Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I just joined a gym and got a free fitness assessment. As part of the assessment the trainer calculated that my body is 18.3% fat. For a 25 year old male that just got off an SAD 2 months ago it isn't terrible, but it's not great. My goal is about 10% (or about 15 lbs of fat loss) so I look good on my honeymoon in September :)

It got me thinking - does anyone here pay close attention to their bodyfat percentage? Has your % increased or decreased on the paleo diet? Is it in a healthy range? Do you pay more attention to body fat % or BMI? Have body fat goals influenced the types of paleo foods you consume (i.e. less fruit, less red meat, etc.)?

flag	asked Feb 29 2012 at 4:07 Sam 1,371●3●17

	Have gone from 24% to 14%, and will go down futher. Partly thanks to paleo, mostly intermittent fasting and LeanGains. – Wisper Feb 29 2012 at 11:26
	How much does LeanGains cost for consultation? – Joy Feb 29 2012 at 16:42
	It's not a commercial outfit, but a lifestyle, kind of like how paleo is. Martin Berkhan is the most well-known consultants (mucho dinero, he claims to train Hollywood types), and I believe the father of LG. Andy Morgan of rippedbody.jp comes highly recommended on Leangains group on Fitocracy. – Wisper Feb 29 2012 at 17:51
	Woo! Exactly 2 months later and my BF% went from 18% to 11.5%! My body weight held constant at 162 so that's a 10.5 lb reduction in body fat in 2 months. Take that!, everyone that tells me I should eat a low fat diet. – Sam May 1 2012 at 2:58

jimsiff · Answer 1 · 2012-02-29 05:15:29Z UTC

My body fat percentage went down from around 14-15% to around 10% just by switching from a SAD to paleo diet and tweaking my fitness routine more towards calisthenics and body weight strength training and away from my previous running-centric routine. I measured BF% using a low cost caliper. The process took me about three months and I dropped from about 205 to 192. I have a visible six pack but I'm not bodybuilder ripped... nor do I want to be. If you need visuals for proof, I post occasional workout videos to YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/user/jimsiff

Anthony D'Amato · Answer 2 · 2012-02-29 10:45:55Z UTC

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I started at 375lbs, not sure of BMI or percentages (I used to just say I was "Size No More" or something). When I dropped 200lbs just a year later, I got a free body fat % test while walking through a street fair in NYC, sponsored by one of the smaller city hospitals. I was at 10% body fat, and shared my story with them, to their shock and surprise.

I've lost 15lbs since then, and maintain that, playing around with those extra 15lbs. I haven't checked percentages since, but this is all due to a paleo diet, walking, and the occasional pushups/situps/leglifts. I'm with jimsiff, I give most credit to the dietary changes and, for me, some intermittent fasting, as well. It all works!

answered Feb 29 2012 at 10:45

Anthony D'Amato
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	I forgot to add that, through all of this, I've been able to learn about what certain foods do to my body, especially in terms of fat. I stay away from fruit for the most part, nut butters, and dairy. If I reward myself, it's with some sort of cheese, but too much dairy drives my insides insane, and I binge on nut butters and fruit. I've noticed that even just a few spoonfuls of coconut butter or almond butter really stall my fat loss, and if I want to lose a few extra pounds fast, zero dairy is the way. – Anthony D'Amato Feb 29 2012 at 10:51
	Wow, that's pretty interesting. Though I'm going paleo and losing weight I do like to eat cheese because it keeps me full and I'm not lactose intolerant. I guess if I start to hit a plateau I will know one thing to cut. I'm surprised about the almond butter though. Do you know what it is in the almond butter that stalls you? – Sam Feb 29 2012 at 13:31
	I'm right there with you on cheese...the convenience, and it fills me up...but it absolutely stalls my weight loss. I guess I'm still losing the weight, but much, much slower. As for almond butter, I just have a hard time stopping with one or two spoonfuls... I guess I tend to overdo it. It becomes an offensive love affair, so I try to avoid the passion and guilt. – Anthony D'Amato Feb 29 2012 at 14:11
	I have the same experience with dairy, though I'm comfortable with my current body mass 'stasis'. If I remove all dairy (I'm more primal than strict paleo) and nut butters I visibly lean out over a week or two with no increase in activity levels. – jimsiff Feb 29 2012 at 19:40

raydawg · Answer 3 · 2012-02-29 16:50:45Z UTC

I went down from about 30% to 18% over 10 months.

I then stalled, and thought that maybe I should add some carbs, as I had issues waking in the middle of the night (turned out that the temperature got too cold in the bedroom and I just needed a sweater at night), also had some work stress (rough on-call nights for two weeks).

It might have also been from too much Bullet Proof Coffee (turns out that butter is insulogenic), and now I'm back up to about 20.1% right now, trying to get down to maybe 10%-15%.

The biggest effects of a paleo diet for me were getting rid of the nightly GERD, gaining resistance to cold temperatures, no longer getting any colds, improved testosterone levels, larger muscles, tons more energy, getting rid of brain fog, improvement in overall happiness levels, and being able to keep calm even when stressed.

Who here has had a big body fat % reduction?

3 Answers