Shouldn't I be losing fat with this diet? page

[denisedb]

A bit discouraged at the moment as I feel I do follow the 80/20 rule for Primal eating, but the fat is still comfortably hugging my belly for dear life. So, wouldn't you think that I should be losing weight with this general diet?

It is:

BREAKFAST - smoothie with kale, parsley, 1/2 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 scoop of Jay Robb's whey protein powder (about to switch to Mark's protein powder) , -OR- 1-2 eggs scrambled in olive oil, eaten wrapped in toasted nori

SNACK - 8 or 12 oz cappuccino breve (half and half), and - eek!- a chocolate croissant or scone (really good quality bakery! organic flour! I know, I know), the latter probably twice a week ; GT's Kombucha

LUNCH - BAS with some animal protein and avocados, olive oil and apple cider vinegar -OR- animal protein and celery or carrot -OR- tuna in mayo with celery or carrot. Now the bad thing: if my kids or my brain kept me up the night before, I'll drink a diet coke. Horrible. Normally only a few times a week.

SNACK - a few slices of roasted turkey breast with mayo (God I love mayo) and sometimes a few cherry tomatoes -OR- a very big, unfeminine bite of whatever protein leftover is in my fridge with half a cucumber

DINNER - animal protein and veg then SOMETIMES a little yogurt with raw honey; fenugreek tea with a 1/2 tsp raw honey.

I drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day, and I have two young kids that I run after most of the day. That said, I have not been getting very regular exercise apart from the nightly 20 min or so family walk after dinner (and laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc). And my sleep was bad for, oh, eight years or so with little waking children, and only recently have started getting regular, deep sleep.

So! The only time in the last 3 months that I have lost weight were: 1) the horrid stomach flu my whole family got at New Year's, and 2) the raging case of strep throat I caught last month. Both times I lost a glorious seven pounds, and both times, once I started actually eating again, the buggers came right back on.

Must I not eat? Be hungry? Okay, I need to lose the occasional pastry that I do so adore, and the diet coke is just stupid. But it's not that often, and the rest -- not bad, right? So why is this 5'5" formerly svelte mother of two seemingly stuck at 157? Thoughts?

Thanks.

[peril]

There could be several reasons:

- the soda and pastries certainly aren't helping
- how much protein are you eating/drinking. If you don't get enough you won't lose the fat
- lose the snacks
- if none of the above help, consider replacing the smoothy with real food

Focus should be on whole food, three times per day only

[denisedb]

Okay, Peril, thanks! I hear you on the soda and pastries, and I've been thinking of losing the smoothie for some chicken or beef (eggs sometimes just don't keep me going long), but the snacks...I get pretty shaky if I don't eat between meals. My blood sugar plummets. I do healthy portions of protein at meals - I don't measure and they're at least the size of my fist or even a little more, for instance - and some days I feel like I'm eating mostly protein.

[Sandra in BC]

Try a 21 Day Sugar Detox or a Whole 30, and really focus on where the sugars are in your diet. If you don't spike the sugar when you eat, you will have less blood sugar spikes and crashes. Primal hunger is not 'low blood sugar crabby shaky' hunger.

Stop snacking. Get more fat into your meals to increase satiety. Sounds like you're getting plenty of protein.

Really listen to your body and eat when its hungry, not because its meal time.

[Annieh]

Eating primal has eliminated those blood sugar plummets for me. Try it for real and see if it works.

Meals should be a real meal, not a snack. Try making each meal bigger so it lasts longer and you should be able to get down to eating 3x a day, or at most 4x. Then you don't need to spend all day thinking about food, or trying not to eat. You can fully enjoy your large and satisfying meals, then go off and enjoy your day until the next wonderful feeding time.

Eg Add some fried leftover veges and a slice of bacon with your scrambled eggs.

Much bigger salad of more ingredients for lunch. For example this week I did grated carrot, cheese, diced cucumber, capsicum, olives, fresh snipped parsley and other herbs. Olive oil and lemon juice. Have this as well as your turkey, tuna and avocados. (ie combine your lunch and afternoon snack into one decent meal).

If you really do need a snack just a few nuts, square of dark chocolate or maybe greek yoghurt or a small piece of fruit (but these could trigger those sugar lows and compromise weight loss so be careful).

More meat and extra veges at dinner, perhaps with a bit of butter. Everything should be yummy, not just something you feel like you "should" be eating. Go for a variety of colourful veges. You can really fill your plate, since you've only eaten twice so far and it needs to see you through till morning. Eat enough that you don't feel the need for dessert.

[denisedb]

okay, great advice thanks to both of you. I need to make more for my meals, with more fat...so I guess this is where I have to make time in my busy 'mommy day' to plan meals, shop for ingredients, and cook -- for me! I'll get on it.

[dilberryhoundog]

Yep Peril has got it pretty much right.

After many years of having plenty of carbs in our diet, our body's ability to make its own glucose is atrophied (we don't need a system we don't use) so even tho your eating plenty of good wholesome food you haven't got your body's glucose making systems fully online yet. This is visible by you snacking on a carb hit every few hours, scones, mayo, chocolate, fizzy drink, yogurt (if it's not the natural type), honey.

So my advice would be to ride out the carb cravings for a few weeks, If you get a craving, still eat something, just with no sugar/carbs, it might get a little difficult in a few patches but stick with it. After a few weeks your body should be back to being able to produce its own glucose and you should feel refreshed invigorated and be able to lose the weight. Also at this point you should be able to handle some carbs in your diet (IE you can reintroduce some things you absolutely love like the mayo.) just keep in mind:

Go 100% primal for 2 weeks, after which go 80/20.

[Nivanthe]

SNACK - 8 or 12 oz cappuccino breve (half and half), and - eek!- a chocolate croissant or scone (really good quality bakery! organic flour! I know, I know),

I highly doubt the smoothie is the problem, but this is. Estimated 600-800 calories just for a 'snack'. Calories still matter.

I don't recommend going low or very low carb unless it's absolutely necessary. Primal carbs are fine, and Mark's curve still allows up to 100-150 for weight loss if you want to follow that. I eat more than that, but to each their own. Having them in my diet helps keep me full, vs ketosis-level carbs. If this doesn't work for you, then try lowering it. You can still be 100% primal and enjoy carbs, as long it's not in the form of wheat (or whatever else isn't "Primal")

I agree with cutting out the sugar though, as that (for me) usually sparks insatiable hunger that I wouldn't have had if I hadn't eaten anything sweet in the first place.

[Matt]

I highly doubt the smoothie is the problem, but this is. Estimated 600-800 calories just for a 'snack'. Calories still matter.

I don't recommend going low or very low carb unless it's absolutely necessary. Primal carbs are fine, and Mark's curve still allows up to 100-150 for weight loss if you want to follow that. I eat more than that, but to each their own. Having them in my diet helps keep me full, vs ketosis-level carbs. If this doesn't work for you, then try lowering it. You can still be 100% primal and enjoy carbs, as long it's not in the form of wheat (or whatever else isn't "Primal")

I agree with cutting out the sugar though, as that (for me) usually sparks insatiable hunger that I wouldn't have had if I hadn't eaten anything sweet in the first place.

This is good advice. Don't fear the carb

As for snacks, there does seem to be a trend on this board to avoid them and stick to the 2-3 meals per day. I'm sure that works great for many people, but I have tried that for a few months and it just doesn't seem to work for me. I do best with a snack in the morning between breakfast and lunch, and if I need one again in the afternoon (don't normally need it though).

[magnolia1973]

Wheat can keep you bloated as can soda. And mayo has canola oil....Make your own. It's awesome!

Also, exercise. I still have weight to lose, but working out has helped tremendously.