8 weeks full primal: some improvements but still experiencing challenges page

[Edje Noh]

Alright, I just completed 8 weeks of full primal with eating a minimum of 50% of fat and keeping carbs down to 15-25%. However I'm still experiencing challenges and I'm not at the energy level that I had on the old high carb diet. This thread is basically to draw people's attention, because I want some feedback from people (who might have experience with a transition period that lasts this long). You can read about my challenges in my latest post in this thread:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...d28190-11.html

[belinda]

I think I suffered carb flu to some extent for nearly a month. And, for a few weeks after that I could do a really fast-paced walk/weight workout at lunchtime, but had to stop half way up the stairs back to my office because I physically couldn't handle the climb. It's been 3 months now, and I'm back to feeling great. Maybe you just need a little more time.

[brahnamin]

I didn't have your same experience with transition. Mine was quick and relatively painless after the first couple days the first time I went primal and I experienced almost no transition issues on subsequent forays. (Now my painful transitions are when I go off primal). That said, my wife had a very different reaction to primal and always did better on 80g of carbs rather than trying to stay below 50 while she was doing the whole low carb thing (she doesn't anymore - vegetarian).

*shrUg*

I no longer believe the primal blueprint will work for everyone across the board as written. I think there are sound principles (food choices, general exercise paradigm - move, sprint, LHT) that apply to everybody, but yeah, you have to play with it and see what works for you.

[dboxing]

You eat too much.

[primalrob]

the low-carb aspect of this diet deals a lot with fat loss. from the looks of it in your journal, you don't really need to lose any fat. start looking at the primal blueprint from a wider angle...we can eat and move like our paleolithic ancestors to achieve optimal health. that doesn't mean eating low carb, it means eating the unprocessed foods that the planet has to offer. you can still eat potatoes and squash and plenty of veggies and be primal. your current carb intake looks a little high already, but i'm guessing a lot of that is coming from sugar; i saw a few mentions of fruit and honey. that sugar could be making you crash.

i didn't go looking deep in your journal...what does your physical activity look like? what about the other primal laws beyond those dealing with food?

you completed a pretty long primal challenge, and for that you should be damn proud. now i think it's time for you to keep experimenting and find out what works for you. like brahnamin said, there isn't one thing that is going to work for everyone

[primalrob]

You eat too much.

i think there's some truth to this too. taking a closer look at your journal, you're really putting away a lot of food. are you actually that hungry?

[quelsen]

i looked too. i have not needed 5k since getting out of the 450lb range. but i did need it then

[belinda]

Agreed. You seem to be taking in a huge amount of calories (I'm a woman 1500-1600 is plenty for me). Maybe you're exhausted because your body is always in digestion mode.

Why don't you put up a current daily menu for us to critique. I'll be gentle

[Edje Noh]

Yes, I actually am that hungry :P
Even though, my caloric intake has dropped a bit. In the early stages I was eating a lot because that was what I was used to on my old diet. Now I eat three steady meals and maybe one piece of fruit or some nuts or other source of fat (coconut, butter, etc). I checked my daily caloric requirements and it ranged from 2.600-3.200 cals, so I think it's pretty on point for the most part.
I hit the gym 1-2 times a week and do compound exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, pull or chin-ups, reverse rows/bar- or dumbell row, dips, fly exercise and abs), keeping the session under an hour. Aside from that, I cycle a lot to places and I skateboard whenever I can.
I always sleep from 10 in the evening untill whenever I wake up. Usually 6-8 in the morning, following a natural sun cycle. I sunbath whenever the sun is there (which has been A LOT the past 8 weeks, already have a good pre-summer tan) and make sure I don't sit in it too long.
And you are right I have not been eating very low-carb, but low-carb (ranging between 100-200 carbs a day), and the reason was because my objective was fat-fuelling, not going into ketosis and losing weight.
I think I just had/have serious inflammation health challenges and I was just pushing myself thru it with the high carb diet and a nose-to-the-grindstone attitude. When I shifted I crashed out.
It might be noteworthy to mention that my sister has gluten intolerance, so maybe I have a milder form of it as well, and all this inflammation was a result of this and I was just not being aware of any of it with my 'tough guy - I am a healthy, strong, mofo'-ego.


@belinda
On a default day:

Breakfast:
- 4-egg omelet (+ tablespoon of almond butter or few slices of grass-cheese optional)
- Bowl of broccoli (120-140 grams) and blueberries (125 grams) in avocado (1 cali piece)/coconut meat (about 0.15 coconut yields)/kiwi (1 fruit)/water smoothie

Lunch:
- 200-300 grams of meat (usually some sort of beef, occasionally chicken, lamb or pork) or fish (usually salmon, mackerel or herring)
- Big bowl of spinach/chinese cabbage/lettuce/bok choy/endive/other leafy greens
- Two tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil or apple cider vinaigre

Dinner:
- 200-300 grams of meat (usually beef) or fish
- Some veggie (200-400 grams)(cauliflower, cabbages, lettuce, chicory, beets, carrots, mushrooms, peppers, aparagus, squash, eggplant, pickles, cucumber, etc.) (Occasionally a sweet potato)

Snacks:
- 1 piece of fruit (apple, pear, banana, kiwi, berries)/piece of coconut/dark chocolate/few filberts/cashews/almonds/butter/grass-cheese
- Herb tea

Supps:
- Omega 3 fish oil
- Vit-D

Cooking happens in:
- Grass Butter
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil (rarely)

I rarely eat honey (During these 8 weeks, I put a very small bit of it into my tea twice and on the latest day I took like two tablespoons of it).