Crazed Aussie's Journal page

[crazedaussie]

Hi All,

My name is Tara, I am a 25 year old female from Victoria, Australia. I am on my fourth day of the Primal Diet and so far so good. I thought I would start a journal to try and keep myself on track as I have been on many "diets" before and have never really stuck to them. I have told everyone that this one is not a diet.. it is a lifestyle change.

So, at current I weigh in at 84kg (about 210lbs), I am only 158cms tall. I would like to get down to an appropriate BMI which mean somewhere between 47-53kgs so my aim is to get to 50kgs. I have worked it out that if I lost 1kg per week I should be at my goal weight by March 2012. I would however like to push myself into getting down to at least 65kg before I go to New Zealand in October but I will be happy just to be fit enough to hike up their beautiful mountains to get some great views

At the moment my exercise only consists of the 9 Week Challenge on Wii Active 2 but so far just doing that alone I have lost 1kg in one week. I do this 4 times a week as this is all they allow and then I do either Step or some of the kickboxing exercises on the other days. It is fun and I really enjoy it. I would like to go do kickboxing classes once I lose a little bit more weight.

So let me fill you all in on what I have been eating and that over the last few days..

Day 1 - 12/7

B - Skipped
S - Mandarin
L - Apple and handful of nuts
S - Pear
D - Barramundi Fillet with steamed vegetables

Water Intake - 3litres

Exercise - 30 minute workout on Wii Active 2

Day 2 - 13/7

B - Skipped
S - Half a handful of nuts
L - Mandarine and the rest of the nuts
S - Skipped
D - Roasted Turkey Wing (in olive oil) with steamed vegetables and salad

Water Intake: 3litres

Exercise - 30 minute workout on Wii Active 2

Day 3 - 14/7

B - Skipped
S - Apple
L - Skipped
S - Mandarine and handful of nuts
D - Wedges (I know.. BAD!!!)

Water Intake: 4litres

Exercise - None..

Day 4 - 15/7

B - Mandarin
S - Skipped
L - Salad with lettuce, bacon, cheese (only a little bit), egg, cucumber and avocado
S - Handful of nuts
D - Stir fry - Chicken breast, pork, bacon, prawn and mixed vegetables with honey mustard dressing

Water Intake - 3litres

Exercise - 30 minute workout on Wii Active 2

Tomorrow (Saturday) brings a new challenge as I am working at my second job and generally I will get hot chips for lunch.. so it will be a real test.

[belinda]

Hi there. I'm a little concerned by how few calories it looks like you're taking in. The meal on the 4th day looks much better than the three previous days which were fruit heavy and protein/fat weak. If you don't take in enough protein and fat, you might find yourself getting really hungry and craving things you shouldn't be eating. You may also find yourself losing muscle mass instead of fat.

If you're having fun with your Wii fit, keep it up, but you'll see benefits from taking a 20-30 minute (or longer) walk every day. And stand as much as you can, you'll burn more fat! Good luck


Edited to add that I'm only one person on here, but I've seen great success on about 1600 calories a day. To give you an idea of a full day's eats, my breakfast is 2 eggs and 2-3 bacon, sausages or other protein (sometimes cottage cheese). Lunch is salad, 1/2 avocado, 4-6 oz meat or fish, olive oil vinaigrette. Dinner is sometimes a repeat of lunch but sometimes I'll have steamed veggies, a cup of white rice or 1/2 a sweet potato with my protein. Don't forget the butter! Sometimes I sneak in an apple and a tablespoon of almond butter in the afternoon. I always have 1/2 cup of frozen berries and 1/2 cup of coconut milk after dinner. Beverages are unsweetened coffee, chai tea, green tea, or water and sometimes a smoothie with almond milk & coconut milk.

The PB is not about starving yourself or existing on fruit.

[SugarBaby]

Welcome! We have lots of Aussies here. First you have a huge advantage in being young, bc your body is very forgiving and you will reap the benefits faster. If you want to lose weight and not have cravings, you'll be better off getting a good protein breakfast (40+g), avoiding most fruits except berries, and try to stick to 2-3 good meals. Primal is great, but it can be abused or misused, and often misunderstood. Get Mark's book, or download his PB101 for free. Good luck.

[honeybuns]

I would like to add that if you take in too few calories your body will go into starvation mode and you won't lose anything.

[crazedaussie]

Thanks for your replies.

I have never been a breakfast person.. I tend to rush around in the mornings getting ready for work and driving to work that I never really have the time to have anything to eat. I know that it is the wrong thing to do and that I shouldn't be skipping breakfast but unless I have something quick there is no way I can fit it in.

As for the eggs... I'm finding that I really don't like to eat them at all.. So I might look for something else

My salads consist of lettuce, cucumber, carrot, avocado and 1-2 eggs sometimes I will add bacon and rarely cheese.. so I think I have some of it right.. it's not like I'm just having a basic salad (which wouldn't taste very nice cause I don't eat tomatoes)

At the moment the medication I am on only allows me to drink water.. I think it kind of half kills my taste buds cause anything other than water just tastes like butter.. pretty much.. it's gross but it's also good because I have kicked a massive Coca Cola addiction whilst taking it.. So I don't have to worry about soft drink cravings because I've rarely touched the stuff in the last 7 months...

I'm still doing a lot of reading into this diet and finding out what I can and can't have and how much and all that.. I think the confusion comes from reading a little too much? lol Like I read not to eat rice.. and that potato (sweet or other wise) was a no no.. So I really don't know..

We are in Winter here so it is hard to get quality fruit so I pretty much just pick up whatever looks good. I only have two supermarkets where I live.. We don't have any fruit shops, butchers etc etc so I'd have to travel to Melbourne to find better quality stuff..

Walking - Hmm... Yes, I have thought about it but by the time I get home from work both during the week and on the weekend and I cook and have dinner it's already about 6-7pm and as I said it's Winter here.. So it's dark and bloody freezing! And I don't really feel safe walking around by myself..

So with all the said.. and I think I answered everyone.. here's what I had (or am having) today

B - 2 mandarins and some cheese slices (I didn't know what else to have at work)
L - Chicken Salad (from Subway) - Lettuce, cucumber, carrot and chicken pieces (I know they are processed chicken *sigh*) with a bit of salt and pepper
D - Haven't cooked it yet but I am having.. Steak with a honey soy marinade (maybe some garlic as well) with steamed vegetables and salad (with bacon but no eggs today and maybe some prawns..)

Water Intake - Fairly poor today - Only had about 1.5litres

Exercise - Meant to be my rest day but I am thinking of doing something anyway.. not sure what yet.. Although 10 hours working up and down a Deli should count for something I think

Today I feel extremely tired and run down (could just be because work was busy).. but am hoping that after I have my dinner it will pick me up enough to at least get in an exercise session.. Ready for bed at the moment..

[SugarBaby]

Cheese is a good breakfast protein, as are egg protein and whey protein shakes. You will quickly find you want that early protein; try it for just a week and you will see. The brain is getting messages when you wake up about the state of your food supply; getting the early protein tells the brain all is well and keeps you from craving (if you aren't eating too many carbs). yesterday looked pretty good. Also, remember Mark's take on exercise is to have lots of movement, like walking, but not too much heavy exertion more than a couple times a week. Also, as you increase your protein and fat in the morning, your energy will pick up as well. Changes take some time, and you are on the right path, but no path gives you "feeling great" every day.

[belinda]

As you're short on time in the morning, you've got two options: get up earlier and make a breakfast or get some protein powder and almond milk and make a smoothie with a few berries and a handful of spinach - you can't taste the spinach just in case you're wondering

Sounds like you work in a deli - lots of standing and walking back & forth is a good substitute for a daily walk, so no problems there regarding exercise.

If you're feeling tired and a bit cranky, that's probably just the carb flu. It's due to your body making the change from burning carbs to burning fat for energy. It can last any where from a couple of days to a couple of weeks and you just have to power through it. It can suck, but it's worth it

[crazedaussie]

I'm generally tired and cranky on the weekend, I think it's because I wake up an hour earlier than I do on weekdays and also that my weekend job is a lot more physical than what I do during the week (office job). I tend to lay off exercise on the weekend as I do 8-10 hours shifts and it's a lot of walking standing and lifting (5kg-20kg boxes). I do 4 Wii Active sessions during the week to keep up the exercise.

The problem with getting up earlier to accommodate having breakfast is that at the moment with the current time I get up (between 5:30-6am on weekdays and 4:30-5am on weekends) I'm generally extremely tired by the time it comes to driving home (between 3-5pm). If I get up any earlier than I probly wouldn't make it home. If I cook or make things then I have to do the dishes before I leave as well.. which means getting up even earlier.. It'd be good if I could find something that I could just have "on the run".

So, anyway, todays eating looks something like this

B - 2 slices of light tasty cheese cut into quarters with 8 rice crackers
L - Chicken and avocado salad with bacon
D - Haven't planned anything for tonight.. I'm thinking maybe chicken breast diced and mixed in with some bacon and egg and maybe some vegetables thrown in whilst cooking... hmm.. yep sounds good to me

Water Intake - 2litres

Exercise - 9 hour shift in deli, I reckon that is enough.. although I feel like at least doing some boxing tonight

Feeling pretty good today - Almost time to go shopping for some new work pants Smaller ones!!

[crazedaussie]

Busy day today.. hospital in the morning then had to head over to the bank, visit some relatives and then do some shopping. I found out come lunch time that there is pretty much NOTHING you can get that doesn't have rice, bread or pasta whilst you are out. I ended up having a stir fry type thing from a Chinese take away shop which has left me feeling ill.. but I figured it was the best option as it had pork, beef and chicken plus loads of vegetables and I think whatever sauce they put on it was what left me feeling yuck. So, my question to anyone that reads this is.. what do you all eat when you are out at lunch time and you know you won't be home for hours and are hungry? The shopping centre I was out didn't have any sort of health bar.. it was all McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Muffin Break and Donut King.. plus the Chinese shop..

So, my intake today looks pretty much like this..

B - 2 bananas (I know.. not meant for breakfast)
L - Stir fry thing I talked about up above
D - Stuck on dinner again - Can't be bothered cooking tonight but I am craving a nice salad.. time to go food shopping? I think YES!

Water Intake - Less than 1litre.. I know.. extremely sad day today

Exercise - 30 minutes on Wii Fit plus all the time I spent walking today.. Parked further away from every entrance possible and walked.. my mum wasn't too impressed but she is doing this with me..

As I weigh in on the Wii on Mondays I am proud to announce that I have lost 1.5kg this week.. quite happy with that but still a long road ahead..

[crazedaussie]

Oops.. slacked off a bit on writing on here but not on the lifestyle. Last few days have been pretty good. I have started heading more towards eating breakfast and eating proper foods for breakfast apart today where I didn't have anything and I feel extremely tired. I have actually been feeling pretty good, I've cut back on exercising on the Wii and have taken to walking when I can but by the sounds of Mark in PBF my weekend work pretty much covers my whole week of exercise and then some but I'd like to try to do something at least 4-5 times a week and I psych myself up to do it. I am enjoying cooking every night but I am slowly running out of ideas and I'm kinda getting over salads for lunch already but I shall push through it

I have my aunt interested in changing her ways of eating as she is seeing my weight drop.. which will be good because I need someone to go to markets with me on weekends to get decent quality free range meat and oraganic vegetables/fruits. I am excited about that!! Also I am excited that I have her support and can encourage her if she does decide to take the leap.

So anyway.. a catch up on what I've been eating and doing

19/07 -

B - 2 slices of cheese
L - Salad - Lettuce, bacon, egg, cheese and cucumber
D - Stir fry - Pork, chicken, beef, veal with mixed vegetables

Water Intake - 2litres

Exercise - None

20/07 -

B - 1 Banana and 2 slices of cheese
L - Salad - Lettuce, bacon, cheese, cucumber and chicken
S - Can of shredded chicken in mustard
D - Turkey and vegetables

Water Intake - 1.5litres

Exercise - 45 minute walk

21/07 -

B - Skipped
S - 2 pieces of Salami (I know Deli meats are bad!)
L - Chicken nuggets (wheat, grain, yeast and gluten free) with coleslaw mix (without dressing)
D - Barramundi with prawns (or shrimp as they are called in the US) with vegetables and maybe a light salad

Water Intake - Aiming for 3litres

Exercise - 45 minute walk or 30 minutes on Wii