Reality check: Counting calories page 60

[Kelda]

Today's eating

IF'd breakfast
Primal Fuel before bike ride
Late lunch of big bowl of home made vegetable and chicken soup
Nakd bar, macadamia, a little 85% - snacks whilst doing the phenomenally boring language editing job
Homemade Primal shepherds pie for dinner

Fitday stats

1,769 calories - 123.9 g of fat 69.5 g of carbs 99.1 g of protein

Protein 25% fat 60% carbs 15%

The carbs are too high but I suspect they are a bit lower in reality but it's hard to estimate in the soup as it was a frozen portion from before tracking. I've eaten more vegetables today than is normal for me and I don't usually have Primal Fuel either - good protein but knocked the carbs up. Protein a little down but it was too high yesterday and given my training today the calories should still give me a deficit for the day. As I type I feel completely full!

Training ... swim at 7:00 35 minutes, bike ride 1:10 with Mr Grok then 90 minutes of Yoga class.

Tomorrow I shall return to a big protein breakfast, minimizes the carbs for a couple of days and cut out the snacks if possible!

This process has really refocussed my mind on what are good food choices and which are less good and I can see I've drifted to the less good ones too often over the winter hence the weight (fat and inches) gain. Be interesting to see what the scales show Sunday morning! I'm not cutting the small amout of 85% though - it does my soul good :-)

[Paleobird]

Hey all,
Thanks for keeping this going without me. I've been a bit out of it for a day or two due to a case of bad shellfish. Feeling better now. I gave the counting a break while I got my system back to normal. Managed to come out even on the weight.

[JenCat]

Yikes on the bad shellfish. That's miserable.

So I, too, am focusing more on protein. I'm having a tough time. To get enough protein, it means eating when not hungry. That seems wrong, somehow, but it's the only way I can stuff it all in! Anyone having this problem?

[Kelda]

Yikes on the bad shellfish. That's miserable.

So I, too, am focusing more on protein. I'm having a tough time. To get enough protein, it means eating when not hungry. That seems wrong, somehow, but it's the only way I can stuff it all in! Anyone having this problem?

It seems to vary day by day to be honest. If I have a big protein breakfast, ie 4 eggs, some ham etc and then a decent portion at dinner many hours later it's fine.

Mark's recommendation is 0.7 - 1 g of protein per LEAN lb of body mass where as here we've been focussing a bit higher. I suspect in my case I'm better at a bit less than 1 g per 1 lb of goal weight as the excess will generate some carb metabolism if I overdo it (which I did yesterday I think!). The easiest way is to use some protein powder or as Art favours, particularly for women, 5-10 g of BCAA with each meal. I haven't tried that myself though.

BTW just to put it in context - with a 123 lb goal weight and I'd like to be around 16-18% bf I'd be looking at 102 gs of protein rather than 123 g, that's a 20% increase and a noticeable difference, another 4 ounce steak near enough!

@Paleobird - oh dear, that's not good, I'm surprised you didn't lose the remaining 23 lbs LOL!

[paradisefound]

Thanks for this thread, ladies. I have been counting calories, but I see now I have not been eating nearly enough protein. It is too easy for me to get carried away with the coconut products, and those calories add up fast. I'm going to really focus on upping the protein w/o adding in more calories and see how it goes.

[Paleobird]

Yes, lesson learned, if you don't know how long the raw oysters have been sitting out on the all you can eat Japanese buffet line, don't eat them.

Coconut products can become like crack. I'm not buying any more except cooking oil (and even that I'm going through much more slowly) until I get these excess pounds off.

[pattyd]

So I, too, am focusing more on protein. I'm having a tough time. To get enough protein, it means eating when not hungry. That seems wrong, somehow, but it's the only way I can stuff it all in! Anyone having this problem?

Yup. Even on days when I`m eating it at every meal I`m only a bit above 100. I weigh 144 so I need close to 100. Eating protein at every meal plus a protein drink (muscle milk powder and milk) is when I get the closest.

[pattyd]

Ugh Paleo! Sorry you went through that...or it went through you...sorry, couldn`t resist

[pattyd]

Mark's recommendation is 0.7 - 1 g of protein per LEAN lb of body mass where as here we've been focussing a bit higher.

Please refresh my memory on how to figure LBM

[Paleobird]

Yikes on the bad shellfish. That's miserable.

So I, too, am focusing more on protein. I'm having a tough time. To get enough protein, it means eating when not hungry. That seems wrong, somehow, but it's the only way I can stuff it all in! Anyone having this problem?

Thanks.

You have to pick your protein sources for density. Pick ones that give you a higher ratio of protein to fat&carbs. Eggs, bison, seafood (but not the raw oysters) etc. That way you won't get too stuffed before you get your protein.