Seeing the brighter side of life. page

[amax]

So i've been trying to commit to primal living for a while...I've started crossfit, bought myself a pair of vibrams and have stocked the pantry up with veggies, meat and got rid of the endless packets of rice crackers, pasta and rice.

I'm loving it and have so much energy, but I just seem to keep falling off the wagon, which is why i need to make myself accountable! I have a well known sugar addiction (goodbye chocolate) and terrible self control.

I admit that I am the classic 'chronic cardioer' and am having real trouble getting used to the fact that the 60-90mins of cardio I am doing is just a vacuum of my time. I admit I eat to compensate and need to shift my thinking. However that run in the park in the morning/ spin class really gives me my daily dose of energy and keeps me sane!

Ive just completed an ultra marathon and the universe is really forcing me to adapt to primal fitness as after 10 days of hobbling around like a cripple the Dr has told me I have 2 stress fractures in my foot. Sadly my vibrams are still sitting in their box, and I have replaced my footwear with a beautiful moon boot for around 6 weeks. No running, only bike/ swimming and weights until everything has healed. But I can see the brighter side of all of this - I'm now forced to really concentrate on my diet and getting that aspect of my life in control.... so on that note my goals for the next 30 days.

1. No more dried fruit! (the dried figs I will sorely miss!)
2. Only 2 small pieces of lindt a day (I wish I could give it up completely, but everyone needs a vice)
3. Limit my consumption of fruit to 1-2 servings a day.
4. portion control - its about quality not quantity.
5. I'm currently 72kg and have a bmi 23% - my goal is to ultimately get down to 68kg.

So tomorrow is a new day, and i'll let you know how I go!

[amax]

Yesterday...
B: 2 eggs, baby spinach and tomato
S; handful of soaked almonds and strawberries
L: salad with roast veggies, balsamic vinegar and bbq chicken
D: roast pork and apples
3 pieces of 85% dark lindt chocolate (I know I said limit to 2 but all round a good day)

Workout - Crossfit: Squats and sprints on the bike.

[gunnk]

I know you want to hold yourself accountable by posting your progress... I *don't* know if you want my opinion (I almost said "two cents worth", but if you post in kg I don't know if you use that expression!).

First, I think portion control is overrated if you are careful about *what* you eat. Do you ever come across wild strawberries where you live? I do. They are TINY little things. The modern commercial versions are giant monsters by comparison with HUGE insulin impacts. AVOID except as an occasional treat. Along the same line: read ingredients of EVERYTHING. I came to Primal after discovering my acid reflux (6 antacids per day) was caused by grains. You might be surprised by the number of sauces (like many BBQ sauces) that contain grains or the ever-evil High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Like you, I'm a runner. Not ultras or even marathons, just 5 and 10K races, but running will ALWAYS be a part of my life. Chronic? No. However, I think running can be a very healthy part of our lives -- in moderation. I'm down to 10 to 15K most weeks, running good times for me and NOT missing the injuries! I used to regularly run 50K per week on a "healthy" conventional diet. Injuries, blood sugar crashes... YUCK!

Please don't think I'm preaching! I've given up grains, but am struggling to improve other parts of my diet (although giving up grains RAPIDLY dropped my weight to the point I can see my abs, gain muscle easily, and cured my acid reflux AND my asthma). Tonight my wife and I split a bottle of wine -- after which opening a second seemed like a great idea. Yeah... I bet my sleep isn't nearly so good tonight... And dairy. Yeah... let's not talk about it... mmm... mocha...

In any case, keep at it! This is a very supportive community. Anytime you need anything? Post it! Lots of help. You can always PM me as well if you need anything. Primal has been a life-changer for me, so I'll be happy to help if I can.

[amax]

Thanks gunnk - wish we had wild strawberries where I live...unfortunately I'm an aussie city dweller and the closest I would get would be the organic fruit store and unfortunately the cost is not that sympathetic with a student budget! If conventional strawberries are bad then what is your view on fruit??...is it a total no go (i've been known to eat up to 5 apples a day!). I'm pretty good with sauces as mainly just stick to organic olive oil, and balsamic vinegar if I'm making a dressing.

Today was pretty good...
B: 2 eggs, tomato and spinach
S: strawberries and almonds
L: left over pork with salad.
D: salmon and watercress with pinenuts
Desert - not so good...I just had to finish that last packet of dried figs in the fridge from pre 30 day challenge while I stress over finishing an essay (not buying another one I promise!).. Im now getting a massive sugar headache so am learning from my mistake

[gunnk]

I don't think fruit is a no-go by any stretch, though you can get a lot of carbs from it which is important as you want to lose some weight. Of course, it also varies with the fruit! So many fruits have been engineered to be very large and very sweet (more sugar, but maybe not any more of other nutrients). Other fruits (like blueberries) are just plain AWESOME. Strawberries (conventional or organic) are very far removed from wild strawberries. I don't mean you should stay away from them completely -- just recognize that modern varieties are distant cousins from those eaten in prehistoric times, so you can pick up a lot more carb content and a lot less nutrition per bite than might once have been the case. Fruit of many sorts is a regular part of my diet. I like blueberries, bananas, apples, strawberries, peaches (if they're really good ones), kiwi (again only if they're really fresh), and cantaloupe (though I treat it as a "sweet" rather than "good for me"). I just try to make vegetables and meats the main source of calories with dairy and fruits secondary. Of course "try" is the operative word there: I still get too many calories from dairy and too little from veggies!