The first concern was "I just don't trust anything I read on the internet". This is a very valid concern and one that I completely understand. While I definitely don't have a nutrition / science background so I can't speak from an authoritative position, I will say the best method is to find out who is actually published and start from there. With regards to the paleo diet, to learn more about it and the science I recommend Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution" as he describes the theories and science behind the whole thing. While paleo is something I follow, I won't say its the end all / be all way of life, it's just been working for me. Other sources I use for paleo guidance include my coaches (some of whom are certified nutritionists), I get recipes from everydaypaleo, read fooducate, and in general pay attention to the way I'm feeling.
Secondly, a lot of questions were brought up about "what I do" with regards to my diet. While its easy to just answer "paleo" and move on, I will now share what I believe are the key points that I adhere to.
1. No Gluten - this seems to be the deal breaker with everyone, so I'm just going to get it out of the way. If what you're doing isn't working, then why not just give it a shot? Refraining from gluten has the wonderful benefits of: lowering your carb intake, lowering your sugar intake, limits your ability to snack all the time (which is a BIG reason people are unable to control their caloric intake), oh and you won't feel as bloated (and even if you're saying to yourself, 'but I don't feel bloated', just try giving up gluten for 30 days then you'll actually know what it feels like to not be bloated.). I don't think it's a coincidence that the first thing hospitals suggest to cancer patients is a gluten free diet (I've read that, but does need fact checking).
2. As sugar free as possible - This is aided by not eating gluten, because it's difficult to eat sugar without gluten (cakes, cookies, brownies, bread, etc). The big misconception is people think that there are different kinds of sugars, and that somehow "natural" sugar is good for you. Let me give you the results of all of my research, fructose is fructose is fructose. The sugar in fruit will do the same thing to you as the sugar in ice cream (fruit has added nutritional benefits), so one shouldn't just eat 2 lbs of fruit and think you've done your body good.
3. Don't drink calories - Yes I know another tough one, but if you're trying to get serious about weight loss the alcohol must REALLY be eliminated or severely reduced. You can completely undue a great day of eating with a margarita or two. Also, this category includes fruit juices, which for some reason are given a complete pass despite being unhealthy. They are loaded with sugar, are usually made from concentrate and generally have had all the nutritious benefits of the fruit of origin stripped away from processing. For more info on fruit juices please check out fooducate and search for them.
4. Dinner is my last meal - Eating after dinner is a bad idea, and I typically aim to finish all eating by 8pm (sometimes it's later on friday / saturday which is fine because I typically stay up later). You should wake up hungry every day!
5. Eat vegetables at every meal - This is a tough one because I didn't grow up liking vegetables very much. I make a conscience effort to have at least SOME vegetables at every meal (yes including breakfast).
6. Drink a glass of water before every meal - This helps in a few ways. First it helps fill you up so you eat less. I have a problem with eating too fast so I find that drinking a glass of water helps me to fill 'full' faster. Also drinking water with your meal helps to balance out the glycemic index of food, keeping your insulin spikes under control.
7. Eat protein for breakfast - Most people consider breakfast to be a bagel, or some cereal and milk. For me, I ate steak and eggs last week. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I get up early enough to cook breakfast (usually means I get up 15 minutes earlier then I would otherwise)
8. No dairy - I did this because I'm borderline lactose intolerant (though I still love cheese). Some of my coaches are paleo + dairy. If you're comfortable with your weight than by all means enjoy dairy, but cutting it out will help you cut fat faster.
This may seem like the worst steps ever to follow. My main advice would be to do what works for you, but if what you're doing isn't working then I would suggest try my way for a change. Personally, I've found the most important thing is to learn to love yourself and making your main goal "being healthy" rather than looking at models in magazines and then hating the image in the mirror. When that mindset change happens, you'll be shocked out how much quicker the results seem to happen.
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