Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I want to increase current carbs by adding more starch safe items---what should I decrease fats or proteins?

EDIT I guess I should have explained why I want to up my carbs. I feel tired all the time -- I mean all the time. And I am hungry all the time I am figuring maybe my carbs are not high enough to sustain my activity level. I exercise at least 1 hour a day 6 days a week. 3 times a week I do doubles--Spin in the AM and Bikram in the evening. The other 3 days is usually just Bikram or SPin--not both. I use to lift but I am so bored with that I stopped. Sorry to you lifters out there. I am 41 y/o female --5 foot 2 125 lbs looking to lose about 10 lbs . Why 10 lbs-- well I felt most energized and even strong at that weight. Now I feel sooo blah!

edited Jan 19 2012 at 20:29

asked Jan 19 2012 at 19:38

TrynAgain
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In that case, it might be that you're doing too much exercise - or at least could use a week off. I'd bear it in mind at least. – PrimalDanny Jan 19 2012 at 22:25

PaleoGirl · Answer 1 · 2012-01-25 22:50:17Z UTC

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I would say stop doing so much cardio and even doubling up. I was an exact example of that, spinning 3-4 days a week on top of running. I was always tired and moody. I went cold turkey and gave up cardio and now spend 30-45 minutes a day lifting heavy weights (or working my way up to increase my strength) and I've seen more changes in my body in as little as 3 weeks compared to a year of "over-training."

I would increase fats so that you train your body to use that as a fuel and not carbs. That's just my take on it!

answered Jan 25 2012 at 22:50

PaleoGirl
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	So you lift every day? – TrynAgain Jan 26 2012 at 12:45
	I lift 5 days a week. My routine includes splits, so 2 days Legs, then 1 day each of "Back/Biceps", "Chest/Triceps", "Shoulders/Abs". I rest 1-2 minutes between each set so I don't over-exhaust myself. It is similar to a "bodybuilder" routine, but I really want to gain muscles and so this routine has been working for me thus far. On days that I don't lift, I might do Bikram, but if I don't feel like doing anything - I don't. Prior to Paleo, I used to obsess & feel extremely guilty if I didn't do some form of exercise such as running, spinning, elliptical, etc everyday, now I don't stress out – PaleoGirl Jan 26 2012 at 16:07
	I think this method has worked extremely well for me, since my stress levels have gone down. Most importantly, I feel stronger and much happier. I used to weigh 115 lbs and 13-15% body fat, but eating unhealthy and over-exercise took a toll on my body, and I ended up gaining 20 lbs over 2 years. It took me a long time to realize that I was messing with my body and made a switch to Paleo after a lot of research. I've been struggling to get my weight under 130 for over a year, and within 3 weeks of doing this routine, I weighed in at 129 this morning. – PaleoGirl Jan 26 2012 at 16:10
	I don't eat extra carbs like sweet potatoes etc. After I lift, I usually make dinner, so I end up eating about an hour later. I think this helps with fat loss. I am trying to gain muscles, so sometimes I will have a protein shake ("Jay Robb") to help rebuild. I try not to eat carbs late at night, but sometimes I might eat berries. I eat big breakfasts and try to eat 60-70% fat daily. I'm not saying to eat like me b/c everyone is different, but I don't think supplementing with excess carbs (going over 80-100g daily) is necessary since your body can make glucose from fats. – PaleoGirl Jan 26 2012 at 16:15

Eric · Answer 2 · 2012-01-19 21:34:35Z UTC

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I would not lower protein. You likey have that lined out.

answered Jan 19 2012 at 21:34

Eric
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PrimalDanny · Answer 3 · 2012-01-19 20:12:02Z UTC

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It probably depends why you want to increase carbs. Just don't assume that it's a like-for-like swap. It's a different diet, though most likely your protein aims will be what remain consistent.

answered Jan 19 2012 at 20:12

PrimalDanny
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JitzGrrl · Answer 4 · 2012-01-19 21:18:20Z UTC

Protein should be around 1g/pound of lean body weight (so somewhere between 0.5-0.9g/lb total weight, depending on BF%). Perhaps a bit more if your intended purpose is muscle building and bulking. If you're significantly above that level, decrease both fat and protein when increasing carbs, for the reasons Travis mentions.

If you're already in that range, keep protein stable and decrease fat when you increase carbs. Perfect Health Diet is an excellent guideline for what kind and how much starch to consume, but as always, listen to your body and n=1.

Edit after your edit: that's a crazy amount of exercise! No wonder you feel tired and can't drop any further weight- too much cortisol. Pick your favorite 3 or 4 workouts and drop the rest, especially the doubles. Instead get into nature, take hikes, do restorative yoga instead of intensive practice. Sleep lots. It'll take a couple weeks for things to settle back down.

James · Answer 5 · 2012-01-19 19:55:31Z UTC

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Fats would go down first. Carbs + Fats tends to lead to weight gain.

answered Jan 19 2012 at 19:55

James
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Travis Culp · Answer 6 · 2012-01-19 19:42:43Z UTC

Ideally both since you no longer need to create glucose from protein but you may also be adding in a lot of energy. If you do a lot of resistance training, you probably need no more than 1.5g/kg bwt of protein. If you're only slightly active, you probably don't need much more than about 1.0-1.3. It doesn't end up being that much. As far as fat goes, you could see what happens and adjust accordingly but if you've been buttering up everything etc., that may not end up working out unless you're highly active.

When increasing carbs…what goes lower fats/protein?

6 Answers