21 day challenge with no results so far ... page

[masage]

Hi!

I have a few questions regarding primal way of eating.
I joined this year's PB 21 day challenge and am now two weeks in, so there is still one more to go. All well, except I haven't seen any results so far apart from my skin getting better for which I'm SO grateful! Let me describe the circumstances I'm in right now and my struggles when it comes to weight/fat loss.

Last week I took some measurements in one of fitness centers and to my surprise it turned out that at 167 cm height I weigh 62,2 kg and have 26,9% of body fat (16,7 kg). You could tell I wasn't happy with what I got out of that machine. Anyway, I decided that I'm going to fix that and since I was already halfway through the PB challenge, I thought to myself: all right, I'm going to cut on fruit that I consumed a bit too much as recommended, and on nuts, which I could gulp down bags of. I did that. Within four days nothing happened - my weight stayed the same, not a single gram down! And I was constantly hungry.

The thing is I'm happy about the fact that I managed to stay away from grains, processed food and legumes. What bothers me is that first of all I have no idea whatsoever of how much calories I consume (it shouldn't even matter, right?). Second, I incorporated walking into my routine (approx. 3 hours per week, if I'm not mistaking) and cut down on my HIIT 12-30 min sessions to 3x per week. Third, I feel hungry and binge on nuts (hazelnuts, almonds etc., 200g in a sitting) to cope with hunger. And in the end all this for zero results on the scale and body composition.

I don't have an idea on how to cope with hunger. Plus I must be doing something wrong with my workout regimen - I always workout on an empty stomach (I drink plain coffee beforehand), but since I started with this challenge and eliminated grains from my diet, my body is always tired, I feel sick and get incredible cravings for food (any kind, but I choose primal-approoved) whilst feeling a bit sick (weird feeling) after a workout session.

I would like some advice, opinion on how to make things work for me - I'd like to drop down on fat (someday come to 16%), loose 5-7 kg (of fat) and quit those nut-binges for good. I love this concept but I didn't think that I'll be struggling with implementing it and incorporating it into my life.
Love, M

[AMonkey]

Within four days nothing happened - my weight stayed the same, not a single gram down! And I was constantly hungry.

In a good week I will lose 1 pound of fat or less. Losing weight is generally a slow thing unless you are massively fat. 4 days is not enough to see, feel or weight any difference as factors like hydration and the last time you crapped can eclipse any changes in body composition.

What bothers me is that first of all I have no idea whatsoever of how much calories I consume (it shouldn't even matter, right?).
Until you've settled into a good, healthy diet it shouldn't really matter no.

Second, I incorporated walking into my routine (approx. 3 hours per week, if I'm not mistaking) and cut down on my HIIT 12-30 min sessions to 3x per week.
Thats still too much HIIT for Mark Sisson I believe. Last time I checked he advocated sprinting for something like 15 minutes once a week. Additionally primal advocates weight lifting.

Third, I feel hungry and binge on nuts (hazelnuts, almonds etc., 200g in a sitting) to cope with hunger.
If you are binging then its not surprising you haven't lost any weight.

I don't have an idea on how to cope with hunger. Plus I must be doing something wrong with my workout regimen - I always workout on an empty stomach (I drink plain coffee beforehand), but since I started with this challenge and eliminated grains from my diet, my body is always tired, I feel sick and get incredible cravings for food (any kind, but I choose primal-approoved) whilst feeling a bit sick (weird feeling) after a workout session.
Sounds like you may have gone low carb, which primal isn't necessarily. If you've gone from eating several hundred grams of carbs to less than a hundred, it can take a couple of weeks to adjust.

Stick with the programme for another week at least. Make sure you are getting enough carbs.

[masage]

Thank you for the reply!
By HIIT I mean intense mix of weight lift sessions and cardio exercises, so I consider this as my weight lifting part.
And I'll try more eating some carbs before my workouts - like an apple or sth like that. Hope this'll help me to avoid cravings and dropping my blood sugar to low ...
Thanx again!

[sbhikes]

What do you actually eat? You eliminated a few things, but what did you add?

I think if you were a fairly typical overweight individual coming to the 21 day transformation and you switched out your high (grainy) carbohydrate, high-processed food diet for a diet high in animal and healthy plant fats, vegetables and meat, and smaller amounts of fruit and nuts, what would happen to most (but not all) people is:
- Immediate ~7lb water loss after a week or two
- Carb flu (weakness, brain fog, dizziness)
- Week 3 starting to feel better in a kind of miraculous way

And then for people with a few other problems they'd likely see:
- miraculous reduction in blood pressure
- better control of blood sugar
- better hunger control
- miraculous clearing up of digestive issues like IBS, GERD
- miraculous clearing up of skin issues like acne

Who won't notice these things or see much difference:
- People who aren't very overweight to begin with
- People not suffering from or on the verge of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
- People who already exercise a lot, are young, already eat fairly healthy
- People who overeat on the PB diet (yes, portions and calories still matter, especially for women, especially older women)
- People who try to do this diet low fat (chicken breast, salad, broccoli and smoothies = you are going to be hungry all the time)

[PHaselow]

Hi!

I have a few questions regarding primal way of eating.
I joined this year's PB 21 day challenge and am now two weeks in, so there is still one more to go. All well, except I haven't seen any results so far apart from my skin getting better for which I'm SO grateful! Let me describe the circumstances I'm in right now and my struggles when it comes to weight/fat loss.

Last week I took some measurements in one of fitness centers and to my surprise it turned out that at 167 cm height I weigh 62,2 kg and have 26,9% of body fat (16,7 kg). You could tell I wasn't happy with what I got out of that machine. Anyway, I decided that I'm going to fix that and since I was already halfway through the PB challenge, I thought to myself: all right, I'm going to cut on fruit that I consumed a bit too much as recommended, and on nuts, which I could gulp down bags of. I did that. Within four days nothing happened - my weight stayed the same, not a single gram down! And I was constantly hungry.

The thing is I'm happy about the fact that I managed to stay away from grains, processed food and legumes. What bothers me is that first of all I have no idea whatsoever of how much calories I consume (it shouldn't even matter, right?). Second, I incorporated walking into my routine (approx. 3 hours per week, if I'm not mistaking) and cut down on my HIIT 12-30 min sessions to 3x per week. Third, I feel hungry and binge on nuts (hazelnuts, almonds etc., 200g in a sitting) to cope with hunger. And in the end all this for zero results on the scale and body composition.

I don't have an idea on how to cope with hunger. Plus I must be doing something wrong with my workout regimen - I always workout on an empty stomach (I drink plain coffee beforehand), but since I started with this challenge and eliminated grains from my diet, my body is always tired, I feel sick and get incredible cravings for food (any kind, but I choose primal-approoved) whilst feeling a bit sick (weird feeling) after a workout session.

I would like some advice, opinion on how to make things work for me - I'd like to drop down on fat (someday come to 16%), loose 5-7 kg (of fat) and quit those nut-binges for good. I love this concept but I didn't think that I'll be struggling with implementing it and incorporating it into my life.
Love, M

I did the same thing you did in my first month primal: gained weight. I would not worry about it AT ALL. Focus on the positive changes you are making. Your skin looks better. That is awesome!

It took my body (brain included) a full 4 weeks to adjust. I had cravings galore. Like you, I filled them with high calorie nuts. I didn't watch portions, but instead focused on WHAT I was eating. I'm certain I was dealing with detox, carb flu, whatever you want to call it. The hunger and cravings were part of that adjustment. They faded. I felt HORRIBLE for the first 10 days. Absolutely horrible: tired, angry, agitated, hungry.

Try increasing your fat intake to combat the hunger. I've learned to love the BP coffee in the morning (coffee with some ghee or oil plus heavy cream; emulsify it so it isn't greasy). It honestly fills me up. You don't really say what you are eating. Lift heavy things.

And be patient. You are headed in the right direction, despite not seeing it on the scale just yet.

[Leida]

I don't have an idea on how to cope with hunger. Plus I must be doing something wrong with my workout regimen - I always workout on an empty stomach (I drink plain coffee beforehand), but since I started with this challenge and eliminated grains from my diet, my body is always tired, I feel sick and get incredible cravings for food (any kind, but I choose primal-approoved) whilst feeling a bit sick (weird feeling) after a workout session.

I would like some advice, opinion on how to make things work for me - I'd like to drop down on fat (someday come to 16%), loose 5-7 kg (of fat) and quit those nut-binges for good. I love this concept but I didn't think that I'll be struggling with implementing it and incorporating it into my life.
Love, M

Heya, I have had the same problems while starting primal, and switching fat intake on. I would actually recommend you track your macros, because satiation comes with intake of fat cresting 70% and carbs falling below 10% and it is hard to get in my experience and may not come natural for you. It will take time for you to adjust.

Inm the morning, start your day with a cup of coffee with double cream or butter or a butter tibetian tea with salt and butter.
Whenever you are tired, drink a cup of hot bone broth with salt
In the evening, try really greasy low carb vegetables, like cabbages and cauliflower in butter and bacon grease or drippings. Like 4 cups or so in 1/4 cup of fat.
limit your proteins to about 60-80 g a day
Do not eat fermented dairy
Touch no fruit and anything that tastes sweet.
From nuts, go for macadamia, and make it into a meal (like 2 oz of macadamia with coffee for breakfast). Do not make nuts a snack. Make them food if you gonna eat them.

It might take a while to get full, and break the fatigue, and you might temporarily overeat for a week or two or three, but eventually it will go away and you will be able to eat very little volumetrically and start experiencing fullness. I did. I had desperately hungry days in the beginning and I lived under water for a few days. It can be disheartening and annoying and it is tempting to reach for fruit (well, for me!). But once you crest, you crest into GOOD THING.

Hope this helps.

[masage]

I'm a 26 year old female, I posted my measurements in the main post. I'm far from being overweight and I've been exercising on a more or less regular basis for nearly 2 years now (if you are familiar with Zuzana Light and her work - this kind of stuff). It's actually the first time I am taking this approach seriously - tried to follow it since the begining of the year, but yoyoed from eating primally to binging on sweets and junk. I finally substituted that behaviour for more constructive ways of coping with that and have cravings relatively in controll, but like I said, my main problem are nuts and occasionally fruit. I haven't figured out yet, how to put together meals that support weight and fat loss and keep me satied and satisfied. I need to discover that, so this is why I turned to the forum. I'm a bit lost and need to find my way.

[masage]

Thanks SO MUCH for all the information and support! I'm getting to know the process a little bit better and feeling more comfortable with making "good" food choices. Will try all of the proposed tricks and will see what will happen in the next two weeks. I'm glad that there are "Groks" who support "Grokkies", new in the tribe. Thanks again!

[sbhikes]

meals that support weight and fat loss and keep me satied and satisfied.

Fatty meat from grass-fed animals (or from regular ones if you can't afford grass-fed, e.g. lamb, beef)
Fatty pork (roasts, chops, belly, bacon)
Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel)
Butter on your vegetables - a huge slab
Olive oil on your salad - lots
Discover coconut butter then get mad at me for mentioning it
Top things with real sour cream, real heavy cream, marscapone cheese, kefir cheese, cream cheese, avocado, walnut oil, pesto, tapenade

This ought to satisfy the hunger. For me it did in one day and for the first time in my life I was not hungry a hour later. I was able to eat 2 meals a day even when exercising. I was seriously broken hunger-wise.

[redskater]

what helped me to not be so hungry was upping my fat intake in the morning and afternoon. It was hard to get my mind around putting more fat in my meals (so many years of being told not to!) but for me it really is key to staying on track and not being hungry all the time. My weakness is nuts as well and I swear I ate a pd. a day in the beginning. I think I just needed to get it out of my system until it wasn't such a craving for me. If you up your fat the cravings will go away and I found I can maintain my weight very easily without counting calories. I don't want to lose any more weight but if you do, make sure that you don't sacrifice the fat to do it. I think you have to play around with how much fat is enough for you and adjust as you start feeling better.