how does one go from cal counting to clean/ paleo?

MaddameKat

pretty much what is says on the tin... but how do you stop the gain from no limiting your food intake? What are the daily benchmarks so to speak
I am still learning about this way of eating so excuse my cluelessness :embarassed:

MaddameKat

:frown: Noone? really? oh dear

Rilke

Someone familiar with paleo give this poster some helpful info / links . . .

scarletleavy

I eat Paleo, but I'm on maintenance so not actively losing weight at the moment, but I've found that when you're eating a diet high in protein and high in fat it really is quite difficult to overeat. If you are filling your meals with veggies, fruits, protein and some fat you will find that you are full. There are days where I struggle to get all my calories in. It may take a few weeks getting used to, but after that it becomes quite natural to eat normal amounts of food and not have to worry about counting every single calorie. I log my food occasionally now, just to make sure I'm still on track, but I find that when I self regulate I'm right where I should be in terms of calories, protein, fat, carbs, etc.

If you search for Paleo or Primal I'm sure you'll find a ton of threads about it, and also there's a Primal/Paleo group on here.

neanderthin

Read through this site.

www.marksdailyapple.com

The idea that you don't count calories is based on the satiating effects of a lower carb diet and eating what would be considered natural whole ingredients. I don't do paleo per se, but I've been consuming wht would be considered a lower carb diet with mostly whole foods, and I have a hard time filling my 3000 calorie goal, it may be I'm not consuming a VLCD and consuming less fat than most paleo people seem to feel is required. 3000 calories of lean protein and veg is a lot of food, thank god for my full fat dailry and cheese to help me get there.

mehaugen

I agree. I was able to stop logging my food before I eat it. Now I log it after I eat until I'm satisfied (I weigh out the amount that I think would satisfy me), and usually find that I am way under my calorie goal for that meal, and have to eat some more! It is difficult to get a lot of calories in when you don't eat any dairy. You can only eat so much meat (the most calorie dense item) until you are full and fruits and veg are super low cal. Or you can incorporate oils and nut butters into your foods, but I don't use a lot. Also I have discovered that dairy makes me tired and lethargic and now I don't even want to eat it anymore. I was already gluten free btw because I can't eat it. Also, plain fruit for dessert is like heaven now! I love eating this way!

MaddameKat

ooo thanks for the links and advice i shall go do some more reading

thecrossfitter

Hey! So I spent the month of November transitioning to paleo and I'm 2 weeks in. Before I answer I'm going to preface that I do not think this is "THE" way to eat before anyone freaks out on me. Just my choice and what I like for my body...

Onto your question

I've found that once I switched to paleo, the calories just took care of themselves. I log because I'm curious - but I eat when hungry and stop when full. My calorie intake has always been nearly dead on. My guess is because the foods I'm eating satisfy me, and leave me full (of course I have calorie dense foods like almonds and avocados but veggies are not calories dense at all!)

I also am not a low carb paleo - I eat far more fruit than what many paleo people eat. I usually get about 150 carbs a day.

I personally would be too nervous to be eating like 3500 calories - even if it was paleo - it just doesn't seem to make sense that that wouldn't make me gain weight. I simply don't burn that much! So I log my food and usually eat about 1900 calories a day and am losing. Paleo works for me (in my opinion) because I'm eating foods that don't leave me hungry shortly after, and I no longer eat a large quantity foods that are super dense in calories. I don't know if that makes sense...

UponThisRock

According to the paleo diet, just don't eat from the naughty list

Grokette

pretty much what is says on the tin... but how do you stop the gain from no limiting your food intake? What are the daily benchmarks so to speak
I am still learning about this way of eating so excuse my cluelessness :embarassed:

.

Well eating fat, protein and vegetables and minimal fruit intake, your calories will not be high. Vegetables and most fruits do not have much calories and the protein and fat make it nearly impossible to overeat.

It is such a simple plan.

hpsnickers1

I eat Paleo, but I'm on maintenance so not actively losing weight at the moment, but I've found that when you're eating a diet high in protein and high in fat it really is quite difficult to overeat. If you are filling your meals with veggies, fruits, protein and some fat you will find that you are full. There are days where I struggle to get all my calories in. It may take a few weeks getting used to, but after that it becomes quite natural to eat normal amounts of food and not have to worry about counting every single calorie. I log my food occasionally now, just to make sure I'm still on track, but I find that when I self regulate I'm right where I should be in terms of calories, protein, fat, carbs, etc.

If you search for Paleo or Primal I'm sure you'll find a ton of threads about it, and also there's a Primal/Paleo group on here.

Same here. In fact, I fight to get enough calories in me because my meals keep me full for so long now. I keep an eye on my carbs and make sure I get plenty of protein and fat (diabetes on both sides of my family. I have also learned that 1 in 5 diabetics are thin and plenty of obese people suffer from life long chronic high blood sugars that never develop into diabetes - it is not a disease of obesity - obesity is a symptom of high blood sugars and excessive insulin). Let's say you're living a Primal/Paleo lifestyle and you take in 100 more calories than you expend that day. Who's to say that your body can't take care of this extra 100 calories? Every other animal out there maintains, gains or loses for specific reasons and their systems maintain that weight . Their weight and appetite are regulated by hormones.

And they figured out calories in foods by burning them. I just don't think that my body burns calories the way fire burns foods. Our process is SO MUCH MORE COMPLEX than that.

songbyrdsweet

I still count. If I don't, I'll stop around 1,000 calories a lot of days. I keep track so I get at least 1400.