Hi Shannon,
There are many questions here. I'm sure you'll get a lot of responses. First though, you said your diary is open but it's not. Please check that setting so that myself and other seasoned Paleos can chime in.

Thanks!

As I noted on another thread, you want to look at your net carbs rather than your total carbs. Fiber is a non-digestible form of carb. It also slows down your digestion of the food you just ate that has fiber in it. It takes your body much longer to break down broccoli into glucose than it does a candy bar. I would change your diary to display calories/fat/protein/carbs/fiber/sugar in that order (see my diary for an example). So, basically a fiber gram gets subtracted from your total carb for a net.

For example, if you look at my diary you see that I had 1 oz of avocado at lunch today (in my salad) and that the avocado has 3g of carbs and 2g of fiber. That fiber isn't digestible, so I get to subtract to arrive at net carbs of 1g. So, if you worry about that stuff a lot, then net carbs will make you feel a lot better as you are now seeing how much real carbs you're taking in. And it's much easier to see which foods will convert to glucose rapidly vs. slowly. The more fiber, the longer it takes to be digested and converted to glucose.

Also, both AshleyPaleo and paleojoe have a good point. Don't worry about it too much. If you are eating real foods, high in fat content, moderate in protein, and your carbs are coming from leafy green vegetables and fruits, then you are on the right path anyway.

Personally, the only way I enjoy milk is in its solid form (cheese), so I don't drink milk or coconut milk. Nor do I really like yogurt. I would personally advise against milk and yogurt because of the amount of sugar in them. On the other hand, heavy cream in your coffee is nirvana ... it's all fat and your coffee tastes fabulous with it. I buy the Darigold 40% fat heavy cream at Costco. I eat a lot of lettuce, celery, broccoli, brussells sprouts, green beans, avocado, squash and zucchini. I find that the more of those sorts of veggies I eat, plus having a high fat content (lots of olive oil, coconut oil, cream, bacon), the more full and sated I am and the less my desire to eat things with high sugar contents.

yum, pork chops! I buy a whole pork loin from my butcher and cut my own chops out of it. Cheaper that way and I know where the meat came from, unlike pork chops at Safeway.

Glanced at your diary .... your net carbs for today will be 31g .... that's pretty darn good, I think. Nothing there you should be worried about.

I've found a lot of the data on MFP is flawed. So, if I see something that looks out of whack (calories don't add up or as you noted, the same thing is listed differently), I'll look it up on other sources.

I don't stress about the macros so much as planning my day around it. I have some tried and true foods that I carry with me that I know have the macros I want (high protein, moderate fat, low simple carbs). I'll pack a bag for work each day that has these along with a few other tidbits (usually berries, eggs, and/or veggies). After my afternoon snack/late lunch, I start focusing on the protein number, and plan my dinner and any late snacks. That resulted in eating 21 oz of tilapia for dinner last night, but it works out fairly well most days.

I am a big proponent of keeping things simple. The harder it is, the less likely you'll stick to it for the long haul.

Hi Shannon! Your log looks great, I agree with Eric though on the milk issue. The carbs in that yogurt are a real hit to your totals.....and you could have actual produce instead, or BACON!

Also, please no margarine )
Real butter tastes WAY better, isn't chemical based, and lots of Paleos use it for their eggs and/or vegetables.

Thanks Eric!

Hey Eric! I was always curious about subtracting the fiber to get net carbs. I get subtracting insoluble fiber (roughage) but what about soluble fiber?

great question .... not sure I know the answer. Although I haven't seen many nutrtion sources provide a breakdown for fiber to that level. Have you?

Okay, I got curious and googled this a bit. It appears that soluble fiber (mostly found in various seeds and grains) doesn't get to be subtracted like insoluble fiber (most fiber in veggies is insoluble). Sort of off topic from a Paleo perspective, but since a lot of us cross over from Low Carb to Paleo to Keto, thought it was worth mentioning.

Here's the best source I found on the topic:

http://www.livinlowcarbdiscussion.com/showthread.php?tid=3118

Pretty much all the primal/paleo gurus say to count TOTAL carbs, not net carbs.

Also, soluble fiber is preferable to insoluble fiber.

Current recommendation by Mark Sisson is 50-100g TOTAL carbs is the proper range for weight loss, 100-150 for weight maintenance. Under 50g total for those wanting to do a ketogenic diet; over 150 sets the stage for weight gain.

You said that you've set your fat at 40% but I don't see enough fat in your diary. I'm 5'10", work out 3x a week and eat close to 150 grams of fat a day just to give you a comparison. You need to increase your fat because that is your body's new source of energy. It should always account for more calories daily than your protein because each fat gram is worth 9 calories.

You don't really have that much to lose, so if I were you, I'd increase my carbs. You'll feel better overall. I have to keep my carbs on the higher end due to my thyroid issues (T4 to T3 conversion is important). But if you work out at all, you'll have more stamina. Paleo does not always equal low carb. Also, don't worry about going over 1% or 2%.

Also, experiment with your macros. Technically, you're already in the healthy weight range at 5'9" and 150-something lbs. I know because I'm 5'10" and my healthy range is between 135 to 169. But if you want to lose more weight, increase your carbs for a few weeks, or increase your fat and see what happens. This will give you the most success in the long haul if you understand how your body works.

Eric, just out of curiosity, how much do you workout? I've been seeing all over the place that obviously the more you work out the more carbs you need, but I thought this defeated the purpose of your body using fats instead of carbs?

Sorry, not Eric, but wanted to put my 2 cents in. I'm a distance runner and did 15 miles on Sunday eating 15% (less than 90g) of my cals from carbs.