Struggles with Paleo
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HollyMac20
Posts: 259 Member
Hello All!
I have to say, that over other "diets", I find Paleo the easiest for me to follow, stick with and really feel like I am overall healthier. I am not super strict, if I was, it would turn into a compulsive disorder with lots of crying. So I tell myself make the best effort you can, and when I am personally making choices, stick to meat and veggies. But I do have some problems with it....
I never feel "thin". I eat lots of eggs, meat and nut while always trying to get veggies in there as well. I try to limit my fruit to one serving a day or so. It usually comes in the form of a Larabar. I always feel like I am full, then I will instantly be hungry. When eating other methods, I usually feel nice and lean in the morning or post workout atleast. Not so much with this.
My weight is going up. I know it is muscle. I am up 7-10 pounds all while maintaining the same bodyfat or even reducing it. Not a terrible problem, but it is a challenging result. All my clothes fit differently and as a girl, that doesn't make you feel good. At 5'8", 163 pounds, that is big enough.
Being social with non-paleo peeps. My boyfriend has started to accept I eat differently than him. He is sooo much better than when I met him, but when we have burgers, he isn't skipping the bun. I try to avoid binge alcohol situations, but it makes me look like the old maid of the group. I get a little anxious about dinner out or at other people's houses.
I am still looking to lean out. I crossfit and lift heavy for the most part. I teach kickboxing once a week and go for a job another day a week. To lean out, do I need to add more steady state cardio??? All these "primal instructions" do not preach that, so I guess I was under the impression that if I cut out my dairy and grains, crossfit, lifted and did some cardio, all the fat would just melt away. Right???
As for the good points, I do feel better. I have less GI issues. I don't get the over full feeling after a meal. When I do log my calories, they are within parameters I feel are acceptable 1600-2000.
Thoughts, tips, vents???
In the end I am looking to lower my BF%. I just don't feel like that is happening.
I have to say, that over other "diets", I find Paleo the easiest for me to follow, stick with and really feel like I am overall healthier. I am not super strict, if I was, it would turn into a compulsive disorder with lots of crying. So I tell myself make the best effort you can, and when I am personally making choices, stick to meat and veggies. But I do have some problems with it....
I never feel "thin". I eat lots of eggs, meat and nut while always trying to get veggies in there as well. I try to limit my fruit to one serving a day or so. It usually comes in the form of a Larabar. I always feel like I am full, then I will instantly be hungry. When eating other methods, I usually feel nice and lean in the morning or post workout atleast. Not so much with this.
My weight is going up. I know it is muscle. I am up 7-10 pounds all while maintaining the same bodyfat or even reducing it. Not a terrible problem, but it is a challenging result. All my clothes fit differently and as a girl, that doesn't make you feel good. At 5'8", 163 pounds, that is big enough.
Being social with non-paleo peeps. My boyfriend has started to accept I eat differently than him. He is sooo much better than when I met him, but when we have burgers, he isn't skipping the bun. I try to avoid binge alcohol situations, but it makes me look like the old maid of the group. I get a little anxious about dinner out or at other people's houses.
I am still looking to lean out. I crossfit and lift heavy for the most part. I teach kickboxing once a week and go for a job another day a week. To lean out, do I need to add more steady state cardio??? All these "primal instructions" do not preach that, so I guess I was under the impression that if I cut out my dairy and grains, crossfit, lifted and did some cardio, all the fat would just melt away. Right???
As for the good points, I do feel better. I have less GI issues. I don't get the over full feeling after a meal. When I do log my calories, they are within parameters I feel are acceptable 1600-2000.
Thoughts, tips, vents???
In the end I am looking to lower my BF%. I just don't feel like that is happening.
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Replies
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How long have you been primal?
I can tell a huge difference in how I feel. Sometimes I feel bloated, but that's usually after I have overeaten. Most of the time I feel thinner, lighter and healthier for sure (at 213 lbs that's a hard feeling to come by).
I wonder if you're newer to Primal (you didn't say in your message) that maybe it's taking some time for your body to adjust to the heavy lifting vs reduced cardio vs changed diet. I have barely lost anything in just over 3 weeks of being primal. I account that to eating different foods that my body is still figuring out what to do with, increased strength gains and reduced cardio.
I would just say - if you're new - to stick it out and see if you notice any changes after another couple weeks.
Maybe someone with more seniority can answer your questions better than I can.
In regard to the social situations - I can totally relate and don't know yet how to overcome them, except to put out there that your choosen method of nourishing your body places certain restrictions on where you can dine, how much you can drink, etc, and you would like to be true to your choice. I haven't had a problem yet personally because all of my friends/family are also overweight and one of us is always doing something different from the "norm" to lose weight, so it's common for us. I hope you can find a way to co-exist.
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I don't think Paleo is a great weight loss solution, it's not a ketogenic diet that's going to make you drop loads of weight it's just a healthy and clean way of eating.
I'd swap the nuts and veggies in priority order. You make it sound like you are having trouble getting veggies in?0 -
Hey Holly. I TOTALLY get where you are coming from. I recently met with my CrossFit coach about nutrition (she's a sports nutritionist) and found what she had to say really interesting. I'll give you a brief overview and you can take it for what you will:
First, I eat mostly paleo and so does she. Second, my goals are strictly to LOSE BODY FAT and GET STRONGER. (basically I want to be able to take my shirt off at the beach with confidence. and deadlift 300lbs.)
She instantly told me I needed to eat more vegetables. 5 servings a day. So now I eat some with every meal - even breakfast.
She also told me I needed between 2500-3000 calories per day with the amount/intensity I work out. I am 5'9 and 158 lbs or so, to give you reference.
I've been doing these things for the past couple of days. I KNOW what you mean about the "lean" feeling in the morning or after a workout. I can't say that I have that, but this woman knows her stuff. And for body recomposition, it's going to take some drastic changes.
It's kind of a hard pill to swallow, eating so much, and eating so many veggies. But if you really want to get lean and lose body fat, you are really going to have to forget the scale. It's hard. I know it is. But for gals like us who are never going to be 125 lbs... who cares! No one else sees that number, ya know? But they'll see if you have a rockin bod
Anyway I hope that helps. Focus on the amount and quality of your food, and I know you do. Continue lifting heavy. I don't think extra cardio is necessary unless you really enjoy it.0 -
But for gals like us who are never going to be 125 lbs... who cares! No one else sees that number, ya know? But they'll see if you have a rockin bod
I love this ^.0 -
But for gals like us who are never going to be 125 lbs... who cares! No one else sees that number, ya know? But they'll see if you have a rockin bod
I love this ^.
+1
Real women look like women - not like 15 year old boys with girlyfaces. Find the weight that's comfortable on your frame, then tune it up and rejoice in it! 0 -
Thanks all. Thanks Maggie. I am really interested on how this works for you. I also try and get those veggie in, but it does take some serious planning. When I get the time to plan and prep out, I am better, but that isn't always the case.
I have been primal-ish since last fall. And I can say that I have seen great increases in strength and muscle since then. My muscles are also popping much more and I get more compliements on my "powerhouse" physique.
At 21.5% bf, I really would like to see it in the teens. Perhaps it will just be slow coming. Many of the girls in my crossfit box are really lean.
Same with you Maggie, I just want to be able to do a WOD in a sports bra and feel comfortable with it. Not looking to be 120# :-)0 -
I'm fairly new to Primal, but it did say to limit your nuts, sweet potatoes, & fruit if you wanted to see results on the scale. Perhaps your nut intake is high and your veggie intake is low? Do you have ANY dairy? I'll have a high-fat yogurt w/ berries in the morning, but won't touch the stuff after that. . It seems to work. Good luck!0
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I just finished a 30 day strict Paleo with a bunch of people from my CF box....
Here is some information I found useful in regards to leaning out and looking for body fat drop...
I did strict paleo - so no dairy...no straying (wellllll...except for those 2 starbucks fru-fru drinks I had)
Lots of protien - especially if you are lifting...
Lots of good fat sources - olive oil and coconut oil for sauteeing, baking, roasting - snack on nuts and avacados
VEGGIES, VEGGIES, VEGGIES - especially leafy veggies - I would cut up red pepper strips and cucumbers to snack on - grabbed bags of baby carrots
The big thing for me was to really reduce carbs and sugars...to do this I cut down to one fruit source a day and choose lower carb/sugar fruits like berries...I even gave up my Larabars for the most part (I would eat maybe one a week and even then I would break it in half and eat half one day and half another day) even though sweet potatoes are a staple of the Paleo in recipies and whatnot our Paleo coach wanted us to stay away from them for the 30 days...
In the 30 days I lost 5 lbs and had almost a 3.5% body fat loss...I was eating pretty much a Primal way before beginning to 30 day....
It does take some planning...I'm not going to lie...I found a few things I can make for breakfast that i can make at the beginning of the week and then grab and go each morning for that week. For dinners I attempt to make sure I make enough for my husband and I and have enough for leftovers for me for lunch the next day (my husband is a supporter but not a full convert) - I make sure I have some stuff on hand for quick dinners (some frozen chicken breasts, frozen shrimp, some bags of those steam fresh veggies)...doesn't take long to defrost and cube up some chicken and cook it up in a pan with some spices and throw a bag of veggies into the microwave...
Now that I am done with the 30 day strict Paleo I have added a touch of dairy back in (half and half in my coffee...some feta cheese on my arugula salads, a pat of grassfed butter here and there) but I am sticking to keeping a lower carb/sugar.0 -
Here is a good podcast all about fat loss from Robb Wolf...very helpful
http://www.robbwolf.com/2012/03/27/dietary-fat-fat-loss-episode-125/0
