Primal Lifestyle and Diet help. page

[Lola]

Hi all I am new here and started living primal since last friday. I already see significant changes. I am a sprinter and train sprint 3-4 days a week, weight train 3-4 days a week and cross train/ plyos on rest days. this is my usual food plan : 2eggs + 50g bacon, coffee with fresh cream, chicken thigh/shrimps/fish/meat with some green veggies like spinach and broccoli, then maybe an egg as afternoon snack, another coffee with fresh cream and chicken thigh/shrimps/fish/meat with some green veggies like spinach and broccoli. I fry food using kerrygold butter or olive oil. What are your thoughts on my diet? I am seeking to lose the last bit of fat while gaining some muscle. I am a 158cm tall 19 year old female and I weigh about 54kilos.

[EagleRiverDee]

Personally I'd add more veggies. Generally I have what Mark terms a "big ass salad" at lunch to help balance things out (I do add protein of some sort to it, usually steak). The protein and fat in your diet is good but many of our nutrients come from veggies and fruits so don't forget to add them in. It will also give you some carbs to help support your muscle building program.

For gaining muscle- are you using resistance training? I see you sprint and do plyo. Not sure what you mean by cross-train, that's vague. If you want muscle, you'll need to add some resistance training to your program. It will also help you lose fat. Frankly I find that I lose weight faster through resistance training than through cardio anyway. My style of resistance training is to move quickly from one exercise to the next thus I get both cardio and weight training all in one workout.

[Lola]

Personally I'd add more veggies. Generally I have what Mark terms a "big ass salad" at lunch to help balance things out (I do add protein of some sort to it, usually steak). The protein and fat in your diet is good but many of our nutrients come from veggies and fruits so don't forget to add them in. It will also give you some carbs to help support your muscle building program.

For gaining muscle- are you using resistance training? I see you sprint and do plyo. Not sure what you mean by cross-train, that's vague. If you want muscle, you'll need to add some resistance training to your program. It will also help you lose fat. Frankly I find that I lose weight faster through resistance training than through cardio anyway. My style of resistance training is to move quickly from one exercise to the next thus I get both cardio and weight training all in one workout.

Part of my training programme involves weight training that is performing powerful lifts like half squats, push press and presses.

[Ayla2010]

You want to lose more weight?
Are you sure?
54 kg is bordering on underweight if not already under weight for that height.
I am the same height, and my so called healthy range is 55-62 kg.

[Lola]

You want to lose more weight?
Are you sure?
54 kg is bordering on underweight if not already under weight for that height.
I am the same height, and my so called healthy range is 55-62 kg.

I want to lose some body fat and build muscle not lose weight and be healthy

[Tom B-D]

Sounds like a good diet to me...as long as you feel good on it! The big thing for me was to hit the optimal protein amount for my activity level; that .7-1g of protein per pound (U.S. here, sorry) of lean body mass meant that I should be eating about 100-150g protein a day, which I wasn't coming close to. When I got there, I started to put on muscle easier. It's not quick, I mean I noticed it over the span of more than a month, but that seemed to be the key.

[Lola]

Sounds like a good diet to me...as long as you feel good on it! The big thing for me was to hit the optimal protein amount for my activity level; that .7-1g of protein per pound (U.S. here, sorry) of lean body mass meant that I should be eating about 100-150g protein a day, which I wasn't coming close to. When I got there, I started to put on muscle easier. It's not quick, I mean I noticed it over the span of more than a month, but that seemed to be the key.

My main problem is hitting enough caloric intake! I eat an average of 1600calories a day at around 73%fat/25% protein and 2% carbs (veggies only)

[cori93437]

My main problem is hitting enough caloric intake! I eat an average of 1600calories a day at around 73%fat/25% protein and 2% carbs (veggies only)

Eating high fat suppresses appetite, which can be good for weight loss for people who are heavy and need to lose by cutting calories (or have other reasons for maintaining ketosis). Not so good for you, someone who is looking to refine... lose some fat while gaining muscle.

You need a very different approach. You need to cut some of the fat and up the carbs. Honest. Lowering fat and increasing carbs should leave you hungrier and allow you to get your caloric intake up. You can still eat some fat, I'm not saying go really LOW fat. But you don't need to be in the nutritional ketosis range of fat eating at all like you are either... majorly appetite suppressing.

Plenty of protein, good carbs, and some fat... much better for what you want to do since you are mostly just trying to reshape your body. IMO.
Plus, the more muscle you build the more calories your engine burns, and the better your body will look. You may find once you start packing on the muscle and your body starts making the shifts and adjustments that you don't need to lose as much fat as you think. It looks softer now that it will once it is over something more solid.

Or you can keep doing it the high fat way, which is what I would do... BUT I have a medical reason to stay in ketosis/HFLC regardless, even if it makes other goals take more effort. Everyone has a different road to travel.