Serial Starter: Help - why can't I stick with it page 2

[MissJecka]

Firstly, when I say evening cravings, I'm talking 19:00-22:00.

I think part of the confusion is, having heard of all the low-fat advice - I don't know what and how much fat I should be eating. Where should I be getting it from? Coconut Oil? Avocado?

Also in terms of volume of food, what should I be looking at - trying to drop from 130kg to 100kg.

Thank you,

Get fat from nearly anything! Avocado (my personal favorite), coconut products (oil, flakes, milk, fresh... whatever!), dark meat (chicken thighs, wings, etc.), cooking oils (olive, grapeseed, etc.). Just don't rely on nuts for oil, as their fatty acids aren't balanced. The more fat, the better; but again - don't skip out 100% on carbs if it doesn't do your body good. Listen to what your body is telling you... obviously what you're doing isn't working for it.

Have you read the PB book? Any of Mark's blog, even? This is covered extensively in both.

How to Eat According to the Primal Blueprint | Mark's Daily Apple
The Definitive Guide to Fats | Mark's Daily Apple
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-eat-more-fat/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/high...-healthy-safe/

[primalrob]

I tend to eat say a 3-egg omelette for breakfast, with bacon, mushroom and maybe a little goats cheese. For lunch I'm often still full - ill have some meat and veg for dinner - either chicken breast or steak. It's the evenings when the cravings hit in.

I'm not sure if its a food quantity issue, or a fat issue - it seems like the more I think I know, and the more you over complicate/ things are over complicated by trying to assimilate different people's paleo hacks, IF, calorie-counting, potatoes, not eating eggs each day - then the more confused I get.

I was attracted to PB, because I didn't want food to be the focus, but now it seems to be more than ever.

have you read the book, or at least all the primal 101 posts? those are super helpful to know what you're doing and why. in fact, i would stay off the forums for a while until you've really, really digested that stuff. there is tons of great information on this forum, but you're right about it getting over complicated because there are so many specific efforts. you really need to be able to get and stay primal before you get into things like IF protocols. take some time and get comfortable with the whole foods aspect of primal first; stick to the 10 primal laws and that's it.

also--and i don't want to make any assumptions here--it's important to keep a certain perspective when switching to primal. if you think of it as a way to lose weight, you might be thinking of it as something temporary. you might have better luck easing into the food plan; try 30 days without seed oils and bad fats, then remove grains the next thirty days, then sugar. do not use paleo recipes to replace these things; replace them with meat, fish, fowl, fruits, veggies, eggs, and nuts. and stay aware of yourself, your hunger, your cravings, your satisfaction.
start by looking at primal in the big picture way, and save the hacks for a time when you can confidently start a conversation with "this is what primal did for me..."

[adam_devon]

I have read both books, but then started to receive too much paleo input, and got confused with the contradictory messages. Plus, I thought paleo hacks would accelerate the changes.

On reflection, when PB was easiest, was when I was eating loads of fat - listening to my body, and if I felt hungry I'd cook up half a dozen chicken wings regardless of day of day.

I'm gonna go back to that.

[PrimalWriter]

It's hard if you're not a cook, sometimes, because some of your cravings might be not only because of actual hunger (as pointed out above), but also satisfaction. (If you can, add spinach to your mushroom omelet.)

Add herbs to everything...for savory dishes, it's hard to go wrong with things like dill, chives, or basil.

Dairy? I saw you mentioned goats cheese--how about varying that a little? A little pepper-jack in your omelet? A good dessert or late-night snack is berries (not a ton, but a half cup or so) -- frozen to the not-soft-but-not-solid point (if you get frozen ones, warm 'em up a bit) and have them with a little cream or full-fat coconut milk.

Learn how to make sensually satisfying dishes like stews or curries (just ditch the starchy ingredients)--they make great leftovers (primal chili, moussaka, yummm). Make spaghetti squash and top with sausage or seafood (shrimp or scallops, for example) and some primal-friendly sauce. Tons of GREAT recipes get posted to this site, so even if you aren't creative in the kitchen, you can take advantage of someone else's creativity quite easily