Tracking Paleo

Jes2kids
Jes2kids Posts: 16 Member
in Food and Nutrition
If you eat paleo do you log calories? I am trying paleo/gluten free at the suggestion of my Dr due to autoimmune issues and she told me to focus on nutrients and don't track. I have 50 lbs to lose and I am concerned I will go over the calories I need and stall out weight loss. What has worked for you?

Replies

  • kathrynjean_
    kathrynjean_ Posts: 428 Member
    If you want to lose weight, you need to eat at a caloric deficit. The easiest way to do that is to track your calories - no matter which diet you are eating.

    You can gain, lose, or maintain weight on ANY diet.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Why would you not? If you're trying to lose weight it is all about the calories. There's no magic qualities to paleo food that make it so calories don't matter.
  • Jes2kids
    Jes2kids Posts: 16 Member
    Thanks for the responses. Do you use the calorie suggestion mfp makes or get your number from another resource?
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Use the calorie suggestion MFP gives you.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    It's personal choice, always

    Do you find the concept of tracking onerous or freeing

    Are you interested in numbers but happy to take an "it's good enough within a margin of error approach"

    I'm not sure how you could track nutrients without logging TBH ..and if you're logging you're looking at calories, macros and micro nutritents (if you do it carefully and accurately
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Jes2kids wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses. Do you use the calorie suggestion mfp makes or get your number from another resource?

    I am confused as to your goal

    Are you looking to lose weight or maintain and wish to follow Paleo / gluten free as a way of eating?
  • Jes2kids
    Jes2kids Posts: 16 Member
    Looking to lose weight, trying gluten free/paleo out of Dr recommendations due to autoimmune disorders
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited October 2016
    Jes2kids wrote: »
    Looking to lose weight, trying gluten free/paleo out of Dr recommendations due to autoimmune disorders

    Then calorie defecit as per MFP plus eat back some of your exercise calories

    Weigh and log everything you eat as accurately as possible

    I can understand gluten free as medical recommendation when tests / symptoms show sensitivities but have never heard paleo recommended for auto immune disorder before , particularly as it's so open to interpretation

    But good luck
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    edited October 2016
    As someone with A I issues, controlling weight for me personally has been incredibly hard. It was not because of calories (I ate a boatload as I was trying to gain weight) , but because I wasn't absorbing nutrients. I am on a specific paleo diet. my labs are much better, and I'm starting to gain again even though I eat at maintenance or even at a deficit a lot. It could very well be different for you, but from my experience, calorie intake doesn't matter as much.
  • Jes2kids
    Jes2kids Posts: 16 Member
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    Jes2kids wrote: »
    Looking to lose weight, trying gluten free/paleo out of Dr recommendations due to autoimmune disorders

    Then calorie defecit as per MFP plus eat back some of your exercise calories

    Weigh and log everything you eat as accurately as possible

    I can understand gluten free as medical recommendation when tests / symptoms show sensitivities but have never heard paleo recommended for auto immune disorder before , particularly as it's so open to interpretation

    But good luck

    Yes, there is an autoimmune paleo protocol which is super restrictive. I felt well when I tried that style but it is really difficult to do.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Why did your doctor suggest you not log? Is she afraid you will find it too difficult or obsess about calories?

    I did paleo for a bit (didn't find it helpful for me, but I didn't have any particular issues before), and I logged. I actually think logging while doing it would be a good idea, as you can also write down when you have symptoms and how you feel each day to see any patterns, and it makes it easy to spot if you are accidentally choosing foods with particular ingredients (for example, some things have soy but it's not obvious, stuff like that).

    Perhaps your doctor wants you to get the autoimmune issues straightened out before going a restrictive diet, and that's probably sensible -- maybe figuring out maintenance and then cutting only a moderate amount from that rather than trying to hit something like 1200?
  • amrluvarr
    amrluvarr Posts: 52 Member
    I started AIP (Auto Immune Protocol- it stems from the Paleo diet) about 3 weeks ago. I too have weight to lose and have already lost due to the restrictive diet. I started logging today to be sure I'm getting enough calories and I set my goals in MFP to lose 1/2 a lb per week and will follow the MFP suggestions for now. Also, I found a lot of receipes and blogs on AIP when searching Pinterest. It has helped keep the diet as exciting as possible. :smile:

Categories