Changed my diet, critique please! page 2

[Phillykid]

So for a male with my height/weight, is 1,900 calories enough or eat more?

Derpamix, by crappy diet, do you mean not enough food or food choices?

[Phillykid]

I'm a college student btw, i'm trying to eat the best foods with what i can afford and what's around me

[zoebird]

It looks pretty decent, so give it a go.

Second, there's nothing wrong with a male of this height and of a certain body type to weigh this much. My husband weighed this much at one point in his life -- just after giving up distance running and starting to lift weights. As a distance runner, he weighed 118. Today, he weighs 155 and is solid muscle and about 8% body fat (and 40 years old to boot!).

As you lift, you'll gain muscle and loose fat. Eat according to what your muscles want -- my husband has a high metabolism and is likely getting about 2500 calories a day (at least). He lifts twice per week (heavy lifting one day; body weight the other). He does runs/sprints, and he does his mobility work.

If you don't gain more muscle than what you have (which I doubt, i'm sure you will), you'll gain weight. But if this is your max weight, that's no big deal.

A friend of mine is 36 yo, a martial artist, and weighs 135 at 5 ft 7. He's lean and ripped, but small and compact overall. And *fast* -- jesus, he is fast.

[Zach]

I'm a college student btw, i'm trying to eat the best foods with what i can afford and what's around me

In my experience, the people that least need a diet like low carb paleo are healthy young males. You most most benefit from optimizing hormones and lifting heavy a few times a week. Low carb, low calories will most likely be disasterous for you.

I know all these conflicting opinions are confusing. Your best bet is to forget dieting. Enjoy life, try to listen to your body and eat what it wants, when it wants, lift heavy weight 3-4 times a weeks, get a good amount of sleep and dont stress about losing fat or food choices.

[Phillykid]

Thanks Zoebird! I need to start lifting then

Zach, but you're still saying stick to the primal lifestyle right?

[Zach]

Thanks Zoebird! I need to start lifting then

Zach, but you're still saying stick to the primal lifestyle right?

Well its not a bad idea to limit processed foods, maybe even grains if they dont make you feel well. I think that you sound confused and well on your way to developing some diet phobias that happen to a lot of people. It usually statts by trying to get as skinny as possible. If you gained 20lbs, maybe half that, muscle i bet you would look much better then 120lbs %10 bf. dont worry so much about eliminating macrs or food groups. Aim for a balanced diet, mostly whole foods and enough calories to grow. Focus on the other aspects of the Primal Blueprint. Lots of slow movements, some intense exercise, lots of relaxation, sleep and play, and most of all, avoid stress.

[zoebird]

As far as we know, Phillykid, Zach does not support the primal lifestyle at all. There are a few around here.

It's up to you to decide what you want to do -- not us. If you want to do primal/paleo, then do. If you don't, then don't. Dont' ask random internet people what to do. You have your own mind and smarts, use them.

[zoebird]

Also, it should be noted that primal/paleo is not necessarily low carb. My husband's diet is not low carb, really. It's just not high carb either. Mine is lower carb than his, but it depends upon the day.

You can eat plenty of carbs without eating grains, and there are good reasons to not eat them. But you need to research that and decide for yourself.

Also, in terms of lifting, since you seem to be of the same body type as my husband and friend, I would suggest lifting once or twice a week so that you have adequate recovery time.

And, there's nothing to say that eating or living this way means that you don't "enjoy life." My husband has been a "health nut" since before I met him, and he enjoys life. This is part of what he enjoys. He loves lifting.

[Phillykid]

Yea i just create these threads to get ideas and opinions. The truth is though, ever sice I started primal and ate only vegetables/fruits as carbs and more fat/protein, i felt more energized. I'm mostly doing Primal for health benefits and from all the success stories i've read, so far primal seems like the real deal. My old diet was oatmeal, chicken breast/little salad, and almonds. I was miserable

[zoebird]

yeah, that sounds like a pretty miserable diet. my husband, when I met him, was oatmeal, tuna, canned pumpkin, protein powder. Talk about miserable (and stinky).

since then, he's changed to whole foods WAPF then paleo. This current iteration is his favorite by-far! And, he's felt great on it.

I've always been more moderate with my diet -- with a preference for veggies over starches and fruit over sweets. I love eggs, meat I can take or leave, and dairy isn't good for me. Going grain free has been easy and great for me too.

Our son (4) eats paleo/primal at home (he has raw dairy), and he's basically unrestricted outside of the home. His kindy makes gluten-free bread, rice balls, and the like, and the kid loves sushi. We also make rice noodle soups on a fairly regular basis that he enjoys. DH and I enjoy them, too, on occasion.

The good thing is that you have found what you like. Lifting is a great sport - lots of fun.