Eat More Fat! The Nutritional Ketosis Challenge continues... page 34

[jenn26point2]

Ok, let's talk about our why's.

I chose Primal for 2 reasons. 1. I was desperate for weight loss. I'd gone YEARS trying to lose weight, but gaining it instead. I cut calorie consumption and raise calorie expenditure, I tried "The Eat Clean diet", I tried Alli... I tried what I felt was everything, all while eyeballing Paleo but not willing to give up my grains. Then one day I thought, what have I got to lose besides weight? So I did it.

The 2nd reason is for mental health. While eyeballing Paleo, I learned it can improve mental health and eliminate the need for antidepressants. I was tired of changing drugs ever 3 months b/c nothing was working well. This WOE helped with both of my desires.

Then I found EMF after stalling starting last August (after 37 lbs lost on Primal/Paleo). I read what PaleoBird and Paula wrote and figured it was worth a shot. In 30 days I lost 11 lbs... all of which I'd gained at the end of last year. I was thrilled. So now I'm going to stick it out and see what else I can lose.

I am getting apprehensive about reaching goal though... I hear that's common.

[naiadknight]

Straight primal I learned about through research on how to help my wonky thyroid and mental state (dysthymia, general anxiety disorder, ADD, and PTSD.) After a LOT of research, I decided to chance it. I wrote off EMF for a little while, citing I needed higher carbs. Looking back, I realize I never gave VLC a fair shake. When my naturalist gave me a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome/ adrenal fatigue and suggested dropping my carbs even further to help heal that, I looked more closely at EMF and did more research on my two conditions. They seemed to line up, so I'm giving it a shot. I'm trying not to cut much by way of calories, to ease the stress on my adrenal glands, and I'm running higher protein, under the hypothesis it'll help me heal.

[geostump]

In regards to the scale, I can't get on it daily. Sometimes weekly is too much. I don't like obsessing over something like that and I know that I can do fine weighing in bi-weekly or even monthly. All I know is that this Friday will not result in a weigh on just because I went slightly off plan yesterday and won't when the circus comes back to town.

Ok, let's talk about our why's.

Of course mine are to lose weight. To hopefully see a "normal" weight for once in my life. To know what it feels like to be thin. I've never been "thin". I've always been the type of woman you would call "sturdy" "healthy" or "damn". I want to prove to myself I can do this. To hopefully be a happier person. To fix health or slow down health issues. I am always apprehensive that I will not hit goal. That could have something to do with being fat for the majority of my life.

[jenn26point2]

I am aiming for the weight I was after completing basic training in 2000. 141 was what I weighed at my first weigh in after checking back in with my unit. I was wearing a size 7 juniors then, and a size 8 misses. I want to get back to that. And I am hoping that by doing so, my husband will feel the need to shed some pounds too. He's gained over 100 lbs since we started seeing each other, and he was a "big guy" then.

[Pebbles67]

Jenn, Good point on the 5htp.

Those are my low iron symptoms as well.

[Ddraig Goch]

Kerrygold butter is about to become my new best friend as I have just realised it has the same fat grams but work out at half the price of coconut oil & macadamia nuts. I added 20g to my omelette this am & 20g to my soup at lunch. Worked well. However, I can only get salted kerrygold here - will 50g/day of salted take me over any salt intake guidelines? I never use salt in anything but keep finding lots of references on MDA to eat more salt so can't decide if this new intake will be a good or a bad thing

NB the packet says salt 2%


As to why I am doing this - I feel so much better eating no grain or sugar I would never go back to it. I'm hoping this high fat lower protein WOE will get rid or my excess weight & improve my mental health issues. I am already feeling more positive but am surprised by all the talk of feeling full. My problem is eating over my allotted calories. Have been trying to eat 6 meals a day but maybe that's the problem. I think with this WOE you have to forget everything you have ever learned about nutrition before & start over. So I will try splitting the meals into 3 & then discipline myself not to eat between 7pm & 7am

[jenn26point2]

Kerrygold butter is about to become my new best friend as I have just realised it has the same fat grams but work out at half the price of coconut oil & macadamia nuts. I added 20g to my omelette this am & 20g to my soup at lunch. Worked well. However, I can only get salted kerrygold here - will 50g/day of salted take me over any salt intake guidelines? I never use salt in anything but keep finding lots of references on MDA to eat more salt so can't decide if this new intake will be a good or a bad thing

NB the packet says salt 2%

I can only get salted locally too, but I think the salt content is rather low. You can always order from Amazon. They have unsalted.

[geostump]

If any of you have a Trader Joe's near you, they also carry unsalted Kerrygold butter.

[Kotato]

Alright, I wasn't planning on doing any online tracking, but after this weekend, I think I could use some added motivation... Super Bowl! Tortilla chips! Total lack of self control / eating past the point where I was even enjoying them. Augh.

Also, I'm not really sure if I actually know what enough fat looks like, so I might as well try tracking for a while to get a sense.

MFP gave me 1240 calories (I'm 5'5", 140 lbs, sedentary job, about 2 hrs of exercise a week), but I bumped it up to 1300 because I don't think I'm quite as sedentary as they imagine, since I commute by public transit.

From the percentage options, here's the closest I could get to the macros I wanted:

Carbs: 16g (5%)
Protein: 49g (15%)
Fat: 116g (80%)

The percentages look alright, but the protein grams look low. 49 in kilos = 108 in pounds, which is a weight I'm pretty sure would be bad for me. I'm wondering if this means I should raise my calories some more or lower my fat. I generally feel alright around 1300, though, so I'll think I'll just try it for a while as written and see... What do you all think?

[Pebbles67]

Why Primal and now LCHF Primal?

I was obese by the age of 8. My poor parents had both been victims of sexual abuse. They used food to numb their pain. Being raised by two morbidly obese, emotional eaters left me with a warped relationship with food. I continued on that path through adulthood and into my 40's. By Jan 2010 I was 280lbs and falling apart. I could not eat normally anymore. Everyday was one long binge. The damage from years of self abuse caused a near deadly pulmonary emboli event in Oct 2010, just after I started Primal.

I have been Primal for 2.5 years. The first year I lost 65 lbs. I binged maybe once or twice a month and thought that was okay Just after my one year Primal'versary my Mom died after a 4 year battle with ovarian cancer. Over the next year the bingeing got progressively worse until I was binging half of each month I regained half the weight I lost and the signs of the venal inflammation that caused the lung clots was back and even worse. I ended up having hypoglycemic episodes from jumping back and forth between clean eating and carb fests. I am prediabetic again and I also now suffer from adrenal fatigue.

Over the last year or more I have tried all different Primal "tweaks" to get a handle on my issues. I am sticking with EMF because it gives me more control over the binge issue which in turn allows my body to heal. Instead of 15 days of binges in January, I had 3. I also believe that I am cutting my cancer risk by controlling my blood sugar and insulin reaction.

So, I guess the weightloss is not the main thing, though I enjoy the "Primal Hotness" I get from this way of life. I keep stopping at mirrors and saying "Damn Girl, You look good today." Must be the extra fat.