Newbie Eating Questions page

[Skrumpy]

Hey all,

A primal newbie here with a few questions I'm hoping someone can provide some insight on. I am in the process of reading TPB (not very far through), but I already want to get started on the program and don't want to wait to get through all of the material. I'm just that excited to get going!

So my few questions are:

1) Do I really have to taper off of carbs? I wouldn't say that I ate many carbs before I picked up TPB, maybe ~200-250g per day as I did track my macronutrient intake. Do I need to scale back slowly? I was thinking of aiming for TPB fat-loss recommended carb intake of 50-100g and thus sticking with around 75g.

2) When do I eat? Previously I would eat ~5 meals a day (3 big, 2 snacks), but according to TPB so far that is CW and not necessary.

3) This is tied somewhat into question #2, but should I only eat when I'm hungry? I woke up about 2 hours ago this morning and don't have a single hunger pang, should I still eat anyways? or should I just wait until I get hunger pangs? To me it makes sense that you should just eat anyways as hunger pangs must be like thirst, a warning sign that your body is already dehydrated at that point. I know there is some PB material out there on IF, but I want to tackle one thing at a time.

A little bit about me, I'm 6'5" and I'm at 240 pounds.

Thanks in advance!

[heatseeker]

1) Do I really have to taper off of carbs? I wouldn't say that I ate many carbs before I picked up TPB, maybe ~200-250g per day as I did track my macronutrient intake. Do I need to scale back slowly? I was thinking of aiming for TPB fat-loss recommended carb intake of 50-100g and thus sticking with around 75g.

I went cold turkey on carbs when I started Primal, and I was fine. You'll probably get some carb flu, but IMO, it's easier to quit cold turkey than to taper. Aim for 75g with a +/- 25g margin for the first few weeks, until you figure out what level of carbs your body likes. For instance, some people do very well at 50g, some people don't and need to go higher.

2) When do I eat? Previously I would eat ~5 meals a day (3 big, 2 snacks), but according to TPB so far that is CW and not necessary.

Put simply, eat when you're hungry. ACTUALLY hungry, not "oooh, a snack sounds like fun" hungry. While IF isn't something you'd want to try until you've been Primal and fat-burning for a while, it might be helpful to do a small fast, 10-12 hours or so, to figure out what true hunger feels like. It might surprise you.

I don't snack, simply because it doesn't actually curb my hunger or make me eat less at meals. I end up just eating more overall. So, I only eat at meals. I do a protein shake after my morning workout, a meal around 2, and a meal around 6.

I woke up about 2 hours ago this morning and don't have a single hunger pang, should I still eat anyways?

No. Unless you have a huge workout planned for a couple hours from now. Then maybe. But the general rule is, your body will tell you when you need to eat.

To me it makes sense that you should just eat anyways as hunger pangs must be like thirst, a warning sign that your body is already dehydrated at that point.

No. And that thing about thirst meaning you're already dehydrated is basically bro science. Same thing with "your pee should be clear". Just no.

[jfreaksho]

1. No. Do what works for you.

2 and 3. To start, plan on 2-3 meals a day, with no snacks. If you aren't hungry enough to eat a whole plate of food, you aren't hungry. There should be at least 4-5 hours between feedings. You can't burn bodyfat if you are constantly putting in more food.

[Skrumpy]

Hey thanks for the info guys! One other question that I really haven't seen covered yet in TPB is the amount of water consumption. CW says 8 cups/day minimum, what is the primal take? Just drink when you are thirsty (my guess this is what you were alluding to heartseeker) no matter what the total is? So basically just listen more to your body rather than try to meet artificial quotas?

[Stephanie]

I have tons of primal recipes on Pinterest you can check out.

Paleo Meal Ideas

[heatseeker]

Don't get me wrong, plenty of water is great. I drink a ton--around 150oz per day. I look leaner and my skin is clearer when I drink a lot of water. But yeah, don't worry about sticking to some magic number. Just drink plenty, and if you feel thirsty, drink more.

[Damiana]

Drink water when you're thirsty. You also get water from your food, there's no need to be drinking so much water if you're not suffering from thirst.

[frenchie79]

Hey thanks for the info guys! One other question that I really haven't seen covered yet in TPB is the amount of water consumption. CW says 8 cups/day minimum, what is the primal take? Just drink when you are thirsty (my guess this is what you were alluding to heartseeker) no matter what the total is? So basically just listen more to your body rather than try to meet artificial quotas?

Basically, we drink water to replace the fluids lost (urine, sweat) on a daily basis. Diuresis is about 1.5 l for an adult which means you have to drink at least 1.5 l a day... A good way of knowing if you need to drink more: urine become more concentrated when you are dehydrated. If you have healthy kidneys, you should be able to drink something between 2.2 and 3 liters a day.

[MissJecka]

The CW notion of 8 cups a day always makes me laugh. Folks forget that you get water from the food you eat. Many people eating SAD will need that much water or more because of the lack of veggies, fruits and other water-dense foods. I'm rarely thirsty because I eat baby carrots like candy and drink selzer like there's no tomorrow. If you eat lots of produce, you may not find yourself very thirsty at all. Only drink when you truly feel you need to - no need to force it down!

[Drumroll]

I drink to thirst. Some days that's a TON, other days, it's almost nothing. You do get some water from food as other have said, so what you eat can have an impact on how much liquid you need in a day.

Also, days higher in sodium intake can cause water retention which makes for increased thirst and need for liquid, so that can have an impact on your overall water intake. Days where you sweat a lot you may need more fluids too. There are a ton of factors that can influence the amount of fluids you need, so this can vary significantly, even day-to-day.