Feeling soo confused right now ;/ page

[michellekincaide]

After dieting for the last 20 years using the "healthy" way if eating (decreased carbs, high fruits and veggies, and low cal/fat foods), ive decided to give primal a try. My husband was introduced to primal a few months ago at work and he was interested. He hasnt cared about weightloss ever.. so I thought if I learned more about primal then we could BOTH do this and help each other! I weighed 290 pounds last April (im 5'7), I now weigh 210. So I have done very well. Im much more active, but for some reason this fat in the mid section is about to drive me crazy. I have seen many transformation blogs about how their bodies changed with primal.. not just the weight. I have read the primal blueprint, Rich food-Poor Food, and many many posts on marks site. But Im just not getting it

Any help would be appreciated. What i get from everything ive read is calories during the day depend on how active you plan on being that day, whether you are really hungry or not, if you are fasting..etc.. I usually eat 1400-1700 calories a day. about 90% clean foods, lots of water, no soda.. Do cardio 3x a week, strength training 2x a week.. Calories and amount of protein and carbs depend on how much lean body mass you have?? Is that right? I dont know how much lean body mass I have. Im very muscular. As a female, I have PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome), which causes me to have triple the testosterone of that of a Man.. One of my instructors said that I will probably gain muscle faster than that of a woman (who knows how correct that is..lol)..

Please help! I want to get this right for my husband! Im excited to try Primal, just feel lost right now!


Any recipe sites? Good ones?

thanks in advance!

[Hedonist2]

Don't over think all that stuff. Experiment to find the approximate carb level that lets you lose fat. (Don't weigh or worry about weight.) Start at 50-100 grams carb per day, then adjust. How many carbs should I eat each day?

[michellekincaide]

Thanks so much! Ive actually been reading alot of posts in this forum since I wrote this first post and its making alot more sense. I am WAY over thinking it! I have found alot of recipes and alot of great ideas about water, other foods, feeling full, and exercise Hope to hang around a little bit

[Cryptocode]

Forget the calories. Use a nutrition tracker like paleotrack.com and eat 65-70% fat, 25% protein, 10% carbs for a few months. Don't eat when you're full or not hungry. Exercise is 1) walk slowly, 2) lift heavy things, 3) sprint to exhaustion once or twice a week. That's enough.

[2_N_Jenn]

How long do you sprint crypto?

[Hedonist2]

Typical sprint session would be 30 seconds followed by 90 seconds of very slow recovery, repeated 8 times. I do sprints in aqua aerobics class, which is more than aerobics. Also do resistance work.

Anyone can do sprints. If you are in a walker and normally walk 0.5 mph, then maybe 0.75 mph is your sprint.

[Mitch]

Good luck in your journey. The advice to restrict carbs is spot on, so be diligent about avoiding carb heavy foods and even for hidden carbs. For example, I eat green peppers but genrally avoid red, yellow and orange-brighter generally translates to more carbs. Your body will adjust, and don't worry about occasional upticks in weight. It happens, but the trend will get you there.

[Marinas Florin]

The calories are way too low in my opinion for your current weight plus the fact that you are also doing cardio.

I wrote a nice guide: " how many calories should I eat to lose weight ".

You should calculate your caloric intake the right way and continue doing what you are doing because losing 80 lbs definitely shows that it's working. Also to answer your question on protein, I wrote a guide: "how much protein do I need to build muscle or lose fat", you should also check it out.

Tell us about changes in your diet and body composition. I'll also watch your progress