I have been really thinking long and hard about my eating habits and I think I've let sugar and carbs hold the reigns for a long time and I'd like to break out of the cycle of overeating and binging. I think my cravings and urges can be traced back to my diet, at least somewhat, because I've had success in the past on a certain type of diet. It was virtually no sugar and I was eating a lot of fat and protein and less carbs from things like bread and pasta...I was drinking water and tea a lot too.

It sounds simple but I took a look at how my habits have reverted back to nearly the same as before I started learing about nutrition. My meals are carb heavy and low on protein and I've kind of become a slave to packaged foods again, meaning few vegetables and a lot more added sugar.

Also, when I say 'diet' I don't mean like, eating to lose weight I just mean it in the general term like a doctor might use...You know, "Eat a diet consisting of..." Not like "I'm on a diet!"

Anyways, I guess I want to know if anyone is doing something 'primal' or 'paleo' where there's very little or no grains consumed, basically no sugar and the diet is mostly meat, veggies, fruits and nuts...

I love those four food groups but for some reason I've been having a hard time eating those things.

I'm doing a modified paleo, more primal actually because I allow cheese and the occasional potato. I find it works quite well for me. Good luck!!

Me! Like Radiojane, I'm more primal because I do eat some dairy and the stray potato. I log my food religiously, too, and I guess I do count calories to some degree, but I don't stress about going over my calorie 'limit' as long as I've stayed on plan. So far I LOVE my paleo/primal lifestyle and I can't wait to get more and more into it and see where it takes me!

Just curious, what are you finding hard about eating meat/veggies/fruits/nuts? I know when I first tried transitioning to paleo, it was really difficult for me because I'd been a vegetarian and then a vegan so long that I had NO IDEA how to prepare meat dishes.

I did the paleo for a month. I'm convinced it's the most optimal way of eating; however, it isn't right for me at this stage in life so I'm trying to do something a bit more moderate with cal counting. I'd love to do paleo, but it isn't in the cards for me right now. I say go ahead and try it because, if you can do it, it's a great way of eating. In fact, I hope to try again in a year or two when things settle down and I have an income that isn't scholarship/student loan based.

I'm so glad you made this thread. Paleo is something I'm very interested in starting as well, however, like gittergation, I am in a bit of a spot on income right now as well. Currently we buy what we can in healthy foods and the rest goes to foods that can sustain two people on one income.

Once I get a job, I'll be going back to school as well, so I'm curious to know what the price of a full on Paleo diet would be. I think it could be managed if we went for purely seasonal foods. But there's the thing of weaning myself off of processed foods as well, simply because I've eaten them my whole life because of the cheapness factor.

I am nowhere near perfect but I shoot for primal-ish (you can pry Greek yogurt and cheese out of my cold, dead hands).

Lowering sugar and carbs cures probably 99% of people
s binge problems.

Ah, you always make me laugh Krampus.

Yeah, I really love Greek yogurt and cheese, especially Feta.

I really haven't given a low-sugar low-carb diet a true chance. I have always maintained that it's calories in versus calories out, which is true biologically but it doesn't help me much if that sugar in my coffee and pasta-filled lunch is triggering a big fat binge in the evening.

I think I need to do a 30-day sugar-free low-carb deal and see if it helps my cravings and binging. I keep thinking my binging and overeating must be in my head but I remember distinctly a time when I didn't binge at all for three months, and I was eating almost no sugar and my food was mostly veggies, meat, nuts, dairy and hardly any super refined carbs. I think I should just try. There's nothing unhealthy about eating less sugar and less bread...so I might as well.

Anybody wanna be Primal buddies with me? I'm going grocery shopping on Friday and I'm going to totally clear out my pantry and put in as much primal food as I can, avoiding sugar like the plague and cutting way down on grains.

I spend LESS money on paleo then I ever did on any non-paleo diet - in part because I'm not hungry all the time and I'm not eating WAY more than I need! We spend about $150/wk to feed the two of us plus our large dog, and we buy 80-90% pastured, local, organic type stuff (I expect to see our food budget go down $10-20 a week now that I'm making my own yogurt - yes, we can go through TWENTY DOLLARS of yogurt a week!) Paleo can certainly be done cheaper by making the best possible choices that fit within your budget. My husband doesn't have weight problems and occasionally eats some white rice or lentils or gluten free bars, and I occasionally have some unsweetened soymilk (I crave the **** out of it otherwise, and coconut milk does NOT hit that spot) but otherwise we stick VERY close to primal.

A whole local pastured chicken, for example, is about $12-16 here, and feeds us for 2-3 huge meals plus a few small lunches. We have roasted chicken one night (usually with some roasted root veggies - cheap!) and then I make chicken broth out of the carcass and vegetable scraps and have chicken soup the next night.

If you have a farmer's market near you, that's a good place to get some deals - I routinely get a CRATE of bell peppers (we're talking 40-50 peppers) for $5. I chop the way-less-than-perfect ones to freeze for stir fries and things like that, cut the 'going bad' ones (there's usually 5-10 per batch that are on their way out) in quarters to use in broth-making, and make stuffed peppers with the rest. Even using grassfed beef to stuff the peppers with, this comes out SUPER cheap!

thewalrus0 - I'm not exactly new to paleo/primal, but I'd love to be primal buddies with you!

I'm doing Primal Blueprint. I feel healthier, I look healthier, I'm losing weight (without counting calories) and I have more energy.

It does cost me more money to eat this way, however. I live in Alaska, all our food is imported. Meat and fresh vegetables are expensive compared to boxed meals or frozen meals. That said, I see it this way. I can pay more now for food, and be healthy, or pay more later for doctors appointments and prescriptions because I'm not healthy. To me, it's an investment.

I live in Alaska too EagleRiverDee! I take it you live in Eagle River. I live in Anchorage.

I do spend a lot sometimes when I'm trying to buy whole foods, but if I'm careful it's not so bad. I plan to go about %80 Primal for 30 days to see how I feel, starting with shopping trip on Friday. I'm going to say goodbye to sugar with a regular soda when I see Warm Bodies at midnight on Thursday.

I did paleo for a few weeks when I started this journey, and I lost about 10 pounds on it. I had a lot more energy, felt great, and loved that I was filling myself with healthy foods. However, it was not sustainable for me at this point in my life. Financially, I just couldn't spend that much money on myself when there are two other people in the house to feed who have no interest in paleo. We are already on a tight budget, so it just wasn't working out. I learned a lot about my body and how it reacts to certain foods, though, and I'm glad I tried it.

Best of luck to all of you choosing this path! It is a great one if you can do it!

Yep, Eagle River!

If you haven't already, check out MarksDailyApple.com , it's a great site for people doing Primal/Paleo. He does an article every single day, plus there's tons of resources and a forum. It may help you for your month of Primal.

I eat mostly primal most of the time (hahaha) calorie counting trumps it all, but I really do enjoy most primal foods

Not to revive an older thread, but wanted to say I've been browsing the Mark's Daily Apple site and I've decided to read his books this weekend.

I do love his blog. I don't take everything he says to be %100 true but I think there's a lot to be said for the effort he takes investigating foods and their ingredients.

I think I'll be following his Primal Blueprint for 30 days to see if I can control my binges.

I love Paleo