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I started regular exercising a few months back (after years of being not so active). I have now been regularly spending 1h on the treadmill every other day and started losing weight. I am of course controlling my diet generally speaking eating oatmeal and milk, lean meat, fruit and as fat only olive oil and eating almost zero sugars (I think oatmeal and bananas help keep refined sugar away).

The thing is that sometimes, although I am not really strict (eating too much parmesan or too much white bread) on my eating habits I still lose weight.

What's the logic at work here? My body was almost asleep and now that my basic metabolism has started I am forgiven for some little mistakes?

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Welcome to your own version of the paleo diet, whereby your body isn't being damaged by the foods you eat. Personally I like to eat a lot more fat and veggies but if you're happy, stick to it.

Contrary to popular opinion, your body is not a battery, it does not always store excess energy. Your body is an exquisite self-regulating machine.

If your body is healthy and well-nourished it will regulate your hunger so that you only eat what you need. It will also remove excess fat and even store some fats and protein as muscle. In other words, the body will look like its genetic blueprint.

One thing though, it looks as if your diet may be deficient in omega-3 fats. Consider adding fatty cold ocean fish like salmon to your diet.

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  • Isn't olive oil rich in poly-insaturated fats? I consume about a pound of olive oil a month.
    – Lorenzo
    Feb 14, 2012 at 11:17
  • Olive oil is 10% poly-unsaturated. However, the ration O6:O3 is about 10:1 and a healthy dietary ratio is 3:1 to 1:1. Furthermore, the lean meat you eat probably also has a pretty bad O6:O3 ratio unless you eat only grassfed beef. The body uses PUFAs as structural elements (mostly in your brain) and inflammation messengers, and a good balance is crucial for good health.
    – w00t
    Feb 14, 2012 at 14:17
  • @w00t Paleo diet? How exactly does milk, oatmeal, and parmesan fit into the paleo diet?
    – Aaron McIver
    Feb 14, 2012 at 20:11
  • Can't be too far either. Oatmeal, milk and cheese aren't very processed foods and we are breast-fed with milk for the first few months of life.
    – Lorenzo
    Feb 15, 2012 at 9:45
  • @Aaron The Very Strict Paleo diet does exclude dairy and all grains, but many interpretations aren't as strict as that. The case against modern wheat is strong, but the case against oats and dairy isn't as clear-cut, and aged cheese like parmesan even less so.
    – w00t
    Feb 15, 2012 at 12:30

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