Please help, I need advice page

[Ribbons]

Recently I've been counting calories which I find helps me to not overeat on semi-primal foods but I keep finding myself choosing lower calorie options rather than healthy options. For example, I've been having a couple of cups of vegetable stock a day because each cup only has 4 calories (but the ingredients aren't that great) and I've also been having more coffee with 0% fat milk to fill me up but everyone here says that full-cream milk is better even though it has more calories. When I wasn't recording my food I was eating 3 eggs at a time and now I only eat 1 or 2 and also much less butter and coconut oil than I was eating before because I feel guilty if my calorie intake is over 500-700. I know it sounds stupid but I just want to lose weight really fast. Am I better off continuing to restrict calories or eat slightly higher fat which would end up being a bit more calories?

[jojohaligo]

Do you mean that your calorie intake for one meal is 500-700, or that is your total for the whole day? If it's regularly what you eat for the day, you are not eating enough. There are others here who can explain better than I can as to the biology of why.

I also think that mindset is just as important and trying to lose weight "really fast" might be detrimental too. Think of being healthy and weight-loss as a by-product.

I have been losing while eating 1500 to 2000 calories, with at least 50 to 60% of those calories coming from fat- including full fat 35% cream, cheese, coconut oil, avocados, fat on my meat, eggs, butter, etc. If you like vegetable stock buy one with better ingredients. I sometimes buy Pacific Foods Organic broth and their vegetable broth is very tasty.

[john_e_turner_ii]

How much do you weigh and how tall are you?

[JackieKessler]

Hey, Ribbons --

It doesn't sound stupid. But check this out: if you eat too few calories, that stresses your body, which makes it produce more cortisol, and that makes you gain weight. Crazy, no? Lower-calorie options are not your friend. I highly recommend that you start leaning toward the healthy options -- meaning as much non-processed food as possible. And I also recommend that you eat higher fat foods (which fill you up and keep you from feeling hungry, and which your body burns for fuel) rather than restrict calories.

One of the toughest things I found the first time I went primal was the notion of not having to think about calories. But it's very liberating not to worry about restricting calories! Try to focus that energy on making healthier food choices (which includes fats like coconut oil/milk, butter, avocado and nuts) instead of on calculating calories. You'll be great!

[erliechda]

Hey there.
That doesn't sound stupid at all. This lifestyle has a LOT of great aspects. The 3 best? HEALTH, not having to count calories (ever!) and fast as hell weight loss. My first month, with no excercise, I lost 15 pounds and felt great. If you look around here and read people's signatures you will see that I am far from the only one.

Trust in the process, eat more, and watch the weight slide off. Welcome to the promised land ;-)

[Grizz]

Recently I've been counting calories which I find helps me to not overeat on semi-primal foods but I keep finding myself choosing lower calorie options rather than healthy options. For example, I've been having a couple of cups of vegetable stock a day because each cup only has 4 calories (but the ingredients aren't that great) and I've also been having more coffee with 0% fat milk to fill me up but everyone here says that full-cream milk is better even though it has more calories. When I wasn't recording my food I was eating 3 eggs at a time and now I only eat 1 or 2 and also much less butter and coconut oil than I was eating before because I feel guilty if my calorie intake is over 500-700. I know it sounds stupid but I just want to lose weight really fast. Am I better off continuing to restrict calories or eat slightly higher fat which would end up being a bit more calories?

Your body will go right into "Starvation Mode" by eating so few calories every day and will start eating up your muscles.
Signs & Symptoms Of Starvation Mode | LIVESTRONG.COM
You are not going to lose weight by going into starvation mode. Your metabolism will just slow down to conserve energy (fat cells ).

There is NOTHING in the Paleo Diet that suggests you doing a starvation diet. If you want to lose weight, simply give up all the bread, grains, sugars and eat plenty of what you see in the Paleo Diet Books.
Get plenty of exercise, even if it is just walking, and the lbs will roll off.

Grizz

[Ribbons]

Wow, thanks everyone. I'm in 2 mindsets at the moment. Half the time I want to lose weight as fast as possible and reduce my calories to as little as possible and the other half of the time I want to be strong and healthy. I was doing low carb paleo but I found that I was eating too much (specifically nut-based food) so I started to count calories but then I sort of stopped caring about health and I just wanted to lose weight, although I haven't eaten anything with sugar, seed oils or gluten, except that last night when I wrote that post I'd just eaten a piece of toast because I felt like I needed carbs.

I'm just really lost because if weight loss if all about calories in vs calories out then I should be able to eat basically anything as long as it's low cal and still lose weight right? I'm scared that if I stop counting calories I'll start bingeing on nuts and rice and cheese.

[peril]

Then don't buy nuts, rice or cheese. If you want to lose weight and stay healthy then fill yourself up with meat and vegetables. These are very hard to overeat. And no snacking at all.

You can't have an each way bet here. Either follow the primal blueprint or starve yourself. Really, only one of these is sustainable

[Grizz]

Did you even read any of the Paleo books?

Your diet should consist of whole foods. Meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, fish. Water, tea or coffee.
NO breads, NO grains, NO sugars, NO soft drinks, NO fruit juices, NO artificial oils, NO artificial sweeteners, NO cerials, NO oatmeal. NOTHING man made.

Then walk 10,000 steps per day, and the weight will fall,
Grizz

[Sabine]

Toast?!?
If you feel like you need carbs, eat some vegetables, or a piece of fruit. But please, NOT toast.
Like Jojohaligo, I hope you mean 500-700 per MEAL, not per day. Somehow, I'm afraid not, though.
While you can overeat on primal/paleo, it is not just calories in, calories out. Spend some time reading the book and understanding the science to help you get into the mindset.
If you still wish to restrict your calories, try one of the different varieties of Intermittent Fasting, rather than keeping each day very low.
If counting calories is the only thing to stop you from bingeing on rice, nuts, and cheese, you don't know enough about the science. Read, read, read.
(Reading over my comments, I sound so harsh. It IS hard, and confusing sometime. But you can do it. Just take the time to learn what you are doing. Good luck!)