New to Primal but having doubts! page

[Sheena]

Hi All,

I am very new to Primal having only started two weeks ago but I am having a few doubts. I would normally be quite active and I am fighting with the idea of running so slowly.... (ie within the suggested heart rate min/max) I just feel I am getting nothing from my usual runs. In addition, I jumped on the scales this morning and I have put weight on!!! This is not good.

I initially started because I was having so many stomach problems - bloating etc and felt generally tired and unmotivated. I googled my symptoms and the primal diet came up. Having read Mark's book I felt inspired to do something different. I do feel better but I can't believe I have put weight on - is this normal?

I will keep going but I have to say I feel a bit disappointed.

Oh, I haven't official introduced myself on the forum yet as I am not sure if I am going to stay Primal - I need some inspiration????

[Nigel]

I do feel better but I can't believe I have put weight on - is this normal?

If like me, you are eating the same quantity of food as before, you will be putting more calories in your body. It took me a couple of days to realise that I was eating just for the sake of it and not because I was really hungry.

Nowadays I just eat until I am not hungry whereas before I was eating until I was full. That last bit means a lot more calories. I am not completely primal but am losing one to two pounds a week. So, my advice is, think about cutting portion sizes as meat & fat are more fulfilling than bread etc.

I hope all goes well. Don't give up.

[katiepotato]

In addition to eating until you're not hungry - don't feel compelled to eat just because it's a conventional mealtime. I have definitely noticed that I am fuller for longer with Primal food, but when everyone else is heading off for lunch I still feel like I should be having something - so I am trying to listen to my body more.

Also - not new advice as it has been mentioned on the forum lots of times - but I found keeping a food diary for a few days then checking my macros on FitDay really helpful. I wasn't initially sure if I was hitting the right levels for my age, activity level and goals, so it was very reassuring to see that I am comfortably hitting 50-100gs of carbs per day, and that calories/fat are at the right levels. I'm not suggesting regular calorie counting by any means, and it takes a bit of time to enter the info, but it is a good way to see if you are on the right track so you can just get on with enjoying Primal food!

[Wanderlust]

I would normally be quite active and I am fighting with the idea of running so slowly.... (ie within the suggested heart rate min/max) I just feel I am getting nothing from my usual runs.

Who says you can't run fast? The recommendation is to avoid "chronic cardio" meaning those long slow runs. You should be running fast, just you don't need to be running 10ks all the time. Put the emphasis on sprints work, short and sweet. Go kill some 400m repeats.

[rrich49132]

I lost about 4 lbs in the first two weeks then was a bit frustrated as I did not think I was losing weight at all. By the way I started off at 195 lbs being 5'11 in height. I am now about 12 weeks in and am 181 lbs. The weight loss is a very slow process for me but I feel great, am never really that hungry and no longer eat till I am full like before as the potions of meat and veggies are not where near the levels I use to eat.

I look at this whole things this way. I am undoing multiple years of the way I use to eat as I am not going to get to where I want to be in 2, 3 or even 6 months as this in my opinion will take like a year to be anywhere where I want to be. I want to be about 12% BF and started out at 19.1% and am around 17% now.

Keep plugging away as the way you feel will trump everything and your desire to eat processed and crappy foods will go away. I really have zero desires to eat cake, cookies, boxed or canned food.

[Lewis]

I initially started because I was having so many stomach problems - bloating etc and felt generally tired and unmotivated. I googled my symptoms and the primal diet came up.

That's probably the best reason for someone to do Primal/Paleo -- dealing with symptoms like that. This kind of diet can even resolve quite serious conditions. This video is well worth watching:

Watch "TEDxIowaCity - Dr. Terry Wahls - Minding Your Mitochondria" Video at TEDxTalks

Having read Mark's book I felt inspired to do something different. I do feel better but I can't believe I have put weight on - is this normal?

No, I think people usually do lose weight. Apart from anything else, if you're not eating cereal grains, and perhaps less carbohydrate in total, you should have a lower level of systemic inflammation, which means you should lose some water that you'd otherwise be holding onto.

I will keep going but I have to say I feel a bit disappointed.

I would keep on, if you have got symptoms resolving. I don't know why you should have gained weight. But weight tends to fluctuate anyway, depending on factors like how hydrated you are, which is why people do things like take averages over three days. Also, waist circumference is a better measure. And then again with overweight you're talking about a complex hormonal process that can be affected by a number of factors such as sleep, estrogen levels, thyroid problems, and even chemicals like BPA that can muck up insulin sensitivity.

I'd give Primal a chance for at least a month. See if you notice anything in the way of improved symptoms after that time -- and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised by the scales, too.

[Sheena]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I am going to keep at it as I generally do feel better. I think the advice regarding portions and eating when hungry is something I am going to take on board. I tend to think I should eat breakfast, lunch and dinner as it is something I have always done.

PS The website is great and we had the coconut stew out of Mark's recipe book today which was lovely!

Thanks again.

[Metric]

My recommendation to pretty much any newbie is to eat when you're hungry and don't eat when you're not. When I say hungry, I mean physically hungry, not psychologically hungry. This alone could take you a few weeks to get used to. Ignore the clock when it comes to when to eat. For me, I'm generally not hungry in the morning and start to feel hungry at around 2pm and I usually have my first meal at about 3pm. Then, I'm generally sustained until around 8pm or later. Sometimes I get hungry right before bed at around 11pm-midnight and sometimes not. Your meals should be high fat, moderate protein and low-carb (especially if your goal it to lose weight). On the days that you do your sprints, you could include a higher starch veggie such as sweet potato. I generally avoid higher calorie veggies since I still have enough weight to lose.

Also, unless you have a lot of weight to use, I would toss that scale! Use a measuring tape instead to monitor progress and only do it by-weekly or monthly. I have had a week where I did not lose any weight, but I lost inches. Keep this in mind! The 'weight gain' can come from various sources and not actually be weight gain. Unless you can take what you see on the scale with a grain of salt, don't use it.

So, again my suggestion to you. Learn what real hunger is as fast as possible and let that be your guide to eating.

Best of luck!