Primal Journal (DashFire) page

[DashFire]

Hi all, I'm JT and this is day #6 of going Primal, so figured it was time to join the forum, build some community and start a journal. You can find my short obligatory intro post here.

The Backstory: Weight - I was always a slightly chubby kid and then things got totally out of control around 14 when fueled by school pizza and inactivity I ballooned into the mid 200's. The next year I hit a growth spurt, found a new hyperactive outdoorsy best friend and went vegetarian. From 16-23 stayed mostly right around 200-220 on my large 6' frame. Not firm by any means (have never seen my abs), but decent shape and was always active (walked everywhere, inline skating, hiking, etc.). Then I moved to the burbs, got docile and was on a med with a pretty strong weight gain side effect that pushed me over 300 in less than 6 months. Since then I made it down to 270 a couple times (once while going vegan) but have maintained between 320-340 the last 3 years.

Diet/Health - Spent most of my teens and early 20's vegetarian with a couple bouts of veganism. But I've been back to eating meat for several years now. There have been a few "eat better, work out more" attempts in the last 3-4 years, including Men's Health TAP, Abs Diets or just general "clean" eating. I always felt better (including a decrease in IBS symptoms, which I've had since my teens) but nothing ever felt intuitive and sustainable. There were also multiple periods where I was experiencing pre-diabetic symptoms where I'd temporarily adjust before going back to junk. Struggle with indigestion, poor sleep and pretty sure I hit TFTB (too fat to breathe) a couple times during period of particular lethargy. The last couple years my diet has been pretty typical American I imagine, though probably with a few more veggies and a lot more snickers.

The Present/Motivation: Just turned 35 and I'd by lying if I said that wasn't a big motivator for me. On one side of my family, lots of obesity and almost everyone in the last two generations has had cancer. One uncle died at 34; another at 43. Other side has lots of heart disease. Biological father died at 52. I've always half-jokingly thought... well if I can just make it to 45, I'm doing better than most of the men in my family. Except now that's on the horizon and I'm at my heaviest of 340# with 40% BF and would really like to enjoy a healthy, active (and hopefully long) life, because being fat sucks! (I'll share my top-ten list of why another day.) Also, I tend to attract adventurous, active friends, and then can't or won't participate in 90% of the stuff they do, because at this weight it is simply prohibitive or absolutely no fun. So there is a social motivator as well.

Long-term Goals: Honestly, I just want to feel good and look good. With a lifestyle that is active, maintainable and illness-free. More specifically - 9% BF. Considering my build and LBM, I could see being 220-225 but solid. I'm 6' so...BMI be damned. I also want to do a half-ironman.

Short-term Goals: This first month my only goals are to transition to Primal and do something active daily. I'm not weighing myself or counting calories, I'm not tracking minutes or reps, the focus is purely on transitioning to a predominantly primal lifestyle and starting to form habits. After which I'll spend a week weighing in daily and tracking my calories, see where I need to adjust, and start setting new biweekly & quarterly goals.

My hope for MDA forum: To meet some really cool people, stay motivated, be accountable, get & give good advice, and make some new primal friends.

[DashFire]

I'm only 6 days into this, so thought I would go ahead and backfill my dailies.

Day 1 - This was hardly primal (save for eggs & meat), but it was a good kickoff day anyway because armed with Primal knowledge, I was finding myself a bit put off by what I was eating (as I ate it). Mmmmm, gross, mmmm, ugh, mmmm. My excuse is trying to finish some stuff off in the fridge.

B - 2 Eggs, toast & jam
L - Mini Pizza
D - Sloppy Joe

[DashFire]

A significant improvement...

B - 3 Egg Scramble w/ red pepper, onion, broccoli

S - Banana

L - Sloppy Joe w/ plain bagel. (leftover - ugh)

S - Mixed nuts

D - BASS (Big Ass Steak Salad) - Steak, lettuce, peppers, avocado, almonds, tomato, carrot, celery, strawberries w/ dressing (olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dijon)

The egg scramble was a great way to start off the day and the salad was a great way to end, though I had to choke down the last half of it. So just set it aside for half an hour and went back to it as I felt that I needed the veggies.

[DashFire]

What I intended to be my first fully primal day was a bit derailed over dinner, which I must admit was a bit of comfort food eating after a tough day.

B - 3 Egg Scramble w/ Smoked Salmon, yellow pepper, onion, broccoli | Strawberries & Avocado. (photo below)

L - BASS (Big Ass Steak Salad) - Steak, lettuce, peppers, avocado, almonds, tomato, carrot, celery, strawberries w/ dressing (olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dijon)

S - Apple & Almonds

D - Mini Pizza, Raspberries & Strawberries w/ Coconut Milk

IMAG3454.jpg

[DashFire]

Finally, the first fully primal day.

B - 2 Egg Scramble w/ Smoked Salmon, yellow pepper, onion, broccoli | Strawberries

S - Almonds

L - White Tuna, avocado, orange pepper, all drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and black sesame seeds | Raspberries w/ coconut milk (photo below)

S - Banana & mixed nuts

D - Steak w/ peppers, broccoli, onions, in veggie/garlic tomato sauce.

IMAG3464.jpg

[DashFire]

B - none

S - Apple

L - Can of White Tuna, 1 Egg, Red Pepper scramble w/ yellow mustard | Raspberries & Coconut milk

S - Almonds

D - Shrimp, dipped in coconut milk, rolled in coconut and cooked in coconut oil over peas, onion, pepper, almonds | half avocado [photo ↓]

S - 1 Primal Scotch Egg

Through out the day I had been experiencing headaches, which got progressively worse into late evening. After a good bit of research realized I'm likely suffering from Carb Flu. Not really eating before lunch probably didn't help. Plan to incorporate more fruits over the next few days. Starting off with a banana & apple each morning and adding in dried apple & raisin as snacks. Might even go for some quinoa. Would really prefer not reintroducing any other grains as a transition aid. Will see how Day 6 goes.

IMAG3470.jpg

[DashFire]

B - 2 Scotch Eggs, Banana

S - Apple, almonds

L - Steak w/ peppers, broccoli, onions, in veggie/garlic tomato sauce. | Raspberries & Blueberries w/ Coconut milk [photo ↓]

D - Coconut Shrimp with peas, onion, pepper, almonds and quinoa. | half avocado

S - Handful of almonds, ounce or so each of raisins and dried apple.

After yesterday's headaches (likely from carb flu) I added in some dried fruit and quinoa. The quinoa felt heavy/bloaty on my stomach, but thankfully no headaches until very late in the night and not nearly as bad.

IMAG3474.jpg

[andyTHFC]

Just poppin in to say hey. I'm from the chicago area as well....western burbs to be exact. Looks like you're doing well so far and the pics look great. Keep it up!

[Judg]

Keep it up, DF, you're off to a good start. You seem to have some realistic expectations for the beginning too, which will help a lot.

[ecks]

Hey! Glad you can swing by and say hi! I was there... at your weight... or around it at least. I mark my starting weight at 333 but that's just the first time my weight showed something besides ERR on the screen of my scale.

In any case I'll keep track of you as well if you'd like someone to chat with. I subscribed to your thread and I'm hoping I can be a guide.