New to Paleo/Primal
carriereid24
Posts: 8 Member
How do you know if you are eating too many calories? I'm afraid I'll be eating too much. Any advice to someone starting this lifestyle?
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Replies
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Make sure to get the bulk of your calories from healthy fats, mainly animal. You can easily go over board with nuts, snacks and baked goods and if you are still worried start keeping track on this site, it's a pain to begin with but it gets better and is really helpful in the end. Good luck, feel free to add me and ask any questions you have. It's a great path you have chosen, the benefits are amazing.0
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Welcome! I've only been doing Primal for a few weeks now but I have found that when I eat enough fat and protein and veggies, I'm just not hungry and I come in pretty close to my recommended calories. This is new and bizarre for me as I'm accustomed to eating constantly to keep my blood sugar from dropping and to just not be hungry. Since starting primal though, I can go from 6pm to 9am the next morning without eating, and have a run in there too! It's pretty cool.
Long story short, give yourself some time to try it out and get used to it before worrying about calories. Experiment, have some fun, revel in your newfound non-attachment to food!0 -
I am hoping to start Paleo in Sept. I am a bit concerned about the fat in the meats, I imagine it is about quality more than anything? Sure I can have bacon, but it must need to be lean and uncured? I am still researching and reading things on line. I figure I can probably find most of what I need out there w/o having to buy a book? Feel free to pass along any ideas! My one worry is coffee--currently have mine with raw sugar and flavored cream, I imagine that will have to go :-(0
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I am hoping to start Paleo in Sept. I am a bit concerned about the fat in the meats, I imagine it is about quality more than anything? Sure I can have bacon, but it must need to be lean and uncured? I am still researching and reading things on line. I figure I can probably find most of what I need out there w/o having to buy a book? Feel free to pass along any ideas! My one worry is coffee--currently have mine with raw sugar and flavored cream, I imagine that will have to go :-(
Lean meats are better, not necessarily because of the fat, but because if the animal wasn't grass-fed there can be harmful compounds in that fat (someone else will have more specifics, I'm sure). I think the "rule" for bacon is to look for nitrate-free, but I personally can't get that in my area so I just buy regular bacon and enjoy it when I want it. It's not like I'm eating a pound a day.
As far as coffee, there are some threads here about Bulletproof Coffee. Try it. If you're anything like me, you won't miss the cream and sugar once you try the BC. I make a modified version of it using full-fat coconut milk and adding cinnamon, and it's SO good.0 -
My one worry is coffee--currently have mine with raw sugar and flavored cream, I imagine that will have to go :-(
You could do Primal where you are still permitted to have some dairy. I use heavy whipping cream in my coffee and OH HOLY GOD is it good!0 -
I am planning on starting the Whole 30 on Monday... not thrilled or even convinced about giving up alcohol. I like a glass of wine a few times a week.0
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I am hoping to start Paleo in Sept. I am a bit concerned about the fat in the meats, I imagine it is about quality more than anything? Sure I can have bacon, but it must need to be lean and uncured? I am still researching and reading things on line. I figure I can probably find most of what I need out there w/o having to buy a book? Feel free to pass along any ideas! My one worry is coffee--currently have mine with raw sugar and flavored cream, I imagine that will have to go :-(
Lean meats are better, not necessarily because of the fat, but because if the animal wasn't grass-fed there can be harmful compounds in that fat (someone else will have more specifics, I'm sure). I think the "rule" for bacon is to look for nitrate-free, but I personally can't get that in my area so I just buy regular bacon and enjoy it when I want it. It's not like I'm eating a pound a day.
As far as coffee, there are some threads here about Bulletproof Coffee. Try it. If you're anything like me, you won't miss the cream and sugar once you try the BC. I make a modified version of it using full-fat coconut milk and adding cinnamon, and it's SO good.
On the record, you cannot find a bacon that is without nitrate. If you could find bacons without nitrates then you must got the bacons right out from a pig on the same day or three. If it is more than 3 days then you need to put sodium on it to preserve it. The sodium has some of natural nitrates in it. That is why you can't find a bacon without nitrate because 99% of bacons are cured with sodium.0 -
I am hoping to start Paleo in Sept. I am a bit concerned about the fat in the meats, I imagine it is about quality more than anything? Sure I can have bacon, but it must need to be lean and uncured? I am still researching and reading things on line. I figure I can probably find most of what I need out there w/o having to buy a book? Feel free to pass along any ideas! My one worry is coffee--currently have mine with raw sugar and flavored cream, I imagine that will have to go :-(
Lean meats are better, not necessarily because of the fat, but because if the animal wasn't grass-fed there can be harmful compounds in that fat (someone else will have more specifics, I'm sure). I think the "rule" for bacon is to look for nitrate-free, but I personally can't get that in my area so I just buy regular bacon and enjoy it when I want it. It's not like I'm eating a pound a day.
As far as coffee, there are some threads here about Bulletproof Coffee. Try it. If you're anything like me, you won't miss the cream and sugar once you try the BC. I make a modified version of it using full-fat coconut milk and adding cinnamon, and it's SO good.
On the record, you cannot find a bacon that is without nitrate. If you could find bacons without nitrates then you must got the bacons right out from a pig on the same day or three. If it is more than 3 days then you need to put sodium on it to preserve it. The sodium has some of natural nitrates in it. That is why you can't find a bacon without nitrate because 99% of bacons are cured with sodium.
Maybe it's nitrites then. I'm always getting those words confused. Thanks for the clarification.0 -
I am hoping to start Paleo in Sept. I am a bit concerned about the fat in the meats, I imagine it is about quality more than anything? Sure I can have bacon, but it must need to be lean and uncured? I am still researching and reading things on line. I figure I can probably find most of what I need out there w/o having to buy a book? Feel free to pass along any ideas! My one worry is coffee--currently have mine with raw sugar and flavored cream, I imagine that will have to go :-(
Lean meats are better, not necessarily because of the fat, but because if the animal wasn't grass-fed there can be harmful compounds in that fat (someone else will have more specifics, I'm sure). I think the "rule" for bacon is to look for nitrate-free, but I personally can't get that in my area so I just buy regular bacon and enjoy it when I want it. It's not like I'm eating a pound a day.
As far as coffee, there are some threads here about Bulletproof Coffee. Try it. If you're anything like me, you won't miss the cream and sugar once you try the BC. I make a modified version of it using full-fat coconut milk and adding cinnamon, and it's SO good.
On the record, you cannot find a bacon that is without nitrate. If you could find bacons without nitrates then you must got the bacons right out from a pig on the same day or three. If it is more than 3 days then you need to put sodium on it to preserve it. The sodium has some of natural nitrates in it. That is why you can't find a bacon without nitrate because 99% of bacons are cured with sodium.
Maybe it's nitrites then. I'm always getting those words confused. Thanks for the clarification.
I've seen both, though I think it's nitrites. I think the key with either (and with any food that undergoes any kind of "processing"), in my opinion, is to make sure there aren't any more added than what is necessary. For example, one package I saw had something along the lines of "no nitrites (except those naturally found in celery juice)". The levels that occur naturally in food we already eat are more likely to be tolerated, not to mention significantly lower, than when artificially added.0 -
How do you know if you are eating too many calories? I'm afraid I'll be eating too much. Any advice to someone starting this lifestyle?
There's no reason not to track what you eat on MFP. I still do it as a sanity check, myself (and to make sure I keep my carbs in check). However, one thing you'll find (yes, it's hard to believe at first), is that as long as you listen to your body, you'll be hungry less often and eat less in a given sitting, resulting in a net decrease in calories in.
Before I switched to Primal, I'd be gnawing my arm off every two hours and if I didn't eat around 2200 calories. Now, I generally sit comfortably around 1500, naturally. In fact, I ate 2100 the other day and felt like I had eaten a ton.0 -
They won’t kick you out of the cave if you log. I am on a restricted calorie/sodium diet and need to log. When I lower my BP and A1c, I will still log because when I don’t, I lose control.0
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They won’t kick you out of the cave if you log. I am on a restricted calorie/sodium diet and need to log. When I lower my BP and A1c, I will still log because when I don’t, I lose control.
Yeah, I log because it helps me stay on the paleo track. It's too easy for me to say, "Oh, I'll just have ONE cracker. I haven't had wheat in a while." Because I have a tendency to forget things that are inconvenient to remember. :laugh:0
