Primal Journal (sbhikes) page 73

[sbhikes]

Here is my whole day of food. Today I lifted weights. They make me hungry. This is a lot of food. So far eating like this on days I lift weights and feel hungry has not made me fat.

My breakfast. A cold steak and a white potato.


My lunch. A Greek salad with a can of sockeye salmon, oil and vinegar.


A snack. Almonds and a sweet potato. I also had a couple of walnuts.


Dinner. 2 Eggs, a can of oysters and some veggies.

[sbhikes]

Here's what I ate today. I did not lift weights today but I went for an hour slow run at lunch.

Breakfast: 3 eggs, oysters and veggies


Lunch: Can of salmon over a Greek salad with oil and vinegar and Dijon mustard


Dinner: Spaghetti sauce with grassfed ground beef and a sweet potato instead of noodles. Half an avocado (I had eaten some before I took the picture.)


I feel really good eating bigger meals with more protein and veggies and less fat. I have less desire to snack. I have not been drinking wine. I feel really hungry on lifting days and by dinner on the non-lifting day I feel pretty much all filled up.

[sbhikes]

I did my lifting yesterday and it wiped me out! Wow, I was beat. Maybe it's the adding in of deadlifts plus the weight getting higher. I also made an attempt at power cleans but I didn't understand them. I tried doing barbell rows and didn't understand that, either. My backpacking trip for this weekend was canceled so maybe I will go to the gym on Sunday. It's closed on Monday. I'm determined to get the power clean and do the Starting Strength program. I think I will spend some time practicing today with a broomstick.

[Owly]

The broomstick is definitely helpful in learning cleans. It's a funny movement if you're not used to it--you might also find it helpful to have someone who knows coach you a little on the technique.

[Goldie]

SB, go here ---> Hang Power Cleans and here ---> Cleans and look at the videos about cleans. Coach Burgener has coached Olympic weightlifters, so any of his instruction is top-notch. Power cleans do not include the full squat, and you can do them from the ground, or do hang power cleans (starting with the bar just above your knees). Your best bet is to start with hang power cleans.

Be sure to start with light weight--just a lightweight bar until you have the technique. I learned them starting with a length of PVC pipe, no weight at all! Also keep in mind that the Olympic lifts should be done with Olympic bars. Olympic bars have the rotating sleeve on each end that the plates go on, so as you rotate the bar when you lift, the plates don't rotate. If you try an Olympic lift with a regular barbell with plates on, your momentum will be disrupted because you'll have to make the plates rotate as well as the bar. (I hope my explanation made sense!) And NEVER drop an empty Olympic bar, you'll screw up the balance! Most regular gyms don't have Olympic bars because they're a lot more expensive than regular ones, and because they can be easily damaged.

Good luck!

[sbhikes]

I think the plates rotate freely on the bars at my gym and they look like pictures of olympic bars on the web. We don't have the bumper plates, just the regular ones. I can't do it with any weight anyway. I'm practicing with the Starting Strength book and a broomstick. I stand in front of the mirror and try to match the poses in the pictures. Sadly, my arms simply will not do the rack position. It is not anatomically possible, neither for my elbows to point that way with my wrists pointed the way they show and touching my shoulders, nor with the bar on my shoulders. It's also not anatomically possible for me to do the starting position in a military press as pictured in the book. My arms must be too long and I guess they put my shoulders in the wrong place. There is no feasible way to put the bar on the front of my shoulders even without my arms in the way. Ah well, I'll just have to do the best I can with what I've got. I knew I was a hobbit and not a real human.

Meanwhile, I went on a shopping spree today. Bought some new clothes, some thrift store finds and some hats. I need to do a closet purge of all that stuff I don't wear and that's too big.

[sbhikes]

God, enough with the damn potatoes already.

[sbhikes]

I bought vegan pumpkin pudding at the health food store today. It was delicious. I must learn to make this. It contained:

cashews
coconut milk
pumpkin
chia seeds
maple syrup
stevia
vanilla
ginger
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves
salt

I've seen a few recipes online.

[llong]

I have a gluten free, dairy free crustless pumpkin pie recipe that contains

coconut milk
pumpkin
honey
vanilla
ginger
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves
salt

I am sure it could be modified to contain chia seed and the other ingredients. I have left out the honey and just thrown some dates in the bottom of the pie plate and that was quite tasty

[Paleobird]

God, enough with the damn potatoes already.

No kidding. This is getting pretty silly. Do we really need five different potato threads?

SB, I wanted to ask you a question about the PCT hike. Most of the internet accounts of hiking it I have read have been from the POV of starving students subsisting on ramen. But, if one had the financial means, could it be a much more comfortable trek?

How much of the trail is long stretches out of civilization and how much of it goes through towns? I'm thinking I don't mind hoofing it and sleeping out on the ground for several nights at a stretch but then a night to rest up on clean sheets, get a shower and a good meal, and even rest a few nights if there were any injuries/illnesses that needed tending to would be nice.

If one could just "flip out the plastic" and not have to worry about the cost (also if one didn't have a deadline to get back to work) do you think this "comfy camping" version of the PCT could work?

Next question, would you like to come with me?