Ladies - want to up my fat and eat less fruit. Want some advise. page

[annedawso]

I am totally convinced that primal is the way to go and have done it on and off for a while - unfortunately normally spoiled by a massive chocolate binge.
Have been following the Blueprint for about 6 weeks but am conscious that I am eating too much fruit, dark chocolate and greek yogurt so trying to up my fat intake to stop my cravings.
my husband eats the same and the weight has fallen off him despite eating loads of fruit.

I love chicken leg, chicken skin, bacon, eggs, steak etc.
How else do you get your fat? And what proportion of your daily intake is fat?

I am 5' 7" 155lb and 46 years old.
I do Zumba twice a week, circuits twice a week and lift heavy weights 1-2 times per week.

I do find as a woman over 40 my tummy has gone a lot bigger and the weight loss has slowed down.
Any thoughts much appreciated

[magnolia1973]

I think you need to create a balance on the fruit/chocolate and yogurt. I would think that restriction will lead to a binge down the road. I tried the VLC and after a while just craved fruit.

At any rate, I try and combine fruit with fat. So, berries with whipped cream is about the best dessert for me (with shaved chocolate). Keep in mind the calories, but it is the one dessert that says "OK, that was good, stop eating". That and very dark chocolate- like over 85% plus some almond butter.

I always try and eat fruit / dessert with a big meal. For example, this morning I had bacon, eggs, veggies and a nectarine. I won't eat until dinner, but if I say, grabbed some cherries at 3pm, it would trigger some over eating.

I usually eat about 2 servings of fruit a day, and one sweet. As long as I eat it with meals, I don't crave.

For chocolate, the big thing for me is the %. If it is like 70% with hazelnuts, good god, I'll eat a 4 serving bar in two days. But I can eat a 87% bar.... it lasts all week and then some. But I dunno, I don't like it as much, but it seems to serve as that "OK, you ate dessert, done". Every so often, I'll make a killer dessert- flourless chocolate cake or chocolate mousse if I am feeling really deprived. That will usually satisfy me from eating chocolate for a week or two.

So, for me its a balance. Eating a tablespoon of coconut oil or cooking with excessive fat does nothing to help with me wanting fruit or chocolate.

[JackieKessler]

I'm a 41-year-old woman, so I hear you about the larger middle and slower weight loss. I'm pretty sure that's due to hormones, possibly even the start of perimenopause. But that doesn't mean that the weight loss won't happen. My husband, who's a year older than me, loses weight easily, which is frustrating when it can happen so slowly for me (but yay him!).

Mark strongly advocates getting 2 - 5 hours of moving slowly into your weekly routine. Maybe add some walking into your fitness routine?

I get my fat from bacon, coconut oil, olive oil, some dairy (Greek yogurt; sometimes sour cream) and nuts.

[JackieKessler]

I would think that restriction will lead to a binge down the road.

This is spot on for me. If I restrict too much, it seems to trigger a binge. (Doesn't help that I'm a former bulimic.)

[wolfman]

Get some muscle on your body, body weight is fine, but there are plenty of women that lift weights into their 40's, resistance machines are good, that will absolutely help with unwanted fat, other sources of fat, avocados and eggs are my favorite sources, I eat fruit just after dinner, or I hold myself to one serving ( as much as I can grab with one hand) a day, and I LOVE chocolate, I go higher than 75% usually and what I did, was I broke apart the bar into servings and put the pieces in a tubberware container, I open it up, take a piece and put it away, if I have the bar just hanging out in the open that bar is gone lol

[teach2183]

I agree with not restricting too much. High % dark chocolate does it for me, I can't eat more than 1 square at a time. But it also seems to disrupt my sleep if I eat it too late. Don't compare your weight loss to your husband's, we are very different. For some, weight loss is slow, but that just means it's more likely to stay off. Your body may be working on healing things - decreasing inflammation, regulating hormones, releasing toxins - as it prepares to lose weight.

I've lost 13.5lbs since the end of January. Mid-May till last week I lost nothing, but this week I've lost another pound. I think my body was healing something, although I honestly don't know what. It's slightly disappointing as I have at least another 20lbs to get to a feel good weight, but this is about a lifestyle change.

[CarlaC]

Of you are just looking to shift your macronutrient percentage (mine is about 60% fat, 20% each carb and protein, but many days I am over 70% fat) CO is the best. I had to break a month long stall, omg... I drink 2T with HWC and coffee in the morning, blended. Maybe I will eat an egg if I can choke it down. Then at 5pm I consume another thousand calories or so. The end. In the beginning I was eating three eggs in the morning, big ass salad at lunch, nuts as snacks, then meat and veg at dinner. After dinner: Greek yogurt and a few blueberries and almonds. I could not break a stall for a month- 207 on a 5'9" frame (had lost 30 on induction level carbs over two months). The CO gives me the satiety to IF throughout the day.

[RitaRose]

Agreeing with not comparing yourself to your husband. It comes off men faster, but that's just how it works. It 's frustrating, but you're not alone.

If you want to up the fat and you're used to having some fruit, how about replacing it with avocado? Then you get kind of the feel like you're eating a fruit but without the sugar and with some good fat. I just cut them in half, ditch the pit, sprinkle on some salt and eat them with a spoon.

[sbhikes]

I love chicken leg, chicken skin, bacon, eggs, steak etc.
How else do you get your fat? And what proportion of your daily intake is fat?

I basically just get the fats that come in meats. I buy fatty cuts of pork. I stay away from bacon.

Other fat additions I do:
Avocado
Bulletproof coffee once in a while
Real sour cream (I put berries in and eat it like yogurt--not the whole container though)
Butter in big, bite-sized slabs, not melted, on my veggies
Coconut curry
Coconut manna/butter on a spoon

I have no idea what my fat macro ratio is. I simply do not eat much fruit. And a period of high sweet potato consumption gave me pretty bad constipation. So I stick to meat and veggies as the main thing.

[RaeVynn]

I just "discovered" coconut butter and coconut manna.

Funny thing, I had the jar of coconut butter in my cupboard from when I was doing "raw vegan"... go figure.

anyway, it's slightly sweet, rich, and took my cravings right away... just a couple of spoonfuls!

Don't fear the bacon... just make sure you are getting pastured pork/uncured bacon. Yummy stuff! Save those drippings for cooking eggs, dark greens, and other veggies in!