Ami I doing this right? page

[kazz]

Just to add a bit of background before I post my question I have lost about 185 pounds...I am a female, currently down to 195 pounds with a body fat % of 27.6%, whilst I would love to lose another 20 pounds its not a huge focus. I am mostly interested in fat loss and building muscle and definition. So i have been "primal" for 1 week now...no real change on the scales (altho as im after fat loss i realise that wont necessarily happen) I also like Marks philosophy of 80/20 .... so MOST of what I am eating is primal...so just interested in feedback on my average eating plan

breakfast : 2 pieces of shortcut bacon with either a protein shake or i make a 2 ingredient pancake (1 banana and 1 egg) if I have the pancake which has only been on weekends i have honey as well with it
Snack : banana and 1 tablespoon of tahini
lunch : green salad (lettuce, onion, tomatos, carrot, capsicum etc) with lemon juice and about 150-200 grams of meat (i think thats around 6oz - sorry im a aussie we work in metrics lol)
Snack : Protein shake (made with milk)
Dinner : 150-200 grams of meat again (chicken, beef, pork) with vegetables (onions, capsicum, baby spinach, mushrooms etc) and maybe a tablespoon of parmassen cheese for flavour depending on the meal (im not a huge fan of vegetables so this is a BIG adjustment for me)
Snack : I am still having 35 grams of dark chocolate each day (I guess this is my "20%" i realise most may be horrified by this lol)

Exercise wise...I weight train 3 times a week, plus 90 minutes of cardio per week (the cardio is usually a combination of running, kickboxing). I also eat 2000 calories per day which is a small deficit so should get me to lose fat but it will be a very slow process (which I am fine with)

Anyway I am still intergrating this into my way of life...Im not going to go paleo...im simply wanting to eat primal and the reason being to help me to build muscle and definition and just be generally healthier.


Thanks in advance

[Annieh]

Sounds like you're doing great. Well done on the weight loss so far, all the best with the muscle building and health improvements you are sure to find from primal.

Comment on the pancake, I've been making these lately too and find I can do one egg to half a banana for even better results in cooking them. I also add 1T cocoa for chocolate pancakes.

PS I don't find your dark chocolate shocking at all - it is a great snack. If you want to continue a bit more with weight loss maybe you don't need the morning banana and afternoon milkshake. Three meals a day is plenty, and some people easily go to even fewer (but larger) meals.

Best wishes from another primal eater Down Under.

[shep68]

Looks like a pretty good primal diet to me. Most will tell you to dump the protein shake and cut down on the snacking. Other than that looks good. Good work on losing all that weight too.

[inesenite]

Wow, congrats on the amazing weight loss! It must feel incredible! Primal is a great way to go loosing those last pounds and maintaining for life. At least that's what I have chosen for myself. But my loss was nowhere near so big - around 40 pounds.

As someone who is trying to get to my own best possible body composition, I will be a bit on the strict side with my comments because I do feel that once you have done most of your weightloss work, the devil is in the details to to be able to get on with it in the most efficient way.
As shep68 mentioned, it would be helpful to snack less (just have the main meals that are big enough and contain enough fat) and eat real food instead of protein shakes. Protein shakes and snacks like bananas will spike your insulin quite significantly. It may not stop your weightloss, if you keep within reasonable calorie amount but can trigger cravings. I certainly does with me. Same with usual milk (yoghurt etc is better in this respect). I would also replace banana with some other fruits or at least eat a bigger variety of fruits.

I find that very clean low carb paleo does work the best for me when I need quick results - I used to be terribly insulin resistant and have leaky gut. But is is not for everyone. I find it too restrictive for everyday life however I have done is for few weeks/months when I really needed to get into perfect shape.

Good luck!