I put on weight too if I eat too much paleo food, especially nuts, and snacking. Here's what works for me - 3 - 4 meals day (no snacks or other meals) Palm size protein at each meal (for me that's about 100grams cause I'm little) 1/2 fist of starch, plus lots of non starch veggies at some meals Fat - don't add a lot and I don't eat nuts - too much fat, too much omega 6 I use coconut oil, olive, macadamia. Coconut cream - a small spoonful in my coffee and hot cocoa (no sugar, made with hot water) I have fruit with breakfast only. So maybe 3 eggs and 1 kiwi and 1/2 cup of berries. or a banana if I'm going to the gym.

Hope this helps

I started something like paleo back in 2007, at age 35. It took me a few months to get rid of my face puffiness. Then a few more months to lose 40 pounds. Then a few months to eliminate inflammatory markers from bloodwork/raise HDL. When I went ketotic I was tired all the time, even though I was looking better than ever. By 2010 I had leaned out but still had acne outbreaks and couldn't digest plant matter of any kind.

Now I can finally digest vegetables, having cleared the dysbiosis. So that last bit took four years. And a ridiculous amount of experimentation.

Through the whole course of this, I would track macronutrient ratios but not aim for any target. I was mainly looking for foods that would a) not cause symptoms of intolerance (acne, gas, itchy skin); b) be affordable; c) give me high energy levels.

It's a process, one that doesn't really end. It's hard work! But the payoff is well worth it. In short, five months is a good beginning; I don't believe you can solve 28 years' or so worth of SAD in that amount of time. You're younger than I was, though, so the road might not be as laborious. Also I have celiac, so there's that. Keep with it!

keep adjusting macro nutrient quantities and meal timing. keep track of it all over time. take the time. reduce stress as much as possible, including physiological stress that may be caused by food type, source, quantity, timing, etc. you may need additional support such as betaine hcl to digest more protein, or enzymes to deal with additional fats. the body takes time to adapt and sometimes may never fully adapt on its own. we live in a strange time in human interaction with the environment.

I'm of the view that calories do count, even if there's more leeway with paleo. Since you're so good at it :-), you might continue to count calories just to make sure you're not overeating, and just rolling with it until you learn what calorie level works for you. Be careful to aim for very low weight loss: you don't learn how much to eat by losing 2 lb/wk! You want this to be sustainable and summer is a long way away. :-)

I've had good luck eating only lunch and dinner, no snacks. With IF plus counting calories enough to be able to catch myself before I overeat, I've learned how much I can eat, and I've been able to wean myself off the calorie counting. For metabolically healthy people, hunger is the best signal but for people who might have messed things up, a little artificial help might be necessary for a little while.

Just make sure you're not crash dieting.

Thanks for the encouragement wjones! I too was expecting to see immediate results doing strict Paleo. But it's only been about a month and the way I was eating before... yeah, 21 years of damage takes more than a month's worth of undoing. We should all stick to Paleo and I believe we will reap the benefits in the long run!