Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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So I've been doing Paleo for just about two weeks and I'm really liking it so far. I am not 100% on it however, because for meat I still eat regular store bought non-free-range meats. I'm a 23 year old male, started Paleo at about 155 lbs, 5'11", and I'm not sure what my body fat percent is (I'm getting it checked tonight, so I can let you know). My goal in Paleo is to build some muscle and lose some excess body fat and just feel good! I have already lost 4 lbs (mostly waterweight I'm sure), and I workout about 5-6 times a week (circuit training and strength conditioning mainly, but I'll be starting Crossfit July 9th). For someone with goals such as mine, I would like to know if I'm on the right track with my diet. Here's today's menu:

Breakfast: 2-3 strips of bacon with 2 eggs, 8oz cup of coffe with almond milk

Morning Snack: 2 boiled eggs, apple or orange

Lunch: Baked chicken breast with olive oil, apple or orange, side salad (usually 2 cups of spinach), jerky, 2 boiled eggs

Afternoon Snackage: Walnuts

Post-Workout: Whey Protein Powder with 8 oz of almond milk

Dinner: Shrimp, stir fry veggies, almonds, boiled egg (depending on how hungry I am)

Water: 4 Liters (about 136 oz) a day

Wow, now that I look at it, do I eat too much? I'm really feeling great on the diet that I have and I just want to make sure that I'm on the right track to reach my goals. And as I was told, "Fitness goals are a marathon, not a sprint!", so I know I have to be patient. Any input would be greatly appreciated and I'm really looking forward to my Paleo journey! Thanks!

flag	asked Jun 21 at 15:31 Alex 87●1●6

	Looks great. It is very refreshing to see someone post a straight up great Paleo diet (nothing wrong in my opinion), be a week in, and not having any issues! – Joy Jun 22 at 0:13
	Actually I kinda had a bit of a crash and had some jitters earlier today but I ate lunch and I feel fine now. Also I had my body fat measured and I'm at about 14% too. – Alex Jun 22 at 1:49

Sol · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-21 15:46:55Z UTC

Welcome to PaleoHacks!

You're off to a great start. See how you feel in a couple of weeks on this diet and then start making tweaks. Pay particular attention to how you feel during and after workouts. Some of us find exercising six times a week to be too much but you're young so your body will handle it differently. At 5'11 and 155 pounds I can't imagine your having a lot of body fat. The strength and muscle will come with consistent training over time.

One thing I notice is that you don't have a lot of carbs in your diet. You might need more carbs given the vigorous training you're doing. You'll find out over time if you run out of stamina during your workouts.

Dave S. · Answer 2 · 2012-06-21 15:47:22Z UTC

Your regimen looks fine to me and if it's working well for you, hey that's what matters. If the calories are in your target range for your goals, you are fine. It frankly does not look like a ton of food to me (hahaha). I wouldn't worry about the store bought meat at this point, but if you can make an effort to get it, it's a good idea.

A couple of things stand out to me. Nuts, almond milk, chicken/pork and even eggs are higher in omega 6 fats than omega 3. You could adjust it by ditching the almond milk for coconut milk - just be aware of the calorie difference. And maybe add some fatty fish to get the n6 up a bit. The great thing about grass fed is that the n3/n6 ratios are a bit better. The other thing is the snacking. This is a typical eating plan from a bodybuilding book/magazine/website. It works and you can stick with it if you want, but paleos are more into not snacking and even fasting. But you may want to stay the course for a while yet.

Diane · Answer 3 · 2012-06-21 16:24:29Z UTC

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Too much grazing over the day. There's an article on the gnolls.org website that you might be interested in.

http://www.gnolls.org/1141/eat-like-a-predator-not-like-prey-paleo-in-six-easy-steps-a-motivational-guide/

answered Jun 21 at 16:24

Diane
4,249●1●9

Just read that article and it makes alot of sense. I'll probably try packing in more food in my meals and less when I snack. Thanks for the share! – Alex Jun 21 at 19:54

epaleocookbooks · Answer 4 · 2012-06-21 17:22:16Z UTC

You could adjust it by ditching the almond milk for coconut milk - just be aware of the calorie difference. And maybe add some fatty fish to get the n6 up a bit.

I agree with the above statement. Other than that, you're on track. Since you've only been paleo for two weeks, you're probably still adjusting, so the snacks are probably to help combat the hunger. The longer you're on it, the easier it will be to make it from one meal to another without a snack in between. You're meals are a pretty solid size, so you don't need to eat every couple hours. Just be mindful of what why you're eating, and whether you're actually hungry or just eating out of boredom/habit. I definitely wouldn't say that you're eating too much. I know guys who are similar in size and eat a lot more. Once you start crossfit, you may actually need to up your meal sizes a bit.

Paleo_BLaZeDRas · Answer 5 · 2012-06-21 16:08:03Z UTC

Looks fine, as long as you are eating close to or to satiety and not eating out of boredom constantly then I wouldn't worry about eating too much...

However, in your case, especially with crossfit/high intensity stuff on the books... definitely eat lots more starches/carbs (sweet potatoes/yams etc are perfect)

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