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Paleo for Weight Loss: How an Ancestral Diet Can Help

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Are you watching your friends and family struggle to lose weight and keep it off? Or do you work in a healthcare, health coaching, or gym setting with clients who just can’t seem to shed unwanted pounds, despite their best efforts to eat right and exercise? Keep reading to find out more about eating Paleo for weight loss.

paleo for weight loss
An ancestral, Paleo diet could boost weight loss. iStock/vadimguzhva

While my own clinical experience is enough to assure me that an ancestral, Paleo diet is the best choice for weight loss and one that I enthusiastically recommend, there is plenty of credible scientific evidence, much of which I’ve compiled here, to back up this claim and win over even the biggest skeptic. Let’s dig in, so that you can pass these facts along to your loved ones and clients and help guide them on their Paleo-for-weight-loss journey. (And as an added bonus, if you want to lose those last few stubborn pounds yourself, this information may be all the motivation you need.)

Why Willpower Doesn’t Work—But Paleo Does

You probably already know that we gain weight when we eat more calories than our bodies can use. But you might not be aware that it doesn’t need to be a huge excess. Eating just 10 percent more calories than we need on a daily basis can lead to significant weight gain over time. Yes, even a few extra bites at each meal, which would be hardly noticeable, can pack on the pounds.

The Paleo diet seems tailor made for weight loss. Check out this article to find out what the research says. #paleo #changeagent #chriskresser

It’s surprisingly easy to gain weight, especially since processed food has taken hold over the last 50 years or so and super-sized portions are the norm. Unfortunately we’ve become a nation of overweight and obese people.

In the early 1960s, only a little more than 10 percent of adults in the United States were obese (defined as a BMI over 30). (1) Today, that statistic hovers around 40 percent. When you factor in those who are overweight (defined as a BMI between 25 and 29.9), the number skyrockets to more than 70 percent of people over the age of 20. (2, 3) While many have argued that certain nutrients like carbs or fat are to blame, the simple truth is that we’re eating more than we used to. A lot more. (4, 5)

Therein lies the problem: to lose body fat, we need to be in what’s called a “calorie deficit” for an extended period of time. That means that the number of calories entering our bodies (i.e., what we eat and drink) needs to be lower than the number of calories being used by our bodies (i.e., general metabolism and physical activity).

Seems simple, right? As you and your loved ones and clients have heard over and over again, you just need to “eat less and exercise more.”

Unfortunately, this advice rarely works because the brain has powerful mechanisms for overriding our efforts to lose weight. When you consciously reduce your calorie intake, your body responds by lowering your metabolism to match your reduced intake. So as you purposefully consume fewer calories, your body finds ways to use fewer calories, all while ramping up hormones that increase your appetite and drive you to eat more at every meal in order to regain the fat you’ve lost. (6)

In other words, it’s extremely difficult to eat fewer calories than your body uses through sheer willpower alone—and this is exactly why calorie-restricting diets fail.

The holy grail of reaching a healthy weight, then, is an approach that naturally and spontaneously leads to lower calorie intake—an approach that ensures you eat less without actually trying to. Many diets promise this, but there’s only one I know of that actually delivers over the long term: the Paleo diet.

How Effective Is the Paleo Diet for Weight Loss?

Studies evaluating Paleo for weight loss have shown it to help a number of diverse populations shed pounds and improve their metabolic profile. What’s more, research reveals that it improves risk factors for metabolic syndrome, including waist circumference, better than other dietary approaches. (7)

Impressive Results for Women

In a two-year randomized controlled trial of 70 participants, researchers compared a Paleo diet with a diet structured to meet the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR). (These are national dietary guidelines set by health ministers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and other Nordic regions.) They found a Paleo diet to produce a greater loss of fat mass and reduction in abdominal obesity, as well as a greater reduction in harmful triglyceride levels, than the NNR diet. (8)

Among those same study participants, researchers found the Paleo diet resulted in an average weight loss of more than 17 pounds at the end of the study period, compared with a conventional low-fat diet. After six months, weight reduction was more significant in those following the Paleo diet versus the low-fat diet. Impressively, the study also showed that at six months and 24 months, a Paleo diet reduced liver fat in all of the study participants. (9, 10)

In another study, 10 healthy, non-smoking obese postmenopausal women were instructed to follow the Paleo diet. After five weeks, participants lost an average of roughly 10 pounds (a 5.3 percent reduction in body weight, with a 7.5 percent decrease in waist circumference), as well as experienced decreases in their diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, and other metabolic markers. (11, 12)

Beneficial Impacts for Type 2 Diabetics

Compared to a “diabetes diet” generally recommended to patients with type 2 diabetes not treated with insulin, a Paleo diet was found to result in more weight loss and a greater reduction in waist circumference, as well to better improve glycemic control and risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as triglycerides. (13)

Additional studies have confirmed a Paleo diet’s ability to help followers with type 2 diabetes lose excess fat and improve insulin sensitivity and glycemic response. (14, 15) Of particular note is one study of diabetic aboriginal Australians, who agreed to return to the natural hunter–gatherer diet of their ancestors for seven weeks. All participants steadily lost weight over the study period, with an average loss of roughly 17 pounds, and experienced marked improvements in glucose tolerance, fasting plasma insulin concentrations, and blood levels of triglycerides. (16)

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Positive Outcomes in Healthy Adults

In one study of healthy men and women between the ages of 20 and 40, the Paleo diet produced decreases in weight, body mass index, and waist circumference, as well as systolic blood pressure and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, elevated levels of which are a risk factor for atherosclerosis. (17)

A recent Australian study of 39 healthy women with an average age of 47 randomized participants into two groups: a Paleo diet group and a group following dietary guidelines set by the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE), which is similar to the USDA’s MyPlate nutrition guide. After four weeks, participants in the Paleo group had lost significantly more weight than those in the AGHE group. They experienced, on average, a 4.3 percent reduction in body weight, along with a 3.8 percent reduction in their waist circumference. (18)

And you know what? None of these groups was told to reduce their overall food intake or to count calories.

What Happens to Your Body When You Follow an Ancestral Diet

You’re now armed with the scientific evidence behind Paleo for weight loss. But you may also want to share with your friends, family members, and clients exactly how the approach works.

Research shows that a Paleo diet is more satiating per calorie than other dietary interventions, including a Mediterranean-like diet and a low-fat diet. (19, 20, 21) That means it’s more filling for the same number of calories than other popular diet methods. This is crucial for weight loss, since feeling full helps you eat less without fighting hunger or counting calories. As I mentioned before, if you’re constantly fighting hunger, your brain will respond by reducing your metabolic rate and increasing your appetite. Furthermore, studies suggest that a Paleo diet helps your body produce more of the hormones that keep you feeling full after eating versus promoting the hunger hormones that cause you to overeat, as calorie-restricting plans do. (22)

One reason it’s so satisfying? While not purposefully restricting particular macronutrients, a Paleo diet encourages consumption of delicious, nourishing whole foods, including protein-rich animal products—even the red meat and eggs you’ve been told to avoid.

In general, studies of high-protein diets show that this way of eating can reduce appetite and increase metabolism, as well as effectively control hormones that regulate weight. (23, 24, 25)

Just as important, a Paleo diet eliminates so-called “empty calories,” in the form of refined carbohydrates, highly processed foods, and added sugar. The science shows that eating empty calories results in “phantom fullness,” the enemy when it comes to weight loss. (26) In fact, it appears that obesity rates have risen as consumption of processed junk and fast foods has increased. (27, 28)

This is why so many of my patients have lost 20, 30, even 60 pounds or more (I have patients that have lost upwards of 150 pounds!) on a Paleo diet, even when they’ve tried and failed with numerous diets before. If you ask me, the anecdotal and scientific evidence is overwhelming that an ancestral diet is the way to go, not just when it comes to losing weight but also to resisting chronic disease. I hope this article helps you as you guide the important people in your life to looking and feeling their very best.

Affiliate Disclosure
This website contains affiliate links, which means Chris may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. You will pay the same price for all products and services, and your purchase helps support Chris‘s ongoing research and work. Thanks for your support!

213 Comments

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  1. Dr. can you explain to me why it is better for me to try to stick to 3 meals a day while on Paleo rather than snacking in between? I am eating Paleo to be healthy but also to try and lose some weight, we aere always taught to eat frequently if you want to lose weight, but the Paleo diet goes against this.

  2. Hi! I have been on the paleo diet for almost a month now! I feel amazing! I do not have cravings. I really think it is a lifestyle change for me and one that I will keep! I am 57 years old and exercise 6 days a week. I swim 3 days a week and practice Bikram (Hot Yoga) 3 days a week. I feel fine when I am swimming but am not doing well in Yoga. Bikram is not new for me, I have been practicing for 7 years.

    I want to know, if you think my body will adjust to the paleo diet eventually and allow me to continue doing Bikram? Can you give me any tips on how I might improve my practice.
    Bikram is never easy but I am now feeling fatigued, nauseous, low energy, etc. while in class. Never felt this bad before in class!
    Thank You!

  3. i definately recomend everyone who wants to lose weight fast but the proper way and not the way that damages your body, this weight loss program: http://tinyurl.com/qc8579p

    i’ve been using it for about two and a half months now and i couldn’t be happier with the results. of course you gonna have to make some effort to maintain a strict diet and do alot of exercise, remember nothing falls from the sky, besides do exercise is good, and after a few weeks after your body starts to adapt to its new “habits” it all starts to go from a daunting task to a thing that makes you feel good, makes you feel lighter and then you start to see the results which are booster up by this amazing weight loss program, probably the best out there, at least that i’ve tried. i couldn’t believe it myself before i try it. and now after 2 and a half months with alot of dedication i’ve already lost 45 pounds, i’m getting my self-steam back again, gotta keep on going 🙂

    good luck to you all and hope you check the program out and in case you do try it i hope it do for you as much as it has been doing for me

    all the best

    • As in my above post its a very strict paleo diet.my typical day i have a protein shake with 1 tbls spoon of raw almonds bfast. and then lunch and dinner is a lean protein veggies steamed or salad (lettuce and tomatoes oil and vinegar ) and maybe sliced avocado. when im hungry ill eat only approved paleo food Ive cut out my apple daily as well. i sleep 10hours a day and work as a bartender witch is physical. no extra exercise.thanks Beverly

  4. Ive been doing strict paleo diet now for over a month with Sundays as my only day to have carbs. I’m not losing weight. I’m not having dairy either.my typical day i have a protein shake with 1 tbls spoon of raw almonds bfast. and then lunch and dinner is a lean protein veggies steamed or salad (lettuce and tomatoes oil and vinegar ) and maybe sliced avocado. when im hungry ill eat only approved paleo food Ive cut out my apple daily as well. i sleep 10hours a day and work as a bartender witch is physical. no extra exercise. any suggestions

    • Hi Shane,
      I was having issues losing weight last year even though I thought I was being really good with my diet and avoided gluten, and dairy for example and mainly eating paleo. It was frustrating because I was feeling very inflamed. Anyways… I had an appointment with my doctor who ran some tests and retested me for food sensitivities.
      It turns out I was showing I developed antibodies for eggs and was still being exposed to gluten and dairy somehow. This was eye opening to me. Somehow even though I was not eating gluten, diary, etc… it was still getting in my system. Perhaps due to cross contamination from restaurants? I assumed if I was ordering grilled chicken and a side of veggies that I was fine. If you are eating out.. I would say be careful and ask what things are cooked in. Some places thicken sauces with flour or cook in butter.

      -Another possible cause of keeping the weight on is a food allergy that you are unaware of like eggs. Apparently, a lot of people are sensitive to eggs even though they are good for you and okay on the paleo diet. Since I discovered that I have this sensitivity, I eliminated eggs from my diet last March and the scale finally budged! If you are eating eggs, maybe try eliminating and see if this helps?

      -Lastly, my gut flora was out of whack. I was prescribed an antibiotic to eliminate bad bugs in my gut and was given a probiotic to take which seemed to help.

      Those are my two cents and my personal experience. Let me know if this helps!

    • I just thought of something else. You may already be aware, but whey protein is dairy…I know I was eating protein in shakes and wasn’t even considering that. Hemp protein, and pea protein are a good option I think to use.

      • Dena thank you! maybe its the whey protein and i never eat eggs. i do have issues with dairy hence i went strict paleo. no butter,cream,cheese,.I’ll check to see where to find a doctor that test food allergies thanks you Shane…

  5. Personally I’m convinced that the word ‘diet’ means ‘way of living” and “regular (daily) work”, so if you decided to keep your diet you must keep your way of living. Losing extra pounds is a long and hard process and you don’t have to suffer while dieting. I agree somebody may like Paleo diet, but I’m not. So I follow simple rules the most important for me – drink a lot of water every day, eat healthy organic food and avoid fast-food. Hope this artcile about junk food will be interesting and useful whether you keep Paleo diet or you don’t http://fatlossfactorsreviews.com/beware-of-junk-food/

  6. I can see the benefits of eating Paleo. I just wonder why a lot of the Paleo gurus are overweight.

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  8. great discussion. a paleo template is a great plan to do the best for good health. it takes personal tolerance for food and likes into consideration with resultant improved health and gradual weight loss. after all, all that extra weight we are lugging around with us was not gained in a week or two but. over a considerable time whilst we ate more than we needed of food which was nowhere near real or natural. I have been on paleo for approx 3 years due to medical conditions – gluten intolerance soy and dairy allergy – and now i am so much healthier – no joint pain less digestive pain and problems and I am gradually shedding the last six kilos my heart specialist advised me to lose and this would bring me to my best weight for my height and body build. I find that paleo is very straight forward to follow and very free-ing – no calorie counting or weighing portions of food. and. no constant counting of points and preoccupation with food all day. overall I have lost 27 kilos over two years and have kept it off and am still losing gradually – I do tai chi, shi bashi. and weight training
    and look about fifty years old and I am 70. if you want good health than it is worth striving hard for it And do the very best you can for yourself no one else can do it for you.

  9. It’s true. I have been following the Jaminets’ Perfect Health Diet for 3 months and have lost 16 pounds AND I am a post-menopausal woman! Is that TMI? I hear it’s very hard to lose weight in this time period of my life yet I have done it and it’s not been hard at all. Even hunger is different now. No longer do I have that gnawing hunger that used to cause me to reach for something sweet or a bag of chips – which made things worse.

  10. Every diet guru raves on about how their diet keeps one from getting hungry. Being hungry is not the issue. for most of us, emtional eating is the issue. it has nothing to do with hunger and changing up what you eat has no effect on it. It is an emotional issue that cannot be treated with dietary change. For those of us who use food to satisfy our emotional needs, diet alone is not the answer.

    • Check out Chris’ podcast 15 with Jaminet where they talk about inflammation in the brain and the regulation of mood.

      I think mood regulation issues and obesity may well be symptoms of the same problem.

    • So true… Address your emotional issues without using food! Not judging, I had the same issue. With my program, my nutritionist tells me I can eat as much as I want, just not brown rice during dinner, and potatoes sparingly, eat by 7 or 8, but, the kicker is… I am satisfied like never before!

  11. I have been looking for a healthy way of eating after finally coming to terms with sudden weight gain. I have gained 27lbs within the last 2 years, (from 138 to 165) and frankly, I would rather lose it than buy new clothing. I went o the gym 5 days a week for 3 weeks with only a 2lb loss to show for it.

    After reading about #paleodiet, I have made the decision to give it try. Stay tuned for my progress. I welcome any tips to help me in my journey.

    • What are you doing at the gym? Are you just doing a bunch of cardio? Because that is kind of an ineffective method of fat loss. Are you lifting weights and trying to build muscle? Doing so will not only improve your metabolism but will also give your body an improved shape.

      Regarding the weight gain, have you checked thyroid and cortisol levels? Are you on any new medication?

      If I were you I would focus on the reason for the sudden weight gain rather than just jumping on a new diet.

  12. Gosh, there are many wonderful insights here. But perhaps a little bit of biochemistry MAY clarify. Chris talks about using Paleo for weight loss. Most ‘diets’ are for weight/fat loss and the use of the word ‘diet’ means so much more than fat-loss for eg. getting-healthier thru better food choices;. Excess fat (obesity) is only one (of several) indicators that something is wrong here and we say its our food. In Paleo-times people were without any way to preserve food for extended periods of time and their method of transport meant that food variety (beyond wild-foraged) was limited. So the present-use of the word ‘Paleo’ is-a-tongue-in-cheek-bow-to-what-our-ancestors-actually did eat.
    For example, many grains and lentils use phytates; oxilates and phylates kind of like storage walls to keep the oils, the minerals and the proteins – in separate compartments. These chemical families are destroyed by water allowing the compartment-held nutrients to mix …. we call this germination of seeds during spring rains. Our Paleo ancestors ate only seasonally based food … ate their animal-based-foods, gestated during winter months and like-all-animals often nearly starved and ate a mild ketosis-type diet. Life is so much different!!! Our ‘oils-in-diet was only fat/blubber/ from-marine-animals and only from avocadoes walnut, tree-nuts … there were no cold-pressed organic anything.. For many folk those three can cause digestive trouble … and kill-the-plant-enemy(us and we call these staples)) … by introducing a food that will cause fat deposits.
    Now from 1950’s chemistry aka Watson. There are 3 categories of catalysts in ALL biochemical reactions. The 3rd is ENERGY and we in our modern medicine (food strategizing) DO A HUGE DISSERVICE by insisting that the only kind of ENERGY is heat measured in joules. Silly me, ‘insisting’ is such a poor word-choice. We ignore most of ‘humanities’ diet strategies because the experiments done were often not circadian and seasonal (because Californian weather is non-drastic/non-seasonal).

  13. Hi Chris,

    I am on the waiting list for your book at my library. I am gluten, lactose, refined sugar and potato intolerant according to tests my naturopathic doctor did after presenting with fibromyalgia and chronic insomnia. I did a Whole 30 two years ago and gave up gluten and dairy 100%, as well as refined sugar and potatoes. I eat rice occasionally and corn tortillas occasionally too (like twice a month). Otherwise I eat meat, veggies, fruit, coconut products, some nuts, olives, avocados. I also do HIIT twice a week. I have not lost any weight. It’s amazing and I don’t understand it. I eat better than anyone I know and yet I cannot seem to lose weight ever, even on the Whole 30! However, I no longer present with chronic pain, my sleep has improved, and overall I feel better. I look forward to reading the rest of your articles because I’m stumped and frustrated. Thanks!

  14. In one narrow interpretation of of Paleo, you would have to reject all foods called “Stir Fry”, be they any combination of meats, grains, vegetables, nuts or fruits.

    In a broad interpretation of Paleo, you would welcome an awful lot of “Stir Fry” combinations.

    It depends on how closely your mind focuses on sitting in a cave with stone tools as your means of grubbing found food out of the ground or personally killing animals yourself.

    It is amazing how much good opportunity for thinking is wasted by preconceptions of “Paleo”, when those original paleo folks neglected to write down and preserve their recipes for our use. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

  15. I gave paleo a good try for a few months but didn’t lose any weight. At all. I maintained very well indeed, but no loss, and to do so for me wouldn’t be ‘without trying’ as I so fervently hoped.

    So I’m currently losing following more traditional techniques of weight loss (with weekly success) and plan to switch to a more paleo diet once I reached my target weight as I do believe in the health principals of this way of eating.

    Anyway, just my two cents

  16. Thank you for starting this series. Your interviews with Stephan Guyenet helped me quite a bit.

    My history: I lost about 80 pounds on low carbohydrate at a rate of only 15-20 pounds per year at most, starting in 2005. I went backwards in 2011 due to extraordinary sad life circumstances. In 2012, I decided to push on and reverse 2011. I tried a protein-sparing modified fast plus endurance exercise (and thought I was having a heart attack) – my doctor had to tell me these things can’t go together. I dropped 20 with the protein-sparing tatic until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I dropped 10 easily upon reading the potato hack craze….I was thinking I was trapped into continuing with these tricks until I heard your podcasts with Stephan Guyenet. I dropped another 10 pounds after I read his blog and following his recommendations coupled with long, flavorless windows fuelled only with MCT oil (Seth Roberts – Shangri-La style–which I learned about also from Stephan Guyenet when he mentioned that Seth Roberts operates on the same principal, different method – so, I just combine them). I know I can lose weight with using nutrient-dense bland paleo foods plus long flavorless windows using MCT oil without having to resort to unsustainable things like a protein-sparing modified fast or potato hack. The interesting thing is that I didn’t have to go super low carb to do this – I did utilize a little plain potatoes and it worked just fine.

    After reaching about a 120 pound weight loss, I went backwards again at the end of last year, again due to extraordinary stress. I regained 20 and am now anxiously looking to lose this plus more.

    It was great to see you, Chris. Thank you for visiting Seattle on your book tour. I thought the example of the woman in her 40s you put up in your talk was much like what I do – I really only eat from 11 am to 7 pm on a fairly low carbohydrate diet.

    I thought the best tip that you gave was that there is more to health than just dialing in the diet. I never get any sun, no exercise, no play, and am under chronic stress to the point now that I am having to go to the doctor for help with the stress.

    • I should add that I lost this weight throughout my 40s.

      When I hear people say that they tried a diet and it did not work, I find that they tried it for a few weeks maybe a month. If I had done that, I would still be up over 300 pounds. Looking at what usually happens to people my age through their 40s, I would probably be around 350 pounds now and really unhealthy.

      Weight loss may happen very slowly. Most days when I get on the scale I see nothing but the usual water weight fluctuations. All I can say is that some time during the year, I will drop 15 or 20 pounds. Do you think you could detect a weight loss of 1/2 pound per week? Probably not when you fluctuate a few pounds daily anyway.

      What does your paleo diet look like? If it has been molded to look like cheese cake, tacos made out of bacon, pancakes made out of almond flour, yeah, guess what, you have made it too tasty and calorie-dense and you are probably not going to be dropping any weight, especially if weight loss is hard for you like it is for me. If it looks like voluminous salads, bone broths, reasonable servings of meats balanced with plenty of vegetables, and berries and no more than a handful of nuts per day and maybe a square of dark chocolate for a treat, and if you tolerate them, some PLAIN potatoes or sweet potatoes, then you have a fighting chance.

      • When I took the CLA , it took 7-8 months for it to notice it was working because of my chronically ill health. It required no exercise. For some people it works real quick. It will likely take way less time for most other people. You don’t use a weight scale to see if you shed pounds. Pinching the fat and seeing how many inches there is is more reliable method because weight scales don’t separate fat weight and muscle weight. Muscle weighs more. I actually weigh more but my body is very slim. I am 60.

        I noticed weight gain at the beginning but that is a tip off that it was working. This will scare people. Most people will stop it and give up because their weight scale tells them it’s not working. Some things require time.

        The only downside to CLA is that it is gotten from sunflower seed oil. The ideal CLA would be gotten from grass fed animals. It would be more safer and healthier since that is the kind most research of CLA is based on.

        There are cases where some people have problems with their livers while taking CLA but that tends to be rare. We don’t know if they were on medications. Many people on medications will have a negative reaction to astaxanthin and other supplements. Some people do well with coconut oil but then their health gets worse and needs to stop. We don’t know why. It is just something to be aware of.

        Whichever method ones uses, one needs to experiment and understand that a particular method can take time to work and may entail weight gain in the beginning.

      • thank you Katherine for your input. I’m in a similar situation… I’m 49 and about 80 lbs overweight. I’ve been slowly moving toward eating paleo for the past year… some life challenges resulted in times where my diet went out the window… now for the past month I’ve been doing well and cooking more than I ever have (LOVE bone broths!). I saw about a total 7 lb weight loss and then had a major slip weekend and gained back 5 (sigh).

        Weight loss is hard… while I’m a big fan of Chris’ and appreciate his wisdom and knowledge (and attended his book signing here in Boston), I think the tagline “without trying” is a bit of a stretch and misleading.

        I just wanted to say that I appreciate your taking time to write about your experience here… it gives me hope that I’m on the right path and that this will take time.

        • Losing weight is really hard only if you haven’t addressed what is broken inside of you.

          The term weight loss really is too vague. If you gain muscle, that is good weight gain. If you gain fat, that is bad weight gain. People need to distinguish. Most people don’t.

          The foundation of any weight loss is cleaning up your food supply and minimizing the toxins. You need to operate from a base. You don’t have to have a perfect. Just make sure your main meals are nutritious. You may consider doing different detoxes also.

          The next thing is trying to fix what is broken in us. In most cases we just don’t know. So we need to experiment with supplements and foods that address various organs and health conditions that could effect us. You need to experiment and come at the problem from different angles. Of you are persistent, you may come across something that fixes that unknown broken thing. When that happens, weight loss happens easy. Keeping off the weight will likely be way easier also.

          The body has the ability to fix itself with the right stuff. No diet plan will truly address the weight problem especially if the underlying internal problems are serious enough.

        • Hang in there, Lisa!

          I’m sure all Chris means by “without trying” is that horrible experience we have all gone through, cutting calories and going hungry, eventually that fight cannot be won, and we end up nutritionally deficient, fatigued, and all that fabulous weight loss then boomerangs into rapid weight gain, plus more. It actually takes quite a big dose of trying to lose weight that way, and that is what most people have experienced.

          Hang in there! I expect that until I address things other than just the diet, I am going to have trouble progressing. I need to address sun, play, gut health (things in the diet I have failed to honestly address as well), stress, anxiety, etc.

  17. Chris says “the simple truth is that we’re eating more than we were before.”

    Hearing Chris say this is like a plumber announcing that the problems are in the pipes and an electrician announcing that the problem is in the wiring etc.

    If one looks around the world’s population you will notice that in the last 10 years, France had the lowest obesity rate at 10%. What is different about France – they have the highest quality food supply in the world. Their food supply will eventually go to crap.

    The increase in obesity problems in US correlate with the introduction of more toxins and addictive substances into the US food supply since the 70s. The US had only 10% obesity in the 60s.

    Not only will these toxic processed foods make them gain weight but overtime their bodies will become more sicker. This will cause many to seek help from conventional medicine which will give them medications toxic to their bodies.

    If that is not enough, Americans get brainwashed into thinking that the problem is calorie consumption and exercise. What a mind fu–. They set people up for failure.

    Those core 10% I have always viewed as having internal medical problems like thyroid, metabolism etc. They get brainwashed also with the lies. They also make their problems worse with processed foods.

    On top of that, we have GMO foods. This will create a lot more health damage in the population.

    It hurts Chris’s credibility to talk about paleo diet and eating too much while a massive biological, chemical and genetic warfare assault is being carried out on a large scale.

    Too many people I bring up the problem of a tainted food supply problem just say – we all got to die sometime. I ask them what about their kids and they just look at me. Yes, these same people will feed their kids the crap they eat also.

    People who are obese will need put those speeches about calories and exercise into a waste basket and wake up. Even those weight plans on TV use toxic substances in their food. People need protect themselves from the assault and stick to natural remedies. They need to smarten up.

    • I do agree that our food nowadays is crap! Its a shame that it takes a part time job to afford high quality organic foods but its now getting to the point that with GMO we might not even be able to avoid it even with our best intentions. Yea, its scary scary stuff and its all based on greed.

      • You brought up a good point. Economics can make it difficult for people to get healthy. Their geographic location and what’s available around them can have an effect. If people are in survival mode all the time, their mental energy can be weakened. Their are invisible negative psychic forces that effect people also.

        As far as processed foods, they are at least 3 times more expensive than buying the raw ingredients so ultimately more economical. I also have a membership to places like sams club to buy in bulk.

        The best place to buy things if you can present them with some business card or even create a corporation having to do with food or if you know someone in restaurant business is Restaurant Depot who allows you to reference their account when you buy things. They sell food dirt cheap compared to super markets.

        The other aspect is finding quality ingredients. I have many stores around me but there is only this one small Spanish store in low rent district which sells good hamburg. The reason it is good is because they grind it up frozen. The quality of the meat everywhere else tastes like crap. It’s learning these little things. I also have found out that not all rice is created equal. A basmati kind I buy is only sold at a chinese store. Good quality ingredients raise the quality of the meal. You have to experiment and try things.

        The obstacle to cooking with raw foods is learning how to cook. Many bookstores will sell really great bargain basement cook books for less than $10. The best cookbooks will have nice colored pictures of the cuisine to be cooked along with nice print. They will even have pictures of the ingredient and an explanation on how to use them. They will have them on sale on and off so you have to check the bookstores intermittently. The hardest place to get find recipes is on the internet. It requires knowledge and experience to find the correct recipe. I watch the cooking shows on TV with the good chefs also. There are only a few items that really can’t be made well at home like high quality fried chicken since it requires a commercial fryer to be done well. I braise all my meats.

  18. Yes, that is right, why are legumes a problem. I am waiting for the answer to this question too