Horsewoman stays the distance with primal! page 45

[Horsewoman]

Well, I really did it. Binge AND craving free PMS time!!! First time since I went low carb. Hurrah for 5-HTP, 90% cocoa choc, and sugar free cocoa!

[Horsewoman]

This is interesting http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...tml#post656373, could be a factor for me I think. Maybe one of the reasons I feel better this time round is that I am salting everything with celtic sea salt as much as I feel like. And my new multi has potassium .

[MamaGrok]

I'm just looking into potassium myself! Congrats on the improvements - awesome.

[catbreu]

Well, I really did it. Binge AND craving free PMS time!!! First time since I went low carb. Hurrah for 5-HTP, 90% cocoa choc, and sugar free cocoa!

Contrats!! I am sure you will feel the benefits, too. It is only when I go 100% grain free that I am able to have uneventful cycles. Even having a little bit will be correlated to cramps and mood swings.

[Horsewoman]

Thanks .

The Atkins book talks about salt a lot, I think that is a factor for me. I used to crave it when I was low carb, if I salt to taste that goes away and I've found my consumption has naturally reduced itself now.

I've actually been grain free for about a year and a half, and being low carb has lead to bingeing every month. Going low carb for me leads to low energy, low mood and cravings, but if I take 5-HTP that compensates for the reduced serotonin level .

I ate some ice cream a couple of days ago. It was blah. Had some chocolate the next day which was also blah. Didn't bother yesterday lol. I've made a grain free Christmas pudding and will make some almond pastry apple tarts today to have instead of mince pies. And I have a box of mint chocs for a present. And wine. That'll do me, going to make a coconut flour chocolate cake for New Year, and then focus on getting really strict with starch. Really, really hoping I will be healthier (and thinner!) by next Christmas! If I can really crack the low starch then maybe I will be able to get back into exercising more, my fitness level has declined since the arthritis got worse, and I'm not happy with it.

[MamaGrok]

I ate some ice cream a couple of days ago. It was blah. Had some chocolate the next day which was also blah.

Wow. Moments like this make me just want to smack all those who say it's all about self-control. (uh, that's everybody, lol)

I'm so glad you've persevered. We WILL find our paths to greater health!

[MamaGrok]

Oh, and if you have them online and handy already, I'd love your recipes for pudding & pastries! I don't really care to have sweets enough to make something for me right now, but I'd like to have something nice for the kiddos once in a while on special occasions.

[Horsewoman]

The apple tart is just a base of almond flour mixed with meltered butter, then I put slices of Bramley apple on top, some Christmassy spices, maybe abit of dried fruit, a little sprinkle of sugar or not, depending on where I'm at. It needs cream or something with it really.

I'll post the pud recipe later, I don't have it at the moment but quite a few people want it so I will type it up. I'm really pleased with how it came out. Next year I'd like to get hold of some proper suet to use instead of butter. Dh said he'd happily have that as our main family Christmas pudding. The supermarket pudding they had was weird, kind of gelatinous, I think it was just soooo sugary, the ingredients said "dried fruit 36%, demerara sugar, sugar..."

I'm at sick of feeling sick today. Irritating that just a bit of sugar and some extra dairy has such a big effect. I really don't want to detox this week, I am planning a coconut flour choc cake for New Year lol. Sleeping well is a new thing for me and wow do I notice now when I lose it. Last night- hot, puffy, restless feet and hands, then 2-4am stomach cramps (too much cheese yesterday, we do love our cheeses at Christmas time), then woke up at 6am snoring, ugh!

Going to make some homemade Baileys today if my stomach is up to it lol.

Had a walk on the moors yesterday, came down via a steep, muddy, slippery slope. It upsets me how hard it is for me to handle things like that. I worked so hard to get my fitness back after gluten/ ankle injury had me barely able to wealk around the block after 9mo of hardly being able to walk. But since the arthritis and fatigue has worsened, it's really gone downhill again. I so hope that this time next year I will be in a different place. And to stay this time, at least for a while!

[Horsewoman]

Happy New Year!

I'm taking things to the next stage now, keeping to strictly minimising starch, cutting out the bit of sugar I've had over Christmas, including fruit, and also eliminating dairy. I know I am casein intolerant, never mind the lactose, and always feel better off dairy. But it is not easy to stick to!

I am keeping in dry wine and for now, a couple of squares of 90% cocoa chocolate a day, hope to be able to drop that as well when I use up the stash I bought when it was on offer! Bummer that cocoa contains starch, but then I know it also has a risk of gluten contamination so I'm probably better off without it anyway.

My hope this year is to become well enough to add in some more vigorous exercise. I was reminded recently that the times I have been able to stick to a food plan, felt well and not had significant mood issues, were all when I was running. I'm not planning to pound the pavements for hours but I'd like to find a way to get the energy and mood lifting benefits, that my body finds acceptable. Hopefully if I can stick with the low starch/ sugar/ dairy diet I am now doing, that won't be so difficult.

I'm not really into resolutions, but I got my new zafu (Zen meditation cushion) for Christmas, and am committing to trying to sit on it every day lol, start small is what works for me!

[Horsewoman]

Well, day 1 is done, food all good, did my physio exercises and some push ups (plan is to do the physio daily and one primal movement a day, so I can still rotae through them nearly twice a week but without having to do a whole workout which is too much for me at the moment). Went for a walk even though it rained all day. Went to bed early to make up for NYE. And lay awake all night with a bad head, sore throat and earache, gah!

Butternut squash egg drop soup for breakfast

http://robbwolf.com/2011/12/12/testi...g-spondylitis/