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bananasandbarbells
Posts: 29 Member
How much does everyone exercise while eating on the Paleo? Do you eat more if you have more intense workouts? I am training for a half marathon and I am running in the AM and strength training in the PM. This is roughly 800-1000 cals I burn in a day but my cal limits is set to 1200 because I want to lose weight. Usually, I would eat carbs but I think the best way to go about this is to eat a fruit and fat/protein after I workout to compensate. What do you all think? Thanks a bunch!!
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Replies
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so you're going to net 200-400 calories a day? Not nearly enough to properly fuel your body on a daily basis, let alone for a 1/2 marathon0
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You are netting too little. If you burn that much, then you needto eat at least 2000 calories to counter balance the burn. I would eat more if I am going to burn that much.0
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I think your calories are *incredibly* low & it will stall your weight loss, big time. I think you should listen to your body, eat when you are hungry, and give it what it needs to reach your goals.
Fruit will go to replacing liver glycogen before it will replace muscle glycogen. A better choice for carbs post-workout would be sweet potatoes. Less convenient than fruit, I know, but if you bake or steam them ahead of time and have them ready in the fridge in portions, then you can grab those just as easily as fruit. It's worth the extra effort, IMO.0 -
Makes so much more sense when someone else explains. Now that you mention the net calories-that is very true. I think as long as I am eating healthy and working out there is no reason to eat extreme low calories because the weight will come off itself. I will adjust my cals and experiment.0
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Interesting factor about the fruit...I LOVE sweet potatoes so I have no problem prepping ahead. I love them with cinnamon and salt-gives it a little bit of a sweet and salty taste. Thanks!0
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I think the whole thing about Paleo and especially Whole 30 is that you DON'T count calories or macros. You follow the simple rules, eat 3 meals, protein surround by veggies, small amount of fruit, olives, nuts, good fats etc and eat until you're satisfied. If you exercise more, you may feel a little hungrier and need to fuel your body with a bit more, so eat a little more...until you're satisfied (not full to bursting). I'm on day 19 of Whole 30 and have given up counting the calories, and work out 4 times a week, and this is working for me.
If you're training for a marathon, then yes you really need to refuel!
Good luck...I hope you're enjoying paleo. I am! :happy:0 -
Interesting factor about the fruit...I LOVE sweet potatoes so I have no problem prepping ahead. I love them with cinnamon and salt-gives it a little bit of a sweet and salty taste. Thanks!
I bake about 4 EXTRA LARGE ones for over an hour and then peel them and mash them. Mix in some full fat coconut milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and maybe butter if you want. I put it in a cake pan and bake until it starts to brown a little on top. I portion it into containers and eat it throughout the week (either cold, or reheated with a little butter on top).0 -
I do light work-outs (easy to moderate ride on a stationary bike, casual walks in my neighbourhood, or Zumba on my Xbox) for about 45 minutes 5x a week. I almost always eat back most of my exercise calories. I agree with the other posters, it doesn't sound like you are eating enough for the amount you are burning off, it's an unhealthy deficit.0
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I think the whole thing about Paleo and especially Whole 30 is that you DON'T count calories or macros. You follow the simple rules, eat 3 meals, protein surround by veggies, small amount of fruit, olives, nuts, good fats etc and eat until you're satisfied.
^THIS!0 -
I think the whole thing about Paleo and especially Whole 30 is that you DON'T count calories or macros. You follow the simple rules, eat 3 meals, protein surround by veggies, small amount of fruit, olives, nuts, good fats etc and eat until you're satisfied.
^THIS!
But but.. I like to count :sad:0 -
I think the whole thing about Paleo and especially Whole 30 is that you DON'T count calories or macros. You follow the simple rules, eat 3 meals, protein surround by veggies, small amount of fruit, olives, nuts, good fats etc and eat until you're satisfied.
^THIS!
But but.. I like to count :sad:
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Be freeeeeeeee!!!!0 -
Not counting calories works fine for some people, but not for others. I'm one of those who absolutely has to count and track or I am gonna be off course somehow, either by eating too much or (more often than not) too little. There's nothing wrong, or less "paleo" about tracking.
OP, you aren't eating enough food. Eat more.
I exercise 5-6 times per week right now. Anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hrs. I train with kettlebells and lift heavy. I also do a bit of metabolic conditioning type stuff (sprints, interval training, dumbbell complexes, etc.)0 -
But but.. I like to count :sad:
I don't know how long you have been doing Paleo... but it gets to a point where it is nearly impossible for me to count, not to mention highly frustrating.
Have you ever tried to divide out a recipe, like a soup or a casserole, with a lot of ingredients? And maybe you don't want to measure every. single. thing. -- want to be able to just throw some ghee in the pot, etc?
It's been hard for me to get out of the counting frame of mind, but most days lately I've just had to trust the system. It is entirely too time-consuming to figure out all of this info -- *especially* when we are not supposed to be eating most things that come in a package with the nutrition info conveniently located on the side.
Reading Gary Taubes' book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories" has convinced me even MORE that different foods have entirely different effects on our bodies, also. A calorie is NOT just a calorie. (Very interesting stuff in this book, fascinating really.) So how do we even know how many calories we "should" be consuming? Does the calculator on MFP really know? (In my experience, the answer is a definite NO.) We have to learn to listen to our bodies, and that is a LARGE part of how Paleo works. It's also the reason you will not find nutritional info in Paleo cookbooks.0 -
But but.. I like to count :sad:
I don't know how long you have been doing Paleo... but it gets to a point where it is nearly impossible for me to count, not to mention highly frustrating.
Have you ever tried to divide out a recipe, like a soup or a casserole, with a lot of ingredients? And maybe you don't want to measure every. single. thing. -- want to be able to just throw some ghee in the pot, etc?
It's been hard for me to get out of the counting frame of mind, but most days lately I've just had to trust the system. It is entirely too time-consuming to figure out all of this info -- *especially* when we are not supposed to be eating most things that come in a package with the nutrition info conveniently located on the side.
Reading Gary Taubes' book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories" has convinced me even MORE that different foods have entirely different effects on our bodies, also. A calorie is NOT just a calorie. (Very interesting stuff in this book, fascinating really.) So how do we even know how many calories we "should" be consuming? Does the calculator on MFP really know? (In my experience, the answer is a definite NO.) We have to learn to listen to our bodies, and that is a LARGE part of how Paleo works. It's also the reason you will not find nutritional info in Paleo cookbooks.
That's funny, I don't find it particularly time consuming to track what I eat...no more than anyone tracking packaged foods, I expect, as most things I eat are already in the database apart from whatever I cook from scratch. I measure everything on a scale because that's how I cook. Metric system and all that jazz. So yeah, I know how much I'm putting into each dish and then I figure the portion sizes based on how many meals it holds up to. Simple. Then I put my recipes into the MFP calculator and I've got it there to use whenever I make that dish again. I don't find it inconvenient.
Listening to your body is all fine and well if/when your body is functioning healthily. If you're obese, or have any other sort of metabolic disturbance, your hunger signals are not functioning properly.0 -
I have to count calories because I'm type 1 diabetic and need to know how many carbs I'm eating. For the most part, I have an idea and try to eat the same thing over and over again. I took a break from MFP because I thought I was getting to obsessed and thought I could do it on my own. It didn't make a difference so I'm trying it out again until I feel more in control of my choices.
Thanks for the responses everyone! I will def. increase my cals and eat sweet potatoes right after my workouts!
PS I read an article about how whey protein is a big NO NO if on the paleo...someone mentioned sweet potatoes can build muscle...what does everyone use as a post workout and do you feel it builds muscle?0 -
Sweet potatoes are your post-workout carb... then you need to have the protein to help build muscle and to help with muscle recovery, too. Chicken breast, tuna, salmon, eggs, a steak... lots of protein choices out there besides whey protein powder. There was a recent thread here about powders, and several people use egg white protein powder.0
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Whey protein is NOT a big no-no, but it is a point of contention amongst members of the paleo community, both here on MFP and abroad. Robb Wolf (Paleo Solution) uses it, so does Mark Sisson (Primal Blueprint). There's a whole discussion of that in a thread here in this group.
I use whey post workout, and sometimes pre workout as well.
There is no way I could get enough protein otherwise. I can't afford to eat the amount of protein in a shake in steaks/chicken/tuna post workout 5 or 6x per week. It also isn't convenient for me to do so. I'm not one who just goes out for a walk. I'm a weight lifter, and I like to kick *kitten* at the gym, so I need eat to support that sort of activity. My thought on whey is if you want to supplement with it, do it so long as you tolerate it well and you feel good. I don't understand the desire to somehow be "pure" or more strict with your diet than the guys who are the supposed "gurus". I find it really bizarre and it puts me off the paleo community, to be frank. I'm not into dogma at all.
I don't usually eat sweet potatoes following workouts. I have a couple scoops of whey in water or a little coconut milk, maybe a bit of berries with it. An hour or two later, I will have lunch (I work out in the morning). Lunch is usually some sorta salad with a bit of protein and fat, but could be leftovers, eggs n bacon, or sometimes just an apple with sunflower butter if I'm going to eat a big dinner in a couple hours. Depends on how I'm feeling that day and what the plan is for later. I am still working on losing fat, so eating can't really be a free-for-all situation for me.0 -
I agree..after giving it some thought I think I need the whey. I am doing weight lifting also and it seems pointless if I don't have a supplement after. Of course, i could eat steak or some other type of protein right after but whey is quick, easy, and portable. I don't think I'll cut that out of my diet and it isn't detrimental to healthy eating. Paleo is interesting because you can either go two ways: strict like the gurus or implement the theory in your daily eating but customize it to your lifestyle. So, I think I'll just stick to whey! I doubt the paleo gods will come and find me! hehe0
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I recently listened to a webinar called "Paleo for Performance", and one quote the host said really stuck with me, an dI've been thinking about it ever since. I'll paraphrase, but basically he said
Paleo is a natural way for humans to eat. However, when we do sports like endurance running or Crossift, these are very unnatural forms of exercise and activity. Therefore, we need to modify paleo accordingly.
So if you were only walking a few days a week with very occasional sprinting or lifting, 1400 calories might work. But at the extreme level of activity you are doing, you need a lot more calories and most likely more carbs, too, to sustain energy and fuel your workouts.
I struggle with finding the same balance of upping calories and carbs, when to eat carbs, how many to eat. (And shhh, I occasionally use whey protein powder, too!)0 -
Also, I will rave to anyone who listens about how much I love Practical Paleo as a resource and cookbook. She has a 30 day meal plan for Athletic Performance, it might not be a bad idea to try it out, or at least integrate some of the recipes.0
