Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I have been paleo for about 4 months, lost about 50 lbs, big improvements in athletic ability/strength/lean mass/etc. Lately my weight loss has greatly slowed though I have another 30-40 to lose. Not a big deal - I am patient and satisfied with my new paradigm of nutrition.

About 4-5 times in the past month or so I have noticed a real uptick in my metabolism and weight loss in response to a big dinner. So I will have maintained my weight for a week or so and then a particular dinner happens to be really big and I might even have a few sensible indulgences with it. The next day, my metabolism seems to be ramped up burning dinner off but going beyond.

I don't think I am under-eating - always get around 2000 cal range. Just curious if there is any reason this might happen? (it also may just be coincidence too). Could it be some sort of fast/feast interplay? I typically have smaller breakfasts because I am not terribly hungry in the morning.

flag	asked May 4 2012 at 13:21 JM 121●3

Sudden scale changes are unlikely fat loss. If it works weight wise, and you like big dinners, go for it. I think it's usually best to have a few hours between dinner and bed, but some people do great eating immediately before sleep. If the choice meets primary goals it's good. For the first time I've purposely have stopped eating breakfast and that's working for me. I used to believe breakfast was critical. – Don May 5 2012 at 0:54

Matthius · Answer 1 · 2012-05-04 14:09:28Z UTC

Your weight will ultimately be dictated by the amount of food energy you're habitually taking in. With that in mind, if we look at caloric intake on a 24 hour scale, eating most of your calories in the morning versus most of them at night will have little to no impact on long-term weight fluctuation if the overall consumption remains the same within the 24 hour window.

Ideally, you should eat in a way that moves you closer to your weight goals while maximizing satiety and minimizing discomfort. If that means noshing all day on little snacks or following a feast-fast regimen, then go for it. Know thyself!

It's very possible that eating a small breakfast and a larger dinner resulted in lowered caloric consumption over the 24-hour window. If you're still curious, you could try strictly monitoring calories for a few weeks to confirm those results.

To those bashing calories in/calories out: the equation reigns supreme, though many fail to account for additional variables besides the total number of food calories ingested; hormonal levels, daily fatigue, and stress can all contribute to an altered metabolic rate, thus changing the 'calories out' side of the equation. I fully acknowledge the limitations of calorie counting; alas, we are not bomb calorimeters. Frankly, I think the life of a bomb calorimeter would be rather dull.

bryan · Answer 2 · 2012-05-04 15:18:15Z UTC

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you should try the Renegade Diet by Jason Ferruggia.

answered May 4 2012 at 15:18

bryan
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Nance · Answer 3 · 2012-05-05 00:12:13Z UTC

I do this all the time. I find I respond well to occasional "feast" days, and even occasional splurges of neo-foods.

Splurging on neo-foods was driven by cravings during the first 4-5 months, but since then a splurge every few months is very self-limiting. Basically, my taste buds are very excited by the hyper-palatability of the neo-splurge but my gut signals vague disappointment. I go right back to my healthy whole foods and, if anything, I enjoy them more for a while.

More often than not, I experience an energy surge and a little fat loss in the aftermath of my feasts/splurges. For me, though, I can only fool around for a couple days and then I need to get back on meat, fruit and vegetables to make sure I don't fire up cravings for junk food.

Effect of Eating Bigger Dinner

3 Answers