Antiochia's Primal Journal (Ruth) page 2

[Antiochia]

Journal entry for Monday, September 10

Okay – the question of the day is, how on earth did I gain 2 pounds in one day?! (Incidentally, I’m recording this in my Primal Journal on Tuesday and I’ve held on to the 2 pound weight gain through this morning. Sigh! And we even took longer walks than usual with the dog on Monday.)

I had sincerely hoped I would start to dip back into the 180’s this week. If this continues, I guess I’ll go back to my weight loss doctor, who has helped me get down to my present weight from a starting weight of 233. His method is not primal but it works.

Last week I thought the no grains, lower carb approach was working and I lost 2 pounds. I put them back on after the weekend! The only unusual things about the weekend were, later suppers on Friday and Saturday because of church services, fasting until after Liturgy on Sunday morning, eating from the church potluck on Sunday noon (although I skipped the dessert table and chose lower carb items from the main spread.) One buckwheat pancake on Saturday morning and a leftover buckwheat pancake on Sunday afternoon when we came home from church. My recipe does not have any grains, just buckwheat (and yogurt, and eggs among other things).

I generally do gain back weight after a weekend. It is very frustrating. Lose it during the week and gain it all back on the weekend. And I don’t think the foods I eat are all that different. And I don’t think 2 buckwheat pancakes that weigh a couple of ounces each, eaten one at a time a day apart, are enough to put back 2 pounds!

Well, it’s Tuesday and I’m off to walk my dog. DH has a breakfast meeting so he won’t be walking with us this morning. And here’s my Sparkpeople notes from yesterday:

Nutrition Notes for Monday, September 10
CW 192.2.

6;15: 2 cups of coffee with about 3 tablespoons of coconut milk

7:15 Breakfast
2 eggs scrambled in bacon fat with one extra yolk and some half and half
1 orange

8:00 walk with dog and husband (about 2 miles)

10:00 3 cups water and supplements

10:45 1 piece oopsie bread with about 1 tablespoon of cultured grassfed butter (I keep it cold and slice it like cheese).

12:00 Lunch
Homemade Cream of Tomato Soup
Sirloin Steak
Kombucha & Selzer

2:30 3 cups water
1 oz. cheddar cheese

6:00 Supper
Low Carb, grain free pizza with cheese, sausage, green pepper, & onion
buttered steamed broccoli
Kombucha mixed with selzer water
1 square 70% Dark Chocolate

(Note: I nibbled on cheese while I was making the pizza)

7:30 Another 2 mile walk with husband and dog.

9:00 6 almonds
2 glasses water
supplements

Totals:
Water: 10 cups
Calories: 2,094
Carbs: 68
Percentages: Fats 62.7%, Carbs 12.5%, Proteins:24.8%

[Antiochia]

Journal entry for Tuesday, September 11, 2012
CW 192.2 (Still can’t understand why my body went up 2 pounds over the weekend and stayed there!)

Today was the day I would finally learn to cook duck! I had bought a couple of frozen ducks several months ago, having been inspired by the cookbook *Nourishing Traditions.* However, I never got around to preparing them, and then Lent rolled around when we couldn’t eat meat, and there they sat, abandoned in my basement freezer.

So I finally let them thaw out on Monday, and followed Sally Fallon’s instructions and cut up the ducks, rendered the fat, and made cracklings from the skin (amazing!) and cooked her wonderful duck breast with plum sauce recipe – only I couldn’t find any plum jam, so I used some fruit-only Apricot Jam (you only need a little bit to flavor the sauce). My goodness! It was one of the best meals I have ever cooked! I served it with riced cauliflower, and mashed sweet potato (DH is on a soft foods diet, otherwise I would have made salad -- I had a huge salad at lunch though).

Now I have duck legs marinating in salt, lemon juice, and mashed garlic, for Duck leg confit – I think I’ll use Mark’s recipe rather than Sally Fallon’s because Mark has you cooking the duck legs before preserving them, and in Sally’s recipe you just preserve the marinated duck legs. See http://www.marksdailyapple.com/succu...#axzz26GGzfA5q

The rest of the ducks are simmering as I write, turning into rich duck stock! Mmmmm I can hardly wait! I’ll freeze most of it in wide mouth pint size jars. Each jar equivalent to about a can of broth.

The cracklings turned out crispy and golden – better than bacon! They are now in the fridge awaiting being warmed and added to eggs or salad.

And here are my Sparkpeople notes for the day:

Nutrition Notes for Tuesday, September 11,2012
CW 192.2

6:30
2 cups coffee, one with coconut milk, one with H & H

8:00 Breakfast
3 Brazil nuts
Leftover Low Carb Pizza

8:30
walk dog

10:30
1 cup coffee
1 string cheese
3 cups water and supplements

12:30
Romaine Salad with green pepper, onion, carrot,tomato, cucumber, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano
Tuna with mayo and mustard
1 glass water
1 cup of coffee and 1 square 70% dark chocolate

3:00 took dog (with DH) to the dog park

4:30 3 cups water

1 Brazil nut
MUST. STOP. PUTTING. NUTS. ABSENTMINDEDLY. INTO. MY. MOUTH!!!!

6:30 Supper
3 oz. duck breast
1 duck liver
Sauce that included about a teaspoon of apricot jam
cauliflower rice (with a little butter
about a half cup of mashed sweet potato (with a little butter)
1 glass of half Kombucha and half selzer
1 square 70% dark chocolate
1 cup mint tea

THEN, I snacked on some duck cracklings, since I was rendering duck fat today. But the calorie counter has no listing for duck cracklings so my calorie and fat
total is actually higher than listed below:

Totals:
9 cups water
Calories: 1,387+
Carbs: 69
Fat: 83 +
Percentages: Fats 52.9%, Carbs 19.6%, Protein 27.5%

[Antiochia]

Journal entry for Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Lenten day - Fast from meat and dairy
191.0 (Finally - Back down a pound!)

It's hard to keep the carb count down on a Lenten Day!

7:30 2 cups of coffee with 2 tablespoons coconut milk

No breakfast (trying IF today)

8:30 Walk with dog and husband

9:30 Save and store the simmering duck broth, After pouring into jars there was about a quarter cup left, so rather than waste it, I drank it

10:00 3 cups water and supplements.

DH only made it until 12:30 and decided he should have some lunch after all, so we cut our IF short and ate.

Now, since it is Wednesday, and we don't eat meat or dairy, things get complicated because I'm also trying to eat paleo, and cook for my husband because he is on a lower fiber/ soft foods diet following surgery. So I decided to go with scrambled tofu. I figure tofu once in a while won't cause too many problems.

12:30 Lunch
3 Brazil nuts and some Raw green pepper with almond butter while I'm cooking
Tofu scrambled with green pepper, onion, sesame oil, and Bragg Liquid Aminos.
1 grapefruit half
1 glass of water
1 70% square of dark chocolate

During the afternoon:
2 tablespoons almonds
1 square 85% chocolate

6:00 Dinner
Curried Tilapia with onions
Riced Cauliflower mixed with chopped green pepper, onion, and grated carrot
1 orange

7:00 walk dog & husband

7:30 DH and I split a dark chocolate bar we bought from a cub scout we met on our walk. The chocolate was very sweet.

9:30 water and supplements

Totals:
10 cups water
Calories: 1515
Carbs: 103
Percentages: Fats 59.9%, Carbs 23.9% Proteins 16.4%

[Antiochia]

Journal entry for Thursday, September 13, 2012

Today was a combined day. Up until after lunch it was a regular day. Then after lunch we began fasting for Liturgy in the evening. Then since we were observing the next day’s liturgy (the day begins in the evening – as in Genesis “… and there was evening and morning, one day.” Gen. 1:5) when we left the Liturgy, it was Friday of September 14 *The Elevatoin of the Holy Cross*, even though secular time would be 8 pm of Thursday. Friday, in the Orthodox Christian faith is almost always a Lenten Day, and this particular ‘feast’ is actually a fast, because we are remembering the Cross on which Jesus died, so on September 14 we always eat Lenten foods. So our evening meal had to be without meat or dairy – some seafood allowed.

We stopped at Culver’s on the way home and bought deep fried breaded shrimp. Unfortunately they don’t sell plain shrimp, so we had to settle for breaded that was fried in questionable oil. I hope that won’t cause too much of a problem and will only be part of my 20%. Anyway, here are my notes on yesterday:

Sparkpeople Nutrition Notes for Thursday, September 13
190.4 (Yea! Down another half pound!)

6:30 2 cups of coffee with 2 tablespoons H & H

7:30 Breakfast
2 eggs scrambled in duck fat with 1 chopped duck liver and some duck cracklings and 1 tablespoon H & H. (Duck liver and cracklings are not in the tracker so I used the nutrition info for chicken liver and bacon).
1 cup coffee

10:30 - I ate the 2 duck hearts and gizzards.
3 cups water and supplements

12:00 Lunch
Broiled bacon wrapped fillet
12 oz. Duck broth
1 cup coffee with 2 tablespoons H & H
1 square 70% Dark chocolate (with orange)

1:00 3 cups water

Now we fast until after Liturgy

After Liturgy we picked up shrimp from Culver's for supper.

8:30 supper
8 Culver's Shrimp & Cocktail Sauce
Green Beans
I ordered a side salad, but they forgot to include it so I made one for myself from Romaine, tomato, carrot, cucumber, onion, sunflower oil, coconut vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano.
A glass of half kombucha and half selzer
Dessert was mint tea and 1 square of 70% Dark Chocolate.

(I also had about 3 sweet potato fries from DH's dinner)

10:00 water and supplements

Totals:
10 cups water
Calories: 1626
Carbs:89
Percentages: Fats 54.4%, Carbs 20.9 %, Proteins, 24.7%Today's Nutrition Notes:
Thursday, September 13
190.4 (Yea! Down another half pound!)

6:30 2 cups of coffee with 2 tablespoons H & H

7:30 Breakfast
2 eggs scrambled in duck fat with 1 chopped duck liver and some duck cracklings and 1 tablespoon H & H. (Duck liver and cracklings are not in the tracker so I used the nutrition info for chicken liver and bacon).
1 cup coffee

10:30 - I ate the 2 duck hearts and gizzards.
3 cups water and supplements

12:00 Lunch
Broiled bacon wrapped fillet
12 oz. Duck broth
1 cup coffee with 2 tablespoons H & H
1 square 70% Dark chocolate (with orange)

1:00 3 cups water

Now we fast until after Liturgy

After Liturgy we picked up shrimp from Culver's for supper.

8:30 supper
8 Culver's Shrimp & Cocktail Sauce
Green Beans
I ordered a side salad, but they forgot to include it so I made one for myself from Romaine, tomato, carrot, cucumber, onion, sunflower oil, coconut vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano.
A glass of half kombucha and half selzer
Dessert was mint tea and 1 square of 70% Dark Chocolate.

(I also had about 3 sweet potato fries from DH's dinner)

10:00 water and supplements

Totals:
10 cups water
Calories: 1626
Carbs:89
Percentages: Fats 54.4%, Carbs 20.9 %, Proteins, 24.7%

[Antiochia]

Journal Entry for Friday, September 14, 2012
Lenten day because it is Friday, and it is also the day of “The Elevation of the Holy Cross”— the day when we commemorate when Constantine and his mother Helen found the true cross buried in Jerusalem.

On that day, the cross was elevated above the people who prostrated saying “Lord, have mercy!” This event is enacted liturgically at church on this holy day all over the world. You can even see You Tube videos of this service (look up “The Elevation of the Holy Cross”)

Basil, the “Kingly herb” was found growing on the hill above the burial place of the cross. So, at the end of this day’s service we are each given a sprig of basil – we can cook with it, dry it and use it as a dried herb, or just let it dry out and keep it in our prayer corner.

Anyway, we had our service last night (at the beginning of the liturgical day), and this was a pretty good day for me. I had more energy in the morning than I have had, and even did some house cleaning enthusiastically!

Unfortunately, by evening my energy and resolve was dying. Since it was after dark, technically it was okay to have meat and dairy because liturgically it was already Saturday, but traditionally we observe the fast from meat and dairy until the next morning. However I gave in to temptation and ate a few of the duck cracklings in the fridge (about equivalent to a slice of bacon I think) – not included in the nutrition info because I don’t know how to count duck cracklings – at least I know they did not add more carbs, and that is mainly what I’m concerned about.

Also unfortunately during the night (Friday – Saturday), I woke up after the first sleep cycle and felt AWFUL . I had some baking soda and water, and burped a few times and that seemed to help. Then I went back to bed and woke up after the next sleep cycle with a minor bout of diarrhea. I don’t know if it had anything to do with what I ate on Friday, or if it was Thursday’s fried and breaded shrimp. ( I started Saturday morning with a couple of cups of tea.) Here are my food notes for Friday:

Sparkpeople Nutrition Notes for Friday, September 14, 2012
CW 190.8 (rats! back up a half pound or so.)

7:00 2 cups coffee with 2 tablespoons coconut milk

8:00 Breakfast Smoothie:
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen strawberries (70 grams)
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 scoop brown rice protein powder

9:00 Walk with dog and husband

11:00 2 tablespoons almonds

12:00 Lunch
Curried sweet potato - peanut butter soup
1 half raw carrot
1 celery stalk stuffed with almond butter
Glass of mixed Kombucha & selzer
1 square 70% chocolate with orange

2:00 1 cup water and supplements
1 tablespoon coconut oil with a little stevia sweetened cocoa mixed in.

4:00 Go to the Dog Park

5:00 3 Brazil Nuts

6:15 Dinner
Shrimp with enchilada sauce on sauteed zucchini
1/2 Avocado
A glass of half Kombucha and half selzer
1 square dark 70% chocolate with orange

Totals:
Water: 6 cups
Calories:1967
Carbs:106
Percentages: Fats 67.1%, Carbs 20.7%, Proteins 12.2%

[Antiochia]

Not much to say about today -- here are my food notes:

Sparkpeople Nutrition Notes for Saturday, September 15, 2012
CW 191.0

I hadn’t felt well during the night and started the day with tea
7:30 2 cups tea

Then I really wanted a poached egg on toast, but instead I ate a regular breakfast and felt much better.
8:00 1 cup coffee with H & H cream
Scrambled egg with extra yolk and H & H
2 pieces bacon
1/2 grapefruit

8:30 Walk with dog and husband
Then take dog to the kennel
11:00 Mow lawn
12:00 3 cups water, 1 string cheese, 3 Brazil Nuts.

1:00 Lunch
Big Salad:
Romaine, Tomato, carrot, green pepper, onion, cold pressed sunflower oil, salt, pepper, hard boiled egg, leftover swordfish, lemon juice, leftover topping for the swordfish. Then I sprinkled the rest of the duck cracklings over everything, but the salad was too strongly flavored to taste much of the duck cracklings. I will probably just eat them plain in the future..
Mixed Kombucha and selzer
1 cup coffee
1 square 70% dark chocolate with orange

3:00 1 square 70% dark chocolate with orange
1 cup water

Did not have to walk the dog since he's at the kennel.

6:00 Leave for Vespers

8:15 Dinner
1 slice of cold pastured cultured butter
3 oz. leftover duck with leftover sauce
onion, carrot, and green pepper simmered in pastured cultured butter
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup avocado cubes with lemon
1 glass of ice water
1 square 70% chocolate
1 square 85% chocolate

1 glass water and supplements

WOD: Walked Dog AM, then mowed the lawn around noon.

Totals:
9 cups water
Calories: 1611
Carbs: 75
Percentages: Fats: 58%, Carbs: 17.6 %, Proteins 24.4%

[Antiochia]

Sunday, September 16, 2012
192.4 (Weight is up, but I haven't had a BM in over 36 hours)

Today we went to church in Cedarburg, a town about 2 hours away, because my son-in-law was filling in as priest and brought the granddaughters with him.

At Coffee Hour after Liturgy I had:
2 cups coffee
1 spanokopita turnover
3 stuffed grape leaves
1 cup water with supplements

I avoided all the sweet stuff!

Then we went to a Brew Pub for Lunch.

I had a large salad with steak, vinaigrette dressing, and potato and some blue cheese croquettes
also a large glass of beer

After we came home I picked up a Rotisserie Chicken, which we had with stir fried asparagus, butter, sliced tomato, diced avocado. 3 squares of 70% Chocolate for dessert.
Also a glass of mixed Kombucha & selzer

Then water and supplements

No totals today. I don't track my food on Sundays.

[Antiochia]

This will be my last post in this particular journal. I've been eating mostly primal since the beginning of July, although I only started this particular journal a couple of weeks ago, and at that time I seriously began to limit carbs. I am not losing weight, but I am maintaining rather than gaining, so that at least is an improvement. I'll be going back to my weight loss doctor at the end of this week and using his method, which involves a VLCD for 30 days. I have seen enough comments on this forum to know that the rest of his method is not considered primal (although the maintenance diet following the VLCD can very easily be primal). It is the only method that works for me. I may start another primal journal when I get back into the maintenance phase.