Am I eating too few cals with a Primal / Paleo lifestyle?

erickirb

Hi there. I am following the Dukan Diet, which is low-carb.

I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full as well. I average 1000 cals per day. I do not feel deprived. I feel full and satisfied after every meal. The fact of the matter is, you just get more food for the calorie price when you omit carbs/fruit.

So to answer your question, I don't think you're eating too few if you really aren't hungry and feel satisfied.

He is eating only slightly more than you and is more than double your weight, so he needs to eat more.

MIMITIME

If it works for you then that's all that counts. Different things work for different people. The MFP works for me where as the Paleo did not. I will say that I am concerned at how few calories you are eating especially being a tall guy. Just don't go too far. Good Luck

tjnahm

In all honesty I am trying to eat more... haha. I am just full after eating, and I don't get hungry in-between meal times.

I am strength training in addition to just wanting to lose weight as my ultimate goal is to get back on the ice again, as well as get involved in running events like Tough Mudder and the Spartan Race, and coaching my son in lacrosse and hockey. My strength has continued to increase on the weights by about 30% and I have doubled the number of push-ups I can do in just two-three weeks.

I know that this weight loss pace will taper down soon to the normal 2lbs/week or so, I am just looking forward to make sure that I am doing all I can to lose the weight, gain strength and endurance, and basically become leaner, stronger, faster, and overall harder to kill, in as healthy a way as possible.

AdAstra47

What you will do with that much of a calorie restriction my friend is cause your body to conserve and STOP burning calories. I'd bump up the cals.,... Linda/RN

Not quite. I'm no expert, but I've heard several well-respected people suggest that this is a myth. According to them, what really happens is that sometimes people lose weight by losing both fat and muscle. Muscle naturally burns more calories than other body tissues, even when you're at rest. So if you are maintaining your muscle and only losing fat, you will maintain your metabolism level & continue to burn. But if you are not eating enough protein and are losing both muscle and fat, your rate of calorie burn will decrease with the decrease in muscle, and you will have a more difficult time losing any more weight.

I would have your doctor do a body composition test regularly to make sure that what you are losing is just fat, not muscle. For example, my doctor says I've lost 42 lb in fat & water weight, and gained 4 lb in muscle (he was very happy with that ). If you are losing muscle, you should up your protein intake. Otherwise, if it's working for you, I'd go with it!

PantalaNagaPampa

Thanks for the fast comments already!

We are eating mostly chicken, eggs, beef, bacon (baked not fried), and salmon (in that order) for our proteins. My wife prefers the mean to be the more leaner cuts and our bacon is baked again out of preference and for ease of cooking.

We cook with butter, ghee, and bacon fat the majority of the time.

It is possible that I am undercounting the cals from the fats... but not by much.

Sounds like a lot of great choices... I have only been doing Primal for about 3 weeks, have lost about 12 pounds thus far. My calorie count tends to be around the 1600 range, but I am never worried about how high or low I am on Calories, just about what I am eating and if I am hungry or not. I track my food mainly to make sure I am staying in my Prot/Carb/Fat range. If I keep my ratios right and get 1200 cals, I am not worried, if I go up to 2000, still not worried.

If you are loosing 5lbs a week, I wouldn't think you need to lose any faster. That is a fast and major loss per week. I personally say, keep doing just what you are doing. If the weight starts slowing down, then maybe look at changing your intake some.

that is my non-professional opnion.

Also, I like using walnit oil, coconut oil and macadamia oil in sparing amounts. I go with Grass fed beef, organic or open pastuer chickn and organic veggies, when possible. I will say I am not averaging 5lbs a week like you, but closer to 3lbs a week, which is good for me.

Best of luck with it. Keep us all informed. I personally would like to see more of your progress.

FairyMiss

i will still maintain my dont worry stance. if you want to eat more cause you are hungry than fine.

but i wouldn't force yourself to eat more because someone on a website says you should.

or what numbers some website says at the end of the day.

the website should be used as a guide line not a be all end all.

as i never send blood work or anyother medical tests into the site it really cannot defintively say what is right for ME.

Grokette

The whole point of eating the Paleo Lifestyle way is to learn to eat intuitively and listen to your body. This is where I differ from most of the opinions posted here.

It is not about the QUANTITY of the calories / food you eat, but the QUALITY that is the most important.

Naturally, you are eating a CLEAN, WHOLE FOODS Diet and your calories are not going to be near what someone else who is eating processed foods and experiences hunger more often than you do.

Listen to your body. Eat when your hungry, don't eat when your not. Calorie Counting is for the birds.

Thanks for looking everyone! A few details to lay out first before the meat of the question... get it... MEAT! I crack myself up... haha :P

I am 40 years old, former minor league athlete (hockey) that got himself fat after nine surgeries and moderate depression over the past ten years of "retirement" from sports. I am 6'2", currently 307.6 as of this morning, and have lost 81lbs since 22 June, 2011... a little over 15 weeks. I walk approximately 2 miles a day, strength train 2-3 times per week, sprint once a week, and do a CrossFit style high intensity workout 1-2 times a week.

As mentioned in the subject, I eat a Primal / Paleo style diet and love it. No sugars, no grains at all, no processed food. I only eat beef, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts, and limited dairy. I eat a large breakfast, moderate lunch, and light dinner. Sometimes I will eat a fruit snack after dinner, but that is really only if I am hungry.

I eat when I am hungry and I stop when I am full. I do not count calories or macro-nutrients on a daily basis, though I do typically average a week of tracking per month to see where I am in hindsight.

I have been tracking this week and I am finding that I am hitting the following approximate numbers on average for the week:

Calories: 1200
Protein: 90gr = 35%
Fat: 75gr = 55%
Carbs: 45gr = 10%

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/tjnahm

So the question... Even though I am eating when hungry and stopping when full. On the days I have a particularly strenuous workout (estimated 800-1000 cals burned), my net caloric intake for the day is sometimes near zero.

So, am I eating enough? Or do I not worry about it right now as I am still obese and still losing weight at an average of 5.2lbs per week for the past 15 weeks?

erickirb

The whole point of eating the Paleo Lifestyle way is to learn to eat intuitively and listen to your body. This is where I differ from most of the opinions posted here.

It is not about the QUANTITY of the calories / food you eat, but the QUALITY that is the most important.

Naturally, you are eating a CLEAN, WHOLE FOODS Diet and your calories are not going to be near what someone else who is eating processed foods and experiences hunger more often than you do.

Listen to your body. Eat when your hungry, don't eat when your not. Calorie Counting is for the birds.

I get what you are saying here, but hunger is not a very good indication of your body's nutritional requirements, and the amount he is eating and exercising would not be enough for my 1 year old son, let alone a 300 lb man over 6 feet tall.

FK1983

Thanks for the fast comments already!

We are eating mostly chicken, eggs, beef, bacon (baked not fried), and salmon (in that order) for our proteins. My wife prefers the mean to be the more leaner cuts and our bacon is baked again out of preference and for ease of cooking.

We cook with butter, ghee, and bacon fat the majority of the time.

It is possible that I am undercounting the cals from the fats... but not by much.

But please eat more, about double what you are eating is what you need.

Lmao......


Back to OP, your doing GREAT, if you feel ok and are losing the weight do NOT change what your doing, some "advice" given in this thread is shocking, luckily its the minority! do what YOUR happy doing!

1,200 calories a day was my main daily goal and I lost 120lbs doing so, no ill effects, lots of energy and feel great! normal blood pressure and heart rate etc! I have around 1,400 calories a day now on average as I don't have much more to lose, if I eat more I get very very sluggish,

I've also not put ANY weight back on so am very happy!

FK1983

but i wouldn't force yourself to eat more because someone on a website says you should.

^THIS!!!! totally agree! :happy:

Drunkadelic

Here is the science in simple form:

- Extra fat cells release leptin which signals your brain that your full and thus you don't feel like eating anymore.

- Most people on the Standard American Diet are leptin resistant (so they can't tell when they are actually full, thus keep eating).

- Eating Paleo / Primal has shown to help regulate these "hunger" hormones.

So, this is my theory: Your body is telling you that you already have excess fuel and that it is not necessary for you to eat more. This WILL change once you lose more weight, but that's not a big deal at all.

I'm sticking to my guns. If you feel fine and if your workouts aren't suffering, then I wouldn't worry about it. You only really need to worry about forcing yourself to eat when you are trying to gain muscle mass. I know a lot of Paleo guys have a hard time eating enough to do that.

Just make sure to get your fat in! I've been saving up all my bacon fat (om nom nom nom)

erickirb

Thanks for the fast comments already!

We are eating mostly chicken, eggs, beef, bacon (baked not fried), and salmon (in that order) for our proteins. My wife prefers the mean to be the more leaner cuts and our bacon is baked again out of preference and for ease of cooking.

We cook with butter, ghee, and bacon fat the majority of the time.

It is possible that I am undercounting the cals from the fats... but not by much.

But please eat more, about double what you are eating is what you need.

Lmao......


Back to OP, your doing GREAT, if you feel ok and are losing the weight do NOT change what your doing, some "advice" given in this thread is shocking, luckily its the minority! do what YOUR happy doing!

1,200 calories a day was my main daily goal and I lost 120lbs doing so, no ill effects, lots of energy and feel great! normal blood pressure and heart rate etc! I have around 1,400 calories a day now on average as I don't have much more to lose,

I've also not put ANY weight back on so am very happy!

Congrats on your progress, but if you are only losing slow on 1400 cals your metabolism has already slowed down. What is going to happen once you go back on maintenance cals (probably 2000ish/day plus exercise calories)

and the LMAO comment, since the glutes are mainly muscle, and you most likely lost a lot of muscle only eat 1200 cals/day, probably did end up losing your A, along with what could have been a fast metabolism if you ate at a smaller deficit and lost the weight slower.

Drunkadelic

but i wouldn't force yourself to eat more because someone on a website says you should.

^THIS!!!! totally agree! :happy:

2nd :drinker:

Grokette

The whole point of eating the Paleo Lifestyle way is to learn to eat intuitively and listen to your body. This is where I differ from most of the opinions posted here.

It is not about the QUANTITY of the calories / food you eat, but the QUALITY that is the most important.

Naturally, you are eating a CLEAN, WHOLE FOODS Diet and your calories are not going to be near what someone else who is eating processed foods and experiences hunger more often than you do.

Listen to your body. Eat when your hungry, don't eat when your not. Calorie Counting is for the birds.

I get what you are saying here, but hunger is not a very good indication of your body's nutritional requirements, and the amount he is eating and exercising would not be enough for my 1 year old son, let alone a 300 lb man over 6 feet tall.

The nutrition requirements that the FDA and USDA say we need are not entirely accurate. I don't adhere to these agencies and I don't trust them either.

Anyone on a Whole Foods and Clean Eating Plan is getting the required nutrition and more, provided they are eating enough variety.

tjnahm

Thanks for all the comments everyone!

I think the biggest key to the whole issue is a thorough understanding of the Leptin Hypothesis and how it affects weight loss due to the body's release of Leptin and Insulin.

I have some great info here and I appreciate the help everyone!

Have a blessed day!

tjnahm

The nutrition requirements that the FDA and USDA say we need are not entirely accurate. I don't adhere to these agencies and I don't trust them either.

Anyone on a Whole Foods and Clean Eating Plan is getting the required nutrition and more, provided they are eating enough variety.

AMEN and agreed 100%

Drunkadelic

Thanks for all the comments everyone!

I think the biggest key to the whole issue is a thorough understanding of the Leptin Hypothesis and how it affects weight loss due to the body's release of Leptin and Insulin.

I have some great info here and I appreciate the help everyone!

Have a blessed day!

FairyMiss

Thanks for the fast comments already!

We are eating mostly chicken, eggs, beef, bacon (baked not fried), and salmon (in that order) for our proteins. My wife prefers the mean to be the more leaner cuts and our bacon is baked again out of preference and for ease of cooking.

We cook with butter, ghee, and bacon fat the majority of the time.

It is possible that I am undercounting the cals from the fats... but not by much.

But please eat more, about double what you are eating is what you need.

Lmao......


Back to OP, your doing GREAT, if you feel ok and are losing the weight do NOT change what your doing, some "advice" given in this thread is shocking, luckily its the minority! do what YOUR happy doing!

1,200 calories a day was my main daily goal and I lost 120lbs doing so, no ill effects, lots of energy and feel great! normal blood pressure and heart rate etc! I have around 1,400 calories a day now on average as I don't have much more to lose,

I've also not put ANY weight back on so am very happy!

Congrats on your progress, but if you are only losing slow on 1400 cals your metabolism has already slowed down. What is going to happen once you go back on maintenance cals (probably 2000ish/day plus exercise calories)

and the LMAO comment, since the glutes are mainly muscle, and you most likely lost a lot of muscle only eat 1200 cals/day, probably did end up losing your A, along with what could have been a fast metabolism if you ate at a smaller deficit and lost the weight slower.

would not his Maintance cal leve be what his body maintains on? who decides what number that is? who picks 2000.
is that a magic everything number like 1200

FK1983

Congrats on your progress, but if you are only losing slow on 1400 cals your metabolism has already slowed down. What is going to happen once you go back on maintenance cals (probably 2000ish/day plus exercise calories)

and the LMAO comment, since the glutes are mainly muscle, and you most likely lost a lot of muscle only eat 1200 cals/day, probably did end up losing your A, along with what could have been a fast metabolism if you ate at a smaller deficit and lost the weight slower.

LOL, nice how you try and twist pretty much everything when someone questions you, I've noticed you doing this in many topics on this site.

Rather than worrying about me and my "terribly slow metabolism" (lol) maybe you should concentrate more on the "advice" you throw around these forums, while some of is very informative and helpful a lot of it isn't.

FairyMiss

Congrats on your progress, but if you are only losing slow on 1400 cals your metabolism has already slowed down. What is going to happen once you go back on maintenance cals (probably 2000ish/day plus exercise calories)

and the LMAO comment, since the glutes are mainly muscle, and you most likely lost a lot of muscle only eat 1200 cals/day, probably did end up losing your A, along with what could have been a fast metabolism if you ate at a smaller deficit and lost the weight slower.

LOL, nice how you try and twist pretty much everything when someone criticizes, i've noticed you doing this in many topics on this site.

Rather than worrying about me and my "terribly slow metabolism" (lol) maybe you should concentrate more on the "advice" you throw around these forums, while some of is very informative and helpful a lot of it isn't.

what i want to know is how you managed to lose 120 pounds with your terribly slow metabolism.


(just for the record notice the dripping sarcasm, and note it is not at you but the other)_