Before PB Picture, Needing Advice! page 2

[Sungrazer]

Hi there and welcome to the forums.

From your stats, 22 yr, 136 lbs, 5'4" you have a basal metabolic rate (BMR) of about 1450 kcal per day (I'll get back to that in a bit). You're already slim and you probably will have difficulty shedding the last bit. I can understand the desire to do so, I am at that point myself and have found that the only thing I can do now is to keep on keeping on. Do you lift heavy at all, or any body weight exercises? I'd suggest adding that if you don't. Build lean body mass to increase BMR – lift heavy three times a week for instance. Also employ high intensity interval training (HIIT) once or twice a week to boost your metabolism. When do this I do 2 minutes warmup, then 30 seconds as intense as I can, then 90 seconds active "rest" then as hard as I can for 30 seconds. Repeat 8 times... you'll feel it. Sprint, bike or step machine etc.

You can also try intermittent fast (IF), but I wouldn't recommend that before you are a bit more into primal and fully adjusted to burn fat. You'll only feel miserable and hungry before that. I do a 16 hour (~19 pm to ~11 am) IF each day and work out in a fasted state.

Anyhow - if we take your BMR into consideration and if your energy intake is for example 60% / 20% / 20% of fat, protein and carbohydrates.

1450 * 60% = 870 kcal or approx 97 gram fat
1450 * 20% = 290 kcal or approx 72 gram protein
1450 * 20% = 290 kcal or approx 72 gram carbohydrate

This is just to maintain your body functions etc. then you need to adjust for your activity level.

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Considering these you need to adjust your intake from about 2000 kcal to 2700 kcal per day to maintain your weight. Anything less and you will lose weight. Calories in DO matter when you are at your body fat level. Still, limit your carbohydrate intake and try to stay between 50 - 80 grams per day. Adjust fat and protein to meet your energy needs.

In regards to your food I think others have covered the most that I wanted to say. Good luck and grok on!

[amandita]

Considering these you need to adjust your intake from about 2000 kcal to 2700 kcal per day to maintain your weight. Anything less and you will lose weight. Calories in DO matter when you are at your body fat level. Still, limit your carbohydrate intake and try to stay between 50 - 80 grams per day. Adjust fat and protein to meet your energy needs.

In regards to your food I think others have covered the most that I wanted to say. Good luck and grok on!

Hey there Sungrazer! Thanks for adding to this thread Your reply was very information packed, awesome!
Yes i realize i do have little to lose, but i do want to lose it nonetheless. So based on what others have recommended on my journal thread, i'm thinking of reducing my carb intake to 20g/day. I think it will only happen after christmas (realistically) but it i will happen! My goal is to lose 10lbs by the end of Feb. But I do agree that 50-80g is a reasonable range for steady weightloss.

Do you mean that i should multiply 1450cal/day x 1.55 (moderate activity)= 2247cal/day. That seems like a lot!!! I def won't eat that much ever. haha.

I have actually dont the workout plan you suggested with lifting and HIIT when i participated in Crossfit. Dont get me wrong, i loved it. But i wasnt getting the results i wanted. I think that I will try spin classes, with lifting sessions and see if that gets me results. But shouldnt we be sprinting only once every 7-10 days?

IF from 7pm-11am would be no problem for me. I can usually go from 5pm-morning (10am) without eating no problem. But I think you are right, my body still isnt efficient at burning fat at times like these.

Thanks for all your suggestions and for taking the time to help!

Good luck shedding those last few pounds

Amanda

[iniQuity]

I don’t want to go and confuse the crap out of Amandita since she’s new here, but I’m worried as to how exercising + being in ketosis works out?

I don’t know if any old timers will remember this, but I just went and found one of my favorite threads of old, rather than providing a link for it I’m going to copy the part that interested me the most back then and still now, from our old comrade Timothy who hasn’t been on the board for some time:

“Perhaps this is a heresy, but I don't consider all carbs the same. 100g of cellulose, hemicellulose, sucrose, and HFCS all have the exact same calorie count. But their metabolic effect is so different that grouping them together seems pointless. Cellulose passes through your body undigested by enzymes or bacteria (unless you're a termite). Hemicellulose feeds bacteria in your colon and converts to Vitamin K but is otherwise not a source of energy. Sucrose, of course, goes straight to blood glucose levels and provokes an insulin reaction. HFCS has to be heavily processed in the liver at the cost of vital nutrients. So why do we add all these different things together into one carb number? When you consider enzymes and glycemic index, the picture is even more complicated. Broccoli, for example, has sucrose and glucose but actually reverses the effects of diabetes (through an enzyme called sulforaphane.) Eat 100g of broccoli carbs and you'll still be in ketosis in my estimate. Eat 100g of HFCS and you'll be on the express train to diabetes. So what does it mean to say I ate 43g carb? By itself, approximately nothing.”

That was back in February of this year, around the time I joined the forum. It helped me a lot though because I was starting to get into the mindset that carbs were evil and I had to avoid them at all costs.

What carbs actually matter in the ketosis equation?? I don’t want Amandita or anybody out there to not eat carbs and still try to exercise hard, you need some carbs for that, plenty of vegetables and tubers depending on your preferred activity level.

Thoughts??

Edit: For what it’s worth, I eat a lot of veggies, broc, kale, spinach, and some starch like sweet potatoes every now and then, but I like to have heavy bodyweight workouts some days (which I consider my heavy lifting) and almost daily practice on other bodyweight stuff which is a little lighter in nature (hand balancing, etc) but I still would NOT consider myself as active as some guys/gals here that move heavy iron and stuff. I’d consider their carb requirements to be even higher than mine. Rivvin, case in point, does much better on higher primal carbs. I think if you plan on not exercising all that much then only fibrous veggie carbs should suffice. I’m just trying to understand the whole thing a little better…

[SteakNchop]

Let me just tell you something- BMI is meaningless. It has nothing to do with health or how much fat you have. For example, a bodybuilder will probably be obese according to their BMI. Bodyfat percentage is a better way to determine all this. This is a good calculator I found: http://www.living-a-healthy-lifestyle.com/bodyfat.html

[Sungrazer]

[COLOR="Indigo"]
Do you mean that i should multiply 1450cal/day x 1.55 (moderate activity)= 2247cal/day. That seems like a lot!!! I def won't eat that much ever. haha.

Yes, it seems like a lot, but think about it - your body needs energy to function at an optimal level. By denying it incredible important nutrients and energy it will start to check it's options. (Too) little food with also generate a stress response in your body and you will definitely not like that!

[Grizz]

Hi there all!
I am relatively new to primal eating, about two weeks ago I read Mark's book and was amazed at how much I didn't know. I have always considered myself pretty healthy and active, but can never seem to lose any weight.... although I would never consider myself fat, I definitely would love to have a leaner body.

I need help with a few observation I have made over the past couple weeks...
- I am having a hard time finding foods that taste good to me... meat is starting to gross me out and I don't thing i can eat anymore red meat or i will be sick!! I used to love steaks etc but now i just can't handle anymore of it.
- I am a bit confused as to how liberal primal diet is about eating fat. i have been including lots of nuts and seeds in my diet, as well as cooking with coconut oil.... i donno it just feels wrong!
- Lately i've been really into spinning classes, but after reading PB i realized maybe i'm overdoing it... since its recommened only to sprint once every 7-10days, but if im trying to lose weight, then can i sprint more often or will this cause my stress hormones to spike?
- what am i sopposed to eat if my i'm aiming for <80g of carbs per day? what are you all eating?
- honestly what i have been enjoying eating the most latley is trail mix with dried fruits, seeds, nuts and dark chocolate chips.
- i cant resist eating chocolates when i'm at my mom or grandmas houses, which indicates to me that i am still craving carbs..
- i've had some mad stomach aches, not normal for me

Please help me get my taste for food back and figure out what I should eat on a day to day basis! If you have any links to anyone eating plans/journal that would help.

Thanks all!!! I hope some of you have time to reply! This is a picture of what I look like these days.. 5'4", 136lbs, 22 years old, bmi 21

Attachment 2451

Amandita,

YOU ARE DROP DEAD GORGEOUS ! ARE YOU KIDDING? You don't need to lose a single ounce. I think I'm in LOVE again!




Sorry, but anyone on this message board that thinks you need to lose weight needs help from a shrink. I agree with their food change recommendations. Eat plenty of eggs, fish, pork, lamb, veggies, fruits. It is only necessary to eliminate sugars, grains & legumes. Everything else is A-OK. Use coconut flour, almond flour to bake crackers, pies, etc. Use Almond Milk, coconut milk, I add coconut oil to my coffee instead of cream.

DON'T LOSE ANOTHER POUND ! You are perfect just the way you are.



Best to you,
Grizz

[amandita]

I don’t want to go and confuse the crap out of Amandita since she’s new here, but I’m worried as to how exercising + being in ketosis works out?

Hey iniQuity! I get what you mean, i love veggies! I usually dont count them as carbs unless they are corn or carrots or potatoes. I try not to obsess too much with the carb counts, trying to keep the carbs at 20 means not eating any sugary treats or too much fruit. Other than that i'm shooting for the 20-50 range realistically, meanwhile im not willing to give up veggies! But yah, all carbs are not equal... and i def need carbs on the days i work out! But i know that the types of carbs i should be taking in are from primal foods not processed and sugar filled foods so that is what i'll be focusing on! Thanks for your posts

Let me just tell you something- BMI is meaningless. It has nothing to do with health or how much fat you have. For example, a bodybuilder will probably be obese according to their BMI. Bodyfat percentage is a better way to determine all this. This is a good calculator I found: http://www.living-a-healthy-lifestyle.com/bodyfat.html

I will have to go ahead and calculate my bf% when i get a chance!

Yes, it seems like a lot, but think about it - your body needs energy to function at an optimal level. By denying it incredible important nutrients and energy it will start to check it's options. (Too) little food with also generate a stress response in your body and you will definitely not like that!

Hi Sungrazer, I think i have a tendency to under eat, and i do agree it is important to get all my nutrients. I also rarely eat a proper meal, i am more likely to eat small meals 1-2 times a day.. So i should probably change that! I am going to try and focus on getting more calories from fat and protein!

DON'T LOSE ANOTHER POUND ! You are perfect just the way you are.

Well hello! Your post just made my day, Thanks!! Honestly im not planning on losing too much, just enough to fit into my skinny jeans again..... And really the hardest part for me is going to be cutting out sugar and sweets! I am okay with no grains, but im a big fan of sweets ( i wish i werent!) so once i conquer that i think that i will be on my way to a nearly perfect primal diet! i will keep you posted !! Thanks for your kind words and advice! I will def keep them in mind when i am feeling down about my progress!

Tchau, for now!
Amandita

[TornadoGirl]

Hi Amandita, I am also new to primal and am still adjusting to the idea of a lot more fat. It's been a mental as well as a physical adjustment. I think it caused me a fair amount of nausea at first. I used to often "saute" vegetables with chicken broth and now to use bacon grease or other fat...Well, it has just taken me a while to wrap my brain around this, but it is oh so tasty and my husband is becoming more interested in primal now that bacon is ok again .

Prior to primal, I had a smoothie every morning for breakfast (whey protein, yogurt, berries, and a little water and ice). I still have the smoothie most days. It may not be the ideal primal meal but it gets me all the way to lunch and I feel really good in the mornings when I have that. It's also the way I sneak extra nutrition into my 7 year old daughter's diet (fish oil, vit D, probiotics).

I often have another meal with eggs as the primary protein source which is sometimes more palatable than more meat. I will say that I am finding myself more and more interested in meat without all the grains in my diet. I, too, went a little nut-crazy when I first started. I am backing off of them some because I know I need more omega 3's and less omega 6's and think this may have been contributing to the nausea.

I am happily embracing the idea of not needing to do intense cardio all the time, frankly. I was convinced I had to run or something else several times a week to be in good shape. I much prefer a long walk, so I'm happy to embrace this idea. I am excited, though, to add the sprint day. Just when I was going to do that I got sick with a really bad strep infection and it put me off of that for a couple of weeks. I also think that the intense weight workouts will be really good for me. I'm just doing pushups, squats, and lunges right now but can already tell it's making a difference. As for me, I'm going to trust the program and keep working toward fully implementing it. Like others said, you do look great. With your awesome starting point and seeing what others have done with this program, I'm sure you will be happy with the results as you fully work the program. Good luck.

Oh yeah, one thing that seemed to really help me with cravings for wine, chocolate and sweets in general. was not eating between meals. I couldn't believe the difference this made. I was introduced to this idea in the book Mastering Leptin by Byron Richards. It made a tremendous difference in cravings for me. I think snacking just makes me think about food all of the time. Shortly after reading that book, I stumbled into Primal which is compatible with the idea of not grazing constantly. I don't think Richards' ideas about carbs are all that after being primalized but the no snacking was dead on for me.

[Jreyes2265]

I cannot give you any advice, but...


you got a niiice body =)

[Sungrazer]

Hi Sungrazer, I think i have a tendency to under eat, and i do agree it is important to get all my nutrients. I also rarely eat a proper meal, i am more likely to eat small meals 1-2 times a day.. So i should probably change that! I am going to try and focus on getting more calories from fat and protein!

Eating 2-3 times per day is perfectly fine, I'd be wary of the warrior style diet though as it is easy to overeat in that just one meal per day. I'm not saying that everybody does, but it it a risk. I've found when I eat meat and non-vegetables I automatically fall withing 65% fat and 20 - 25% protein, energy wise. So I know when I eat like that I am getting the "correct" ratios of fat, protein and carbohydrates. It is very hard to get too much carbs from non-starchy vegetables. Have some fat and protein for breakfast if you are inclined, eat a big salad with some meat for lunch each day, then have a largish dinner when you get hungry.

I've found being free from planned meals are great, but also a danger as it is easy to go too long without food and then get caught unaware (and hungry) of some easy snack... that's why I usually eat twice aday, lunch and dinner. Sometimes breakfast.