Not sure if it's for me?? page

[WCShell]

I really like the idea of eating closer to the way our ancestors did...am I to conclude that Primal eaters will eat a small amount of 'breadlike' products if nut flours like coconut flour, or almond flour are used instead of wheat flour? Also, after looking through the recipes (they look delish!) I noticed the calories for some are VERY high! If I'm trying to eat around 12-1400 calories/day and I eat 600 at breakfast (steak & pepper frittata) that kinda seems like I'm eating reeeeeeaaaaally light for the rest of the day. Yes? Having 'asked' that...I'm loving all the new education I am getting since recently beginning the journey of living healthy/authentic/natural!!

[RichMahogany]

I really like the idea of eating closer to the way our ancestors did...am I to conclude that Primal eaters will eat a small amount of 'breadlike' products if nut flours like coconut flour, or almond flour are used instead of wheat flour?

Some of us do this often, some of us on very rare occasion, and I'm sure some never. The whold primal thing is more of a guideline than anything black and white, with some exceptions (e.g. things that are clearly black & white).

Also, after looking through the recipes (they look delish!) I noticed the calories for some are VERY high! If I'm trying to eat around 12-1400 calories/day and I eat 600 at breakfast (steak & pepper frittata) that kinda seems like I'm eating reeeeeeaaaaally light for the rest of the day. Yes? Having 'asked' that...I'm loving all the new education I am getting since recently beginning the journey of living healthy/authentic/natural!!

Why are you trying to eat so very little? I'd direct you to read this if you're enjoying education:Do calories matter? « The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D. The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D.

[EagleRiverDee]

I'd say just commit and try it for one month. In one month, you'll know if it's working, and if it's something you find sustainable for the long term.

FWIW, I don't try to use substitutes so I can have bread products. I just do without them or if I really, really, really want something that would normally be made with wheat, I just have it. I haven't had bread since I went primal, but I have had pasta a few times.

Also on Primal I don't count calories. I eat when I'm hungry. I stop when I'm full. And I lose weight anyway. Not all people have success that way, but you might find that the strict calorie counting you've been doing on the SAD won't be necessary on the PB.

[WCShell]

OK...I read the article...understood some of it...(should have paid attention in chemistry class....) I think it's saying the type of calories we eat + how our body burns them is the key. Eating healthy allows our bodies to use their energy (calories) effectively and won't store as fat. So...if we're eating right, exercising regularly, we should be able to eat more calories. Yes? So...I'm working out 3-4 times per week, eating a healthy diet, very much like Primal/Paleo. I currently weight 145 at 5'5"...But would like to trade some fat for muscle. suggested calories???

[WCShell]

Eat when hungry. Good plan! lol!! I've cut sugar out of my diet recently...well, trying to. Just don't quite get the sugar vs honey thing. One person says our bodies read honey like sugar, other sources say it's natural, so use it comfortably (in moderation, I would guess)

[RichMahogany]

OK...I read the article...understood some of it...(should have paid attention in chemistry class....) I think it's saying the type of calories we eat + how our body burns them is the key. Eating healthy allows our bodies to use their energy (calories) effectively and won't store as fat. So...if we're eating right, exercising regularly, we should be able to eat more calories. Yes? So...I'm working out 3-4 times per week, eating a healthy diet, very much like Primal/Paleo. I currently weight 145 at 5'5"...But would like to trade some fat for muscle. suggested calories???

The point of the article is that you're not a bomb calorimeter, you're a person with a far more complex metabolic system. That what you eat will influence your appetite. That what you eat will influence your energy expenditure. I know some people here feel that counting calories is necessary for them, but there are also many of us who have been able to re-discover a functioning metabolism that allows us to eat when hungry, as user EagleRiverDee suggested. I hope your experience is the latter. But I wouldn't start doing Primal and starvation at the same time, which is what your original suggestion sounds like to me.

[MissJecka]

There are many points in the PB (the book, that is) that mentions the faults in the "calories in - calories out" CW theory. Mark touches on it in this post, too: How to Eat According to the Primal Blueprint | Mark's Daily Apple

Definitely give it a read!

As a former Calorie-counting-obsessed person myself, I find it very hard not to wonder how many Calories are going into my mouth when I eat. Luckily, eating only when I'm hungry came naturally to me once I started truly listening to my body. Give it a try: wait until you are truly hungry, make a meal, and eat it slowly until you feel yourself getting fully satisfied. That's when you stop. No need to count calories once you get your hunger cues in check!

[RichMahogany]

As a former Calorie-counting-obsessed person myself, I find it very hard not to wonder how many Calories are going into my mouth when I eat.

I'm not going to claim that counting calories isn't useful or even necessary for some people. To me, a huge part of the beauty of eating this way is not having to or wanting to do that. I don't eat calories, I eat food. I hope the OP can find herself in a place where that way of thinking and eating is possible and gives her the results she wants.

[iniQuity]

FWIW, I don't try to use substitutes so I can have bread products. I just do without them or if I really, really, really want something that would normally be made with wheat, I just have it. I haven't had bread since I went primal, but I have had pasta a few times.

Same here. I don't even really label myself paleo or primal at all - I find I enjoy myself a lot more when I eat better most of the time but don't sweat the instances when I don't. I realize this isn't possible for people with real issues with gluten/lactose intolerance, etc. I'm just not one of those so I'm "lucky" that I can eat "normally" when certain situations seem to require it. Take last night for instance, superbowl party. I brought wings, awesome, delicious, spicy primal wings - no weird oils, nothing but good old grass fed butter. However, you better believe I ate a slice of pizza and had a brownie later that night, as well as two beers. I don't even consider those things as "falling off the wagon" because I'm not on a wagon. I KNOW pizza, brownies and beers are horrible from a nutritional standpoint, but guess what? I don't care to eat perfectly all the time, I don't feel it's at all necessary. Just reduce the amount of junk foods you eat, choose better most of the time and don't worry about perfection. You will notice that you feel better, and you may want to naturally eat closer to perfect, and that's absolutely fine, but you may also notice that you don't feel terrible when you don't.

That being said, 80% of the time, just about everything I eat are whole foods with minimal processing. There's no way that "can't be" for you.

[MissJecka]

I'm not going to claim that counting calories isn't useful or even necessary for some people. To me, a huge part of the beauty of eating this way is not having to or wanting to do that. I don't eat calories, I eat food. I hope the OP can find herself in a place where that way of thinking and eating is possible and gives her the results she wants.

Exactly. The problem I have is that I did obsessive calorie counting for nearly three years, so as a result I developed an internal calculator and overanalyzed everything. For some poeple, counting calories is indeed helpful, as you say, but for some folks like me, it turns ugly really quickly!

Still, after dabbling in Primal living for many months now, I've slowly learned to turn off my analytic brain and just eat good, whole foods according to the PB - eating when I'm hungry and stopping when I'm full. I hope the OP can do so as well!