to report that steering clear of grains has been going well... But going hardcore paleo... well, that's just not happening right now... I've been just trying to focus on my LCHF plan for now... so some full fat dairy... some heavy cream and full fat cheese have been part of that... and since I'm doing a lot salad greens I'm using store bought salad dressings too, because I've just been too lazy to make my own right now... But I'm not going to make myself crazy over it...

So definitely "a work in progress"... :)

I'm doing...so/so right now. I'm about 70% primal. I'm struggling with rice and potatoes. I have no problem avoiding wheat, however. And the fact that rice and potatoes are both a little controversial (some say they're ok for primal/paleo and some say they aren't) makes it harder. Wheat is cut and dry- everyone agrees it's no good.

Hey everyone! I just joined this evening although I have been lurking a little. I've been obsessed over what changes I need to make (with all the conflicting info this is hard to figure out). I can say I gave up soda almost 3 weeks ago. I knew for sure that was a definite step in the right direction. I've also given up sweet tea and mostly been able to steer myself away from sweets. I did cave one night and make chocolate cake then didn't like it because I put frosting on it and I'm not much of a frosting person. Anyway, I've decided to go primal. I don't drink much milk, don't care for yogurt, but I have to have cheese so I won't be eliminating that right away. I would like to lose about 75 lbs or more, but mostly I want to be around for my kids for a long time in a healthy way. I don't want my kids to pick up my bad habits. I want them to be fit and healthy but I feel I'm setting them up for failure the way we've been going. That leads me to my concern... we are a family of 6, 4kids ages 2-12. I'm a sahm with our 2 year old. With only 1 income, we are on a tight budget. I won't be able to buy organic or grass fed as much as I should for primal, so will this mess me up? I'm hoping hunters in the family will share some venison, otherwise it's what I can afford to buy and still make sure everyone eats and bills are paid.

Wow, I'm long winded tonight. Sorry!

Grass fed is better because it's got a better Omega ratio, but if you can't afford that then just try to get cuts of lean meat and try to get hormone/antibiotic free meat if you can. Chicken and lamb are easier to get like this than beef, but even our regular grocery (Safeway) has hormone/antibiotic free beef. Also, Buffalo/Bison must be antibiotic and hormone free by law. I often use ground bison meat in place of beef hamburger in recipes. It is more expensive, but only marginally. And wild fish/seafood is always good. Even some farmed varieties aren't too bad.

Thanks, Dee. I will be grocery shopping soon so I can check prices. I'm lucky to live in a farming community so I'm sure I can find someone that sells meat for a reasonable price too. My food budget for a family of 6 is $450-500 per month. Not very big, but I manage. I think cutting out all the sugar, prepackaged, nasty stuff will help offset the higher cost of meat a little.

Hi I am all about good carbs, grass fed beef, free range eggs and chicken etc. I am really impressed by all the weight loss tickers on this thread. I'd like to check into Paleo/Primal dieting. Which diet book worked the best for you and why?

Although I'm new to primal (I'm on day 5), I'm already noticing a difference. I suggest the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. It tells you why certain things are bad for our bodies and how. You can also find lots of info on marksdailyapple. Good luck!

+1 on The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson.

And check out his site Marksdailyapple.com - he does an article every day, there's a huge archive of previous articles, a lot of the info in the book is on that site for free, there are some success stories (lots of them) and a very active forum.

This one is my favorite primal success story, but they are all awesome: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-u...#axzz2MtxjEMhw - the first photo to the last photo is one of the most amazing transformations I've seen.