I do count calories/macro nutrients on paleo, even if it is a Whole30. You'll see on a lot of paleo forums people complaining about how they're not losing weight, not seeing results, etc. Well, they then post their diet and you realize just how much they're eating. Calories in/calories out still does apply. It's just significantly harder to get in those same calories without processed foods. Too many people take this eat all you want thing literally... it's just not true, and it's unfortunate.

Edit: I eat roughly 1200-1400 calories a day, my "goal" calorie intake is closer to 1500. I am not doing heavy lifts right now though because of a disc tear in my back. If I was lifting heavy, I'd be intaking 1500. I am losing weight every day with this number and not hungry at all. The best part is I'm not getting foggy headaches when I do get hungry.

I don't count for a couple of reasons, but the main one is that I tend to focus more on numbers than actual nutrition or listening to my body. I also tend to start working in foods that I shouldn't be eating just because I can make them work with the final numbers (which is probably why I tend to not lose weight when I'm counting)...and I have a rather obsessive compulsive bent that makes it a bit unhealthy psychologically. It's just not productive for me.

I do log my foods in the Food Notes section for accountability, but in the year and a half I've been paleo it's become obvious for that that I lose far more consistently when I take the numbers out of the equation. I get why others can have success counting and tracking macros, and I think it's important for each of us to experiment and see what works best as individuals. Keep in mind that just because you're more comfortable tracking closely right now doesn't mean you will forever.

I don't seem to have problems getting enough calories in, either. I did the numbers on my breakfast the other day and by the time I count all the clarified butter I cook my eggs in and the coconut milk I put in my coffee, I average around 700 calories for that meal alone. I would guess that my final numbers end up anywhere between 1700 and 2000 calories per day, with a half hour to hour workout 5 or 6 days a week (lifting and starting to run again).

I think I've finally hit the right and most sustainable balance for me, but it's taken time and work to get here. Just keep working at it and you'll find your sweet spot!

I've been doing more Primal eating for almost 2 weeks now and I track because it's new. I want to see what I'm taking in compared to how I feel. I'm sure I won't track for the rest of my life, eventually (could be months could be year) I will be comfortable with Primal eating that I won't have to track but for now I do it. I just don't let the number rule me. If I'm eating something questionable (like the pizza I had this weekend cause we had guests) I will look more closely at the numbers to make sure I stay under my ultimate calorie 'goal', but for every day normal life (we lead a boring life and don't do anything so it's weird to have those 'special' days for us) I eat when I'm hungry and stick to some protein and a ton of veggies (depends on what I want in what that will consist of).

Good luck!

i think that since this is more of a lifestyle than just a diet, you need to do whatever makes this sustainable for you! If that means tracking your food and weighing yourself, then do it most likely you'll get to a place where you trust this lifestyle and know that you are only eating what your body needs.

Ive read a whole whack of articles on the paleo lifestyle, picked up the whole 30 book and am ready to start my 30 days. Everything I read says to eat if youre hungry and stop when youre not and dont count calories. Im having such a hard time with that. Ive read the science behind it but Im having a hard time believing that there is not SOMETHING to the calories in, calories out theory (with quality of food being ultra important). If I plug in all the food I was planning to eat today, which my eye measure isnt alot (my chocolate chili looks like nothing and its 500 calories!!! I made scotch eggs and was going to eat 2, but thats like 800 calories!!) and I'd be waaaayyyyyyyyy over... With all the added fats everything is so calorie dense! They say the fats make you more satiated blah blah... sigh.

I don't necessarily count them. They are just there and I observe them. I used to be obsessive about my macros, getting it just right, and counting calories to get within a range, but then I let go. I typically eat between 1600-2500 calories a day. I am 5'11" and 155 lbs and workout only a few times a week for no longer than 45 minutes each time. My macros are set at 60/25/15 f/p/c (I think) but I typically get between 70-80% of my calories from fat. From my experience, the more fat I eat, the easier I lose and the better I feel.

Typically my meals are between 800-1200 calories each plus a snack between lunch and dinner.

For my first 2.5 weeks on Whole30 I didn't calorie count at all. But being a type 1 diabetic, I have to count carbs and I've been using MFP to look stuff up but not saving anything. Then I realized it might be helpful to just see how I'm doing. One thing that has surprised me is that I can eat much less calories on Paleo and not get hungry. I never feed myself to reach some MFP number, I just eat when I'm hungry and what we have planned. I have noticed that when I work out, I feel a little weaker when I haven't had as many calories. Not that I want to carb-up, but I think even just increasing my fat / protein intake on workout days might help me feel a bit better and stronger. If I wasn't exercising, I probably wouldn't have thought much about calorie counting but I'm starting to wonder if it would make a difference in how I feel.

But like others, I'm using this more as an observational tool, not as a benchmark of something I have to meet or stay under. I also don't look at it until the end of the day, usually. It's not something I track to see how much I ate, but to see how I felt on eating that many calories / types of food (not enough protein, etc.)

I do count calories/macro nutrients on paleo, even if it is a Whole30. You'll see on a lot of paleo forums people complaining about how they're not losing weight, not seeing results, etc. Well, they then post their diet and you realize just how much they're eating. Calories in/calories out still does apply. It's just significantly harder to get in those same calories without processed foods. Too many people take this eat all you want thing literally... it's just not true, and it's unfortunate.

Edit: I eat roughly 1200-1400 calories a day, my "goal" calorie intake is closer to 1500. I am not doing heavy lifts right now though because of a disc tear in my back. If I was lifting heavy, I'd be intaking 1500. I am losing weight every day with this number and not hungry at all. The best part is I'm not getting foggy headaches when I do get hungry.

Personally, the only paleo/primal people that I EVER see complaining about not losing weight or feeling well are not adhering well to their own lifestyle choice. All of my paleo/primal friends are doing very well. In fact, if one is eating primal or paleo, I find it hard to believe that they could be over eating UNLESS their carbs are too high and fat too low. Paleo and primal is eat all you NEED, not all you want, especially for those prone to eat too much sugar (fruit = sugar).

I keep track of my macros, and so that shows my calories. It's very important for my own health concerns that I eat a high fat diet. If my fat goes too low, I struggle with hunger and I don't feel as well. So that's the biggest reason that I keep track. I do look at the calories and plan within my budget, but if I'm hungry, I EAT. I have found my calorie goal most important in telling me when to eat MORE. My goal is currently at 1550 (soon to reduce to 1500) and I get 40 minutes of exercise (my feet are my only transportation in the winter) almost every day. But I certainly don't spend much time worrying about how much I exercise; I just live and do what I feel comfortable with.

It really is more important WHAT you eat. If you are eating enough fat, you will NOT over-eat. However, if one looks at my meals, since I only eat two big meals per day, (sometimes a night snack, sometimes not) they might think I over-eat. Sometimes I have a single meal that is 1000 calories. But my daily total is always reasonable and except for my vacation in November, I have lost weight every single week for the last six months (avg of 1.5 pounds per week, but now slowing as is normal).

I know that Paleo promotes not keeping track, but I think you can decide what works for you the best. The point of not keeping track is to trust our bodies. I plan to stop keeping track after I have maintained a healthy weight for a long period of time. It is very clear to me that if I avoid grains and keep the carbs low and the fat high, I can stop keeping track some day. But without tracking right now, my fats get too low and that doesn't work for me.

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I skipped the responses. To answer OP:

No, you don't need to count calories. And I've known people bigger than you and bigger than your frame that have done very well on paleo. No counting.

I think this is a relevant video if you really want more information:



Either way, I think many would benefit from some of the AHS videos:

http://vimeo.com/ancestralhealthsymposium/videos

Past that, maybe pop in something like "Robb Wolf leptin" in a search engine.

Don't freak out. And you probably don't need that volume in your workouts. Play with it.