CMinnetta's 30 Day Challenge Journal page

[cminnetta]

Tuesday, June 28th

Getting psyched up for the big day! I'm actually not starting Day 1 of eating primal until Thursday, June 30th but the excitement, anticipation, and yes, a little fear, is really starting to bubble over so I feel the need to capture the thoughts I'm having and what better place than here???

So tomorrow is my last day before the challenge and I am so ready. Have been doing some "last supper" eating but my heart really isn't in it. I guess I've eaten low carb for so long that there aren't too many foods I have to give up. Oddly the focus for me has been pork skins, which have been my favorite low carb snack, and diet soda, which I had quit drinking altogether over two months ago but now that I really feel that it is going on the "no mas" list, i felt I need to have some while I could.

Anyway, going primal for me will be more about giving up the low carb convenience products, primarily the chemical heavy Atkins bars and other treats, and switching my meet and product from conventional to organic. Probably would be more nervous if I didn't have MDA and the forum as a resource but with so many tips and tools for success available, I am confident that I can do this. I can do this!

[cminnetta]

Wednesday, June 29th, 11:00 pm

One more hour before I am officially primal! I had my first real "OMIGOD, I can't believe I;m doing this" moment when I went to Whole Foods earlier to stock up on primal staples. Even at Whole Foods there were so many foods that weren't organic, or contained soy or some other off-limits ingredient, and I felt a little sticker shock when I saw the differences in the prices of the organic foods vs. the conventional versions that I have always purchased in the past. I was there a lot longer than I thought I would be but when it was all said in done, the final bill wasn't really that much more than I have spent at Kroger when I needed to stock up on staples. And I have certainly spent that much or more cumulatively over the course of the average month ordering over-priced, low-carb convenience products. Most important, I have enough choices to make me feel like I won't be completely at a lost about what to eat over these initial days.

Ironically, however, I have decided to make this very first day an IF day. I have the IF experience from when I did ESE last year so I know I can do it in the short term. Where ESE broke down for me was in feeling like I had to do it at least twice per week to get results. WIth PB, it feels like my call if and when I want to IF, including never at all if that is what I desire. Funny how not feeling like you have to do something makes itfeel so much more palatable to do it. ANd I do want to do it. I;m feeling so bloated and uncomfortable from all the last supper eating I've been doing this week, I am looking forward to taking a break from food. SO the plan is to do an 18 hour IF starting at Midnight tonight until at least 6pm tomorrow.

SO, I have my food, I have my new scale to track my progress, and I have my new diet support aid, the Beck Solution, that I will have time to really delve into starting tomorrow. Now all I need is for the clock to strike 12!

[cminnetta]

Friday, July 1 8:50 am - Day 2

Starting Weight on June 30th (Day 1): 177.6/31.6 BF

Today's weight: 172.8/31.3 BF (YEAH!)

First off, I can;t believe I went through all of day one without posting on my experience! Maybe it was for the better that I was so busy that even though I thought of posting, I really didn't have the time but also, things were going so well I didn't feel I needed the extra support, though it would have been nice to have it. But in retro, day one went great!

It started with a welcome reality check, vis-a-vis my plan to do an IF. When I woke up starving, it dawned on me that it was probably not a smart idea to fast on a day after my diet had been mostly comprised of pork skins and low-carb candy. And as it turns out, my fears of not being able to eat primal if I went out to lunch with the team were unfounded - Wild salmon and grilled veggies at Rockfish to the rescue!

ALso had my first experience baking with almond flour. SOme tweaking of the recipe is called for but still very tasty out of the gate. But I will have to be careful, because they are so tasty and relatively low carb, it would be easy to over-do, and just because they fit the PB guidelines doesn't mean they can't be abused. Having said that, can't wait to try my pumpkin cookie recipe later! Bottom line, I don't think I have to worry about being deprived of many of the things I have come to love, especially the baked goods, but now I can have them with no soy or gluten. Hooray!

OK, have to cut this short for now and head out to the hair salon, but I'll check back in with myself later - should have plenty of time!

Go Primal!

[Hedonist]

Welcome. Your excitement is refreshing.

You can eat pork rinds on Primal. Many of us do.

[cminnetta]

Thank you for the welcome, and that is great new about the pork rinds! I did a little research and it looks like I will need to find a new brand - my old favorites are fried in soybean oil (yikes!) So I need to find a brand that is fried in lard. Any suggestions?

[cminnetta]

Oh, and thanks also for the link to your sight. I can use all the primal resources I can find at this point!

[cminnetta]

Saturday, July 2nd - Day 3

Today's Weight: 170.6

Feeling and looking good! I can really taste a difference in the organic meats, veggies and cheese compared to the conventional - the flavors are awesome! ANd I have had good results with adapting some of my favorite Carbquik recipes to almond flour - maybe too good! I've found myself eating more servings than I planned, and although I have still remained in the "sweet spot" on the carb curve, I'm sure that it would be better that the majority of those carbs come from fruit and veggies, not brownies and cookies, primal though they may be! SO I'm going to reign in the baking for a little while, until I feel like I'm in the groove with the fundamentals of primal eating.

The biggest unexpected but welcome surprise so far has been the primal blueprint workouts. Even before I read the book, I knew that I was overworking the weights and cardio, as evidenced by the persistent pains in back and knees, and getting up everyday 5 - 5:30am to work out for 90 minutes was exhausting. Just call me Kelly Korg! However, I couldn't bring myself to scale back because I was sure that it would just compound the struggles I was having with getting the extra weight off. Now I can see how that regimen was actually contributing to the problem. I have had so much more fun with the workouts that I have done in the past few days, and am dumping my 60 minutes/3x per week heavy lifting routine in favor of a 40 min/2x per week kettlebell workout. The bells have been gathering dust in the corner for almost two years now since I went to the Shock Training System but I still remember how much fun that workout was, and not even shock training has been able to firm up my butt the way the KB's did.

Regarding the weight loss, I am pleased with it but also keeping it in perspective. 7 pounds in two days is awesome but I know that it is mostly water weight that I accumulated during the last supper days before I started the PB. Having said that, I'm thrilled to know that eating primal helps to flush out excess water this quickly. I think any weight lost from this point forward is likely to be more fat than water, so I expect it to slow down considerably, but since I'm loving the food and loving the workouts, I'm not in any pain so I can be patient for those gains!

[cminnetta]

Sunday, July 3rd - Day 4

Today's Weight: 171

Reality rears its ugly head (cliche, but appropriate)! I said yesterday that I was prepared for the initial weight loss whoosh to stall but nothing like the reality of it all. Now this is when it gets harder for me, when there isn't a guaranteed every-day weight loss to instantly reinforce that I made the right decision to go primal. But that's what this journal is for, to give me a place to just get these negative thoughts and emotions out of my head someplace safe so that I can stay focused on doing the right thing. And this is the right thing!

I'm enjoying the food, it tastes great and I've discovered a couple of new things, i.e. 1-minute microwave almond flour muffins and celery & salsa, that can definitely take the place of some of the treats that I've eliminated. And even though my weight went up a little from yesterday, I don't feel bloated or puffy, and the chronic pain in my back is feeling much better today. Fingers crossed that a few more days of rest from weights and it will be almost like new!

So I'll repeat my new mantra - I'm not in any pain so I can wait patiently for my gains! Take that, Jane Fonda!

[cminnetta]

Monday, July 4th - Day 5

Today's Weight: 169.8

Independence day has new meaning to me this year! I have declared my independence for the food and exercise patterns that have kept me locked in a vicious cycle of weight gain and loss, disordered eating, and general emotional distress. Can I really attribute how great I am feeling physically and emotionally to just 4 days of primal eating and fitness? If it isn't the actual impact of the new lifestyle, it's one heck of a placebo. Either way, I'll take it!

It has been great to have these 4 days off to get settled into the primal groove, but I'm also looking forward to getting back into my normal routine to see how I can incorporate primal into my work day. In some respects it should be easier because I will be occupied, but then that is also when I get those unexpected stress triggers that traditionally have made me want to abandon diet. I'm feeling so mellow, I think that it will be easier to withstand them but even if I do feel compelled to eat, it will be primal. And it can only help that I won't be getting up at 5am to do an exhausting 90+ minute workout at the start of the day.

[cminnetta]

Tuesday, July 5th - Day 6

Today's Weight: 169.6

First day back at work since settling into the primal routine and it went great! Had a good workout this morning with the kettle bells, 45 minutes, so even going in early I got to sleep in later than my normal time, and tomorrow I sleep in even a little later. Love that primal fitness!

Continuing to enjoy the food very much. Wish I had more time to journal about it but am a little rushed tonight and need to relax some before bed. Suffice to say, 6 days in and I feel like I can do this happily for the rest of my life. I'm enough of a realist to know that there has to be an end to this honeymoon period, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!