Primal Journal (sbhikes) page 5

[sbhikes]

Spent 4 days in Death Valley. It was cold and beautiful. We went out to eat a lot. I managed to always find something good to eat. Even liver and onions once. I feel bloated now but I'm sure it will subside. I definitely did not drink enough water during these last 4 days.

[sbhikes]

I gained a half inch on my waist over the past 4 days. When I went out to eat I mostly did very well. I did eat the mashed potatoes that came with my liver and onions. I did not eat the bread that came with my gyro. I didn't eat the bun that came with my hamburger. I did eat some of the hash browns that came with my omelet. I ate one of the 4 tortillas that came with my 2 carnitas tacos. I did drink 2 beers over the course of the trip. I guess it takes only a few carbs to make me gain weight. We did a lot of hiking on one of the days and a little on the others. On one we did some four-wheeling which was terrifying. We didn't eat that whole day. We were so scared we would die. We got a flat on the road to the Racetrack, then thought it might be shorter to get to a gas station by continuing ahead rather than backtracking. The road ahead was Lippencot pass road which apparently is a notorious 4x4 route considered a "goat trail" in the parlance. Two idiot city kids in way over their heads.

[winencandy]

Hi sbhikes!

SBHikes, I just read your journal and was amazed at the similarities!

Me three

Female, 5'3",
Starting weight: 160lbs. Current weight: 140lbs. Would like to be in 120s, but around 130 will be an improvement.

I'm 5' 2.5"
Starting weight: 68kg (149.91 lbs). Current weight: 65 kg (143.30 lbs). Would like to be 60 kg (132.27 lbs)

I'm 5' 1/2"
Starting weight: 155lbs, Current Weight: 140. Would like to be 130...

And yes, I also feel that I am not loosing weight as fast as I would like. 'No change' is exactly how I would sum up my weight loss too...

no change for the last 6 months...except...I think it might be gradually shifting again...

I'm not sure how long you've been doing this now. This is Day 50 for me, so I'm still in the early days,

1 1/2 years...

Thank you for your message to me. I didn't notice. I keep a browser tab open and just tack on a new post each day, otherwise I never can find my journal again.

Here's how to find your journal:
While on your journal, there is a grey bar under your title. Click on the Thread Tools. Then click on Subscribe to this thread. It will take you to another page. Choose how you want to be notified (I choose instant notification through email for my own journal and through my control panel for the other journals I follow.)

Then when you are looking for your journal, sign in. At the top of the page, under the photo banner, there is a black bar. On the right it says Quick Links with a drop down arrow. Click on Subscribed Threads and it will be there...

[sbhikes]

Thanks.

I think I'm gaining weight suddenly. I don't think I can handle ANY carbs. I have been doing pretty well considering going on vacation and holidays. Not one cookie or other holiday treat. It must be the potatoes, rutabagas and last night's peas and beans. I feel like a blimp.

[sbhikes]

Ahh. I made my own breakfast today instead of going out. Real eggs with orange yolks from chickens who ate bugs and ran outside in the grass. Plus a chicken liver. All fried in duck fat. It's going to be a ducky day, a real high-flier, a day to live(r). Somewhere on this site I read they put flour in the scrambled eggs in restaurants. I have found nothing online to corroborate that. I think they simply put milk or skim milk in the eggs. This, of course, raises the carbs and makes them less natural. Restaurants probably use the ultra-pasturized milk. Ew. That stuff scares the bejeesus out of me. Anyway, it feels good to get back to what was working for me. My parrot loved the eggs this morning, too.

[Cassanina]

Somewhere on this site I read they put flour in the scrambled eggs in restaurants. I have found nothing online to corroborate that.

IHOP does. If you look at their menu for their omelettes when it describes it, it actually states that they put a little of their pancake batter in for fluffiness.

This is actually a quote I just copied from their online menu:
Made with a splash of our famous buttermilk and wheat pancake batter for extra fluffiness and served with three buttermilk pancakes or fresh fruit.

IHOP

Not sure about other places with their omelettes, but IHOP for sure. But you can order it without the pancake batter in, you just have to ask.

[something4me]

Great journal. Congratulations on your success.

[sbhikes]

Oh, IHOP. I go out for breakfast at a little local place. They don't serve pancakes as far as I know. Doesn't mean they wouldn't put flour in the mix. Who knows?

Anyway, while hiking this weekend I picked some wild greens. This morning I had some plantain (Plantago lanceolata) with my eggs and chicken liver. I've never had it before. I was afraid the ridges in the leaves would be too tough, but they were fine. A tiny bit bitter in a good way. I will eat them again. Note that this isn't the fruit that looks like a banana. It's a weed that has long, slender leaves with vertical ridges and a white flower on a spike. I also picked some mustard greens. Maybe I'll have those tomorrow.

The nice thing about picking wild greens is you can save a couple of bucks over buying chard or kale at the store. Mustard greens are really tasty, as is stinging nettle. The plantains were not too bad. I have never tried dandelion greens since I'm never sure if the ones growing wild are the same as the ones on people's lawn, but that's another easily found wild green. We have a lot of flowers called "salsify" that look like dandelion, but I don't think it's the same thing. Also good is miner's lettuce. There's a hillside near my house where I can get it. I noticed yesterday most of the hillside is covered in cape ivy now. Perhaps the miner's lettuce will be no more. Too bad you can't eat cape ivy (at least I assume you can't.) Other wild greens I've eaten include chickweed and bed straw. Those grow as weeds in my garden. In fact, I gave up gardening and just eat the weeds instead. Pretty much all the greens taste similar, although stinging nettle and mustard greens are the best in my opinion.

[sbhikes]

Today's breakfast was wild mustard greens and a store-bought mushroom cooked in duck fat. With two eggs and a chicken liver and half an avocado. The mustard greens were fabulous. Wild mustard and plantain grows all over the island where I walk at lunchtime. I should just use my lunch hour to "shop" for wild greens and never buy them again.

[Cave Woman]

Hi sbhikes!

I am enjoying reading about your journey. We are similar in weight and build, though I am a bit older. And mostly past those temperature fluctuations - unless I have some wheat or too much red wine! I am also built like a tree - I have no waist and am built like a boy with boobs.

Your writing brings back memories - I used to eat wild greens hiking in California, but now I live in a climate with snowy winters, so the dandelions and wild onions won't be available until spring. I loved miner's lettuce! I am a slow hiker, and was not one for many years due to a foot problem (no shoes were right for very wide feet from growing up barefoot on the beach), but hope to be able to better keep up with my friends this summer when I have trimmed up and improved my fitness. I do walk in the woods everyday, though.

I look forward to following your journey.