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So I'm three months paleo following Primal Blueprint but more like 95/5 rather than 80/20. I have lost 27 pounds and had blood work done to monitor my progress. My HDL is up, LDL is down and triglycerides are WAY down from 156 to 58!

The problem is that now I have this remarkable progress but my motivation is waning. I know the results should have the opposite effect but instead I'm sneaking around eating gummy bears and potato chips. Completely counterproductive.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get over this hump? Does anyone have similar experiences in sabotaging your own success?

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9 Answers

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Check out these motivational posts:

And these PaleoHacks questions:

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I wasn't Paleo at the time, but when I started losing weight I had issues like this crop up occasionally.

I had a really hard time with weekends, for years. I did great on my routine work days, because I could plan things out. I am a gal that likes a plan, so I wouldn't want to mess it up. Weekends were plan-less, so I would eat things I shouldn't. That was really a 100% mental battle. I had to want it enough to get through weekends without "cheating". I did that with setting mini goals for myself and rewarding myself. It could be as easy as a pedicure if I made it the whole weekend or a new bottle of nail polish or whatever, just something little. Quantitative goals instead of just being "good" were key.

Another common weight loss problem is feeling that you "deserve" a reward for being so good and sadly, many of us reward ourselves with comfort foods. You have to learn to use different rewards.

Or feeling like you've got this, you've been doing so well, just this little bit won't really hurt... well, it does hurt. It only took setting myself back 293839284023 times to realize it. Every single time I've stopped tracking my food over the last 6 years, I gained weight. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

When people ask how much weight I've lost, sometimes I'll say if you counted all the ups and downs over the years, I've probably lost at least 500lbs. This time, I've lost it for good.

Try not to let your cheat items RUIN your day and roll into more cheats. Make your next meal, your next snack a healthy one and move on.

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Younger people than I seem to have the most trouble in controling their consumption of the nasty counterproductive foods.

I am 67 years old and have done things to my body over the previous 40 years that made me look like the Pillsbury Doughboy, now it is easy to ignore the nastys...because I like how I feel and how I look.

The wheat and soda belly I used to carry is almost gone...used to be a belt size 38...now 32. And so is 50 pounds gone.

Just look around the obese mall and ask yourself, did I look like that?...or could I look like that? If I just munch a few of these death crackers...what could it hurt?

Man up and don't cheat!

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I believe in willpower too, Dexter. You have to want it. – sherpamelissa Jan 14 2011 at 13:18
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i second Dex's sentiment: "running around sneaking gummy bears" etc is a CHOICE YOU MAKE. It has nothing to do with diet, paleo, primal, Ornish-diet, or anything else. You control you hand, you control what you buy, you control what you put in your mouth. Be an adult, don't act like a child. Sounds harsh, but until you really, deeply, fully understand this you'll keep sabotaging yourself. – ben61820 Jan 14 2011 at 15:27
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I had these days.... found my calories were not meeting my newfound love for activity.

2 methods.

for maintenance, simply up your calories...if you're craving food, you're not getting enough.

for continued weight loss... do a refeed once a week... absolutely PIG OUT. keep it gluten free, try to keep to non inflammatory foods, just eat as much as you can stand in 1 meal and 1 meal only. Toss some tubers in there. Ill even condone, non paleo but not damaging foods during this refeed. My personal preference is the Sushi Refeed. (gluten free tamari of course)

If you're on the Refeed method, youll find your willpower stronger, because you're holding out for that "reward" at the end of the week(or middle whenever you choose), and the cravings less because your body will learn that its going to be fed.

If you have a high activity day (for me its 2-4hours of Ultimate), try to time your refeed to after the activity. (and do the activity fasted).

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Stephen, what's your stance on the frequency of refeeds. I have been experimenting with one after each heavy training session (usually 2-3 times a week) Too often? – Todd Jan 14 2011 at 17:58
I totally base it on TTRH(totally just made that up) time to recover hunger. On the first heavy workout I'll refeed after. Generally I'll eat again when hungry. Hungry before dinner is a good sign that I sent that fuel to muscles. I'll eat light then eat dinner. If my TTRH is dinner or not hungry at dinner my next refeed will be smaller. I the second workout is a late hunger recovery my third won't get a refeed just a high protein meal, that isn't a feast. This is my bodies gauge for makin sure it all goes in muscle instead of hiding my abs. Works like a charm. – Stephen-Aegis Jan 14 2011 at 18:25
The beauty of TTRM is there's no counting, my body tracks it's needs automatically. – Stephen-Aegis Jan 14 2011 at 18:26
Interesting, and makes a lot of sense. Sometimes I have force myself to refeed. This didn't feel right. Thank you, will be tweaking my routine. – Todd Jan 14 2011 at 19:57
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You must have had a good reason to start down the Paleo road. You need to examine why you have lost that drive. You have made good progress but most of us here don't see Paleo as a short trip but a journey for a lifetime. Even if you are totally happy with your results I can't imagine why anyone would then want to reverse the results and return to where you've come from. As someone above has said, you need to man up and do what has to be done. Gummy bears, pleease!

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Those of us who eat this way all the time and plan to eat this way as long as we are alive, tend to have the following in common:

1) A sound food plan that fits our needs, health parameters, and preferences.

2) An honesty with ourselves about why we eat the way we do, which we are at peace with.


Many find that helping others, by answering questions on forums, or writing blog articles, or other ways of contributing, gives a sustenance to one's own way of eating and thinking.

Also:

When you know, in your insides, that you are worth taking good care of, you will do it.


If you haven't had a chance to read Dr. Kurt Harris' website, PaleoNu, it is well worth reading. His recommendations are based on sound science. He offers his website out of kindness, to help others heal from illnesses and to prevent the ailments that can befall folks.

Here is his, "Get Started" page:

http://www.paleonu.com/get-started/


I wish you much joy in making steps that you can live with, and which you find fulfilling.

Am sending you lots of good thoughts. :)

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@Paleogran, excellent answer. Great point with illustrating the two points that most of us who succeed with this lifestyle have in common. I whole heartedly agree. – ben61820 Jan 15 2011 at 15:39
Thanks, Ben. Hope you are doing very well. – PaleoGran Jan 15 2011 at 22:53
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One "easy" fix that doesn't address the underlying motivation but could help the "sneaking" is to not have those foods in your household. Of course, this doesn't work if you have a non-paleo spouce / roommates. But you could try setting up more strict boundaries of "my food" / "your food" After all, everyone has moments of weakness and boundaries like having to pay money or having to actually ask - "can I have some of your gummy bears?" could help you take a step back and realize that you don't actually want to give in to this particular moment of weakness. Or maybe it's time to go to 100%? Some people do best with no absolute rules, but others need the absolute rules to stick with whatever program they want to commit to.

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Thanks everyone. I'm trying hard to relocate my motivation. I'm starting out by doing a 24 hour IF to (hopefully) cleanse my system.

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An IF could actually trigger a binge, if you aren't careful. Plan your refeed carefully. Good luck! – sherpamelissa Jan 14 2011 at 15:35
Sherpamelissa - i have noticed that when i try to IF, i am more prone to overeating/binging, how can i IF w/o this happening? – gimmeMoreLiver Jun 4 2011 at 6:04
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Hi JK - I am experiencing the exact same problem right now, lots of progress for over a year, but now i find myself sneaking bites of dessert, sweets candy, which more often than not turns into binges of sweet things; I am now in a vicious cycle of not being on the bandwagon, or 30on 70 off because I have lost motivation? Have you hacked this issue of yours yet, i would love to hear about your experience since January...

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