Trying to get it right...Help!
AuntieKT
Posts: 235 Member
So, I will preface this post with an admission that I am a huge control freak/can't do anything in moderation type person. I am fairly new to paleo, but I have been eating pretty much no grains for a few months now cuz it makes me feel better physically(what brought me to paleo in the first place). I have about 20 vanity pounds to lose (or so. I haven't weighed myself in like three weeks) to get myself down to a fitness body fat percentage and I know I need to be strict with my diet for this to happen. Before starting to eat Paleo, I was just primarily trying to keep my calories to 1200. I know LOTS of people hate that, and think it is SO bad for me, but that is what I was doing and I can't go back and change it now. I have also recently started lifting heavy weights to help get the look that I am going for. With this addition, I find myself a LOT hungrier than before, so I have been trying to convince myself that I need to up my calories and eat back some of my exercise calories. This is really hard for me because I am completely TERRIFIED about gaining fat back. I understand that this is a mental issue and I am trying to work on it here... so anyways... I've been trying to tweak my diet to get it right, be eating enough, and still be losing fat. The problem with this is that when trying to stay under 50 carbs a day, this is resulting in me consuming over 200 grams of protein a day, which is WAY too much in my opinion. Like today's plan for example, I'm still NETing under 1200 calories, but if I have more carbs, I'm over for the day. The plan I have set out has me at 170g of protein already, so I kind of don't want any more of that either. I don't know what to do! Right now before my evening workout I still have 177 calories to eat and after I work out, it is going to be even more than that... All I'm eating is meat, eggs, veg, one half serving of blue berries for a little carb boost before lifting tonight, and nuts. I'm also drinking a cup of milk at bedtime (cuz one of my lifting friends told me to, but I'm thinking of cutting it cuz it's not paleo) and having a 1 carb protein shake within 30 minutes of working out for muscle recovery (the one that Staci from Nerdfitness drinks!) I'm just looking for ideas of what else to add that won't destroy my numbers!
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Get more fat in your body. If you eat 50g of carbs, and 200g of protein, that only leaves 200 of your 1200 calories for fat.
If 1200 is net, then that leaves you with a little more but in my opinion, that's still not enough.
Also, I'd recommend upping your intake a little bit if you're lifting (1400 calories won't make you fat). If you're concerned about it, monitor it for a week or two.
This is quite common among people new to Paleo/Primal. Fat has this negative connotation to it and people have a hard time getting around the fact that fat is good for you and that eating fat isn't going to make you fat.
I'm currently cutting so I'm limiting my net calories to about 2000 and I have a hard time getting 200g of protein.
If you aimed for a ratio of 15/35/50 of c/p/f, you should be getting sufficient protein and be able keep your carbs low.
Upping your fat is easy. Up your olive oil intake or add a bit of extra dressing to your salads. Nuts and avocados are also great sources of fat. Coconut oil is great too.
(Feel free to have a look at my food diary. It's not perfect, but other than a few cheats here and there (caved in and had a handful of Triscuits with cheese yesterday as well as some chicken fingers and onion rings at a hockey game Wednesday), it's pretty primal and can be an example of getting calories in without ncessarily increasing carbs - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday were pretty good).0 -
I agree with the point about increasing your fat. I try to hit the following ratios 15-20c/35p/45-50f.
Also, maybe try primal instead??? Cut yourself some slack and include some dairy (if you can tolerate it). Just my two cents.
Don't anyone shoot me but i tried paleo and it was too strict for me so I switched to primal and it feels effortless.0 -
You need to let go of some of that control on hitting under 1200 calories everyday...seriously. It's not healthy. I am 5'10", weigh 153 lbs and I have my calories set high at 2200 daily. Sometimes I go over but I always try hitting those macros, specifically protein and fat with a keen eye on my carb counts since I'm still trying to lose. Between 60-80% of that is fat, 25% is protein, and 15% is carbs at around 60-80g a day total.
I, too, had some fears to overcome with eating that much fat and gaining. Once you try it, and if it doesn't work, just go back to what you're doing with 1200 calories a day. But please, please try it. Fat is going to be more calorie-expensive than protein or carbs at 9 calories per gram. But do not worry because with Paleo, you will burn fat as your main energy source. If you don't give it enough fat, you will stall. I've seen it time and time again.
If you open up your diary, we can help you better.0 -
Thanks for the advice so far. Kind of just bumping to keep getting more and keep my post on top. I'll consider opening up my diary...I'm just scared of the ridicule cuz I'm pretty high exercise burn low calories... I'll look into adding more far, calories, and think about the dairy... I just didn't have any bad effects when I got rid of dairy and I feel great!0
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Thanks for the advice so far. Kind of just bumping to keep getting more and keep my post on top. I'll consider opening up my diary...I'm just scared of the ridicule cuz I'm pretty high exercise burn low calories... I'll look into adding more far, calories, and think about the dairy... I just didn't have any bad effects when I got rid of dairy and I feel great!
I do dairy too. No shame in that. Let me know if you want my help. I sent you a friend request.0 -
Thanks for the advice so far. Kind of just bumping to keep getting more and keep my post on top. I'll consider opening up my diary...I'm just scared of the ridicule cuz I'm pretty high exercise burn low calories... I'll look into adding more far, calories, and think about the dairy... I just didn't have any bad effects when I got rid of dairy and I feel great!
I do dairy too. No shame in that. Let me know if you want my help. I sent you a friend request.
I also do dairy - but we make sure it's full fat.
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Thanks for the advice so far. Kind of just bumping to keep getting more and keep my post on top. I'll consider opening up my diary...I'm just scared of the ridicule cuz I'm pretty high exercise burn low calories... I'll look into adding more far, calories, and think about the dairy... I just didn't have any bad effects when I got rid of dairy and I feel great!
I do dairy too. No shame in that. Let me know if you want my help. I sent you a friend request.
I also do dairy - but we make sure it's full fat.
Ahh yes. Important distinction. Today is the exception as it was a friend of mine who gave me some of her greek yogurt.0 -
Can I ask how much u are wanting to lose?
If you are heavy lifting it might be an idea to eat some more..have you looked at tdee-20%?
Carbs don't have to be under 50,I think lots of people are doing 50-100 and losing.
It might be an idea for you to have a look at a book called It Starts with food and then give a whole 30 a go.It gives you a chance to improve your relationship with food as well as to let go on some of the control.0 -
DAIRY IS DELICIOUS! And consumed regularly. Give up that 1200 calorie goal. eset your macros to reflect 1 g protein per pound of lean body mass, and you carbs at 50 g (I would do 80g, maybe, but that's me), and fill the rest in with fat. If you are truly hungry, you need to eat. Weight lifting does that to you. Usually the next day, I tend to be kind of starvy. I shut it up with more food. I lose weight better since doing those things.0
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Thanks for sharing about dairy. I chose Primal over Paleo because it's hard for me to completely give up cheese, and I think it's fine to have occasional servings of wine and chocolate as well. But I was feeling guilty (a little) for consuming an 8 oz. pkg of St. Andre triple cream Brie in a one week period!0
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Can I ask how much u are wanting to lose?
If you are heavy lifting it might be an idea to eat some more..have you looked at tdee-20%?
Carbs don't have to be under 50,I think lots of people are doing 50-100 and losing.
It might be an idea for you to have a look at a book called It Starts with food and then give a whole 30 a go.It gives you a chance to improve your relationship with food as well as to let go on some of the control.
The last time I was measured at the gym with calipers, I was 26.8% body fat. I would ideally like to get down into the "fitness" range, which for a woman is at the most 24%. I think to achieve this I will probably have to lose about 20 pounds, but I guess I will just have to wait and see. I have been trying to eat more, but my problem is that I still have calories to eat, but I don't know what to eat cuz I'm way over on protein and any more carbs and I'll be over on that too. Some people have suggested I up my fat content, so I am going to give that a try this week. The reason I am trying to keep my carbs so low is because I am dealing with some really stubborn fat here that is still hanging on after 100 plus pounds of weight loss. I know that diet will be key if I ever want to get rid of this last bit of pudge that is bothering me.0 -
Check out the Carbohydrate curve from Mark's Daily Apple
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/#axzz2JxSKgADe
With only 20 lbs to lose, you don't have to be quite so aggressive. Aiming for between 50g-100gs of carbs should be enough to help you shed those last few lbs, and is probably more realistic as a sustainable lifestyle change in terms of being able to meet your protein/fat macros a little easier.
Agree with the advice to up your fats. Give it more than just one week, trying something for one week doesn't really give your body enough time to adjust to the change that's being made. Good luck!0 -
Hey there,
If it's vanity pounds, maybe what you're looking for is to look more toned, and your weight is actually a good place? Here's a story that reminds me that it's not always about how many calories you're eating, it's about what your body does with those calories:
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
At the end she's actually heavier, but she looks so baller, strong, and awesome! Anyway it's not all about the scale. Also just gunna put it out there that maybe a therapist can help? It's hard to do it alone, but fortunately you don't have to 0
