New to Primal/Paleo and have questions

[merehart]

Hi all,

I am new to the board (sort of) and recent to primal/paleo.  My husband and I started cooking NT a few months ago and loved it, but slowly came to the conclusion that we felt heavier and needed to try the paleo diet.  We adhered for two weeks, but both experienced some problems.  I lost three pounds, but my mood was terrible.  I became very irritable and down.  When I threw a few grains back in to help combat this, I immediately put the three pounds back on. 

My husband on the other hand, gained two pounds!  This is a man who has always done well on high protein like diets.  We have not added or changed anything drastic.  Our exercise regimen (cardio and strength training) is the same as it has been for the last 18mos.  We have been taking FCLO and coconut oil for a month, use raw milk sparingly (no more than 8oz daily) and are not eating higher quantities of food.  

Has anyone experienced this or does anyone have advice?

Thanks in advance

[littlest birds]

If you are trying to lose weight you may want to think about eating smaller quantities of foods since these foods are denser in nutrients.  I try not to get too "high protein" and often go for more fats.  I think one could overdo the protein side of this easily.  You say you aren't eating more quantity.  I have noticed a plate with mostly meat certainly shouldn't be as full as what we used to have full of pasta--in fact we mostly use our smallest dishes now and rarely get seconds (which used to be the norm).  That feels right.

Every body is different.  Do you even need to lose weight?  Are you gaining muscle?  We noticed less general bloating and less of that heavy feeling you mention--have you succeeded with that?  A gain of two pounds wouldn't even count for me because normal fluctuations are bigger than that for me.  I have to see a difference of five pounds to even register as a difference, so I would just say your dh has not lost any.

Also, about two weeks was my low point, I think that was the ketosis transition and my body was not happy.  I was headachy and a bit bleary--my eyes ached.  We both stuck that out and felt better fairly soon.  We continued to feel good, and loosened up on the diet somewhat after about six weeks just for some handy kitchen flexibility.

The main reason we are doing this diet because it makes us feel good and for the mental clarity--although we have lost a few pounds I think the weight loss would be disappointing if that was our goal.   Still, my muscle tone is better and I am much happier about that.  My main exercise is walking, and physical work.  I go for sustained exercise that is not strenuous.  It's mainly my personal preference, but I do think there is some info supporting that on MDA.  Maybe you should reevaluate you exercise regimen if it didn't help a lot over 18 mos.

[merehart]

Thanks for the perspective.  My main goal is that we both knew something was wrong from conventional diets.  Health issues are at the top of the list.  However, over the past few years I have steadily gained about seven pounds, all the while eliminating diet sodas, candy, refined starches... it's frustrating!  I do not need to lose weight per se, but I need to get rid of belly fat.  My husband however does need to lose a greater amount of weight, 50lbs or so.  And for him, regardless of improvements in diet and tightening up of exercise routines, he is not seeing progress.  He has lost ten pounds only to gain it back shortly thereafter.

I suppose I didn't expect to still be dealing with side effects two weeks in.  I was irritable, he had headaches.  But yes, I definitely am already seeing less bloating and more sustained blood sugar levels.  While I realize two pounds is little, I am going by the clothes that are not fitting! 

We are watching our meals, teaching ourselves satiation versus stuffing.  I think the coconut oil we are taking also might be trouble.  We need to remember to include this as part of our fats.  We do eat dairy, but it's yogurt for breakfast, cheese with meals or as snacks, and maybe a glass of milk.  We'll have to stick with this and hope that as our bodies adjust our weight will too.

I appreciate your help.  Its easy to become overwhelmed, and when some of the same problems are there but now accompanied with weight gain... well its tempting to go back to an easy way of eating.

[simplykate]

You may have been experiencing a die-off reaction. When you stopped eating grains the bad bacteria in your gut quit having as much to thrive on and started dyeing which causes toxins to be released in to your bloodstream while your body eliminates them. You feel crappy before you start feeling good. If you had a reaction like that, I'd take it as a sign that you may NEED to eliminate grains for awhile to get your inner eco system back on track.