Need Advice! Should I be counting calories on primal diet? page

[lisagrogers]

Hi all! Just joined this community and am new to the primal lifestyle. Have been following much of the tenets of it but don't stay true to it for long and definitely am not eating 80% primal. I have been on a 1000 calorie diet for several months and have lost about 20 lbs but now am 'rebelling' against that low-calorie regime and some of the foods on that plan are processed (i.e. snack bars, etc.) so I know it's not the healthiest plan anyway. But my question is whether I just go primal or whether I go primal while counting calories?

[jammies]

Many people find that when eating a primal diet they will naturally consume the right amount of calories for their bodies. But some people still need to actively restrict calories.

Personally, I was able to trust my appetite as a guide once i was eating a mostly primal diet. So you could just try eating very, very clean for a while.

Partly, it depends on your goals. If you are very overweight looking to get to normal weight primal eating alone may be adequate. If you are normal weight, look to get very lean you may need to be more careful.

You could try a compromise to start. Eat based on your appetite, but keep track just to see where you are landing calorie-wise.

[Nigel]

But my question is whether I just go primal or whether I go primal while counting calories

I didn't count calories to start with but decided to as I'm writing a couple of blogs on weight loss and healthy heart diet. I found that I could cut my breakfast calories in half just by changing what I ate then, even though I was going to be no more hungry.

I count calories, although I know it's only a rough guide. Do what feels right to you, but, as you have been counting them, I would stick with it just to be on the safe side.

[Fletch666]

I came here counting calories and therefore being hungry all the time. That sucks, and it's unnecessary. If you are impatient and want/need to lose weight fast(er), go ahead and count the calories. Otherwise, don't bother. Give your body a chance to tell you what it needs, and give yourself a chance to listen. Not counting is freeing. You'll enjoy the weightloss all the more for not being tortured by an anal-retentive need to weigh food and count calories. Letting go of counting calories is an important step to improving your relationship with food.

My two cents.

[TomC]

I have been primal for 4 months now, and counted calories for 5 or 6 days, just to spot check here I was at in terms of calorie, fat intake, and carb intake. Since my diet was very similar from day to day, I dont find I need to check any more. What I found from counting is that I was right in line carb and Fat wise for loosing weight, but was quite a bit less in calories than I had thought. So now since I'm in maintenance mode, I'm trying to increase calorie intake so I don't loose more weight, but am struggling with that a bit. Go primal, and never look back and stop calorie counting.