Primal Journal **Greensprout** page 151

[Greensprout]

Well how's this for more surprises: hubby proudly showed me on his second cup of coffee this morning that he drank it BLACK for the first time in his life. And he's nearly 40 pages into "It Starts With Food". Wow. Even stranger: he had a craving for prime rib. Now this doesn't sound odd by itself, but it surely is for someone who pretty much never orders it because he finds it "too fatty".

We've decided to ease into the W30 thing over this next week, as I'm back to work and he's still off. I'm going to start eating breakfast daily, which I rarely do outside of the weekends. I've become more of a lunch & dinner person, though that often ends up with snacking in the evenings. Planning to make a batch of egg & sausage muffins today for work. The no dairy may be interesting, as I don't think I've ever really cut it out entirely, so am not sure if it causes me any issues, though at times I've suspected as much. And yeah, no alcohol (though we do have a bottle of white planned for tonight), nuff said there.

Still feeling mildly crampy today, along with some belly upset. Of course, I had a few off plan nibbles last night along with drinks (like buttered white rice with saly & parmesan, the last bit of some olive oil potato chips, and a couple of handfuls of son #1's microwave popcorn), so that might be part of it. I'll take some probiotics for the next few days, which may help sort this out.

Yesterday's eats:
black coffee
3 eggs scrambled tucked into the last 3 small coconut pancakes (buttered, of course)
butter cheese
a few almonds (12 maybe?)
grilled spice rubbed pork sirloin chop, big green salad
cup or so of olive oil potato chips
cup of buttered rice with fresh parmesan
couple handfuls of son's buttered popcorn
hard cider, rum & krisda cola

Aiming for some productivity today in prep for returning to work. Might walk later, if the belly settles and the light rain stops.

Of note, yesterday while feeling very bloated once again, I seemed to be peeing sometime every half hour it seemed. Weight before bed was still over 4 lbs up from morning, which was the same 4 lbs down today. I'll do a proper weigh and measure sometime in the next few days.

[Greensprout]

The rain stopped, the belly seemed somewhat settled after some rather loose BMs, so I headed out for my walk. The sun was even peeping out, and then it started pouring as I was near my halfway point. Good thing the iPhone (for podcast playing) had been smartly tucked into a plastic baggie. It seems to have remained dry. And I was wearing a hat, so didn't have to deal with unusable glasses. Glasses in the rain are very annoying. Anyway, the rain came and went, and I felt better after doing the over 4 miles.

Reasonable productive day as hoped. Walked, sorted a bunch of stuff in the bedroom, got my work stuff ready to go, did laundry, washed and changed the duvet cover, made the egg muffins (ack, kids got their hands on 3 of them due to my poor timing, having them cooling beside the stove when son #2 and friend came down to grab dinner!), picked up new bus passes for son #2. Checked on the pickles, I think they're done fermenting. Taste rather nice too. Hubby seemed surprised. Dingbat.

Eats:
black coffee
half a pork chop
HB egg, last small bit of butter cheese, 2 pickles
half a bottle of kombucha
D: 2 grass fed beef/lamb burgers topped with goat cheese, tomato & avocado, grilled mixed veg (eggplant, red onion, mushroom, green peppers) in coconut oil/ghee. cup of cherries.

Am planning on sharing that bottle of wine while viewing a couple of recorded MasterChef episodes. Aiming to not be up too late, aiming for at least 7 hours of sleep tonight. Unfortunately the early mornings return.

[Siobhan]

I keep toying with the no-dairy idea but obviously haven't done it. A big sticking point is a splash of something in my tea. Coconut milk doesn't do it for me. I am interested to hear about how you do as I know that a whole 30 is in my future sometime.

[Greensprout]

Hubby handled black coffee once again today, but had to go and buy strawberries as he was craving "sweets". Still reading through the book too. Good on him. I suggested fat for sweet cravings, thus far he doesn't seem convinced.

I did use dairy with supper tonight. Had a cup left of the fresh farm cream, and son #2 had been asking for creamed kale. How many decidedly nonprimal teenaged boys do that? So I decided it was a good use for the cream before it turned.

First day back to work was a pain. Of course, that 7 hours of sleep planned was actually less than 6 1/2, just didn't get into bed when I should have. Took me a while to even hear the alarm going off too. At least I got out for a 4 mile walk over lunch to the park.

Eats:
black coffee
B: 3 egg & pork "sausage" muffins
L: 2 cups of chicken bone broth, beef/lamb burger pattie, homemade pickles
loaded tsp of almond butter after work
D: baked cod in ghee, creamed kale, cucumbers.
cup of cherries

My belly was feeling fine today, then started feeling off after dinner. What's up there? Please tell me it's not my lovely summer fresh local cucumbers. I've been having a lot of them lately, as they're just so amazingly tasty this time of year. I may have to keep an eye on this, as the thought has actually occurred to me in the last couple of weeks on and off. Not quite ready to cut them out, but we'll see.

I have a half bottle of kombucha left from yesterday that I'll have shortly. I won't rule out one drink tonight, I can live with that during my transition if I decide to have it.

Tonight I must stick to a proper bedtime, should be easier as I'm feeling tired from the early morning. To be honest, I feel like I could nap right now at 8pm, but I do have a few things to get done.

Sioban, I never thought I'd willingly forgo dairy in coffee. Coconut milk was okay, though took some getting used to. The longer I had it black, and added cream only on weekends as a treat, the more I realized that I actually prefer it black now. And I'm still amazed at hubby, he has said many times in the past that he could NEVER do black coffee. Now tea is different. Tried coconut milk there and didn't like it. I prefer green and oolong straight up, but admit that a splash of something is nice in black tea. What tea do you drink?

[winencandy]

Checked on the pickles, I think they're done fermenting. Taste rather nice too. Hubby seemed surprised. Dingbat.

heeheehee

Tonight I must stick to a proper bedtime, should be easier as I'm feeling tired from the early morning. To be honest, I feel like I could nap right now at 8pm, but I do have a few things to get done.

Good luck with the "proper" bedtime!

[Greensprout]

I did get 7 hours of sleep (just!), but awoke not particularly rested. Not bad once up and showered. A decent day, though in my first half hour at work, a ballast or something blew in the bank of lights above my workspace (cubicle land, but I'm in a walled space with no natural light) blew, so I was in very dim light all day. Okay for computer work, not so good for paperwork. A rush work order is in, so hopefully it will get sorted out in the morning.

Dentist visit for checkup today, all good. Cleaning first thing tomorrow morning. At least this year I had a different dentist who didn't accuse me of brushing too hard since I had so little plaque buildup, she didn't want to believe that it could be diet related. WTF?

4.2 mile walk at lunch, did just over a mile of slow running midway. I've been working my way through the "Balanced Bites" podcasts, which I'm enjoying. Sort of like a female version of Robb Wolf's podcasts, but with a more specific paleo style nutrition perspective. The first few were a little slow, but I'm up to podcast #19 and will keep going.

I did have a bit of an upset belly again while driving to work, but it passed quickly with no ill results, unlike last night's upset which led to an unpleasant bathroom trip following the post dinner upset, though went away after.

Eats were good, though I felt like I needed more after dinner, so made some decent choices.

B: black coffee, 3 egg sausage muffins topped with some of the leftover grilled veggies
green mint spiced tea
L: cod topped with salsa, 6 homemade dill pickles
spoon of almond butter after work
D: curlygirl's sesame dragon chicken. Mmmm.
cup of cherries topped with coconut milk & shredded coconut, few macadamia nuts
one small hard cider

Coming up on bedtime.

[Greensprout]

Almost 7 hours sleep time. I did manage to be up early to even get in my breakfast at home before making it in for my teeth cleaning. Very little plaque, and all evidence of coffee & red wine staining vanished. Annoying stuff that is. Of course, one could say just ditch the offenders. Seriously? I have a life, you know! . Yet the red wine, along with white, rose, and other assorted libations will be off the table for a month following this weekend, W30 style. We've decided to officially start on either Sunday or Monday. TBD.

I still have no light in my workspace. Had to use another workstation for the afternoon for collaboration with a colleague on some stuff. Hosting in the dark doesn't work very well, not at work, at least.

The weekly lunch at the mess today, so no workout. I was actually eyeballing a 730 pm yoga class, but it's all nasty and rainy outside, and I was still full from dinner. So instead, I had coconut chai rooibos tea and browsed MDA. Tonight WILL be an early night.

No belly upset at all today. Didn't have anything that I'm considering to be an offender, however.

Eats:
B: black coffee, the last 3 egg & sausage muffins
green & rooibos tea
L: sesame dragon chicken, 6 small dill pickles
D: pastured pork & lamb in organic tomato basil sauce over spaghetti squash. It was fine with no parmesan. A plum.
2 cups of coconut chai rooibos tea.

Think I'll start reading "Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival". Then bed.

[winencandy]

"Balanced Bites"? I'll have to check that out.
How's the audio quality?
I'm still trying to work my way through Rob Wolf's podcasts. The audio problems (varying levels, mic noises, etc are annoying) Do they get better?

Very little plaque, and all evidence of coffee & red wine staining vanished. Annoying stuff that is. Of course, one could say just ditch the offenders. Seriously? I have a life, you know! .

Yet the red wine, along with white, rose, and other assorted libations will be off the table for a month following this weekend, W30 style. We've decided to officially start on either Sunday or Monday. TBD.

Good luck! I've decided to cut out the wine and chocolate during the week (yet again) so that's how I'll "join" you on your W30, 'cept on the weekends

Think I'll start reading "Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival".

Let us know what you think of it.

[Greensprout]

Believe it or not, I did get about 8 hours of sleep. Still hit the snooze alarm more times than planned however. Aiming to get the same tonight. I have to be in early for the next week at work to attend briefings in the absence of the boss and everyone else senior to me. No big deal. If I'm not having a drink or 2 at night, I'm less likely to be up so late and getting up is easier.

Speaking of drinks, none last night nor tonight. I do plan on some on the weekend, then onto W30 until the week before Vegas. Even so far this week, with tightening up a lot on eats (and drinks), the scale seems to be inching down. Measurements coming soon.

Another great walk today, getting cooler, only 19C and windy, but sunny. I headed for the park for a 5 mile brisk walk.

W&C, the Balanced Bites podcast quality and content is much improved from the first few episodes, but they do have issues thus far with volume changes and some background humming at times. I'd say Robb Wolf's are a bit better in sound, but still variable at times. I think I'm up to perhaps this May on those ones (somewhere around birth of his 'Wolf cub').

Forgot to thaw anything for dinner, so made an impromptu hash of sorts. Diced bacon crisped up, added chopped onion, grass fed ground beef, then a bunch of shredded sweet potato, garlic powder, salt & cayenne. It was very tasty, and hubby was duly impressed. He eyeballed it with skepticism, but as usual, he ate every bite. Said he would have loved to eat more, but was full!

Tomorrow we may go for sushi. Maybe I should bring my own gluten free tamari. Or maybe just use the soy sauce sparingly.

Eats:
B: black coffee, 3 eggs scrambled in bacon fat layered with slices of liverwurst. That was NICE.
coconut oolong tea
L: small portion of spaghetti squash with pork/lamb tomato sauce
few macadamia nuts after work
D: beef/sweet potato hash on a bed of mixed greens.
strawberries with fridge thickened coconut milk. Wasn't really hungry (3 hours after dinner), but I bought them and wanted them!
I was planning on kombucha too, but decided to save for another day when I'n not already full.

Friday tomorrow . Supposed to be playing badminton at work before lunch. Not my favourite, but it's a group activity kind of thing. Will probably have some fun with it.

[BJDMINN]

I've enjoyed reading thru your journal, Greenspout. I've been eating paleo for about a year now and although I don't veer off, I've found it's been getting rather stale. Your journal has encouraged me to try some new recipes and get back to listening to Robb Wolffs podcasts. Thanks for that!