Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I've been eating primal for 1 year now, i've lost 45-50 pounds so far, I'm 6' 215-220#, lately , for the last 3 months, i've been feeling great and full of energy as usual but my weight loss had stalled a bit and i was getting a little tired of my diet so i decided to add yams, sweet potatoes and plantains to my plate, surprisingly enough, i'm losing weight at a faster pace than i had before. Can someone tell me why is this happening?

flag	asked Jul 13 at 20:34 Alvaro 3,387●5●16

RaiseFitness · Answer 1 · 2012-07-13 20:48:10Z UTC

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every person responds differently to different macronutrients. I also do better with about 150g or so primal carbs. It is possible that you were going too low on your calorie intake and your metabolism had been teetering on starvation. Then when you suddenly put some carbs back in, the body thougth it was a feasting season so it could go all out, so to speak, in repair and maintenence work it had been putting off. Self experimentation is a good thing.

answered Jul 13 at 20:48

RaiseFitness
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Great answer, thank you – Alvaro Jul 13 at 21:07

This may be a completely useless observation, but I am loosing weight like crazy right now and I really think part of that weight loss is the inclusion of Sweet Potatos. I cook em in canola oil and it really does the trick for me. Kids love em too. I think RaiseFitness may be on to something. – SCUBABry Jul 13 at 21:08

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Often it is about getting your body out of homeostasis. – RaiseFitness Jul 13 at 21:17

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Sweet potatoes are great and all but you are killing them with Canola oil, never use industrialized seed oils, they are high in omega 6 and anti nutrients, stick to animal fats, coconut oil and olive oil. – Alvaro Jul 13 at 21:28

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indeed, canola oil is gmo rapeseed oil... substitute it :P.. coconut oil / animal fats/ ghee / butter / high quality EVOO if you cannot use any of the former – Paleo_BLaZeDRas Jul 13 at 21:45

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Corbab · Answer 2 · 2012-07-13 21:44:45Z UTC

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Are you working out as well? I was afraid carbs would cause me to gain fat, even while training (thanks to Mark Sisson's Carbohydrate Curve and some zealous VLCers on here). They're not an evil enemy, just practical fuel to be used wisely.

Since then, I've carbed up with sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and PWO honey, and I'm looking leaner and leaner, all while making lift progress and performing better overall.

answered Jul 13 at 21:44

Corbab
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Yes, i cross train every other day and go on long hikes 3 times a week. I guess it's all about finding one's personal balance – Alvaro Jul 13 at 21:56

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It should be noted that Sisson's carbohydrate curve isn't aimed at athletes and people working out regularly. – Tyler F Jul 13 at 22:31

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Yes, he mentions it on his work very often – Alvaro Jul 13 at 23:10

They're an evil enemy if your genetics don't jive well with carbs OR if you have even the slightest digestive disorder. – BoneBrothFast Jul 13 at 23:45

On that note, some carb sources are extremely digestible. YMMV, of course, but white rice comes to mind. – Matthius Jul 14 at 9:51

Juni · Answer 3 · 2012-07-13 22:36:01Z UTC

The same thing has been happening for me! It's awesome because I LOVE sweet potatoes. I feel like I am getting a treat.

I too had bought into the idea that losing weight meant cutting carbs super low but all that did for me was make me feel like a slug all the time. I thought that was the low-carb flu, and maybe my body just refuses to fat adapt, but six months later I'm leaning out faster this way. I feel better in all ways.

Just goes to show that you have to figure it out for yourself--there is no cookie cutter formula.

Mscott · Answer 4 · 2012-07-14 05:09:43Z UTC

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They're satiating and make you eat less. I suspect it's no simpler than that.

answered Jul 14 at 5:09

Mscott
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UncleLongHair · Answer 5 · 2012-07-14 02:44:36Z UTC

I did great with very low carb (<= 25 g) at first, but after a couple of months I did not feel as good. Adding back carbs actually restarted the weight loss and also made me feel better.

I think going very low carb for a while is a good way to reset your system, but once you're back on track, I think some more carbs are fine, especially if you are exercising.

What I have learned is that when you strike upon a good diet but you are trying to change your body composition, that diet is probably only good for a month or two. Until you get the body that you want, you'll have to keep tweaking.

Losing weight faster after adding primal carbs

5 Answers