Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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This is just a quick encouragment to those who feel stuck on a plateau or weight level, or if you are questioning...does this really work?? For 3 months now I have basically weighed the same weight. Up and down fluctuating between 177 and 181lbs from January 1st to now. I have a Body Fat scale and it basically didn't change either staying about the same. I was discouraged as I was working hard and not seeing any changes. Oh, I am 37, male, married father of 4.

I took a Bod Pod test on Jan.11th with the following results:

Jan.11th results: BF% = 16.2% Weight = 179.3lbs Fat Weight = 29lbs Lean Weight = 150.3

In the last 3 months I have been 95% Paleo. My little cheats are gluten free frozen yogurt a few times a week, dried fruit as a snack, apples and sometimes too much almond butter. The frustrating thing has been being very disciplined yet not seeing the scale move or BF% move. I have tried IF, and cut back on cardio and started lifting more and doing body weight exercises. Finally went back today for a quarterly Bod Pod test

April 19th results: BF% = 13.6% Weight = 177.2lbs Fat Weight = 24.2 Lean Weight = 153.1

Bottom line, added 3lbs of muscle, dropped 5lbs of fat.

A few thoughts: - store bought BF% scales suck! Measure weekly or monthly, not daily...day to day fluctuations are too stressful.
- stick to the program, the little things matter - lift more weights, heck I put on 3lbs of muscle in 3 months. May not sound huge but when you get down to teens in BF% this is big!
-measure yourself on a regular basis, otherwise how will you know you are improving.

Question: - What should be my next goal? I find I need this to keep going.

edited Apr 19 2011 at 22:54

asked Apr 19 2011 at 22:40

James
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James - you took some time to put this together. for your own sake, mate... turn this into a question. – Jack Kronk Apr 19 2011 at 22:52

What's the margin of error on one of those devices? – Travis Culp♦ Apr 20 2011 at 0:15

Darn...I saw BF and automatically though breastfeeding ad got excited. (currently experiencing the dreaded BFing plateau) Congrats on your body composition improvements. It's very motivating to read people's success stories. – Aughra Apr 20 2011 at 1:48

Great post - very encouraging. Thank you. – Lee Apr 20 2011 at 12:27

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maintenance should be your next goal. Talking with formerly obese folks it consistently seems that losing the weight is MUCH EASIER than maintaining a healthy, lean weight once there. Make eating good, whole foods a lifestyle and COMMIT. Awesome work. You've done what so many across the globe now can not figure out how to do. Now, go lift some heavy iron! :) – ben61820 May 13 2011 at 14:11

baconbitch · Answer 1 · 2011-04-20 00:06:17Z UTC

First off: Congratulations!!! To answer your question about next goal - what type of strength training do you do? Could your next goal be more pushups/pulluoss/higher weight in deadlifts? Instead of concentrating on BF% now you can concentrate on building strength! If you're a crossfitter then maybe beating down The Murph? (Good luck with that!)

Thanks for sharing because I think so many of us plateau and need the encouragement, ie: Me :)

Forrest · Answer 2 · 2011-04-28 21:26:09Z UTC

Only you can pick your goals, but if your goal is to gain muscle, then eat more, lift heavier, and cut down on cardio - 2 days a week at most. Separate cardio from lifting by as large a period of time as possible, on different days if feasible. Take off a week every 8 weeks, and have a low intensity week in the middle. Just make sure you eat more fat and protein than you're hungry for!

L. Peltier · Answer 3 · 2011-04-29 01:28:07Z UTC

IMO your next goal would be to truly learn to listen to your body and find what works for you. Example I am VLC, train fasted and do NOT eat PWO. Not exactly what is recommended. However, I like my results. I used to be almost 300lbs. So you are def right....KEEP GOING!

Testimonial on Plateau and BF% - Encouraging you to KEEP GOING!

3 Answers