Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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My husband and I have been paleo for about a month.He continues to consume some non paleo foods such as cream in his coffe, premade salad dressings, ketchup etc. I have gone completely paleo. The question is, can he lose too much weight? In the months time he has lost about 15 lbs and really doesn't need to lose any more. Will his body naturally plateau? He does not eat nuts or dried fruits as he does not like them. I have started making paleo deserts to get some extra calories in him. I on the otherhand have to be careful not to consume too much in the way of fruits, nuts etc. and must exercise everyday or there is no loss for me. We are all such individuals and have to figure out what works for each I suppose. I am concerned though about my husband as he is looking a little guant these days.

edited Jun 12 at 13:41

Mike T
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asked Jun 12 at 12:42

Suz
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More info please. What were his daily meals like a month ago? What are they like now? Is he very low in carbs now vs. high carb before? Is he losing muscle mass? – Sol Jun 12 at 12:49

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Guys can lose a lot of thier weight in their face first and may look a little gaunt until the rest of their body catches up. – Paleo2.0 Jun 12 at 13:11

He was VERY high carb so this is a huge change for him. And yes his face is very much thinner. I think he could stand to lose a bit more in his belly tho. The rest of him is very very thin. His bmi is 21 now. – Suz Jun 12 at 13:52

Is he getting enough fat? Maybe this is why he is not feeling that great. – spayne Jun 12 at 14:11

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The face shows weight loss first, and with the decreased bloating from the elimination of (most) processed foods you may just have to get used to what he (and you) really look like :) – Jen Jun 12 at 14:19

john_e_turner_ii · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-12 13:23:14Z UTC

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Spousal envy can often arise during diets taken on by married couples. Typically, the male will lose weight much quicker. Often, the wife will feel as though she is getting left behind while the husband continues to succeed with rapid weight loss. It's a normal reaction to feel this way. The best thing to do is to support each other and be proud of your accomplishments.

answered Jun 12 at 13:23

john_e_turner_ii
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Definetly true that he has lost weight much faster and easier! I am perfectly happy at my rate of 1lb/week. Just got a little panicked when he expressed his concern!! Will the body naturally plateau at some time? I thought I had read that somewhere? – Suz Jun 12 at 13:42

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The problem is that people are so accustomed to seeing overweight as the normal, that when a person loses a lot of weight, people tend to think they are too thin. It should plateau at some point based on his activity level. – john_e_turner_ii Jun 12 at 14:07

I am going through this exact scenario. The problem is my wife had a thyroidectomy when she was 12 and she takes synthroid for the rest of her life. We have both lost over 40lbs, but she has stalled recently while I have not. I am going to take her to an endocrinologist soon to see If her dose needs to be adjusted. She is starting to get very discouraged and depressed over this and I feel I need to sabotage my efforts. – missionman Jun 12 at 16:04

Casey · Answer 2 · 2012-06-12 13:21:15Z UTC

Are you sure he's looking gaunt and you're actually just not used to seeing him thinner?

I lost 50 lbs - 50 lbs I had NO idea I had available to lose, I thought maybe 20-30 tops. I ended up looking much thinner than I had for YEARS. DECADES even. Some people thought I looked great, but others who had only known me heavier thought I was sick!

If he feels well, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If he's feeling poorly, then I'd get concerned.

tj · Answer 3 · 2012-06-12 13:27:06Z UTC

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i think youre being a hater. how would you feel if he tried to sneak extra calories into youre diet to prevent you from losing weight.

double standard?

its time to celebrate his new waist.

answered Jun 12 at 13:27

tj
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oh no! You misinterpret me. I actually thought he was doing and looking great till HE mentioned that he thought he was losing too much weight and that short of freaked me out. You see, we are very new to this diet and still have moments of doubt and panic that we might be harming our health. Mostly we are very much ok with it & feel wonderful and quite liberated. – Suz Jun 12 at 13:36

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Also, I am not "sneaking" anything. We prepare meals etc together! – Suz Jun 12 at 13:43

There is also a difference between being lean and being lanky and waifish, I mean, she still wants to be attracted to the guy, which is tough if he gets the body of a 12 year old – Team Oberg Jul 12 at 0:23

John Sorrentino · Answer 4 · 2012-06-12 13:33:48Z UTC

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Since you did not give us his height/weight ![use this tool][1] to calculate his BMI. That will tell you if he is in the healthy range or not. Remember it is just a tool not the be all and end all. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

answered Jun 12 at 13:33

John Sorrentino
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Amy B. · Answer 5 · 2012-06-12 13:35:49Z UTC

Why is everyone so quick to jump in when we don't even know what, exactly, this man's starting weight was? We have no idea if the OP is feeling threatened because her husband has lost more weight than she has and wants to slow his progress, or if he's legitimately losing a little too much and she's worried. We don't have enough details here.

I agree that it's easy to look at someone we're used to seeing on the larger side, who then loses weight, and we think of them as "too thin" because they just look so different from what we're used to. That might be the case here, but it might not.

Rebecca · Answer 6 · 2012-06-12 15:53:53Z UTC

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The body reaches a good equilibrium and yes he will plateau or even gain weight at some point as long as he's getting enough calories. He may want to track his calories for a week or so just to find out his consumption. How he feels is a good indicator.

answered Jun 12 at 15:53

Rebecca
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+1 for a good succinct and accurate answer. He should reach a new set point and stabilize so long as he's eating adequate calories. – Karen Jun 12 at 19:00

Rozi Days · Answer 7 · 2012-06-12 18:22:37Z UTC

There are a variety of reasons why some individuals are struggle to gain weight. The following are possible causes:

Very rapid metabolic turnover

Very high stress levels

Problems with absorption

Hyperactivity

Excessive exercise

Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia

Hyperthyroidism

Depression

Wasting illnesses

Inadequate dietary intake - eating too little per se

Unbalanced eating patterns - eating too much of only a few foods

http://goo.gl/4bKXq

Yolanda · Answer 8 · 2013-03-24 17:12:08Z UTC

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I am very thin, 108, since I started paleo people have told me I am too skinny. I eat a TON of coconut oil, almonds, meats, fish and I juice 2 times a day, (vegetables and fruits etc.) I am 5'2. I am not super active, work out 20 mins each day. Any other recs? from anyone?

answered Mar 24 at 17:12

Yolanda
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Paleo people have told me I'm too skinny as well. I say as long as you look, perform, and feel great, you're ultimately only here to please yourself. – Canis Minor Mar 24 at 17:15

Want2BHealthyGirl · Answer 9 · 2013-03-24 18:17:13Z UTC

This happened to me.. Once going Paleo I lost about 15 pounds which was about 5 pounds too much for my frame (5'6" 110 was 125). Been Paleo about a year now. Recently gained back the 5 pounds because I addressed the parasite & fungal issue. My doctor thinks my weight gain is likely attributable to a decrease in inflammation and therefore an improved metabolism. You might consider if parasites are a problem for your husband.

Husband losing too much weight

9 Answers