The Primal Blueprint works for me

I’ve been following the “Primal Blueprint” for seven weeks now, very simply stated: a lifestyle of eating organic meats, vegetables, and fats. As I had followed the Atkins diet since August 2010 I was used to eating very little of grains & rice, legumes, or processed foods. These foods are discouraged in Primal. Hmmm, taco chips are processed – and they were my last holdout junk food. And I do love black beans and rice… I eat meat. I eat dairy. I eat fruits and vegetables. I eat fat, my favorite food group.

I recommend reading the book for all sorts of informative and thought provoking information on nutrition and exercise. Primal’s dietary structure is in direct contradiction to the Food Pyramid, the dietary guidelines promoted by the USDA which touts eating a diet heavy in carbs and light in protein and fats. So read the book. I know for a fact that it works for me – see my last post about my improved lipid panel and weight loss.

I set up an account at Fitday.com and charted my daily food intake for several weeks to get a feel for this new way of eating. Now it’s become routine and I know what I can eat. There are cookbooks available for free download at marksdailyapple.com for menu ideas.

I do my grocery shopping in Eugene, an old hippy town with many organic markets and produce stands. Market of Choice has an excellent selection of organic meats and wild-caught fish.

The book has a formula to figure grams of protein, fat, and carbs to consume for weight loss. For me this translated into 92 grams of protein, 96 grams of fat, and 72 grams of carbohydrates daily which equals 1,666 total daily calories. (I’d give you my specifics but I’m too vain to put my weight out there in the wide world of the internet.)

Just follow the directions below to figure out yours:
Don’t be daunted by the math!

Step 1
Go to a BMR calculator internet site. Plug in your age and weight. The result will be the number of daily calories burned to support your basal metabolic function.
Write that number down. Example: 1,411

Step 2
Activity Factor (chart below for women)
Add in some additional caloric needs for your activity level.

Example Category: Extremely Active factor 1.725


Activity Factor Category Definition Chart
1.2 Sedentary Little or no exercise and desk job
1.375 Lightly Active Light exercise or sports 1-3 days a week
1.55 Moderately Active Moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days a week
1.725 Very Active Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week4
1.9 Extremely Active Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job

Your BMR x Activity Factor
1,411 x 1.725 = 2,433 Total Daily Calories

Step 3
Determine your body fat percentage – you’ll find a calculator online.

Your weight at your body fat percentage = pounds of lean body mass

148 weight x 27 % body fat = 102 pounds of lean body mass

Step 4

Factor for Protein Requirements in Grams per Pound of Body Weight per Day Chart
Sedentary Adult (RDA) 0.40
Adult Recreational Exerciser 0.75
Adult Competitive Athlete 0.90
Adult Building Muscle Mass 0.90
Dieting Athlete 1.00
Growing Teenage Athlete 1.00

Factor for protein intake per pound

Lean body mass in lbs x Factor for protein intake

102 lbs lean body mass x 1.0 (Dieting Athlete) = 102 grams of average daily protein intake.

Step 5
Determine your desired weight loss of per month:

Example: Goal of losing 7.66 lbs per month

7.66 lbs x 3500 calories required to burn 1 lb = 26,810 total calories / 30 days = 894 daily calorie deficit.

Step 6

Calculate your average caloric intake per day:

Example: 2,433 Total Daily Calories less 894 daily calorie deficit = 1,533 calories per day.

Now we’re almost to the finish line


You get 1,533 calories per day

You get 102 grams of protein per day (102 grams x 4 calories per gram of protein = 408 calories)

You get 75 grams of carbs per day (75 grams x 4 calories per gram of carb = 300 calories)

1,533 calories per day (less protein & carb calories = fat calories per day)
- 408 protein calories per day
- 300 carb calories per day

825 fat calories There are 9 calories per gram of fat. 825 / 9 = 91 grams of fat daily


To achieve the exampled weight loss goal of 7.66 lb per month, your daily goals are:

408 calories protein, (102 grams protein)
300 calories carbs, (75 grams carbs)
825 calories fat, (91 grams fat)

Whew. That’s done.