more calories....

hopsonc24

I think it may be time to start eating more calories (hoping it will lower the number on the scale). Looking for suggestions on healthy options. I eat paleo/primal.

Also has anyone increased your calories and had successful results? The thought freaks me out...I know it shouldnt

My diary is open

darrensurrey

The thought freaks me out

Why so? If you find it's not doing it for you, just go back to what you know works. You won't wake up dead one day. Try thinking of your body as a laboratory where you try things and see what happens. Providing it's not kerazy stuff like, I dunno, the Mercury Diet (eat 3 cups of mercury a day) then what is the problem?

As for calories and paleo, nuts and seeds. And peanut butter. Not entire sure how a caveman makes glass and plastic lids for the peanut butter, mind. Or you could just *gasp* eat carbs/wheat.

jonesin_am

Just recently increased my calories (from 1500 to 2000-2200) and have seen a loss each week after a plateau that lasted months. Too many calories burned with exercise and I didn't realize it at the time but I was netting under 1200 daily. Now I make sure to net at least 1200. And I have added a lot more protein to my diet and eat clean 90% of the time. Try it, you have nothing to lose but some more weight

hopsonc24

The thought freaks me out

Why so? If you find it's not doing it for you, just go back to what you know works. You won't wake up dead one day. Try thinking of your body as a laboratory where you try things and see what happens. Providing it's not kerazy stuff like, I dunno, the Mercury Diet (eat 3 cups of mercury a day) then what is the problem?

As for calories and paleo, nuts and seeds. And peanut butter. Not entire sure how a caveman makes glass and plastic lids for the peanut butter, mind. Or you could just *gasp* eat carbs/wheat.

lol!!! Gasp is right!!!!!!! JK. I dont think wheat and carbs are bad in generally, they just dont agree with my body so that is why I choose to avoid the.

My first thought was adding more nuts in, but is it healthy to eat nuts on a daily basis?

The thought freaks me out, bc all my life I have thought the less you eat the more you lose. Although we all know that isnt true, it is sometimes difficult to get past that thought!!!

I dont eat PB, however I suppose maybe celery with almond butter would be a good option.

Thank you for the ideas

_granola

Definitely think eating more might be a good idea.

More calorie dense foods include nuts/seeds, avocados, coconut oil/butter/cream/milk/anything, and nut butters. You could also just try increasing portion sizes of things you already eat.

auddii

I've been cutting down on carbs and reading up on paleo. I'm not sure I'm going to make the switch (I've been eating paleo-ish at home and doing whatever when I go out to eat). Personally, I eat a lot more vegetables that you do, and I add olive oil when I cook them. I love oven roasted veggies, and I made up to large pans worth last night, then froze them in single servings. But, my serving is 1.5 cups as opposed to your .5 cup. If you can't eat as much (you're just stuffed), cooking in oil will help add calories and good fats. I also eat avocados and peanut butter (I love peanut butter). I've been drinking soy milk as well. The peanut butter and soy milk aren't paleo, so that may not work for you. Almond milk is paleo though. I also eat a lot of eggs. My breakfast this morning was 2tbsp of peanut butter (straight off the spoon), soy milk, and a hard boiled egg (with spicy mustard - 4 ingredients). I'll also have two more hard boiled eggs throughout the day as snacks. It's hard to do paleo and low fat at the same time; a lot of the calories come from fat. Embrace the good fat.

hopsonc24

Just recently increased my calories (from 1500 to 2000-2200) and have seen a loss each week after a plateau that lasted months. Too many calories burned with exercise and I didn't realize it at the time but I was netting under 1200 daily. Now I make sure to net at least 1200. And I have added a lot more protein to my diet and eat clean 90% of the time. Try it, you have nothing to lose but some more weight

I think that is the culprit of the weight loss slow down. I have increased my running and my weight training and I seem to be netting under 1200 on several days a week.

you are right, its about trial and error...if it doesnt work then I can go back or try something new. I think my biggest fear is that it will cause me to gain. (probably a very unrealistic fear)

hopsonc24

Definitely think eating more might be a good idea.

More calorie dense foods include nuts/seeds, avocados, coconut oil/butter/cream/milk/anything, and nut butters. You could also just try increasing portion sizes of things you already eat.

Forgot about avocados, great idea!! Thank you

tryclyn

These can help with your numbers.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm

darrensurrey

lol!!! Gasp is right!!!!!!! JK. I dont think wheat and carbs are bad in generally, they just dont agree with my body so that is why I choose to avoid the.

My first thought was adding more nuts in, but is it healthy to eat nuts on a daily basis?

The thought freaks me out, bc all my life I have thought the less you eat the more you lose. Although we all know that isnt true, it is sometimes difficult to get past that thought!!!

I dont eat PB, however I suppose maybe celery with almond butter would be a good option.

Thank you for the ideas

Fair enough if you have a wheat allergy.

Is it healthy to eat nuts every day? Hm, good question. I've been eating at least 25g of different types of nuts every day for over a year and my pet rabbit says I'm fine. I don't know of any long term illness that will come about from eating nuts - I mean, they're full of good fats and protein.

I see what you mean about it but if you understand the reasoning behind it, then I find it's fine. I've even been toying with diet breaks which you may be interested in: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

Also, if you gain a few pounds, so what? You can easily dump the weight. You've proven to yourself that you've done it before.

As for PB, why not? I devour a tablespoon every day.

Firefox7275

If you aren't eating grains or pulses or dairy you likely NEED to eat nuts or seeds daily to get all the minerals your body needs. TBH your diet looks incredibly restrictive and lacking in essential nutrients as well as calories, where is the fish, why so little low sugar fruit and non starchy vegetables? What's paleolithic about Hershey's, waffles, Reese's, hot dogs and gluten free pizza?

If you want to eat according to what you believe humans evolved to eat do that, don't eat modern processed crap. Long chain omega-3s are essential for health, so are a host of vitamins and minerals, we evolved to eat foods rich in those - if you read up on the 'Out of Africa' theory humans are believed to have populated much of the rest of the world via the coastlines, presumably eating a lot of seafood.

hopsonc24

If you aren't eating grains or pulses or dairy you likely NEED to eat nuts or seeds daily to get all the minerals your body needs. TBH your diet looks incredibly restrictive and lacking in essential nutrients as well as calories, where is the fish, why so little low sugar fruit and non starchy vegetables? What's paleolithic about Hershey's, waffles, Reese's, hot dogs and gluten free pizza?

If you want to eat according to what you believe humans evolved to eat do that, don't eat modern processed crap. Long chain omega-3s are essential for health, so are a host of vitamins and minerals, we evolved to eat foods rich in those - if you read up on the 'Out of Africa' theory humans are believed to have populated much of the rest of the world via the coastlines, presumably eating a lot of seafood.

I have a hard time stomaching seafood, I am working on that. I know that it is a healthy option. I have incorporated more salmon lately. Yes you are right I do need to increase my fruits and veggies. I have tried to start doing that this week
I do eat nuts on a regular basis, I will add more of these as well.

As far as the non paleo foods..Im not perfect! I cook every meal almost every day, some days I just didnt prepare in advance. I know the negative effects they have on my body, however a nitrate/nitrite free hot dog with no bun in better than not eating at all or a gluten free pizza is a better altenative to the real thing.

Thank you for the your insight and tips

KristyGlassick

A helpful quote is from Jay Cutler (whom I really dislike, but the quote is good): "I don't eat for taste, I eat for function".

While its no fun to eat just for fuel, try to think of taking in the extra calories in that light. If you're running a lot, your body will need the carbs to fuel that; and if you're weight-training, your body will need the extra carbs and protein to recover properly. It sounds like if you're on the paleo diet, you're already eating healthy foods. If you haven't already tried it, maybe try spacing your meals out a bit and eating 5-6 times a day. Keeping a steady, healthy supply of nutrients coming in may help your training.

After you increase your caloric intake, if you want to get the scale moving again, you may want to mix up your routine to jump-start your progress. If you're focusing solely on running for your cardio, try HIIT training perhaps, or give an indoor cycling class a try; something to mix it up and confuse your body. Your body will need to work harder to perform these movements, since they're unfamiliar.

Also, I know its cliche, but keep in mind that the scale isn't the best way to measure progress if you're increasing your weight training. Maybe try putting away the scale for two or three weeks, and use a tape measure to see if you're getting smaller.

I hope this is somewhat helpful!

hopsonc24

A helpful quote is from Jay Cutler (whom I really dislike, but the quote is good): "I don't eat for taste, I eat for function".

While its no fun to eat just for fuel, try to think of taking in the extra calories in that light. If you're running a lot, your body will need the carbs to fuel that; and if you're weight-training, your body will need the extra carbs and protein to recover properly. It sounds like if you're on the paleo diet, you're already eating healthy foods. If you haven't already tried it, maybe try spacing your meals out a bit and eating 5-6 times a day. Keeping a steady, healthy supply of nutrients coming in may help your training.

After you increase your caloric intake, if you want to get the scale moving again, you may want to mix up your routine to jump-start your progress. If you're focusing solely on running for your cardio, try HIIT training perhaps, or give an indoor cycling class a try; something to mix it up and confuse your body. Your body will need to work harder to perform these movements, since they're unfamiliar.

Also, I know its cliche, but keep in mind that the scale isn't the best way to measure progress if you're increasing your weight training. Maybe try putting away the scale for two or three weeks, and use a tape measure to see if you're getting smaller.

I hope this is somewhat helpful!

Great tips and advice!!! Thank you! I was just thinking this morning that I need to check out a schedule for cycling at my gym. Going to start Insanity in Feb when we move into our new house! Super excited about that.

alaskaang

I would focus on upping your veggies and more sweet potatoes to fuel your increased workouts. A veggie omelet is an easy way to get in more veggies and add calories without feeling like your eating a lot more food. Sautee those veggies with a teaspoon of olive oil or coconut oil to add a good calorie hit. I know rice isn't stricty paleo but it's not a bad option either for adding calories and carbs for the workouts.