Just starting out page

[Paleo Charlie]

Tuesday, January 10, 2012
This is the second day I have been in the “Primal/Paleolithic” lifestyle. I weighed myself on the scale in the factory. I am 301 lbs. I have NEVER BEEN this heavy before. I am feeling pretty down. I have a headache, although that may be due to pressure from work.
I had Primal Texas Chili for lunch, (leftovers from last night! AWESOME!) and will pick up some leafy green vegetables. Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Sprouts will likely be my new best friends.

I cooked a chicken breast in butter (sliced into coins), and put it on me and my wife’s salads. Simple Iceberg and Romaine mix with tomatoes. I’ll attempt to get more daring salad creations happening. I had a bit extra tomato and ate it sliced with a little salt. Lovely!

[anna-banana]

Welcome Charlie! I started about a month ago and feel great. You'll find out that there is a lot of support on this website, so don't ever hesitate to ask questions in the forum if something is unclear. Below are a couple of links to websites that have awesome primal recipes. Enjoy eating delicious food and watching the pounds drop

Have you signed up for the "In the Making" Success Stories journey? If not, take a look at the latest blog post on the home page, maybe signing up will be additional motivation for you. I just sent in my pictures and goals today.

All the best,
Anna

Links:
Life As A Plate
Paleo Diet Lifestyle | paleo diet tips and recipes

[Paleo Charlie]

Hi Anna!
Thanks for the encouraging message.
I'm going to have a co-worker take my picture later today and then I'll sign up for the "In the Making" Success Stories.
Have you heard any of the Latest in Paleo podcasts?
I was searching for another podcast, got interested in what was going on there, and followed a link here!

I'm loving it so far, really good stuff!

-C

[ELCO14]

Hi Charlie and congrats on taking control of your health!

I look forward to reading up on your progress- all the best to you.

EL

[anna-banana]

Have you heard any of the Latest in Paleo podcasts?
I was searching for another podcast, got interested in what was going on there, and followed a link here!
-C

Hi Charlie,
I hadn't heard of the podcasts yet. Thanks for the link! Glad to hear you are signing up for "In the Making"!

[Paleo Charlie]

Thanks EL!
I realized that I can live THIS way, or just DIE! The latter is not really an option for me, as I would like to be a good example to my wife and children. I LOVE that quote you have in your footer!

[Paleo Charlie]

Hi Everyone!
So far, the big take away from this adventure is this: MORE ENERGY!
I was UP all day yesterday from 4:30 AM until 10PM!

Yesterday's breakfast was a 4 egg omelet made with the chicken fat and a bit of butter I had left over from the previous night's dinner.

Lunch was a big salad and I only ate about half of it, not really hungry (!)

A handful of raw almonds for the ride home.

For dinner, I made the Tender Prime Rib Roast with Mushroom and Bacon Sauté featured on this site a few weeks ago. My wife loved it and so did I. Our market didn't have a prime rib roast, so i used a sirloin roast, and it was just fine. The mushrooms came out really excellent (we had never had portabello before)! The kids didn't attempt any of it this time, but next time I'll throw in some whole strips of bacon, that was the official kid gripe, "Where's the bacon, Dad?"

Breakfast today, 4 egg omelet, of course in the pan from last night with the remains of the bacon/mushroom sauté! Just eggs and the sauté. Man! That's GOOD! I can easily do THAT for the rest of my life!

Lunch today, last night's leftovers (sirloin and salad). Next time I make that dish, I'll also make a double batch of the bacon/mushroom sauté for putting in the salad, it's really good that way too!

I am sure that when my wife sees progress with me, she'll get on board as well, with her and the kids eating habits.

[anna-banana]

Hi Charlie,

Sounds like you're taking the time to cook delicious primal meals! My boyfriend isn't 100% on board and not committed like I am, but since I do most of the cooking, he mainly eats primal (expect for lunch since I am at work then). So far he hasn't complained a bit about any of the food I cook, especially not the spicy drumsticks wrapped in bacon that I made last night - haha. You should make those for your family:

Season some chicken drumsticks (leave the skin on if they came with it) with cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano, and whatever other spices might be in your pantry and sound good to you. Make it as mild or spicy as you and your family like. Wrap each drumstick with a whole piece of bacon (I used thick cut bacon from CostCo). Place on a baking dish that is greased with coconut oil and bake at 390F for 1 hour (turning them once with tongs halfway through). The bacon gets crispy, the chicken meat is super tender and nicely infused with the spices. Finger-liking good! And your kids get bacon :-)

I'm sure that once you drop some pounds, your wife will be easily convinced. Just keep cooking delicious food ;-)

Have a good weekend!

[Paleo Charlie]

Oh Anna! That sounds just LOVELY!
I'll be giving that one a go this week for sure! Thanks for the recipe, it's likely to become a favorite!

Bacon is just a fantastic way to put new life into something as normal as chicken! I picked up 2 chickens last night, one will be cut up, the other SOUP!

Making dinner has been a challenge for me, as the pan I make it in will be used for an omelet for breakfast, and the dinner will be leftovers for lunch. So, a two for one deal, with the remainder going toward breakfast. My 2 youngest kiddos helped me cut mushrooms and bacon last night, so they are starting to get interested. Kids have bowling tomorrow and then it's hiking time in our local SoCal mountains.

I think your boyfriend is likely losing weight too, with you influencing his eating. Good job with that!
You have a great weekend too!

[Paleo Charlie]

OK, last night was a treat. The forth night in a row that I went shopping for my dinner. It must be the hunter / gatherer in me! I must get a handle on the shopping: ONCE A WEEK would be nice. As I was mentioning to Anna in the previous post, I have been doing a terrific dinner, using the fatty meat drippings for lubricating an omelet in the morning, and dinner's leftovers for lunch the next day. It seems to be working out alright. I feel fantastic! If I sit down for a while at work and close my eyes, I don't feel like falling asleep, which was my normal level of energy.

Today for lunch, my assistant insisted that we go to VALLARTA Market. They have a huge deli-style counter with all kinds of fresh Mexican soups and meats. I immediately zoomed in on the huge pork rinds with attached pork! I had a half chicken, ignored the rice and beans that was served with it, and have been mostly full since.
I have taken occasional bites out of that giant pork rind though.