Paleo is a good approach, don’t outsmart it.

Posted on | March 24, 2009 | 9 Comments

It seems to be human nature that when people find something that works, they tend to run with it. They tend to go overboard and try to improve on it too. I believe the expression is “There is none so zealous as the recently converted”. I’ve been seeing this a lot lately in the Paleo community. I suppose it’s a natural reaction – I mean this stuff DOES work. I’ve practiced it myself, and been very impressed with the results. I’m not arguing in any way that the take home message of Paleo (eat real food) is not correct. But, it seems a lot of people find something that works, and the they just turn the blinders on and forget to examine any further claims critically if they come from whatever ideological camp they identify with.

I saw this a day or two ago on another site I read. The author has been having some excellent luck with weight loss following a Paleo approach, but it had stalled recently. He was toying with the idea of measure his caloric intake to see how much he was eating in a day (a good idea) and was jumped on by other posters. After all “calories don’t matter if you eat Paleo”. < sigh >

Calories absolutely DO matter. This is a one of the most persistent myths and misconceptions I see in our community, and one that is often permutated by people who really ought to know better. Now, before all the rabid eyed ones jump on me. I am NOT saying, “A calorie is a calorie”. I’ll agree that this is a massive oversimplification. The hormonal response to food does certainly play a big part in determining its effects on metabolism/body composition, etc… But where oh where, do people make the leap from “more matters than calories” to “calories don’t matter”? Seriously people, you should know better.

Let me break it down. Your body can gain fat for any number of metabolic abnormalities (Metabolic syndrome, poor insulin sensitivity etc.). It can also gain fat as a way of storing energy for the future. This is a friggan survival adaptation. If you’re stuffing your face with six thousand kCal a day, your body WILL find a way to hold onto that energy. Why? Because for most of our evolutionary history the storage fat gained during plentiful times could directly aid survival during lean times.

I’m going to go out on a limb and make another heretical point here too. Insulin is not the devil. Yes, the westernized diet leads to unhealthy, elevated insulin levels. This leads to a whole host of metabolic degenerative diseases. No argument from me there. But again, people take a perfectly reasonable point and elevate it above other valid considerations. In making insulin the sole bad guy, and basing their entire dietary approach around it people are massively oversimplifying a complex system. I’m tempted to quote Lyle McDonald saying “Your body is smarter than you”.

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Comments

9 Responses to “Paleo is a good approach, don’t outsmart it.”

Son of Grok
March 25th, 2009 @ 10:06 am

I read the same article from fellow blogger. I think a problem is that when something has been working for you and then maybe it hic-ups or stalls a bit, you feel like it is something YOU are doing wrong… so you start to analyze EVERYTHING… which turns into over-analysis… which turns into paralysis by analysis… which urns into a bad situation all around. Good post Chris.

The SoG
cmason
March 25th, 2009 @ 10:27 am

You mean Chris at Darwin’s Table right? His post from a few days ago and the responses to it telling him calories were irrelevant were part of what got me started thinking along these lines.

I hadn’t really considered the issue of “paralysis by analysis” though – and that’s an excellent point. I’m a geek myself so I tend to enjoy thinking things to death, but one of the strengths of the Paleo approach is that it provides a formula that’s easy to follow.
Son of Grok
March 25th, 2009 @ 11:11 am

Yeah, Dr. Dan at Darwins table. I also recently read on Charlotte’s Great fitness expirement about her second go at primal which she failed. I noticed that she was under the impression that unlimited nut consumption was acceptable. Bottom line as always is that there is such thing as too much of a good thing. You eat 2 cups of nuts per day and you are simply eating too many calories!

The SoG
Kelly Turner
March 25th, 2009 @ 11:59 am

this is exactly why i cant stick to program- because if i start it, i obsess, which makes me unhappy, irritable, and feeling restricted. Im an all or nothing kind of girl, and find i would rather have peace of mind than a slightly lower percentage of body fat.

I remember when charlotte did the experiment and stopped after she started driving herself crazy. i think that may have been the first go around….
Kelly Turner
March 25th, 2009 @ 12:00 pm

to add: I dont really have any weight loss goals and my eating habits are healthy the way they are already, so perhaps im not the target audience for this program. didnt want to come off as advocating eating whatever you want
Jay
March 28th, 2009 @ 6:16 am

Chris;

Nice looking site. Looks like Meat Fest is going to be May 30/31, but we’ll firm dates this weekend and post on CF boards.

Can you guys make it?
Tom Parker - Free Fitness Tips
March 30th, 2009 @ 2:06 pm

I’ve not read the post that you are referring too but surely no one truly believes that calories do not matter at all. If eat enough food you will gain weight – no matter how “healthy” the food is.
Dr Dan
April 5th, 2009 @ 9:51 pm

I figured this was about me. All I mean’t by that post was that I wanted to count calories because when I can see what Im eating everyday it tends to regulate itself better than if its a ‘free for all’. In that respect I think that counting calories helps. It helped when I started and it was when I stopped doing it that my weight loss stalled. I was basing my idea on past experience. Just to clear that up. Thanks Chris though its nice to know someone agreed with me!
Paleo is a sledgehammer | Fitness Fail
June 11th, 2009 @ 10:51 am

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