Reality check: Counting calories page 61

[winencandy]

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?

Yes. I have the same problem.
And I agree. It seems wrong to eat when you are not hungry.

[winencandy]

Food
L – a hard-boiled egg on the way into London.
2:30 – another hard-boiled egg while we waited outside the recruiting office.
3:30 a $tarbucks Tall Chai Latte with whole milk
D – 3 oz red wine, 1 ½ C chili, coconut heart

CRONoMeter #s:
Cal: 1045
Protein: 41 g (17%) Pretty low today
Carbs: 69g (28%) Pretty high today
Fat: 57g (49%)

I'm full.

I remember earlier in this thread when I thought there was NO WAY I could only eat 1000 calories...

Protein fills me up faster than carbs...

[winencandy]

Paleobird, Sorry you had a bad seafood experience

[Kelda]

Please refresh my memory on how to figure LBM

See what the scales say for your weight. Then you need some way of working out your bf, this is the more tricky bit as it's notoriously inaccurate but I've been caliper tested a number of times so have a reasonable idea although my scales always say I'm fatter. For the purposes of working out protein requirement I'm saying I want to be 16-18% bf at my goal weight. So my lean mass will be 84-82% of my goal weight (or if that's a lot lower than your current weight use your current weight or you could be too low on protein). Then if you are very active use 1 g per resulting lb, less active you can probably go nearer 0.7 g.

[Kelda]

Food
L – a hard-boiled egg on the way into London.
2:30 – another hard-boiled egg while we waited outside the recruiting office.
3:30 a $tarbucks Tall Chai Latte with whole milk
D – 3 oz red wine, 1 ½ C chili, coconut heart

CRONoMeter #s:
Cal: 1045
Protein: 41 g (17%) Pretty low today
Carbs: 69g (28%) Pretty high today
Fat: 57g (49%)

I'm full.

I remember earlier in this thread when I thought there was NO WAY I could only eat 1000 calories...

Protein fills me up faster than carbs...

I'm finding it hard to follow some of your shorthand I assume you mean 1.5 cups of chilli? Are you eating any vegetables at all? Where are so many carbs coming from when I don't see fruit or veggies listed or is that the effect of the red wine/coconunt heart? Sorry if I'm being a bit dense, but why are you eating one meal a day (unless you count two eggs and a cup of tea a meal!), I would find it hard to eat more than 1,000 calories at a sitting when keeping the protein up and fat down a bit, but can easily eat a breakfast of around 500 calories then 10 hours later eat a dinner of around 1,000 especially if I've had some physical activity in between.

Do you have weight/fat loss goals or are you in maintenance? I don't have time just now to scoot back through the whole thread and see your story but am interested in how this eating fits the overall scheme? On the face of that eating pattern (I realise it's only one day - and I see you had lunch and dinner the other day but still low calories overall) your body is quite likely to be sparing your body fat in favour of metabolising your protein because a) you aren't eating enough protein and b) you are eating a low level of energy. Unless you are really tiny of course :-). I guess protein powder is the best way of supplementing for all those who really do struggle with eating enough - and of course the oft mentioned BCAAs to keep the brain happy. I find salmon and eggs are a less filling way of meeting the numbers whereas I can struggle with too many large steaks!

[JenCat]

I eat 4 eggs w/veggies and cheddar everyday. Yesterday, I forced myself to eat a 1/4 lb. grass-fed burger. Probably at at least another 1/4 lb (maybe 1/3) of ground beef for supper. In the evening, I had a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt with some Primal Fuel mixed in. Didn't run the numbers, but I think that gets me pretty close.

[Kelda]

Today's eating ...

On waking 50 g of drained prunes (this is an experiment to get the digestion moving - post travel or perhaps increased protein?!) with herbal tea
Breakfast at 8:30 - 4 scrambled eggs, half small tomato, couple of mushrooms, 4 small rashers of grilled bacon, 75 g of lean ham, hebal tea
85% allowance (!) 4 brazil nuts, decaff coffee with dash of double cream after a 6 mile walk mid afternoon
Dinner 5:30 - 240 g of salmon, broccoli and carrots with a little butter (I had flex in the calories today)

According to Fitday - 1,531 calories 103.0 g fat 60%, 34.0 g carbs 9%, 114.6 g protein 31%

This is the most comfortable eating day so far and this seems the perfect macro balance for me. Eating a big breakfast and then a dinner seems to suit me very nicely and keeping those carbs down really does make a difference. No struggle at all to eat the protein on today's regime.

Training - the 1:50 6 mile walk and will do 45 minutes of yoga before bed.

Grok on!

[winencandy]

I'm finding it hard to follow some of your shorthand I assume you mean 1.5 cups of chilli?

Yes. 1 and a 1/2 cups of chili.

Are you eating any vegetables at all? Where are so many carbs coming from when I don't see fruit or veggies listed or is that the effect of the red wine/coconunt heart?

Normally I eat lots of veggies. Yesterday was not a typical day. I had an unplanned trip to the city.
There was homemade stewed tomatoes, onions and mushrooms in the chili.

Carbs:
Eggs - 1 g
Starbucks - 33 g
3 oz red wine - 2 g
Chili (with brown beans) - 31 g
Coconut heart - 2 g

Sorry if I'm being a bit dense, but why are you eating one meal a day (unless you count two eggs and a cup of tea a meal!), I would find it hard to eat more than 1,000 calories at a sitting when keeping the protein up and fat down a bit, but can easily eat a breakfast of around 500 calories then 10 hours later eat a dinner of around 1,000 especially if I've had some physical activity in between.

Again, this was not a typical day. I normally eat lunch and supper.
I haven't eaten breakfast in years. I'm just not hungry in the morning.

Do you have weight/fat loss goals or are you in maintenance? I don't have time just now to scoot back through the whole thread and see your story but am interested in how this eating fits the overall scheme?

I'm trying to lose. I am 46, 5' 1/2" tall and weigh 146 lbs. I've only lost 4 lbs since September with Primal.
According to the #'s and the "plan" on this thread, I should be aiming for 1400 calories/day.
Yesterday was not a typical day.

On the face of that eating pattern (I realise it's only one day - and I see you had lunch and dinner the other day but still low calories overall) your body is quite likely to be sparing your body fat in favour of metabolising your protein because a) you aren't eating enough protein and b) you are eating a low level of energy.

I've spent months just eating primal without counting (ie easily higher calories). I'm trying this to see if it will do anything. 2 weeks in and I lost 2 lbs.

Unless you are really tiny of course :-).

Well...I'm petite. But as I tell my Farmer, petite means short
I'm pretty sure 146 lbs can't be considered tiny...

I guess protein powder is the best way of supplementing for all those who really do struggle with eating enough - and of course the oft mentioned BCAAs to keep the brain happy. I find salmon and eggs are a less filling way of meeting the numbers whereas I can struggle with too many large steaks!

Before I tried this I was eating lots of veggies but not enough protein. In order to get the amount of protein this formula says I "need", I would have to give up all veggies just to eat enough. I'm not prepared to do that. (ignoring yesterday)

[Kelda]

@winencandy - thanks for that comprehensive answer :-)

As you are finding it hard to eat the amount of protein that either the Mark formula or this (higher version system) suggests it seems like a protein powder might be the answer for you at least that way you are avoiding continually recycling your muscles rather than burning your fat Dr Eades has a post about ketones which talks about the whole muscle sacrificing system. Yes, 146 lbs at 5 inches less than me isn't really tiny! Have you tried adding protein this way?

[Paleobird]

This is the most comfortable eating day so far and this seems the perfect macro balance for me. Eating a big breakfast and then a dinner seems to suit me very nicely and keeping those carbs down really does make a difference. No struggle at all to eat the protein on today's regime.

Yes, I have found that some of the old CW about breakfast being important is true. Eating a substantial, protein filled breakfast makes getting enough protein possible without giving up veggies or stuffing yourself.