Primal Journal (Chatty) 04/02/2012 it begins page 6

[Chatty]

So, where's the five pounds of undigested meat all we omnivores are 'supposed' to carry around in our guts?

I find your weekly average method intriguing. I'm going to start tracking my macros next week as a trial, and I think I will add that to the mix.

hi!
My micro-nutrients are probably terrible. I tracked food for the South Beach diet for a long time and my potassium was always low unless I ate spinach everyday. I was also starving myself eating that way -- hungry all the time -- suffering! No wonder I "went off the diet" when I lost the weight! It's a miserable way to live.

I bought Mark's supplements that are supposed to be taken in the am and pm (6 capsules per time). They make me burp -- and it tastes bad, so I'm only taking them at night just before sleeping (so I don't notice). Long-term though, I do want to look at nutrients more-closely.

Weekly averaging would also keep people from going nuts if they ate something "they shouldn't" and use it as a reason for a binge. Perfect days are hard to come by, but a "good week" is easy to do! Besides, some days I'm more hungry than other days. Weekly averaging allows for that.

[Marcie]

Nice to see you are going down. I love that you 'felt skinny' I bought some bratwurst today so will be trying that recipe you suggested to me. I am making beef broth tonight and french onion soup tomorrow. I bet your cholesterol is down, even on the program Fathead he saw a change in a month. I thought his doctors reaction was priceless on the movie.

I fear the colonoscopy but should get one done. Did you know you needed it? Hope you enjoy the weekend.

[Chatty]

Hi Marcie.

I've been out of town all weekend and HOPE I ate primally enough. I was at the Marrott and got hooked on their strawberries, cream cheese and scrambled-egg combination for breakfast. Probably ate too much, but it was lovely. I told myself, I should make omelettes that way: cream cheese, strawberry slices for filling. LOL It could also pass as a nice dessert if it was "dressed up" or formed nicely.

The first thing I wanted to do when I got home was weigh, but I told myself to wait until in the morning, at least (that's my regular time to weigh). Whatever is -- is -- it won't deter me.

As far as the colonoscopy, I'm 60 and was told I should have one because of age. I have a friend (whose mother died from colon cancer) had one at the same time. We both meet with the dr. this Tuesday to hear the results. The dr. told me the 4 polyps he removed from me looked "fine" but my friend had 10 CLUSTERS of polyps removed. I'm worried about what the dr. will say to her Tuesday. We try to take better care of our bodies with food, it's only fair that we take better care of it all round.

The warm, clear soups are dear to my heart. Hope you enjoy yours. I don't consider them "food" as far as filling for long-term, but they surely are soothing and tasty. I'm going to cook a chicken and make a ton of stock for some egg drop soup soon. Not sure how "primal" it is, but hubby bought some miso soup at Fresh Market. Guess I'll try it (for him anyway). We enjoy eating it at a Chinese restaurant and it hasn't stalled my weight loss (yet). I thought about making it, but when I looked up the ingredients, I wouldn't know where to buy them and they are "fermented."

I threw away all the "bad oils" when I started PB, but hated to see my spray oils go. Found SPRAY coconut oil today! How neat is that? LOL

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Found a recipe for "the perfect omelette" and changed it up to mimic what I created at the Marriott. Gonna try it for hubby and myself one day.

Strawberries 'n Cream Omelette

2 large fresh eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 fresh, ripe strawberries, sliced & spread with 2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter (ghee)
salt and pepper

Whisk your eggs and cream to them and whisk again.

Heat your pan gently & add the butter to the pan,
allow it become very hot, but not discoloured,
then tip the eggs in & move them around a little until JUST
starting to set on the outside. Then add the sliced strawberries & cream
Allow the top to almost set – baveuse - fold and serve immediately.
Serves 1:
Calories 535, carbs 9, fat 49, protein 14
(Plan on having a low-fat cut of meat for dinner)

[Marcie]

O my that sounds yummy! I shop too much so need to use up what is in the fridge. Maybe tomorrow I will get some strawberries (heck, there may be some hiding in there). It almost sounds like a crepe. You have such wonderful ideas! And I love recipes that make one serving.

[Chatty]

I gained 2 lbs. at the convention last weekend. I was eating PB, but ya never quite know what's in restaurant food. I've lost it and back to my lowest weight since PB. Feeling good, eating good! Hubby doesn't like squash, but he loves the following that I made last night for dinner. I like it too -- butternut squash without all that sweet crap people usually put on it! There's no reason pork chops wouldn't work for this recipe.
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*Pork loin, Butternut Squash and Apples

Vegetable foil packet:
1 butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces)
1 Roma apple (peeled and cut into 12 pieces)
1/2 red onion (cut into 12-inch pieces)
1/4 of the spice/herb mixture

Spice/herb mixture (use 1/4 in vegetable packet, 3/4 rubbed on loin)
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg (freshly-grated)
3/4 tsps minced garlic (1 large clove)
1 1/2 teaspoon sage (chopped fresh)
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper (easy on the pepper!)
2 tablespoons butter
1 sprig rosemary on top

1 lbs pork tenderloins (trimmed)
rubbed with 3/4 of the spice mixture
browned in 2 tbsps unsalted butter

1 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Make the spice/herb mixture.
2 Toss the vegetable mixture with 1/4 of the spice/herb mixture in a bowl with
2 T. butter and melt. Spread out on a long sheet of foil.
Add the rosemary and the butter/spice mixture. Bring the ends
of the foil together and crimp to seal into a packet. Poke holes in the packet to release steam.
Place the packet on a baking sheet and roast on the upper rack until tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
Add 2 tablespoons butter, then brown the pork on all sides,
about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and scrape up any browned bits from the pan,
then transfer the skillet to the lower oven rack and roast
until a thermometer registers 160, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.
4 Serves 4 with the squash and apples.

We have enough left over for lunch today! Ummm!

[Marcie]

I'm loving the strawberries and cream omelette, ate it twice this week. I have never been a fan of squash but perhaps I could give this recipe a try. Nice to hear you are back on track, doesn't take much to regain focus. Eating out is a trial. It would be nice to see a Primal restaurant pop up but in the meantime we do our best. I'm hanging out at home this weekend, maybe rock picking for my waterfall and pond. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Do you make cole slaw? Perhaps a dressing recipe? My mom used to make a big pail of it and keep it in the fridge but her dressing was FULL of sugar. I like ready to eat during the week. Keep those recipes coming!

[Chatty]

Hi Marcie!

My hubby "doesn't like squash" either, but he loved it with apples and pork.
He also loves this recipe. It's RICH, and a little goes a long way. Tastes like very rich lasagne.

I haven't figured the carbs yet, but I use the calculator located here:
Recipe Nutrition Facts, Recipe Nutrition Calculator, Calories in a Recipe | MyFitnessPal.com

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*Creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole
4 servings

1 medium-large spaghetti squashes (3 cups, cooked)
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 small-medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 ounces (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 ounces (1/4 cup) shredded cheddar cheese, optional
1 lb. ground beef, cooked
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/4 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Pierce the spaghetti squash a couple of times to keep it from exploding in the microwave.
Cook spaghetti squash in a microwave for 15 minutes.
Cut on the equator, remove seeds, use a fork to scoop out the stringy "spaghetti". Set aside.

3. In a large stock pot or saute pan, melt butter.
Add onions, garlic, and bell peppers and saute until tender.
Add squash and cook and stir until heated through.

4. In a separate saucepan on low heat, melt the cream cheese.
Add the sour cream, salt, pepper, and parsley flakes, stirring to make a
smooth white sauce.

5. Stir the white sauce into the cooked squash mixture.

6. Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish.
Spread the white squash mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.
Spread about 3/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the squash.

7. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, spaghetti sauce, sugar,
and Italian seasoning. Spread over the layer of shredded cheese.
Top with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese (if using).
Sprinkle with dried basil or oregano flakes for garnish if desired.

8. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees (325 for glass dish) for 30-40 minutes,
until casserole is hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly
(10-15 minutes) before serving.

[jcrowe1950]

Hi Marcie!

My hubby "doesn't like squash" either, but he loved it with apples and pork.
He also loves this recipe. It's RICH, and a little goes a long way. Tastes like very rich lasagne.

Hi EV,

I'm not Marcie, but I know this situation. We (specifically me and Vech) took years to pick up bad food habits so it's unsurprising that we have some food prejudices that make no real sense to overcome. In the PB book, MS talks about the twenty top vegetable choices and some of them are things that I detest(ed). My goal over time is to add one from that list to my diet every couple of months. I much prefer raw vegetables for the most part, but members of the squash family are often much better cooked.

Have you looked into supplementation yet? I've been doing a specific supplement protocol for a while and have recently added iodine with its co-supplements of selenium and magnesium citrate.

Good for you in your PB journey. I knew that you would approach this whole lifestyle as you do always.....with due diligence and vigor. That's what I admire most about you.

Happy Memorial Day,

Your friend,
JC of TX soon of TN

[Chatty]

Why are you eating so little fat? You should never eat more protein than fat, unless you're on a high carb refeed.

You're nuts -- I got this nice answer from someone who KNOWS!

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Lewis is offline Senior Member

Don't worry about it. (meaning what killme wrote)

If you eat more than about 35% of your total calorific intake as protein, you tend to get sick. Explorers called it rabbit sickness. They were trying to meet all their energetic needs off meat, being able to find only lean meat (small game like rabbits) and eating about 6 pounds of meat a day.

I doubt you're doing that, because if you were you'd feel pretty bad, get diarrhea, and stop doing it or die within a couple of weeks. And my guess is you'd stop long before that, because you would't be able to stand the sight of lean meat.

I checked your journal to see what you were eating. You say:

My goals were:
CALORIES 1,200 - 1,220 Actual average Calories 1249 (the day of low calories was a fast for a colonoscopy)
CARBS 25 - 30 Actual average Carb 27
FAT 89 - 92 Actual average Fat 101
PROTEIN 60 - 69 Actual average Protein 61
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...tml#post829172

Well, there you are.

You're eating 27 grams of carbs, 101 grams of fat, and 61 grams of protein. In calorific terms thats:

27 x 4 = 108 kcal of carbs
101 x 9 = 909 kcal of fat
61 x 4 = 244 kcal of protein

Total = 1261 kcal

IOW, you're eating about 9% carbs, 72% fat, and 19% protein

That's fine. 61 (sixty-one) grams of protein a day will not kill you. Nor is it enough to kick you out of ketosis. You should be eating approximately 0.8 grams of protein for every pound of your lean bodymass. I don't know what your lean body mass is, but 61 grams sounds fine to me. Protein is not even very much in percentage terms of what you're eating. Plus you have to understand that since you're only eating an average of 1261 kcal you're burning body fat to make up the energetic difference. So while your mouth sees 72% fat, your body as a whole is taking its energy at way over that percentage. You're certainly high fat: about as high as you could go, probably.

At less than 50 grams of carbohydrate a day you will be in ketosis. A mere 61 grams of protein will not knock you out.

[Marcie]

I found all that information interesting. You do a great job of tracking and it sure helps for reviewing. I think you are doing a super job!