Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I am 50 years old, female 5'7"

I started at around 230 pounds (or thereabouts..mislaid the book!) and am currently 183 pounds.

I eat no processed foods at all. Diet consists of local grass fed meat (angus beef, local pork(not crated, ever) local free range poultry, and lamb/hogget when my friend has the home kill man in) Fish, normally locally caught (New Zealand) Local above ground vegetables (very occasionally frozen vegetables) plus carrots and onions. No fruit except occasional berries, seasonal and homegrown. Coconut oil/butter/cream etc. Nuts and seeds, organic. Homemade nut butter. Butter and cream and free range, local eggs. Earl Grey tea (drunk with cream)

Saturday am treat. LSA pancakes with banana and local raw manuka honey (1 teasp/week) Long runs (over 2 hours) home made 'larabar' consisting of soaked dates, nuts and coconut flakes.

Exercise. I run. I run very slowly, at about a good walking pace. I find it easier to run than walk due to an accident. I run at least 6 days a week, a min of 1 hour a day. I have started Mark Sissions exercise program me, but have to stand on a chair to do pull ups..i.e. i have a long way to go!

Re running. I use running as a form of relaxation. The last two years have been beyond belief (try almost 12,000 earthquakes in less than 2 years as a starter...) and running relaxes me and helps me cope. I work from home and can organize my time so time for exercise is not an issue.

I have stopped losing weight. I have been plateaued for almost 5 months. Any ideas of what I can do? or what with menopause, being a woman, and having been fat...is this it?

I like eating like this, I could do this forever. I eat if I am hungry, and try not to eat too much without counting.

So please hack my paleo life with me. What improvements can I make, particularly re weight loss.

flag	asked Jul 30 at 23:45 Kit 404●3●7

Try to incorporate as many raw green leafy vegetables as possible - with every meal. Try to eat most of your vegetables raw. Less nuts and seeds and nut butters. Think of something else as a treat for Saturday. Why not raw bananas instead of banana pancakes? Think of something as a substitute for larabars. Maybe apples (raw) and walnuts? Waldorf salad Paleo style? Try to eat as much raw as possible and less nuts and dried fruit. It all adds up. Good luck! – VB Jul 31 at 6:15

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Oh, and congratulation on your weight loss! :) – VB Jul 31 at 6:16

What are LSA pancakes? – MathGirl72 Jul 31 at 12:55

VB, raw vegetables are harder to digest as we can't break down cellulose. – DePaw Jul 31 at 12:56

LSA...Linseed(flax) Sesame and Almond flour. – Kit Jul 31 at 22:15

RaiseFitness · Answer 1 · 2012-07-30 23:57:00Z UTC

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I will probably get hated on for saying this, but it still comes down to calories at the end of the day. Try cutting out a little of the coconut oil and butter, and the nuts nut butter especially, since they are easy to overconsume. If you are eating when you are hungry and have hit a plateau, it means your body has found a good appetite balance. It is asking for the exact amount of calories that you are burning each day. If you want to lose more, cut back on some of the easy calories like the ones I mentioned above. As far as exercise, you could add some HIIT or sprint intervals in the mix. I love to run for pleasure also, but if you add some sprints, it will definitely give your metabolism a boost. And maybe cut back on the "larabars" you are making, as they probably contain as many calories as you are burning in a run. run on an empty stomach and allow your body to burn fat for fuel. Unless you are at a maximum intensity, fat-burning can keep you well supplied.

answered Jul 30 at 23:57

RaiseFitness
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I never understand the calories thing, some say one, and some the other. Calorie cutting does seem to work, but at what cost? Reading about Ancel Keys conscientious objectors is kind of eye opening. Is it actually better not to cut the calories too fine, even if you remain fatter? I would rather be fatter and heathy than rail thin and sick (in either mind or body) But do we actually have to make this choice? Can we lose weight without starvation (I mean long term here, we all know paleo works for most people short term, until we reach the dreaded plateau) – Kit Jul 31 at 1:36

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I'm not a big fan of the "cut calories" approach because of this: reduced calories => energy deficit => hunger => willpower cracks => overindulge => too many calories => increase in fat storage. I find much better success with substitution, reducing one type of food and increasing another until I find the right balance. More safe starches work for me, whereas more meat can work for others for example. – eddieosh Jul 31 at 3:26

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The only way to lose weight is a calorie deficit, which does not mean you don't have energy. Your body has a virtually unlimited supply of energy in stored fat, and if you are fat-adapted and not dependant on glucose for energy, you can maintain your energy levels while losing weight. Then when you hit your desired weight, you can begin to add back in some calories for a maintenance level. Your body wants to be in homeostasis, whatever your weight is. You have to force it out of that, and let it reset at a lower level. – RaiseFitness Jul 31 at 12:28

Exactly, RaiseFitness. If you are burning only what you consume, you cannot lose anything. Also, pancakes, bananas, honey, and dates are all glucose bombs that cause a huge spike in insulin, another red flag. – MathGirl72 Jul 31 at 12:59

@Mathgirl72...so true. The reason people initially lose weight on paleo is that they ARE consuming less calories. When you give up breads, pastas, sugar, etc, you tend to eat less and less often. I know people don't like to count calories on here, but if you are stalled, you are not burning more than you are consuming. And having the pancakes, bananas, honey, and dates will cause cravings, and the insulin spike you referenced. – RaiseFitness Jul 31 at 13:03

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Stefanie · Answer 2 · 2012-07-31 03:21:08Z UTC

Do a search on PaleoHacks for 'IF' aka 'Intermittent Fasting' - or search Mark's Daily Apple. Only warning is don't overdo it, there is some argument about IF not being the best thing for women, at least not long term. But perhaps it will give you the boost you need to keep losing weight.

Keep up the Primal workouts and maybe look at other forms of relaxation to reduce your psychological need for the running. All that cardio is probably keeping your appetite higher than it needs to be.

Lastly, take a look at Richard Nikoley's Free The Animal blog and his experiences with potatoes.

Jackie · Answer 3 · 2012-07-31 03:34:01Z UTC

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I would recommend cutting out the nuts. Even if I am having the same amount of calories, and the same % fat, carb and protein, if those are made up of nuts, I stall. If they are made up from animal sources, avocado, and macadamia nuts (kept to 1 ounce per day) then I shed weight again. I have no idea why, but nuts stall me, with all else being equal. So maybe exchanging nuts for other things filling things for a while and maybe cutting out the dates for a week or so could help you break the plateau. Good luck!

answered Jul 31 at 3:34

Jackie
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Worth a try...I love my nuts...maybe this is not a good thing! – Kit Jul 31 at 4:39

I know, they're so tasty! And they really scratch a certain itch when it comes to feeling satisfied, but alas, they do not allow me to lose. Maybe you just need a short break from them to bust out of the plateau and can try adding them back in and see what they do. – Jackie Jul 31 at 14:18

I agree too many nuts is a bad thing. I was under the assumption it was free game, but I was sadly mistaken. I try to keep nuts and seeds to 1/4 a cup a day at most. – Typete247 Aug 1 at 12:28

David · Answer 4 · 2012-07-31 03:42:10Z UTC

How often during a typical day do you eat, including caloric drinks? I don't think you need to cut any foods out of your diet...why cut your nutrition to lose weight when it's not necessary?

I'm also 50 and I was also overweight at one point in my life. Here's what I've been doing..I eat 2 meals a day, no snacking or caloric drinks between meals. I train, but not nearly as much as you do. I'm now maintaining about 7-8 percent bodyfat year round. There are several reasons why this works but the main one is, unless you are gluttonous, it is extremely hard to fit an entire days calories into 2 meals. Also, if you eat less often you will spend more time burning fat.

My wife and I both thrive on this lifestyle...she's also very lean now..enough to see abs at 49 years of age.

We eat our first meal at 2PM and we eat again at 6-7 PM....The rest of the day we fast....we even train fasted. We eat a very rich, semi low carb diet..Real butter/ghee, real cream, organic eggs 6-8 a day, meat daily(but not a lot), home made, full fat kefir, oatmeal or porridge, cultured and raw vegetables, fruit (not a lot). No calorie counting..

I hope this helps some... :)

Help me hack my life

4 Answers