I am new to this style of eating and need HELP/Mentors
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jakejacobsen
Posts: 595 Member
Hello, I have been dealing with obisty and the health issues that come with it way to long. In the past have lost weight by cutting calories which worked well when i logged and counted every day. That is not me nor do I want to live like that. Anyway I have heard about this lifestyle of eating and have limited knowledge on it. But want to get started and learn as I go.
My current questions are do I have to eat minimum amount of calories? I realized how few I was consuming over the past few weeks. I would say that I am less then 1,000 on any given day and most around 6-800. my fitness wants me at just over 2000.
Not to be gross but I hardly ever defecate anymore should this worry me?
I feel great, have more energy my asthma has gone away, my joint pain is gone and I am happy but also have heard from a non-paleo friend that I am not eating right and causing harm to my body by not eating enough. My thought is not hungry, and I am feeling better then ever why change what I am doing? There concern made me wonder what I eat daily so I am back to logging just started today. The only physical change that I have noticed is cold hands and feet.
Please if you know paleo, and don't mind helping out a new person I am determined to learn. I am not 100% paleo and that is not my goal at this time. I would like to learn more and eat this way a majority of the time.
My current questions are do I have to eat minimum amount of calories? I realized how few I was consuming over the past few weeks. I would say that I am less then 1,000 on any given day and most around 6-800. my fitness wants me at just over 2000.
Not to be gross but I hardly ever defecate anymore should this worry me?
I feel great, have more energy my asthma has gone away, my joint pain is gone and I am happy but also have heard from a non-paleo friend that I am not eating right and causing harm to my body by not eating enough. My thought is not hungry, and I am feeling better then ever why change what I am doing? There concern made me wonder what I eat daily so I am back to logging just started today. The only physical change that I have noticed is cold hands and feet.
Please if you know paleo, and don't mind helping out a new person I am determined to learn. I am not 100% paleo and that is not my goal at this time. I would like to learn more and eat this way a majority of the time.
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Replies
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Hey Jake, welcome!
i would agree that your cals are really low. For a general discription of this way of eating, i suggest you visit the sites below. Once you wrap your head around this, there are some books that can further help you with this lifestyle.
http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/
http://marksdailyapple.com0 -
Absolutely you need to EAT MORE FOOD!!!! Eat lots of food, eat lots of fat, eat lots of bacon, eat lots of veggies!!!!! Once you state fueling your body again you will start pooping again, promise!!!
So that being said, you want to get the best quality meats, fats, and veggies that you can. Fats can include coconut oil, grass fed butter (or ghee if you are aiming for paleo not primal), lard, avocados, some nuts. Meats, well all meats including organ meats and fish. Veggies of all types. I aim to eat at bare minimum 2 cups of veggies at each meal and at least 2 types of veggies for each meal. I currently have in my fridge:
Broccoli
Snow peas
Carrots
Asparagus
****ake mushrooms
Baby bella mushrooms
Red and Green cabbage (pre-chopped to throw in with eggs or ground beef)
Yellow squash, Zucchini
Butternut
Celery
Jicama
Avocados
Kale
Cucumbers
Spinach
2 types of lettuce
I keep a pound of ground beef cooked up and either chicken breasts or chicken thighs for quick and easy meals (toss with a bunch of veggies and saute, bam-food)
Definitely look into the suggested reading. Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo and her website www.balancedbites.com are great places to start. Her book is very approachable and the recipes are super easy.
Ask lots of questions. The folks here are super nice and super helpful! Welcome and good luck
*****I find it funny that they have blanked out the beginning part of the particular mushrooms I have, silly!!!0 -
Jake, you've come to the right place and the lifestyle with real science behind it. Listen to what these people are saying about food, they are well versed in this and we are here to help.
I am at 2000 a day and still loosing at a nice rate although leveling out as I get closer to my goal. You could likely do 1600 to 1800 a day and still feel great but 1000 a day will not do anything long term except possibly damage your system, you may feel fine one minute and pass out the next that could be embarrassing or it could be fatal if you are driving. Best not risk it.
Add me as a friend and look at what I eat along with many of these other fine people you will learn a lot0 -
I think you know very well that you must eat far more.
The Paleo lifestyle is the best for health. You will get out what you put into it. No one is perfect 100% Paleo but the closer you are the better you will feel and the easier this lifestyle will come to be. I practice a ketogenic version of Paleo because I have severe metabolic disorder and I do best with lots of healthy fat and low carb.
Welcome to our group. :flowerforyou:0 -
The wonderful thing about this way of eating is its a lifestyle not a crash diet. That said if you eat 'paleo' foods at a severe deficit you are doing a crash diet not a paleo diet. You are slowing your weight loss down and potentially damaging your metabolism.
Take one small step at a time. Honor yourself by eating nourishing foods. Realise change doesn't happen overnight. And never forget bacon beats Melba toast hands down. You can do this! But eati g at a severe deficit is setting you up for failure.0 -
Hi Jake, I am new to this too, good to know I am not the only one with questions ! Like the others have said - don't worry about calories (I was getting hung up on the MFP macros too) just eat according to plan, and all will be well. Even in my first week (when I was easing in) I felt better for this way of eating, I ate well, and felt satiated. Eat, and don't count calories - they're no way to manage what you eat.
keep us updated with how you're doing! Remember eat more, loads of veggies, roasted, boiled, grilled, stir-fried, fried, sauted - the possibilities are endless. I've discovered that roast carrots (with coconut oil) aren't so bad after all (too many years of hard carrots in school dinners!). Going from a hugely low-fat non processed mainly veggie diet to Paleo, I was concerned about the digestive system, but everything's hunky dory. So eat away, eat veg, eat meat, eat fruit....Enjoy!
p.s. my 26lb lost was on Slimming World - a UK slimming programme that is very low fat.0 -
Thank you all!
I want to clear something up, I wasn’t intentionally eating at a large deficient I was eating when hungry (what I thought was right). I think it’s a volume of food thing.
My normal breakfast most of the time was a everything bagel with cream cheese about 560 cal (156 gams) and fit on a 4 inch saucer (funny fact:haven't craved one till I wrote this)
Everything Bagel 260 cals (96grams)
Cream cheese 320 cal (4 table spoons or converted to grams 60)
This morning I consumed the same roughly the same amount of calories to see what it would be like 580 (roughly356 grams) and filled a 9 inch plate full
2 sausage patties 240 cal (66 grams)
2 medium eggs 126cal (44grams)
Broccoli 34 cal (100 grams)
Cauliflower 25 cal (100 grams)
Canola oil 120 cal (14 grams) Yes I know it’s not paleo, but it’s what I had at the house
Salsa 30 (32 grams)
I think it’s just eating the volume of food that’s going to take time to get used to; my old eating habits were carb heavy which seem to be high in calorie for the mass they take up. Now its lunch time and no surprise I am not hungry. I still feel very full, when I ate I felt as if I was stuffing myself, and had trouble eating it all (not a mental thing it was physical).
I am not able to spend a ton on food and need to stay on a budget through this transition and in the future. So what do you recommend I put on my grocery list? I live in Wisconsin so the farmers markets aren’t open yet and we still have snow so it will be a while till the local fresh produce is available. I am going to be limited to many frozen veggies due to price but will compare fresh.
Not everyone in the house is interested in paleo, yet but they have noticed what I am eating and started to limit carbs. (I don’t want to be that guy so I haven’t done much talking as I was shut down and told ya I have done that in the past it doesn't work) The change will come when they are ready; the great news is my wife is interested but concerned with the cost as we are on a budget.
I am sure there are resource available for paleo on a budget, but don’t know where to find them and new to this so any help will be appreciated. I will be reading/researching today, and Monday looking for some the books you have all recommended so far. Thanks Again.0 -
Hi, do you mind me just tagging along here too, as i'm new to Paleo/Primal with loads of questions!
Good luck in your journey, maybe we can motivate and inspire each other.
Lucy0 -
Invest in some healthy oils! Canola is one of the worst. It's not about it being "Paleo" or not, it's that it's not HEALTHY. Do you have butter (not margarine), bacon grease, coconut oil, olive oil?
Have a clean out the pantry party and toss all the stuff that is poison for your body. Don't see it as "wasting"; see it as protecting your health from here on out. It's fun and liberating.
There's lots of ways to eat healthy on a budget and search through the posts because there are a lot of recommendations. Some of the cheapest foods are also the healthiest (organ meats for instance). Get to know your local farmers. It takes some effort but awesome health has been well worth it for me.0 -
That's good to hear Jake, I am also in a house full of non-Paleo eaters so this takes some will power and frankly I am in the kitchen a lot more than when I was way over weight, but I find it relaxing now and I try to make food for my family once a week now to introduce them to what I eat (no complaints so far). I also have found that if you eat Nose-to-tail, there is a real cost savings but it also takes some time and research to do it well. Our food bills have not gone up but there seems to be a lot more waste from the other side because they still haven't compensated for me not eating the SAD foods very well.0
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Feel free to add me. I've been doing it for about 4 years. I'm not particularly strict (ex: last night, my wife and I went out for only the second time since we had our daughter, I drank and ate a bunch of things I shouldn't have.
I aim for the 80% pretty much and have settled into my own Primal lifestyle. I also still do dairy (more Primal than Paleo).
Also, I eat 2300 net and lose at a good clip. You need to eat more. But good on you for spotting that - like you say, it may take a bit of time for your body to get accustomed to it. Real foods are much more filling.0 -
There's a few threads already on here about paleo on a budget so might be worth a search. I've just finished up the last of our homegrown beef and don't have another kill due until at least late May so having to buy beef at the moment. In New Zealand all our beef is grassfed so I aim for low end of the budget and buy mince (ground beef) and whatever else is on sale. $8-10kg NZ is considered cheap meat here and that's the price range I stick to.
Do you have some space to put in a vegetable garden for this summer? Fresh homegrown produce tastes so much better plus lots of herbs etc add variety to your meals.
Eggs are also a good cheap source of protein. Canned fish such as sardines are also handy to have in the cupboard. In order of prioritizing your budget I would aim first for good quality fats, then quality eggs and grassfed meats then organic vegetables and fruits.
Many say they spend less eating this way - I know I do as it's surprising how fast junk food and takeaway costs add up. Also I find I eat less as I'm well nourished.0 -
When you go from a lot of processed food to eating cleaner you have less waste to process so it may cause you to have fewer bowel movements. Are you in pain or having small hard BMs? If not I wouldn't be too concerned that you are not having as many movements as normal. Make sure you're eating enough veggies and fermeted foods to keep the gut bacteria happy.
Some people notice that they start having cramps after starting to eat this way, make sure tha tyou have enough magnesium, potassium, calicum and sodium. This will also help to regulate your bowel movements.0 -
All great suggestions. You should definitely listen to these people.
I just wanted to add that my diary is open for God and everyone to see (friend or not) so if you want to see what a 1500-2000 calorie paleo diet looks like, feel free to peek. I follow a different version of Paleo presently - It's called the Perfect Health Diet. It's paleo, but different in that it pushes starches. I'm just trying it out for now.
From March 5th to March 29th, I did Whole30 (very strict paleo) so if you want to see what can be done without white potatoes and dairy, that's where I would suggest you look. I don't track on weekends but follow the same food rules.
I would say I'm 90% Primal (allowing dairy and rice).
PS I also noticed a reduction in bowel movements.0 -
Absolutely you need to EAT MORE FOOD!!!! Eat lots of food, eat lots of fat, eat lots of bacon, eat lots of veggies!!!!! Once you state fueling your body again you will start pooping again, promise!!!
So that being said, you want to get the best quality meats, fats, and veggies that you can. Fats can include coconut oil, grass fed butter (or ghee if you are aiming for paleo not primal), lard, avocados, some nuts. Meats, well all meats including organ meats and fish. Veggies of all types. I aim to eat at bare minimum 2 cups of veggies at each meal and at least 2 types of veggies for each meal. I currently have in my fridge:
Broccoli
Snow peas
Carrots
Asparagus
****ake mushrooms
Baby bella mushrooms
Red and Green cabbage (pre-chopped to throw in with eggs or ground beef)
Yellow squash, Zucchini
Butternut
Celery
Jicama
Avocados
Kale
Cucumbers
Spinach
2 types of lettuce
I keep a pound of ground beef cooked up and either chicken breasts or chicken thighs for quick and easy meals (toss with a bunch of veggies and saute, bam-food)
Definitely look into the suggested reading. Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo and her website www.balancedbites.com are great places to start. Her book is very approachable and the recipes are super easy.
Ask lots of questions. The folks here are super nice and super helpful! Welcome and good luck
*****I find it funny that they have blanked out the beginning part of the particular mushrooms I have, silly!!!
rofl, I don't know what's better, the first part of this response, or the fact that MFP censored the name of the mushroom.
That said, I agree with this. You need to eat more food. I recommend tracking to make sure you're eating enough. I can sympathize, too. I have the same problem of not eating enough. I'm tracking now, though my diary is only open to friends. Feel free to add me, though.0
