Primal Journal (sbhikes) page 64

[sbhikes]

I can't walk fast enough to get my heart rate up, and as soon as I hit a hill, like when I go hiking, my heart rate shoots way up too high. I have a big hole where the aerobic fitness exists. The whole purpose of training at this heart rate is to build the aerobic base of fitness, which I lack. Everything I have done for years has been above that base of fitness, hence the lack of improvement over the years and the tendency to hold onto body fat even though I get lots of exercise. The easiest way to reach the target heart rate to build the base is to jog and ride my bike. I ride my bike to work as well as run. I WANT to do the running. I just don't appreciate the positive "good job" "way to go" comments. People should mind their own beezwax. Bonus: this slow running is making me lose weight.

[palebluedots]

Yeah, I hear you about positive comments being annoying. Having lost a whole bunch of weight, I bump into that a lot, and I honestly wish that people would just shut up. Yes, I know I've lost weight, yes, I know I look better, and NO, I didn't need you to tell me any of that. Eesh.

[sbhikes]

I had someone ask me about the paleo diet today. I keep some posters on my office door. I told her how I was hiking the PCT and starting to gain weight before I finished and then learned I had insulin problems that the paleo diet fixed all that, took away all my uncontrollable hunger, allowed me to stop gaining weight and lose weight and also made me feel young and healthy like I never felt before. She told me how weight watchers helps her lose weight. That's about all that was said.

I felt really hungry today so I bought some nuts in the little store. Oh my god they are fattening. Package says there are 3 servings at nearly 200 calories a serving. But it also said a serving was 1/4 cup and I can't believe there was anywhere near 3/4 cup of nuts in that bag. Cottonseed and peanut oil. Oops. Next time I won't eat that.

[BennettC]

Everytime my mom wants to lose weight she goes and joins weight watchers. it never works. I have family members who lost doing it, but gained it all back. She's trying to lose on her own now. Not gonna happen when she junks all day long, does no exercise, and comes home eats 2 bags of popcorn and a candy bar and goes to sleep. That's a typical day

[palebluedots]

sbhikes, you might want to check out the little Artisana nut butter packs. They are made with raw nuts and no added ingredients (except for the cacao one which has sugar). They're in convenient little 200-ish calorie pouches. I keep one in my purse for those times when I feel like I really need a little something extra to get me through the day. Pecan is my fave. Artisana Raw Organic Pecan Butter - 1.19 oz travel squeeze pack: Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food

[palebluedots]

(i also often take those on hikes)

[Pony500]

I felt really hungry today so I bought some nuts in the little store. Oh my god they are fattening. Package says there are 3 servings at nearly 200 calories a serving. But it also said a serving was 1/4 cup and I can't believe there was anywhere near 3/4 cup of nuts in that bag. Cottonseed and peanut oil. Oops. Next time I won't eat that.

Yeah, nuts really are very fattening. When I was logging everything in Fit Day, I was actually weighing my portions of nuts, just to get a grip on how much I was eating and I was just amazed at how small 2 oz of nuts was and just how much fat was in them. You could really totally blow your fat and calories out of the water with them and for those of us who do need to try and keep the calories within a range, nuts can blow it easily.

I was also amazed at how much olive oil I was dumping on my salads. When I started to weigh it--again, just to see how much I was putting on my salads--I was adding like 2-3 oz of olive oil easily. So, of course fat is good and all, but when I was drinking bulletproof coffee in addition to 3 eggs and bacon, eating nuts and making big salads with too much olive oil, I was eating way too many calories!! After I started to weigh things, I realized that 1 oz of olive oil was still enough, or if I did increase the oil, I at least weighed it just to keep an eye on it and get a feel for how much I was pouring when I poured. Come to think of it, when I was logging all my food into Fit Day, that's when I actually did drop some weight........I guess I should do that again. But yes, nuts are way to easy to eat way too many.

[sbhikes]

I sometimes buy those little nut butter packets as a treat. I get the coconut butter one!

All this exercise and perhaps the time of the month is making me hungry!

Yesterday I went to my exercise class. Same teacher, different class description, but the same class. I am thinking of doing only one class per week instead of two. I'm always sore after the class (I'm so terribly sore right now I had trouble rolling over in bed). Spending 4 days a week sore is no fun. A lady in the class told me I have just got to try the Thursday Cardio Kickboxing class. I hate cardio classes where you jump and flail to music. I like my exercise class because we're basically just torturing ourselves with planks and sit-ups and triceps and whatever else stuff. I might check it out, but if it's just jumping and pretending to box and kick, I think I'll just go for a relaxing run in the sun instead.

My boyfriend actually cooked with bacon last night. I think he was jealous that the other day I cooked chard with bacon and didn't serve him any. I gave him a heart-healthy plate of steamed veggies instead.

Foggy this morning. Perhaps the heat has broken a little.

[Pony500]

I can't walk fast enough to get my heart rate up, and as soon as I hit a hill, like when I go hiking, my heart rate shoots way up too high. I have a big hole where the aerobic fitness exists. The whole purpose of training at this heart rate is to build the aerobic base of fitness, which I lack. Everything I have done for years has been above that base of fitness, hence the lack of improvement over the years and the tendency to hold onto body fat even though I get lots of exercise. The easiest way to reach the target heart rate to build the base is to jog and ride my bike. I ride my bike to work as well as run. I WANT to do the running. I just don't appreciate the positive "good job" "way to go" comments. People should mind their own beezwax. Bonus: this slow running is making me lose weight.

Did you say that you have dropped some weight with the slow running? I'm glad I'm able to talk about this here--my fiance is getting a bit tired of hearing about my 10lbs that I want to lose. Of course, he's been dropping weight easily just from eating more paleo, of course.

[sbhikes]

I've only dropped a tiny bit of weight. I've been able to hold steady now at 131lbs so I changed my signature (said 133 before.) I do not think that running is a huge miracle, but I am finding that it gives me a huge boost in my sense of well-being. I think after a half hour I can sense my body switches over to fat for energy, and it's at that point that the mood boost kicks in along with better physical energy. It takes a lot of hours at this fat burning place to lose any weight and I can make up for it pretty easily with food, so that's why it's not a big miracle or anything. But I do spend more of my day in the fat-burning state with the running than without. I hope I can break the 130lbs barrier eventually. It might take me a month. We'll see. I'm just really happy to be holding steady at 131 right now. Even such a small amount seems to make a big difference at my size.