Primal Journal - Siobhan page 185

[Siobhan]

Just put my food into paleotrack for the H of it. Haven't done that for awhile, and it is a good habit to have if one has goals. I was pleasantly surprised. I am at just over 1000 cals for the day, 67% fat, 19% protein, 14% carbs. Not bad.

[Warmbear]

1000 cal per day? are you a really tiny woman? How do you run on so little fuel? I would be needing a nap too on that much food but then I am a big guy.

My weakness is nuts and chocolate. I can avoid them but once I start I am hopeless. If you are having trouble with sugar addiction and cravings, try working on improving your serotonin levels.

http://robbwolf.com/2012/10/05/serot...food-cravings/

[Siobhan]

Yes, I'm not very big but I end up with more calories than 1000. I like to be around 1000 cals with good macros around 4-5 PM and then I can plan dinner to make up what I need. I usually end up anywhere from 1500-1800 cals. Sometimes more, of course! I am only 5'4" and kind of a small/medium woman.

Funny, I was just thinking about serotonin and melatonin today. I used to take melatonin but haven't done so lately. I work a fairly grueling night shift schedule, so this is definitely something I have to work on. I take Vitamin D, which I understand is really important for production of these hormones. And of course there isn't a whole lot of sunshine in Maine this time of year. Another problem is that even when you are outdoors, you don't tend to expose much skin. And if I did the neighbors would probably call an ambulance!

[Greensprout]

Yeah, I was wondering too if that 1000 cal was before dinner or if you were done for the day

As for the melatonin, I've never used it, as my own sleep issues are not getting to bed early enough to get adequate hours, but how is your sleep quality these days? I'm pretty sure from your journal that you're not getting 7-8 hours daily, though I may be wrong here. Are you getting enough sleep? I used to love sleeping in the day when I used to regularly work nights (a rotating 12 hr day/night schedule), and always needed the alarm to get me up. I suspect that's not the case for you. Maybe you need to reconsider the melatonin if it was helpful in the past. And there's more stuff like GABA and other things that I've heard about on Robb Wolf's paleo podcasts that many find useful.

[Siobhan]

My sleep quality and quantity are a concern for me lately as I am not sleeping enough. My day sleep is particularly disturbed and I am only getting about four hours. I just can't seem to sleep more than that. When I am not working and I sleep at night, I do well, managing 7 or 8 most nights, but sometimes only 6. If I have to get up early for some reason, that is a problem. To really feel rested, I seem to need to sleep 4-5 hours, be awake for an hour or two, and then sleep again for 2-3 hours. Weird, I know. That requires a very long sleeping period! Sleep for me is critical, always has been. I've never been one of those people who brags about not sleeping, or tries not to sleep much. I stopped taking melatonin because it seemed to increase the severity of hot flashes, but the hot flashes have disappeared, so I will reintroduce the melatonin. I'll look into the GABA. I'm open to everything.

Had a good day food-wise. (Actually, it was a good day overall.) Ended up with 1500 calories with good macros. Lots of fat. I seem to do well with around 2 Tbsps of some kind of fat added to my food. For instance, 1 Tbsp of butter with scrambled eggs and a Tbsp of olive oil on veg or salad. Just some musings here. Other than the cleaning frenzy, I wasn't particularly active. Unless you count the 30 trips up and down the stairs at work from midnight to 7 AM - okay, I guess I was fairly active.

Anyway, off to the tire store to get studded snow tires. Cha-ching...

[Sabine]

I scrubbed my kitchen cabinets down yesterday. It reminded me of the quote, I believe from Erma Bombeck: "Housework, done properly, can kill you."

[Siobhan]

What a day! It's only 1 PM and I'm all in!

We are going to have a mild winter from here on in. How do I know this? Because I just shelled out hundreds of hard-earned $$$$$ for studded snow tires. I like them, though. I was driving to the tire store, the roads are all clear and of course I am thinking...hmmm...and then I went around a corner and the road was all drifted over...yeah, I need snow tires. And I will probably only have to purchase them one time, unless I keep this car for 15 years like the last one. When I got the tire store, they were so excited about seeing a Dodge Dart that two of them called their SOs to come and see it. It's so funny. It's not an expensive car at all, but people really respond to it. Then I stopped at the car wash on the way home and the guy who works there was all over it and even came out to help me dry it off. He said it's fun when cars are pretty! So I feel good about the car.

Rearranged the furniture yet again and am launched into housecleaning mode once again. Yes, it could kill me. Erma knew what she was talking about.

Have eaten two scrambled eggs and one piece of bacon today. One cup of coffee with milk. Pretty hungry!

[tomi]

You might try this:

Knock-OutŪ - Mind & Mood - Schiff Vitamins - Schiff Vitamins

I take 1 1/2 every night and it puts me right to sleep - and I've suffered with insomnia for most of my life! Night work messes with the circadium rhythms (sp?). If at all possible try to stay on the same sleep/wake schedule even on the days you aren't working. You might find it easier to fall into a pattern. ????

It fun hearing about your new car! I can tell you are really enjoying having it!

[Siobhan]

Thanks for that, tomi, I will check it out. I'm going to Rite-Aid late, I hope they have it.

Inspired by Mark's post a couple of days ago, I have a pot of stock going. I really need to add good bone broth to my regular diet. I also have a really beautiful organic roasted chicken carcass that would be a crime to throw away. I'm going to make this a habit. It is also a good way to use up stuff that needs to be used. Onions last a long time but they don't last forever.

Haven't eaten enough today. Must fix that. Totally not hungry, I forgot that's what happens when you go VLC.

Thinking about going to see Life of Pi tonight. I read the book (of course I did) and the film looks intriguing. But I haven't spent an evening at home since Sunday!

[Siobhan]

Did not go to film. Just didn't want to go badly enough. Went to the grocery and then cooked up a storm. Made some Thai chicken soup. It's not very good. I don't know why. Also the stock is done. It is also not very good. Bland. Tomorrow I will take off the fat and boil it down and salt it.