Kind of a Weird Question...Maybe?
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sunnycrisv
Posts: 19 Member
I've been doing the primal thing for about 5 weeks now. Lost 14 pounds the first 3, started a Crossfit at home beginner program week 2, got really, didn't lose which I expected due to water retention in the muscles. Gained the next week but also had my monthly so that's ok. The question(s): I STILL have loose BMs. Some days that's to be expected as you can see I've had sone cheat days (usually Fridays after work!). I do eat some dairy in the form of gorgonzola and its not organic, pastured as that and grass-fed anything simply are NOT financially feasible for me. So, I wonder if I should cut the dairy altogether. Also, I try not to eat eggs everyday but sometimes I do, and I find I'm having more and more of an aversion to them. Same thing with nuts. Maybe I should cut them all out and see what happens? Has anyone had similar issues? Oh, and last thing. The last week or so I have terrible energy levels but I'm not eating as much fruit as before. Any suggestions are much appreciated! Thank you!
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The first thing I notice is your calories..they are too low,way too low...there is no need for eating 1200 calories a day as it can have a negative effect on your ability to lose in the long run.
Look into calculating your tdee and then reduce calories from there.There is no need to starve.
It might be an idea to try doing a whole 30,eliminate things and re-introduce them after 30 days,it makes it easier to see where the problems are with your digestion..here is the link http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/
Good luck0 -
Thank you! I've wondered about the calorie thing myself as I've heard not to count when doing paleo/primal. Basing it off TDEE to lose weight, my caloric range is 1500-1900. So, I will recalculate that again and go back to it. Monday I plan to go back full force (parents are in town this weekend to celebrate Mother's/Father's Day simultaneously so these couple of days are a lost cause), get the grains back out of my body, dairy as well, and may go ahead and cut out the eggs and nuts for a few weeks then reintroduce to see what happens. Thank you so much taking a look!0
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If you are regularly having "cheat" days you will not allow your body the full amount of time needed to adjust to this lifestyle. That's why many people start out with a month or two of strict Paleo eating to reset, and many never add wheat back in. Especially if you are still eating wheat, even small amounts occasionally, the inflammation and digestive issues will not completely clear up. You don't "need" lots of nuts and I would even advise against them; however, I don't really understand thinking that the nuts and eggs are the likely problem when you haven't gotten rid of the other stuff. Eggs and nuts can be issues for some people, but get yourself fully Primal/Paleo first and go from there.
If you aren't willing to buy the best quality dairy available to you I would definitely recommend eliminating it for at least a month, then carefully reintroduce the stuff you love while observing the results. I understand food expense, boy do I!, but we vote for what we want with our dollars. The more people that start buying grass-fed/free range, raw, etc foods the better supply will be and the lower the prices will get. When we keep buying the cheapest junk, that's what will continue to be offered. If you live in an area with farmers be willing to invest some time and get to know them. You will find farmers that will be very happy to offer you healthy food for a reasonable price (unless you live in the Arctic like me, but then you can eat some wild meats). Get to know your food and where it comes from.
Absolutely stop with the 1200 calories. If you have 40 pounds to lose you likely should be eating 1800 and even more if you are an active person, which sounds like you are. I under-ate in the beginning and I'm paying for it now. Focus on health primarily, then you will be less likely to make weight loss into race. People who determine their success based solely on the number on the scale have a difficult time sustaining a healthy lifestyle long term.0 -
Hi Akima, thanks for your reply. You're absolutely right about the full paleo/primal and no cheat days. Starting Monday, that's what it will be no matter what. As for the meat, it's not a matter that I'm unwilling to pay for better quality, but as a single and only parent who sometimes does and sometimes doesn't get child support, I simply CANNOT pay $9/pound for ground beef and more than that for decent steaks. I don't like fish but am incorporating that more because I can catch it living on the coast, or at least it's somewhat reasonable. I understand the whole supply and demand thing but I still have to keep the lights on in the house and put gas in the truck to get to work. I'm hoping that will ease a bit this year and next and I'll be able to start buying better quality meats. My produce, however, does come locally through a produce market in town, plus I grow some of my own, and that stuff is all much less expensive than the grocery store. Thanks for taking a look and sharing your advice!0
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Hi Sunny,
Regarding the meat, just do the best that you can with what you have to work with. Most of the time I buy grass fed from my local grocer. Regular grocery stores (Von's/Safeway/Kroger, etc) do carry uncured, grass-fed meats and the prices aren't much different than the regular stuff, but sometimes when I see regular steaks on a killer sale, I just but those. It isn't mandatory, it's just something that you can work towards.0 -
Hi Akima, thanks for your reply. You're absolutely right about the full paleo/primal and no cheat days. Starting Monday, that's what it will be no matter what. As for the meat, it's not a matter that I'm unwilling to pay for better quality, but as a single and only parent who sometimes does and sometimes doesn't get child support, I simply CANNOT pay $9/pound for ground beef and more than that for decent steaks. I don't like fish but am incorporating that more because I can catch it living on the coast, or at least it's somewhat reasonable. I understand the whole supply and demand thing but I still have to keep the lights on in the house and put gas in the truck to get to work. I'm hoping that will ease a bit this year and next and I'll be able to start buying better quality meats. My produce, however, does come locally through a produce market in town, plus I grow some of my own, and that stuff is all much less expensive than the grocery store. Thanks for taking a look and sharing your advice!
I'm a single parent too and I get zero child support. I also live in a crazy expensive place; however, I have a decent job too. But the grass-fed meats are even more expensive and more difficult to access than where you are (I get some wild meat occasionally). I crunched some numbers and found out that I can get grass-fed meats to me in the Arctic (only the cheap cuts) for about $500-600 per month. However, that's a retail supplier and I am still on the look-out for a farmer that will ship directly to me. In Canada, like the US, all the regulations work against the small farmer.
Please consider health costs when you are calculating expenses. Preventing illness and ensuring the best health possible pays off later! Also, when one eats healthy food, we eat less. When I went Primal I was actually SAVING money, but now that i'm determined to get healthy meats I won't be but still about the same costs as pre-Primal and I can cut spending in other areas.
GET TO KNOW YOUR LOCAL FARMERS. You will not find affordable, free range meats in the supermarket. I also don't trust many of the products that pretend to be "free range" such as eggs. There's so many loopholes that large producers can use to lie to us on their packages.
Sometimes different choices are not easy to decide to make, but keep an open mind and keep looking for better options.
So don't sweat whether you meat is free range, do the best you can with what you have access to, BUT keep exploring better options! Don't just accept that you can't afford it. Grass fed meats directly from a farmer will often be cheaper than any meat in the stores. Takes a bit of effort to find them, but well worth it for you and your child.0 -
Thank you both! I have upped my calories to 1720, spent a while calculating a few days worth of menus because I'll get lazy if I don't. I'm finding it hard to reach that number of calories without going over the carb macros. Probably shouldn't sweat it too much. This weekend has been a disaster with the consumption of grains, which I knew but I'm in a terrible mood today depite lots of sleep last night. Looking forward to resetting tomorrow, feeling better, and hopefully see an increase in energy levels with the higher calories.
Akima, do you have any suggestions for finding local farmers? I came across...wild eats I think it is, not too long ago, through an article that had interesting cost benefits by buying bulk, and I remember as a kid in NC going to a farm every year to pick out a calf which was then fattened and butchered for my parents. But the websites I visited for local farmers here were rather discouraging even for their bulk prices. We do have a local co-op which has meat from time to time. And the Publix grocery stores offer a wide range of grass fed products, cheaper than local in many local farmers. I really thought living in Florida with as large of a beef industry as we have that I'd find better prices! It was discouraging, but as you say, I'll explore other options and see what I can do, even if its just baby steps up the grass fed ladder. Your pricing of meat up there gave me sticker shock. I spend about $400-500 month on my total grocery bill. Can't imagine spending that on meat alone! I do have a promotion and raise plus side work coming so the finances should get better soon, and I'll start making changes. Thanks again!0 -
Thank you both! I have upped my calories to 1720, spent a while calculating a few days worth of menus because I'll get lazy if I don't. I'm finding it hard to reach that number of calories without going over the carb macros. Probably shouldn't sweat it too much. This weekend has been a disaster with the consumption of grains, which I knew but I'm in a terrible mood today depite lots of sleep last night. Looking forward to resetting tomorrow, feeling better, and hopefully see an increase in energy levels with the higher calories.
Akima, do you have any suggestions for finding local farmers? I came across...wild eats I think it is, not too long ago, through an article that had interesting cost benefits by buying bulk, and I remember as a kid in NC going to a farm every year to pick out a calf which was then fattened and butchered for my parents. But the websites I visited for local farmers here were rather discouraging even for their bulk prices. We do have a local co-op which has meat from time to time. And the Publix grocery stores offer a wide range of grass fed products, cheaper than local in many local farmers. I really thought living in Florida with as large of a beef industry as we have that I'd find better prices! It was discouraging, but as you say, I'll explore other options and see what I can do, even if its just baby steps up the grass fed ladder. Your pricing of meat up there gave me sticker shock. I spend about $400-500 month on my total grocery bill. Can't imagine spending that on meat alone! I do have a promotion and raise plus side work coming so the finances should get better soon, and I'll start making changes. Thanks again!
I live in the Canadian Arctic so I can't tell you exactly how to meet your local farmers. I'm working on meeting farmers in Alberta when I'm on vacation this summer. I already of one to visit that isn't far from where I will be staying. Other than that, I will ask local people about farmers in the area, go to farmers markets and just drive around. I'm determined to stop buying our local store meats that are the crappiest quality for the highest price.
Yes, start online but many farmers are too busy to mess with that. Talk to people. Go to farmer's markets. Farmers often operate on word of mouth. Don't be afraid to drive into a farmers yard and just ask them if they know people who sell what you are looking for. Just start networking. Find someone to split an order with so that you can save by buying in bulk.
My grocery bill for me and one 6yo child is $1200-1600 per month, and that's with only a little free range meat and wild meat that I get for free or cheap. I'll cut corners in other areas to be able to afford grass-fed meats from now on. I'm doing a bunch of research to try to figure it all out. Even though I'm healthy eating how I am now, I grew up on healthy, locally farmed meat and I want my child to have that too. (Ideally, we'd eat all wild meat but that's not how it's working out and it's not safe for me to try to be out hunting alone etc.) The challenge will be finding the right place or two, knowing when to order and arranging all the shipping details. And getting a new freezer which I should bring up on the barge but will probably end up flying in because barge cut off is soon! Darn.
I'd be cautious about the foods in supermarkets. I don't trust that they are always what they say they are. That is, when there is lots of money involved many businesses will stretch the truth or downright lie. Free range eggs are a good example, as is extra virgin olive oil.0 -
Thank you both! I have upped my calories to 1720, spent a while calculating a few days worth of menus because I'll get lazy if I don't. I'm finding it hard to reach that number of calories without going over the carb macros. Probably shouldn't sweat it too much. This weekend has been a disaster with the consumption of grains, which I knew but I'm in a terrible mood today depite lots of sleep last night. Looking forward to resetting tomorrow, feeling better, and hopefully see an increase in energy levels with the higher calories.
Akima, do you have any suggestions for finding local farmers? I came across...wild eats I think it is, not too long ago, through an article that had interesting cost benefits by buying bulk, and I remember as a kid in NC going to a farm every year to pick out a calf which was then fattened and butchered for my parents. But the websites I visited for local farmers here were rather discouraging even for their bulk prices. We do have a local co-op which has meat from time to time. And the Publix grocery stores offer a wide range of grass fed products, cheaper than local in many local farmers. I really thought living in Florida with as large of a beef industry as we have that I'd find better prices! It was discouraging, but as you say, I'll explore other options and see what I can do, even if its just baby steps up the grass fed ladder. Your pricing of meat up there gave me sticker shock. I spend about $400-500 month on my total grocery bill. Can't imagine spending that on meat alone! I do have a promotion and raise plus side work coming so the finances should get better soon, and I'll start making changes. Thanks again!
Probably http://www.eatwild.com/products/florida.html it's a good place to start, but like Akima said, not a lot of farms are online. Also, keep in mind just how much meat you get when you buy, say, half a cow (hint - about 300lbs). It can certainly be a challenge to get the money for that initial investment, but it will last you several months, especially once you start learning to use the less-favored cuts, such as bones and organs. One thing I noticed is that prices go down the farther north you go (ie - a Virginia farm I happened upon is half the price of the FL one I looked at), so if you can, it might be worth looking even in Georgia or Alabama and taking a day trip every few months to pick up half a cow (if there's enough of a price difference, it might be worthwhile, even with the cost of gas).0 -
You're asking about things not quite right in the bathroom, right?
I recently cut out dairy and I have to say that things have been running perfectly for me in that department since. I've been dairy free about 10 days.0
