cavemom

Thanks for all the help and putting up with my endless questions and confusion. I think I ended my day pretty well. I got the appropriate amount of protein and fats, but was too low on my carbs and overall calories. But I'm so full, and I could only get in two meals today. And this was my rest day. I have no idea how I'm going to eat the same amount of protein plus a bunch of carbs tomorrow. But I'm looking forward to my regular sweet potatoes that I skipped today. I'm actually not a big runner (I kind of hate it), so normally I wouldn't be jogging a whole lot, but I've signed up for a Tough Mudder in the fall, and I don't want it to kill me. Otherwise I'd probably just be doing a bit of walking here and there. So maybe the macro cycling isn't optimal for me, but it really interests me. I like to experiment with different things and see how they feel.

@Loren, I agree that if I could get 65g in one meal, and I was going to eat 3 meals, I could probably get up to 190. But I ate at around 12:30 (4 1/2 hours ago), I'm still feeling full, and can't imagine eating anything for at least a little bit. And I had the runs (sorry) for the first time in weeks. To get 65 grams of protein, I had to pretty much not eat any carbs and only whatever fat was in my protein. @goodwince, My weight in kg is 53.9, I think. I feel like I would do a lot better shooting for about 119g of protein. I think I've probably been underfeeding myself calorie-wise for awhile, because I definitely have not been eating a ton of protein, but neither do I eat a whole lot of carbs or fats. @scotticus, I'm planning to do 3X a week lifting, but also some cardio on other days. It's not too intense, just the zombies, run! app, which is about 30 minutes. When those zombies chase me I have to sprint, though. Or if not that, then just going for a walk, hike, or bike ride with the family. When I inputted my info, I put lightly active (the next step up from sedentary), because I didn't want to over-estimate my calories. Editing to add that I'm not super interested in losing weight at this point. I'm already pretty low, and if I stay right about where I am, that's great. If I lost a couple more pounds, no big deal, but I'm not really trying to lose.

Okay, so after eating just one meal, and trying to fit in as much protein as possible, I was only at 65g. And I worked really hard to even get there. There's no way I could possibly get to 190g of protein in a day and feel good. And if I feel like crap, it's not the way I want to eat. So, I recalculated, putting in 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight. Then I used the suggestion that I read here: http://rippedbody.jp/2011/10/23/how-to-calculate-leangains-macros/ for fat (30g on training day and 60g on rest day). Then put the carbs at whatever was left. For my rest day, this puts my carbs at about 87g, which is fine. On training day, this puts me at about 241g, which sounds almost crazy to me when paired with my paleo diet. But maybe I'm too afraid of carbs. I can get them with sweet potatoes, fruit (I love plantains), and veggies. Is anyone else paleo with a higher amount of carbs they are supposed to eat? Is this how it's supposed to be? I'm still trying to figure all this out. I appreciate all the advice I've received so far.

I'm 5'4", 119 lbs. I was going with the percentages on the FFF challenge that was referenced upthread, which has either 45% or 55% calories from protein, depending on whether it's a rest or training day. The reason I went with that is because I joined the challenge, and figured I was supposed to go with those numbers. Also because I'm not really familiar with leangains or IF, and although I have researched it quite a bit in the past couple of days, I'm still not really sure where my macro percentages should be.

I'm a fan of abstract or other rather than animals as well.

Sorry for the two posts in a row, but I'm not the best with message board thingies. It would probably be easier than I think to get the protein. I haven't been counting what I've been eating at all, so maybe I already eat more than I think. On your rest days do you not add any fat in besides what's in your meat? I checked out that 30 Day Consistency Counts challenge that was linked to facebook, and plugged in the percentages that I saw there to see what my macros should be. Are you following those percentages as well, or something else? Sorry for all the questions. I'd love to have more energy, and was hoping the whole30 I'm doing would help, but so far it hasn't. I've been headachy and foggy and just tired (and I'm nearing the end).

I've been doing a whole30, so I've been super strict paleo, and I'm almost done with it, and not sure how strict I will be after. Dairy will probably still be out. Processed food is always out for me (unless I have no other options). I also hate counting calories, and don't have a kitchen scale, so that part may also be difficult. But if I decide to do it, I'll make it work.

I'm interested in this, but not sure how feasible it would be. When I put all my info into that IF Calculator, it tells me I need about 190g of protein each day. That seems like a lot, and I'm not sure how I could get it. I will not drink protein shakes or anything. It would be a crapton of meat and eggs, wouldn't it? I do a paleo diet, and you'd think the protein would be the easy part for me, but oddly enough, it sounds like maybe the most difficult. Also, I'd like to see if I can get my husband to give it a go as well. He only is able to work out in the late evenings. How would this work for him?

Elastigirl, I'm the same way as you with treats in the house. I have a really hard time stopping with just one. And then I eat more and figure I'll just finish it off to get rid of the temptation. But then I'd always buy more. But that was before I went paleo and started the whole30. I'm hoping when I re-introduce dark chocolate into my diet I'll have more control. I think it's a good idea to get it extra dark. That'll be my plan.

I never thought I could drink my coffee black. I always added a ton of flavored cream. But if you have good, quality coffee it tastes good black. You get used to it, and surprisingly, you can actually taste the coffee.

I hate the word cheating when it comes to foods. It's such an ugly word, and I don't really feel like it's what's going on. Unless you've promised someone that you will eat 100% paleo, and then don't, it's not cheating. It's life. Your disagreement word in the title threw me for a loop at first, because I thought you meant your body disagreed with something paleo you had eaten. But I read your post, and I get it. I'm currently doing the whole30, so I am 100% paleo, and at this point feel like it would be cheating (at least myself) if I went off it before the 30 days. But after that, I'll happily eat something non-paleo every once in awhile, and not have to call it anything except for food.

I love a good challenge, but I can't see doing this one. I hate myself in video. And this isn't a matter of boobing up, either. I get all blinky and weird. I'd love to follow and support others in their challenge, though!

I see your paleo chicken alfredo up there, and I must know the recipe! My daughter has been whining and whining that with this new way of eating I'm "forcing" on them she'll never be able to eat her favorites again.

If you're looking to have something with your meat, how about veggies? You can have more than one serving or kind of veggies, and there are so many out there. Depending on the kind of meat, I like to make up some guacamole and have it with my meat, too. Or you could have olives. There are a lot of options without resorting to beans or rice or bread.

I'm excited! Looks like I joined just at the right time for a new challenge.

I thought about doing the whole30 a lot before I did it, and I'd always wimp out. I just didn't want to give so much up for 30 days, which seemed so long to me. I'm 17 days in now, and it hasn't really seemed long at all. I never thought I could give up cream in my coffee, but I drink it black now, and I actually like it. I didn't think I'd be able to figure out what to eat for every meal, but that part hasn't been the least bit hard. I think you definitely have to be in a place where you're willing to be really strict with yourself for those 30 days, but it's worth it! I feel so healthy and strong, and my body is changing in ways that it never did, even when working out 5 days a week for an hour a day (weights + cardio). The only complaining is coming from my teenager, who is so put out that she can't have candy or pasta or junk.

I really haven't done a whole lot of races or anything. I've done a 5k, a little beginners triathlon, and that's it. I guess I figured I'd just get one of the biggest ones out of the way and be done with it. I'm a little scared, especially when I think of how I feel after running about three miles, and then picture adding in at least seven more miles of running plus 25 obstacles. But I'm not a quitter, so I will be finishing it, whatever it takes. The cold water is what I'm least looking forward to, actually. I hate cold.

I've got a Tough Mudder coming up in October. That's the main reason I'm running at all.

I've seen a couple recipes for "pancakes". They could be made ahead and refrigerated or maybe even frozen (I've never made either so I can't say). Almond Butter chocolate chip pancakes Maple Almond Pumpkin Fauxjacks

I have a similar body to yours, waist is too big compared with my hip size. I'm currently a little over halfway through doing a whole30, and although my waist is definitely shrinking, so is everything else. I'm not sure with your level of activity that I'd cut carbs too much. I wasn't anywhere near your activity (not a runner) and I was dizzy, lightheaded, and foggy for almost the first two weeks. Once I added more carbs, in the form of a sweet potato at breakfast, that's pretty much gone away. I don't really snack either, because for me snacking is mindless eating. It's way too easy to overeat with snacking. Three nice-sized meals a day really works well for me. That said, if I start to feel hungry, I'll eat a small snack. I think it's good to be a little flexible and do what makes you feel healthy and strong, and sometimes that changes from day to day.

The book Everyday Paleo has a 30 day meal plan with shopping lists (and all the recipes, of course). It's great if you're just getting started and don't know where to begin.

I have just spent literally hours reading blog posts on Nerd Fitness, and the only thing I regret is that I didn't find this website way earlier. This all resonates with me. I have followed or been part of other communities in the past, and there was always something I had to overlook or ignore. I had to just focus on the parts that I liked. But from what I've seen so far here, it's all good! Anyway, I'm a mom of three kids. I love reading, movies, superheroes, playing outside in warm weather, and paleo eating. Sometimes I love working out, and sometimes I hate it, and I realize the times I hate it is because I'm not doing the things I love, which is stupid. Because there are plenty of things I do love. I hate running, for example, and I keep on trying it and trying it, and the only thing that makes it mildly tolerable for me is the zombies, run! app. I love weights, interval training, and martial arts (in my living room).