Success Story

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I have not been here in a while. Wanted to check in. Today is a huge milestone in my life.
After MONTHS of not doing so, i actually logged in and i weighed myself... usually i come back and i gained 15 lbs... those days are over ( i followed the paleo train of thought of lifestyle and not obsesssing about all this )

I combined Paleo Whole Foods idea with IF. I eat in a 5-6 hour window a day.. I went from eating 1200 calories a day and starving with 5-6 small meals a day to 1800 or 2000+ / and not worrying 1 bit really about it.. i forced myself to not worry and test this out..

I weigh ed in at 131 and i cannot tell you how happy I am.... I feel its the combination of IF and PALEO that did it.. * my issues were hunger, thats gone with eating more fat and whole foods * and the IF fasting lets me not have to count each calorie like before. i just eat something delicious twice a day and i am FULL.. no more 100 calorie starving snacks..

super happy :)

Replies

  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    Great news! I'm so happy to hear that you gave Paleo a real go, including not logging. I haven't even gotten that far; I still log... worried about those darn macros cuz I just can't stay on track if I'm not ketogenic it seems. I spent this whole year experimenting with just trying to stay in the low carb realm but kept falling off the wagon face first into starch, sugar, starch, sugar. Boo me!
  • JennyToy
    JennyToy Posts: 149 Member
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    I remember seeing your posts before! Congratulations!!
  • ascrit
    ascrit Posts: 770 Member
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    Congrats!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Congrats! This is great!
  • ElisaMicciulli
    ElisaMicciulli Posts: 41 Member
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    Congrats! Can you be more specific in what you did? I am new to Paleo (19 days and counting). I am also counting calories (I know that is a no-no) but I can't help it. I'm obssessed. I try to stay in the 1200 calorie range, and like you, I am hungry. What is IF?
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    The OP has had success by stopping the 1200 calorie under-eating and is now eating 1800 +.

    Of course you are hungry. Your body is trying to tell you something.
  • smallpalehuman
    smallpalehuman Posts: 38 Member
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    Big congratulations - great to hear it's working for you!
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    famuv5ive wrote: »
    Congrats! Can you be more specific in what you did? I am new to Paleo (19 days and counting). I am also counting calories (I know that is a no-no) but I can't help it. I'm obssessed. I try to stay in the 1200 calorie range, and like you, I am hungry. What is IF?
    The OP has had success by stopping the 1200 calorie under-eating and is now eating 1800 +.

    Of course you are hungry. Your body is trying to tell you something.

    This. 1200 calories is generally far too few for most people (unless you're under 5 feet tall). You're hungry, because you're starving yourself.

    It would probably be good if you did a Whole 30 or The 21 Day Primal Challenge, to help break out of the need for counting calories and learning to trust your body.

    If you can do it without obsessing, it's okay to track your food, but you need to get out of the mindset of starving yourself down to a certain number on the scale. If your profile picture is recent, then it doesn't look like you have a lot of excess weight to lose. If that's the case, then go back into your goal settings and change it from the 2lb/week setting you likely have it, to maintenance, to get an idea of how much food you can actually eat. Adjust your carbs to something more around 15-20% or 100g (as opposed to the 50% default), protein to about 100g, and allow fat to fall where it may. This will give you an idea of where your macros will fall when you just eat real food (and the lower amount of carbs and higher protein and fat will help you self-regulate your intake). Next, just eat real food, and for the next two weeks, track, but don't restrict.. Take notes on how you feel, too (not just hunger stuff, but stress, etc). The point of this is to see where you fall naturally when just eating Paleo. Eat when you're hungry, eat until you're satisfied but not stuffed, and eat a variety of meats, vegetables, nuts, fruits, and seeds. After two weeks, take a look at everything. Look at your averages and where your numbers fell when you ate significantly more or less than where your maintenance numbers say you should be. Then, readjust your goals to align more with the days that you naturally fell around where you should (if necessary). Finally, just continue the patterns that help you without making you obsess, and the weight will take care of itself.

    Also, don't just look at weight to determine the success of this way of eating. Paleo is about health, not just weight loss. Weight loss is a side-effect of health. Keep note of any of those aches or other things that most people dismiss as "just part of life" or "just part of getting older" or other "nothing you can do about it" mindsets. Odds are, you'll find they improve the longer you follow this way of eating, and that alone is worth it.
  • lujo321
    lujo321 Posts: 78 Member
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    Well said Drqagonwolf. I will be taking your advice for myself as well.
  • Quinnstinct
    Quinnstinct Posts: 274 Member
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    Congratulations, I love hearing the success stories! Great advice from Dragonwolf too.
  • LeenaGee
    LeenaGee Posts: 749 Member
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    Marie-Antoinette, if your profile picture is anything to go by, you look amazing. Healthy and glowing and to me that is the real measure of success. Good for you! :)

    Thanks for the advice Dragonwolf, I will be making use of that as well.
  • ElisaMicciulli
    ElisaMicciulli Posts: 41 Member
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    Dragonwolf..THANK YOU! You definitely sound like you know what you are talking about and I will certainly take you up on your advice! WOW! I am truly grateful and I think I can see myself doing what you've suggested. My profile picture is pretty recent (from June).
    I will keep you posted on my success :-)
  • LeenaGee
    LeenaGee Posts: 749 Member
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    famuv5ive wrote: »
    Dragonwolf..THANK YOU! You definitely sound like you know what you are talking about and I will certainly take you up on your advice! WOW! I am truly grateful and I think I can see myself doing what you've suggested. My profile picture is pretty recent (from June).
    I will keep you posted on my success :-)

    Well if that is how you looked in June, I can't wait to see you after eating Paleo. You will look even more amazing. :)

  • ElisaMicciulli
    ElisaMicciulli Posts: 41 Member
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    AW! Thank you! so sweet! :)
  • ElisaMicciulli
    ElisaMicciulli Posts: 41 Member
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    I have to say, I have been doing well with eating Paleo...and a little proof it is a better way of eating. My husband (who is not eating Paleo) and I got up yesterday at the exact same time. Both got ready for work and worked a regular full time schedule. (We both work in an office setting). He got home about 1/2 hour before me and sat on the couch watching TV while Imade dinner (nothing out of the ordinary HAHAHA) In the evening at around 7:30PM while we waited to take my daughter to her gymnastics practice, he laid on the couch and took a nap while I sat and read my Practical Paleo book that I just received in the mail. I woke him up, we brought her to gymnastics and when we got back, he went back to sleep on the couch while I continued to read my book. I again woke him up at 9:50 to go pick her up. We both came back, washed up for the night and went to bed. This morning, I got up, took a shower and was full of energy. He got up an hour after I did and yawned for twenty minutes until I left for work... I laughed at him, and told him to "cross over to the healthy side" LOL.

    HUGE difference in energy levels. And were are the same age (only 5 days apart).
  • GrokRockStar
    GrokRockStar Posts: 2,938 Member
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    Famuv5ive, that's funny! I totally agree about the energy levels. I'm lucky that my partner is eating Primal with me, so we're at an even keel. The holidays are coming up, which means in the office, lots of sugary crap will be crammed in my face. Although I'm no longer tempted, I'm still a sugar addict, so I have to arm myself with things to keep me focused.

    For those who are struggling upping the cals, I usually add some healthy fats, such as olive or coconut oil, avocado, and sometimes fat bombs when I’m desperate. Early on, I feared upping those cals because it went against everything that I was taught when eating the SAD. I’m still not eating as much as I would like, but I’m making progress.
  • RoseyDgirl
    RoseyDgirl Posts: 306 Member
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    ever since this past weekend's time change; I've been suffering from a sleep problem. I'm not tired at 9, but fall asleep on the couch. Wake up at midnight, put myself in bed, then wake up at 3:30 and toss turn for rest of the night. It's exhausting to have so much broken up sleep. Hopefully I'll get used to the change in the light/dark soon and be better at going to bed at a more reasonable hour so that I don't keep having bad quality naps so late in the evening that it destroys my nightly rest.