Intro, starting my food journal and a little background ..... page

[kellie081]

Ok, where do I start? I bought Marks 1st book in 2009. Started and stopped Primal/Paleo about 20 times since then..maybe more ??

I started again Jan of 2013. Had 3 awesome weeks , then had a weekend away out of town and got sidetracked! Went back to baddd habits and terrible eating.

I have decided that Primal/Paleo is the way for me. It makes total sense and I truly feel 100% better when I eat the right way. My old way of eating was Huge breakfast, a lot of carbs, protein bars and a lot of processed stuff. I was ( still am? ) a HUGE carb freak and sugar eater. I seriously thought I was really HUNGRY every hour on the hour. Crazy I know! I have always been very active, loved the gym, working out, biking, walking, softball, baseball, ..any sport but at 44 years old , 5 ft 7 and almost 180 lbs ( creeping up every year) I KNEW, somewhere, I am totally missing someting!!

Sooooo Jan of 2013 I re- committed again! After the first week, no kidding, I felt 90% better. I slep thru the night, wasnt home in bed and in front of the TV @ 8 pm and could actually go HOURS with out eating or thinking of food. I lost 9 pounds in 3 weeks and felt great. Then I had that bad weekend out of town, totally unprepared!!

One of my biggest issues is preparing food and having something health and ready to eat. I have never had a desire to be a great cook or spend hours in the kitchen. I still dont, but do, just so I can be sure how my food is prepared and I know 100% what is in it.

I'm going to post my food Journal for the last two days, feel free to offer ANY feedback or suggestons...

Sunday-
Bfast- 3 Eggs, 4 slices bacon and 2 slices Ezekiel bread
Lunch- Turkey Burgers and cucumbers,Green & Blacks organic Dark Chocolate (70% )
Dinner- Chicken Breast, organic romaine and a trader Joes garlic/vinegar dressing with parmesean

Monday-
Bfast- turkey burger, cucumber and avocado, Green & Blacks organic Dark Chocolate (70%)
lunch- Chicken Breast, organic romaine and a trader Joes garlic/vinegar dressing with parmesean, avocado
Dinner, Celery with Almond Butter

Snacks are more dark chocolate, string cheese, apples , protein powder in greek yogurt with almond butter and sugar free gum.

[Hedonist2]

Welcome Kellie! You can do it this time!

Some suggestions. Take them or leave them.

Are you trying to eat low fat? If so, don't.

Go easy on the dark chocolate. Probably a square or two per day is best.

Be careful about snacks. They can add up. Your digestive system needs recovery time between meals.

Primal folks generally avoid sugar free products, although some of the gum is good for teeth.

Find what works for you. Experiment. Good luck.

[kellie081]

Thank you for the great suggestions!!!
I'm not trying to eat low fat. I do notice the more fat I eat ( Guacamole, Nuts..good fats) I stay full for a lot longer.
I'm trying not to snack, I still have the problem that I THINK I'm hungry, but I'm really bored? If I forget about it , it usally goes away. OH, and I'm soooo trying to get away from the dark chocolate.
That is next on my list to go.

Thanks again!!

[MissJecka]

Looks good so far, especially since you've only just begun fairly recently!

Some tips...

- Try to cut out the pre-packaged stuff (TJ's salad dressing - it's so easy to make your own with some oil, vinegar, parmesan cheese and salt/pepper/garlic! Just blend it all together until it's emulsified and keep in a mason jar in the fridge.)

- Seems like you're still eating bread. Why? I used to love Ezekiel bread when I was vegan, but now that I'm wheat- and grain-free, I definitely don't eat it anymore! Just because it's sprouted and expensive doesn't mean it's Primal.

- I agree about the low-fat comment earlier. Add some fats, and not only from nuts! Nuts have too much O6 fatty acid so unless you balance out with a good O3 supplement or eat lots of seafood, you may throw your body out of whack. I love eggs and eat about 10-12 per week, usually cooked in leftover bacon grease or coconut oil. Also: olive oil, bacon, coconut oil, avocado (but I try to limit it because of O6 as well), fatty meat, etc. Which brings me to my next tip...

- Where's the beef??! Chicken, turkey, chicken, turkey, chicken... that is so boring and way too lean. Get some 80%+ ground beef and make burgers. Top with some raw cheese (if you're good with dairy) or slices of avocado, or... like I did yesterday... top it with a fried egg and bacon (and of course lots of veggies on the side). Cook some pork tenderloin (personal favorite!) and serve with lots of veggies as well. Chicken and turkey are fine and dandy, but there are much better meats out there that aren't complicated to cook.

- Don't be scared to eat! It seems like you're barely eating anything! Celery and almond butter for dinner?? You're missing out on tons of nutrients!

Keep it up!

[kellie081]

Miss Jecka!

THANK YOU for the tips!!
I will start with the Ezekiel bread...WHAT?? I thought that was ok because it is sprouted?? On days with I think I dont have enough carbs, I will usually add a slice of bread. I will try to wean myself off of that? Too late for today though, I just had one with my breakfast, which was;
B-1 slice Ezekiel Bread and 1 HUGE vension/pork patty- probably 8 OZ.
I do like beef and usually have Venison or steak 1 or 2x a week. We have a freezer full of Vension, but I usually like it mixed with Pork, sometimes its too gamey
Again, thank you for the tips. I ordered my Primal Journal today, so hopefully that will keep me on track!

[MissJecka]

Ezekiel is better than white bread, as Mark says here: https://www.marksdailyapple.com/prim...s-scrutinized/

Mark also mentions that having it on rare occasions is okay, particularly if you are an avid exerciser, here: Are There Any Good Carbs? | Mark's Daily Apple

There are also a number of threads throughout the forum about people's personal experiences before, during, and after sprouted grains appeared in their diets: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread18732.html & http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread16090.html

In a nutshell, sprouted grains aren't at all Primal, are not truly free of gluten, and are sub-optimal for nutrition. It's better to get your nutrients from fruits and veggies rather than counting on grains -- no matter if they're sprouted or not!

If you're low on carbs, have some berries, a sweet potato, squash, other tubers, etc. that are far more nutrient-dense than bread.

[smalot]

Good job. I have totally gone off bread in the last 30 days and I think it has had the biggest effect on me. Maybe because I used to go through 2 loaves in a week before.

Look forward to reading more.

Cheers