Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

3

I've just completed my first month on Paleo. I have lost a significant amount of weight prior to starting (around 100 lbs), but I have even more to go (about 135). I've been reading post after post from people who find the weight is just "falling off of them" so I was encouraged to try.

I have been 100% faithful. No cheat days, no grains, no milk products, no soy. Grass-fed meats only. I get plenty of grass-fed beef, very occasional chicken or pork, and salmon once or twice a week as well as tuna. Organic produce whenever possible. Carb intake between 90-150g/day (I can't go lower because it aggravates my heart arrhythmia). I have weighed everything I eat to the gram and track my caloric intake to between 1300-1600 calories daily. Daily protein/carb/fat ratio is approximately 25/20/55. I weigh 285 lbs.

Although I have been doing this for a month, I must be having an extended carb flu because I still have no energy and feel punky all of the time. Maybe once every 3 or 4 days I get a moment (less than a minute) of euphoria so that is a positive change I did not have before. I have not been able to exercise yet due to mobility and fibromyalgia issues; however, I have been receiving a daily medical therapy that is cardio-equivalent to 1 hour of aerobic exercise and am hoping to be able to build up enough stamina to begin mild exercise soon. Digestive enzymes added about midway through.

So far, my 4 weekly weight losses have been: -4, +1, +1, 0.

Obviously, the weight is NOT falling off of ME. What am I doing wrong? What could I do better? I need to get this weight off and I need to get it off in a healthy manner. I'm tired of feeling like this! I know that we can't compare our results to that of others, but I guess that's only human. I need to find my health again. I know it won't happen overnight, but I was hoping for SOMETHING positive after a whole month. I need some encouragement. :(

flag	asked Jul 23 at 15:40 EECP Nurse 179●5

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Try NO FRUIT NO NUTS NOTHING SWEET. It will work. – VB Jul 23 at 16:32

What were you doing to lose the prior 100 lbs? Did it stop working? – Silverspeed Jul 23 at 16:40

VB, with no fruit, how do I keep out of afib? What other carbs could I do? Silverspeed, I lost most of it on Weight Watchers (the simply filling technique with lean proteins, grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, EVOO and avocados, no breads or processed foods). Truthfully, I felt much better and lost well when I was committed. My afib was very well controlled. My diabetes responded with some success, but I have done better on paleo with that. My labs, however (cholesterol and triglycerides, esp.) never improved so I started looking at paleo to help with that. – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 17:00

carrots, beets, cabbage, mushrooms, sweet potatoes (if worse comes to worst). I eat fruit now because I went RAW PALEO, but I am not losing any weight. I only lost weight when I ate no fruit and no nuts. – VB Jul 23 at 17:19

Firestorm · Answer 1 · 2012-07-23 17:20:29Z UTC

May I suggest that you try swimming (which, to me, includes paddling around in the pool, doggie-paddle style -- I'm not talking 'competition-level' swimming here chuckles).

I went from 450 lbs to 272 lbs in about 19 months, and I've maintained within 10-15 lbs (I get a little heavier in the winter-time) for 3 years now. I didn't get down to the "ideal" weight on the weight charts, and I'm ok with that, because what I -have- done is enough to allow me to have the quality of life that I enjoy -- I can do pretty much everything I enjoy doing at my current weight, including dancing, rock climbing, hiking, building on our house, and riding my motorbike.

I will tell you that I had TWO prolonged plateaus (over 4 months long each). It seemed like my body wasn't going to go any further... but my attitude was that what I was doing WASN'T a "diet" -- my goal wasn't to "lose weight", it was to be healthier, stronger, and have less pain and immobility -- and the primal eating (which differs a bit from paleo in that I eat goat dairy and occasionally cow dairy as well) has helped me to do that. So I relaxed, and let my body set a pace. I made sure I was active, to the extent of my capabilities (I have MS), and treated my body not like I was punishing it or trying to beat it into submission, but as if I genuinely loved it and wanted the very best for it that I was capable of providing -- and that my ways of eating and moving were a gift of love...

Because of that, I find it relatively painless to maintain my nutrition without any real need to cheat -- but I also don't beat myself up when I enjoy something with friends or family that I don't usually eat at home. The end result was that after my extended plateaus, I started dropping weight again.

I've been holding at my current plateau for almost 3 months now, and it's the 3rd plateau I've run into. I'm almost 50 years old, so I am treating myself with care and dignity, and we will see what happens --but regardless of what happens, I will continue to nourish myself optimally, because no matter -where- I end up, it is a profound improvement over where I -was-, and that is enough to keep me motivated to hold on to the progress I've made.

May you find your road on which to flourish.

Firestorm

Heather · Answer 2 · 2012-07-23 15:46:01Z UTC

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Wow, I don't know, but I just wanted to say congrats on being so committed and on your weightloss so far.

Also, I think it is possible to have a month of little/no weightloss and then experience a larger amount all at once. I had that several times.

Best of luck!

answered Jul 23 at 15:46

Heather
1,148●2●11

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Thanks, Heather! :) – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 16:03

Karen · Answer 3 · 2012-07-23 16:08:49Z UTC

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It's not unusual for someone who has lost a lot of weight to plateau for a while. Give your body time to adjust. It's possible you need to eat more to break out of the plateau. 1300-1600 calories is really quite low. This could partly explain the fatigue also. Consult your doctor or a paleo friendly dietician/nutritionist about your mineral balance since this and the heart arrhythmia could be another big factor in fatigue.

Most disabled and severely overweight people can do some exercises. You may have to start with very low weights and seated movements, but it would help build up the energy and ability to do more in time.

What is this "medical therapy that is cardio-equivalent to 1 hour of aerobic exercise"?

answered Jul 23 at 16:08

Karen
11.1k●8●34

	It's called EECP. You can google it. It saved my life, literally. I do not, nor have I ever had, angina, but it did give me significant stamina to exercise and also made a big dent in my blood sugars. I've only been doing it for a week this time and it takes about five to complete a course. I do have low magnesium (common to diabetics) and I supplement orally and topically. Also 10,000 U Vitamin D daily. For my age and sedentary level, 1400-1600 is the recommended calorie level. My doctor is basically clueless about nutrition (we're rural) - am hoping to find a good paleo doc after we move – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 16:17
	out of state - I see one at paleodocs and am really looking forward to working with him. Does anybody know anything about working with exercise bands? Any starter exercises I could do? – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 16:18
	Another thing to check in addition to mineral balance - you might be having reactions (possibly) to the metformin or to lowered BG with paleo. You could be having reactions to your other meds or to the combination. Have you talked to your doctor re fatigue? – Karen Jul 23 at 16:42

JeJ · Answer 4 · 2012-07-23 15:53:47Z UTC

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How is your stress? How is your sleep? Do you have a history of hormonal issues?

If you are under a lot of stress, your corisol levels may need some dialing in, in order to lose more weight. Sounds like you have lost a LOT of weight already, and that can put a big stress on the body.

Seeing as this weight loss has been, and will continue to be, a big project for you, I hope you have had/are able to get a hormone panel done (incl. thyroid especially!). This will at least eliminate any confounding factors that could be sabotaging all your hard work.

answered Jul 23 at 15:53

JeJ
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	My weight loss has been slow (since 2005) as I have taken many "breaks" and falling-off-the-wagons. I had gotten up to -119 lbs. but then gained 24 in two months over major stress (husband out of state with new job since May and I'm still trying to get out of here). I have had a thyroid panel done (I take l-thyroxine x 20 years) and all of the levels are good. I have made concentrated efforts to reduce my stress response. I take Amberen (NOT to be confused with Ambien) and my sleep over the last 6 months is excellent (fall asleep in 10 minutes or less, sleep 8-10+ hours) - a great contrast – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 16:02
	with my previous history of insomnia. Is there anything that can do to reduce cortisol levels? Between my (controlled) diabetes and my abdominal girth, I'm sure that it's an issue! – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 16:03
	This article has a good breakdown of it: robbwolf.com/2012/04/09/real-deal-adrenal-fatigue basically talks about dialing in the lifestyle aspects. Sounds like you are doing quite a few of these things already! Congrats on consciously trying to reduce your stress response, and all the weight you've lost so far- it sounds like you are really on the right track. – JeJ Jul 24 at 15:53

Sleepyhouse22 · Answer 5 · 2012-07-23 16:21:12Z UTC

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150 grams of carbs a day? I'd start there. If you're having 150 grams of carbs in a 1300 calorie day, that's 50% of your calorie intake going to carbs. Is the high carb intake actually what aggrivates your heart arrhythmia or is it a secondary cause due to something else?

Personally, I NEVER get 150 grams in a day as that'd be ludicrous.

answered Jul 23 at 16:21

Sleepyhouse22
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	150 is the worst and is an exception (I looked over my monthly food logs). It has never happened on a 1300 calorie day. I do run daily totals and my carb percentage has never exceeded 30% of my intake; it's usually around 20-25%. My intake is usually 90-100g. If I go below 80 I go into afib. It is never aggravated by going high, only low. Low carb and low magnesium aggravate it, but the actual cause of it has never been determined. I rarely have fruit more than once a day - if that. I will have 1/2 a sweet potato every few couple of because it seems to help with my fasting blood sugars. – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 16:34
	I have one square of 90% dark chocolate a day and consume no other caffeine. I supplement my orals with topical magnesium at night and since I have raised my carb intake, along with the mag, I have had no afib episodes. I cannot eat more than 55-60% fat in a day because I have no gall bladder. – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 16:35
	I wonder if your afib is related to low potassium when you go that low in carbs. Low Mg will also do it and when potassium won't correct via supplementation it is often because magnesium is low too. – juju Jul 23 at 16:43
	Good point, juju. I am definitely aware of the mag relationship and am really working on bringing my levels up (more of a challenge with diabetes), and will consider the potassium. With all of my meat intake, as potassium is heavily intracellular in muscle tissue, would that not be supplying a lot of potassium? – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 17:05

Sigamagaw · Answer 6 · 2012-07-23 16:26:26Z UTC

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Too few cals, I'd say. I'd find out your BMR, and go from there.

answered Jul 23 at 16:26

Sigamagaw
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I had a BMR done a few years ago and it said it was 2100 and if I ate 1600 I would lose a pound a week. I'm now 55 so, with the additional weight loss, I doubt I'm eating too little. – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 16:37

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Actually I would totally agree. When your eating whole foods, I find more calories are often important because they are used directly for energy. If your going to eat 1600 a day, go with 1 higher day like 2500 to kick start your metabolism. That jolt once a week works wonders. – Chelsea Jul 23 at 17:06

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You would not have to twist my arm very hard to get me to eat more, Chelsea. :) I'll give it a try. Thanks! – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 18:01

I don't know how tall you are, but I came up with 2682 cals burned by a 5 3" ft woman who weighs 285 who is lightly active. Sounds more like you should be eating 2000 cals a day for a 1 pound a week weight loss. – Sigamagaw Jul 25 at 1:26

Jonesey · Answer 7 · 2012-07-23 16:34:48Z UTC

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Exercise, eating alone will not do.

answered Jul 23 at 16:34

Jonesey
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	I asked above, but in case you might have missed it - can you recommend some exercise band starting exercises? I have one but have no idea how to use it. – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 16:41
	Walking is the best thing you can do. It can be every day. Strength training should be once or twice a week and start slowly. Weights are better than bands, but google "band workout" to get some ideas. The basic 5 movements are squat, horizontal push/pull and vertical push/pull. Think pushup/row, pullup/shoulder press. You can mimic these with bands. Doing them with your own bodyweight (if you can) is also very good. – Dave S. Jul 23 at 17:17
	I have proprioceptor deficit in my feet, so outside walking is really difficult (unless I can push a shopping cart) but I do have a treadmill so I'll dust it off. My leg muscles are very weak and if I could manage to squat I would never get up at this point - but I will try the band workout search and see what I can start with. Thanks so much! – EECP Nurse Jul 23 at 18:03

I’m discouraged! How can I be more successful at weight loss?

7 Answers