I zone with mainly paleo foods. if i don't count i tend to undereat and overdo it on the carbs and fats even with paleo foods.

I'm counting calories while I'm cutting weight. I'm really interested in keeping muscle and loosing fat ( who isn't, right?) So I. Could to g calories and really dialing in my macros; but I'm looking forward to going g back to intuitive eating when I'm done cutting. I'm 5'3" 140 large frame and shoot for 1600 on rest days, 1800 on cross fit days and 1800-2400 on gym/ heavy work days ( I have a physical job). I've lost 15.5 pounds in 4.5 months; I'm shooting for .5/ month.

Hello All,

I am working hard to maintain Paleo and for the most part I haven't had too difficult of a time.
I have the book Primal Blueprint, which states the weight loss sweet spot is to have a total of 50-100 total in carbs daily. For maintaining weight the book says carbs is up to I believe 150. I can't find an exact amount for calorie intake or for the protein breakdown.

So, I follow according to my height of 5'0, I am trying to maintain around 1200 daily calories. I realized early on I need to be mindful when eating nuts. Also when it comes to baking paleo which I have done I need to be careful. The paleo recipes I have found most frequently do not have the calories indicated. Another note I learned was not to eat fruit in the evening. It's best to do so in morning and or afternoon. Once the scale lands where I want it to hit, I think it will be a smooth transition into maintenance Paleo style.

If anyone has any tips I would love to hear them

Hello All,

I am working hard to maintain Paleo and for the most part I haven't had too difficult of a time.
I have the book Primal Blueprint, which states the weight loss sweet spot is to have a total of 50-100 total in carbs daily. For maintaining weight the book says carbs is up to I believe 150. I can't find an exact amount for calorie intake or for the protein breakdown.

So, I follow according to my height of 5'0, I am trying to maintain around 1200 daily calories. I realized early on I need to be mindful when eating nuts. Also when it comes to baking paleo which I have done I need to be careful. The paleo recipes I have found most frequently do not have the calories indicated. Another note I learned was not to eat fruit in the evening. It's best to do so in morning and or afternoon. Once the scale lands where I want it to hit, I think it will be a smooth transition into maintenance Paleo style.

If anyone has any tips I would love to hear them

Low calorie (1200 cals) combined with Primal/Paleo has not worked for me, maybe initially, but I recently upped my cals, and lowered my carbs to about 50-60g and started to see the scale move. I do eat fruit, but only low glycemic, and I don't eat them in the evenings. My cals average about 1500, but I don't need to count them because I pay more attention to the carbs and I pretty much know what I'm supposed to be eating. Down the road you may not need to count because you'll be able to gauge how your body feels by what you're putting into it.

I have to count to make sure I eat enough too. I shoot for 1g protein per pound of body weight no matter what, 75ish g fat and 100g carbs on rest days, and 200 or so on lifting days, and maybe 150g on metcon days. Manipulating carbs is the easiest way to adjust calorie intake, IMO.

I don't know why I am having such a hard time figuring this out. I feel like I should be able to just eat paleo and be fine. I am afraid I am just stressing myself out so much that it is reversing any good the activity is doing for me. Is it crazy that I feel I should be able to just eat real food and not track anything? I just find I am always starving!

No its not crazy at all! That's my goal, to not track after reaching maintenance...but ull probably keep tracking for three months...and then maybe do a bulk : ) but my long term goal is not to count. You know For women I think it can just be incredibly difficult to cut weight and counting is a good tool for us to find the sweet spot. I've been playing around with calorie intake and strict counting now for five months and I'm just now getting my numbers figured out. As for hunger there are a lot of things to feel more satiated; I suggest starting a food journal to keep track of sleep, stress, bm, and hunger. Its a few minutes a day and will do tons to help you figure out what foods are triggering a hunger response. For me its nuts honey dried fruit and dairy. I love eating these things but for me they have to be in moderation or it wakes up the hungry monster! Also eating a zero fat form of protein after working out and no fat for two hours after workout helps out ALOT to feel satisfied all day. Make sure you are getting enough protein ( I do 80 g on rest days 80-100 work days) and ample fat with any lean meats fruits or veggies, so almond butter with banana and tuna with mayo, broccoli with ghee. Munching just apples and carrots for a snack makes me wicked hungry. Hope this helps!