protein/fat macros

[jlj80]

hi. i know we arent supposed to be counting macros but i finished my whole30 a week ago and have only reintroduced butter to cook eggs in. im not missing much else so keeping on the whole 30 path.

so im on day 38 or something like that (i know not technically b/c im having butter now) and i still have no weight loss nor hardly any changes in my clothing and so was curious as to waht my intake has looked like-i tracked the past few days and see that my diet is about 65% fat. which ends up being in the 100g range per day. so my protein seems low-around 25% which ends up being around 90g/day. just not sure if i am maybe eating too much fat in place of protein? 

i have for the most part been going fine between meals. i do notice if a meal is lacking enough fat that i wont feel full-so i totally believe in the power of fat. just not sure if im overeating it. a serving is half an avocado, 1/3 container of good foods guac from costco, or a few tablespoons of ranch dressing with veggies. i dont count cooking oil (so the percentage is probably even bigger if some of that was added in). eating lots of veggies, etc. ive listed out my meals on other previous posts, but just wanted to get specific feedback about fat/protein. thank you!

[jmcbn]

Ok, so first off this is not a diet.

Secondly, tracking macros doesn't really tell you a great deal - all carbs are not created equal, neither are all fats, and this is why we ask you to focus on your body's signals and eat according to those.

You're aiming to go 4-5hrs between meals so if the meals you are eating are sustaining you for that long then you are on the right track. If 8hrs have passed and you're still not hungry then you might want to look at their composition. 

A half an avocado sounds fine for a serving. Remember though that the butter you have now added is also a fat.

How much protein are you eating in relation to the size of your palm? How much veg? Do you work out? And if so are you including pre/postWO meals?

 

[jlj80]

Hi. I used the term diet to refer to what I am eating (basically the way Melissa does in FFF) not to indicate that this is a "diet" of temporary nature. 

 

Second i have not done any tracking at all until the past couple of days-which was beyond my completion of the whole30. Something is off for me because my clothes are tight as ever and I believe I owe it to myself to try and figure out what that is 40 days into this.  Not looking for miracles but would have expected to see/feel some small changes in the right direction by this point. 

 

I eat 1.5-2 palm servings of protein. Carbs come from potatoes and winter squash. Very little fruit. Veggies at every meal. About 2 cups. Snacks (if needed) end up being all fat-coconut, veggies in mayo. Thinking this may be part of the issue (no protein).

For workouts I walk and do 1-2 30 minute boot camp classes a week. I do those first thing am and so eat breakfast after. I do not do a traditional pre/post workout meal. But those workouts are not heavy weight lifting. 

[Tom Denham]

I went back and looked at a handful of your previous posts. My concern is that you may still not be eating what I would recognize as well-composed meals all day. At one point, you were getting too many raw veggies versus cooked, nuts in various forms, and you were combining breakfast and your post-workout meal - which means you were missing an important meal. These things tend to mess with your hormones and keep them from getting into the kind of rhythm that supports losing any excess weight. 

It is okay to spot check your calories/macros every once in a while. The problem with that check, however, is that what it tells you is often not very helpful. For example, eating 65 percent fat is not necessarily good or bad. 

I did not find a food log for you, although I did not do an exhaustive search. Knowing exactly what you are eating and drinking is the critical piece we would need to provide useful feedback to you. 

[jlj80]

hi. thanks-i dont have a meal log on here, just meals that ive posted within various posts over time. here is where im at:

 

B1: frittata with cooked peppers and broccoli mixed in. one piece of frittata has 3 eggs and 1/2 aidells sausage. will also have veggies on the side-cooked brussels sprouts, some winter squash or cherry tomatoes. fat will be 1/2 avocado or 1/3 container of good foods guac. 

B2: homemade chili with ground turkey, crushed tomatoes, peppers and onions. fat is same as above. theres quite a bit of veggies mixed in so i dont add extra.

L1: chili from above (not on same day as i had it for breakfast)

L2:  homemade chicken salad on big bed of greens with raw veggies. maybe add in some winter squash. ill add a little fat-some olives or 1/3 avocado. chicken salad is made with homemade mayo. 

L3: if im out ill order a big salad with chicken, ask for avocado. 

 

D1: grilled meat (chicken thighs, steak) with cooked veggies-broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts. meat is 1.5-2 palm sizes. veggies are 1.5-2 cups. fat will be avocado or mayo/ranch with veggies dipped in. sometimes add potato or winter squash. 

D2: meatballs over spaghetti squash. fat same as above. 

D3: shrimp with cauli rice, onions and zucchini. fat same as above.

sometimes ill add in a piece of fruit somewhere during the day. i have cut out nuts, almond milk and nut butters. if i get hungry between meals ill have veggies dipped in mayo or ranch or shredded coconut. 

beverages are water, unsweetened iced tea, seltzer (la croix). 

 

let me know if im missing any info. 

[jmcbn]

Funnily enough I looked back through your previous posts too. I know you say you're not looking on this as a diet, but there was a kind of a theme running through your posts - day 21 pants as tight as ever, day 31 scale disappointment etc - and I'm wondering if the stress of focusing on the scale isn't hindering your progress. Any type of stress will keep cortisol levels raised & raised cortisol is associated with weight gain/lack of weight loss.

Your meals look pretty good to me. I'd be looking at least 6mths pregnant with most of them, but if you're not having any digestive distress, bloating etc then what's not to like?

Other than worrying about your weight are you stressed about anything else? Do you get adequate time out doors? ie. could you be vitamin d deficient? How is your sleep? Have you ever had your thyroid checked? Are you peri-menopausal? Did you ever get the PCOS test? Or have any bloodwork done...?  All things that might also have an impact & certainly worth considering...

In the meantime, seriously, break up with the scale and focus on being kind to yourself. I say this as someone who had a really bad relationship with food & the scale & calorie counting & macros and all sorts of other things in the past. I am SO much happier now than I was back then - and my weight (or rather my body composition) is right where it should be with very little effort on my part.

 

 

[jlj80]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response. 

I'm not really hung up on the scale. If my clothes fit different I'd be thrilled. That's what I truly care about. Because, as you mentioned, that reflects body comp. 

i don't have any major sources of stress. And I don't live each day focused on the scale. I didn't step on for the entire thirty days and have only been on once since then. I totally hear you on the cortisol but I don't think I'm thay worked up about it that it's causing chronic stress. 

I sleep well, always have. I'm outside everyday, some more than others. I am 36 and hypothyroid have been for years. I take synthroid and get blood work for that every year. I've had a metabolic panel done by my endo and it was Normal. Was prescribed a 4 hour glucose test but put it off because of doing the whole30 (I posted about that a month ago). Have taken metformin for 17 years but took a break bc glucose levels were Normal (on fasting test not with the drink-haven't done thay test yet as mentioned)  

On the meals-I do have some gas/bloating issues. Trying to pinpoint what it is. Possibly the cabbage for which enzymes seem to help. But I adore Brussels sprouts. Without roasted sprouts I honestly don't know how I could keep up with the veggies. 

Just concerned that I am eating too much fat. So may just need to play around with that. 

[jmcbn]

4 hours ago, jlj80 said:

On the meals-I do have some gas/bloating issues. Trying to pinpoint what it is. Possibly the cabbage for which enzymes seem to help. But I adore Brussels sprouts. Without roasted sprouts I honestly don't know how I could keep up with the veggies.

I adore sprouts too but I said good bye to them a long time ago. I broke up with avocado over and over.... sweet potato and I are not 'sweet'. But like with any relationship I found I can survive perfectly well (better) without them.

When I first raised the issue of FODMAPswith you some months back (along with the nuts - which incidentally are high FODMAP) I know you were overwhelmed. But you're still having issues, still trying to figure out why, still eating the same foods....... I think it's time to think seriously about eliminating these foods & then reintroducing them one by one to see how you fare. The biggest likely culprits are: sprouts, cabbage, broccoli & cauliflower as they are both high FODMAP and cruciferous - two of the most problematic food groups out there. I'd start there.

Good luck!