HELP! 1st week eating primal and ZERO weight loss...what am

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  • suellentobler
    suellentobler Posts: 2
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    I know the frustration I have been doing this diet for 45 days working out 3-4 times a week and have only lost 4 pounds. Got so depressed I ate a Sonic Blast last night. I try to eat food cooked at home so I can control what goes into the food. I guess it is my age (45 yrs). I thought about just giving up and beeing fat for the rest of my likfe
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
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    NUMERO UNO REASON: If you've upped your fat intake (and you probably have if you're eating primally) you may not properly be measuring or accounting for the excess in fat calories. Fat is a tricky one. Yes, it's beneficial, but it's also very easy to underestimate.

    If you read primal cookbooks, recipes, etc., they're very calorie dense. Don't eat large portions. You'll be getting more than you bargained for.

    We don't absolutely need the recommded daily allowance of fiber on here to successfully take a healthy crap. Yes, that's my brutally honest typing there. What's REALLY important for our bowels to function is our fat intake. It really is.

    We also don't NEED grains to function. I eat them sometimes, but again, don't NEED them. We won't die without whole grain consumption. Or dairy consumption.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
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    So I lost 10 pounds the first 4 weeks on MFP eating under my calories and low-fat, with anywhere between 130-190g carbs a day. Last week I began eating primal, and I weigh EXACTLY the same as the day I started.This is the first time since I started MFP that the scale won't budge.

    Ummm.... maybe that should be telling you something! :huh: That primal thing seems like someone's opinion and not based upon real science. I don't like the high-fat component. I'd weight a ton! If your job is doing physical labor, yeah, but not if you have an office job. If it were me, I'd go back to what worked for you. (File that under "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"):bigsmile:

    If someone is staying within their calorie goals, then macros are pretty individual to body composition. Generally the problem that arises with primal eating (and I can say this from my own experience) is that I was doing a poor job of accounting for / measuring the fat intake. It's easy to overdo it.

    However...

    Some people function better on a lower - moderate carbohydrate / higher fat diet. Yes, we can lose weight on any reasonable caloric deficit, but macro levels are much more individual preference.
  • bhawkins0617
    bhawkins0617 Posts: 46 Member
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    I agree with other posters who suggested that you drop the Lara bars and hence drop the overall carbs for the day. Lara bars taste great and are totally all-natural but still contain way too many carbs/natural sugars for the beginning stages of a primal diet. Once you've hit your goal, that will be a great treat to add in occasionally.

    Instead, stick to low glycemic fruits such as berries or a small apple. Also, keep in mind that taking grains out of the diet does reduce bulk fiber and may affect your "regularity". If that is a problem, try eating a prune or 2 a day.
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
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    I agree with other posters who suggested that you drop the Lara bars and hence drop the overall carbs for the day. Lara bars taste great and are totally all-natural but still contain way too many carbs/natural sugars for the beginning stages of a primal diet. Once you've hit your goal, that will be a great treat to add in occasionally.

    Instead, stick to low glycemic fruits such as berries or a small apple. Also, keep in mind that taking grains out of the diet does reduce bulk fiber and may affect your "regularity". If that is a problem, try eating a prune or 2 a day.

    I agree. I started eating primally about 6 mos ago, and just started losing weight like crazy. The results speak for themselves. But you HAVE to watch your sugar intake - whether it comes from your carbs, or "healthy" snacks like fruit or Larabars.
  • janiepumphrey
    janiepumphrey Posts: 59
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    Fad Diets generally do not work and They dont work long term. If you do get results when you switch back your eating weight gain is generally going to happen.

    I don't consider the paleo diet to be a "fad" diet at all...and it does work long-term...it worked quite well for human ancestors for millions of years.
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
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    Larabars are not the problem here. If you have been tracking total calories properly and the only change you've made is going to a primal/paleo eating plan and your weight loss has stalled, it most likely because you aren't carb sensitive.

    It sounds like you belong to a relatively smaller but lucky group of people who do better eating a good amount of starchy, but healthy carbs on a daily basis.

    The paleo diet has helped a lot of people, but it isn't for everyone. Some people, believe it or not, do poorly when eliminating cereal grains from their diet. I should know...I live with one of those types of people!
  • Eats_With_A_Fist
    Eats_With_A_Fist Posts: 181
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    Same thing happened to me....Lost a few pounds pre-Primal, then the week I started eating that way I only lost a pound, this past week (week 2) I dropped 4. No guarantee that it will be consistent like that, but yeah the same thing happened to me. I definitely feel better in just over two weeks of doing it...more energy, able to push myself a little more in my workouts. Give it some time and see what happens. It may be like TK421 said though...some things just don't work the same for all people. Take the time and do some research/experimenting to find what works for you.
  • walkingshoes
    walkingshoes Posts: 33 Member
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    speaking of the larabars you are having at night, that reminds me that my personal trainer friend said it is bad to eat carbs at night. She recommended this peanut butter with chocolate and says she had some every night. I was surprised how high in calories it was to eat a wopping tblsp or 2 before bed, but she said it was fine and to stay under 1500 cals a day. Just mainly no carbs before bed.
  • jody0912
    jody0912 Posts: 33
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    thanks everyone for all the replies!!

    after a day away from the computer and time to think, I realize I may have been overreacting this morning. I'm going to give it time, cut the larabars, watch and carefully measure my healthy fat intake, and stop obsessing about the scale.

    it's so nice to have a community of people to pose these questions to!
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
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    thanks everyone for all the replies!!

    after a day away from the computer and time to think, I realize I may have been overreacting this morning. I'm going to give it time, cut the larabars, watch and carefully measure my healthy fat intake, and stop obsessing about the scale.

    it's so nice to have a community of people to pose these questions to!

    It has worked quite well for me -- getting rid of the "bad carbs" and cutting sugar to less than 15g a day makes a huge difference.
  • awhoughton
    awhoughton Posts: 3
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    Sometimes people will see quick results based on dropping carbs from what they had before -- that could be a few pounds of water weight due to the glycogen/water that is stored to access the glycogen. The carbs you were eating may have convinced your body to hold onto the glycogen, or maybe you weren't eating that much before.

    avoid the "bad" foods (grains, sugars, vegetable oils). Some people have trouble with dairy when losing, so you can experiment with that if you remained stalled. Concentrate on getting 3 good meals a day that fill you up to go without snacking. Some people have had luck getting higher protein in the mornings to keep them from snacking (if you want the larabars, maybe your meals aren't keeping you full throughout the day?)

    Also, ramp up the slow moving activity. I walk about 3 miles a day with my dog at a nice slow pace, and it gets your body moving in the right way to start dropping the pounds.

    Good luck. The health benefits are the biggest ones, the weight will take care of itself as you get healthy.

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