2 weeks into the Paleo diet...

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joan0816
joan0816 Posts: 1 Member
Hello, new to fitness tracker not new to diets. I recently started the paleo diet and cut out fruits (besides berries in the evening) and nuts and expected to drop weight rapidly instead I have gained a pound! Not sure what to do...has anyone else experienced this? I do have to say I am feeling better and have had less headaches but I just can't believe from going to a fast food junkie/carb queen to eating nothing but protein and veggies I would have had a drastic drop...any suggestions?

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  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited May 2015
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    joan0816 wrote: »
    Hello, new to fitness tracker not new to diets. I recently started the paleo diet and cut out fruits (besides berries in the evening) and nuts and expected to drop weight rapidly instead I have gained a pound! Not sure what to do...has anyone else experienced this? I do have to say I am feeling better and have had less headaches but I just can't believe from going to a fast food junkie/carb queen to eating nothing but protein and veggies I would have had a drastic drop...any suggestions?

    Weight loss is about calories, math and eating at a deficit, It has absolutely nothing to do with kinds of foods you're eating. You can gain weight on a 'paleo' diet, a 'clean' diet, a low carb diet, a high carb diet, SAD, vegetarian etc etc., if you're eating too many calories.

    Figure out what calorie deficit you need to lose weight and then eat within your calorie goals. It really is that simple :)

    eta: I ate fast food all the time while I was in the active weight loss phase, and I lost almost 60lbs and improved my health, including getting my glucose number in the normal range again. I continue to eat fast food several times a week now that I'm in maintenance and I have a bmi in the 19 range, a bf% in the 22 percent range, and I continue to have excellent blood panels, blood pressure etc.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    2 weeks is too soon to judge long term changes. Could be several factors (not enough/too many calories vs deficit, water retention, not drinking enough water). The scale changes constantly so I would recommend taking pictures and/or measurements. Just curious why Paleo? Are you planning on staying with this long term or just for temporary loss? What are your long term plans?
  • scottacular
    scottacular Posts: 597 Member
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    What Sara said (great profile pic by the way Sara - clearly doing a great job), the important thing you should take from this though as that you're feeling better. This is a really important step to being the better you everyone on here wants to be. But for your own sake, you'll benefit even more from dropping this notion that cutting out fast food and other carbs automatically leads to weight loss. There's nothing wrong with carbs at all, they're great for fuelling what your body does, including burning fat if you're in a deficit but not a stupidly low one. But if you prefer low carb, that's fine. You've got to find your own way.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    joan0816 wrote: »
    Hello, new to fitness tracker not new to diets. I recently started the paleo diet and cut out fruits (besides berries in the evening) and nuts and expected to drop weight rapidly instead I have gained a pound! Not sure what to do...has anyone else experienced this? I do have to say I am feeling better and have had less headaches but I just can't believe from going to a fast food junkie/carb queen to eating nothing but protein and veggies I would have had a drastic drop...any suggestions?

    Are you weighing and measuring your foods? How many calories are you consuming? What are your stats? Is your diary public?
  • Dave55412
    Dave55412 Posts: 88 Member
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    Hello fellow Missourian! I took a look at your diary. Even though it's only logged one meal, you will gain weight if you eat that many carbs. Flip your carb and fat ratios in your goals and you'll begin to see that drop you want.

    http://paleoiq.com/how-the-paleo-diet-lets-you-lose-fat-without-dieting/
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
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    Hi Joan. If you prefer to eat paleo and also lose weight, you'll need to track calories and portion sizes, too. A lot of people do just switch to paleo and drop a bunch of weight. Many don't. They need to eat less. I can see only one meal of your food diary, but be careful when choosing nutrition info on MFP. Check the numbers against other sources to make sure the item you are choosing is accurate. For example, the entry you chose for 2T avocado says 4 calories. It's probably closer to 40 calories, but you'll be more accurate to track it by weight in grams rather than tablespoons.

    I've done paleo, but I feel better if I eat some grains and dairy, so I've added those. I've never in my life lost even an ounce just by eating low carb, much to my disappointment. Everyone is different.
  • Subzeromambo
    Subzeromambo Posts: 27 Member
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    Dave55412 wrote: »
    Hello fellow Missourian! I took a look at your diary. Even though it's only logged one meal, you will gain weight if you eat that many carbs. Flip your carb and fat ratios in your goals and you'll begin to see that drop you want.

    http://paleoiq.com/how-the-paleo-diet-lets-you-lose-fat-without-dieting/

    Thank you for posting a great article!
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
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    You may be eating more of the good types of food than you need.

    You are only burning off so many calories a day, right?

    If you eat even healthy wholesome food in excess, you will add those excess calories as body fat.

    They don't magically go away because we are on some sort of diet.

    You can over eat on any diet.

    Just figure you calories needed and eat a Paleo diet within a good calorie range.

    No big deal. Easy extra cheesy!!
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    I'll just drop this here:
    3os2ognd3i5w.jpg
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    Credit @lemonlionheart for the amazing graphic.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited June 2015
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    I'm confused. You started "paleo" but then eliminated several key components of paleo (nuts and seeds and fruit) and then seem to be limiting berries and your macros (not that you're logging) are just about OPPOSITE of paleo.

    What is it you're eating? You say "protein and veggies.... but what are you eating?
    How much?
    Are you having your period, ovulating etc?
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
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    To lose weight you need to eat in a calorie deficit. To lose weight and be healthier eat in a calorie deficit, eat healthier foods and exercise. There is really no need for "special" diets, unless it's due to health reasons. I know people who have done the paleo diet and other diets as well to loss weight and as soon as they started to eat their normal way again the weight came back on. I wish you much success in your journey
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    To lose weight you need to eat in a calorie deficit. To lose weight and be healthier eat in a calorie deficit, eat healthier foods and exercise. There is really no need for "special" diets, unless it's due to health reasons. I know people who have done the paleo diet and other diets as well to loss weight and as soon as they started to eat their normal way again the weight came back on. I wish you much success in your journey

    Right, as with virtually any diet, including calorie counting, if one reverts back to old habits, and begins eating more than they burn, they regain. Yup. Yup.
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
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    When I was diet shopping, I just wanted an all you can eat diet.

    Eventually I learned that is a sirens song.

    But I did take elements of Paleo and moderate carb and come up with a good plan for me.

    Funny enough, I can overeat on my plan and make it fail. I can eat a reasonable amount and make it work.