A few questions: nuts, counting calories page

[dixonge]

So I've been adjusting my diet. Here's what I've done so far:


- added berries

- added a few salads here and there

- added some vegetables

- added nuts, dropped peanuts

- stopped drinking diet sodas (!!!)


Unfortunately after a few weeks this has not yet resulted in much weight loss. I was hovering from 230-233 forever, now I'm hanging around 230. Here's what I ate today (and this is typical):


breakfast - omelet w/ mushrooms, ham

snack - nuts

lunch - turkey, bell pepper, green beans (I think)

dinner - turkey casserole, all low carb


After some reading I'm probably overdoing the nuts. But other than that, do you see anything wrong with that general eating plan?


One other thing - I was very surprised to see a section in Mark's book on caloric expenditure, BMR, macronutrients, etc. I guess for some reason I thought I was leaving all that behind for people like bodybuilders to worry about. It does seem very CW...

[dfast]

Whilst I think that counting calories is really quite overrated when it comes to body composition and fat loss, I don't think it should be neglected completely. When you've been following the PB for a while you'll learn to regulate your calories without measuring things, but it may be worth working out just how many calories you eat in a typical day. You might be surprised!

[dragonmamma]

I'll give the same answer i just gave on another thread about feeling queasy. Too much salt, perhaps? Ham can have TONS of salt in it. What about your nuts; salted or unsalted?


Salt, of course, can make you retain water.

[JamieBelle]

There isn't enough information in your list to really tell what you're doing. How big are your servings? Do you track your macronutrients? It looks like you aren't eating enough fat.

[chima_p]

Not to be a jerk but...


If you are eating more than using where do you think the excess goes? It magically disapears because we have some romantic notion we are eating like a caveman?


The book tells you how to create an environment that will allow our bodies to do what it has evolved to do.


After you close the book you have find out where you are, how to start, where you are going, and how to get there.


There is lots of CW that is true. Smoking is bad, Don't eat yellow snow, If you don't know the answer it's probably "Yes Dear". Stuff like that.

[SerialSinner]

it would be useful if you log your typical daily food intake in fitday and post the results.


If in doubt, make big steaks your main staple and "supplement" with some (mostly green) salads. Do some IFing and you should start to see a change.

[dixonge]

follow-up info:


- have finally put an example fitness schedule on a calendar - hiking, kettlebell and throw in some sprinting somewhere...note, I have NOT yet done any of this consistently, so I expect it to have a positive effect on my caloric expenditure


- steaks - we've been mostly carnivorous in our diet for a year or so - lots of meat, very little else. I have seven steaks in the fridge right now - our other mainstay has been hamburger (80% lean) - none of this is organic or grass-fed but we don't trim or drain excess fat


- IF - have not added this in yet


- chima - wasn't that part of Taubes' conclusions? Calories-in/calories-out and counting calories was irrelevant if you shifted to a low-carb diet? Perhaps I got that idea from somewhere else, but I think it was his book...


- Fitday - I've got an account there, but haven't utilized it yet. I'll give it a whirl and report back...


P.S. 229 this morning, 2nd time in the last two weeks to dip below 230...

[FlyNavyWife]

dixonge, if you're eating so much non-grassfed animal fat, I suggest taking fish oil daily to help the O3:O6 ratio. Makes me feel a lot better about eating less than optimal meat, for sure.

[chima_p]

Oh there is another clue.


Alot of the reported weight loss from brand new low carbers is water weight. You have been carnivorous for a year so you won't get that initial dip.


The scale fluctuation is your scale telling you to get your ass to exercise. A little tease as to what is to come! haha!


I still have to read Taubes' book. I can't comment. I have heard as much bad as good on it. Kinda like vegetarians and the China study.

[Vick]

Watch these two 5 minute videos on weight loss. They are worth their weight in gold.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzA-E8zb-Ds


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToGt_GYCUmY