Primal Journal-deMuralist page 217

[demuralist]

thanks for your encouragement! Even if I do happen to become uninterested in food, hot dogs and green beans do not live in my house.

I sincerely enjoy eating a big beautiful salad, lots of mixed greens with bell pepper, cukes, avocado, pumpkin seed, toasted pecans, a protein source and a vinegar and oil homemade dressing. so that is generally dinner for me, and should stay with in the guidelines I am working toward. Breakfast and lunch are gonna need some work. I have been putting so much emphasis on getting 10 veggies and enough protein (175 to 200g) and keeping fat low so that I was in a reasonable calorie range. So now protein I am shooting for is under 100g, carbs-for now- will be under 50g and hopefully under 30 Net, and fat I won't worry about except for the source.

[RMS123]

I'd eat more salads if I came over to your house for dinner

Your new plan sounds so much more inline with what's natural for you. Once shouldn't have to work quite so hard on food (although, I admit, it was a bit of work to move from a bunch of processed crap to eating real food...the tastebuds get used to all that crud).

[demuralist]

I agree. I really like veggies and have always eaten a lot of them, I was a vegetarian for 7 years, but it was work to get 10 to 12 every day. And long term, rest of my life, pretty unlikely. I feel like this is going to feel more natural while still having enough change to hopefully make a difference in at least my BP if not my weight. I notice that every program leaves its mark on me, in a good way. So this is definitely a journey.

Yep, my salads are generally loved by everyone. People always ask me for my 'recipe'. I am like, seriously, dump a bag of mixed greens into a giant bowl, slice up a bell pepper, slice up a Persian Cucumber (no need to peel these-they are not waxed), toss in pre-sliced mushrooms, throw on a handful of toasted pumpkin seeds, toss on a handful of pecans or walnuts, maybe some grated parm or crumbled blue cheese if I have it in the fridge. Pour olive oil over it, put about half to 1/3rd as much vinegar sprinkle with salt and (here is the secret ingredient) a scant tablespoon of non-nutritive sweetener (this is generally splenda). Toss and serve. I just found this unbelievably good vinegar. I got it at Harris Teeter, brand is Framboises Fraiches and at the bottom says Delouis France. It is white wine vinegar with macerated raspberries. OMG it makes everything taste better!

[demuralist]

So what I have decided to do is to limit my veggies to the salad for dinner mostly, although it is still my go to meal when I go out to eat.

The difference yesterday was striking.

We had a Christmas Party to go to last night, lovely spread. I had no interest. I didn't even look to see what was there. Not because I was trying to stay away but because I was not interested. When I got home I had a few mozzarella balls and pearl tomatoes. Problem...DD is home. She made PB/chocolate no bakes. I had 2. That is a major victory, those things are crazy addictive. The thing is I had a cup of tea, I sat down with 1 of them and enjoyed it with my tea. then decided I wanted another got up, got it, sat back down and enjoyed it with my tea. Then I was done. AMAZING! This kind of success is what makes it easier to continue on this path.

[Pebbles67]

I usually only end up with 3-4 different veggies /day. Peppers and Onions with breakfast and then salad or another veg with dinner. Last night my salad had tomatoes too. The bone broth has carrots and onions. I should probably make sure I vary the type of veg, so I get all the nutrients.

PS Chris. I hear you saying a lot that you are no longer primal, but I don't understand. What is non primal about your program?
For example, The Eat Moar Fat protocol that I am following is based on Marks ideas. His book talks about eating more healthy fat, getting enough protein (.7-1g / lb of lean BM), and even watching calories for weight loss. Your Low carb Mediterranean also seems pretty Primal.

I plan to re read the PB book. I think we have lost sight of what "Primal" is.

[RMS123]

Yay, Chris. That's totally awesome. I will keep following y'all and rooting for your success.

[demuralist]

Well, I should say that I am not focused on being Primal. I may be totally Primal, just not worrying about it. If I come across something that I think will help me on this journey I don't wonder if it is Primal or not. I do eat whole foods, not processed, but if chia seeds, or flax meal, or whatever is Primal or not doesn't figure into the thought process.

[RMS123]

Interesting. I quickly skimmed through the Eat Moar Fat thread. That's exactly how I ate when I first moved to primal. [I should be packing and heading out for my last business trip of the year. Instead, I'm sitting by my heater surfing the internet]

[Pebbles67]

Ok, I see.

We were just talking on PBs thread about the January influx of newbies and how they are going to be confused by the weird stuff on here recently. I suggested a First, do Primal by the book. Thread.

[demuralist]

That is probably a good idea-doing a "read the book first/do it by the book" thread. This site has a lot of threads with a lot of information that does not necessarily follow the book, and I remember being very confused by the whole thing when I started. The whole "ok fine, so what do I eat" thought kept creeping into my head.

Where I am mentally right now...I need to feel better, get healthier, and hopefully also lose a lot of fat. And sometimes the "rules" of Paleo/Primal can seem arbitrary to me. I am going to go with the basics of whole food as my foundation. Building on that foundation I am going to work my way toward a LCHF program. That kind of thing to me is easy enough to understand and follow. So I am not going to start adding in those things that I have happily and easily left behind (canola oil comes to mind-ick!)

The only time I tried VLC I could not get over the carb flu, for like 6 weeks. But I was doing it high protein not high fat. So I am looking forward to this change.