Primal eating, heart disease and weight loss

[chrisdjones]

Hi all,

I notice there are a few primal eaters here. I'd like your thoughts if you have the time.

Since this past Nov I've lost about 35 lbs. My did it by cardio (treadmill) and weights, eating in a caloric deficit, and cutting out pretty much all junk. By junk I mean sugary snacks/drinks, processed what I call "man made" foods. I didn't really watch carbs intentionally but my carbs are usually between 150-200g per day.

I feel the weight has come off pretty slowly compared to stories I hear, but that's ok. But these last few lbs are killing me. I just started phase 2 of p90x and have no real problems with keeping my ratios close, but I just don't feel like I'm dropping these last few at all.

After all this, I still have a bit of a gut. Minor, but still there (I'm 5'8", 165lbs currently). It's pretty frustrating and hard to keep motivated to bust my rear day after day and still not like what you see in the mirror. I realize p90x is not a weight loss program, but I'm eating pretty close to right and doing the program, I should be continuing to lose. Something is just not quite adding up, and I can't figure out what it is.

Sorry, that was a bit of venting I guess. My chronically thin wife doesn't really get it so it helps to have folks that do.

I'm on heart medication that keeps my heart rate low, going full out I can't get my heart rate past 125 or so. I don't pour sweat like the the folks on the DVD. Maybe that is affecting my overall performance and hindering my results (shrug). I'm also 45 yrs old, so things take a little longer than they used to based on that I'm sure.

I'm very interested in primal eating and wondering if that may be the key (or one of them) to helping me lose these last 10-15 lbs. The diet instinctively makes perfect sense to me but it obviously flies in the face of "conventional" dietary advice. The thing is, I had a heart attack at age 39, I don't feel I have as much room to experiment as some. My cardio doc as well as my GP are by the numbers, they recommend a low fat, low cholesterol diet with lots of cardio.

Has anyone had any personal experience or read/heard of any real life accounts of improved bloodwork #'s while on this diet?

[JimNAZ]

Hi Chris,

First off congrats on all your successes since starting your fitness journey. Those can never be taken lightly! Changing your diet and exercising just in itself gave you around a 6lb per month loss. That is GREAT! You are doing it the right way . . . plus slow is better anyway. Gives your body time to adjust.

I know what you mean about struggling with the last few pounds and/or BF%'s. I am at that point also. I believe that when the body gets to a certain point where is it close to that perfect balance (needs/wants/macro nutrients/etc) the more we need to fine tune our diet if we want to lose that last little bit. Plus it takes a little bit longer. Up until now, getting close with my ratios has been getting the job done. Now I need to get back to the basics and watch what I am eating along with the portions. Maybe this would help you too. If you have not been doing it, trake your food intake with an online calorie tracker. And, be on top of your portions. We can get in a habit of "eyeing" a portion and then slowly it becomes larger and larger. (Especially if we are hungry!)

Motivation: Well I want to go back to your successes. Keep looking back at where you were! You should be very happy and proud of what you are accomplishing. Did you take pictures? Too many is never enough. If you haven't then go take a bunch now. Especially when you are down to the last bit of what you want to change. Staring at the mirror every time you walk by looking for a change will drive you crazy. If you do not see anything then get someone else's opinion. You will be happily surprised!
*Also are you taking any measurements? After every phase you should take the pics and some basic measurements to document your changes.
At the very least, keep reminding yourself how what you are doing is helping the "whole" you.

I do not have any experience with your medications and affects they might have on your specific weight loss. (sorry)

Going Primal: Not everyone welcomes this concept so you will get a variety of opinions. Here is mine . . . .
On 1/11 of this year I took the step toward a healthier life. That day I started the Insanity program. At that point I cut out diet soda, most processed foods and desserts. I also switched to multi-grain breads for everything. After the first month I felt a lot better with my cardio capabilities but did not notice a (big) difference with my body. About this time I was introduced to Mark Sisson and The Primal Blueprint (thanks Dave). I bought into this concept right away and changed to it within a few days. (I also have a lot of food alergies so eliminating all those grains was a BIG plus!) The second half of Insanity I saw tremendous changes and watched as my weight/BF melted off! (I always wondered what people meant by that.) I also felt better in between meals, didn't have those mood swings or bonk's and made it through to the next meal without feeling like I am starving. It is a little challenging at first, learning what foods are good and fighting those cravings that you developed a habit of eating. (Mine was bread & butter! Although the butter part is good for you!) So, is it successful for me? Yes! Am I going to continue with this primal lifestyle? Absolutely! Have non-primal people achieved successes with their health and diet? I would venture to say yes, and you may hear from them. But, I believe that our bodies were not meant to eat grains and that (good) fats are not only very good for you but also are a great source of energy to fuel your body. I feel the best I have ever felt in a very long time. Yes exercising plays a big part but also this diet.
Bottom line is it is your call. The Primal diet is low in carbs (under 100 grams to lose weight) but much higher in fat than your doctors would probably accept. You need to clear it with them first. As you mentioned there are others who are primal that can provide their thoughts as well. I didn't get too scientific with you about this because well, there are others who can explain it better. I felt my story might be better suited as my comments.

BTW: I will be 50 this year, started out at around 183-185 lbs and just weighed myself today and was 161. I finished Insanity and now am in the first week of phase II of P90X. I never really got accurate BF measurements in the begining so I have no numbers to compare to. I recently bought a multi-function scale that also gives you BF readings (along with other stuff). I know it is not perfect but I will be able to keep track of any changes. At this time I am at 21.3% BF. Take a moment to look at my pics in my profile. I hate to think what I was when I first started!

Hope some of this helps . . .

Jim

[chrisdjones]

I had a nice reply but hit "reply to thread" instead of "post" and lost it. Dang it...

Jim, thanks for the advice and the motivation. I did take pics about a week after starting. There was a minor bit of difference at the end of phase 1, just a tiny bit. The side view shots my stomach looks bigger but I'm willing to believe that one is hard to judge with breathing going on. I took measurements after phase 1 so I'll have those for comparison after phase 2.

I'm going to order "The Primal Blueprint" and give it a read. I always struggle with healthy eating because I'm not a big veggie eater but I hope I can get something sorted out.

[JimNAZ]

Hang in there! You will like the book, even if you do not go primal. I think it is a must read for everyone just to get an understanding of the nutrients.

Maybe not being able to get your HR up has an affect on your calories burned. Perhaps drop down the total cals per day for a week to see what happens.

No matter what always remember you are doing your body good!