I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, but I don't think fiber really helps with constipation. Insoluble fiber is just indigestible mass that your body has to force through your intestines. Soluble fiber is broken down by bacteria which could cause gas/bloating/discomfort. I think fiber solves constipation is a SAD myth. Once my body got used to much less fiber, my digestion improved significantly. That would allow you to cut down fruit and cut out chia seeds and psyllium. Also, if you are trying to lose weight, I don't know why you'd add the 3 scoops of whey.

And yes, calories do count, but I think if are eating whole foods, only to satiety and being as active as you've listed, you should lose weight. If there is some metabolic disorder (which very well might be), then maybe VLC for a while could help with that, but you'd only be able to do that if you abandoned high fiber diet.

Brandie,

VLC stands for Very Low Carbohydrate. Basically, it means keeping your carbohydrates under 50 g per day (total carbs, not 'net' carbs). You basically switch out those seeds and psyllium (which, btw, are very hard on your intestines and your intestinal flora -- which NEEDS to be balanced in order to have a working bowel... especially with endometriosis!!!) for leafy greens, brassicas, etc. and eliminate other high-carbohydrate foods like roots, fruits, winter squashes, etc.

Though some folks will disagree with me, I believe that VLC isn't meant to be a life-long thing. Like being vegan, VLC usually restricts a healthy diet so much that it isn't sustainable for more than, say, a couple of years TOPS. I did VLC for about a year and a half, before incorporating a much wider scope in my diet. (I started out at 450 lbs, and am now down to 296, with a +/-5-7 pound 'fluctuation range' over the course of a month. I'm on a 'pause' now, for at least a year, while I re-balance at this weight and find out what my body needs from me next, before I make any more decisions about future dietary tweaking). That being said, in order for it to do anything at all in terms of re-structuring your body, a person really has to maintain VLC for at least 3 months with about 80% consistency (for me, that meant 6 days a week on, and one day a week that I saved for 'recreational eating' like going out with friends, family parties, etc.)

For you, you don't say how tall you are, but you do indicate that you're not proportional. My experience with endometriosis and PCOS was that reducing my weight helped with some of the symptomology of the illness, though it didn't remove the issues completely. Also, going to a VLC diet helped me to obtain progressive weight loss, even through the hormone issues, increasing muscle mass from resistance training, and other things. I don't track calories often, but when I track what I eat for OTHER reasons (macronutrient profiling, etc.) which I do for 1 week out of 4 during my active season, and 1 week out of 8 during my sedentary season (see comment above), I usually find that calories don't matter as much as truly listening to my hunger signals and not eating when I'm not hungry matters.

Also, one thing I noticed for me was that the VLC diet resulted in fewer and smaller stools -- and that this was normal. It took about 6 weeks for my intestines to 'get with the program', and it was sort of scary to leave them alone and let them find a balance, without pushing either chemical or fiber "stimulants" to the digestive process -- but once I did, my bowels became regular on their own, AND I stopped having so much flatulance and discomfort with meals.

Hope this helps!

If you eat 5,000 calories a day, you're going to gain weight (unless you work as a lumberjack).

Having said that, I'm 100% in the don't count calories camp. Counting calories is the foundation of the traditional weight loss approaches, which have proven to be an absolute failure for the majority of people.

Your body has a natural mechanism for maintaining your body temperature (increasing/decreasing metabolism, sweating, etc...) Sure, you can change your body's temperature by doing different things, but the BEST WAY to regulate your body's temperature is to make sure your body's system for regulating temperature is working properly, and then letting it work as it should.

The same holds true for your body fat level. Your body has a mechanism for maintaining a specific body fat level (built around the hormone leptin; ironically, the typical SAD actually breaks this system by causing people to become leptin insensitive). Sure, you can regulate your body fat by counting calories, but the BEST WAY is to ensure your body's system for regulating body fat is working properly, and then letting it work as it should.

Louisa. how can you know that she doesn't need to count calories? It's not the same for everyone. I lost weight initially going moderate carb and then when I went very low carb, I gained 5 pounds that I can't seem to lose. At least not with the speed that I lost the weight before. I am now counting calories because apparently, I need to.

Calories matter! Going low carb is just one way to eat less. Many feel they can do w/o worrying about calories.

In the end, if you over do the calories, you will gain weight.

If you are going with the low carb approach and are not losing weight, track your food, see how much you are consuming, and start to dial back on the calories. In your case since you are already doing w/ carbs, try lowering fat. I like to keep my protein at the same level no matter the deficit.

You may also want add a bit more activity (lifting, walking, etc), and make sure you get enough sleep. But in the end its the caloric deficit that will result in weight loss.

It may indeed take calorie counting. Once you get the hang of it you might not need to count every day.

With enough healthy fats and lots (I mean lots) of water, constipation has not been an issue for me with a VLC diet even though it always has been in my life before Paleo. I eat a lot of green veggies (good quality mixed salads, kale, spinach, zucchini, etc. . .).

I'd recommend ditching the whey and any other dairy products you are consuming, this may actually be contributing to the constipation issue. You can increase chia to help as well, as it acts almost like a "lube" in the intestinal tract.

Regarding total caloric intake, the question is, are you losing weight? If not, then you do need to change things up which may include weighing and measuring foods and keeping a food journal to ensure you know exactly what is going in each day.

If you are at a slump in weight loss, I'd recommend checking out the 21 Day Sugar Detox over at Balanced Bites. I'm doing level 3 and started off dropping 1lb each day! Anything is possible for 21 days right?

Best of luck to you!

Don't count calories! It's about the quality of the calories you take in - not the quantity!

It's first and foremost the hormone insuline that controls the fat burning process in your body, and as long as you don't spike your blood sugar levels you're usually fine. Don't forget to include fat in your diet as well! That will make it harder to eat "too much" (instead you eat until you're satisfied and full).

Psyillium fiber husks I use a LOT in my baking.. I'd never consume it by itself.. I understand you're doing it to get "the machinery going" but try making a quick recipe with that included instead ;) A more fun way to enjoy it if you have the time!

You can get constipation from too much fiber as well, even "healthy fiber" like coconut flour and psyllium fiber husk! Speaking from experience ;)

It sounds like the yes/no factor is split 50/50, which is really interesting.

(The following is from my experience, anyway) :

For two months I was eating quality food when I was losing some weight, but not as much as I figured I should ... yknow, it's that feeling like "this could be better." I tried hydrostatic body fat composition testing, and in a gist, was told that calories do matter....at least somewhat.

For each person, they have a different number for their body, which is the number you reach to fuel your body, and anything over that is basically feeding/maintaining the fat.

Keep in mind, the majority being lean protein. I was probably eating around the same amount without counting, but probably not as much protein as it's supposed to be. Thus, I am testing out the calorie/paleo approach to see how that works.

It's only been a week, so I don't exactly have an answer lol, but, just like there's no unanimous decision in this thread, I feel like being 50/50, quality AND quantity, seems like a good way to go.