Primal Journal (Chatty) 04/02/2012 it begins

I swore I'd never be over 200 lbs. (again) and here I am: just turned age 60 and weigh 202 lbs.
I ordered the PB books, supplements and some formula, but haven't received them yet.
Today, I browsed the forum for info and inspiration.
Stumbled upon the PB before/after photos and they were really inspiring (guess I should take a photo now).
I've been eating what I "imagine" is primal for 2 days. (When I get the books, I'll know more of what I'm doing.)

Made an account at SparkPeople to track carbs and such.
So, it begins: hopefully an eating plan for a younger, healthier "me."
Time will tell.

Just read to state monthly goals. So I suppose they are:
1. Study the PB in detail and develop an eating and exercise plan
2. Stay off the scales (I have a tendency to use them too much -- monthly should be plenty).
3. Increase activity (I work in front of a computer all day & have a bad knee).
4. Don't expect too much the first month, (but I hope to drop at least 4 pounds).
5. Don't let the scale discourage me.
6. Don't let hubby discourage me (because I have to cook his favorite foods).

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Still pretending I know what I'm doing as I wait for my books to arrive.
Not hungry, headache yesterday (don't know if it's related to diet).
Is this at least half-right? (or am I gonna die soon? LOL)

[IMG]http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo311/vechorik/wk1.png[/IMG]

Books still haven't arrived, but I'm trying to eat primal. Seems I'm eating more and more calories each day, but I'm feeling fine and not having sugar cravings and no hunger. I seem to be more thirsty than normal and I'm drinking more water.

[IMG]http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo311/vechorik/week1a.png[/IMG]

About 3 PM and feeling weak/dizzy -- not hungry. Not sure what's going on
I slept well. Not really sleepy, just feeling weak. Gonna eat some spinach and a couple of eggs for dinner.

Calories: 1,187
Fat: 83
Carbohydrates: 15
Protein: 72

PS UPS man just delivered my PB books and supplies. Maybe I can read tonight, to see why I'm feeling so lousy.

Wow, you're doing a really good job of keeping track of everything! You're going to do great!

I read the 21 Total Body Transformation Book last night. Was sad to see that I'm in the lowest carb range. He didn't say how long one could safely stay there. I took the challenge and cleaned out my kitchen last night of all the foods that are bad for me (and that hubby doesn't eat). Took a "before photo" that I'll probably NEVER show anyone.

New daily goal from the book: Calculated my lean body mass (he didn't tell how to do that in the book, I had to find it on the net) He recommended .7 protein per pound lean body mass, so I know I need to eat at least 100g protein daily. It's interesting to note that, although I didn't KNOW I'm supposed to eat 100g protein daily, I automatically increased my protein more and more each day of the week (maybe this ole body does work after all -- if I'd only listen to it more carefully).

Even without the book, I was trying to eat primal last week. Here are the results, that I'll try to improve now that I know more of what I'm doing. I was happy with no sugar/food cravings last week! No going to bed hungry! It was great!

Week 1 summary:
[IMG]http://i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo311/vechorik/week1b.png[/IMG]

[U]Next week goals[/U]:
Keep the protein up: at least 100g per day
Get more exercise (walking/working in the garden).
Take Mark's supplements daily
1 T. ground flaxseed daily
Replace "junk carbs" (like in cream) with healthy carbs (like in spinach)
Track nutrition on SparkPeople to learn what I'm doing and how my body reacts
Study SparkPeople nutrients more carefully

Why are you eating so little fat? You should never eat more protein than fat, unless you're on a high carb refeed.

[QUOTE=mmsantos;785308]Why are you eating so little fat? You should never eat more protein than fat, unless you're on a high carb refeed.[/QUOTE]

I asked the fat question this morning: [url]http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread52701.html[/url]
I read the 21-day book and I didn't see the fat%.
So I get two different answers: "Eat fat for satiety. It will depend on how active you are and what type of activity you do. Some people here eat 80% calories fat. When in doubt, eat more (animal) fat. "

Guess I need to buy the "big book" too huh?


I don't have a clue what a "high carb refeed" is either.
I calculated my minimum protein requirements as 100g per day -- you're telling me to eat a minimum of 100g per day fat as well?

[QUOTE=Chatty;785242]


Replace "junk carbs" (like in cream) with healthy carbs (like in spinach)
[/QUOTE]

Spinach has essentially no calories from a practical standpoint, and neither does cream have any carbs, really. Both foods are healthy from my perspective. What you want to replace is food from a box with a UPC code with food straight from the ground or sea.

[QUOTE=Chatty;785320]I asked the fat question this morning: [url]http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread52701.html[/url]
I read the 21-day book and I didn't see the fat%.
So I get two different answers: "Eat fat for satiety. It will depend on how active you are and what type of activity you do. Some people here eat 80% calories fat. When in doubt, eat more (animal) fat. "

Guess I need to buy the "big book" too huh?


I don't have a clue what a "high carb refeed" is either.
I calculated my minimum protein requirements as 100g per day -- you're telling me to eat a minimum of 100g per day fat as well?[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't worry about macros. If you're new, I'd suggest getting used to eating real food first, then tweak it here and there according to your goals. But if you are interested in eating a low carb diet, definitely eat lots of animal fat. Just to give you an idea, I just had half a pount of fatty hamburger meat with a fried egg on top, and a spinach salad topped with a creamy bacon mushroom tomato sauce, and a piece of roasted bone marrow (almost pure fat) for good measure. Probably had around 100g of fat in that meal, give or take. I'm not saying go crazy with the fat, especially if you're trying to lose weight, but definitely emphasize fat over protein if you're going low carb.

Apologies for the confusion hehe. A carb refeed is a strategy used to replenish one's glycogen stores after a long time of low carb eating. It's mainly used by active people, but can have positive effects even in sedentary people who want to lose weight, as it 'resets' the metabolism. It's usually just a day or two with lots of carbs (preferably clean sources like potatoes and fruit), moderate protein, and low fat. [B]This is the only time you should ever go low fat[/B], unless you're fasting, which isn't really low fat since you're using your own body fat!

Don't calculate your requirements. Just eat real food as indicated by the book and everything will more or less come into place :D