Stuck in the Middle with You, maybe? page 3

[Paleobird]

Friggin A-men Paleobird.

(I don't do it every weekend, but that's what happened last weekend) Thanks for the kick in the ass.

Anytime

[Glamorama]

Thanks, makes sense. I find that by weighing myself every morning I get that mental kick in the butt that I need to really look into my diet. I still think I'm healing though, so I have decided not to get stressed or worried just yet.

[zoebird]

I think that, for those in the middle, you just need to follow The Primal Blueprint as written.

At the most basic level, you find a reasonable amount of calories for you -- which depends entirely upon the person -- and then get the ratios adjusted for % of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. From there, you can be as strict "paleo" or as "primal" as you want to be (this is really about dairy and not much else).

In addition to the food, you also need to get rest, exercise, and play. Sunlight is also helpful.

If you follow the blueprint, you will consistently loose weight and get to the right body balance. It may not be quick or miraculous, it will require some personalized experimentation, and ultimately, you'll need to not do "primal baking" and indulge in grains "even for breakfast" or whatever. Just dont' eat them. And that alone makes a HUGE difference.

End of the day, you will figure it out. Yes, there are largely two ends of the spectrum here -- those who are looking to get a few % points leaner, and those who are looking to loose a lot of weight (over 75 over 100 lbs). but pretty much the blueprint applies either way. you gotta find the balance for you.

Good luck with it all. It really is nice and easy, once you get into the flow of it.

[zoebird]

oh, and for whatever it is worth, here is our "fish and chups" recipe. it may not fit into YOUR primal yet, but it's on our menu weekly:

ground almonds, spice blend of choice, fresh green herb of choice

fish of choice

egg

butter

take fish and wash it, then dip in egg and then dip in ground almonds that's been mixed with spice mix and chopped green herb (also, we like to use seaweed here, it's nice). put butter in the pan and let it melt (coconut oil also works well), and then put the fish in. The butter-to-heat ratio needs to be experimented with by you, so that the crust doesn't get burnt but the fish gets cooked. you'll find your way. let it get golden brown on one side (2-5 minutes depending upon heat-to-butter ratio), and then flip it to finish cooking.

---

we like to serve this with several things. people like kale chips, and we make those but it in a cauliflower and parsnip (or turnip, depending upon what we have) mash with a smidge of horseradish as well. it gives it a nice mashed potato/"chups" feel and flavor, without being off-limits.

in addition, we serve some form of green veggies. it really depends upon what we have -- this week we had brussels sprouts. i like to carmelize them with some leeks and butter and then salt/pepper and sometimes a bit of all natural mustard. if they are naturally sweet, then no need to add honey, but a tiny bit of honey (like a fingertip or 1/4 teaspoon) is more than enough for several sprouts! It just cuts the bitter a bit.

So, that's me for fish and chups. I also make a home made ginger ale -- fizzy water, ginger either steeped and then a bit of honey and lemon or ginger and lemon juice with a bit of honey and the fizzy water. stevia would also work here. it's not 'beer' but it's nice to get some fizz.

anyway. . .

[spakesneaker]

@spakesneaker: what bodyweight exercises do you do? I'm the same way-- I take Bar Meathod classes 5x a week (it's like a cross between pilates & ballet with mostly isometric movements) and was debating adding in some heavier lifting & sprints to my regime. I will if you wil Also: holy grok, 50lbs is an amazing change! *serious golf clap*

Right now I'm doing the stuff from Mark's Primal Fitness e-book. Before it was select p90x routines. In theory I appreciate PB Fitness more because it's compound exercises and not endless repetitions of isolation movements. But it is difficult for me to 'feel' the intensity as much with PBF, although I'm sure something is happening. And thank you!

Side note - is dancing (pretty intensely, i.e. feeling a 'burn' by the end, kind of like a zumba class?) considered low-level cardio, or is it approaching 'too high' of a heart rate and therefore bordering on chronic cardio?

[Savannah]

Yes, I weighed myself once daily (not more, that's obsessive). I weighed/measured everything I ate and kept track of it on SparkPeople but there are many such programs out there. No, there was no need for hunger at all once I got the concept that I needed to focus on getting enough protein within a calorie "budget". When you start picking leaner protein sources, you get a lot of satiety value out of a large amount of meats/fish/eggs. There is still plenty of fat that "comes with" the protein itself. I'm not advocating going back to the "bad old days" of low-fat everything, I just think that we Primals have gone overboard in the opposite direction.

Re the "tracking/ measuring/weighing is obsessive" argument. I counter with, being blissfully unaware of how much you are taking in to your body and thinking that the pounds and inches are just somehow going to melt off is the ostrich method of weight loss. By the time you notice that your clothes are fitting a bit tighter, you could have put on ten pounds.

This vigilance doesn't have to be a life sentence. I did it for five months and lost 30 pounds. You do have to buckle down and get serious about it however, at least for the duration. Kenz, this is for you, no more fish & chip and beer binges. You are either doing this or you are not. No, half assing it.

I've read your Spark Notes o' Calorie Counting and it made a lot of sense-- to me, it's totally logical that whatever else you're doing to lose weight, at the base of things you need a calorie deficit. On the other hand, I get frustrated because I'm a calorie tracker too (fitday.com is my new bf) and my "average" daily calories for the last month have been around 1250-- by the old "3500 calories to lost a pound" rule I should have lose about....
8.5 pounds....and I just realized that today I weighed myself & had lost 6, which is damn close to 8.5 considering I had a week & a half of primal but binge-y eating after a stressful relative visit.

So basically the moral of this post is I should do the math more and realize this WOE+being mindful of calorie input is actually working :P

[Savannah]

Side note - is dancing (pretty intensely, i.e. feeling a 'burn' by the end, kind of like a zumba class?) considered low-level cardio, or is it approaching 'too high' of a heart rate and therefore bordering on chronic cardio?

What I do- The Bar Method- is basically 3-to-4 minutes of repetitive movement that works a specific muscle group to the point of burning/shaking, followed by 30sec/1min of stretching, then repeat on a different muscle, so it feels more like interval training. I think for Zumba & other dance classes you'd be edging into chronic cardio territory because the instructor's goal is to get you into a aerobic heart-rate zone. Lol, maybe dance classes are to exercise as fruit&nuts are to weight loss: things to be indulged in sparingly. But going out & dancing with friends would be great because you could set your own pace! In fact, <i>why hasn't there been a Primal dance-off yet?!</i> This is a thing that needs to happen!

[Uncephalized]

Seems to me that spontaneous dancing for the duration of a few songs with rests in between, in the context of social interaction with friends, is probably some of the best physical and mental exercise there is. But dancing for an hour nonstop under the watchful eye of a fitness instructor several times a week is chronic cardio territory for sure.

[Autumnrose]

I'm sort of in the middle. I was at goal weight and because of vacation, getting lazy and letting grains slip back into my menu I've gained weight. I'm slowly working of the extra pounds....that aren't coming off fast enough.

How come it takes two weeks to gain 20 pounds and two centuries to take it off?

[Penfold_67]

Seems to me that spontaneous dancing for the duration of a few songs with rests in between, in the context of social interaction with friends, is probably some of the best physical and mental exercise there is. But dancing for an hour nonstop under the watchful eye of a fitness instructor several times a week is chronic cardio territory for sure.

So true! Doing 60 minutes on a treadmill is torture. Walking 5 miles with my mum and sister putting the world to rights is an absolute pleasure.