Ghosty

I might be missing it but I don't see how long it took you to lose the 12 pounds?  If it was a short amount of time, just getting rid of grains could result in weight loss from water weight, glycogen stores and waste.  If you're worried seeing a doc is your best bet.

 

Keep in mind that regardless of whether gluten is good or bad for you, grains do contain a lot of calories.  So if you have cut them, you may be low on calories, or at least significantly lower than you were.  You may need to make up those calories somewhere else (this of course depends on how many calories you need vs how many you're taking in).  Just something to think about.

 

Also, just reading your post...whether you have an official gluten intolerance / sensitivity it seems you have your answer on whether grains are affecting you negatively. 

Now that I have finally figured out the last piece of my particular puzzle - histamine - I look like I have lost 40-50 pounds...but have only lost about 10 -- I now know without a doubt every part of my body had inflammation - not fat.

What do you mean by this?  What was the problem with histamine, and how did you figure it out / fix it?  Forgive me if this is obvious, but I don't understand and am curious.

Just wanted to add I know it sucks when it seems like you are doing everything right, and still not seeing the results you want.  

 

It definitely does sound like something bigger, like Thyroid, may be going on.  I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment on that.  However, also keep in mind, that even when eating "clean", it still comes down to calories consumed, and whether you are burning more than taking in.  It is definitely possible to gain weight while eating Paleo / Primal.  Just to be sure, you may want to consider figuring out what you're caloric intake should be, then using something like Fitday (or one of the many variations) to keep track of your caloric intake.  Try to come in at 500 calories less than you burn and see how that goes.  

 

Consider ditching the milk too.  I'm not saying milk is good or bad, but I think when someone is trying to lean out, dairy, and cow milk in particular, can be prohibitive.

 

You also are working out quite a bit.  Consider giving yourself some days off.  Days where you walk at a fast pace for two hours is not a day off either!    Your body needs time to repair and rest.  Maybe take one of those walks (on a work out day) fasted early in the day, and see if that helps out 

 

Just my thoughts.  Sounds like you are really doing some great things.  I hope you get this sorted out.  

Just curious...other than gluten, what are some foods that affect you negatively? Are these foods allowed on the South Beach Diet?

Like I wrote, just curious. Keep us posted and good luck.

Just my opinion as someone that follows Paleo...

You need to increase protein. Aim for .7 - 1 gram per pound. These are generally accepted amounts, especially with your weight work outs. This will probably put your protein intake closer to 30% - 40%. While I don't think you should overly worry about the macro breakdown, 20% is too low.

Also, Mark's carb break down is really overly simplistic, and I don't think there are many that even agree with it. If I'm not mistaken, he has even backed off from it a bit, though I'm not sure of that. Either way, his point was people with less activity need less carbs. I think its hard to argue with this. At the same time, 100 grams MAY be too low for someone as active as you. Experiment with this, and see how it goes. There are so many different ideas with carb levels and placements right now...look into some of them and consider trying them out. Check out "carb backloading" which is getting a lot of attention right now. Also, Robb Wolf just did a three piece article on carbs and exercise, and I think they are on his site. If you are tired and not recovering it may be too few carbs and/or calories.

Speaking of calories, 1200 seems too low. Especially on days you exercise. There are sites that help you figure this out, but again, if you are not recovering and getting tired after a work out it may be too few calories.