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Hey yall, for people who are NOT trying to lose weight but those just living grokstyle in good shape, workaday life with moderate physical job, bike riding, happysmiley kinda people, do you all think that the first meal (the one pretty much before you start your day, knowing that youll prolly eat 5-6 hours later) should be focused on fat or protein? Im 6 feet tall, 140 pounds, active. I dont workout crazy hard but am active and work a lot. I have been doing one or two hardboiled eggs with a bunch of coconut oil drizzled on top, and this has been keeping me good. But i do get pretty hungry a bit BEFORE lunch. Nothing too crazy, i can handle it, but im wondering if i should perhaps be going more fat-heavy or protein-heavy. Thanks a bunch.

ps. ive been pretty paleoprimal for about 5 years but im about one to two weeks into being on PaleoHacks and this is a real good crew of people. cheers

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6ft 140, eat, especially if active, eat eat – Stephen-Aegis Jun 7 2010 at 17:28

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Not trying to be an ass, but you need to focus on eating more of every macronutrient. At 6ft 140lbs, you are SKINNY and need to gain weight. You need to be consuming much higher quantities of eggs, fruits, and fat. 1-2 eggs w/ a drizzle of coconut oil? You need to bump up to 6 eggs, 2 apples, and a full can of coconut milk.

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Of course not everybody has the same goals as I do, but I agree, 6ft. and 140lbs. is pretty underweight. – JJ Jun 8 2010 at 2:19
I'm with you except the apples, fructose hasn't been proven to be metabolically adventageous, just the opposite . Stick to glucose based carbs if you want them, otherwise I Love heavy cream, grassfed butter and eggs for tasty ez to down calories. (If lacto paleo) otherwise up the egg count to 5 or 6 and throw some bacon in... Mmm bacon. If you're that thin and hungry ....LISTEN to your BODY – Stephen-Aegis Aug 3 2010 at 2:37
I wouldn't recommend downing a can of coconut milk just to gain weight. I'd imagine you'd want to put on lean mass while minimizing fat gain as opposed to just indiscriminate weight gain. – spencer Aug 3 2010 at 19:12
I wouldn't recommend downing a can of coconut milk.. It's better to put on lean mass while minimizing fat gain, as opposed to indiscriminately gaining weight. – spencer Aug 3 2010 at 19:16
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Experiment with different things for breakfast, and listen to your body. You'll figure out what works well for you.

Most breakfasts for me are: * 3 fried eggs * 3-4 strips of bacon * veggies fried with the bacon

The veggies are usually 2 or 3 from the following: * 2" of cut zucchini * 1/3 of a red pepper * 5 button mushrooms * loose-leaf baby spinach * brocolli

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I'll try to dig up the study, I'm on my phone right now but there was a recent study that showed something to the effect of :

your first meal of the day sets you up for what your body wants to burn

therefore, eat fat(and if fat adapted) your body will go after fat stores instead of heavy cravings and less likely to have severe hunger

I've personally felt this, days I have fruit vs equiv calories of eggs/butter or bacon/eggs, the fatty meals definately leave me full longer.

If I eat a leftover lean chicken breast, I'm hungry again soon same with the fruit or breakfast salad

most mornings I skip breakfast and eat later in the day, noon to 3pm, whenever I actually get hungry. If I wake up hungry it's usually because I heavily exerted myself physically the day before and my body wants to restore glycogen (I assume)

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Do you mean this one: nature.com/ijo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/…? (Summary here: ihealthbulletin.com/blog/2010/04/06/…) I agree with the conclusion, but I don't think there's any magic to 'having fat' early in the day, rather than later; I suspect the effect is mostly explained by NOT having carbohydrate and thus switching off your (entirely normal) fat metabolism. Therefore, fasting all morning and having fat+protein later would be equally good. Maybe eating fat maintains metabolism though (avoiding starvation or CR). – David Moss Jun 7 2010 at 5:26
Starvation/mandatory breakfast has been debunked – Stephen-Aegis Jun 7 2010 at 17:24
Thanks for pulling that out and I suspect you are correct about carb interruption I'd be suspicious of pH requirements too! – Stephen-Aegis Jun 7 2010 at 17:26
I agree Stephen. I find I operate best on one big meal a day at 6PM. I have no hunger in the morning and don't believe in eating if not hungry. A good workout at 3pm keeps any hunger at bay till around 6. – Alan Sep 21 2010 at 13:57
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I would honestly eat whatever you felt like eating whenever you woke up. If you feel like something salty and fatty, eat bacon. Or something a little bit more bland, eat some hard boiled eggs. Or if you are on the go, have some coffee with heavy cream (grass-fed of course).

I wouldn't get too wrapped around the axle on what macro-nutrients you are consuming at which meal. You could drive yourself nuts doing that.

Just as long as you occasionally check your daily macro-nutrient ratio percentages, and hopefully they lean towards fat > protein > carbs.

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If I have breakfast at all, it's usually more protein with a light bit of fats (almonds, cashews, or maybe a little bacon). Just my personal experience.

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what is paleohax?

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He meant PaleoHacks.... – Patrik Jun 7 2010 at 7:12
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I'd probably just add another egg. Or grab a snack for between (like bacon!).

Some mornings all I have for the first 5-6 hours after I get up is a heavy cream Latte, other days its the cream Latte, 1-3 eggs and 1-3 strips of bacon, and sometimes some veggies.

In any case I feel like I get more out of a higher energy meal in the morning than any other time of day, but that's just me. Also the caffeine from the coffee in the morning tends to prolong my post meal fast a bit longer as well cause of the appetite suppressant effect.

Also it can drastically depend on your activity level as most people when they start training or doing more exercise really don't eat enough (and if its mostly protein and fat you aren't going to go above your body's set point anyway even if you get more than CW suggests is the amount of calories you should be having.)

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just skip the whole thing altogether

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I'd keep an even protein:fat ratio but if you are not eating for 5-6 hours it's no wonder you would be feeling hungry... Perhaps a little snack in the middle is what you need.

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I won't neg you, but I completely disagree, eating constantly is bro science... – Stephen-Aegis Jun 7 2010 at 17:27
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I don't know what may work for everyone else, and I am not an advocate of eating "the right way" only an advocate of eating what you need to eat, what you body feels it needs. what anyone chooses for breakfast is their own preference (so long as its paleo of course).

my typical breakfast- *2 hardboiled eggs or 2 scrambled eggs with salsa *turkey sausage (homemade) or bacon *an orange (or a fruit smoothie of some sort) *and sometimes yogurt if my body is craving it

I listen to what my body wants most of the time, it has worked well for me. when i don't listen to it then things start getting ugly. my main focus is usually a mix of fat and protein with a little bit of fruit sugars and vitamin C to give me an extra "boost" to wake me up.

but like i said, works for me. may not work for some.

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When I eat fried eggs for breakfast (even if it's 4 of them) I get almost half the satiety of when I eat a fatty lamb steak. 2 hard-boiled eggs, even if coated in fat, just isn't going to cut it.

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Fried eggs in coconut oil with veggies and a sausage (chicken apple, jalapeno hot or pork breakfast - whatever you want just make sure it's minimally processed and nitrate-free) might be the boost you need. If you're hungry, eat. It shouldn't matter what time it is.

I keep a bag of jerky in my desk at work and a container of guac and carrot sticks in the fridge there. If I'm hungry and a glass of water or cup of coffee later I'm still hungry, food is what my body wants and needs which is what Paleo is all about.

I think though, to answer your question, the answer is to focus on eating both fat and protein - but perhaps a bit more of each. You want to be energized by breakfast!

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