Inquisitive One's Primal Journal page 2

[Paleobird]

I went to the park this morning to try one out and major fail. I just hung there. I was glad everyone was still sleeping when I went.

Next time take a folding chair with you and do the assisted kind. Don't give up.

[inquisitiveone]

Gah! My daughter asked for popcorn last night, and I couldn't resist it. I didn't eat as much as I would have before going primal, but still—it's corn. And I'm hungry already, which is unusual for me. Gonna have to work harder on keeping away from the carby snacks after dinner.

I gave in to curiosity this morning and stepped on the scale. It said I'm down four pounds, but I'm not seeing it. Anyway, it's still motivation to keep at it.

I did some pullup work yesterday, negatives mostly. Between that and knuckle pushups at the dojo, my triceps and lats are letting me know they were worked! I haven't decided whether today will be a rest day or if I'll do a little pullup work.

[inquisitiveone]

Yay you! We are going to get those chins over those bars.

Yes we will! And with that in mind, I think I will follow the advice of the chick in one of the videos pointed to in the pullup thread: do something toward the goal every day. I may just hang today, but I will do something.

[inquisitiveone]

Yesterday was a corn-free day—but it was not without effort. Pretty much every time I thought of food, I thought of quesadillas and using the tostadas to make nachos. But I resisted!

I also obsessed over the scale. Since beginning IF and the primal lifestyle not quite a month ago, my weight has dropped by as much as four pounds, but no more than that. I know it's silly to check it as frequently as I do; and I know that overall fitness is much more important than weight loss—but I still look to that number on the scale as an objective indicator of progress. It's easy to persuade myself that my tummy looks smaller, or that there's a bit more muscle definition, when there really isn't; the scale doesn't care what I want to see—it shows what is.

And so I celebrate every time the number is lower, and lament every time it has crept back up—even though I know such fluctuations are normal. I'm going to have someone hide the scale so I can break this obsession before it gets any worse. Weighing myself once every two weeks is more than adequate to track genuine progress.

All I did yesterday toward the pullup goal was to hang, once, as long as I could. My upper arms, chest, and lats are still quite sore from the day before's efforts. Today I plan to hang some, and also do at least two negatives. I also will be doing some knuckle pushups, as they work the triceps more than palms-down varieties do. After my last class at the dojo, I noticed that my endurance seems to be improving; I had no breaks yet performed fairly well throughout the class, with no dizziness nor shortness of breath. Sensei commented on that as well, so it isn't just my imagination. So there are other signs of progress, too.

[eraserheadgirl]

Everyone is going to tell you this and it's true- forget the scale! If you are interested in getting firmer or smaller, then it's only your measurements you need to focus on.

[inquisitiveone]

Everyone is going to tell you this and it's true- forget the scale! If you are interested in getting firmer or smaller, then it's only your measurements you need to focus on.

Thank you very much for saying this. This clue-by-four has finally hit me. Focusing on a specific goal weight or number of pounds lost is going to be totally counterproductive for me at times (if not most of the time) on this journey; and if I obsess over what the scales say, I'm going to set myself up for frustration and—knowing my history—self-destructive choices.

I'm glad I have my pre-primal measurements up there as a baseline. (I also have a couple of photos but I'm too chickenshit to post them.) I'll re-take my measurements every four weeks; that seems like a reasonable interval for tracking progress. Again, thanks very much, eraserheadgirl.

In other news, I got in a nice walk this afternoon, did a set of 15 knuckle pushups (on my knees, so I can go really deeply and work my triceps), and two hangs. My muscles are still complaining, but not as much, so I think I'm being reasonable in my work so far. No corn again today, and more veggies with dinner: broiled salmon steak, roasted cauliflower, and a yam with coconut milk, cinnamon, and allspice for dessert. So yummy!

[inquisitiveone]

Another day of eating popcorn. I went for a walk with a friend, did a good amount of pullup work ... and lost my head when it came time to eat. This will be fairly easily solved once the popcorn is gone: I simply won't buy any more. But until then, this is going to take more self-discipline than I think I can regularly muster. I wish I weren't so bored of salads already ... I should check for a primal caesar salad dressing recipe, and see if I can find dry-cured anchovies somewhere.

I did avoid the scale today (without hiding the damn thing, too—it was all willpower, baby!); and I feel my pullup work having an effect on my arms and upper body. So, all in all, I'm satisfied with the day. I didn't develop my fat stores and crappy eating habits in one day, or even one month; it would be unrealistic to expect to be able to make all the changes I think will be healthful to me in a similar time frame. Moreover, I know that beating myself up over every failure or lapse will not get me to my goal at all.

Speaking of goals, my next day of reckoning with the tape measure (and scale, if I want to) is this coming Thursday. Keeping that in mind should help my self-control!

[Paleobird]

I have a serious weakness for Fritos but I think I have found the perfect primal substitute. Pork rinds. All the crunchy greasy fried goodness without the carbs. And they can be used for dips. I buy mine at a Mexican market. Some brands have lots of MSG and other gunk but these ones are just pork and salt.

[inquisitiveone]

I have a serious weakness for Fritos but I think I have found the perfect primal substitute. Pork rinds. All the crunchy greasy fried goodness without the carbs. And they can be used for dips. I buy mine at a Mexican market. Some brands have lots of MSG and other gunk but these ones are just pork and salt.

Oh gosh, Fritos. I don't even go down the chips aisle, primarily because of Fritos!

Pork rinds, eh? I may check in to that. I grew up eating cracklins from an uncle's farm, and loved them, so I bet I'd like pork rinds. Do you have a brand name I should keep an eye out for?

[Paleobird]

No, there are lots of brands. Here next to the border we get a lot of Mexican imports you might not have up there. Just read the ingredients. I've never tried cracklins. Are they the same thing but from a cow?

Oh, BTW. The next time you find yourself getting caught up in the scale watching take a read through this thread : http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...llow-grokettes...

I make myself go back and read it every week or so.