Primal Journal - Siobhan page 76

[tachikomoo]

what a fun idea Lopi, sleeping outside, I used to do that all the time as a kid -- never as an adult though other than camping. If it stops raining I think I'm going to give it a whirl!

Sio, you said baby turnips... I've never been a turnip person before but I'm always discovering new things I didn't used to like I now think are great. What do you do to prepare them? Boil/steam/braise? Also you mention leafy greens (and here's where I show my sad ignorance) but what counts as leafy greens other than spinach, kale, cabbage(?) or certain kinds of lettuce? Trying to come up with my primal monthly menu and stealing all sorts of ideas lol..

[lopisheep]

Bok choy, all kinds of chard, spring greens, turnip greens, cilantro, parsley, Italian parsley, dandelion greens, nettles (delicious, but use gloves when picking)... Infinite:-)

ecks makes pancakes with turnips. I tried it and they are amazingly yummy. A little starch that's not too starchy.

Hope you get your sleepout and lots of stars!

what a fun idea Lopi, sleeping outside, I used to do that all the time as a kid -- never as an adult though other than camping. If it stops raining I think I'm going to give it a whirl!

Sio, you said baby turnips... I've never been a turnip person before but I'm always discovering new things I didn't used to like I now think are great. What do you do to prepare them? Boil/steam/braise? Also you mention leafy greens (and here's where I show my sad ignorance) but what counts as leafy greens other than spinach, kale, cabbage(?) or certain kinds of lettuce? Trying to come up with my primal monthly menu and stealing all sorts of ideas lol..

[Siobhan]

That could be it, and I have been IFing. I remember when I first went primal, about four days in I smelled so bad I thought something was seriously wrong. I went cold turkey, it seems something got released or burned or whatever. Luckily I didn't have to go anywhere that day and it disappeared after a few hours. I was reading somewhere, who knows if it is true, that it can take a couple of years for your body to get rid of transfat after you stop consuming them. Yikes.

The little white turnips I call baby turnips are really common around here - a few of the organic farms seem to like growing them and people must like to buy them because they are in all the shops. I slice and saute them in butter. They have quite a mild taste and are very tender, unlike mature turnips. They can be eaten raw. The leafy greens I mention are the kind I get at the supermarket - I go through boxes of the organic spring mix and herb mix. I eat them raw and also cook them, a quick saute just until wilted. I put it in paleotrack so it is easy to journal.

This afternoon I had two scrambled eggs with tomatoes and goat cheese. Must get some red peppers - ever had scrambled eggs with roasted red peppers and parmesan cheese? It's delicious. I must eat that soon.

Hungry - not hungry - hungry - not hungry. I think I am really hungry while I am busy, and then when I'm not busy I don't feel like eating. On the way to work I was so hungry I stopped and bought grass-fed hot dogs that I could cook up quickly, but when I got to work I wasn't hungry anymore. At this point I think I will wait for my usual 2 AM feed.

Also I have dropped more weight than I think I should, 5 lbs. in ten days. I just noticed when I was writing in my new journal (Mark's) - I knew I had lost some, but didn't realize how much. Much as I want to lose weight, I don't want to lose lean tissue and I don't want to get sick and I don't want to crash.

[lopisheep]

IMHO, the 10 pounds could easily be okay -- could be water and such -- as long as it doesn't continue. You might plateau now.

Yep, I could definitely eat your food minus the nightshades.

I am trying to imagine eating at 2:00 a.m. Having a hard time. Like, I never even see 2:00 a.m.!

I wonder if those little turnips are a Maine specialty. I bet you don't even have to peel them!

I am guessing it's 11ish there and you're at work. Not too weird. Weird is when I write my sister in Dubai and don't know whether to say good morning from my point of view or good evening from her point of view. Hope you're having a very productive night!

[Pedidoc]

I'm kind of jealous of the 10 pounds lost. Maybe I need to move to Maine!

[Siobhan]

It is weird, isn't it? You probably wouldn't be able to eat at 2 AM, I didn't when I first started this. I used to try not to eat between 11 PM and 7 AM, CW doncha know, totally didn't work. But when I am not working I sleep at night and don't eat - once in a great while I wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Used to berate myself. Now I just eat something, read for awhile and go back to sleep. So much nicer.

I think the little turnips are a local specialty. I never saw them before I moved here. They are beautiful smooth cream-colored globes, no peeling necessary. About the size of radishes. We do like our root veg here in Maine, probably because they do very well.

I have to look into the nightshades, maybe I should eliminate them? I have cut way back. I love tomatoes this time of year but I could live without them. I haven't eaten a potato since going primal, good riddance. Potatoes always made me feel like crap. Definitely an addiction. Couldn't stop eating them even though I knew I would pay for it. No thanks.

[Siobhan]

Although plentiful for a few weeks, the compliments have dried up lately. Not that I mind, but it did seem a little strange to me that no one at work had made any comments on my weight loss, which now is somewhere around 25 lbs. I'm not that big a person and it is really quite evident, but maybe the baggy scrubs hide more than I think. But last night I got two compliments, one from a person I haven't seen in some time who said she barely recognized me, and another from someone asking my secret. The latter is quite overweight, and I would love to tell her about the primal lifestyle but I dare not. I just told her that I stopped eating junk and processed food, which sounds like a platitude but is basically true. Just depends on your definition of junk.

Got pulled over by police for speeding on the way home from work. Yikes. He was good enough to just give me a warning. Must be more careful! Won't be so lucky next time. I haven't had a ticket in years and years and years. He said my record is as clean as you can get. Need to keep it that way.

Should note some stuff about the cat food experiment but too tired, will do it later.

[lopisheep]

I think sometimes those who see us everyday don't notice our weight loss. My oldest daughter, who I unfortunately don't see so often (she lives farther away than my other kids) notices, but those close by or right in the house don't notice. I am so glad two people noticed your weight loss last night.

Well, you could always start simply with talking to the overweight person at your work. Like, it's amazing what cutting out sugar does!

Sorry about the almost ticket, but I'm glad it was just a wake up call. I got a speeding ticket not too long ago after about a century of a clean record! Annoying!

Drive slowly and enjoy the nighttime / daytime view and get some really good rest!

[Sabine]

People are starting to get used to your new reality, that's all. Just wait, it won't be long before they start saying you look TOO thin. Then they'll get used to that, then they'll forget you were ever overweight.

[lopisheep]

Oh, wow! I like the everyone forgetting we were ever overweight part:-)