Primal Journal (RMS) page 63

[RMS123]

When I was "well", I could eat more carbs and do just fine. Right now, I'm a little more sensitive.

I need to plan a "cheat" meal each week. I think it would help me mentally!

[marcadav]

I feel your pain. Your account of fast and steady weight gain sounds all to similar to my thyroid issues.

All I can add is, my success came only when I let go of weight and focused on health.. I could not control my weight. I could not control my hormones. I could only control my choices.

I chose to eat healthily on a daily basis. I chose to exercise 5 days a week.

I learned I was MORE than a number on THE machine. I learned I was MORE than a number on the tag of my clothing. I learned that WHO I am is a matter of how I think, feel and act. It has nothing to do with my size..

Hang in there, RMS. Take control of what you have control of--your daily choices. Let go of what is beyond your choice/control.

I hope a complete thyroid panel--TSH, free T4 and free T3 was included in your recent blood work.

[RMS123]

Thank you all for your posts yesterday...it greatly helped.

Marcadav, I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to post yesterday. You are very insightful...and I'm going to try and live that today. Health is WAY more important than the number on the box, and it's important that I control what I can control.

Yes, a complete thyroid panel was part of the blood work.

Today is Friday. Hooray. I'm beat and ready for the weekend. I'm feeling much more chipper today. I ate well yesterday and am ready to continue the trend today.

I'm planning and thinking about how I'm going to survive my 7 days of travel. I'm going to make a ton of beef jerky (quick, easy way to get my protein), take some hard-boiled eggs (variety), and bring cut up veggies. We aren't able to stay where there's a kitchen, but we will have a 'fridge and microwave and be close to Whole Foods (at least part of the trip).

[demuralist]

You are doing well with the planning, now you just need to stay away from the junk. I like individual packs of raw almonds too. the raw take longer to chew, and are more satisfying than roasted. Also, no salt so it doesn't set off any cravings that way.

[Pebbles67]

Hmmm, I think I'll get some raw almonds. It also avoids the added salt.

[demuralist]

Don't know if you have a Trader Joes, but they sell a package with 10 individual packets inside. Very handy!

[Pebbles67]

Nope, no Trader Joes.

[demuralist]

Rats, everyone should have a Trader Joes!

[RMS123]

I have to be very careful with nuts. Even raw, unsalted, I can eat and eat and eat (and eat some more).

Good news and bad news. My labs came back. With our initial tests, there is absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, she was pleased by many of my labs. My blood pressure is great. My cholesterol rocks (as an aside, I rarely hear people comment on not eating grains...but I get a lot of concern expressed about how much red meat and "fat" I eat...my numbers are WAY better than when I was eating "traditional" healthy. Go figure....). My testosterone is a hair low, but nothing for concern. My entire thyroid panel came back fine. No indicators point to a reoccurance of PCOS. Which is good...

Except it leaves with no answers. Has this all been in my mind? I don't generally think I'm a hypochondriac! I will ask her to run the second set of tests we were holding out on (costly) - the full hormone panel. My only real answer is perhaps a series of stressful events? Nothing acute, for sure, but it's been a really stressful year and half. I started a year and a half with an awesome (but beyond exhausting) trip to Nepal, where my in-laws ran me ragged, and then I got sick. I was so sick I couldn't sleep at all on entire 24+ hour trip home. Then, not even a week after we were home, our dog passed away (very suddenly) after a really long battle with cancer (for some of you, this perhaps seems odd...but we got Buddy as a puppy...my husband and I's first pet...and our first "baby" we raised together...we were very attached to him). Not long after, we moved from TX to NM (a GREAT move for the family, but not without stress). Three weeks after I moved, I got a new boss (in TX). Then, my grandparents (who raised me) passed away very suddenly. And, then, I was trying to help deal with their estate. Finally, I spent almost 6 straight weeks traveling (and eating in rather sub-optimal fashion). And, while I have "managed" work, it can be a stressful job that is NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, an 8-5 gig. It doesn't seem any worse than what other people deal with in life, but maybe it finally caught up with me?

In terms of the rapid weight gain, I'm still baffled. It's not like I've been out enjoying a ton of decadent food. Nope, pretty much my meat and veggies. I've been eating over "weight-loss" calories, but haven't really been in the "gain" category either. After reviewing my food journal, a few potential areas stand out:
* Several days of pork. I don't usually eat pork, and I'm not sure my body likes it. I'm not intolerant per se, but I think I might have to be careful?
* Several days of coconut butter. I have no problems with CO or coconut milk (in moderation!!!!!), but I have read that a lot of people don't do well with coconut butter.
* Cocoa nibs.
-- These all happened around the same time, so to determine if I'm sensitive to any of these, I'll probably need to do an elimination and then add one in at a time. Also, while 11 pounds came in a week, I'll note that they aren't leaving that fast. Even if it's "just" water/inflammation/whatever, it's not going away that fast. Oh, well. I need to remind myself "HEALTH FIRST AND FOREMOST". The rest will follow!!!!

[demuralist]

Wouldn't life be great if we could just lose if we stayed below our weight loss calories and only gain when we were eating something ridiculous? I have steadily gained this week, after losing while on TTOM last week, while staying on plan and under my calories. Yesterday, I broke the bank and had, well lets just say a lot, of icing, and gained .6 pounds, which is pretty much what I have been gaining while staying on plan. Very frustrating. And the urge to just say F-it and eat the cake bites sitting in the freezer did hit me, and luckily pass. Because I know I would not feel good regardless of the scale.

Dean's new post today, talks about shifting focus away from the outcome and more toward the process (if I interpreted it correctly-I tend to read into things what I need to see). It is good that you have a few things that might be the culprits, and things that you could probably pretty easily live without, hope it turns out to be one of them.

Good luck.