Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hi there, I'm new so go easy on me!

I was put on paleo a month ago by my doctor due to extreme inflammation/Lupus. My ANA w/ Titer came out to be 1:1280, and normal is less than 1:40. So, I was very inflamed!! Any way, I went paleo the day I found out and have been very strict ever since, as that seems to be the protocol for inflammatory paleo diets. I do not eat grains, dairy, processed foods, legumes, sugar.

After 2 days of paleo I dropped more than 5 lbs. I assume this is water weight due to eating SAD so I do not count it. After that I was losing 2 lbs a week. My weight has plateaued and I'm wondering why. I count calories via MyFitnessPal, because it keeps me on track and lets me see how many sugars (from fruits) I am eating. I was having multiple servings of fruit a day, about 3 times. I cut down to once a day right around when I stopped losing.

I'm 24yrs old, female, 5'4", endomorph, 172 lbs, so I have plenty to lose. One thing I'm wondering is if I'm not eating enough and my body is getting greedy.

Here is what a typical day is for me: Brekky: 2 eggs Snack: Pear Lunch: Chicken breast with romaine and cherry tomatoes. EVO Oil and a tiny bit of balsamic Snack: Almond butter, raw crunchy unsalted Dinner: More Chicken or pork tenderloin (grilled) w/cabbage or asparagus (grilled with olive oil)

It is new for me not to be hungry all day, not feel faint if I don't eat every few hours, not crave carbs uncontrollably. Because I don't feel hungry I'm only eating about 1000 calories a day. Sometimes a little less. Once a week I eat around 1500, just due to feeling hungry.

Around the same time I stopped losing I got pretty constipated(TMI!). For a few days I assumed the not losing was due to this. I am having normal movements again but the weight has not budged.

I read Loren Cordain's "The Paleo Diet" and it says that if a person has weight to lose, they can eat this way and weight will eventually normalize. I'm concerned because I'm seeing NO losses for 2 weeks. I have started walking mod pace 30mins/day and doing resistance bands.

Sorry for the book, I'm just starting to get frustrated. Where can I improve?

**I'd just like to say that I've upped my calories since this post to 1500 and finally started losing again. Thanks so much!! For reference this edit is on 5/3/12.

edited May 4 2012 at 2:17

asked Apr 30 2012 at 3:49

Sblueyez
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I'm concerned you may be eating too little and that you may need more nutrient dense low carb veggies. Also, many of us who needed to lose weight didn't do it steadily on Paleo. I would lose 2 lbs. some weeks, then go 3-4 weeks with no weight loss, then a steady pound a week for a month. Good thinking about adding the walking and resistance bands. That should help you feel a lot better! – Heidi Apr 30 2012 at 14:29

VB · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-30 18:17:46Z UTC

You are going to lose weight, but you have to be patient. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you are not doing it to lose weight (I hope you are not), you are doing it to get better health.

I am concerned with the fact that you are not eating enough calories. I do not mean calories for caloric sake - I don't believe this anymore. I mean for your nutritional intake.

I will be honest with you - I do not know much about your inflammatory protocol, but I can see how many things you are missing from what I eat on a regular basis. Where is your kale? Carrots, beets, mushrooms? Not for caloric sake (they do not add that many calories) but for your macro nutritional balance?

I would skip the almond butter altogether. I don't believe in calories. But I would definitely add more nutritionally dense foods (colored vegetables like red onions and red cabbage, some berries) and green leafy vegetables like beet greens, collards and definitely KALE.

Romaine leaves are good, but they are not as nutritionally dense as kale. Not even near. So go for kale, broccoli, all kinds of cabbages.

Can you add some berries as well? The fact that you are constipated means (to me) that your body is hungry for every single nutrient you are giving it. What is going to happen is your body will take more nutrients in and at some point in the future, when it is no longer NUTRITIONALLY starved, it will relax and let you go down to your ideal weight.

Drink more water!!!

I hope my thoughts are not too scattered for you :)

I would also add more fish and decrease the amount of eggs. I found I cannot tolerate too many of them. Also you need bone broth (for calcium) and grass-fed beef.

I honestly think you are not eating enough.

So, to sum it up: don't count calories but UP your nutritional density. Introduce more nutrient dense foods. And DO NOT WORRY - your weight loss will follow. I would say in a month or so you will notice the difference.

Andrea · Answer 2 · 2012-04-30 21:56:33Z UTC

I really think you are too low on calories. Below 1200 calories per day is starvation, so your body is hanging on to the pounds. You probably don't feel hungry because you are in ketosis, which will suppress your appetite.

Maybe treat yourself to a bit of dark chocolate at the end of the day or have some bacon with your eggs in the morning. Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

Also, kudos to your doctor for being forward-thinking enough to recommend Paleo!

Jen · Answer 3 · 2012-04-30 04:33:21Z UTC

Are you sure you're eating enough? 1000 cals/ day is very low- I understand that you need to eat a deficit to lose weight, but at your height I don't think 1000 is sustainable, especially if you are introducing exercise into your lifestyle. Did your doctor give you caloric guidelines, or just suggested a paleo diet?

There are a lot of different ways people "do paleo", from zero carb, very low carb, low carb, paleo, primal... And it all works. What matters is finding what works for you.

If you don't eat enough calories your body will go into starvation mode, and try to hang on to what you've got because food appears to be scarce. I know it's tempting to eat as little as possible when you are trying to lose weight, but it's actually counterproductive.

How are your energy levels? For the most part your meals sound good; I would consider adding some bacon or beef to your breakfast (3 slices bacon or 2-3 oz of beef).

Roth · Answer 4 · 2012-04-30 04:18:18Z UTC

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You said it yourself: water weight.

There's a reason why people on Atkins lose can lose 20 pounds within the first 2 weeks (water weight) and then maybe 2-5 pounds a week after that.

answered Apr 30 2012 at 4:18

Roth
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Well I am not counting the 5-7 lbs I lost initially because I do believe it's water weight. I'm concerned that I was steadily losing 2lbs/week After that and now, nothing. Could I have been losing 2 lbs a week of water weight? It doesn't make sense to me but like I said, I'm new at this. – Sblueyez Apr 30 2012 at 4:45

Stuck after losing 8 lbs

4 Answers