Primal Journal (RMS) page

[RMS123]

I've been primal for awhile and generally feel great. My hair, skin, nails, etc. look wonderful. My stomach doesn't hurt anymore (unless gluten or dairy (except for ghee and a bit of butter) sneaks in). I'm gotten a handle on my emotional eating (woo hoo - this is totally awesome). I've lost 25 lbs since switching, and about 40-45 prior, for a total of 70 pounds. But, I still need to lose more...and am struggling. I have NO problems with maintenance, which is very awesome (because, when I did Weight Watchers in years past, it was always maintenance that I struggled with).

I know I need to lose more weight, though, because there is still a LOT of fat hanging around I'm pretty sure I need to restrict calories a bit, because that's when the scale goes down and my body firms up (which is more important to me than the ultimate scale number). Food quality also matters a lot...at least for me.

I've resisted this for a long time because tracking calories can make me neurotic and I'm not sure it's a good life long habit. However, two things: I don't lose weight without it (and I am not at a healthy weight or body composition) and I can maintain easily without counting...so I think for once I'll probably be able to maintain, I just need to pay a bit of attention to what I'm eating. I'm getting much better about listening to my body, but after being overweight most of my life, the hunger signals are a bit broken.

To do this, I downloaded and read the S.P.E.E.D. ebook. While the book wasn't per se earth shattering, I do think the combination of putting together all factors will be good. It's structure (which for me means control...and I'm a person who like control), without being too structured. I really like their goal getting methodology and the journal. So, I'm starting today.

Still working on the goals, but here's where I'm tentatively at:

Overall: I want to have the energy and endurance to enjoy my life. I don't want to always be too tired or weight too much to do the things I want to do. I want to be STRONG. I want to be HEALTHY.

Weight: I weigh about 170 (maybe a bit more after a wonderful splurge of pie yesterday and some grain-free bread in the stuffing). I ultimately want to weight between 135-140 pounds. I'm 5'5" (female) with, I think, medium-sized bones. I do put on muscle well, so I may be happy at 140-145...but I need to get close enough to see. Mini goals:
* Get consistently below 170.
* Reach 160.
* 150 - no longer overweight according the the BMI chart (I don't hold much stock in the BMI, but if I don't get there, my insurance make me do this weight loss counseling, and since I don't agree with much of what they have to offer, it's an annoying inconvenience I'd just as soon do without).
* 145 - want to see how I'll look there and then will reassess what my ultimate weight goal will be.

Sleep: I do make sleep a real priority. However, I don't sleep well. I'm going to be more consistent with my sleep habits (wind down, same bedtime, same wakeup) and see if that helps.

Psychology: Nightly meditation. I'm a bit Type A (I think of myself more as an A-...I'm not as bad as most Type As I know...but have a LOT of the tendencies), and need to unwind and de-stress. I'm also hoping that will help with the sleep.

Exercise: Consistency. I'll do really good, then fall off the face of the universe, then rinse and repeat. I want to talk 3x/week (I have 2 dogs - this isn't all that hard) and strength/conditioning 2x/week.

Environment: I need to focus on not getting distracted while I eat. No computer! No thinking about all the things I need to get done.

Diet: No snacking & good food balance. I don't snack when my first meal is full of high quality protein and veggies. If I eat too little, I'm raiding the kitchen. That means planning -- meat defrosting, enough leftovers for when I'm rushed for time, frozen veggies, etc. As to the food balance, I sometimes get lazy and eat things like pork rinds and apples. Primal? Sure. But I don't feel optimal and it doesn't help my weight loss.

If I did my calculations correctly, my range is between 1243-1657 (using the SPEED methodology). I'm going to target 1450 (30%). I need about 116 g protein (464 calories). That leaves about 100 g carbs (400 calories...that's higher than I'm generally able to obtain...but we'll see how that goes) and 586 calories of fat.

[and because I don't want to lose the link: http://www.mybodygallery.com/index.html]

[RMS123]

So, today, feeling a bit sluggish. I rarely eat primal "treats" or grain-free breads, but indulged in home-made pie and stuffing (the bread kind) last night. Ick. This is why I generally eat well Overall, though, yesterday was a good day. Lots of protein and veggies. Tons of liquid. Walked the dog.

Today. I want to make a few meals for the freezer. This keeps the family primal when I travel for work or don't want to make/eat dinner. It's also good for when I'm tired or rush...I can pull out and quickly cook nutrious meals. I also want to walk the dog and read. I should start on the Christmas letter, and I have thankyou notes to write, but DH (M) is taking his parents and brother shopping the madness today and Mom (K) just got home from graveyards and will sleep. All of that means I get some "me alone" time (I'm introvert, with a bunch of extroverts living with me).

As far as eating...still working on my plan. I'm so not hungry now, so will probably either have a late breakfast or early lunch. Turkey, with salad and whatever other veggies I have hiding in the freezer. Maybe some beef - poultry doesn't tend to hold me over - not sure why. We're having Nepali meatballs and sauce for dinner. I also have the makings for a squash, brussels sprouts, and cranberry dish that I'll make either today or tomorrow. No more pies and stuffing for me - that's all I need for the year.

[demuralist]

Hello! So happy you have joined the SPEED contingent! Important to have a plan, and I think to keep track as well. So much easier to see what works and what needs changed as you go along.

I am an extrovert, as is my DD (but she is away at college). DH and DS are introverts. So it seems very quiet around here when dd is gone, so very nice to have her home for the weekend.

[RMS123]

So, today went well. I didn't eat near my goal, but I wasn't hungry (too much food likely yesterday). I drank my water (yeah for tea). It didn't seem forced, but I've gotten out of the habit of drinking much. Found the Stash tea, yum. Picked up a great decaf licorace. Good stuff! Will weigh later tonight and see what my starting weight is (forgot this am...and more often weight at night than in the am at any rate).

Breakfast:
Sirloin Roast - 3 oz
Turkey Breast - 3 oz
(1/2 cup) Mushrooms, (1 cup) Green Beans cooked in homemade beef broth (.25 cup)
Veggie chips - 1/2 oz

Lunch:
Turkey Breast - 3 oz
Eggplant Dip - 6 T

Dinner:
3 eggs
1/2 tsp ghee
Salad - spinach (1/4 cup); mixed greens (1/4) cup; olives (3); cucumber slice (3); tomato (2 slices); roasted red bell peppers, marinated (.25 cup)
Ice cream - 2T

Totals for the day:
Calories - 896
Fat - 36.4 g
Protein - 102.8 g
Carbs - 35.9 g

I stayed away from the fruit, which is a real challenge. It's not that I think fruit is bad per se (and I'm not necessarily worried about the carbs), but fruit causes some intense cravings. Oddly enough, I can eat high quality chocolate and be okay, but fruit really sets me off. So, I'm working to take a break from it and then see if I can re-introduce it later.

Also, got the dogs out for a nice 40 minute walk.

Pretty sure I'll be starving tomorrow and will work harder on my meat and veggies.

[RMS123]

Last night I weighed 174. This morning, 171.5 (I don't usually weight 2X/day, but I forgot in the am yesterday).

Looks like it will be another good and relaxing day. I'm hoping to get the dogs out for a walk and cook and freeze some veggies. Water went well yesterday, but I was up all night Hopefully after a few days my body will get used to things. I woke up really thirsty today!

I'm struggling to eat mindfully. Not so much that I need the computer or TV, but that my mind wanders and thinks about all kinds of things during the meal. I end up shoveling food in my mouth somewhat mindlessly!

[athomeontherange]

There are days I forget to weigh in but I try not to stress it. I too am more of an introvert but my DD is quite the opposite so WOW, makes life interesting.

Welcome to the world of SPEED. I know it makes a difference even though the idea of calorie counting is not new. The thing with speed is its more than calorie counting. So glad to have you on the journey with Chris and I!

[demuralist]

I try really hard to spread my fluid intake out with a little bit of emphasis on trying to get the water in by dinner and drink tea after dinner. This has seemed to help, although it makes running errands interesting and I am getting to know all of the best bathrooms in the city.

[athomeontherange]

I try really hard to spread my fluid intake out with a little bit of emphasis on trying to get the water in by dinner and drink tea after dinner. This has seemed to help, although it makes running errands interesting and I am getting to know all of the best bathrooms in the city.

Oh YES!! Know your restrooms!!! A MUST!!

[RMS123]

And here I was hoping the restroom situation would eventually get better... I'm trying to get more liquids in during the day so that night is a little better. We'll see if that helps any at all. The interesting part will be all the conference calls I have on Monday...I may have to take several breaks

[demuralist]

I don't wake up in the middle of the night anymore. And essentially, every time I stand up, I just go on and go to the restroom while it is convenient.