Primal questions: 80/20 & macros

heniko

Hello everyone,
Hope you'll doing well.

I have 2 questions. First, doing Primal how should I figure out my macros? I saw there's a chart on Mark's blog that shows 0-100 carbs per day and a sweet spot. I'm wondering how to figure out my needs.

Second, I read there's a 80/20 rule. So I'm wondering how would consuming bread, rice, fruit and occasion dessert in the 20% ( once weekly, or once biweekly or monthly basis) affect my progress? So really I'm wondering what the 20% means. I don't have any diseases like diabetes etc but I do some weight to loss and back pain ( due to injury).

Thank you everyone.

pope705

I think this is where you really need to experiment with your diet. The sweet spot is different for everyone.
What are your goals? Weight loss? Good health? Etc... that will determine your sweet spot.
Same with the 80/20 rule. Some people can play with that 20% like it's nothing. 20% of each meal and they are ok. Others can only do 80/20 once a month. Still others can't do any. 100% or nothing.

Dragonwolf

The 80/20 is a more universal rule in life (the details of it varies based on topic). In the case of Primal, it's meant as "don't let perfect be the enemy of progress." Aim for 100% adherence, but don't beat yourself up if you only get 80% of the way there.

He's talked about it many times -- http://www.marksdailyapple.com/remember-the-80-20-principle/

As for finding your right amount of carbs, just aim for somewhere in that 50-100 for a few weeks and see how you land. If you want a number for MFP, set it to 75 (or as close as you can) and don't sweat going over, up to 100 (it set it to 100 and use it as a hard cap). See where you land naturally and after a month or two, assess how you feel and your progress, then tweak from there (side note: don't be afraid to go higher than 100 or lower than 50 if your results suggest doing so, that range is just a guide to get you started).

Since you have back pain from injury, I do suggest trying to stick to lower levels of carbs, because ketones are anti-inflammatory and do wonders for inflammation related pain, but you can work toward that.

Niki_Fitz

@heniko great question. I'm new to this group but aiming for a primal lifestyle since experimenting with some Whole30s.
@Dragonwolf and @pope705 thanks for the responses. I appreciate the non-judgemental vibe here, it's refreshing and makes the lifestyle seem livable.