Diet Advice? page

[Katt]

Hey everyone. I've been working on eating more Primal for the last two months. First off, I'm a 46 year old female. Height 5'3", current weight 231 according to the scale tonight. My calorie intake has been anywhere from 1300 to 1800.


According to my LBM, I should be getting roughly 95 grams of protein on average. That tends to run closer to 100 - 120 more often than not. Is this a problem?


My carbs are generally between 90 and 113 grams, with most days being in the high 90's. Again, I'm not sure if this is a bad thing or not.


I have been feeling good. My energy levels are high. I did lose nearly 20 pounds in the last two months, and have only just recently begun tracking my numbers at FitDay. Though this past week I gained two pounds back. I'm hoping it's just coming up on that time of the month and is water weight. Or muscle. The body fat percentage on the scale said it was lower than before.


Exercise:


I walk 10 minutes at break 5 days a week while at work. Periodically I end the last 50 feet with a sprint. 2-3 days a week I do strenth training. Been walking up the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator, and have even begun taking them at a slow 'jog' now and then.


Am I in the ballpark here? I am wondering why I'm having difficulty getting my carbs lower. They all come from veggies and fruit, which either come as my mid day salad, or as snacks. Any advice?


Thanks!

[grandma]

Others will be by, I am sure, to critique your macros, but I say bravo. Everything you talk about is improvements. You have lost 20lbs, your energy is good, you've started running up the stairs.... I don't see a problem. Good for you!


Replace some high carb fruits and veggies with either more fat (nuts) or a lower carb fruit/veggie if you insist on getting your number lower. But I think 90 is in the ballpark and you appear to be doing great!

[Clint]

Well, as it sounds right now, you're doing great!


You're losing weight, exercising and feeling good.


If you really want to lower your carbs, ditch the fruit. I don't know how much you're eating of it, but it can sneak you're carb levels up fairly quickly.


With that said, I don't think you need to lower your carbs. The PB recommends being below 150g of carb per day. You're well below that benchmark, so I don't feel you should worry about it.


If you're seeing positive results w/ your current plan, then I see no reason to change anything. That's just my humble opinion!

[Katt]

Thanks, both of you. The fruit is generally berries with cream, an apple or pear, sometimes a banana. Generally two a day. The berries are either with breakfast or after dinner if I feel hungry for any reason. Which I usually don't.


I am eating about 1 ounce of nuts a day, and am using olive or coconut oil for cooking. Avocados are becoming more regular, as well. (edited to add organic cultured butter to the list of cooking fats!)


I had been wondering about my carb intake, because the Carbohydrate Curve Mark advocates insists on 50-100 grams a day for weight loss, and above that for maintenance. I guess since my carbs are much lower than before, it is working out well?


Again, thanks for the input.

[d-wall]

Congrats on your progress Katt. Nothing to add to the good suggestions above, but want to caution you about relying too much on the BF% on your scale. They aren't very accurate and I would hate for you to get discouraged on the basis of a bad reading. You might be better off just continuing to make progress without worrying about that number. It's not likely you are losing any lean body mass in the first place since it appears you're getting enough calories and good fats. Good luck and keep us posted with your progress.