It's not working! :( page 3

[PrimalMama]

1. Cut out dairy except for a tiny bit of cream in tea

2. Start being more careful about portions, especially meat. @sbhikes - Thanks for the meal plan! I am going to follow it! I think I've been eating nearer to 8oz of meat...uh oh!

Is it OK to be roasting vegetables or should I just avoid adding olive oil to things? Is boiling/steaming the best way? (ps, this diet is less fun than I thought, haha! That doesn't mean I'm going to give up though!)

I agree with what others said - too much dairy, too much fruit, perhaps too many nuts, and... you might find it helpful to go cold turkey on the amaretto for a bit. Also, if you're fairly close to your goal weight/size, it could take longer to lose - those last 5-15lbs tend to take longer.

Try full fat pastured heavy cream or coconut milk in your tea/coffee... it's like heaven in a cup.

I eat 8oz. of meat several times a day regularly and still lose. (If 4oz kept me sated, I'd be fine eating 4 oz.) The whole idea is to eat until you're satisfied, not over-full, not still hungry.

Roasting veggies is AWESOME... olive oil is not the BEST fat for roasting, but it's not the worst either... search around and see what Mark has to say on the blog portion of this site. (in fact, poke around in general, learn some more about the Primal Blueprint - which, btw, is not a bad idea for a book to read).
I personally have a love of roasted brussels sprouts with garam masala or chinese five-spice or just salt/pepper/garlic.

Also, I'm not sure what would make this "fun" for you... but I love eating primal.

[statikcat]

Replace your snacks with an avacado a day. One will fill me up for hours. Personally, I would replace most of the dairy with something like an apple.

[zoebird]

Try this instead:

Breakfast
4oz meat (beef, ground beef, liver, salmon, eggs, chicken)
As much vegetables as you want

Lunch
4oz meat (beef, ground beef, liver, salmon, eggs, chicken)
As much vegetables as you want

Dinner
4oz meat (beef, ground beef, liver, salmon, eggs, chicken)
As much vegetables as you want
A small sweet potato
butter if you need it

You can thank me later.

Definitely this.

I noticed that the diet is low in vegetables and high in dairy and nuts. I would cut the dairy/nuts and add vegetables.

Also, I don't work out in a gym. Between walking, sprints, and yoga, it's all good.

[PHaselow]

No need to add any oil when roasting vegetables. A small amount of water or broth at the bottom of the pan should prevent sticking.

[Silvergirl]

I have discovered a whole new set of veggies that roast beautifully. So a big yes..... I roast in olive oil, coconut oil or bacon fat. The bacon fat makes them delicious. I am not a fan of low fat. I personally couldn't do this way of eating without lots of fat. The fat is what keeps me from snacking. I reached and surpassed my goal weight very quickly this way.

[Damiana]

I agree with the others. Too much dairy, snacking, and that amaretto is really high in sugar.

[avelin]

Eating more than 4oz (er 125g?) doesn't matter so much unless you are tiny. At 5'3" I can eat more meat than that.

BTW - olive oil is good but make use of some sat fat - coconut oil and ghee/clarified butter. If you are northern hemisphere (and wintery) then make some stews and soups - a great way to get meat and veggie goodness.

Ditto on do some reading - this is NOT a low fat way of eating but it's also not a cook stuff then pour on oil way of eating. It's more of a cook tasty stuff using fats, meats and lots of veg way of eating, so maybe look at recipes, read up on the basics at Mark's site, you get the idea

[sbhikes]

I typically eat way more than 4oz of meat at a meal. I think 4oz is about a minimum. I made an assumption that someone eating lots of yogurt and nuts and salads with a little bit of meat on them was afraid to eat a real portion of meat. I'd say 12oz a day is adequate but you can have more if you like, especially if you're not eating much else besides meat and veggies. And don't try to go too lean on the meat. Some can be lean, but if it's all lean you will get hungry.

[Louisa655]

There's a BIG difference between, "it's not working" to, "you are not working it". If you want to make up your own Whole 30 and cheat on this and that, then yeah, it won't work for you. I mean seriously, the PB lays out a simple plan. Either follow it and experience results or alter it to fit 'your lifestyle' and don't see results. The outcome belongs to you. Stop expecting great results if you are not prepared to put in the time nor the effort. Seriously, so many people want the results but aren't prepared to do the work. Stop whining and get with the programme. Sorry for the rant, but I see this every single day of the week.

[Shamra Byrne]

Good for you for taking control of you health! Now is the time to begin enjoying the fullness of life, and you are on a delightful journey to health and happiness!

It looks like you are off to a great start. Sometimes, too much dairy can cause water retention and bloating. This is certainly the case if you have an allergy to dairy. Try reducing the amount of dairy products you are eating to 1 serving per day and incorporating more vegetables into your diet.

Remember, this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. Be patient and love yourself. When you begin feeding your body whole foods that it needs and recognizes, it will start to heal itself. Give yourself time to see results. In the meantime, just enjoy this amazing process of transformation.