Carbohydrate Confusion-What is your sweet spot?
MDAPebbles67
Posts: 181 Member
Excuse me while I rant at myself.
Feel free to participate in the discussion.
I have been Primal/Paleo for almost 5 years. We all know that Paleolithic eating can include a variety of carb levels from very low (keto), to moderate (150+). Each person has to find their sweet spot. I have tried many different carb levels under the paleo umbrella.
My personal issue is a lifelong binge eating disorder. I have struggled to be faithful to Paleo or even the Primal 80/20. I often binge on non paleo things. This sets up a cycle of weight loss and re gain. (In June 2014 I hit 80 lbs lost, today I am at only 43 lbs lost.)
When I am experiencing a bad binge cycle, out of desperation, I tend to jump from carb level to carb level. I make myself crazy. I so easily lose sight of what I have learned. Primal/Paleo is the best way for me to be healthy. As long as I consistently eat at the optimal carb level for me (along with enough protein and fat), I am at least maintaining if not improving my health.
So, where is my sweet spot? Looking back over my 5 years of paleolithic eating, I see that my most stable times and greatest weight loss were when I ate 75- 150 grams of carb. I love the idea of keto or even just low carb, but it is not sustainable for me. Last year I finally got under 200 lbs while following the tenets of the Perfect Health Diet. I am going to move forward with that plan again and stick to it even if I continue to binge. My body needs to learn to trust me to feed it enough good food.
Why share all of this?
- I want to publicly declare my intention to eat a consistent level of paleo carbs. Stop the roller coaster.
-I think that there are many people like me who struggle even while Paleo. You are not alone.
Here are some participation questions:
1. What is your carb sweet spot? and Why?
2. What part of eating Primal/Paleo is difficult or confusing for you?
Feel free to participate in the discussion.
I have been Primal/Paleo for almost 5 years. We all know that Paleolithic eating can include a variety of carb levels from very low (keto), to moderate (150+). Each person has to find their sweet spot. I have tried many different carb levels under the paleo umbrella.
My personal issue is a lifelong binge eating disorder. I have struggled to be faithful to Paleo or even the Primal 80/20. I often binge on non paleo things. This sets up a cycle of weight loss and re gain. (In June 2014 I hit 80 lbs lost, today I am at only 43 lbs lost.)
When I am experiencing a bad binge cycle, out of desperation, I tend to jump from carb level to carb level. I make myself crazy. I so easily lose sight of what I have learned. Primal/Paleo is the best way for me to be healthy. As long as I consistently eat at the optimal carb level for me (along with enough protein and fat), I am at least maintaining if not improving my health.
So, where is my sweet spot? Looking back over my 5 years of paleolithic eating, I see that my most stable times and greatest weight loss were when I ate 75- 150 grams of carb. I love the idea of keto or even just low carb, but it is not sustainable for me. Last year I finally got under 200 lbs while following the tenets of the Perfect Health Diet. I am going to move forward with that plan again and stick to it even if I continue to binge. My body needs to learn to trust me to feed it enough good food.
Why share all of this?
- I want to publicly declare my intention to eat a consistent level of paleo carbs. Stop the roller coaster.
-I think that there are many people like me who struggle even while Paleo. You are not alone.
Here are some participation questions:
1. What is your carb sweet spot? and Why?
2. What part of eating Primal/Paleo is difficult or confusing for you?
0
Replies
-
<BED as well, but most of that cleared up with very low carb Paleo. It is my opinion that I was malnourished so my body never gave the signal to stop eating. So many health problems have been eliminated or reduced.
When I went Paleo, I did very well for the first year and a bit. Consistenly lost, fended off the bingeing by keeping carbs low. But. After a year and a half and after a second Whole30 (was longer than 30 days) things went bad. And it's all about the carbs. I don't seem to tolerate moderate, or even low carbs. I've been re-gaining fat, losing my energy, and just failing to comply in general. So now, I'm eating no carbs (ie no plants) and I LOVE it. So far so good.
I think it's awesome that you are able to have your carbs so high (in my mind that's high). I was spending the last year and a half trying to find that sweet spot and hoping that I could have a more moderate carb level and I couldn't. But that's just me, others obviously can.
Nothing about Paleo was difficult at first except minimizing the carbs as much as I need for my body. For a short time I fell into Paleo substitutes and I was definitely under-eating (not according to MFP of course!). But then I just couldn't keep on keeping on... not totally sure why yet. Hence the no plants experiment. My animal based WOE is obviously going to pose some difficulties when I need to be around other people (I live with Inuit, so there was no mental block for me) but for now I feel AWESOME and am going to continue the experiment until further notice.
Interestingly, I can eat large portions of animal foods but I have never ever binged on animal foods (that weren't processed).
Frankly, I'm sick of struggling because I'm losing that battle.0 -
I don't think that your binge eating issue is necessarily correlated to your level of carbs. It could be simply caused by under-eating (a too aggressive calories deficit), and/ or by some emotional/stress issue.0
-
I agree, the BED has many facets. I tend to have fewer binges on a higher level of carbs. No matter the carb level, I try to keep above 1500 calories, usually closer to 2000.0
-
If you are speaking to me, yes it is. I stopped under-eating long ago. My emotional/stress issues are also much affected by the food I choose. What's worked for many others didn't fully work for me, and I think 3 years is giving it a pretty good shot. Nothing wrong with trying something else that has worked for some others as well.
I'm not speaking for others, just myself. I'm not winning the struggle so if I can find a way to NOT struggle, that's what I'll choose. It's an experiment that is safe for someone with as much knowledge as I have.
Do you have experience with BED? I was struggling with that before I started so under-eating certainly wasn't the cause. In my case, malnutrition was, which I haven't fully resolved even with 3 years of Paleo.0 -
I do best on 75-150, it definitely keeps me from going over board on non-paleo carbs. I am one of the people that requires some starch.0
-
Totally relate to what you are saying MDApebbles! I used to be really overweight. I lost over 200lbs 14 years ago and have kept it off with the exception of 20 to 25lbs which I yo yo back and forth with because of binge eating. I lost 170lbs on a Paleo type diet although it was called schwarzenbein at the time and 31 on a vegan diet. Binged WAY more being vegan! Which is one reason why after 9 years of vegan I am back to Paleo.
My optimum carb level seems to be 60 to under 100. Under or over that number seems to not work well for me. I will binge on Paleo foods but usually the high carb ones like nuts, nut butters, Paleo treats or recipes, fruit and dried fruit.
If you find a magic number that makes the need to turn to food for comfort please let me know as I will be all over that!0 -
1) My carb sweet spot is 50-75g NET (carb minus fiber). I love my fruits and veggies but over a certain amount I start to crave and overeat.
2)The biggest obstacle for me is giving up dairy! That is also partly a personal obstacle, as it is allowed on Primal if you tolerate it. I DON"T. So I am giving up an addiction basically and still love it but my body revolts if I eat it!! IMMEDIATELY! I had some today and Tuesday and it was not pretty! I even have sinus reactions in minutes!0 -
Akimajuktuq wrote: »<BED as well, but most of that cleared up with very low carb Paleo. It is my opinion that I was malnourished so my body never gave the signal to stop eating. So many health problems have been eliminated or reduced.
I agree on the malnourishment. My binges can consist of thousands of calories, few of them are valuable to my body. If I want to keep from binging, I have too work on both the physical and emotional aspects
When I went Paleo, I did very well for the first year and a bit.
Me too. I lost 65 the first year with very few binges.
I think it's awesome that you are able to have your carbs so high (in my mind that's high).
Funny, in the paleo world that is high, but compared to the SAD, not so much. I love that the "Low Carb Daily" group considers "low carb" to be anything 150 grams and under.
Frankly, I'm sick of struggling because I'm losing that battle.
I feel your pain
0 -
tshirtartist wrote: »Totally relate to what you are saying MDApebbles! I used to be really overweight. I lost over 200lbs 14 years ago and have kept it off with the exception of 20 to 25lbs which I yo yo back and forth with because of binge eating.
Impressive
I lost 170lbs on a Paleo type diet although it was called schwarzenbein at the time
Love Schwarzbein. She has some good tgeories about why people need carbs.
I will binge on Paleo foods but usually the high carb ones like nuts, nut butters, Paleo treats or recipes, fruit and dried fruit.
That would be a step up for me. I always go for the wheat and sugar.
If you find a magic number that makes the need to turn to food for comfort please let me know as I will be all over that!
Alas, I think we are all on a lonely quest in this case.
0 -
-
cindytw,
Dairy is only a very secial occasion food for me. Sadly I do much better without it.
0 -
Anything under 100g for me, but I try to keep them as low as possible while still eating enough fruit and veg. I have a bad habit of binging on carbs... the more I eat, the more I want to eat.0
-
I tend to follow more PHD too. even when I first went "paleo" and didn't know about PHD I was more in line with that. I was eating a plantain by myself almost every day. When I tried to go "real" paleo and increase fat with decreased starch/carbs, it didn't work. I didn't lose weight. So, now I stick with what works for me.0
-
In general and for women especially under eating and/or eating too few carbs can trigger stress in your body and lead to obsessive thoughts, constant hunger and eventually a binge cycle. It's a situation I've seen with my clients time and time again. I know it may sound controversial but I don't believe that a keto diet is sustainable for women in the long term. It can be used in certain therapeutic instances or to break through a plateau but if used in the long term can lead to binges, plummeting thyroid and sex hormone levels while increasing cortisol levels.
I'd stick to the 75-150g of carbs per day. If you are really active some days I'd double it. Women need carbs to support their hormones. Don't forget starchy carbs. They are totally underrated and when taken closer to bedtime can even improve sleep quality leading to more overall weightloss.
Good luck!0 -
Thanks meghanner,
I love how keto feels, but the longest I have ever stayed on it was 6 weeks. When I binge on Keto the high carb consumption causes several pounds of weight gain overnight. Recovery is harder and I feel sicker afterwards.
I have three solid days on higher carb and already my sleep and mood have improved. Starchy carbs are the basis of the Perfect Health plan.
That said, I in no way intend to disrespect low carb eating. For some it works great as a way of life. I think of it more as a tool to be used once in a while.0 -
I agree, some people do great on VLC and others just can't handle it. Although, 75-150 is technically "low carb" so, I will never be against the concept.0
-
True, any paleolithic eating plan is comparatively low carb.0
-
There is nothing wrong with an animal based diet long term for women (I'm sure there are some health issues these days that have created exceptions to that).
So for someone who is still showing very much metabolic problems on 30 grams of carbs (and spent over a year trying to moderate carbs and eat more and has gotten sicker and fatter), what would you recommend?
Fats are most important for hormones as far as I am aware, not carbs.
Jeez, I must be a special snowflake because it's the carbs that still trigger bingeing, obsessive thoughts, depression, anxiety, constant hunger, fat storage on few calories, blood sugar problems, etc.
I do agree that many people can do just fine on far more carbs than me... but then I see lots who are constantly struggling.... But I really get annoyed when very low carb eating plans are said to be unhealthy, unsustainable, and that a body NEEDS carbs. Because I have witnessed so much proof of the opposite. What's blown my socks off lately is to discover that the low carbs were still keeping me struggling constantly, and it seems my body needs no carbs for now.
Just talking about me, but there are also others I've just met in another group who report similar experiences as I've had. Nice to know I'm not alone and that I can try something different when all else has failed. Unpopular? Yes. Misunderstood? Yes. Working right now? YES. (but it's only been 4 days of no carb and I WILL be honest on how things go for the next month during this experiment.)0 -
Everyone has to follow their own path. The VLC and moderate carb people often do not get along merely due to the rigidity of their stances. I hope this thread can be helpful without falling into negativity.
I am very interested to hear how things go for you. I have been intrigued by the idea of eating zero carb.
I'll also be sure to keep reporting in on the effect of eating a set amount of carbs each day. My average has been 125 for the last few days.0 -
I'm actually another one that has found benefit so far by eating an animal based diet not unlike @Akimajuktuq. (So, my sweet spot, then, is "as close to none as feasibly possible.")
I don't have BED, but I do have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), and am what could be described as a "hard loser." In 7 years of busting my *kitten* to lose weight, I've lost a net total of 35lbs. I had lost another 30lbs through that, but it was the first time I was on Metformin and I was unable to get back on it after having to get off of it when I was pregnant (it was making me sick). After the pregnancy/breastfeeding hormones went away, so did the weight loss.
I've been Primal for about 3 years now, and have yet to lose weight on it by itself. I've systematically decreased my carbs over the past year, and the best I've still been able to do is keep from gaining weight (though that's not the only reason I've done it).
Then I went carnivore, and dropped everything except meat, eggs, cheese, butter, and some cream. I lost 6lbs in three days. On day 4 (yesterday), I decided to have a little ice cream. I arguably didn't eat more, calorie-wise (what I ate that day consisted largely of some meat and cheese roll-ups with some mayo), yet this morning, I was up 2lbs. Water weight? Almost certainly. However, I was coming from around 50g or so of carbs, so it wasn't a drastic drop. Yesterday's carb count may have been 30-40g. So it's not like I'm dropping from 100g+ to almost nothing. Clearly, my body isn't keen on carbohydrates right now. And no, it's not just because that was sugar. Starches give me headaches almost instantly and have the same weight effect.
And yeah, I'll be talking about my experience with it, too.
In the meantime, you might be interested in these women who have done carnivore diets as well (may also explain some of what drives people to these kinds of diets and their results from it):
http://myzerocarblife.jamesdhogan.com/wp/
http://theprimalparent.com/2011/07/27/the-carnivores-dilemma-a-diet-of-just-meats-and-fats/0 -
I don't count much, but I'd bet my sweet spot is between 50-100 grams, based on what I was eating when I lost weight back in...what...2002?
@Dragonwolf and @Akimajuktuq I'm thrilled to see you both finding something that works so well for you.
And thanks for this thread, while I'm not what most would call Paleo or Primal, I don't eat a lot of grains etc and certainly don't follow a SAD diet.
Thanks also for the mention of the PHD. I'd never heard of it. I'm a nutrition junkie (which is a hoot for those who knew me when I was a SAD eating, fast food eating fool before 2002). I'm going to download the book now!
0
This discussion has been closed.