The mental meanderings of primal me page 2

[primal me]

So this morning I was feeling brave and I hopped on my scale and it was down 3lbs! That's a total of 19 lbs since June! Normally I`d run out and celebrate with a restricted food item but I think I`ll spend the day with my niece instead.

[primal me]

Food today:
B: 2 eggs, red and yellow peppers sautéed with EVOO
L: Shrimp sizzler at Edo Japan, no sauce, just oil and 'green butter' whatever that is, veggies, brought the rice home for DS
S: Home made taco salad with mixed greens, sliced peppers, ground beef seasoned, refried black beans
Snack: Sliced granny smith apple with natural peanut butter with a touch of honey (apparently I'm not sweet enough but I added the honey)

Night time sweet cravings have been nagging me, my cycle is coming so I guess this is how it announces itself lately. At least there is not as much cramping as before and the salt cravings have gone down because I'm now cooking with sea salt more often than I was pre-primal.

Tomorrow will be another lovely day spent at the lake with friends. I know there will be at least one cooler waiting for me but I think I will take along a couple Rock Creek Ciders, I really like them, they are not too sweet and they don't knock me on my ass. I also notice my belly doesn't swell up like it does with the gluten-free beer, must be less carbonated.

I have some chicken and salad to bring along as well, that should feed everyone. Oh yeah and my new favourite treat pork rinds! Love me some pork rinds, salty and crunchy and much better than popcorn or potato chips.

Hubby comes home on Wednesday, always look forward to that. Hopefully he has done as well as I have this shift. He was keeping pace with me for weight loss but I might have pulled ahead of him. That would be because I have more control over what I eat here and I have been doing it a bit longer than he has.

Anyway, must get off to bed. I need a little time to decompress before lights out and I think reading "The Life of Pi" for a bit just might do the trick.

Later!

Green seasoning is listed as: "Ingredients may vary by market/location. Margarine (Palm Oil and Soybean Oil, Water, Salt, Whey (Milk), Mono and Diglycerides, Soybean lecithin (Soy), Sodium Benzoate added as a preservative. Colored with Beta Carotene. Artificial Butter Flavor. Vitamin A Palmitate added), Garlic, Parsley." so gluten-free if not very primal. I won't be eating there any time soon.

[RaeVynn]

Just stopping in to say "Hi"...

[primal me]

Hi fellow accounting student! I am just working my way through your journal. It's weird how inches are melting away but the scale doesn't reflect it. My pants getting looser (even after they have just been washed) is usually the only clue I have that weight is shifting around then one day poof! the scale will read that I've dropped a bit more. I have a theory that our bodies work through healing before giving up any fat, at the same time we are building muscle even if we don't think we are. Sneaky bodies.

Anyway I hope you are enjoying what's left of the summer. Ours is almost over and soon enough it will be too cold to sit outside so I keep telling myself to get outside even if it's just to sit and read. Of course I'm not reading text books cause that is also coming again all to soon!

Cheers

[primal me]

Yesterday after spending a beautiful day at the lake with friends I took the boys out to a local pizza place that makes low-gluten pizza. I had a pizzetta with artichokes, prosciutto, and kalamata olives with a lovely tomato base with a blackberry and arugula salad with goat cheese and candied pecans. I even had a desert made from roasted bananas, caramelized sugar, crushed pecans and vanilla bean ice cream, so yum. Everything is made from scratch in full view of the diners. I realize that the only thing I ate that was primal was the salad but my stomach doesn't seem to mind the pizza though 1 or 2 pieces is plenty, even of the smaller pizzetta size.

This is definitely not a once a week treat, maybe once a month or less. It is better if I can share and limit how much I eat, there is the option of ordering a full salad with a roasted chicken breast. I didn't like pizza lot before I went primal. This is probably because it was very doughy, our new favourite restaurant makes a very nice, authentic Neapolitan style pizza that is not doughy at all. The best thing is that they have goat cheese so my boys that are allergic to cow's milk can have cheese on their pizza. Somehow I feel so at home there that I forgot to order it, it's like I thought they could read my mind and know which pizzas get the goat cheese. I will remember that next time.

[primal me]

Decided to get all the back-to-school shopping done in one fell swoop today so we loaded the kids into the 'Rango and headed off to Warehouse One where we found some clothes for the bigger boys. Then to Payless for shoes. Walmart was next on our path of destruction then we needed a break to refuel so we headed off to Ricky's All Day Grill. I love their burgers so I had a bacon cheddar burger with no bun with poutine on the side. They brought the relish and mayo out in little containers, too cute. There is flour in the gravy of the poutine but it's my 5% so I'm not doing too bad. Actually it might not even count as 1% but I'll leave it at 5 to prevent any more slippage

My oldest decided to try the same burger with a bun and with goat cheese instead of cheddar. I might try the goat cheese next time. He enjoyed it but couldn't eat all the bun and my youngest ordered one of their larger breakfast platters and just told me that he now believes me that wheat is bad for our bellies. He had toast with his meal and couldn't finish the hashbrowns. I told him next time eat the taters and leave the bread, he says he will! Progress, slow but surely there is progress.

I also ordered a coke today because it has been a really long time since I last had one and I couldn't finish it! My middle son handled that job for me. Next time I will stick to water or iced tea.

After lunch we hit what passes for a mall and our first stop was to get my oldest a cell phone. We owed him an iPod after we dropped his in the dish water on one of our camping trips and right now the initial purchase price of an iPhone 4S is much lower than an iPod. We went with a pretty decent plan because I know he will use a lot more than 100 Mb of data so he has up to a gig of data now. After that we hit Staples for the school supplies. What is up with teachers being so specific about colour and brands? The grade 9's need one type of Thesaurus while the grade 6 needs a different one. I'd rather get one that can be used for the next 4 years or until it falls apart! Well we did the best we could and the special dictionary of synonyms, antonyms and homonyms is now on order from Coles. I'm just glad the kids are done.

I still have a few things to pick up for me. Not too much, my pants are still getting looser though I can still wear the same size I already own. I did pick up some cami's and a nightie for now. This semester I only need to buy 2 new text books because I borrowed one and bought the other last summer when I tried to take a night class. That did not work out so well so I hope this time around goes much better. I am going to try and get my books as e-books if possible. I have the laptop or the iPad that I can take to school. I have tried taking notes on the laptop but I am a bit of a peck-and-hunt typist. I am not very fast, though I have been improving. I really should practice my Mavis Beacon typing lessons.

Well that's enough blathering for today. Time to go find some chocolate. And maybe a hot-buttered rum, they were very tasty last night! Gotta get my fat in somehow!

[primal me]

Had a great day hanging out with my hubby. He made gluten-free crepes this morning, I'm not a fan, they were very dry and starchy. Sausage and coffee rounded off my breakfast. I am finally off the flavoured coffee creamer, my go to in the morning is now heavy cream with a teaspoon of unpasteurized honey.

He hit the farmer's market to pick up some pickles and fruit for the week. After I got my hair coloured (school starts soon, gotta look my best) we hit the U-pick for beets, green & yellow beans, squash and onions! I got my squats in picking fresh veggies for the family so double +! He seemed to enjoy it so I think I finally have him convinced about planting a small garden in our yard next year. I will try and get some of the hardscape done over the next few weeks so that I can plant some garlic bulbs for next year.

After a very quick supper of steak and green beans with slivered almonds we took the kids to see "ParaNorman". It was a cute movie with a strong anti-bullying message. We had popcorn, shared a chocolate bar and I had iced tea to drink. Pop is too much for me and our theatre doesn't have real fruit juice as an option. My tummy is not happy about something I ate tonight, probably the snacks at the show so I think I'll try and soothe it with a nice warm bath. No hot-buttered rum or even the Madeira I was going to have. Maybe tomorrow night.

[primal me]

Tuesday I had to have my 16 yo tortoiseshell cat put down. She survived an upper respiratory infection at 8 weeks old when we brought her and two brothers home from my SIL's farm. She survived one extremely bouncy border collie/lab cross that passed on in March, and 2 years of diabetes before she went into remission. Cera was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and less than 2 weeks after she developed new symptoms which signified a brain tumour. Poor girl had the wobbles really badly for the last couple of days and her pupils were two different sizes. She had stopped eating and drinking completely and was prone to falling down or wandering aimlessly around the bathroom/closet where she was confined. Her passing at the vets office was peaceful and she will be remembered as both a fierce tortie with cattitude and a great snuggler.

Add to that the beginning of the school year. For some reason I am always both excited for school to start but also anticipating the stress of homework deadlines, group work and exams. Luckily 2 of my classes are with a group of friends from first year on so the group work will go smoothly. We all work together really well.

On the food front I will have to pack a lot more protein to school. I was starving when I got home on Wednesday. I had packed a salad but forgot a fork. I didn't have enough meat rolls to balance out the carrots and I dared not eat the dried papaya due to the amount of sugar it would release into my bloodstream. I need better lunch ideas! The school cafeteria does not have many gluten-free items. I could get a greek salad with chicken souvlaki but the quality of the chicken has been going down since Kudo's opened 2 years ago. There is a grill and I might be able to get a bun-less hamburger with a salad. If I ask really nicely I will see if I can get a taco salad instead of the tex-mex fries. They might do that if it isn't too busy. My classes start at 10:50 and I go straight through until 3:05 with no break unless a class ends early. Thus my plan to indulge my 5% on wonderful wicked Thai soup at Chai's has been foiled. I hadn't decided if I would allow myself the Naan or not. It is bread but it tasted so good covered in melted butter and dipped in the soup. It also means I need to bring finger food and remember my fork or eat before class.

I had thought I could last all day without eating but learning must burn a lot of calories because I needed to eat during my second class. Carrots are very loud in a quiet classroom and the less said about that the better. Luckily it looks like I am going to enjoy my classes. My strategy class has an online game component that looks interesting and my operations management class has a very witty instructor. We have to do a group project that will involve interviewing a business and presenting our findings to the class. Not crazy about that but it's all good.

In other news my hubby has now gained back all the weight he lost when he first went Paleo. I blame the kitchen at work and his picky attitude. He is a great cook and doesn't like to eat food that is not up to his standards so he has been filling up on cheeses and potatoes instead of the meat and veggies he needs. He does have a fridge, a microwave and a slow-cooker available to him. I will have to send him back to work loaded for bear. The kitchen is trying to offer healthier options but of course this means they are breading everything in "healthy whole grains" and using vegetable oil to fry it. He's been trying to eat more chicken and fish but I think he is lacking enough fat. I wish I could get him to read the book but he doesn't enjoy reading like I do. He does look things up on the net but for some reason he keeps going back to the "Eat for your blood type" information. Thus the white meat instead of the red meat he was eating when he first lost the weight. I'm not sure what to tell him except what has worked for me and what has not worked for me.

My loss has slowed down some but I think I can contribute that to stress and some indulgences (wine, chocolate and stew my friend fed me while I was working on her books). Once I get the right balance of protein/fat/carb for school figured out I am sure I will continue to see my pants getting looser. The other day I noticed cheekbones! My face is getting smaller, and so is my wattle under my chin. Small victories but victories still the same.

[primal me]

Big news on the weight loss front. I am now down 21lbs and I bought jeans 2 sizes smaller! I also bought a sweater on Thursday, I was pretty excited that it was a large and not an XL but imagine my level of excitement when I wore the sweater on the following Monday and it was too big! I took it back and exchanged it for a MEDIUM! YAY!

I also had blood work done on Thursday and today I got the results back. The doc is concerned about a +1 protein in my urine so I have to do another urine test. The rest of my blood work was good except my cholesterol and triglycerides were higher than they should be. She wants me to go back in for another test in 6 months. I told her I was following a paleo diet, I'm not sure if she knows what that is but she didn't advise against it. She said maybe my cholesterol was higher before and that it is coming down now. Her dietary advice was to increase my leafy greens and fish oils which I am committed to doing. I will be meeting with a nurse next week to go over my diet in more detail. This should prove to be interesting. Following conventional wisdom is what got me in the shape I am in and paleo has helped me more in the last few months than years of fad diets. I will be adamant that "healthy whole grains" are not a part of my lifestyle, hopefully there will not be an issue.

I have not been very dedicated to exercise as I am focused on eating properly and coping with the various demands of raising a family, attending college full time and working with two non-profit organizations in my "spare time". However that doesn't mean I haven't found a way to fit a little blueprint fitness into my days. On school days I walk across campus from where the shuttle lets me off to the tower my classes are in. As my classes are on the 4th floor I take the opportunity to take the stairs, the first set at one end of the building and the next two in the tower. I am definitely getting stronger, my body is responding quicker to the exercise and recovery is improving. Soon I will be able to do all three flights at the same time. As the days are still nice I am planning on walking from the tower to where I park, I figure it is about 2 km away. I am also deadlifting a backpack full of text books multiple times a day so I try to switch hands and strengthen both arms equally.

I was at a meeting today and I caught sight of Wheat Belly on the kitchen counter. When I mentioned I had read it the person I was talking to gestured at my belly (bloated with lady issues and recently fed blackened snapper and French fries with gravy, I know) and said I wasn't following it. Sigh, I pointed out my recent loss but I do wish it was more obvious to other people. I guess at some point it will be impossible to miss I just wish that point was now. Oh well, I am moving in the right direction and I will not let the thoughtlessness of others bring me down.

[HeuristicFireFlower]

Hey, I second the chicharrones! Tasty pork rinds. :]
And cool that they're helping to loosen pants. We're similar with the sciatica annoyance. It took my whole right leg out for almost a month. It's been awhile for me. Exercise was invaluable and it does get stronger and all the muscle fibers will eventually begin to fire on cue once again.