Primal 30(+1) Challenge for August! page 4

[Paleomom4]

I would like to join you all. I tried whole 30 last month but only got to day nine because I caved and ate chocolate. But sugar is a problem (I'm trying to overcome an addiction) so I think one month of NO SUGAR, NO CHOCOLATE will do me wonders. I started eating paleo 3 or 4 months ago and have gained 10 pounds. Very, very frustrating. I started counting calories so I will continue to do that during this challenge.

My problem is exercise. I exercise a LOT. But I think I do the wrong kind of exercise. I walk my dogs 45-60 minutes a day. Twice a week I do what is called "boot camp" at my gym which is basically HIIT training with a lot of high rep/low weights mixed in. I also ride my bike 1-2 hours 1-3 times a week. But I think I am training in the wrong "zone" with the exception of my walking the dogs. And most of the weights I do are high rep low weight.

I have also had some of the worst periods of my life since starting primal. What's up with that?

In general, I'm not feeling the primal love as most people seem to do when they start this lifestyle. So, I'm hoping with some support and feedback and completely cutting out sugar (I don't eat dairy as I am allergic) things will shift. Including my health and weight.

[Leida]

Has anyone been taking liberty with their eating over the weekend knowing that they were starting this challenge on Aug 1? *confession* - I have and I feel like CRAP today because of it!

I od'd it this weekend on both quality (sugar) and quantity, but of course I am feeling just fine. In fact I feel fuller than I have been in weeks. I am probably good 4 or 5 lbs up after all the food I should not have eaten though. Put away the rest of the candy we brought back from our trip, and aiming to resist the temptation to eat it today. I am going to try to stay low carb till next weekend, i.e. no sugar, no fruit. Hopefully, that start resetting the things from the vacation mode to the real life mode.

[Spotted Pony]

Count me in too!

I finally emerged from lurkerdom just to join in on this thread. I have been primal since right after Christmas, so about 8 months now. As of May, I was down ten pounds... and 12 inches, which was even cooler! But since May, my eating habits have been slowly slipping. I work from home and the kids are home from school. It's a tough balancing act and frankly I have not done well with it. Imagine a 7 and a 9 year old in your office all day. They are well-behaved usually, but it's still been really hard.

for example, I started this post 20 minutes ago and am just returning to it. Kid distractions... the story of my summer.... There is a huge battle concerning a brown crayon. I'm going to ignore it. No one can be seriously injured by crayons.

Anyway, my goals:

To be 100% primal when eating regular meals at home
To be 80% primal when eating out for special occasions (which doesn't happen very often)
No fast food!
No drinking milk. I am good with dairy and will continue to have cream and cheese in small quantities, but no glasses of milk (which I love dearly!)
To start the primal fitness plan after school starts. There is no way I can add anything to my days right now!
Re-read The Primal Blueprint and Why We Get Fat

My goal: get my weight back down to between 120-125 and my waist less than 30". I am 39 1/2 and 5'2" so this is a reasonable goal. I will have to lose 5-8 lbs and 2" off my waist during August to accomplish this.

I'm excited to get back on track! I'm headed to the grocery store tomorrow to get all my favorite foods!

[cavebabymama]

paleomom, I'm having a similar weight struggle. I've been at this off and on for 4 months. The first 2 weeks I lost 2 pounds a week bringing me down to 140 (huzzuh!), but today I clocked in at 147 (WTH????). I fell off the wagon majorly over the last 2 weeks and am figuring I am metabolically back at square one now. So I plan to use fitday to make sure I am being really honest about how much I am eating and hope I can re-capture that 2 pounds a week swing I was in. Not counting on it though, and will be happy to just lose 5 pounds this month.

Here's a question for those more experienced than I: Is it better to snack on nuts or fruit (blueberries, cherries) for weight loss?

[Paleobird]

Here's a question for those more experienced than I: Is it better to snack on nuts or fruit (blueberries, cherries) for weight loss?

It's best not to snack at all but I know that's a tall order when first starting out. Both nuts and berries can be fine, the rub is the quantity. The best tip I ever heard about nuts is this : Buy them in the shell that way you have to expend some energy for each nut and this keeps the quantity in check.

I snacked on nuts a lot when I started out but now I just don't keep them in the house any more. They are my Primal binge food temptation.

The rational behind not snacking is that your body has more hours in between meals to really get into digestion mode and burn off some of the extra you might be carrying. If you keep feeding it periodically, your body thinks, "Sweet!" and continues in fat storage mode.

If you feel the *need* to snack, i.e. real hunger, that is a sign that you need to eat more at your meals. A lot of snacking however is not even about hunger, it's more about habit and/or boredom or, for some people, stress.

[reallygravity]

I od'd it this weekend on both quality (sugar) and quantity, but of course I am feeling just fine. In fact I feel fuller than I have been in weeks. I am probably good 4 or 5 lbs up after all the food I should not have eaten though.

Haha! I feel the same way. So much so, I dont WANT any of it today or tomorrow. Hmm. Maybe some ice-cream tomorrow? Well, well.

[Spooky_Rach]

Okay, I'm gonna be brave and join in on this one (I've been thinking about joining in 1 of the challenges for a couple of months).
Currently I reckon there's a bit too much chocolate, dairy, nuts and other tasty but primal things I eat.

So I'm going to with
no grains
no processed stuff
no sugar/sweetners
no alcohol
no primal baking
dark chocolate limited to 2x a week
berries + yoghurt dessert limited to 2-3x a week
nuts limited to 2x a week

On the fitness side
LFH at least 2x a week preferably 3x a week
walk for 3 hours a week, again if I can do more great
swim/cycle 1x week (hopefully where sprints will come in)

[Leida]

Haha! I feel the same way. So much so, I dont WANT any of it today or tomorrow. Hmm. Maybe some ice-cream tomorrow? Well, well.

I had my first sugar reaction yesterday, so it's for the best I am cleaning up sweets. I am still hungry, but less so, which is nice. I still crave fruit, which sucks. Caved in and had cherries after supper yesterday. Will stick to cranberries and currants today with a copious amount of isolate in a smoothie. Hopefully will be able to go fruitless starting on the 1st. I just hate it how much I love fruit.

[Paleobird]

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...icture13-2.png

This is the 30 day Challenge by Mark. It works for me on both the diet and exercise fronts plus all the other good lifestyle stuff. It has to all come together as a package.

[Sooze]

I'd love to join in. I looked at the Whole30 thread for this month but it is too strict for me! I need more than 80/20 because that's just leading me down a path of more cravings, but I can't do that hard core. I'm fighting years of chronic fatigue, and I've been stuck at 150 for a year, flailing around fighting the sugar monster.

My plan:
~No dairy except a little cream in coffee (and I'm cutting back on that) and sometimes a little butter to cook dinner with or eggs
~Breakfast only when hungry in mornings (been doing that for quite a while and feel SO much more energetic in mornings)
~Dark chocolate 2x a week (right now eating it daily, trying to break myself away from the kids' gummy fruit snacks that have crept in (bleck!) and Ben & Jerrys I can't stop buying.
~NO grains (I only ever make it a week without caving in to something!
~Alcohol consumption only when out with friends, limited to 2 glasses red wine. Giving up tequila, sweet drinks, anything else for the month!

Fitness:
I'm heading back to PBF for the month. Yesterday I ran sprints and it was amazing!! Was going to do the LHT today but my belly is feeling like I caught a virus. So, tomorrow starts LHT, and I'm committing to walking more with the kids, playing in the yard, and following 2-3x LHT and 1-2 sprints a week.

Very excited to check in with everyone! Happy August!