Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I have passed my goal weight by ten pounds. The issue is all aesthetically driven and all in the quest for a lower bodyfat%, but it seems like I have so much more I could lose to get the leanness I am looking for.

I (re)started the journey at 5'10", 225 pounds. I hit a plateau at 205, and successfully broke through that one by going 100% for three weeks and incorporating intermittent fasting. I maintain better than an 80/20 compliance now for maintenance, but stay lower carb, and cycle through ketosis days when my schedule can afford it. I am down to 190, and the clothes I purchased to make up for recomposition are too large. It just seems like I can go so much lower. Just to clarify, I have not seen any losses in strength gains even with injuries, and have maintained lean mass.

Has anyone else experienced a lower set point than expected? I'm OK with getting lighter temporarily as I can put solid (muscle) weight back on later.

Personally, I am holding onto the last bit on my midsection, so I am concerned about a cortisol issue.

flag	asked Mar 30 2011 at 21:53 MF 1,346●1●5●14

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good grief I wish I had your problem. – texasleah Mar 30 2011 at 22:05

sherpamelissa · Answer 1 · 2011-03-30 23:16:05Z UTC

My first goal weight was 150, at 5'2" that wasn't perfect, but it seemed doable from starting at 247. When I got there the first time I had a hard time with the mental part of maintenance, thought I had it all under control and went back up to 180. I fought my way back to 150 again and was ready to go lower, just like you. My trainer thought it would be better if I maintained it for awhile in order to prove to myself I could do it and to help my body and mind adjust to the new weight.

I stayed at 150 for a year, then decided I want to get my BMI down to "normal" instead of officially "overweight". The next 5 was easy, the last 10 was not. Then I went Paleo and the last 10 came off pretty easy, my bodyfat went down 6%.

I AM REALLY DAMN HAPPY RIGHT HERE. I thought about going lower, 136 is the high end of "normal" for my height. I did get down to 130 for awhile, but I lost my boobs. I'd rather have boobs than a lower number on the scale. Everything gets really saggy for me when I drop my bodyfat too far. The horrors of being older and formerly obese.

Every once in awhile I think I COULD BE 125! I know I could do it, but other than the number there is absolutely no reason to do it. It's a mental battle sometimes, but really, I love my body right now.

PKN · Answer 2 · 2011-03-30 22:09:38Z UTC

I think the better we get body wise, the more we want. I'm at 190 (6'1"), and I think I still want to lose about 5% bodyfat. the midsection being the last bit of fat is common on males, belly on guys, hips on girls (to generalize). the last 5% on me is all concentrated on the belly too.

but personally, I would not look at it as "lose X more lbs", work out hard, eat right, and we will slowly change body composition without changing weight so much.

Jinnie · Answer 3 · 2011-03-30 22:10:11Z UTC

I am definitely feeling the same way...I actually reached my goal weight today and I feel like my stomach is where all my weight is still sitting and to me it looks like I can loose another 10 lbs or so. I am also wanting to hear some feedback on this subject

Gordon · Answer 4 · 2011-03-30 22:37:54Z UTC

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My experience is the same. I have 10 more to lose and it is all around my waist I am going 100% to try and get the loss moving again. It is very difficult. It won't budge

answered Mar 30 2011 at 22:37

Gordon
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Oranges13 · Answer 5 · 2011-03-30 22:50:07Z UTC

I've been chasing these 40 pounds for... well the last 5 years. I'm thinking that when I hit my goal weight I will want to keep going just to see how far I can get. 150 is conservative - most women my height would be happier with 130 because then they're a "normal" size like a 5 or a 6. Me @ 150 will still be in 10s.

Hipwaderguy · Answer 6 · 2011-03-31 00:11:17Z UTC

Same here. After losing 40+ lbs over a 6mos period on a Paleo/low-carb diet, I've plateaued for the past 4 mos. I decided to try a "carb refeed". I'd read about it but didn't really want to stop eating Paleo/low-carb and risk losing my gains. However, as I read some more it started to make sense on how you're "re-setting" you leptin which regulates your fat stores. After 6 mos of low-carb it appears my body thought it would no longer see the copious amounts of carbs it was getting and was holding on to every bit of energy stores (re:fat) it could. With a one day refeed - supposedly all that is needed - your leptin will be fooled into thinking it's carbs, carbs, carbs once again. I hope my leptin is that stupid. So a couple of days ago I ate nothing but yams, butternut squash, spinach and kim chee to my hearts content. The next day I started off with liver (for the first time) cooked in butter with bacon, garlic, marjoram and jerk seasoning. Most excellent! Today I'm doing my every 6th or 7th day IF that I've been doing for a couple of months. We'll see in about a week if the refeed worked!

Spelhaug52 · Answer 7 · 2011-03-31 00:45:21Z UTC

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Just curious, but how much of this "5 lbs" is just your loose skin? I started at 235 lbs @ 6'1 and I am down to 198 to 200 depending on the day. I have abs, but not ripped per say. I know that my skin will take time to shirk so I do not get frustrated. If I keep on the CrossFit and watch my diet (90-10 paleo roughly) I know the washboard is on its way. Just a thought...

answered Mar 31 2011 at 0:45

Spelhaug52
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	I was never very flabby, so the skin never got loose. I also spread the weight loss over the course of a year, so that's not too much of an issue. It could be some water retention, but other than a night of sipping tequila, I haven't tried to dehydrate myself to see. Good insight, though! – MF Mar 31 2011 at 2:05
	Yeah, should have added a time frame. I lost mine in a year also, and was never flabby per say. Never had a "beer gut" but was not lean either. Corn fed, husky, solid was the best describer for my build. Nothing bounced when I hopped, still muscular but there was no definition either. Just thought I should add that. :) – Spelhaug52 Mar 31 2011 at 4:17

Turnkey · Answer 8 · 2011-03-31 01:53:41Z UTC

Definitely know what you mean. I started at ~235, and thought that I would be lean at 190. I got there relatively fast, it was a big improvement...

And now I'm at 159. And I can tell that I need to go down maybe 5 lbs to get to a "six pack" look. Although I don't really try to loose weight now (and have not for 6months or so). Guessing where I'll be at in 1 year even is hard to say (maybe higher with all the lifting?). But it is neat seeing what you can end up like.

Ali · Answer 9 · 2011-03-31 17:04:36Z UTC

I haven't reached my initial goal (150...I'm at 160ish right now), but I really like the way I look.

I think it's a good thing that I haven't reached the number goal, because I've gotten a little lax since I like how I look. I think if I had reached my goal when I noticed I was looking good again, I would've totally gone off Paleo and regained all the weight/fat.

As it is, that number is still important to me and it's helped me realize that, although skinny again, I still am lacking muscles and hence still have a lot of work to do.

In other words, I need to stop being lax!! 8)

Has anyone else been chasing the “Last 5 pounds” for 15 pounds or so?

9 Answers