HELP! Primal is making me LOOK bigger! page

[Vickie]

So, I’ve been going Primal for three weeks; so far I've lost two-three pounds. I’m a female, 5’7 and 194 lbs. I actually look bigger than when I started!!! I keep well under a hundred carbs a day; many days just fifty-ish. I sneak a few "no-no" bites every now and then, but still....I feel so discouraged!!! I hear of people losing all this weight and I can't figure out what I am doing wrong? I walk almost every day for 30 minutes, and do some cardio throughout the week. Sometimes I just count cleaning out the closets a good days work out since I’m lifting boxes and bending over lot.
Maybe my body is just “adjusting” to this new lifestyle and so it bloats me out. Any ideas and/or similar stories would be much appreciated!

[Blackcatbone]

I'd say it's bloat. When you drastically change your major food source your gut flora has to change as well. This often causes bloat, break outs, etc. Try drinking some fennel tea, even better if it has anise in it, as they help flush you out. Celery also has a mild diuretic so if you like that snack on some.

[Vickie]

Thank you! I'll do that and see if it helps! Hoping its just my body getting used to this change.

[Chaohinon]

Track your eating for a while and see where your fat calories are going. It's easy to forget that fat is extremely caloric, and can compound very quickly.

[Kylex286]

I'd say wait a little bit longer; everyone is different so your body's reaction to being primal may react differently than someone else's. I don't think that three weeks is a long enough time period to start doing measurements and start comparing how you looked before to how you look now. Just do what Chaohinon said and track your eating. Personally I kept clear of scales and mirrors while in the beginning state of being primal because I had that sort of mentality of always thinking I was bigger than I was. I can only suggest that you do the same. True results come in time. Becoming healthy is not something to be rushed, but something to strive towards.

[Vickie]

Thank you! I have to say, I think you're right! Mirrors and scales are like monsters lol. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Vickie]

Okay! I'll do that!

[lissee]

Yeah, what I want to write about bloating would equal TMI.... so, um, yeah, from my experience, it took me three tries to go Primal (before I even knew what Primal was). And believe me I stuck with it. A month + of bloating before caving and eating crap each time. What I found was that for me it was yeast die-off. (google it and see if it fits for you.)

Perhaps you need to ease into primal slower, give your gut-microflora time to change, for the yeast and other bad guys to slowly die off. Otherwise, start taking/eating tons of probiotics, sauerkraut, plain kefir, un-pasteurized sugar-free yogurts, etc. to help fight the bad micro-flora.

Good luck either way!

Edit: Once I was finally over the die-off symptoms from cutting out sugar or sugar like things, the only time I bloat now is when I eat wheat. (I'm allergic to gluten.) So there is hope.

[Blackcatbone]

Probiotics can also cause some bloating, as you basically start a germ war in your gut. It does pass, though indeed you may want to go slow. I finally found a good source of raw kefir and (goat's) milk so I've been hitting that a bit hard. I was pretty bloaty at first but now it's mainly gut rumbling.

[Betorq]

Probiotics can also cause some bloating, as you basically start a germ war in your gut. It does pass, though indeed you may want to go slow. I finally found a good source of raw kefir and (goat's) milk so I've been hitting that a bit hard. I was pretty bloaty at first but now it's mainly gut rumbling.

I agree. But I'd diverge from your advice to go slow. I make kimchi, many different kinds, sauerkraut, pickles of all sorts. I save the left over ferment water/juice to use as quick starter for new batches. BUT I also drink the juice. It's different every batch & it's a super concentrated, easily assimilable probiotic drink w/ garlic, chilli, onions, cabbage juices in it. I'd suggest UPPING the probiotics, not decreasing or slowing the process. Sure, it may continue to bloat you while the war is waged. But once it's passed the point where the good guys are winning, it'll be smoother sailing. That's just my philosophy, get to the goal zone sooner, by putting up with some discomfort in the beginning. Either that, or do go slower, but realize that you may just prolong suffering, albeit at a slower pace & lower intensity. Either way, the advice on here is sound: stick it out, it'll all be ok, it's all in process via primal eating/living. Have faith, & try to be happy with your decision & commmitment, even though results are not matching expectations thus far. The body will heal, its just takes some time. The pace is somewhat up to you, but some of it is just nature at its own pace & is not mutable. But drinking as well as eating the at-home ferments with every meal, it is pretty powerful stuff, haha...