Not Losing Weight After Strictly Following Primal for 6 Months page 4

[mnicoll]

You are so right---particularly the cranky part! I've often thought a lot about the Cortisol levels and the impact on the weight loss. I've had an incredibly stressful 2 years and also think that's played into things.

Thanks for the Body by Science recommendation---I was just talking about this last night and think it will in general help with my desk job!

I do have a lot of symptoms of PCOS (poly cystic ovarian sydrome), which is a big reason I went Primal in the first place---to deal with underlying insulin issues that can contribute to PCOS. Grant it, PCOS does make weight loss more difficult, but I thought with this diet as it caters to PCOS, that it wouldn't make things THAT much harder.

[sbhikes]

IFing is only hard part of the month. Like half of it. And it's usually hard for me to put off breakfast and eat only dinner. Eating breakfast and skipping dinner is easier but I do get really hungry by the end of the night. I would go nuts doing a fast like that every day. I'm really hungry for breakfast after my 23 hour fast.

I'm back to doing my 23 hour fasts once a week. I stopped for a couple of months because I got way too cold doing it. By the end of the evening, after I rode my motorcycle home in the freezing cold night air, I would be so cold that nothing would warm me up except to stand under water so hot it left red marks on my skin. I got tired of that. I've always been cold all my entire life so it's not the diet that's for sure.

As for maybe there's some kind of limit on people our size, I have often thought that. The reason is, we are full-grown adults but we are small. We still get just as hungry but can't eat as much. We still need the nutrition but can't eat as much. We are small and can't generate or hold on to as much heat. If I eat more I'm a lot more warm. But then I gain weight and being fat makes me cold because who wants to move around when they are fat?

[wooty]

i second adding carbs, sprinting, and trying to move more (though gently) throughout the day. i tried 50-ish grams of carbs/day for a few months and it hasn't worked for me. i'm 23, 5'3'', and just under 140 lbs. i have a lot of muscle though, and don't need to lose much at all to see some sort of definition in my arms and stomach. in the last two weeks i have been eating about 80-120 carbs/day and making sure to get at least 100 grams of protein/day. getting that much protein is really hard for me, but it has really helped. i average 1500-1800 cals/day, and it has been working well--maybe with a 1200 cal day here or there, and maybe a 2300 cal day here or there. and i'm never too hungry. maybe once or twice a week i will fast until late afternoon. im so excited that this has finally been working! i fit into my motivation pants, which i had bought one size too small a few months ago, this morning!

[mnicoll]

I'm so happy you've fit into your motivation pants! That's not a small accomplishment---GOOD WORK!

[Danielle5690]

Thanks for the Body by Science recommendation---I was just talking about this last night and think it will in general help with my desk job!

I have a fairly sedentary desk job too... and I'll go down the hall to jog down three flights of stairs and up again, or go in the copy room and do 20 push ups or squats randomly, or practice martial arts in the studio. You have to sneak it in whenever you can to keep the blood flowing. And it keeps me warmer and wakes my brain up.

[Sandra in BC]

soooo.....that last 15lb notwithstanding, how do you feel about your health and fitness? Sounds like you feel like crap. Definitely not *optimal*.

It sounds like you've been eating primally, but not *living* primally. Your wellness is about more than what you eat. I suggest focusing on feeling fantastic -- not just thru diet, but through lifestyle -- and see how your body changes. And maybe it won't budge one bit, but your perspective might. Read this: Paleo Women are PHat

[mnicoll]

I feel really healthy and know that if I could exercise as much as I want, I'd feel even more "Fit". I used to teach yoga and have been incorporating a lot more yoga back into my evenings. During the day, I go downstairs in my office and do squats, lift the unopened water jugs next to the cooler and run up and down the stairs. I don't actually think this will get me fit---it's more for my sanity and comfort throughout the day.

I used to run 3-6 miles a day, but have since not been able to keep up with that. Sure wish I could do it at least a few times a week---it feels good for my soul!

[sbhikes]

Read this: Paleo Women are PHat

That's a really good post and it would be so easy to say yeah sister, but her figure blows mine away by a long-shot and the idea that she is self-conscious about her figure really doesn't make me feel better at all.

[mnicoll]

That's a really good post and it would be so easy to say yeah sister, but her figure blows mine away by a long-shot and the idea that she is self-conscious about her figure really doesn't make me feel better at all.

I have to agree. While I do take comfort in the fact that there are men and women out there who aknowledge the "real women have curves" concept, I more or less just want to feel like something I'm doing to help myself is actually working. I think that's the issue: working so hard for nothing.

[Urban Forager]

I am 5'2", I started out weighing 142, I lost the first 22 lbs in about 6 months eating 80/20. The last 5 lbs came off when I went 100% primal. It sounds like you work out enough, though adding squats or push-up on your lunch break couldn't hurt.

I am concerned that you are not eating enough. I think I eat way more than that. You should not be hungry all the time. Are you eating enough fat? Sometimes when I am hungry but don't feel like having a meal I will mix coconut oil with almond butter.
High levels of cortisol can really mess with your metabolism. Is there any way you can cut back on work?