This year is all about my body and my health! page

[anna-banana]

So I stumbled upon MDA at the beginning of December 2011 and everything I read made complete sense. I bought the book, read through it in a matter of a day, perused this site for endless articles, success stories and tips for newbies.

I was stoked that I wouldn't have to give up my beloved red wine and dark chocolate! Yes, this was a selling point for me

My starting date was December 10, 2011. I am 5'8" and weighed in at 159lbs (my body fat scale told me I was at 24%, but I'm not sure how trust worthy that thing is...), placing my BMI at 24.2 (normal range being 18.5-24.9). Let's start out with my initial weight related goals: I wanted to be at 135 again with some lean muscles. This was my happy weight back in 2008/early 2009 - I'd like to fit into those clothes again AND look good in them

The half-assed commitment in December made me drop down to 154lbs on December 22, making it a 5lb loss in 12 days - YAY! Then came the holidays and a small getaway to wine country filled with cheese plates accompanied by baguette and some other grainy monster foods. In general, my diet was about 60% primal in the last week of December. With the new year came my decision to treat my body right, have more energy, get some more fresh air and sun (I'm stuck at a desk inside all day for my job) and to fit into all my beautiful clothes again without muffin top and without fearing to breathe while wearing them!

Yesterday I weighed in at 155lb. This is my starting point for the new year. 20 lbs of useless fat to go! I started using paleotrack to get a better idea of just how much protein, fat, and carbs I am taking in.
Here is my overview for yesterday. As a disclaimer: I did eat some leftover Chinese, hence a larger calorie count than I am aiming for on a day-to-day basis. No more processed Chinese from now on, I'll cook it all at home in my wok with the coconut oil I just bought!

Jan. 2
1940 calories
124g protein
115g carbs
109g fat

I am happy with the protein and the fat numbers, just want to get the carbs around 50-100g per day and reduce the overall calories consumed to around 1500 per day.

Short/Medium term goals:
Walk at least 30 minutes every day. Probably best to do this around 7am instead of sleeping until 8, since it is usually dark by the time I get home from work. Alternatively there is the treadmill at the gym.
Limit my wine drinking (or the occasional martini) to the weekends.
Reduce the amount of cheese I am eating (but then again it is pretty much my only source of dairy, so I guess I'll look for the least processed kinds).
Cook more at home, because I have already noticed that eating out as a primal can suck and you never know what types of additional ingredients they throw in the food that you'd never use at home.

Let me know if you have any advice for this newbie

[Cassanina]

Hi Anna-Banana, welcome! This is the best present you could give to yourself FOR SURE.

You make the comment about cheese being your only dairy and wanting to keep it. You don't actually NEED dairy. Take a look at Mark's Definitive Guide to Dairy on his blog page and you can read more about it. If you are aiming to lose weight, a lot of us cut out fruit and dairy for a while until we get closer to our goal. Just something to look at as you progress.

You're already well on your way to your goal! Are you incorporating the LHT (Lift Heavy Things) into your schedule?

[Cave Woman]

Hi Anna-Banana!

Welcome from another newbie who loves chocolate and red wine! I am also at about 24% BMI.

It looks like you are on the right track to me. I don't want to micro-manage my intake too much - I don't want to stop in the middle of cooking and input my ingredients. But I know it works very well for some people. I am doing only veggies, meat, a few nuts, coconut, etc. no grains or starches, and no fruits at the moment. (Though I do have some lovely berries in the freezer.) I am still going to have a bit of cheese, some dark chocolate and a glass of red wine every few days. If I lose weight doing that I will be fine. Only if I stop losing will I fine tune then. I just know if I am too strict I will fail. Some folks need a more structured approach. We are all a bit different.

I look forward to seeing you here as we journey through this new adventure!

[anna-banana]

Hi Cassanina,

Thanks for the welcoming words! Looks like you've accomplished quite a bit on your journey already. I did read the dairy guide and am just not quite ready yet to fully give up cheese - it's just too good. However, I am decreasing my intake and now will only purchase the least processed kinds.

As for LHT, I am starting that this week. I worked out with a personal trainer a few years back so I still know a lot of great work-out routines that can be completed in about 15-20 minutes and engage the whole body. I am aiming for doing LHT twice per week to start and am also doing squats, lunges, push-ups, etc. while I am watching TV :-)

[anna-banana]

Hi Cave Woman,

Thanks for the welcome, glad to meet someone else that is just beginning their journey! I agree with you on the micro-managing, I update my food journal in the evenings on the couch. I generally cook with a manageable amount of ingredients (i.e. bacon and eggs for breakfast), so it's not too difficult to log my intake. I'm sure it'll be more difficult when I go out to eat.

Let's keep in touch and update one another regularly!

[Cave Woman]

Hey Anna-Banana!

I'll be following your progress and checking in regularly. MDA seems like a great place with lots of friendly, supportive folks. So much great information, too!

Cheers!

[winencandy]

Hi anna banana!
(that's my daughter's nickname - she got it when she was only a few hours old )

Welcome to MDA!

[anna-banana]

Thanks for the welcome winencandy! It was mine ever since I was little, too. My college mascot was a banana slug, that made things even funnier

[Cave Woman]

What a coinky-dink! My college mascot was a banana slug, too! Kresge back in the late 70s to early 80s.

[anna-banana]

Well look at that, fellow banana slug! I was College 9 and just got done with that darn degree in June 2011 loved that campus, great for walking around in the wilderness.