The mental meanderings of primal me

So today I visited with the nurse that teaches people how to lower their cholesterol.

Her recommendations: follow the Canada Food guide, eat more veggies and fruit (7-10 servings a day), limit intake of coconut, eat healthy whole grains(6-8 servings a day), lets not go into what to limit from that list cause I told her straight out I will not be increasing my non-existent intake of grains. Milk and alternatives (2-3 servings a day), limit anything with more than 2% milk fat in it, reduce red meat consumption, also not recommended bacon, sausage, duck, goose and organ meats, fish canned in oil, chicken wings, shell fish and skin on poultry, oh the horror! Lastly 30-45 ml of unsaturated fats a day from vegetable oil (canola, olive and soybean), soft margarine, salad dressings and mayonnaise, limit butter, hard margarine, lard and shortening. Anyone else see a problem here?

Why is it when I told her I was following a paleo diet all she heard about what I eat (lean meats, veggies, fruits, nuts and eggs) did she then decide that I am eating bacon and eggs everyday and loading up on all kinds of red meat and organ meats? She went from claiming to have not heard about paleo to all of a sudden she knows this is my problem? We had what I thought was an open discussion about my risk factors and the things I am doing that are good. I'm not a smoker, I don't drink on a daily basis, I don't eat a lot of sugar. But all of a sudden because my diet is high fat/moderate protein/low carb or high protein/moderate fat/low carb from day to day that is a major issue. I don't consume red meat everyday, in fact I don't consume a lot of meat in any single meal but she says it is my consumption of meat that is causing my cholesterol to be high. Without any prior bloodwork we do not know what is going on, it could be going up, it could be coming down. She just jumped to the conclusion that a change I made this summer is the culprit when in fact I think it is years of eating a SAD diet with lots of convenience foods (and let's face it, lots of McDonald's).

She ran off to ask the doctor if I could do a blood test in 3 months instead of the 6 originally ordered and the doctor came back and ordered a celiac test as well. I didn't ask for that, I don't think I am celiac just intolerant. I know this test is going to come back negative and she's going to use that to try and get me to eat grains again. Not going to happen. It's more than the weight loss and the feeling of no pain in my stomach. It's the lack of insulin spikes and sugar shakes throughout the day. I am so glad to be off the blood sugar roller coaster that I don't want to have anything to do with that ever again!

I'm tired of everybody thinking they know what's best for me without having lived my life. They are not even willing to look into what I am doing to see for themselves if it is healthy or not. They are very quick to disregard it as a fad diet. Sure, a fad diet I have been able to stick with since June! I didn't last nearly as long on Atkins or South Beach because I did feel deprived then, I don't feel deprived now. My doctor also thinks I need to eat grains or else I will be missing out on some essential nutrients, oh yeah and I will get bored eating the same foods every day. She has not seen my arsenal of cookbooks, or the online resources. There is no way this family is getting bored with the same dishes day after day because the only way that would happen is to go back to the SAD again. I repeat myself Not Going To Happen!

I shall be scouring the boards to see how paleo has caused everyone else's cholesterol to sky rocket and how they fixed it following the Canada Food guide or the American Food Pyramid. *snort, snicker, can't even say that with a straight face.

And now off to steam some broccoli and Brussels sprouts to accompany the 1/2 bbq duck I picked up in China Town today. Very curious as to how it is going to taste. My guess is yummy.

Midterms have come and gone. I weathered them all right I guess, though this was my worst showing yet. I passed all my exams/papers but just barely. Even the year I wrote exams while sick with H1N1 and not able to study I did better. I guess what they say about 4th year being the toughest year is true.

I am glad that the stress of exams did not lead to weight gain. I was expecting to put a few pounds on. In fact I weighed just before exams started and I had gained about 1 pound, then I lost 2 somehow by the end of the week. That was satisfying. I have had little trouble sticking to primal during school. Although I am letting myself eat some potatoes and some rice I still feel that I am doing really well. I find it hard to imagine that I ever really enjoyed eating any other way so that says something about how right this WOE is for me.

I have been invited by friends of mine to have a "paleo talk" at their store. I plan to share my experience with the changes I have made and also to share the wealth of resources I have found. This way I will be giving credit where credit is due so there may be some new "faces" here on MDA or lurking in the other blogs I follow as well. I also intend to share this post from guest blogger Amy Kubal on Robb Wolf's blog [url=http://robbwolf.com/2012/10/24/shades-paleo/]Seven Shades of Paleo[/url].

I found it very interesting and I liked the way she broke down the different flavours of paleo. I find I fit in the Lacto-paleo or primal shade but since I aim for 100% I am aware that I probably hit 90-95% for the most part I have to say I fit in the WTF paleo in that 5-10% of the time. Not quite to the same extent as in the post but I can identify with it. That is how I have approached other diets in the past but not how I approach this WOE. Because of the kids we have some (thankfully very little) gluten-free products, we made GF cupcakes for my son's birthday and as a treat last weekend I made GF French toast. Starbucks is very available at school, there's one right in the common market but I am very happy to report that I am now ordering my latte's half-sweet. That has been a major accomplishment. I used to be a three-packet girl! Pizza has now moved from once-a-month to special occasions only and I think I will be able to just order the salad next time but I might swipe a piece off my kids plate, call it a pizza tax.

Now as I head into the second half of the semester I am maintaining my fitness goals. I am able to do 5 flights of stairs, and most days I do them two or three times! I love how strong my legs feel even as they are getting slimmer! I bought calf boots, I hadn't been able to buy them before. Along with the boots I was able to buy skinny jeans. Such a happy day! I am moving forward with optimism, hope and the belief that I can and will be successful in reaching my goals.

So we survived the Mayan Apocalypse, Christmas dinners and New Year's Eve celebrations! Yay us!

I must admit I went into the holidays with a plan. To indulge as much as I wanted as long as I was indulging in foods that fit my lifestyle. To that end we had a couple of gluten-free Christmas dinners, along with some red wine and some dark chocolate. All in all that went pretty well and we stuck to our diet as closely as we could. I did make a gluten free stuffing, next year I will leave out the GF bread, it wasn't essential to the dish I made anyway.

For me New Years was a flop, I wound up with a nasty stomach bug and an involuntary 24 hour fast. At the end of it I had lost 5 lbs! I hit my first goal of reaching a weight below 200 lbs, and in time for the new year no less, but it wasn't the way I would have chosen to reach it. I am sure most of what I lost was water, I was very dehydrated until I was able to keep water in my system for more than a few minutes.

Now it is 2013 and I have not set any resolutions. I find that they really get in my way and I never accomplish them. I do want to get outside for more exercise with my dogs, and I am fascinated by kettlebells so I am looking for more information, possibly a video to get me started. I'm sure I will need to start with a very light weight because of my continuing back issues but I am really keen to get started.

So here's to starting the year off right and keeping it on the primal path!

I have been very busy with school and with avoiding school work and all other work as much as possible. I think I'm just tired. The end is so close I can taste it and yet if I don't pass just one class I'll be back again in school for at least one more semester. It's inconceivable! I have ordered my gown, I have to reserve my tickets as soon as possible. There's no room for failure.

Diet wise I have been doing about the same as before. I haven't weighed in over a month but my pants are still very loose. I'm confused when I try on jeans, I hate the way everything fits. So I just keep wearing my too-large jeans in hopes that I will move down enough sizes to actually like the way jeans fit and want to buy them. I am eagerly looking forward to spring, the farmer's markets will open up again and we are putting in a garden this year. I'm very excited about growing our own food.

Last month we bought a water rower. I love it! I have been rowing every couple of days, and working out with my kettle bells and doing some yoga. I feel great, and just a little sore but I finally graduated from visiting the chiropractor every 4 months to calling in when I need an adjustment. It took 2 and a half years to get here and it was the exercise that did it. On top of that I'm still doing the stairs at school. When my legs hurt from a lot of squats or a long rowing session I tackle the stairs with even more enthusiasm as it helps warm up and loosen achy muscles.

We have some excitement coming up. My oldest is off to Europe for spring break. The trip is through his school, we have been prepping and paying for this trip for 2 years and now finally here it is. I hope I'm not a basket case while he's gone but I was when our middle son went 2 years ago so I'm sure I will be again. Here's hoping Europe's ready for him!

So the day is finally almost here! I write my last ever final exam on Friday then I will be graduating with my Bachelor in Business Administration Accounting emphasis on May 10. It feels like it's been a long haul, 4 1/2 years since I began to be precise but I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Since my last class last week I have noticed a reduction in stress, a 3 lb weight loss with no effort and an overall sense of well-being. I attribute all of this to being primal. I have been playing around with my protein intake, still haven't found the exact right amount to eat each day but I tend to consume what my body tells me it needs. I have also been playing with dairy a bit. Drinking almost no milk unless my body absolutely says it will die if I don't have some, and then I make it wait anyway until I decide to have some. I have been having some cheese, very little yogurt but I just can't seem to kick the bit of heavy cream in my coffee every morning. The only way for me to do that is to drink tea instead, I drink it straight, no cream or honey (unless it's chai, then it needs cream and sugar too).

Without the dairy I have a hard time determining if I am getting enough fat. I don't measure because it drives me a little crazy obsessive when I start so I have just been playing it by ear. Over the next few months I plan to play with the protein and fat intake to see if I can strike the right balance. As usual I am also struggling to get enough veggies on everyone's plates. My oldest sent me a text yesterday telling me that he lost his energy levels during gym. I told him he needs to eat a bigger breakfast, include some veggies and some fruit on his plate. Obviously for a growing teenage boy 2 eggs and 2 pieces of bacon is not enough. We have lots of fruit and veggies on hand, I just have to make sure it makes it to his and his brother's plates. And mine too of course :o.

Exercise has become a great stress reliever. I am still plagued with pain in my lower back and my hips just don't want to stay in but I really enjoy my brief workouts. I have started working on yoga poses during my rest breaks while I am doing my kettle bell exercises. Then once my kettle bells are done I continue in the yoga vein for a really good stretch out and cool down. Sometimes adding a bell to a position for a little extra oomph. Then I finish it all up with a meditation session. So my workout works my body, my mind and my spirit. Afterwards I feel amazingly fresh and revitalized. Now that the sun is starting to peek out at us (though it is still rather frigid for this time of year brr!) I have been able to get out and get some walking in with the dogs. I have a walking race in September to train for, it's only 5 km but it's for an excellent cause, and I love just walking in the sunshine. We'll probably hit some of the same trails we went snowshoeing on this winter as well as find some new ones. I am looking forward to it.

Congrats! I graduate in September with my Accounting degree... I understand about the stress!

Be sure to offer lots of good fat (butter) with those veggies! I've raised 6 teenagers (4 of them boys), and I know that there is a whole lotta food they need. :)

Thanks! It's hard getting the right fat in their diets. They have their father's aversion to eating animal fats, unless its bacon, can't get enough bacon.

Tonight I made some lovely sirloin steaks served with onions & portobellos and Swiss chard. I added a pat of butter to the steaks and the boys seemed to enjoy it. There was a lot of moaning and chewing. I really liked it and the primal puppies enjoyed the last of the butter that I left on the counter when we headed out to Kung Fu. Oh well, everyone loves butter!

Tonight I made some lovely sirloin steaks served with onions and portobellos and Swiss chard. I added a pat of butter to the steaks as well and the boys seemed to enjoy that. There was a lot of moaning and chewing noises :). The primal pups also enjoyed the butter I left in the counter when we headed out to Kung Fu. I guess everyone lives butter.

Darn app, sorry to anyone reading this about the duplicate post. [ATTACH]11793[/ATTACH]
Here's a picture of my double flowering plum. It really exploded this year and I'm attributing that to the calcium infusion from burying my previous primal pups ashes underneath it last spring. Enjoy!