Sorry to be a bother but I need Paleo help!!
carashirley
Posts: 169 Member
Ok, so my trainer suggested I try the paleo lifestyle but also watch my calories & try to keep them at around 1500 calories a day. I have my macros set at 50% fat 30% protein & 20% carbs. My problem is I'm finding it SOO hard to keep my calorie limit in check while getting enough fat. WHAT DO I DO?!?! My ultimate goal doing this is to lose weight. So do I just lower my fat intake so I can keep my calories in check or do I forget the calories and keep my fat intake up.
Also I do work out, but I hate the idea of eating back my exercise calories...makes me feel like all those calories burned were pointless.
I'm so confused and am getting overwhelmed. So far I'm loving the eating aspect...the numbers are whats messing me up!!!
Also I do work out, but I hate the idea of eating back my exercise calories...makes me feel like all those calories burned were pointless.
I'm so confused and am getting overwhelmed. So far I'm loving the eating aspect...the numbers are whats messing me up!!!
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Replies
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50% fat is the bare minimum. NO, do not lower fat. This will sound crazy but a higher fat diet is more satiating and you will eventually just consume less food (I eat 70% as a minimum). You may need to reduce portion sizes, but do not lower fat. Years ago, on Weight Watchers I used to need to eat huge portions of veggies in an effort to not feel so hungry. It NEVER worked. Now I eat only one and two cup salads. I do not need volume. Lowering fat will make you hungrier. Increasing carbs will make you hungrier (20% is too high for most people, imo, especially if they need to lose body fat and are struggling with hunger/cravings).
It's very important to eat back some of your excercise calories. Do not always eat them all because sometimes MFP calories burned seems over-estimated imo. But the "it's ONLY calories in/calories out" mentality really has to be changed. Yes calories matter, but for many of us, the macro ratios matter more.
Maybe you should do a month of Whole30? Where you do NOT track food and macros. You learn to just listen to your body. I have done a W30, but I did track. I'm still reliant on making sure I don't undereat fat/overeat carbs or bad things happen. However, I will be doing a Whole30 without tracking when I am done resolving all of my health issues. I think it's very important to learn to eat intuitively and trust our body-when we are fueling it properly.0 -
^ Exactly what Akima said about the fat & carbs0
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I'm only eating when I'm hungry and not feeling like I am having any cravings. When I do eat, I feel very satisfied. My calorie burn is imported from my body media core armband, so I don't go by MFP trackings. And I still wanna track my calories for the sake of knowing my deficit each day...I'm just not sure 50% daily fat is doable on only a 1500 calorie a day limit... At this rate over 950 of my calories would need to come from fat... that doesn't leave room for much else0
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Take a look at other people's diaries to get ideas of how to eat your macros. (ETA - your settings are very doable! I eat 65f/25p/10c on 1500cals)
How did you determine your calorie requirement?0 -
Take a look at other people's diaries to get ideas of how to eat your macros. (ETA - your settings are very doable! I eat 65f/25p/10c on 1500cals)
How did you determine your calorie requirement?
My trainer said I should stay at 1500 & try to not go over it.0 -
you should work out your tdee,there are many calculators online.
from there most people deduct 20% from that figure.
looking at your weight,1500 calories is very low.
I use my trainer for fitness advice and don't really do the nutrition side as they want me to eat low fat..that would make me miserable and I would be hungry all the time.
when most people start paleo they don't stay within a calorie range.
it important to let your body eat naturally,stop when you are full..listen to what your body has to say.
there is a lot of trial and error at the start but you will find what works best for you!0 -
Ok, so my bodymedia core tells me that I should be eating about 1750 calories a day. I'm gonna up my MFP to that level and see how that helps...
I'm trying this for 30 days. The high fat goes against everything I've ever know as the "truth" about weightloss. I'm so anxious I'm gonna gain weight doing this. At this point I would be ok trying this for 30 if I don't gain. I worked hard to lose the 40 I have lost and don't wanna gain even 1lb of it back. So I'm commited for 30 days....just hoping it goes in my favor.
I do love being able to eat tasty food again! Lol!!0 -
Ok, so my bodymedia core tells me that I should be eating about 1750 calories a day. I'm gonna up my MFP to that level and see how that helps...
I'm trying this for 30 days. The high fat goes against everything I've ever know as the "truth" about weightloss. I'm so anxious I'm gonna gain weight doing this. At this point I would be ok trying this for 30 if I don't gain. I worked hard to lose the 40 I have lost and don't wanna gain even 1lb of it back. So I'm commited for 30 days....just hoping it goes in my favor.
I do love being able to eat tasty food again! Lol!!
1. Considering that the percentages of fat, protein, and carbs, are derived from your calorie allotment, it's impossible to eat the number of grams that the percentage translates into and eat over your calorie allotment. The percentages mean "X% of 1500 calories as fat/protein/carbs".
2. From a quick look at you're diary, you're doing just fine with meeting your macros and calorie goals. I know, it may be hard to believe, because we've all had it drilled into our heads that fat is bad, and even eating it feels like we're eating a ton of food. You're not eating as much as you think, really.
3. If your original calorie allotment is based on what you'd need if you didn't exercise (ie - sedentary setting), you've set it to lose any amount of weight, and you're logging your exercise, then you need to eat back at least some of those calories to ensure that you're properly fueling your workouts. Working out isn't really for losing weight, but for getting in shape (you can't out-exercise poor eating choices). Additionally, MFP builds in the deficit that you need to lose weight, even without the added exercise, so not eating back the calories means you run the risk of creating too large a deficit and doing more harm than good.
4. Take it from me, as someone who has a very difficult time losing weight and a very easy time gaining it - as long as you're not doing something like eating 3000 calories a day when you only need 2000, you won't gain weight. You might maintain, but more than likely (and barring any medical issues that might get in the way), you will lose weight.0 -
I'm only eating when I'm hungry and not feeling like I am having any cravings. When I do eat, I feel very satisfied. My calorie burn is imported from my body media core armband, so I don't go by MFP trackings. And I still wanna track my calories for the sake of knowing my deficit each day...I'm just not sure 50% daily fat is doable on only a 1500 calorie a day limit... At this rate over 950 of my calories would need to come from fat... that doesn't leave room for much else
I'm confused on the problem... Things are going great but you want to cut out more fat? Only because fat has more calories than the other macros? Fat is more SATIATING than the other macros. Fat is necessary for all of our bodily functions especially for brain health and maintaining a healthy metabolic rate (ie storing less fat!).
Again, not only is 50% fat doable easily and healthfully, it's the BARE minimum for health imo. Do you want health or do you just care about the highest volume of food for the calories? I eat 1600 calories per day and I was doing it on 75-80% fat. I'm now at 70% fat because I'm experimenting with adding a few more carbs back into my diet. I eat enough. I'm very satisfied. On occasional days where I need to eat more, I eat more. And I'm still losing body fat.
Edit: as leighn mentions try to get that fat in natural form. Fatty meats. Ribeye my FAVOURITE. I do add coconut oil and butter to everything, but I seek out those fatty meats ALWAYS.0 -
FWIW, every time I've been to a gym personal trainer they try to tell me to eat some ridiculously low number of calories. Personally, I eat 1800-2200 a day and have been losing weight. Last time I had a personal trainer they tried to tell me to eat 1200-1500/day.
Anyway, DO eat plenty of fat. That's what's going to keep you from feeling hungry all the time. I do get somewhere close to 50% of my calories from fat and it helps. And interestingly, because all my fat calories are from good sources (mostly coconut oil and grass fed proteins and avocados), my cholesterol numbers were amazing when I just had them checked recently. Best they have been my whole life, despite eating LOADS of fat.
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Remember, fat comes in other forms than just mayo, butter and coconut oil. You can eat fatty meats such as ribeye (my favorite), sausage, dark meat chicken eaten with the skin, salmon, etc. Your numbers at the bottom of the page will factor in fat grams from those sources. Then you can add fat as condiments such as tarter sauce for your fish or the alfredo sauce you put on your spaghetti squash or the cream you add to your pureed vegetable soup. And don't forget the fat you cook the meat in and butter or oil you roast your vegetables in. Plenty of places to get fat. Have a great time figuring it out!0
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I'm only eating when I'm hungry and not feeling like I am having any cravings. When I do eat, I feel very satisfied. My calorie burn is imported from my body media core armband, so I don't go by MFP trackings. And I still wanna track my calories for the sake of knowing my deficit each day...I'm just not sure 50% daily fat is doable on only a 1500 calorie a day limit... At this rate over 950 of my calories would need to come from fat... that doesn't leave room for much else
I'm confused on the problem... Things are going great but you want to cut out more fat? Only because fat has more calories than the other macros? Fat is more SATIATING than the other macros. Fat is necessary for all of our bodily functions especially for brain health and maintaining a healthy metabolic rate (ie storing less fat!).
Again, not only is 50% fat doable easily and healthfully, it's the BARE minimum for health imo. Do you want health or do you just care about the highest volume of food for the calories? I eat 1600 calories per day and I was doing it on 75-80% fat. I'm now at 70% fat because I'm experimenting with adding a few more carbs back into my diet. I eat enough. I'm very satisfied. On occasional days where I need to eat more, I eat more. And I'm still losing body fat.
Edit: as leighn mentions try to get that fat in natural form. Fatty meats. Ribeye my FAVOURITE. I do add coconut oil and butter to everything, but I seek out those fatty meats ALWAYS.
My concern was eating the adiquate amount of fat and staying within 1500 calories... But I'm uping my calorie intake to support getting 50% fat. I don't care about eating a ton of food cause actually I was feeling stuffed after each meal, so eating less food would be fine with me. I just want to stay within my numbers while losing weight and making my body healthier!0 -
Ok, so my bodymedia core tells me that I should be eating about 1750 calories a day. I'm gonna up my MFP to that level and see how that helps...
I'm trying this for 30 days. The high fat goes against everything I've ever know as the "truth" about weightloss. I'm so anxious I'm gonna gain weight doing this. At this point I would be ok trying this for 30 if I don't gain. I worked hard to lose the 40 I have lost and don't wanna gain even 1lb of it back. So I'm commited for 30 days....just hoping it goes in my favor.
I do love being able to eat tasty food again! Lol!!
1. Considering that the percentages of fat, protein, and carbs, are derived from your calorie allotment, it's impossible to eat the number of grams that the percentage translates into and eat over your calorie allotment. The percentages mean "X% of 1500 calories as fat/protein/carbs".
2. From a quick look at you're diary, you're doing just fine with meeting your macros and calorie goals. I know, it may be hard to believe, because we've all had it drilled into our heads that fat is bad, and even eating it feels like we're eating a ton of food. You're not eating as much as you think, really.
3. If your original calorie allotment is based on what you'd need if you didn't exercise (ie - sedentary setting), you've set it to lose any amount of weight, and you're logging your exercise, then you need to eat back at least some of those calories to ensure that you're properly fueling your workouts. Working out isn't really for losing weight, but for getting in shape (you can't out-exercise poor eating choices). Additionally, MFP builds in the deficit that you need to lose weight, even without the added exercise, so not eating back the calories means you run the risk of creating too large a deficit and doing more harm than good.
4. Take it from me, as someone who has a very difficult time losing weight and a very easy time gaining it - as long as you're not doing something like eating 3000 calories a day when you only need 2000, you won't gain weight. You might maintain, but more than likely (and barring any medical issues that might get in the way), you will lose weight.
Thank you! :drinker:0 -
I'm only eating when I'm hungry and not feeling like I am having any cravings. When I do eat, I feel very satisfied. My calorie burn is imported from my body media core armband, so I don't go by MFP trackings. And I still wanna track my calories for the sake of knowing my deficit each day...I'm just not sure 50% daily fat is doable on only a 1500 calorie a day limit... At this rate over 950 of my calories would need to come from fat... that doesn't leave room for much else
I'm confused on the problem... Things are going great but you want to cut out more fat? Only because fat has more calories than the other macros? Fat is more SATIATING than the other macros. Fat is necessary for all of our bodily functions especially for brain health and maintaining a healthy metabolic rate (ie storing less fat!).
Again, not only is 50% fat doable easily and healthfully, it's the BARE minimum for health imo. Do you want health or do you just care about the highest volume of food for the calories? I eat 1600 calories per day and I was doing it on 75-80% fat. I'm now at 70% fat because I'm experimenting with adding a few more carbs back into my diet. I eat enough. I'm very satisfied. On occasional days where I need to eat more, I eat more. And I'm still losing body fat.
Edit: as leighn mentions try to get that fat in natural form. Fatty meats. Ribeye my FAVOURITE. I do add coconut oil and butter to everything, but I seek out those fatty meats ALWAYS.
My concern was eating the adiquate amount of fat and staying within 1500 calories... But I'm uping my calorie intake to support getting 50% fat. I don't care about eating a ton of food cause actually I was feeling stuffed after each meal, so eating less food would be fine with me. I just want to stay within my numbers while losing weight and making my body healthier!
Give us some examples o what you're eating where you're not getting enough fat in per meal? If you're not hungry on the 1500 calories, maybe you just need to replace a little something with a little more fat / recipe modification and then it would work out for you?0 -
I'm only eating when I'm hungry and not feeling like I am having any cravings. When I do eat, I feel very satisfied. My calorie burn is imported from my body media core armband, so I don't go by MFP trackings. And I still wanna track my calories for the sake of knowing my deficit each day...I'm just not sure 50% daily fat is doable on only a 1500 calorie a day limit... At this rate over 950 of my calories would need to come from fat... that doesn't leave room for much else
I'm confused on the problem... Things are going great but you want to cut out more fat? Only because fat has more calories than the other macros? Fat is more SATIATING than the other macros. Fat is necessary for all of our bodily functions especially for brain health and maintaining a healthy metabolic rate (ie storing less fat!).
Again, not only is 50% fat doable easily and healthfully, it's the BARE minimum for health imo. Do you want health or do you just care about the highest volume of food for the calories? I eat 1600 calories per day and I was doing it on 75-80% fat. I'm now at 70% fat because I'm experimenting with adding a few more carbs back into my diet. I eat enough. I'm very satisfied. On occasional days where I need to eat more, I eat more. And I'm still losing body fat.
Edit: as leighn mentions try to get that fat in natural form. Fatty meats. Ribeye my FAVOURITE. I do add coconut oil and butter to everything, but I seek out those fatty meats ALWAYS.
My concern was eating the adiquate amount of fat and staying within 1500 calories... But I'm uping my calorie intake to support getting 50% fat. I don't care about eating a ton of food cause actually I was feeling stuffed after each meal, so eating less food would be fine with me. I just want to stay within my numbers while losing weight and making my body healthier!
Actually, it's possible to eat 60% of your calories in fat while eating only 1300 calories and still eat a variety of foods. Ask me how I know...
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Ok, so my bodymedia core tells me that I should be eating about 1750 calories a day. I'm gonna up my MFP to that level and see how that helps...
I'm trying this for 30 days. The high fat goes against everything I've ever know as the "truth" about weightloss. I'm so anxious I'm gonna gain weight doing this. At this point I would be ok trying this for 30 if I don't gain. I worked hard to lose the 40 I have lost and don't wanna gain even 1lb of it back. So I'm commited for 30 days....just hoping it goes in my favor.
I do love being able to eat tasty food again! Lol!!
I was scared to eat fat as well but I knew I had nothing to lose. I've been doing this since religiously for almost 4 weeks and I've lost 13lbs. It is doable and you will lose weight!0 -
Ok, so my trainer suggested I try the paleo lifestyle but also watch my calories & try to keep them at around 1500 calories a day. I have my macros set at 50% fat 30% protein & 20% carbs. My problem is I'm finding it SOO hard to keep my calorie limit in check while getting enough fat. WHAT DO I DO?!?! My ultimate goal doing this is to lose weight. So do I just lower my fat intake so I can keep my calories in check or do I forget the calories and keep my fat intake up.
Also I do work out, but I hate the idea of eating back my exercise calories...makes me feel like all those calories burned were pointless.
I'm so confused and am getting overwhelmed. So far I'm loving the eating aspect...the numbers are whats messing me up!!!50% fat is the bare minimum. NO, do not lower fat. This will sound crazy but a higher fat diet is more satiating and you will eventually just consume less food (I eat 70% as a minimum). You may need to reduce portion sizes, but do not lower fat. Years ago, on Weight Watchers I used to need to eat huge portions of veggies in an effort to not feel so hungry. It NEVER worked. Now I eat only one and two cup salads. I do not need volume. Lowering fat will make you hungrier. Increasing carbs will make you hungrier (20% is too high for most people, imo, especially if they need to lose body fat and are struggling with hunger/cravings).
Again I find myself in the unfortunate position of respectfully disagreeing with you, Akima. But I thought I'd put in my two cents, so here's a disclaimer first/
To OP:
Akima's advice is excellent advice and always is, and please keep in mind I'm an eighteen year old male trying to gain weight, so feel free to take whatever I say with a pinch of salt.
Now that I got that out of the way...
OP, I strongly recommend not tracking macronutrients by percentages (ie, 50% fat, 20% carbs, etc) and instead tracking by grams, calories and minimums. Setting your protein needs to say, 1g per lb of bodyweight and fat to 0.5g per lb of bodyweight as minimums (This is already higher than recommended, as that goes of lean body mass while mine goes off general bodyweight for satiation and peace of mind.
After you have set these two minimum requirements, fill the rest of your calories with whatever - preferably fat or carbs, as protein is kinda expensive. If you want bacon, eat bacon, if you want potatoes, eat potatoes. Fruit? If it fits into your calorie goal after you know you're getting enough fat and protein for the day, go for it.
This should give you a bit more freedom, and varies your food choices up a bit. You can still very easily do high fat on this,as some days your fats will easily outweight your carbs. It just - IMO - makes tracking a lot easier. Meet fat, meet protein, fill the rest with whatever, Simple. You might end up with a 40/30/30 Fat/Protein/Carb split, who knows? But percentages don't really matter.
Again this is just my two cents and if you find that working with a fat percentage of 50% or such is more beneficial to you, by all means disregard what I said and continue what you're doing.
Just please be aware that Paleo doesn't have to be very high in fat, and it is also important you get enough protein,Maybe you should do a month of Whole30? Where you do NOT track food and macros. You learn to just listen to your body... I think it's very important to learn to eat intuitively and trust our body-when we are fueling it properly.
100% agree with this!
As Akima said, Whole30 is the way to go. No tracking, just eat only when hungry. Eat a meal when hungry, do not snack in between meals. Let your body regulate how things go. Don't worry at all about macro/percentages/grams/calories/whatever, just eat whole foods to satiate you and fuel yourself.
Whole30 is actually quite releasing. And fun. Let's you learn about your body and gives you a break from calorie counting; remember there are quite a few Whole30 success stories of people who just were intuitive and just listened to their body.0 -
Well.... I've decided to hang up my worry hat. I've lost 4lbs this week..... I'm just gonna have fun with it and keep it primal!0
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Well.... I've decided to hang up my worry hat. I've lost 4lbs this week..... I'm just gonna have fun with it and keep it primal!
Glad to hear this. Congratulations. Are you sticking to the trainer's percentages recommendations or just eating to satiation?
I don't track. I eat primally 90% of the time. Sometimes I go on 100% primal/paleo. Other times I do Whole30. I lose my best weight on whole30 b/c it further limits inflammatory foods (starches, dairy, all sweeteners, etc).
I am down 55 lbs with only tracking for a very short period of time (I tracked to ensure I was eating 70% fat, 10% carbs for a while but I felt moody so I upped my carbs a bit - I really missed fruit).
Anyway, find a rhythm and when that rhythm stops bringing the results you want, tweak a bit. Add fat, lower carbs, increase calories, decrease calories, decrease protein, go keto, whatever floats your boat and makes you feel your best.
Good luck to you!0 -
Well.... I've decided to hang up my worry hat. I've lost 4lbs this week..... I'm just gonna have fun with it and keep it primal!
Glad to hear this. Congratulations. Are you sticking to the trainer's percentages recommendations or just eating to satiation?
I don't track. I eat primally 90% of the time. Sometimes I go on 100% primal/paleo. Other times I do Whole30. I lose my best weight on whole30 b/c it further limits inflammatory foods (starches, dairy, all sweeteners, etc).
I am down 55 lbs with only tracking for a very short period of time (I tracked to ensure I was eating 70% fat, 10% carbs for a while but I felt moody so I upped my carbs a bit - I really missed fruit).
Anyway, find a rhythm and when that rhythm stops bringing the results you want, tweak a bit. Add fat, lower carbs, increase calories, decrease calories, decrease protein, go keto, whatever floats your boat and makes you feel your best.
Good luck to you!
I upped my calories to 1750, I find that a more realistic number for me. Right now I am doing strick paleo...maybe it would register as being whole30.. I dunno. I'm eating no grain, no dairy, no sweetners, no starches. Pretty much just meat & veggies, oraganic/free range/grass fed when possible. Throw a few fruits and/or nuts here and there... maybe once a day. Of course I've only done this for 4 days. I'm shooting for doing it this way for the 1st 30... Might switch it up a little after that.
I'm just thrilled I've lst 4lbs in 4 days!!! :laugh:0
