New Member
Nayners21
Posts: 76 Member
Hello everyone, I am just starting out trying to go Paleo. I have lost 50 pounds with weight watchers and instead of paying month to month, I decided to try the rest of my weight loss on my own. I have been at a plateau for almost 8 months. I came across Paleo while searching "low carb diets." I am curious as to the amount of calories that any women here eat? Are you concerned with the amount of calories you are eating? I am worried about the amount of fat I will be consuming (not that I am complaining, because I love fat, but just worried). Any suggestions? Please follow my page to help me out! Thanks! I really need to lose the last 30 pounds.
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Hi and welcome, you'll find great support here! Are you eating Paleo just to lose weight or are you planning on taking advantage of all other benefits with this way of eating?0
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Honestly, I am trying to lose weight, but I would love to be able to continue with the benefits in general.0
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For me calories are not so much a concern and fat is my friend, so I usually don't count because I eat the same types of food and the macros are etched in my brain
I usually consume about 1400 - 1600, which some would say is low, but I don't have much of an appetite. I know upping them will cause the scale to move, so I try to add healthy fats, but it can be a challenge at times.
Don't be afraid to up the cals and the fat, it's all about changing your way of thinking. It took me a while to come to terms with it, but I got it.0 -
The best advice I can give is: decide, commit, and do. Fully. Until your health issues are resolved (fat IS sick). It is my opinion that our body NEEDS fat (or call them "lipids" if the negative connotation is troublesome), and far more healthy fats than conventional advice suggests. Get rid of the fat phobia by any means necessary. To do so, I would even recommend eating almost all fat for awhile just to be blown away by how healthy the fat really is for the human body.
I have no love for Weight Watchers. They were a big part in destroying my health (I never became truly over-weight, and then obese, until after all their low calorie, low fat, fill up on nutrient devoid BS) and my mother's health before me, plus the health of an aunt, uncle and others. I will never give them another cent.
Nope it's really not about calories; it's all about the FOOD. And remember, even some healthy foods that are high in sugar (fruit) are not beneficial to everyone in all situations. You really need to try a lot of different ways of eating and foods to find what works for YOU. Calorie and scale obsession is a FAIL. Been there, did it, for most of my life. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over (counting calories) and expecting different results.0 -
GrokRockStar- thank you for the info! I DO have a fear of eating more fat...so this is something I have to get used to. Fear that eating HEALTHY FAT will make me FAT. I am trying to stay around 1400 calories too.
Akimajuktuq- Thank you! I hope eating the HEALTHY FAT will do me wonders compared to what I think it will do. My entire day is usually around 50% fats (olive oil, almonds, eggs). Is 50% a normal thing while eating Paleo?
Thank you guys for the help!0 -
Welcome, 50 to 60% is standard Paleo these days and do not forget Avocados, which are full of good fat.0
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Yeah, I'm at around 50% for a few years and it's working well. Some people are up even into the 70s.
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Fats are important, especially if you're eating low carb. Paleo is not necessarily "low-carb," although it is definitely "lower-carb" than, say, Weight Watchers. My favorite fats are duck, bacon, and ghee. Yum. Good luck to you!0
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Hi and welcome! This is the best place to be.
(People in this group are some of the nicest I've found on this site.)
As a reformed low fat 1000 calorie a day dieter, I can say I enjoy eating.all.the.food. and being healthier.
Now I eat like 2100+ on days I workout hard then calm it down a little when I just walk my dog.
P.S. I don't know if you lift but that has been the ticket for me to get/keep the shape I want.0 -
I do my best when I eat 65-80% of my calories from fat. 50% is a bare minimum and healthy for most who have already resolved all metabolic disorders, including obesity. Not healthy for me unfortunately as that level would mean that I am eating too much sugar and starch. For those with weight to lose, more fat is best almost always.
Change what you think. Don't "hope"; record observations of how eating more fat makes you feel (how you feel and body measurements indicate positive progress, not the scale). You mentioned that you are still thinking that the fat will have bad effects. You really have to CHOOSE to change how you think so that you are not avoiding fat. Cognitive therapy. Changing thought takes much conscious effort especially when we have been so brain-washed against healthy fats from every direction for our entire lives.0 -
GrokRockStar- thank you for the info! I DO have a fear of eating more fat...so this is something I have to get used to. Fear that eating HEALTHY FAT will make me FAT. I am trying to stay around 1400 calories too.
Akimajuktuq- Thank you! I hope eating the HEALTHY FAT will do me wonders compared to what I think it will do. My entire day is usually around 50% fats (olive oil, almonds, eggs). Is 50% a normal thing while eating Paleo?
Thank you guys for the help!
Don't forget coconut oil, ghee, lard, and tallow! These are all healthy fats, too!
The only unquestionably bad fats are artificial trans fat (hydrogenated oils), with industrial seed oils a close second (seed oils are your typical vegetable oils, which aren't bad because of the fats in them, but because the process of getting those oils oxidizes the fragile polyunsaturated fats, turning them bad).
Polyunsaturated fats should be used sparingly and in non-heat conditions when alone. You can generally get sufficient polyunsaturated fats from whole foods, like nuts and oily fish, as well as the incidental amounts found in other sources of fat.
Monounsaturated (olive oil) and saturated (coconut oil) fats are arguably the best, though save the monounsaturateds for cold uses, so they better retain their beneficial properties. Saturated fats are great for cooking.
Keep in mind, too, that the so-called "saturated fat" sources (namely animal fat) aren't actually wholly saturated. In fact, they only contain about 50% saturated fats, with about 40% monounsaturated fats (which is, by the way, about the same ratio that human fat is). This is actually why animal fats are only semi-solid at room temperature -- the monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, while the saturated ones are solid, resulting in a semi-solid mixture. (The Lauric Acid in coconuts is unique in that its melting point is only 72F, which is very low compared to other saturated fatty acids.)
I highly recommend watching Dr. Peter Attia's talk on the history of the whole low-fat thing and how it's based entirely on politics as opposed to science.0 -
WOW! This IS the most helpful group I have been in ever! Thank you guys for the quick and very informative tips. I have a personal blog where I am writing in to keep me accountable. One of the first things I have noticed (and I have only been doing this for about 4 days), is that I am feeling really good when I first wake up as far as mood and hunger.
SportyRedHead01- I do lift. I do circuit training about 5 days a week. I am learning to increase my calories and not be afraid to eat since my body needs the nourishment. Of course with healthy food!
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If you are worried about cholesterol and other labs, I can tell you from direct experience that eating lower carb/Paleo/high fat had kept me in great numbers and a great ratio. My doc once told me I had the best ratio she had ever seen in practice. At my work biometric screening, the portable machines couldn't read my bad or good cholesterol because the good was too high and the bad too low. THEN I forayed into Gluten Free garbage, starch, fast food. I had a bit of an identity crisis. Within a month, my numbers suffered, fasting glucose rose, and I felt the effects. You CAN have perfect labs on a high fat diet, and I proved to myself that it was my diet that supports this.0
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Chiming in from personal experience with cholesterol and eating lower carb Primal. My numbers are normal “although” I eat 2-3 eggs every day, high protein and high fat. When I was eating the SAD my bad cholesterol was off the charts!0
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I eat 3 to 4 eggs minimum a day sometimes more, eggs do not create issues with cholesterol, grains on the other hand...GrokRockStar wrote: »Chiming in from personal experience with cholesterol and eating lower carb Primal. My numbers are normal “although” I eat 2-3 eggs every day, high protein and high fat. When I was eating the SAD my bad cholesterol was off the charts!
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I lost weight with about 1400 calories a day when I started Paleo eating, but as I lost weight, MFP kept decreasing my calories, eventually down to 1200. (No problem, with paleo I am almost never hungry.) I plateaued. With advice of some here, I increased calories to a minimum of 1500 and started losing again.
I have gained some weight back, what with moving to a new house and getting in the habit of eating fast food while we didn't have a kitchen, and then holiday food. Am working at eating healthy again but not quite in the groove yet.
Yes, 60% fat is actually a good idea, at least I have found it so.0 -
homesweeths wrote: »I lost weight with about 1400 calories a day when I started Paleo eating, but as I lost weight, MFP kept decreasing my calories, eventually down to 1200. (No problem, with paleo I am almost never hungry.) I plateaued. With advice of some here, I increased calories to a minimum of 1500 and started losing again.
I have gained some weight back, what with moving to a new house and getting in the habit of eating fast food while we didn't have a kitchen, and then holiday food. Am working at eating healthy again but not quite in the groove yet.
Yes, 60% fat is actually a good idea, at least I have found it so.
I feel that is why I have plateaued as well. I was eating at such a low calorie intake that my body is purposely hanging onto fat. I too have read that increasing calories slowly to get your metabolism up... then try to cut back again. I really enjoy being able to eat more fat. I prefer that over carbs. However, when you are doing weight training a decent amount of carbs should be consumed. This is where I am torn.0 -
What's a "decent amount of carbs"? There are weight lifters who consume low carb diets and are successful. The body will burn fat for energy and muscle building mostly requires protein as far as I know. Try different things. Have a month of low carb, moderate protein, and high fat and record your results, including how you FEEL. Have a month of high carb (to me this would mean 20% +), moderate protein, and "low" fat (as in maybe 50%) and record those results. Personally, if you have any metabolic disorders and have excess fat to lose, I do not recommend high carb. You can still lift weights when carbs are low! Also, I would think the type of carb would matter as well. Healthy starchy foods (sweet potato etc) over sugary foods (fruit). I have the most energy and best health when my carbs are 5-10%.0
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homesweeths wrote: »I lost weight with about 1400 calories a day when I started Paleo eating, but as I lost weight, MFP kept decreasing my calories, eventually down to 1200. (No problem, with paleo I am almost never hungry.) I plateaued. With advice of some here, I increased calories to a minimum of 1500 and started losing again.
I have gained some weight back, what with moving to a new house and getting in the habit of eating fast food while we didn't have a kitchen, and then holiday food. Am working at eating healthy again but not quite in the groove yet.
Yes, 60% fat is actually a good idea, at least I have found it so.
I feel that is why I have plateaued as well. I was eating at such a low calorie intake that my body is purposely hanging onto fat. I too have read that increasing calories slowly to get your metabolism up... then try to cut back again. I really enjoy being able to eat more fat. I prefer that over carbs. However, when you are doing weight training a decent amount of carbs should be consumed. This is where I am torn.
Awhile back people here discussed carb cycling. The concept helped me get past a plateau. It involves eating low carb (under 50g a day) most of the time, with one or two high carb days (but not two in a row, at least for me). I think the reason it worked for me was because my body got used to low carb eating, and one day a week of 100g of carbs sort of kicked it out of a rut.
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