Primal Journal - Pam page 67

[lopisheep]

Yep, judg, we're good on stevia. I had just run across something once about stevia causing bloating, and when Coll said she'd had stevia and tea and bloating, I just picked up on it. It's good -- it seems like the evils might be in typically American large quantities -- like Dave using it in every cup of coffee when he had 15 cups a day. Not that he did!! I'm saying IF. Gosh, Dave, you must have been so wired. Did you ever sleep?

My vegetarian son takes B12, D3, and omega 3 from some kind of nut from South America that tastes rather odd:-) Oh, yeah, the way he eats kale and spinach, he's probably getting too much iron. Just teasing, but, man, he can eat two bunches of kale a day if the mood is on him!

Skirts?? Fat chance. I look like the Goodyear Blimp!

Ah, weird nut is called sacha inchi.

You enjoy your shirts, Pam! There's nothing at all wrong with warm and practical. Just nothing wrong with pretty once in a while too. Here's cheering for your smile.

Okay, I'll give you till October 30th. LOL! But no more... Tell you what. If your other jeans don't fit by then, you can go out a buy a skirt instead of more pants. And a pretty blouse to go with it. Skirts tend to be more forgiving of size than pants.

Hey, as long as you're learning to be good to yourself, and find ways to feel good about yourself, I won't quibble.

And yeah, if your son is getting milk and eggs, that should solve a lot of the problems. You might look into Vitamin B supplements too. Seems to me some of those are only found in meat. And it's less crucial for guys, but iron deficiency can also be an issue for non-meat eaters.

Did I miss something? It was my understanding that stevia had a clean bill of health.

[lopisheep]

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There's the hair, Coll!

[Coll]

Lovely hair Pam! I do like long hair - on a man or a woman. Though the frizzy hair on guys who are partially bald and it is growing too long at the back - nope!

[lopisheep]

I'm with you on both counts, Coll.

I've always like the furriest animals too. Sheep, cashmere goats, horses in winter, furry dogs. I thought I liked Himalayan cats -- well, I love Himalayan cats -- but the brushing brushing brushing year round is nuts for the last ten years. With horses and cashmere goats, it's brushing for periods of time each year or clipping working horses or sheering sheep. Himalayan cats do not stop. We did shave her with a mohawk several times, but her fur is so beautiful. My sons' task this weekend is to shave her underbelly as that's where the dreadlocks really build up.

Going to eat simply this weekend and not add new, possible migraine triggers. From what I can tell so far, it really is the aged / pickled / fermented so I just might not deal with the yogurt and just have whole milk when I feel the dairy need coming up -- or adjust to something else.

I wish I thought corn was a vegetable. It sure gives me energy and satisfaction and no internal problems. But, yes, it's a grain -- and certainly doesn't help on the weight-loss front.

I had salad rolls at Whole Foods yesterday and skipped the peanut sauce. I'm impressed. Of course, I was driving, so sauce would have been awkward:-)

[Judg]

Glad to hear your son is getting good iron intake. It sounds like he's doing vegetarianism the best possible way.

Do you have fatigue problems? CM posted a couple of links in my journal you might want to look at, especially the second one. It made me think of you, because they said fermented foods, among other things, can cause problems for people with CFS. You might check it out to see if it lines up with your symptoms, or if it's just coincidence.

[Judg]

Oh, and the new picture looks like it dates from last winter too.

I know how you feel about skirts, but I have seen some bigger women pull them off wonderfully. If you have a real waistline (I don't, not even skinny, but an hourglass figure is an hourglass figure, whether big or small), a pencil skirt can actually look really beautiful on you, especially if it has a bit of stretch to it. A nice stretch denim skirt under your flannel shirts could look quite smashing. But yeah, I avoided skirts for the most part because of that too. I spent very little time even thinking about my clothes, but I think it would have had some therapeutic value for me if I had put in just a wee bit of effort. I did have a few things that made me feel good, but not enough, probably because I never stopped to figure out what it was that worked.

[lopisheep]

No, judg, no fatigue problems. Full of energy from about 6ish in the morning to 9ist at night; then I hop in bed with a good book. Weird thing is I can eat fermented for ages; then suddenly, I get a migraine or two. But, it seems like if I don't have the fermented and perhaps nightshades, I don't get them -- unless there's a super toxic chemical emitting fumes. Cleaning fluids, paint fumes, etc.

[Judg]

I will give you a simple plan. Make a list of meals that you enjoy, that are primal and that won't trigger headaches. That is the basis of your meal plan. Rotate through those meals, eating in moderation. Lather, rinse, repeat. DO NOT TWEAK, except to add more good meal ideas as they occur to you.

Question: have you read The Primal Blueprint? If you haven't, now's the time. If you have, it's time for a re-read.

I think you've been a little like a dog chasing too many rabbits and not catching any of them. Or like my husband, who will spend an insane amount of time looking for the perfect parking spot. I have put my foot down with him. Once he starts pulling out of the second or third spot because he has had a better idea, I start squawking. He's getting better.

So don't try to chase umpteen different theories, and test umpteen different hypotheses. The Primal Blueprint might not be perfect, and it might not have all the answers, but it is very good, and sticking to it will take you a long way.

I know I'm sounding bossy again, but you're caught in a bit of an eddy, and it isn't that hard to climb out of it. Resolve to ignore distractions, and you will get somewhere. But if you go two steps in one direction, then three in another, then five in another, all you will do is ping pong all over the place.

[lopisheep]

Yep, only I would have said a "lot" like that dog. I read the primal blueprint several times. But I was always tweaking nightshades, fermented, pickled, etc. and it got frustrating.

I like your idea of writing down favorite meals and rotating. Love the lather, rinse, and repeat part:-)

Maybe your husband and mine should get together. Mine circles and circles the lot until one of the kids or grandkids or I yell: "Park the car!" Well, we don't really yell. It's pretty funny though.

OK. Primal minus nightshades and fermentedy stuff.

Distractions? Oh, you mean like...? Just teasing. I will stop confusing myself! I'm thinking lots of stew type meals. They can go a long way. And if I continue on coffee and cream for breakfast, I might be able to afford it.

I have no problem with your being bossy. Bossy is probably a good idea. Lots of inexpensive meats and chicken broth (homemade) and fresh vegetables and coconut oil. Hopefully, I can't go wrong, although if anyone could...! :-) Onward!!

P.S. Your church sounds cool:-) Can you wear flannel shirts to services?

[Judg]

People come to my church dressed in almost any kind of outfit you can imagine. African finery, biker types, suits, cargo pants, Tshirts and jeans, four-inch heels, you name it, you'll see it. It's incredibly diverse. I tend to dress up a bit, because it's about my only chance to do so in my life, and I am thoroughly bored with my more casual clothes by the time Sunday rolls around. But I would probably fit in a bit better if I went a bit more casual.

The meal list is a strategy that has worked really well for me. It keeps me from just trying to eat my old way, and with all the good options available, I don't miss the bad ones. It works in all kinds of things in life: to get rid of the bad, crowd it out with the good. You defeat the whole forbidden-fruit dynamic that way. And have fun eating. It is so hard to feel deprived when you're having fun. When you feel up to it, eat less or less often and the weight will start coming off, especially if you combine it with walking. I never go too long on short rations though; it gets too frustrating. Three weeks tops. I haven't been able to get anywhere close to three weeks in the last year and a half, but it's not serious because then the recovery period is shorter too, so I can start again sooner.

And that about sums up my strategy, when you come right down to it. Eat fun but excellent food, deprive yourself periodically, walk often.

I can understand why you would get distracted, trying to chase down your migraine triggers, but since I've been watching you, you seem to charge very quickly in an extreme direction, instead of testing methodically, like you are starting to do now. I'm sure you'll have better success that way. Remember for good nutrition, variety is essential, so don't overload on any particular food.

My brain is getting fuzzy now. Time to stop before I start rambling incoherently. Have a great evening!