Few Questions...

Cerebrus189

Hi all. I've got a few questions because I want to be sure I'm doing this right. This past week my weight seems to be creeping up by a few pounds (could be my monthly friend) and I'm now pondering once again if I'm doing everything right. My diary is open for public view and with the exception of a few days a week, I typically eat Primally with some small exceptions. I have set my goals for 1516 calories daily which is my BMR and typically eat around that many quite comfortably. I almost always meet my macronutrient ratio, watch my sodium intake and drink lots of water, even if I don't always put it in my diary. I'm trying to give up coffee altogether this week and so I have splurged on crappy creamer to make my 1/2 cups of coffee worth it.

My questions:

1. As a 33-year old female at 5'10" weighing 158lbs (goal weight of 140 lbs), should I be limiting my carb intake under 50 grams a day at this point or increase to under 100g of carbs a day? At what point in my weight loss can I switch over to between 50-100 carbs per day? I really want to increase it this week if possible but I don't want there to be a gain when I weigh in on Sunday due to the extra carbs even if they're coming from fruits and vegetables.

2. Should I set a max calorie intake for daily consumption? Right now it's around 1500 and I can easily eat 1800+ everyday.

3. On days that I meet my calorie goal under 1500 and exercise too, is it necessary to eat my earned calories (with the exception of my carb intake). I've noticed that sometimes my net calories are only 800 because when I exercise, I can burn up to 800 throughout the day just walking, doing strength training and simply cleaning my house.

Input is appreciated

monkeydharma

I'd verify first if the weight gain isn't cyclic water gain. It affects my wife by 2-3 pounds every month...

GalaxyDuck

Over the past year I've come to accept the fact that the week before and the week of my monthly friend, I do "gain" a few lbs. If you track your weight regularly, you'll probably notice a similar trend. It doesn't bother me anymore because I know WHY it's happening, and that it's not necessarily because of what I'm eating but the natural things that are going on in my body. It is also helpful to realize that once that time of month is done, I drop these extra "gained" lbs almost immediately. (Whew relief when I noticed that!)

I didn't get a chance to look through your diary, but when it comes to whether or not you should eat back your exercise calories, I suggest you give it a try. Everybody is a little different, and there are plenty of threads on here about this particular subject with people fighting back and forth.

Let's say you eat 800 calories worth of food. Then you work out and burn 800 calories. That would set you back to zero, so what's fueling your body at that point? Now I will say that you don't need to eat them ALL back, I'd shoot for 50-75% of them when you can but don't worry about eating them all back if you're still hungry. I suggest that only because we can sometimes inaccurately log our food or estimate our calories burned, so it gives you a little leeway. When I was in my weight loss phase (before going paleo/primal) I ate back almost all of my exercise calories and lost consistently. If I had a week or two where I didn't get to eat them back, I experienced no loss, or a gain. Once again, everybody is different. You have to find what works best for you. Just take your time (these things DO take time! a few days of trying something isn't enough, try it a few weeks to a month!) and stick with it!

Good luck

Cerebrus189

Thanks for the responses! I weighed myself again and I dropped the pounds I thought I had gained this week, so it must have been my monthly cycle and water weight just messing with me. I'll keep that in mind next month so I don't get so worried about it.

As far as eating back the calories, I'll try that. I guess it's really about listening to one's body and if I'm hungry after exercise, picking the right kind of food to fuel my body. I was hungry last night even after dinner so I ate some more protein and a pear so I wouldn't make a bad choice and pick something like a cookie. It worked. I think I feel guilty eating back my calories after exercise like I'm rewarding myself with food since I worked so hard at my strength/cardio training.

_Amy_Budd

I think you're doing really well - thoughtfully considering all of these issues, and figuring out what works best for you. Sorry to pull out a cliche, but if you're serious about it, then this really is a long-term lifestyle choice, and it takes some playing around to discover the particular "formula" to which your body best responds.

As for the aversion to "rewarding" yourself with food, that's just perspective - you're not rewarding yourself, you're just fueling yourself.

(I emailed you back too, by the way...)


Amy

Cerebrus189

On that note, I'm ready to make this my lifestyle. I'm already in the mindset and am happily planning meals around it. Not only am I losing weight but I feel better. I don't have any tummy issues, have incredible energy and I know more now about diet than I've ever known. There's no turning back.

I'm looking into it for my kids as well as my daughter does high-energy competitive dance, my older son is going to start training in MMA, and my youngest son does dance as well but also has ADHD. My older son has actually lost weight now due to the way we eat at dinner since we don't have junk food at the house anymore. He's now in his normal range for BMI which he was so proud of.

That's true, Amy, about how it's just perspective. Refueling myself can come in the form of a salad, a steak, or a piece of fruit. All of these are vital nutrients that my body needs for replenishment.

Thanks for the reply!

twinmom01

Coffee isn't bad - I would just cut the creamer - lots of sugar you don't need...something I recently cut...I am using coconut milk.