Why we skip the whole unweight/unmeasrured part of Paleo

fatguyweightloss

Just curious of peoples reasons to ignore the unweighed/measured part of Paleo. Personally I am just crazy and like to have a history of what I have eaten to look back on the data if I feel I am stalling out.

Have any of you tried the non-measured approach without good results?

GalaxyDuck

I started on MFP last February and religiously logged my food for over 6 mths. When I started paleo in October, I was nervous about no longer tracking, but after doing it for so long and being in maintenance for almost 3 months before I started paleo, I was ready for a break. I stopped tracking my intake for everything in October and I lost an additional ten lbs that I wasn't even trying to lose.

I've started tracking my food again temporarily now, mostly to make sure I'm getting in enough protein to build some muscle. Once I've done it for a few more weeks and have an idea how to hit my higher protein targets every day, I'm going to go back to not tracking. It was soo nice to be able to eat whenever I wanted, however much I wanted, without worrying about it. Since I've been tracking again I have found even on days when I feel I've pigged out, I haven't over eaten in terms of calories.

To me it's just a lot less stressful/carefree to eat when you're hungry and not worry about logging it! But I know a lot of people continue to log their foods while they're trying to lose weight to help keep them on track.

Sofithomas

The thing about paleo is that if people aren't careful they can fall into the mindset of 'these nuts/fats/oils are good for, so I can have loads!' and consequently put on weight due to the fairly calorific nature of these foods - a calorie is a calorie, after all!

Personally I always keep track on how many nuts I am eating, or I if I use oils etc - makes me more aware of what I am eating so I don't go over calories.

hpsnickers1

I use the scale now. After 2 months of logging, weighing, counting, and spending my entire day dealing with food, I was sick of it. My carb count is the only thing that affects the scale and I know it is mostly water. That comes off fast and since I'm a fat burner it doesn't take much to drop any fat I might gain. I'm a little more relaxed on the weekends and can get myself into trouble with junk carbs.

I found Primal Blueprint and I just stopped all of it. When you eat only a couple of times a day you don't have to worry about calories. Funny that dinner is now my biggest meal.

If you snack on nuts and seeds or nut butters then yes, probably want to keep an eye on the calories - only because it's so easy to eat a lot of them. I've gone through a jar of nut butter in two days (I just don't buy it now). I snack on Lindt's 85% Dark Chocolate. It's really hard to overeat that - it's so rich.

Calories might count, but you really don't have to count calories to lose weight.

bluebird321

I count the calories, weigh myself etc., but I do it because I need the structure and it reminds me to be mindful. Other people are probably more self-disciplined and don't need to do it.

twinmom01

I do track so I can have an idea of what i ate during the day and can sort of police myself.

That being said i dont' "weigh" my food or take exact measurements...from back int he day when i was measuring and weighing all my food I have a pretty good eye as to what a cup of chicken or veggies look like... so i get it fairly close to what i am eating but i don't sweat it if i go over by a bit because for the most part what i am eating if I eat say a cup and a half of cauliflower vs the cup I recorded that isn't much (but back BP recording a cup of oalmeal and then eating a cup and a half is a bigger deal)

One thing I did was I adjusted MFP down to 1350 calories a day and for the most part don't record things like olive and coconut oil when I use like TBSP to sautee or toss veggies in to roast - because while I have some intake and calories from it - it isnt' a full TBSP...i usually only account for that stuff if i am going to ingest it straight (i.e. use it as part of a salad dressing or when I make my faux cous cous) or I use a larger amount to fry with (like when I make my salmon cakes - ill also add in 1/2 TBSP since the cake is going to absorb more)

fatguyweightloss

Awesome responses, I actually find myself coming to MFP discovering I really need to eat more calories since I have started a more strict paleo diet (was more healthy foods low carb with paleo dendencies before)

I actually avoid the nuts/dairy because I find they can stall my weight loss like Sofithomas mentioned previously and do not really provide a good amount of nutrients given the calories they contain.

twinmom01

Awesome responses, I actually find myself coming to MFP discovering I really need to eat more calories since I have started a more strict paleo diet (was more healthy foods low carb with paleo dendencies before)

I actually avoid the nuts/dairy because I find they can stall my weight loss like Sofithomas mentioned previously and do not really provide a good amount of nutrients given the calories they contain.

Since I bring my breakfast, lunch and snacks to work with me I usually input everything in the morning to see how my day is going to shake out...what i have found is some afternoons I go home and realize i never ate those carrots or that orange I put in my snacks because I simply wasn't hungry and never grabbed it out of the fridge...

I can't avoid nuts they are a paleo weakness - I do have to make sure I only have about a serving to a serving and a half a day...(less than 250 calories) they are my main thing to snack on during the day...grab 6...grab 6 more 2 hours later....another 6....and another 6....

Lauraph

I like the idea of not having to weigh and measure and maybe I will get there, but right now it is a good tool. Since I am just beginning I am still struggling with digestive issues so having the food logged will help me keep track of when I feel good and not so good.

The first week I did weigh and measure just so I could remind myself of what a real portion is. Now I just estimate.

I also like seeing the macronutrients - making sure they are all in line. Today I let my carbs get out of control - than darn fruit:)

monkeydharma

If a person does not have an eating disorder, they can do paleo/primal without counting calories.

Since I am prone to binge eating, I do count calories - some days, all that stops me from raiding the larder is thet I'm 'out of calories' on MFP.

weathergirl320

I honestly don't really keep track of anything I eat. I am always saying how unrestricted I feel on thks diet and measuring and potions make me feel restricted. I just make good decisions about what is on my plate then I eat until I'm full. I do weigh myself A LOT. lol. I only record my weight in the afternoon but I weigh myself like at least 5 times a day lol! But its more out of curiosity because I am consistently losing so I always feel good when I see the scale because I know I am not going to baloon up 30 lbs in one day lol. But yeah I go more by the scale than portions so I know I'm doing something right lol.

QuakerMom

Interesting and timely discussion for me, since I just returned from 6 days of traveling, where I didn't count or measure anything. Getting back to it today is a bit of a drag -- i am about to log my whole day's worth of food but would really rather not. I definitely look forward to the freedom from logging, but until i lose about another 8-10 lbs i will keep tracking, b/c i think it helps keep me accountable.

Funny thing too, that i was doing pretty well most days we were gone -- our host was pretty accommodating, served grass-fed beef and pastured chicken , but also offered me gluten free bread and pasta which i declined -- though i did politely indulge in one breakfast meal that was totally off plan, and got me into trouble from then on. Then, the way home, the thing that i totally over did in the car was the trail mix w/nuts and dark chocolate. So yes, count me in the camp that will overeat nuts if i'm not tracking!

I'm giving myself 3 recovery days before i get on the scale -- i'm sure i gained, but hopefully not more than a lb or 2.

sweet110

I think it really depends on what your "demons" are. Some people really like food. So, they can eat too much steak, vegetables, and coconut fat...as well as eating too much of the "small portion" foods like potatoes, fruit, and nuts.

But, my problem isn't really about "food," its about certain foods. So, if I can't have bread and cake and cookies and pasta...well, I'm just not going to overeat the rest of it. Even things like nuts...if I get raw unsalted...there's really only so many of those things I'm going to eat. If nothing else, they're so damn expensive, even if I do overeat them...I don't' have the budget to just run out and get more, so I'll just do without for a week or two. Which, over time, evens things out.

*The caveat is that I'm not going for a "hard body" or gorgeously lean look. Generally speaking, anyone who wants to look like an athlete or fitness model, has to *both train and eat like one.* Which means eating carefully, no matter what your diet philosophy is. I'm content to just be within a normal range, so I'm happy just eating like a normal person.

luckygirl007

I counted my calories religiously for 2 and half months and did not see any results. I obsessed over my level of nutrients and stayed within my calories 1200 - 1400 every day. Heck I even put in all the ingredients from so many of my recipes just to make sure I logged everything correctly... still the weight would not move. But since I started eating Paleo I stopped tracking and now the weight is coming off !! But I will say that because I was so diligent about my tracking before I pretty much know how to keep things from getting out of hand.

My energy has picked up and I am free to do other things besides log calories.... like look for great paleo recipes !!

missyyclaire

I track, to stay aware of what is going in, and so I can look back at my diary when I need to reference. It also helps me stay honest with my intake, otherwise I can really overindulge

caeliumspecto

For me, I log everything because my main reason for trying to shift into a paleo/primal diet is to manage my hypoglycemia and bipolar. Thus, it is essential I only eat 100g carbs a day. This will become less essential once I fully adopt a paleo diet. Right now the macro-nutrients are the priority and until I clear my pantry/fridge of everything I shouldn't eat, I'm making due with bad things in small doses.