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Hi,

I've been quite stressed out lately and gained about 10-12 pounds over the past few months, mostly over the holidays (from 125 to 142). I'm trying to get somewhere in between (130-134 range). I'm 21, 5'8 and have never weighed this much. I realize I'm not overweight, but I don't like the way my clothes are fitting. I work out and lift weights almost everyday. I'm not sure what I can do to lose the weight without the muscle...

A little background: I've been Paleo since 09' and I did it because of my acne. I loved the results (acne all gone) and have never gone back to the way I ate (mostly eating Subway and tons of bread). I have never been overweight at all (quite thin actually... until recently) and that's where I need your help. I kind of relapsed over the holidays and ate what I wanted (stuffing, bread, See's chocolate, ect {my tastebuds went wild}). I was at 125 before because I was juggling college and work and didn't really have time to eat. Now that I no longer work, I find myself eating a lot (all Paleo foods) and I can't stop. I eat tons of vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, whole okra and onions mostly {no starchy tubers at all}) and a lot of protein (tuna, chicken, turkey, sometimes roast beef). I also eat quite a bit of mayo (i know, it has soybean oil, but its sooo good, it doesn't compare to homemade mayo[which i've tried]). I don't know why I'm not losing weight. I stopped eating fruits and try to limit my sugar intake because I hear that that can cause weight gain.

Could I just be eating too much?

If you need more info about what I eat, I can tell you. I don't eat any dairy at all and my main fat sources are avocado(guacamole)/mayo/coconut cream (rarely, just to make chicken curry)/olive oil (i use the olive oil very sparingly just to make sure the food I'm cooking doesnt stick to the pan). Should I limit my fat intake too or try going into ketosis (and go nuts with the fat)? I'm at a complete loss, I've never had to lose weight. AHHHHH! I don't know what to do... any suggestions on nutrition or exercise would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for reading!

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Have you tried macadamia mayonnaise ? primal-palate.com/2011/02/… – Ikco Mar 18 2011 at 12:34
No, but it looks and sounds pretty good! – William I AM Mar 18 2011 at 17:07

4 Answers

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Start a food diary. Fitday.com, dailyburn.com, homemade excel sheet, whatever. You can't get to where you want to be without first knowing where you are now. Get a baseline of your daily caloric intake.

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I agree, Joyce! And food tracking doesn't even always have to be about calories, tracking your % of fat, protein and carbs can give you a good baseline to adjust from. – sherpamelissa Mar 18 2011 at 14:28
Thank you. I have a food scale that shows me the nutritional data in everything I eat. I'f I'm not counting calories, how do I determine the percentage of fat, protein and carbs I should be eating? Thanks again! – William I AM Mar 18 2011 at 17:09
Say, like dailyburn.com has a collection of nutritional information already entered by users. I just punch in what I eat and it tallies up # of calories, # of grams of pro/carb/fat and a pie chart of the % breakdown. You can use it to plug in stuff you've eaten that day or for me, I use it to plan my day's meals. – Joyce L. Mar 19 2011 at 1:05
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I think the food log suggestion is solid. When I start to drift upward, I use Cron-O-Meter to plan my day's eating ahead of time. That way, I know I've gotten all I need and rarely ever "find myself" eating things I know I shouldn't. Once I've stabilized, I eat more from the hip. It's a good way to give yourself a little boost of reality.

Incidentally, I think there's an intermediate step to take in your mayonnaise problem. Try switching to an all natural canola-based mayo (Spectrum, I think) with nothing but oil, eggs, and vinegar. It's not ideal - waaaay too much Omega-6 and all the other problems that go along with canola - but it might help get you closer to liking the homemade stuff. Once you find a good recipe and give it time, you'll see it's so much better than the processed junk.

Best of luck.

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Great advice Riveted! I agree that mayo is yummy, but it is certainly not optimal. – sherpamelissa Mar 18 2011 at 14:27
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Tell me more about your exercise program; has that changed?

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Well I was at 132 before I had a job (I was exercising daily, lifting weights, ironically trying to gain to get more muscle). Then, over the course of my job, I lowered my daily intake because I couldn't find time to work out and I sat behind a computer all day. That's when I dropped down to 125. After (when I started to gain), I had more time to eat, but didn't go back to exercising. I've been going again and burning about 600 to 700 calories + lifting per each visit (so about everyday). I figure I should try to convert the fat into muscle. It's mostly around my belly though so its tough. – William I AM Mar 18 2011 at 17:35
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At first blush it seems as if you need to eat more good fat so you won't be so hungry. And cut out the mayo - you really can live without it!

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I hate having the old doctrine "Fat will make you gain weight" enter my head, but it always does. I know fat isn't bad, but sometimes I fear eating it because it has a ton of calories and I figure I can eat more (vegetables/protein instead) and reduce fat. I know that isn't ideal, so do you have any good fat suggestions? I know coconut oil is supposed to be good but it's funny... in all the years I've been Paleo, I haven't tried coconut oil. Guess I'll finally buy a jar (especially if it will stop my hunger). – William I AM Mar 18 2011 at 17:44
Working for me is virtually 100% grass feed, pastured, etc. beef, pork, eggs with all the clarified butter and coconut oil to cook with I want, plus a little olive oil (mostly making dressings for my salads). Eating 25% protein, 15-20% carb (and I count them all, even the greens), and 55-60% fat. Just tried IF yesterday and worked well, so likely incorporate that now. Lost 115 pounds with another 60ish to go. Also, my last labs were nothing short of phenomenal. – Rhonda Mar 20 2011 at 9:44
How long for the weight drop Rhonda ? – DudleyP Mar 23 2011 at 19:15
Started the journey on May 15, 2010, but just discovered Paleo in December. – Rhonda Mar 25 2011 at 10:21

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