Primal Journal (winencandy) page 235

[winencandy]

Saturday
Food
BAS: romaine, avocado, bacon, cranberries, apple, Brie, lemon juice
Homemade Chai with 15% cream (it was too milky, next time I’m NOT going to put so much cream in it!) the last of the Lindt 70%
Red Wine
Roast chicken, cheese and basil stuffed mushroom caps, roasted carrots and potatoes, corn, dark chocolate covered cheesecake bite, frozen raspberries and whipping cream, pomegranate & lavender tea.

Natural Calm (to see if it will help my chocolate 'cravings')

Move Slowly, Lift Heavy, Sprint
6 reverse chin-ups

Sleep, Sun & Play
12:00 – 10:00, no, yes

Use Your Brain, Avoid Poisons & Stupid Mistakes
Easy slow morning. Eldest and Girlfriend slept till noon. After lunch, I made the Chai. It smelled great and then I added the cream and it was too weak At 4 I took Eldest, Girlfriend, Lily & Josie to the lake. I took the butterflies for a short walk and then came back home to finish supper. Eldest and his Girlfriend stayed for a longer walk and visit and then came back home with my parents for supper. They just left (11:30)

[Greensprout]

I suppose you need to brew the tea stronger before adding the cream, and wouldn't whipping cream be better than 15%?

Have you made any more gelatin stuff yet? I bought some plain gelatin some months back to make with tea for flavour but never quite got there. I'm thinking with a nice fruity tea it would be good. I recall Paleobird's original intent with making that was to get a protein source from the gelatin without a lot of extra calories or fat.

How'd you like the Natural Calm? I've been using it for a few months, initially had magnesium capsules, but I've grown quite accustomed to this stuff. I think it helps with sleep, muscle cramps in the calves, certainly with "regularity" if that becomes an issue, but I've also had extra and not so nice effects from using a larger spoonful than intended... but I like it and plan to keep it up.

[Cave Woman]

Winencandy, in reference to your candy addiction, are you eating enough protein and are you eating it often enough? As a sugar junkie myself, I find this essential for dealing with cravings.

The other thing may be caffeine sensitivity. There are a small percentage of us in whom caffeine, even the small amount in decaf coffee and teas, spikes our insulin and our cravings, making weight loss nearly impossible. I know this is horrible to hear, and I have been dealing with it in my own life and my journal this week. It makes the difference between losing and remaining puffy for me. Just a thought. It's unfortunately true for me.

[winencandy]

I suppose you need to brew the tea stronger before adding the cream, and wouldn't whipping cream be better than 15%?

I made some again tonight, paying closer attention to the directions It was MUCH better! I used whipping cream this time, and only added a little to my cup instead of the whole batch. I used 15% yesterday 'cause I thought the whipping cream would be "too rich" for Eldest and Girlfriend.

Have you made any more gelatin stuff yet? I bought some plain gelatin some months back to make with tea for flavour but never quite got there. I'm thinking with a nice fruity tea it would be good. I recall Paleobird's original intent with making that was to get a protein source from the gelatin without a lot of extra calories or fat.

Not yet, maybe tomorrow...

How'd you like the Natural Calm? I've been using it for a few months, initially had magnesium capsules, but I've grown quite accustomed to this stuff. I think it helps with sleep, muscle cramps in the calves, certainly with "regularity" if that becomes an issue, but I've also had extra and not so nice effects from using a larger spoonful than intended... but I like it and plan to keep it up.

It was good, I got the "regular" flavour, it has a slight lemon taste, quite nice. I think my sleep was better - deeper.

I'll remember that and make sure that I don't use too large of a spoon

[winencandy]

Winencandy, in reference to your candy addiction, are you eating enough protein and are you eating it often enough? As a sugar junkie myself, I find this essential for dealing with cravings.

I'm quite sure I'm not eating enough protein. When I was tracking, I found it hard to get enough protein. This is something I struggle with.
As far as often enough? How often is enough?

The other thing may be caffeine sensitivity. There are a small percentage of us in whom caffeine, even the small amount in decaf coffee and teas, spikes our insulin and our cravings, making weight loss nearly impossible. I know this is horrible to hear, and I have been dealing with it in my own life and my journal this week. It makes the difference between losing and remaining puffy for me. Just a thought. It's unfortunately true for me.

Hmmm. I never thought about that...I don't drink coffee, but caffeine is in my Chai and chocolate...I should try dropping it. But I just made a batch of Chai...maybe when its gone

[winencandy]

Sunday
Food
12 - Chai with whipping cream, a couple bites of last night’s chicken, a couple strips of bacon, a few bites of Brie.
6 - Leftover pork chops, leftover scalloped potatoes, cauliflower, and rapini. A couple of squares of Lindt 90%
9 - Brie with rice crackers, homemade Chai with whipping cream (it was better this time )
10:30 - Natural Calm

Move Slowly, Lift Heavy, Sprint
Nope, not today, not even reverse chin-ups

Sleep, Sun & Play
12:00 – 9:30, no, no

Use Your Brain, Avoid Poisons & Stupid Mistakes
I went out to my parents' at 10 to help my Dad set up his new Kobo e-reader. Home by 11:30, then at 12:30 I drove Eldest and his Girlfriend to London to catch a bus back to Toronto. Then I spent over an HOUR at the Bell store changing phone plans and asking Galaxy Tab questions. I got home at 5.

Couch time tonight.

~~~~~~~

I think I'm going to set a new "Goal".
I'm going to make myself get out of bed by 9am (on the days I'm not working) Hopefully, this will help me get to bed at a reasonable time - 11:00pm. I won't set a bedtime deadline (been there, done that, and it doesn't work for me). Wish me luck. I'm starting tomorrow.

[Aila]

Hey W&C,

Yep, that's what the research says...the bang for your buck comes in setting a wake *up* time. If you keep that consistent, the bedtime will follow.

I've put Natural Calm in my Amazon cart. Going to give it a try!

Sounds like you deserve the couch time - enjoy it!!

[winencandy]

Morning thoughts:
Well, I’m up.
I set my alarm for 9, I hit snooze once (9:09)
Then I lay with the Butterflies until 9:18, when I made myself get up. It’s hard to leave a warm bed full of Butterflies when there is nothing you “have” to do. Right now, I 'm curled up on the couch, snuggled under a blanket, tempted to spend an hour or so surfing the net, but that would defeat the whole "getting up at 9" thing, wouldn't it?

What to do. What to do. Dishes? Laundry? Mark Home Instruction Stuff? PBF? Tidy? Shower? Create a spot and finally put boxes of "boys' stuff" in Daughter's old room? Start de-cluttering the laundry room (winencandy shudders in horror)? Or sit here on the couch, under blankets and with Butterflies (who are not happy with me for getting out of bed so "early"), surfing the net???

~~~~

I meant to comment on this last night:

Winencandy, in reference to your candy addiction,

Hmm, I've never thought of it as an "addiction", just a "want" or a "weakness". If I thought it was an addiction, I think I would treat it seriously. Now I think of it as part of my 20%. I shall think some more on this...(winencandy inserts the dreaded ellipsis that sbhikes hates )
*there's a LOT of "thinking" happening in these four sentences

Yep, that's what the research says...the bang for your buck comes in setting a wake *up* time. If you keep that consistent, the bedtime will follow.

Suse told me that too.
We shall see.

Sounds like you deserve the couch time - enjoy it!!

I enjoy WAY TOO MUCH couch time

[Cave Woman]

I'm quite sure I'm not eating enough protein. When I was tracking, I found it hard to get enough protein. This is something I struggle with.
As far as often enough? How often is enough?

In my experience when I am dealing with sugar and caffeine cravings I need 3 meals a day of protein and maybe a snack or two. It keeps that sugar desire from coming around too strongly. Breakfast is especially important during these times. Otherwise I'm not ready to eat until 11 or 12. But with caffeine or sweets the day before, I find myself reaching for them again if I don't make myself a nice big protein filled breakfast.

There are several ways of looking at 20%. By volume and by frequency are two. By volume, sweets may be 20% of your intake, but by frequency, it looks a lot closer to 50%. An then there's caloric percentage... (ellipses added for sbhikes)

[winencandy]

There are several ways of looking at 20%. By volume and by frequency are two. By volume, sweets may be 20% of your intake, but by frequency, it looks a lot closer to 50%. An then there's caloric percentage... (ellipses added for sbhikes)

I never thought of it that way. Yeah, my frequency is probably closer to 75%