Checking My Approach, Advice Please! page

[Buzz71]

So I have been fully primal now for three months, loving it and it's definitely working for me. However I think I've now hit that point where it's hard to lose the remaining body fat. I've trimmed down considerably, to the point where people are beginning to say I've lost too much weight. But while I'm making progress I still have the belly roll that while diminished I REALLY want to lose. Ultimately, I want to just settle into the PB routine of eating when I want to. But for now, the below is my current routine. I'd really like some review and advice as to whether I'm optimizing my progress or whether I should tweak things.

Food: currently IF everyday, 7pm-noon the next. I wake feeling hungry, sometimes I feel nauseous. I have two mugs of black coffee in the AM, no sweeteners, that takes the edge off. No breakfast 7 days a week obviously.

Lunch is either a big salad with tinned tuna (typically three or four types of leafy greens such as iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, bok choy etc, plus raw broccoli, celery, red/yellow/green peppers, carrots, cherry tomatoes) or when at home my primal smoothie (3 ice cubes, 1 banana, half avocado, mixed berries, can coconut milk, cinnamon, vanilla, 1 raw egg).

Dinner is a big meal, always with beef/lamb/chicken, usually 4-5 eggs fried in macadamia oil, and more salad. I don't snack in between at all.

Exercise: doing the You are Your Own Gym program, currently on week three of the beginner program. I do a session every second day as my LHT requirement. I walk at least 3km almost every morning, as my slow movement requirement. Sprints once a week.

Sleep: have radically shifted my pattern, now in bed by 10pm at the latest. I tend to wake around 4:15am, my body seems to be telling me that's how much it requires.

Thoughts? I'm really keen to try and bust this final belly fat and gain a ton of strength ... Any advice greatly appreciated.

[touchdowntodd]

personally idk if you are getting enough fat, and im not sure about gettin mostof the fat at night either

why not make that coffee bulletproof coffee? (add butter or coconut oil)

i personally would rather eat a big breakfast than a big dinner, at least that works better for me

[peril]

Can't see any reason to increase fat.

OTOH, I agree that it may be worth changing your fasting pattern and eating breakfast more often, especially one rich in protein. Experiment with the way you fast and which meals you eat until you get the shift you're looking for

[Buzz71]

The smoothie is pretty fat intensive. What's the logic on big breakfast vs dinner? That's also difficult for logistical reasons. Since I do my LHT in the late afternoon my logic was to have the biggest meal right after that.

[Fiji]

Hi Buzz. I don't really have anything helpful to add, but it strikes me that your smoothie is rather high in calories. Do you really use a whole can of coconut milk in one sitting? That's at least 700 calories for the coconut milk alone. Doing a rough estimate on fitday, that smoothie is about 1000 calories or so in one sitting. I'm not sure what your maintenance level is, but I bet you could consume less calories if you substituted that for a more nutrient dense meal like meat or eggs with veggies. Just a thought. I really don't advocate that people become food counting nazis or anything, but sometimes we gotta gauge the average of what we are consuming to get a clearer picture. At the end of the day, calories do matter. You'd be surprised how little we think we are eating (especially in terms of volume) and the actual energy value of what we are eating. Gotta get as much bang for the calories as possible by choosing the most nutrient dense and less calorie dense foods. I myself am trying to stick to real foods and limit fat to what is naturally in my food and the minimal amount required for cooking. I was chugging the coconut milk and fat too and got really, really fat. I gained back the whole 6 pounds I lost when I first started PB, except I put on more fat compared to the water weight I had lost. I now have a nice pouch I didn't have before thanks to all the fat I consumed. That makes me .

[Apex Predator]

So I have been fully primal now for three months, loving it and it's definitely working for me. However I think I've now hit that point where it's hard to lose the remaining body fat. I've trimmed down considerably, to the point where people are beginning to say I've lost too much weight. But while I'm making progress I still have the belly roll that while diminished I REALLY want to lose. Ultimately, I want to just settle into the PB routine of eating when I want to. But for now, the below is my current routine. I'd really like some review and advice as to whether I'm optimizing my progress or whether I should tweak things.

Food: currently IF everyday, 7pm-noon the next. I wake feeling hungry, sometimes I feel nauseous. I have two mugs of black coffee in the AM, no sweeteners, that takes the edge off. No breakfast 7 days a week obviously.

Lunch is either a big salad with tinned tuna (typically three or four types of leafy greens such as iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, bok choy etc, plus raw broccoli, celery, red/yellow/green peppers, carrots, cherry tomatoes) or when at home my primal smoothie (3 ice cubes, 1 banana, half avocado, mixed berries, can coconut milk, cinnamon, vanilla, 1 raw egg).

Dinner is a big meal, always with beef/lamb/chicken, usually 4-5 eggs fried in macadamia oil, and more salad. I don't snack in between at all.

Exercise: doing the You are Your Own Gym program, currently on week three of the beginner program. I do a session every second day as my LHT requirement. I walk at least 3km almost every morning, as my slow movement requirement. Sprints once a week.

Sleep: have radically shifted my pattern, now in bed by 10pm at the latest. I tend to wake around 4:15am, my body seems to be telling me that's how much it requires.

Thoughts? I'm really keen to try and bust this final belly fat and gain a ton of strength ... Any advice greatly appreciated.

Figure out a way to get more sleep, first off. Maybe lift more intensely.

Second, I'd try introducing some starches. It might help you sleep more/better, and it has been known to help people where you are.

Last, remember that you are fighting against your body. It really doesn't want to lose that weight. There's no health reason to lose it. So it's going to be difficult.

[Buzz71]

Thanks for the feedback so far. This isn't a criticism, but rather an observation ... This is what I find so hard about the fine tuning. So far some have said add more fat, but also some have said have less and too many calories. So confused!

[Apex Predator]

Thanks for the feedback so far. This isn't a criticism, but rather an observation ... This is what I find so hard about the fine tuning. So far some have said add more fat, but also some have said have less and too many calories. So confused!

Human differences show more when you are going from homeostasis to non-homeostasis than the other way around.

[Fiji]

Thanks for the feedback so far. This isn't a criticism, but rather an observation ... This is what I find so hard about the fine tuning. So far some have said add more fat, but also some have said have less and too many calories. So confused!

Yeah, I think that's because we're all in a different place and what works for some may not work for others. If standard PB is not working out for you as prescribed in the book, you have to tweak and experiment until you find your sweet spot. If you read the forums, generally you will find that the higher fat diet typically works for those who have some form of metabolic or other health issues or who are just starting out and have a lot of weight to lose. For those who have slimmed down to a healthy weight range and are trying to lose the last 5-15lbs, the calories start to matter more. Cutting down the added fat is the easiest and most obvious way to mind the calories without compromising micronutrient intake. The foregoing is just an observation of what people have said on these forums and my own personal experience and not based on actual science or anything so I guess you have to experiment to see what works for you.

Just to confuse you even more, check out this thread: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread29501.html

PS: forgot to add that I really think you should try to eat more nutrient dense home-cooked foods for better nutrition. Like perhaps have fresh fish instead of the canned tuna once in a while when you have the time. When in doubt, choose real food. I consider coconut milk a condiment and not a staple food.

[Buzz71]

Thanks for that link Fiji, reading now.