Putting on weight, low energy, really need help !! :) page 4

[sakura_girl]

Yeah, if you don't mind, I'd like to see a picture, just to be more certain xP But if you were like that all your life, and it doesn't seem like you stressed out about becoming thin all your life like most people, I can understand where you are coming from with the extra fat. Have you thought about doing more resistance exercise to put those calories to muscle?

[magnolia1973]

No.... don't just randomly eat fat to lose weight.

If I were you, I'd try Whole 30 which disallows the "treats". It's only a month. You learn a lot about yourself and eating habits. The treats are probably what are making you gain. The calorie counts in those things get high fast. On occasion, I have a mug cake. That cake has something like 400 calories in it! Yeah, it's good... but no it is too calorie dense to be anything but a treat. People complain about fruit.... but how is a 400 calorie mug cake better than a 100 calorie banana for dessert in terms of weight loss (if you are not someone that just can't have fruit)?

The next thing is to not view fat as something you can just chow down on. Yeah, put butter on your veggies. But use some sense. It isn't a low fat diet, but eating spoonfuls of fat will make you fat unless it is replacing other calories.

Lastly, eat more protein.

[Meghanner]

I just wanted to point out that for a woman who's 5'4" a weight of 46kg is underweight and 52kg is a beautiful healthy weight. Did you menstrate at your previous weight? Your body may just be hormonally adapting to a healthier diet. Honestly, I wouldn't stress the weight gain too much as long as it doesn't continue. I'm sure you are beautiful as you are. That being said, I do hear you about feeling like the extra fat feels bad on your body. I am a similar height and in the spring I was 52kg and didn't feel great. I think a lot of what I was feeling however was a product of subscribing to a "body ideal" that isn't necessarily ideal. Healthy women have some softness to them. Bones aren't sexy Just my two cents.

[thex1138]

I do drink wine every night. I don't use sugars, except for stevia if it calls for it. The only time I use honey is if I am baking . I do have some chocolate now and again, but not like I used to.

I think it is all the added fat.

Lol, all of that, ESPECIALLY the wine, is high in carbs, and is definitely the culprit you should be focusing on. Your body has no need to become fat adapted when you're feeding it primal baking goods, wine, some honey, some chocolate, etc. It's getting so much sugar that it's content staying a sugar burner.

Drop the carbs, keep them around 60-70g I'd say, and keep the fat around 90-100g+

[healthy11]

The only way a really high fat diet works is if you are very low carb, otherwise I think you have to watch the fat intake because if you have more carbs in the diet your body will be able to store those fat calories more easily rather than use them for energy.

Everyone is different so don't tell her she is underweight when you've never even seen a picture of her. If that's how she's been for 22 years that's probably natural for her, not underweight.

[Owly]

Not everyone does well on LCHF primal. I sure didn't and adjusted to add more healthy carbs, and I then eat the fat that is naturally in my food or use for cooking. Low carb is a tool for controlling appetite and some medical conditions, but it's not weight loss magic. Eating VLC with calories well in excess of your needs will still cause someone to gain fat.

Adding loads of fat without changing other stuff in your diet is pretty much a surefire way to gain weight. If you are going to go high fat, you have to be careful that you cut back in other areas. Read Paleobird's story for an example of how not understanding the calorie factor can cause a lot of problems.

Really, if you felt good and had energy eating more fruit and less fat, then why not go back to that? Just because someone dictates that primal must Always! Be! High! Fat! doesn't mean that's the right thing for you. Some of us eat more fruit and some rice and feel good. If you feel tired and don't like what's happening with your body, then don't let someone bully you into thinking you're just not being good enough at primal. Maybe it's just that high-fat primal isn't good for you.

And whoa, 41g of protein is really low for an active person. Don't be scared of eating more than that. Honestly, it's not your protein intake that's causing the issue here.

As for your weight now, well, it sounds like you're still definitely at a healthy weight, but it sounds like you have been very slim naturally for much of your life, so if you feel like what's happening is abnormal for you, then I understand your concern over the weight gain.

[solstice]

Here is another thought. A LOT of people who have celiac or gluten intolerance might spend their lives super skinny and malnourished...by getting rid of the grains, your body has a chance to heal and better absorb nutrients again.

[Jareddame]

get some blood work done to determine your Cortisol levels and take a close look at your training program as you might have started two things at the same time that will be taxing your system a bit harshly (diet and the exercise program). Also what does your sleep look like? 8-9 hours in a totally dark room? recovery from exercise enough for your level of effort?

[PBNewby]

I upped my baking when I started my daughters, aged 10 and 12, on Primal , as I saw that they were always hungry and attacking the fruit bowl with a vengeance.

Hi! Hope you are doing fine.
I wanted to comment as a primal newby. The above sentence, specifically the "I upped my baking" part, strikes me as somewhat of an odd thing to say. I mean, as a primal newby, the one thing that is off limits in my mind is 'baked' anything. When I say that, I am referring to food items I might see in a bakery. Baked salmon, or baked eggs (quiche), are ok - but I just don't see the general idea of baking as fitting in. I used to bake quite a lot, especially around the holidays, and now I just don't pay attention to that food anymore - except to notice how much floorspace in a grocery store I no longer need to visit.

As far as kids, I am not sure about their needs while growing, but Mark's Primal Food Pyramid surely shows the "fruits and vegetables" portion as the large basis for what we should eat. Personally, I think someone trying to be primal might be glad their children are attacking fruit. It truly is more primal that anything baked, in my opinion. But then I am not a nutritionist, or a doctor, nor do I play one on television.

my $0.02.
I have only been primal for 10 weeks...and I have no children.

[KT79]

That's my immediate thought, too. Thin, and able to lose weight rapidly post pregnancy - and now gaining it raplidly after dropping gluten - plus a diagnoses of IBS? Those are all bright red flags that celiac testing is in order.