How are traditional Irish meals? page 5

[Gadsie]

And no, my parents won't buy me goji berries. Well they would, but no meat and eggs. They will pay pasta, bread etc if I want that. Also they will pay vegetables and fruit. But I have to work to earn money to pay meat, eggs and other stuff they think is unhealthy.
I have to be at school at 8.20, free at 3.10PM, start working at 4 to 7. So I probably "work" (+ school) longer days than a lot of you. At least compared to the working hours most people do where I live

[campanella]

The post by Steaknchop they're referring to was very tongue-in-cheek. Please disregard these peoples' immaturity. In response to your question - yes, a week or two weeks won't be much in the long run of your life, however if I was doing such a trip I would want to feel my best the whole time, I can understand your wanting to stay primal. For breakfast, see if you can buy a lot of full fat yogurt to keep in the fridge, or boil a lot of eggs at a time and eat them in the mornings. I wouldn't go cooking up a huge breakfast of bacon and eggs while your hosts eat porridge, but if you keep provisions in the fridge you can just go get them quietly. Definitely say you're allergic to wheat (and maybe corn). Don't worry about potatoes, they're a pretty good option.

[zoebird]

Yeah I was mainly worried about destroying months of work, but that's cool now I guess. I won't stress about the food though I will bring my own butter because I don't see a reason why not

If you get the chance to read stuff from Stuart McRobert (hard gainer method), you'll discover a thing called "cycling" -- and no, it's not about carbs or anything like that. it's how you design workouts into cycles of progressive strength gains (and with that, muscle development), and then how resting between cycles helps make the next cycle better (though you start back at a lower weight after reaching a max weight of the previous cycle -- that is to say, the weight that you lift, not the weight on your body per se).

My husband finished a cycle before our trip to Taupo. He had something like 14-15 days between workouts. No loss of real strength, leanness, or muscle mass. Ate a variety of foods, includnig "non-primal" ones. Everything was fine.

He's starting a new cycle now (in fact, did at this morning's workout). He only works out once a week, btw -- so far as LHT is concerned, as that's how your/his body type makes actual gains. and it's set to end in about 6 months or so when we're taking our summer (christmas) holiday. But, there might be a cycle end in October -- as cycles can be their own animals and work on different plans (that is, your body does over your head on what you think a cycle will look like -- but that's seriously advanced weight training stuff).

End of the day, taking a month off from lifting at the gym won't hurt you, and you'll be active and eating in other ways, and you're young yet, so you'll gain when you get back, etc.

[Gadsie]

If you get the chance to read stuff from Stuart McRobert (hard gainer method), you'll discover a thing called "cycling" -- and no, it's not about carbs or anything like that. it's how you design workouts into cycles of progressive strength gains (and with that, muscle development), and then how resting between cycles helps make the next cycle better (though you start back at a lower weight after reaching a max weight of the previous cycle -- that is to say, the weight that you lift, not the weight on your body per se).

My husband finished a cycle before our trip to Taupo. He had something like 14-15 days between workouts. No loss of real strength, leanness, or muscle mass. Ate a variety of foods, includnig "non-primal" ones. Everything was fine.

He's starting a new cycle now (in fact, did at this morning's workout). He only works out once a week, btw -- so far as LHT is concerned, as that's how your/his body type makes actual gains. and it's set to end in about 6 months or so when we're taking our summer (christmas) holiday. But, there might be a cycle end in October -- as cycles can be their own animals and work on different plans (that is, your body does over your head on what you think a cycle will look like -- but that's seriously advanced weight training stuff).

End of the day, taking a month off from lifting at the gym won't hurt you, and you'll be active and eating in other ways, and you're young yet, so you'll gain when you get back, etc.

Thanks, I will look into that

[Primal Pamme]

Wow, just wow. I am new to these forums and I hope the off topic crap isn't typical.

OP, you are only 15 and it is kind of amazing that you have made the "gains" you have. Don't label yourself as a hard gainer yet. Wait another 5 years or so to when your hormones have settled to put yourself in a box. You are way ahead of a lot of other kids your age, because you are eating like you should. Give your body a chance to catch up. I work in a college and it is fun to watch those geeky kids come in all thin and gawky still looking like middle schoolers as freshmen and leave looking like men.

I am glad you are not going to worry about the food anymore, because at your age it won't matter. Just relax and enjoy the experience. For me, at almost 50, a week of crap food would mean a really bad kind of gain, but for you, it won't be a problem as long as you will be able to get back on the program when you are home.

I don't see you so much as entitled as a bit clueless and maybe worrying about things that really aren't that important (borrowing trouble is how my Grandma put it), but what 15 year old doesn't do this? Heck, I know men of many ages who are both clueless and worry too much about little things. I have a feeling the standard for travel in your country is a bit different than it is for those of us in the States. Calling you entitled is like calling a kid who won't eat his spinach entitled because there are starving kids in Africa. That you are so concerned about your health and committed to eating Paleo that you pay for your own food flies in the face of the entitlement theory that has been accepted as fact by several posters.

Have fun on your trips. Just like the rest of us, you have a lot to learn.

[zoebird]

Don't label yourself as a hard gainer yet. Wait another 5 years or so to when your hormones have settled to put yourself in a box.

Actually, you can 'box' a person when they are infants. Ectomorphs have certain things that are really common in the body type, and it's there all growing up. And, most people are running on the spectrum, anyway, but Gadsie sits at a pretty classic ectomorphic body type.

And yes, he will be changing and getting more manly as the hormones flow. but my husband was an ectomorph as a boy, a teen, and a man. his needs for how food and exercise work have not changed. Problem is, he was trained like a mesomorph for most of his life, which lead him to be *skinnier* than he needed to be. That is, he was over-trained, and the body couldn't hold weight because of it. When trained properly, ectomorphs do grow and look less "ecto-y" but they're always ectomorphs.

And looking at pictures of this kid. He's *classic* ectomorph in a LOT of ways. And yes, he will look more manly the older he gets.

Just a more manly ectomorph.

I don't see you so much as entitled as a bit clueless and maybe worrying about things that really aren't that important (borrowing trouble is how my Grandma put it), but what 15 year old doesn't do this? Heck, I know men of many ages who are both clueless and worry too much about little things. I have a feeling the standard for travel in your country is a bit different than it is for those of us in the States. Calling you entitled is like calling a kid who won't eat his spinach entitled because there are starving kids in Africa. That you are so concerned about your health and committed to eating Paleo that you pay for your own food flies in the face of the entitlement theory that has been accepted as fact by several posters.

Have fun on your trips. Just like the rest of us, you have a lot to learn.

I agree with this. I would also suggest that Gadsie struggles with anxiety (also common for ectomorphs).

My husband, also an ectomorph, could have written this *exact* same post when he was 17 and going to Germany for 3 weeks with his school on his parent's dime. It was generous of them to send him (considering they weren't high income people), and of course he was thankful to go.

But, he was anxious about food and exercise. At the time, a distance runner on pritikin, he was terrified of being fed traditional german foods (sausages! oh no!) and not being able to run every day.

Of course, he was able to run every day, and he was fed beautiful food with no issue, though he did refuse sausages and butter. Everything else he ate. And he was a skinny, anxious, annoying little over-trained teenager.

But, lovable too.

I feel that getting nasty with someone who has anxiety about these sorts of things is just not nice. Particularly when we -- the grown ups on the forum -- should have enough life experience to simply go "wow, this person is a teen ager" or "wow, this person seem to have some anxiety" rather than "Entitled brat!"

You know, becuase we're more mature and all.

[Ribbons]

Gadsie, you should be grateful that you have the opportunity to travel but I can completely understand why you're worried about the food. I hate being in situations where I don't have control over what I eat. I even avoid going to friends' houses for longer than a couple of hours because I don't want the pressure of being offered food but I don't want to offend them or make them think I think I'm too good for them. Everyone on this thread who's been bitchy to you obviously doesn't understand what it's like so they shouldn't comment.

And +1 to what zoebird said.

[HazelPrimalNut]

Yeah I was mainly worried about destroying months of work, but that's cool now I guess. I won't stress about the food though I will bring my own butter because I don't see a reason why not

Are you listening to the advice people gave you? I live in Dublin, you do not need to bring butter. Ireland is famous for its grass fed cattle and we have some of the best dairy and meat products in the world. You can get salted or unsalted butter, organic too if you like. My favourite brand is a farmhouse butter called Cuinneog, it is delicious. We are also famous for our salmon, organic salmon is readily available as is wild salmon.

Our fruit and veg is excellent too. We don't put them through the same processes I hear they use in the USA.

And remember your body is your gym, you don't need to use equipment to keep active and strong.

Oh and by the way - YOU'RE WELCOME. Next time someone gives you advice, please acknowledge it and say thank you. I don't want to berate you, I'm sure you're a good kid but you didn;t thank me when I gave you advice a few pages back and that doesn't help your reputation as a spoilt brat (which I don;t hink you are but any way) Tog go bog é agus go n-éirí an bothár leat. (Take it easy and may the roads rise with you)

[Gadsie]

Are you listening to the advice people gave you? I live in Dublin, you do not need to bring butter. Ireland is famous for its grass fed cattle and we have some of the best dairy and meat products in the world. You can get salted or unsalted butter, organic too if you like. My favourite brand is a farmhouse butter called Cuinneog, it is delicious. We are also famous for our salmon, organic salmon is readily available as is wild salmon.

Our fruit and veg is excellent too. We don't put them through the same processes I hear they use in the USA.

And remember your body is your gym, you don't need to use equipment to keep active and strong.

Oh and by the way - YOU'RE WELCOME. Next time someone gives you advice, please acknowledge it and say thank you. I don't want to berate you, I'm sure you're a good kid but you didn;t thank me when I gave you advice a few pages back and that doesn't help your reputation as a spoilt brat (which I don;t hink you are but any way) Tog go bog é agus go n-éirí an bothár leat. (Take it easy and may the roads rise with you)

I have no doubt Ireland has great healthy foods. But I also have no doubt that Ireland has aweful bad foods as well, like every other country.
I will no longer about the week, not because I don't care, but because there not much to do about it. If I have to eat fries all week long then so be it.

And I'm sorry, I didn't see your advice, I'll look it up

[Gadsie]

zoebird, thanks for your posts, There is not much to add, but thank you