Micronutrients

Hi! I know while living a Paleo lifestyle you are not supposed to count micronutrients, however, I feel like I need to for guidance. I need to record the percent of fats, carbs and proteins I am consuming to keep me focused. I am a 120 pound female, 5'4, looking to lose about 5 pounds of fat while putting on muscle. Any suggestions on the percent of fats, carbs and proteins I should consume? I want to change the settings on myfitnesspal to reflect these percentages. Thanks!

Replies

  • ShannonKirton
    ShannonKirton Posts: 304 Member
    I started paleo in July and I found that counting macros helped me to make sure I was on the right track. I know that everyone says that there's no need to count calories etc while eating paleo, but personally I like to know what I'm eating and it helps me to keep a sense of control. So don't stress about that too much. If you want to log, go ahead and log. The ones I keep track of are calories, carbs, fat, protein, fiber and sugar.

    Personally I like my carbs quite low as I enjoy being in ketosis because it makes me feel better. This is not for everyone so you need to find a place where your body can perform optimally while still achieving your goals. Weight loss range for carbs can be in the 50-100g range. Under 50g is going to out you in ketosis, but you would need to experiment and see if this works for you. My fat loss in ketosis is much better and I'm finding it quite easy to build my muscle. But AGAIN, I cannot stress this enough....YOU MUST FIND WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU! We don't want you collapsing in the gym and injuring yourself because your body finds it difficult to work off of so little carbs. A bit of experimenting goes a long way!

    As for your percentages, yes keep an eye on them, but give more of your attention to the grams of foods you're eating. Here is my daily outline as an example:

    Calories - 1500
    Carbs - 56g
    Fat - 83g
    Protein - 131g
    Fiber - 16g
    Sugar - 29g

    The protein is important for building your muscle obviously, but the fats are also quite important. My percentages end up being 15% carbs (max!!) 50% fat and 35% protein. You can feel free to check my diary as it's open and you can get an idea of what I do personally. It took a few weeks of experimenting to get it right for me so it might take you a while too, but it will all be worth it.
  • ShannonKirton
    ShannonKirton Posts: 304 Member
    Oh and if you don't already, check out Mark's Daily Apple blog. It's super informative and his archives are a library of information for everything you need to know, from how many carbs to how much fat, and so much more. Worth your time on a day to read for sure!
  • Hi! Thank you so much. You just totally rocked my world! I do subscribe to a lot of blogs, including Mark's Daily Apple and PaleoHacks. I find I am at optimal level when my carbs are real low as well, and my fat intake is high. Recently I've cut out almond butter as I felt like I was an addict, but I'm seeing the weight creep up and my body fat is higher. I also just don't feel right. I really need the additional fat. Your percentages make much more sense to me than what I have been seeing out there. I'm going to post this question in some other groups as well to see what I get, but I'm excited to check out your food log. I think we are completely on the same page so it'll be interesting to see how my body responds and what I need to do.

    You totally got it by saying it helps keep a sense of control to count calories. Thank you so much for your details and very useful response.
  • ShannonKirton
    ShannonKirton Posts: 304 Member
    You're most welcome :) Feel free to add me as a friend and we can support each other.

    If you are happy with the way your body feels on low carb then I say stick with it. Also be careful with the fruits even though their sugars are all natural. Last week I was eating a banana almost everyday and found myself feeling a bit heavy and bloated along with the other junk food I ate around that time. Cutting back on the bananas again has made me feel great. I just have a love affair with bananas!

    And as many great paleo/primal recipes that are out there, I try my best to stay away from them and keep my foods simple and easy to prepare. I don't have a ton of time to spend in the kitchen and I don't have the patience to try new recipes all the time, so i tend to stick to a list of go-to foods and just mix them up according to how I'm feeling. The less I have to do to make it ready to eat, the better!

    And you're right about the almond butter. It's loaded with carbs!