Hello from Cleveland! page

[pitbullmamaliz]

Good morning, everybody! I'm Liz from Cleveland. I am not yet primal - still investigating and thinking about it. I'm very interested in it but it's tough to mentally get over the hurdle of CW's "fat is really bad for you," "eat whole grains," "lots of meat and eggs causes cholesterol issues," etc.

Heart disease runs in my family (both sides, yay!) so I know I need to take better care of myself. I'm currently overweight - 5'9", about 228 lbs. Fortunately I'm still an hourglass so most of it is on my hips and thighs and I carry it reasonably well. It helps when you don't look as fat as you know you are, LOL.

I'm currently training for my first 5K and I have had a few runners tell me, "yeah, paleo/primal is good, but wait until after your 5K to start it" due to the carb flu. I'm running 3-4 times a week and really don't want to be sidelined. Being so new to running, if I miss a couple days I really feel it. But my 5K isn't until mid-September and I don't want to wait that long. On a side note, I'm doing all my running (hell, all my LIVING!) in Vibram Bikilas. LOVE those shoes.

I've tried Atkins before and only made it a week - I was very angry and ready to rip people's heads off due to the severe shortage of carbs. I like the PB better as it's more low to moderate carb, instead of VLC. That gives me a bit of hope I may be able to do it.

Anyway, I've been lurking for several days now and figured it would be rude not to introduce myself. :-)

[Sooze]

Hi liz! I'm originally from Cleveland Moved to SC 6 years ago.

When is your 5k? mid september? I wouldn't wait if it were me.. the carb flu is different in everyone, from what I can tell... for me it only lasted about a week. If you really focus on high fat during the transition and don't worry about restricting lots of good animal fats, butter or olive oil for eggs, salads, etc, and maybe use coconut milk (I make ice cream with coconut milk mixed w/strawberries and freeze!) then I think your transition will go easier. When I transitioned, I ate lots of pepperoni, walnuts and cheese at night and in the afternoon to help me ease the anger of my cravings.. and then after a couple weeks my hunger (and crankiness) subsided and I didn't really need the snacks as a crutch and was able to move more to a paleo diet of meats, fruit and veg, with a little dairy in the morning. Not to mention, IMO there' s no need to move immediately to a super low carb diet! Just transition (especially if you're running) to under 100 grams of carbs, and then after a week lower, or something. Again just my opinion!

Yes, the CW tells us all these things and it's hard to get past it but it's fun discovering how wrong they all are

[BrodieMN]

Welcome. I am a newbie toooooo

[Gravyboat]

Hi, Liz. Good luck with your transition to primal. I would definitely make the switch now as opposed to after the 5k, as you will enjoy a much more steady stream of energy once you get going.

I'm 5'8" and 213lbs as of today and I'm in Cleveland too. I do almost all of my shopping at the westside market, and would greatly recommend heading over if it's not already a frequent stop for you. It can be easier to make the transition when the only food there is produce, meat, and dairy. There are also bakeries, but you can ignore them, and it's still not as invasive as rows and rows of processed crap at the grocery store.

If you go, check out Irene Dever's Dairy in the NE corner of the big building. They have farm-fresh eggs, which are the best eggs I've ever eaten in my life. They blow standard "cage free, organic" grocery store eggs right out of the water.

[pitbullmamaliz]

Thank you all for the welcome! I, being the impetuous person I am, took the plunge yesterday and cleaned my cupboards, fridge and freezer of all grains and non-primal stuff. I have a remarkable amount of cupboard space now, LOL. I went shopping and bought a bunch of meat and veggies, as well as some blueberries and cherries. I got the highest fat ground beef I could find, 73% I think. Cooked some last night and wow, it will take some getting used to for that greasy feel in my mouth. :-P So today will be my first day as primal. Bit nervous as I just entered my breakfast, lunch and snacks into MyFitnessPal and HOLY CHRIST there is a ton of fat and calories. I think I'm going to go ahead and start a journal to keep track of my food, weight, etc.

I don't normally hit the West Side Market as it just has cruddy hours. I may have to suck it up and just start going on Saturday mornings though. Thanks for the egg recommendation - I've never had "real" eggs before so that will be an experience. :-)

[Sooze]

ohh I miss the West Side Market!! I used to work downtown in the warehouse district so I would go over on lunch or leave work at 4..

If you don't like the taste of 73%, go with 80? That's what I use, I think 73 is just slimy. And if you stay at this, your appetite will decrease and your calorie count will go down a bit just because you'll be satisfied on more REAL food. Way to go!

[Gravyboat]

Oh, I'd also recommend looking around for some Hartzler's butter. They come in 2lb rolls. It's from a grassfed dairy in Wooster, so it's both grassfed and local -- double win! There's only one stall at the Westside Market that carries it, but you can find more locations on the Hartzler's website. (Nature's Bin in Lakewood and Earth Fare in Rocky River both have it)

Also, consider switching from grocery store meat to butcher meat if you're just getting the standard Giant Eagle stuff. I find that's it's not only MUCH cheaper, it's also a lot tastier.

Two more recommendations: If you're in Lakewood, check out TJ's Butcher Block for insanely cheap whole chickens ($1.59/lb!). I believe they also come from a local, cage-free source. And I've been told that Heinen's carries grassfed meat, as does Foster's Meats at the Westside Market. Earth Fare does too, but unless it specifically says "grassfed" on the sign, it is grain-finished.

[pitbullmamaliz]

Definitely can't afford grassfed stuff yet - state employee! LOL But thank you for all the shopping recommendations. I really appreciate it. :-)

[Gravyboat]

No problem! It's nice to be able to share what I've learned with someone else who lives around here and can benefit from it.

I'm on food stamps, so that's the only reason I can afford fancy rich people food (ironic, I know). I don't buy grassfed meat most of the time because I don't drive and it can be hard to find. So I usually buy regular ground sirloin from the market (better taste and leaner than chuck) and then put a couple lumps of the grassfed butter in to supplement the fat content. Grainfed animal fat is high in omega-6 anyway (bad!), so I think doing it this way is the next-best thing to buying grassfed.

Of course, ground sirloin goes for like $5-6/lb, and a 2lb roll of butter is around $7-8, so it's not exactly cheap either. I can't even choke down grocery store meat anymore, though. It tastes like oily gym socks.

[geostump]

I'm a Buckeye, little more southern than you guys as I'm around the Columbus area. Welcome Liz!