When it comes to losing weight, it is not always easy, and it does take perseverance and determination. In addition to this, some people will naturally lose weight quicker than others, so it is important to not compare your journey too closely to someone else.
Following a paleo diet, whether this for a short while, or for a longer period, can be a great way to lose weight and see the results. While some people assume that it is quite a difficult diet to follow, this is not actually the case.
While there are some foods you will need to restrict, the diet itself is not restrictive, and there are so many great foods you can eat. In this article, we will be chatting you through everything you need to know about a paleo diet, including weight loss, and what to expect in those first few weeks.
What Is A Paleo Diet?
A paleo diet is intended to replicate what our ancestors ate thousands of years ago. The diet includes whole foods that are healthy and do not contain any chemicals or processing.
It is intended for those who are looking to not only lose weight, but those that want to change their diets and outlook of food in general. The diet is linked to lowering the risks of things such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
A paleo diet is particularly great for those who are looking for an option where they do not have to have a calorie count, but want to eat healthier in general.
What To Expect With A Paleo Diet?
When you start a new diet, your body is going to go through a period where it needs to adjust to this, and it is not going to be pleasant at first. You will feel quite hungry to begin with because your body will not be used to the diet, and only consuming whole foods.
A paleo diet cuts out a lot of food you may be used to eating, such as sugars, dairy, and processed foods. Initially, your body is going to miss eating these, and as a result, this can affect your mood and energy.
It is the first few days that are particularly more difficult to work through, as your body will be telling you that you need these foods, and without them your mood will drop. However, once you have worked through this, you will be able to see the positive results.
While sugar and processed foods can taste great and provide you with a boost of energy after eating them, this is short-lived. With a paleo diet, the energy released from the food is slow and steady, which is far better for you.
In the first few days, it is normal to crave sugar because the body tends to reach for glucose a lot when it does not receive any. You may even experience headaches to begin with, too.
However, after this short period, you will likely see results fairly quickly. You will begin to feel healthier on the whole, and you will also have more energy. Given that you are eating whole foods, sugar crashes will be a thing of the past, and something you will not need to worry about.
In addition to this, your digestive system will react well to a paleo diet. This is because there are no chemicals or processed foods to digest. Instead, the food can be digested easier, and it is likely that your stools will be better on the whole too!
Interestingly, when following a paleo diet, you will consume a high amount of fats. But, these fats are far different from processed and saturated fats. They are healthy, and good for your body. Some of these healthy fats include avocado, nuts, coconuts, and meat.
You will also be cutting out the majority of the carbohydrates you previously ate, too. A lot of people assume that you will have less energy if you are not eating carbohydrates, but this is not the case. You will actually feel as though you have more energy.
How Fast Do You Lose Weight On Paleo?
The weight you lose on paleo is quite significant. However, the reasoning behind following a paleo diet should not be solely to lose weight, you will want to aim to eat healthier and clean, rather than losing weight.
As a paleo diet does not include processed foods, the majority of carbohydrates, and sugars, naturally you will lose weight. The food you are eating will be a lot healthier, and you will not have to rely on food that only provides short peaks of energy.
When switching to a paleo diet, the majority of people will notice that they lose a significant amount of weight quickly. You can expect to lose between 5 and 10 pounds in the first week, which is quite significant. After this, the weight loss will be steady rather than extreme.
Even so, it is important to remember that everyone is different. While some people may lose a lot of weight quickly when following a paleo diet, other people will lose this weight slowly.
It really does depend on the individual person, and how their metabolism works. This is why it is important to not focus on others, but to follow your own weight loss journey instead.
Summary
We hope that you have found this article helpful. As you can see, following a paleo diet is not easy to begin with. However, it is certainly worth sticking to it as the pay-off is fantastic. It does help you to lose weight, especially in the first few weeks.
However, the most important aspect is that it allows you to eat whole and healthy foods. By cutting out processed foods and sugars, you will feel far healthier on the whole. You will experience far more energy, and you will feel a lot better in yourself too. A paleo diet can be a really positive experience.