Calling On All Primal Celiacs

[Turtle]

Hi!

I've conquered my first successful grocery shopping trip so I can get my shell in Primal gear. However, I have read and read and re-read Mark's Daily Apply & all the links/resources he provides.....but I clearly need some primal vet help.

Quick Bio Info: I'm female, I'm a Celiac and have been gluten free for almost 10yrs. I used to maintain a weight of 135-145, worked w/ a trainer and/or worked out at least 4x's per week and I ate nearly primal, although I didn't know that at the time. I had major surgery on both my legs so hence my current situation which is: I'm 5'1 and now weigh 155 due to being sedentary for months while my legs healed from the surgery, etc. For the last year, I can't get the scale to budge so it's time to regroup and get back on track. Which is where my going Primal kicks in.

Currently I exercise approx 4x's per week sometimes more alternating my days between weights (60min sessions) & cardio (usually treadmill or lipty for 3 miles give or take but always hitting at least 30-45min worth of cardio). And I've been using myfitnesspal to track what I eat. After reading Mark's site and visiting nearly every link he offers I'm ready to get my primal on.

WHAT I NEED HELP WITH IS: I have reset myfitnesspal for a 1200 calorie intake (is this even appropriate?) with goals of 20% carbs, 20% protein and 60% fat. I haven't a CLUE if this is accurate for me. I read Mark's "formula" but I am math challenged and I have no idea if I'm doing this correctly. All I understand from his writings & the pretty diagrams is that to lose weight I need to intake no more than 50-100g of carbs per day. I am very confused & finding myself frustrated about what my intake for fats, proteins, sugars, etc. are supposed to be and/or what I need to set these to on myfitnesspal to accurately track my intake of food each day. I MUST keep a log as I rely on that visual to help me see what I'm intaking. If anyone has any insight feel free to enlighten me. (BTW, I tend to ALWAYS go over in protein each day, is this something I need to be concerned about?)

[Ghosty]

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.

[Turtle]

THANK YOU!!! All very helpful and I have a much better understanding now. Have a great week and thanks again!

[GottaSki]

So....I've been through a bit.

Here is what I have learned.

My body does best with three meals that are quite similar.

Start with meat -- much more than I used to eat.

Add vegies

Add a touch of fresh gound salt and pepper

Maybe add fresh herbs for more flavor at the end.

PERIOD.

I have a piece of fruit here or there and do love the occasional smoothie.

Snacks are freshly ground almond butter - sometimes with a touch of cocoa

Very often "chocolate mousse" -- almonds, cocoa, coconut milk and agave -- interesting -- I have found less of a "need" for my something sweet -- now that I am vertical and very close to healthy.

[ButterflyChaser]

Hi all, I am so grateful Turtle started this thread!

My docs got me on a grain-free (even plain rice causes me bad D) and legume-free diet (always had a hard time with legumes), and also asked me to limit dairy to no more than two servings of milk or yogurt per day (fun fact: I was lactose intolerant as a baby, but apparently grew out of it? I was messed up severely as a newborn). I am also losing albumines in my blood because my GI condition lasted so long. Great. So I thought that a primal-ish diet would be worth a shot.

I am very short, 5'2 and I need to lose about 35 lbs. I have a desk job (scholar) but I try and exercise regularly for about 90 mins a day - either a mix of cardio and weights or dance classes (ballet or zumba). Except I have been feeling miserable with a cold this past week, and that all went.

I am also on MFP (Turtle, PM me if you want to add me as a friend), and I am aiming for a 1200 kcal per day, but I think my settings are more like 45% protein, 20% fat, and 35% carbs. It is very very difficult for me to go very high on fat, because I have to stay off nuts for a few months (they don't agree with me), hate dressings besides olive oil, and in general a high fat meal sends me back to the bathroom, which worsens the edema associated with protein loss. So I'm stuck: how should I change my proportions so that I don't hurt my tummy?

Primal aside, can anyone explain to me why fats cause me cholic-like pain, gas and inexplicable urgency? I had a bowl of plain vanilla frozen yogurt for lunch and have been sick all day...

[GottaSki]

Fat is very difficult to digest. As with all digestive system workings -- it is harder for some rather than others -- also type of fat can be a factor.

Was the frozen yogurt from a shop or a container at home that you know to be gluten-free? Perhaps dairy? Perhaps other things -- sorry I'm a bit fuzzy headed with a major headache tonight.

If others don't chime in, I'll check on this thread in the morning.

[ButterflyChaser]

It was a Stonyfield, of which the company says "our ice cream and frozen yogurt products (except for the Cookies 'n Cream flavor), do not contain gluten. We follow safe manufacturing practices to ensure there is no cross contamination in the gluten-free varieties, but because they're run on the same equipment as products with gluten, they are not certified gluten-free and that should be kept in mind when making your purchasing decisions."

I may have asked this already, and I feel kind of dumb, but... does the "shared equipment" caution also applies to people who have negative blood panels, and who seem to have just NCGS?