Primal Diva's Journal: From FMP's to VFF's! page

[Lady Grok]

Today was bizarro-day. Seriously, I felt amazing when I was up and moving, but woke up really hungry this morning. Made it through my AM class (no PM class today, thank goodness) and then came home to have my weirdo go-to breakfast: Wild smoked salmon on a sheet of toasted nori, sprinkled with flaxseeds, with enough cream cheese to seal it into a “burrito” of sorts. Hey, don’t knock it- it’s full of tasty Omega-3’s, it’s quick and easy, and it doesn’t involve cooking, pans, or general kitchen messiness.

I also went over to the dark side. People on MDA have advised me that I should check out FitDay. I have been looking into Fitday to replace Sparkpeople for awhile. While I will always have a soft spot in my heart for SP (and still keep posting there, bien sūr), I need a program that is not quite so ruled by conventional wisdom, and that doesn’t freak out when I tell it exactly HOW MUCH FAT I ate on any given day. While I was sleuthing around, I decided that I would rather buy the software- the free version was OK, but not exactly what I wanted. I accidentally ran across a $10 discount coupon, so it was only $19.95. I don’t remember the code, but I uploaded it to Retail Me Not- it’s under fitday.com.

In other exciting news in my random life, GoWear Fit is now offering skins to customize my armband, and eventually (hopefully) a less-obtrusive gray armband with a chrome plastic housing. I know I will still get tons of questions about it, but at least it will blend into my emsembles better, and I won’t look like I am in mourning or making a political statement. Hopefully. I am looking forward to being able to change it up a little.

So I went to work, had my breakfast, did all this research, and The Man was still not up yet. I crawled back into bed…and that’s all she wrote. I ended up taking a SIX hour nap.
This is a weird, but documented behavior. I did this last week too, and it seems to happen when I have eaten quite a bit of high sodium cured meat. Last time around, it was bacon, and this time, it was Trader Joe’s Pinot Grigio salami. No more. I think I finally know my limits. I hate losing the whole afternoon like that!

Ended up doing some cooking for the week and cleaning up. Then The Man came home, and wanted to go on “an adventure” – we can’t do our usual Adventure Sunday this week because of Mother’s Day- so we headed over to Stinson Beach. It ended up getting dark before we could go on a trek (which I badly needed after my slothful day, but oh well), but The Man took some great pictures, and we found a fantastic restaurant: The Sand Dollar. They had great Primal appetizers- we decided to be adventuous, and had the filet mignon tartare, with organic greens and a quail egg. It was a night to splurge a little- I had my usual dirty Ketel One martini! Dinner was a pork shank with aioli and artisan cheese, on top of a dab of mashed potatoes. (I know, not Primal- I only had a bite or two.) I ordered berry cobbler for dessert- The Man ate the cobbler part, I ate the berries and a few bites of ice cream. We will definitely be going back.

Some photos from our adventure this evening:

[Lady Grok]

Gotta love fat. No, seriously!
I sort of floated through today. Mindless eating didn’t put me completely off my game, although my carbs are a little higher than I would like- mainly due to the fact that I was definitely not careful about dairy today.

I am getting frustrated, wanting to exercise. My chiropractic appointment today did not go well. My left shoulder is TWEAKED. My chiro asked me if I could get anyone else to drive to Carmel this weekend. Considering that sis just called, and her car is on the fritz, it’s all me. So she (my doc) won’t clear me for weights or hopping around (Zumba) Pushups? No. Pullups (which for me would be just hanging there) definitely no. Hey, the lady has a background in sports medicine. I’m cleared for…walking. *sigh* Simplefit and shovelglove will have to wait. Since I feel like I am going to need training wheels for each of them anyway, I just want to get on board.

Did some light gardening today. Plants are looking gorgeous, I have a Yellow squash , Ambassador squash, and a few Black Beauty zucchini’s blossoming in their containers. Strawberries are very happy too. I ended up getting more tomatoes from the garden center, as well as Armenian cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, a purple bell pepper plant, and some additional strawberry seedlings. My favorite purchase- a nice sproingy hose that connects to the sink, and an adaptor for said hose, so I can water my plants without toting all that water back and forth. If it was just three or four, that would be cool, but at this point, I have a whole garden on the deck. I am going to have to figure out someone to water and take care of things when we leave for our trip in July. Here are pics of some of my (hopefully bountiful) produce:





Also- really happy, I finally got my sliced roast into the marinade, which means that delicious beef jerky will soon be mine! Mmmmmm, jerky. I sweetened it with the pineapple puree that I made and froze last week, so I have two bags waiting in the freezer for the next batch.
Tomorrow is work, get home, do laundry, run errands, and drive into SF to pick up sis (AT 5 PM- YUCK) and then head over to Carmel for Mother’s Day. Hopefully it will be nice and relaxing! Although…eating with family around is generally a hassle. I am already plotting what I will bring to eat in case things go south. Gluten-free pasta isn’t my idea of a compromise, unfortunately! I am thinking of pre-slicing some organic zucchini I have kicking around and making "zoodles".

[Lady Grok]

I can't even bring myself to post the pity-party that I wrote in my personal journal today. Suffice it to say, this was a hard weekend. My hubby and I had a huge fight on Friday, right before heading our separate ways for the weekend. He is obviously over it, I am not. I spent the weekend with my family- Mom and Dad, brother and his wife, sis and her boyfriend.

My sister and sister-in-law are adorable. They love getting their pictures taken. I, on the other hand, do not. They just don't "get it". I especially do not like taking pictures WITH them, because well, I suffer in comparison.

Voila:



Anyway. Another part of the pity-party was about a common theme- not losing weight. I track my calories and everything else (at first in Sparkpeople, and now in FitDay) and my ratios are great, I am definitely within the 80/20, probably closer to 90/10. I know it's not just calories in/calories out...but I am trying (and usually succeeding) at maintaining a daily 1000 calorie deficit- eating 1000 calories less than I burn today. And I am stuck in a three lb. fluctuating range. I haven't budged the scale any considerable amount since the first week. And no, my measurements aren't changing. My chiropractor is still putting the kibosh on any heavy exercise, so I have decided to up the ante on the walking (an hour, daily) and to hit the elliptical at the gym and at least one dance-based class per week. The other big things- drinking more tea and water, and getting better sleep- quantity and quality. IF's do not seem to be helping. I have a large amount of weight to lose- I am also considering eating breakfast daily, to see if that helps.

Exercise today: Walking (wildlife preserve) About an hour.

I also reached my calorie deficit goal today.

[Lady Grok]

I am so glad it's not yesterday anymore.

After I finished blogging yesterday, I went out for a long (dog-free)walk, visited the ducks, walked down the path to the Bay, gazed briefly at San Quinton, and walked back along the bike route.

Then I came back home and did something I haven't done in forever- I lit candles, ran a hot bath, and dumped in some powdered milk and honey (not the raw kind). I have read about this, and never tried it. Don't knock it, evidently Cleopatra swore by a variation of this. It's much less sticky than I thought it would be, and the results are surprisingly fantastic. My skin is super soft and hydrated, woohoo!

I marinated in there for a good 25 minutes. My big dog, Bosco, parked outside the door and gazed at me with worry. I think he was shocked that anyone would willingly get into the bathtub, where he is forcibly scrubbed on occasion.

Then I made myself some hot tea, bundled up in a fluffy robe, and watched some DVR'd Craig Fergusons.

Evidently, that is my magical formula. I felt much better by the time I went to bed last night.

I am glad I made my walk yesterday- it is POURING outside today. I am going to try to get the house together a little bit. The Man is not due until late tonight, supposedly due to some drama with a locksmith. He hasn't tried to call again. We have been communicating (tersely, on my side of things) via text message. I suspect he is procrastinating because he doesn't want to face what is waiting for him at home. I am going to work in the kitchen so we don't have to have a serious discussion in squalor.

Good news- my Vibrams are FINALLY supposed to ship either this week or Monday of next week! I called to deal with the company, (I should have ordered directly from Vibram, but oh well) and they gave me a 10% discount if I switch to something in stock (as opposed to waiting until August for the second pair) So I am now getting the Classics in Chili, and the Sprints in good old Black. I will see how I like them- I still want a gray pair, eventually. I may re-place the order, and then I will get another 10% discount for an item that is backordered longer than 45 days! (Hmmmmmm...is that evil?) I am too much of a cheapo to order the injinji socks, but I found some cotton-blend toe socks on eBay that should do nicely. They arrived today, so I should be set for when my shoes show up.

Exercise today: Epic cleaning, shopping

Calorie deficit- reached, mainly because my cals were on the low side today.

Menu:
Breakfast: Coffee with Heavy Cream
Lunch: IF
Snack: Homemade Beef Jerky
Dinner: Globe Artichoke, 2 Omega-3 Eggs, Ham
Evening Indulgence: (for fat percentage and hormonal purposes)
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Coffee Nibs (1 TB), Batty's Blueberry Butter Balls *cough*

Totals

Cals: 1528
Fat: 122 g (71%)
Carbs: 33 g (8%)
Protein: 76 g (20%)

[Lady Grok]

Today was a good day.

The Man and I worked out our differences. I am still inexplicably tired, and took a 4 hour nap. (OMG!) When I woke up, these were waiting for me:



Wow- well, when the vendor gets them in stock, they ship fast! I like them- my foot definitely has more movement. My toes will have to get used to them, particularly my "pinkies" but they are very comfy on the whole.

I seem to have developed this wacky eating style: IF, a late lunch/dinner, and usually a late-ish high fat snack in order to get my levels up to par. I want to work on taking my vitamins and drinking more water- both things I have been bad about.

Today I was high on carbs and calories. I only burned 2100 today...the 4 hour nap I took is definitely the culprit. No deficit today!

Cals: 2,194
Fat: 157g (64%)
Carbs: 90 (16%)
Protein: 101 g (20%)

The reason becomes clear- Ate at The Counter for lunch, and I caved and had a PB shake AND some sweet potato fries.
Breakfast: IF (15 hr)
Lunch: 1/3 lb beef cheeseburger (on bed of lettuce)with grilled onion, hard boiled egg, sprouts, sweet potato fries, PB shake.

Dinner: Ham

Dessert: Batty's Blueberry things.

[Lady Grok]

Meet...TOWANDA!!!



This is my new workout buddy. Isn't she cute? Yes, I knitted the sledgehammer cozy myself. Lettering courtesy of Sharpie markers.

I completed my first 24 hour IF today. It was strangely accidental, but I feel great. I did have coffee with a dollop of cream around 9 AM, but otherwise, didn't eat from dinner to dinner. We'll see how it affects my morning weigh-in.

This week has been like a rollercoaster.

Climbing: Mother nature is two weeks late with my "monthly gift".

DROP!: Negative test, one of the ones that is "the most technologically advanced thing you will ever pee on." Can't gainsay those results.

Climbing: I think I may have found the world's best job for me. I am really excited about finally doing something that I love.

LOOP!: Not only is the territory open in my area, they want me to cover Marin...PLUS San Francisco. Hello stress! Can I take all of this on?!

Falling: "Monthly gift"- still not here. Realization that according to Murphy's Law, it will probably start on Girl's Weekend, when I will be camping. Not losing any weight. Not allowed to exercise. No energy. ZZzzzzzzzz....

Climbing: My boss finally gave me that HOUR on Friday (Which I asked for a MONTH IN ADVANCE)off. Girl's Memorial Weekend Adventure(opal mining in Nevada) is a go! I need to dust off my rake and find a big hat.

Major Dip: Got turned down for private health insurance. Agent thinks it might "have something to do with my BMI." My cholesterol (borderline high) probably doesn't help. &^%$! Have to apply to another company. They call asking why I got turned down by the other company. I tell them "I don't know." (I left off, "But I can guess..." followed by profanity.)

Climbing: Screw it. I am going to start Couch to 5K and Shovelglove (hence, Towanda!) this next week. My chiropractor can suck it (hopefully I don't have to run crying to her.) Measurements and "before" pics to be taken tomorrow.

Cresting: A1 is doing much better, and says she will start Couch to 5K with me. Also, tentatively planning a trip to Mexico- Yucatan Peninsula- where we could snorkel, explore ruins, and witness El Dia De Los Muertos. The Man is invited to tag along as an honorary "lady"!

DROP!: "Are you both crazy? They're having drug shootings there! I am not going, and I don't think you should go either!!!" Guess who that is? Gah!!!

"Jane, stop this crazy thing!!!"

TGIF, Ladies and gentlemen. I am totally going to sleep in tomorrow.

Today's Menu:

Breakfast/Lunch: IF

Snack: Coffee with heavy cream

Dinner: Zucchini "noodles", grass-fed ground beef, Omega-3 enriched Arrabiatta sauce, sprinkle of Parmesan

Dessert: Strawberries with whipped heavy cream

Cals: 856 (?!)
Fat: 64g (66%)
Carbs: 40g (16%)
Protein: 37g (17%)

Caloric deficit reached (and then some) 2400 cals burned.

[Lady Grok]

It seems I have found the secret ingredient.

My unintentional 24 hour fast (with one cup of coffee with cream somewhere in the middle) seems to have been the key for me. I woke up this morning and weighed in at 233, which is lower than I have been in awhile. I also seem to have dropped a body fat percentage. I will take it!

The other odd thing- my appetite is suppressed today. I don't know if it has to do with yesterday's fast, or is just an aberration. I was starving when I woke up in the "morning" (actually, the early afternoon). I made good on my promise to sleep in, and it was delicious!

I have to say, there aren't many better ways of being woken up than by a man bearing jewelry. That's how I woke up this morning, and I would definitely like to repeat the performance. Nothing too ostentatious or pricey, just the marcasite that I love, in the shape of a rose, on a pendant.



It matches the earrings I got for myself last week. Amazon wishlist FTW!

I will have to take a pic in person tomorrow- I will probably be wearing it for my "before" photos. It was The Man's turn to plan Adventure Sunday. I am not sure where we will be going, but he says I will like it.

Hit Trader Joe's tonight. Man, that place is always packed with parents and their screaming kids! There was a woman in there who had a toddler (she had her own tiny cart) and twin babies in a double, side-by-side stroller and then her own grocery cart. I think there may have been a husband and grandparents as well. At one point, all the adults were milling around while all three kids were howling. It was like they were conspiring together to block the aisles. I actually retreated into the produce section until the whole entourage was gone.

It's a good thing too: I think I have fallen into the trap of "too much protein, not enough veggies." So I grabbed lots of rightly colored veggie options. I am adding fruit back in, and upping my veggie intake. This is based on the fact that my body seems to be craving zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, and of course, berries. We'll see what happens. Next week is the start of stepped up exercise, a new chart, the works.

Speaking of listening to my body- my calories were once again way low today. I am trying to just eat intuitively and not freak out about it. Today was more of a snacky day- huge breakfast, and then a long break, and then random grazing instead of dinner. One interesting experiment- eating guacamole using beef jerky in place of chips works surprisingly well- and it's yummy, to boot!

This has been an odd day. I decided to get "dressed up" to go to TJ's- gray cargo capris, cute black cottony top, and a hot pink cardi with matching slides. I checked the full-length mirror, and did a double-take. My body shape is changing. I seem to be losing around my ribcage, while everything else is staying much the same. I sort of chalked it up to smoke and mirrors provided by my cute outfit, but then The Man came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, gave an experimental squeeze, and said, "Woah! You're shrinking!" I definitely like that better than the scale, even on a good day.

Today's menu:

Breakfast: IF (sleeping!)

Lunch: 2 Omega 3 hard boiled eggs, zucchini slices, smoked salmon and cream cheese wrapped in toasted nori.

Dinner: Guacamole with beef jerky, goat cheese with 1 TB raw lavender honey

Dessert: Mixed berries with cream (sweetened with stevia)

Cals: 1,151
Fat: 77g (58%)
Carbs: 60g (19%)
Protein: 63g (22%)

Calorie Deficit: I burned 2150 cals today, and ate 1151. One calorie short, but I think I am going to call it good!

[Lady Grok]

Adventure Sunday was a definite success today! All photos taken by my hubby, as per usual.



The Man had booked breakfast for us at Cavallo Point, a gorgeous restaurant overlooking the Golden Gate. There weren't any strictly Primal options, so I ended up going with simplicity: Bacon, two eggs (over medium) and potato cakes, accompanied by coffee. The Man had a "California Breakfast" which included granola and yogurt, a smoothie, a cappuccino, toast, a veggie omelette, and a glass of orange juice. He sheepishly admitted later that he'd just seen "Omelette" and ordered it, not realizing it was a three ring circus! (Must be nice... )

The view was amazing. The Man took several shots of the bridge right from the curb where our car was parked.



After that, we had no set plans. We ended up stopping back by the house, I grabbed my VFF's, and changed into jeans, and we headed out exploring in the direction of Point Reyes.

We stopped a few times to snap photos, stopping just short of Pt. Reyes in Inverness at "Chicken Ranch Beach". I swear, I am not making this up.

There was an inlet, lots of rocks and sand and gravel. I decided this would be a perfect time to break in my VFF's, and painstakingly got each toe into toe pockets- first socks, then shoes.



It was an amazing feeling, actually. I could feel the coolness and the texture underneath my feet as I scuttled around on the beach, poking foreign objects with my toes, sinking into the sand, climbing on logs, and wading through puddles. The Man is used to me wearing my fancy, impractical shoes, seemed somewhat amazed by my activities. I tried out some sprinting on the beach, and realized- no wonder these things are so coveted! I felt remarkably free, and my toes dug into the sand and gravel with each step, anchoring me for the next one.



When we finally got back to the car, they were filthy. Since they're just neoprene and rubber, I can just bang them together a few times- or better yet, hose them off! Woohoo!

They are still bugging my pinky toes, more on the right than the left. I think it has to do with the seam between the rubber and the neoprene.

After that, we headed back down the hill to go to a car show at the Civic Center. As it turns out, it was $30 for both of us, and they only took cash. We'd walked quite a distance from the car, and there was no ATM in sight. We decided we'd rather spend $30 on lunch, and headed over to Tha Siam, a Thai place I have only been to a few times before. I decided to order the Pumpkin Kang with Beef- it's a curry with quite a bit of heat, coconut milk, a ton of veggies, and of course, beef and pumpkin. It was amazing. I had ordered steamed veggies with it to replace rice, but ended up packing up most of it to take home.

Tomorrow marks a new 10 week tracker up on the wall. During the last 10 months, I have gained and lost the same three lbs. over and over again, but seem to have come out ahead by- 1 lb. I have start pics from today's adventure, and I plan to take measurements tonight, because tomorrow, shovelglove starts, along with Couch to 5K. I am also switching it up again- eating more carbs in the form of fruit and veggies, but staying under my 100 carb limit. This should be interesting!

As the evening went on, I got the munchies. I blame the sugary Thai tea. As time goes on, it's easy to see how my cheats derail my progress, no matter how small they are- even if they fall within the 20%. I just tried to eat things that were high in fat and stick within Primal parameters, but ended going over my calorie "budget" (I know, I know, it's that last shred of CW I am clinging to) for the day. I need to find Thai tea and brew it at home with stevia for the occasional treat.

Calories eaten: 1979
Calories burned: 2880
Fat: 144g (63%)
Carbs: 96g (19%)
Protein: 88g (18%)

[Lady Grok]

While you were sleeping….That’s my culprit. SLEEP.

I have been exhausted. I have always been a heavy sleeper, but lately it has been to the point where I doze off if I sit down in the mid-afternoon. I posted on MDA about it, and got a variety of responses- it might be that I was eating a lot of bacon at the time, or it may have been any number of factors. I think it was a combination of dropping my carbs below 50, and the sleep issue.

I do know that sleep is something I need to work on- I only get about 6 hours a night- and I have been trying to get to bed by 10 PM in order to get my eight hours in before waking up for work at 6.

My GoWear Fit (which tracks sleep)and a chance encounter are what tipped me off that maybe something was wrong. Two days ago, my hubby fell asleep on the couch, and couldn’t be persuaded to move when I went to bed.

I woke up before my alarm that morning, to hear the sound of serious snoring coming down the hall. It’s allergy season, and The Man has been working outside, and has been congested and miserable. I have a feeling that his loud snoring is keeping me from getting quality sleep! Sure enough, the GoWearFit “bar graph” of my sleep efficiency looks like a bar code. I must be waking up and going back to sleep constantly, all night long. I am going to try some earplugs, and see if that helps. I am just worried it will keep me from hearing my alarm in the mornings. No alarm this morning, and I slept until 2PM!!!

I was on the low end of my weight fluctuation yoyo this morning- 233. Maybe this next week will be the week I see 232 and stay there? Or maybe even surpass it? Man, that would be nice!

I have been tightening up the reins on my eating considerably, and (aside from the tiredness) have been feeling much better. More veggies, and less accepting the “forbidden treats” that hubby is offering me.

Oddly- I must look more attractive. Maybe it’s confidence? I certainly am not slim- or much slimmer- by any means, but I know I look “healthier” and I am getting a lot more attention from men than usual. Maybe it’s pheromones? (Or the smell of bacon? ) Whatever it is, it’s a little unsettling! I seem to get hit on every time I venture out of my house, lately.

Tomorrow is another Adventure Sunday, and while it is my turn to plan, The Man already booked breakfast in the same place as last Sunday. (It was beautiful, so you don’t hear me complaining. ) There’s a couple of fun things to do in SF that afternoon- an Armenian dance festival and exhibition in Golden Gate Park, and then the Carnavale celebration and Parade in the Mission District. We’ll play it by ear. He should enjoy the photo ops, and I will just enjoy the sights!

Breakfast: IF
Lunch (2PM): Broccoli with butter, Rib eye steak
Dinner (7PM): Lamb shank, Brussels Sprouts w/butter & parmesan, iced tea with coconut milk (2 glasses)
Evening snack: Berries with whipped cream
Cals Eaten: 1,691
Fat: 133g, 69%
Carb: 55g, 11%
Protein: 80g, 19%
Calorie deficit goal? Not met, 2049 cals burned.

[Nasno]

The MDA forum needs to take a hint from "that social networking website" and offer a "like" button.

Bosco doesn't happen to be a chocolate lab?