My Primal Journal -- Grokini Mary page

[MaryIM]

I'm on Day-15 and have been very pleased how easy it's been to forgo the bread/rice/pasta/processed foods.

I read a quote from someone about eating "an outrageous amount of vegetables" and that is my mantra.

I've been following the eating plan closely, with a couple of short detours -- mainly when hubby and I socializing. I plan in advance what I'll be eating when we have dinners with friends, but one time our plan got way-off-track when our guests were delayed. The other time, I was planning for one glass of wine, but after sitting around for an hour watching everyone else get Happier & Happier, I dove into the wine bottle.

But on the whole, I've been about 95% on-plan and won't beat myself up about a couple of missteps.

We are enjoying the Fall weather in northern AZ and I've been outside alot, either on long walks, bike rides, or putzing around in the yard.

[MaryIM]

Day-16. Weighed myself this morning and have lost 3 1/2 lbs. Not a huge amount, but am making PROGRESS! I would like to think that my mid-section is less "fluffy".

The only negative side effect of my Primal Adventure so far -- noticing is that I'm VERY tired in the evening. Am ready for bedtime an hour or more earlier than before starting Primal. I'm getting about 8 hours of sleep and waking up refreshed and ready to begin the day.

We had guests staying with us for 4 days and they left on yesterday. It was a bit more challenging to stick with my eating plan when they were here. For dinners I prepared some food just for them (dinner rolls, rice, potatoes) and I just passed that up. My main detour occured one evening about 10:30pm ... we had been eating and drinking and the men were doing shots and it seemed like a great idea to have ice cream. Thankfully, I was serving the ice cream and used small dishes. It was my first venture into something really OFF the eating plan in 2 weeks. I'll admit that as soon as I finished my dish that I wanted MORE. But I didn't give in.

It's much easier to stay on-track with just hubby and me. Am planning lots of physical activity today -- walking, house-cleaning, and gardening.

[MaryIM]

Day-17. Down 4 lbs now. I looked at my measurements on MyFitnessPal (MFP) and realized that I lost 4 lbs in one week. Yippee!

Made homemade turkey veggie soup for dinner last night and it was great. Will be eating soup for lunch for the next few days. Just finished my morning cup of coffee and it's time for my 45 min walk. Then I'll be busy outside for awhile, staining the outdoor chairs/tables.

Yesterday meals:,
B = fruit/protein shake
L = leftover baked chix & leftover roasted veggies
D = turkey veggie soup
S = granny smith apple + almond butter

[MaryIM]

Resting now ... have been very active today. Decided to time myself on my morning walk and walked as fast as possible. It's a 2.5 mi walk at 7,200' elevation, walking the first part on upslopes (with 2 small hills). My time was 41:30. When I finished, could feel my pulse that my heartrate was pounding. I know that Grok aspires to spring. But this Grokini with the 58 year-old body and joints, my just concentrate on improving my fitness level, by posting better times on my walk.

Then I did the patio furniture sanding and staining ... bending/stooping. Then washed the back patio and watered plants, did grocery shopping, and started on dinner (marinating steak, with veggies).

[honestboy640]

I thik i should get some tips from you

[MaryIM]

Day-18. Have had a great day (and it's only 5pm). Went for my 2.5 mile walk, worked outside raking pine needles, did some house-cleaning. Having dinner tonight with friends (I'll be the one eating filet mignon).

Tried something new today that I found on Pinterest. A detox bath using Epsom Salts and Lavender oil. It was heavenly! I soaked for 45 mins and all my worries just floated away. The idea was to sweat out toxins. I don't know if that happened, but the batch was supremely relaxing. My favorite way to sweat out toxins is Bikram Yoga!

[MaryIM]

Day-23 and doing well. Saw my PCP yesterday to review bloodwork that was done after 7 days on the Primal eating plan. There were improvements in overall cholesterol, HDL, & LDL. I asked that the bloodwork be repeated in 3 months for another comparison.

Had a victory at dinner this evening. Hubby and I went out with another couple to a MX restaurant. I had ZERO chips, bean dip, tortillas. In fact ordered grilled salmon and steamed veggies, which was yummy.

Am busy preparing for the arrival tomorrow of my houseguests for the weekend -- 10 women who are friends from church choir. We will be shopping, dining, drinking, and laughing. I'm going to TRY and not stray very far from my Paleo eating plan. But I know that I'll be surrounded by tempting food. I'm preparing some dishes tomorrow (before they arrive) that I can eat instead of the carb-laden food they like. I've told 2 of them I'm on the Paleo lifestyle and they'll be respectful of my efforts.

[MaryIM]

Strayed for my eating plan for a few days ... after hosting 10 women friends for a long weekend (the last weekend of September). It was supremely difficult being surrounded by massive amounts of food and drink. That was Sept 28th - Oct 1st. Since them have been struggling with my eating (having regressed to the SAD).

Then after my guests left, I came down with either allergies or a cold and was feeling poorly. I haven't had a cold in eons -- so have been wondering if this is the "carb flu", that I became afflicted with after 3 days of straying from my eating plan.

Getting back on track. Not back to 100% Primal, but making progress. My motto is "never give up" and I'm trying to not beat myself up (mentally) for getting off-track.

[MaryIM]

I'm BACK!!!

After a LONG detour, am getting back to my healthy lifestyle. Yesterday was day-1 off sugar and refined carbs. Today was day-2 of healthy eating.

I also resumed my Bikram yoga practice today, after being absent for 6 months. This was my longest time without practicing -- my husband retired, we moved to a new home, and we spent the summer in the mountains (where there's no Bikram studio).
It felt "good" to be back in a yoga class. Since moving, there's a different studio that's closer to my home (a mere 10 min drive). My body remembered how to do the yoga ... been practicing for about 4 years, but my skill level has declined considerably, plus my body has lost its former flexibility. I know that my strength and flexibility can return. I may be 58 1/2 years old, but I'm NOT GIVING UP!

[MaryIM]

I was gone (busy for the Holidays and then sick). Now I'm back at it again. My mantra is NEVER give up.

I've been eating clean for 9 days and have resumed my Bikram Yoga practice. This time I'm doing something different, something I've NEVER done before ... working with a Nutritionist. A CCN to be exact. That's Certified Clinical Nutritionist. I chose this particular person based upon some amazing results that I've seen with 2 male friends. Both of them were very overweight and one of them had severe health issues. As a side bonus, one of my girlfriends has just started with the Nutritionist and she is just a week further ahead of me in the program.

The Nutritionist advocates eating whole foods, drinking lots of water, and getting lots of exercise. At this point I've eliminated numerous foods from my diet: processed foods, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, dairy, grains, legumes. I told him that I was successful being Paleo back in September for 3 weeks and the diet I'll be on for the next x-amount of months is similar to Paleo.

The week-1 regimen was very strict. My protein came exclusively from protein shakes. Only green veggies, unlimited olive oil & balsamic vinegar and fresh green spices, and about 10 glasses of water each day.

All my metrics improved after week-1. He doesn't want me to focus exclusively on the scale. He does a body composition analysis (with an electrical gizmo) and measures my % body fat, lean muscle mass, and some other markers that relate to inflammation within cells and between cells. The scale went down 5.5 lbs, even though I gained about .5lb in lean muscle mass. Part of my success was due to the fact that I exercised 5X that week (Bikram yoga, hiking, walking). One of the markers that improved was my BMR (basal metabolic rate); it increased, which means I'm burning more calories at rest, partly because I'm a tad leaner.

Week-2. Adding some orange veggies, some other veggies (cauliflower, tomatoes, radishes) and one protein meal per day (either salmon or 2 eggs or max of 8oz of tuna).

I'm using one of those time-tested strategies: telling EVERYONE that I'm working with a Nutritionist. He refers to the program as AGGRESSIVE NUTRITIONAL THERAPY.

The other thing that's an enormous benefit is that my husband is following the same plan. He wants to drop about 20 lbs. He is eating more foods than I am (he's a foot taller and has higher caloric needs).

I am DETERMINED AND OPTIMISTIC!!!