Paleo Diet and VSG?

Quick update, 9 weeks today, 45 pounds lost. Dropped almost 3 sizes so far. It's crazy, but good. No food issues and have been cleared to pretty much try anything but being mindful as always. I do not have a taste for anything really sugary or high carb. I still have a pretty tight restriction, it am able to hit protein goals and fluids in the same day. That's been a struggle. Anyway, I am always looking forward which leads to my question.

 

I am wondering if anyone, especially those who are in or near maintenance, has followed a paleo diet or variation of. Of course we are all big protein eaters, primarily from animal sources. Paleo does exclude dairy however. (Something is am not willing to give up at this point). We all do or will eat green veggies, low carb veggies and some will have fruit, others choose not to etc. I love to cook, experiment and read recipes so as I am looking at paleo recipes there are a lot of recipes for breads, pancakes, etc. These are made with almond or coconut flour, no sugars, etc. Very low in the numbers for carbs and sugar. I am intrigued. Right now I have my focus. But eventually would like to try new things. My NUT only has issues with a true paleo diet because of the lack of Calcium. But as far as everything else she thinks it's fine. Just go slow, like a baby and introduction of new foods. Thoughts?

 

This is one website that I have been reading. http://www.elanaspantry.com

The thing with Paleo is that you end up eating a lot of fat.  Since a gram of fat has twice the calories of a gram of protein or carbs, that could spell danger.  In theory, it's "good" fat, but I'm not sure the "ratio" of protein to fat to carbs is "correct" for VSG patients, even in maintenance.  Unless you have a reason you want to exclude dairy, I'd just go with the program. 

My experience with treats like baked goods is that if I have them, I want more.  Also, if I'm going to have them, they need to be AWESOME.  For that reason, when I "splurge" and eat carbs I'd rather have the real thing, made with super-high-quality ingredients by someone who knows how to bake, than something that's trying to fake it.  That said, I don't know that I've ever eaten anything made with almond or coconut flour--maybe it is truly delicious. . .

I have eaten things with almond and coconut flour and they ARE delicious, which is why they are just as dangerous for me :-(

I'm not planning on "going Paleo" because I have no desire to tie myself to a diet at all.  However, I like a lot of the principles of paleo which seem to be "protein forward, well sourced foods, avoid processed ****"  I do intend to cook lots of Paleo recipes and have bought a number of paleo cookbooks to help me with this!  

(I'm not worried about the fat content, since I think healthy fats are an important part of my diet.  I'll continue to keep volume low and re-evaluate if it stops working for me.)  

I like elana's pantry =D  but like anything - any way of eating, any trend of clothing style - etc. you have to tailor it to you.  The general principles -- eat more good fats - some sat. fats are ok, eat whole foods, avoid sugar is great -- but like with everything there are also traps, honey can become excessive if you latch onto it to enjoy your food -- Beef is cheaper than seafood, so you tend to get in the red meat habit which isn't good either and there's a huge tendency to start labeling even good foods as bad -- a Mediterranean diet is something to look into - tends to be lower in fat and is more balanced while still encouraging whole food eating without becoming obsessive -- Good luck!!

I essentially eat paleo, but I also allow myself dairy (and beans/legumes in limited amounts--I'll never give up beans:)).  What I don't do is sub non-wheat based flour for wheat flour in baked goods....for me that's counterproductive right now.  As a PP said, those baked goods are still delicious, and I don't need them.  It's all I can do to hit my protein goals now without adding extra carbs in.  So I just don't have any food made with flour.  Truth be told I am used to it now, and even my family is used to not having carby sides with dinners, or bread with lunches, etc.  Once I am in maintenance, I may add those treats back, but not now.  

I have been eating paleo for about two years. I started paleo because I couldn't seem to lose the last 20 pounds to get to goal. I also do eat some dairy, Greek yogurt and occasionally a little cheese. Paleo isn't high fat, that is more of a primal diet. I also don't do paleo type baked goods hardly ever, like muffins, pancakes etc. just lean protein, organic veggies and a little organic fruit. It works very well for me. If I'm training for a big bike ride or run I add some additional carbs, usually yams, rice or oatmeal. Not all paleo people exclude dairy. They say try excluding it for a while then add it back, see how you feel. Some people do fine on dairy, some don't. Just be careful with paleo baked goods, they can have a lot of calories and should be occasional treats.