I want to start eating paleo but don't want to lose weight

[Anonymous]

I'm 5'5'' and 120 pounds. I am 38. I feel that I look way too thin at this weight (I would prefer to be 130) but I find it very hard to put on weight. People always comment that I'm "tiny" or "small" and I don't like hearing this. I want to eat the paleo diet for the anti-inflammatory benefits (I'm TTC #2 and having difficulty, and want to cut out dairy, sugar and gluten). However, without these things I know I'm going to lose even more weight. I currently drink a lot of juice which helps me keep my weight. I have a small appetite in general and don't eat much overall.

How can I eat paleo and not lose weight (or even gain weight)?

[Anonymous]

Pinterest has high fat, paleo recipes. Just make sure you keep your calorie count at at least 1500.

[Anonymous]

And cut out the juice. Eat the fruit instead. You need the fiber.

[Anonymous]

Lots of avocado and coconut milk and nuts. All very high calorie. Also take probiotics and digestive enzymes to help your stomach digest nutrients appropriately.

[Anonymous]

Keep your calorie count up. Make sure you are getting enough healthy fat, proteins, etc.

Stop drinking juice, it makes you skinny-fat, not muscular/fit. And just because you are thin doesn't mean you should be drinking pure sugar constantly. It's possible to be pre-diabetic (and have other issues like terrible teeth) from constantly drinking juice. I used to drink juice all the time and was 100 pounds but quit due to the damage to my teeth and feeling crappy all the time from the sugar.

Start lifting.

[Anonymous]

Eat more fat. Avocados, cheese, nuts, olive oil. I'm jealous.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I already eat lots of avocado and nuts (1-2 avocados per day, nuts for snack). It does nothing for my weight. If I cut out the juice (which I will) I will probably lose at least 5-8 pounds which I don't want. I also eat dessert every day, sometimes twice a day, and if I cut that out I'll probably lose a lot of weight.

Here's a typical food day for me now (where I'm barely maintaining my weight):


Right now I eat: Breakfast: scrambled eggs, avocado, tomato
Lunch: Small salad (sometimes I skip lunch)
Snack: handful of nuts, dried cranberries, 2 kiwis or 2 oranges, cheese
Dinner: Usually pasta entree, steamed veggies
Dessert: a bowl of ice cream or chocolate pudding
Drinks: 1/2 my beverages are water, 1/2 my beverages are juice

No caffeine, alcohol or smoking

[Anonymous]

Try high calorie smoothies made with coconut milk, fruit, avocado, and nut butters as snacks in between meals. Meals can be a serving of whatever Paleo compliant meat you like with a side of veggies and a starch like spaghetti squash, sweet potato, or roasted root vegetable with ghee for extra calories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I already eat lots of avocado and nuts (1-2 avocados per day, nuts for snack). It does nothing for my weight. If I cut out the juice (which I will) I will probably lose at least 5-8 pounds which I don't want. I also eat dessert every day, sometimes twice a day, and if I cut that out I'll probably lose a lot of weight.

Here's a typical food day for me now (where I'm barely maintaining my weight):


Right now I eat: Breakfast: scrambled eggs, avocado, tomato
Lunch: Small salad (sometimes I skip lunch)
Snack: handful of nuts, dried cranberries, 2 kiwis or 2 oranges, cheese
Dinner: Usually pasta entree, steamed veggies
Dessert: a bowl of ice cream or chocolate pudding
Drinks: 1/2 my beverages are water, 1/2 my beverages are juice

No caffeine, alcohol or smoking

Then add creatine, protein powder, and weight lifting to put on muscle. Perhaps sweet potatoes or rice with your meals.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you really think that your diet is the root cause of difficulty conceiving? are you seeing a fertility specialist? I would not go on a restrictive and meat heavy diet for this purpose. ww. pasta, rice, etc nuts, olive oils, etc--I would try to follow a Mediterranean diet. Unless you have allergies to gluten, dairy etc there is no need to do this to try to get pregnant and the risks seem to be greater for you in terms of weight loss.

[Anonymous]

You may actually find it easier to gain weight/maintain weight on paleo - you don't seem to consume a lot of protein. Paleo is so heavily protein that you may actually start getting some muscle (assuming you workout).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you really think that your diet is the root cause of difficulty conceiving? are you seeing a fertility specialist? I would not go on a restrictive and meat heavy diet for this purpose. ww. pasta, rice, etc nuts, olive oils, etc--I would try to follow a Mediterranean diet. Unless you have allergies to gluten, dairy etc there is no need to do this to try to get pregnant and the risks seem to be greater for you in terms of weight loss.

+1

I know everyone’s body is different, but I have an autoimmune disease and my symptoms got worse when I went paleo (and dairy/gluten free); I was eating tons of veggies and fruit, but also a fair amount of animal protein. I also lost 15 pounds: from 125 to 110, at 5’6”.

After lots of research I started cutting back on animal protein (and dropped red meat altogether), really embracing the Mediterranean diet. I’ve gained back 5 pounds and seem to have plateaued at 115 with this diet. And I’m feeling much better. Obviously this could be coincidence, but I wanted to share my experience since autoimmune paleo diets are so popular right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I already eat lots of avocado and nuts (1-2 avocados per day, nuts for snack). It does nothing for my weight. If I cut out the juice (which I will) I will probably lose at least 5-8 pounds which I don't want. I also eat dessert every day, sometimes twice a day, and if I cut that out I'll probably lose a lot of weight.

Here's a typical food day for me now (where I'm barely maintaining my weight):


Right now I eat: Breakfast: scrambled eggs, avocado, tomato
Lunch: Small salad (sometimes I skip lunch)
Snack: handful of nuts, dried cranberries, 2 kiwis or 2 oranges, cheese
Dinner: Usually pasta entree, steamed veggies
Dessert: a bowl of ice cream or chocolate pudding
Drinks: 1/2 my beverages are water, 1/2 my beverages are juice

No caffeine, alcohol or smoking

Add sausage or bacon to your breakfast and don’t skip lunch and instead of a small salad - have a shake with tons of protein and fat or leftovers from lathe previous nights dinner. For dinner, and have another protein, roast veggies in olive oil, .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I already eat lots of avocado and nuts (1-2 avocados per day, nuts for snack). It does nothing for my weight. If I cut out the juice (which I will) I will probably lose at least 5-8 pounds which I don't want. I also eat dessert every day, sometimes twice a day, and if I cut that out I'll probably lose a lot of weight.

Here's a typical food day for me now (where I'm barely maintaining my weight):


Right now I eat: Breakfast: scrambled eggs, avocado, tomato
Lunch: Small salad (sometimes I skip lunch)
Snack: handful of nuts, dried cranberries, 2 kiwis or 2 oranges, cheese
Dinner: Usually pasta entree, steamed veggies
Dessert: a bowl of ice cream or chocolate pudding
Drinks: 1/2 my beverages are water, 1/2 my beverages are juice

No caffeine, alcohol or smoking

Add sausage or bacon to your breakfast and don’t skip lunch and instead of a small salad - have a shake with tons of protein and fat or leftovers from lathe previous nights dinner. For dinner, and have another protein, roast veggies in olive oil, .

OP here. The issue is that I really don't like meat at all. I don't eat much of it now because I don't like it. I do eat a lot of eggs and legumes though.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you in your normal weight, you are not necessary going to loose any weight. I am 5'2 and also 120 lb, which I like. I just finished whole 30 (which is mostly paleo), and I lost only 1 lb in 4 weeks. So, it is not that your weight going to drop drastically. I think the only people who loose a lot of weight on paleo are people with a lot of extra weight.