Day 2: Chocolate cravings and berry binge

Quick post.  Yesterday was another success in my adherance to primal rules: I didn't cheat and I did exercise (slow pace).

I ate: Bacon and egg casserole with veggies, chicken and veggies, and then beef and pork chili (with veggies), berries, cheese and olives.

I drank: coffee, green tea and sparkling water.

I moved: by taking two walks with the three doggies (about 2x20min walks).

What is okay to do but I should NOT have: I had cream and a bit of raw sugar (Grok and I have a rule that we can do whatever we want to our coffee as our only vice), and binged at 10pm on shredded mozza cheese, berries and olives.  Meh, I don't really feel that guilty.

I suffered: massive chocolate cravings and sluggish energy and focus.

I reaffirmed rules for myself: (1) lay off the food after 8pm; (2) no more coffee after 12pm (exception - weekends).

Happy Friday!

Back to Day 1 - A butt-dragging success



Photo: Maggie Smith

 Yesterday, I did not want to be primal.  Well, I did and didn't.  I wanted to be primal, but I didn't want to live primally.

The first few days of getting back into a primal routine is always the hardest.  Your energy sucks, and you're craving your favourites.  When I got home from work, it took every ounce of my being not to open a bottle of red wine or shake myself a martini.  I'm going to admit that last week, I had a drink (or two…) every night.  Why?  I was in love with a bad routine, and I used the excuse of after-wedding slack. 

But yesterday, I made it through.  And I dragged my butt the whole day.  I ate veggies and eggs and bacon and beef and pork and nuts and more veggies.  What helped was that my sister had dinner ready on the stove (beef stew!) so my evening routine included an earlier-than-8pm workout.

Unfortunately, my workout sucked.  I just didn't want to do it.  I went downstairs to my gym and looked at my workout log (lifting): October 8th.  HOLY CRAP!  It had been a whole month and a half since I last lifted!  (Not that the date made me put any more into my workout since I still didn't wanna.) 

Here's what I did: 

• 10 minutes of sprints (5 x 20-30 seconds) on the elliptical
• 3x12 of squats at 30lbs on each dumbell (60lbs total)
• followed by 3x15 butt lifts (no weights). 

And then I quit.

I can't wait until my body is back to normal so I can actually enjoy a workout and do a lot more than I did.

But, at least it's a start.  Again.

Four months...

...since my last post, but that doesn't mean I haven't been primal, nor does it mean that I've lost sight of this blog.

photo credit:  Salvatore Vuono

For the past four months, I pulled off two things:
(1) the wedding of my life, for which I'll toot-my-own-horn by saying that I did one helluva job and it was my perfect memory; and,
(2) I lost 20lbs, by following my primals ways and I felt oh-so good!

Due to a summer full of weddings, parties, showers, and bachelorettes (including my own that was a full week in Cuba), I managed to only gain about 7-8lbs back from my lowest, where most of it was gained during the week of and week after the wedding.  I'm totally okay with this, and I am confident that going back to a strict primal diet will help me easily lose the weight, and hopefully more. 

In my quest to lose 20lbs, I learned some tricks that helped me:  Tracking my food and my activity was key (see previous challenge post); I learned that alcohol really does slow my weight loss; and, I don't lose weight if I don't move.

I've re-enabled this blog for the main reason that I really, REALLY, want to get back to a healthy routine after all the partying and carb-loaded fiascos, and I adore eating primally.  It's my wino pitfalls that really hurt my efforts.  And now Christmas is around the corner...

Also, a co-worker recently adopted a 30-day primal experiment that she's tracking on her blog.  After catching up on her posts, I realized how much I missed making primal a top priority, and also writing my own posts.

Here we go again!

Ya, ya. I'm still here.

Sura Nualpradid

As you can see, I'm a very inconsistent poster. I, like my future husband, have a very short attention span, so we're flakey. Well, I'm definitely flakey.

Not much is new, other than Grok has initiated a new challenge. We've continued with our primal ways, but our adherence has serously been wavering (we'd only buy primal foods, but booze and trips to the cottage has us binging on candy and bread).  So, motivated with the wedding in four months, Grok created a spreadsheet and allocated a point value to each activity to be followed daily:

• Track weight (1pt)
• Eat clean (primal) (4pts)
• Track food (2pts)
• Sprint (2pts)
• Play sports (2pts)
• Slow and steady activity (2pts)
• Lift weights (2pts)

And then there's this:

• Drink alcohol (-2pts per drink)
• Eat sugar/starchy carbs(-2pts)
• Grains (-2pts)
• Dairy (-2pts)
• No exercise at all (-2pts)

By the end, whoever has the highest score wins something.  Not quite sure what the wager is yet… I think a new wardrobe is warranted!

Ya, we'll see how this goes.

I miss things. And then they hurt me.

Carlos Porto

It has been about two weeks that Grok and I have been trying to keep ourselves in ketosis.  What is ketosos?  It's means that we've been keeping our carb count pretty low at a weight-loss level as opposed to weight maintenance mode.  For the first couple days we were counting on our respective calculators (I have a Blackberry app that I use, and he uses LiveStrong). 

It's really hard to count absolutely everything all the time.  While eating primally, you don't normally need to count a thing but for ketosis you really should count what you're feeding yourself to make sure your efforts aren't going to waste.

...KEEP READING

20-minute Salmon with Red Curried Veggies

Another ridiculous day at work.  I actually do enjoy some quiet time at home preparing a meal after a long day.  I'll normally have some smooth jazz playing in the background, and if it has been a very hard day, a glass of red wine.   Although I do tend to get a little grumpy when it comes to washing the dishes.

One of the great things about making fish is that it cooks in no time.  Grok had to run out to door tonight to go curling, so it had to be a quick dish.

I thawed some salmon, seasoned it with lemon juice, dill and some basil (ya, snooze), and put it under the low broil setting.

...KEEP READING

Oxygen Magazine: The anti-Primal Magazine



oxygenmag.com



Almost a year ago during the height of my Eat-Clean efforts, Grok bought me a subscription to Oxygen magazine and I bought him Men's Health.  We were so happy with our new reads and looked forward to getting a new publication each month.

Things have changed, however.  Now that I've committed to living primally, I've realized that this magazine is not for me.  Not only am I tired of seeing far too many one-page ads for flavoured powder supplementation and weight-loss pills, but all of the recipes have multiple non-primal components that can be quite hard to substitute.

...KEEP READING

Steak with a Spicy Creamy Coconut Pepper Sauté

It was a very looooooong day at the office.  I came home and plopped myself on the couch to relax before coming up with some sort of dinner to celebrate my surviving a gruelling work week. 

This was another very quick meal, and I couldn`t help but savour every bite.  Do you remember that steak you had where it virtually melted in your mouth?  Ya, this was it.  Lucky me!

I peeked in the fridge, and pulled out some cremini mushrooms, baby spinach and some chopped onions and put it all in a pan with some coconut oil, coconut milk and some almond milk - enough to serve as a side for two. 

...KEEP READING

To tell you the truth...

If you take a peek at my blog posts, you'll notice a rather large gap between November and March.  Similar to some of my earlier posts about lack of consistency with my primal efforts, this gap of time was not my shiniest moment. 

The Christmas holidays were really great, but full of everything bad for me.  Up until that time I was doing really well with eating better and moving my body enough, and I had shed some fat.  However, I made the trek up north for Grok's family festivities and I ate and drank everything in sight.  And then I had my family Christmas.  And then I went and had another one.  Grok and I were served a total of 59lbs of turkey... and all the fixins.  I figured that my body could handle it, and I could afford to some time off from Primal.

Sharron Goodyear



By the time I was back into my routine in early January, all my work clothes had become tight again.  What an awful feeling.  But that's what the holidays do for many of us -- I know I'm not alone.  My mood, my cravings, my lethargic-ness was rampant. 

Since then, Grok and I decided that we would get married (we've been engaged for over a year) in our current city as opposed to the whimsickle beach wedding that we were hoping for.  Logistically, it didn't make sense for us to go south, so here we are, amidst lots of planning for our big day in November.

So there's our motivation.  For Grok, he's almost at his goal weight but would like to gain some muscle to look more cut.  For me, I have my eyes set on looking like every bride-to-be wishes to look on her wedding day in a gorgeous gown, amongst those who will be part of the biggest day in her life. 

So there.  I've admitted where my recent motivation has come from.  I guess a wedding is just what I needed.

Primal sole and Bacon-wrapped asparagus with tartar sauce

I wanted some fish for dinner tonight, so here is what I came up with:

 This dinner was easy and tasted super-good! 

I put sole filets in a casserole dish after spraying it with olive oil.  I cut some onion and sprinked atop the fish with some lemon juice.  I then wrapped two sprigs of aspargus with a half of a piece of thick bacon, and pepper to taste.  I popped it all in the oven at 375*C for about 20-25 minutes.  While it was baking, I whipped some olive oil-based mayo with lemon and dill, basil and cumin (I have no idea what's in real tartar sauce).  Once out of the oven, I sprinkled the fish with some fresh chopped cilantro.

  

Et voilà!

And if you're wondering what we were drinking -- Club soda (it's water with bubbles!) with some frozen berries and a lemon wedge.

Now it's time for my date with Ellie (my elliptical machine).  I'm currently watching Inception during my workouts... Oh, Leo...

Dumbells that Make my Butt Ache

In my effort to lift heavy things three times a week (as recommended by the Primal Blueprint), yesterday was a leg-day and I LOVE leg-day.  I think it's the girl in me that really wants a nice tush, and I also feel that I get more for my money if I work out my bigger muscle groups.

I'm really sore... and it's only the day after (I find that the soreness reaches its pique after two days).  I like the feeling of having put my body through a good workout, but I had to ask Grok to give me a butt massage this morning (dirty minds!).

In my gym, I have minimal equipment but does the trick for my routine.  I have my giant elliptical machine that has an incline and resistance option (I call her Ellie, and as the second machine I've owned I treated myself to a gym-quality product).  I have a flat-bench that raises to an incline, and it has that piece on the end that I can do my isolated bicep or hammer curls on.  I have a series of workout DVD's that entertain me and keep me moving depending on what my mood desires (think yoga, plyometrics or lifting).  In addition, I have a thigh-toner and two stretch bands that really help with my back work, a yoga mat, a giant workout ball and 10lb wraps. Last but certainly not leaqst, the best workout piece own is: My PowerBlock dumbells (note that other than the loose dumbells you'd get in a gym, I haven't bought or tried anything else).


PowerBlock.com

  I love these dumbells!  They look a little bulky but they don't really get in the way of any of the exercises or routines that I've been trying out.  They go up to 50lbs with the option of 2.5lb increments.  However (and this is a big HOWEVER), I'm a girl and not as strong as Grok.  So the only downside I find is the fact that there is a gap between 10lbs and 15lbs.  When I'm working on my curls, 10lb is too little and 15lb is too much until I get a little stronger.

I'm sure that in the future I'll want to grow my gym.  For now, all of this works great and I'm super happy.

Here was my workout, three sets of each:

 



Ambro


• Squats (12 reps of 35lbs each dumbell)
• Sumo squats (12 reps of one 45lb dumbell)
• Lunges (12 reps of 25lbs each dumbell, each leg)
• Stiff-legged deadlifts (12 reps of 25lbs each dumbell)
• Inner leg lifts (I used 10lb wraps)
• Bouncing calf raises on the edge of a step (20 reps of one 25lb dumbell, each side)

Happy training!

Today's Feasts

Sual Nualpradid

Today was a very primal day, and it was all thanks to my wonderful Grok.  I love you honey!

My feasting was a little low in overall calorie count, but my proportion of fat-protein-carbs was optimal for ketosis.  I had three large meals yesterday so it took some time for hunger to set in.

I woke up to the wonderful scent of coffee and breakfast being prepared by Grok (actually, it was the sound of the fire alarm that woke me, but it's the thought that matters!).  On my morning menu was a 2-egg omelette, fried in coconut oil with mushrooms and onions, and a 1/2 of a top sirloin steak on the side.

After cleaning the house, I kindly asked Grok to assemble my elliptical machine that had been collecting dust since September.  The monster-sized clothes rack was missing a washer, so Grok and I decided to give assembly a whirl without the missing piece.

I had a 30-minute workout of light walking on an incline with resistance.  I was also very happy to find out that my little netbook fits perfectly on the holder so I can watch something entertaining as I walk miles in the same spot.  I don't know how people read and workout at the same time... I honestly think they just look at the pictures!

When I was finished, I had a pork back ribs and a spinach salad waiting for me. 

Besides the wonky almost-cold that my body is fighting, it was a GREAT, relaxing Sunday.  I only need the summer weather to hit for the day to be a perfect one.

Here's a breakdown of today's feasts:

Breakfast
3.5oz Beef top sirloin
1tbsp Coconut oil
2 large Eggs\
30g of Mushrooms
20g of Onions
Salt and pepper to taste

1.5 cups of Coffee
44g Coconut milk (with my coffee)

Dinner
200g of Pork back ribs
40g of Baby spinach
65g of Tomatoes
8g of Green onions
10g of Extra virgin olive oil
A squirt of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Breakdown
Fat - 101.45g
Protein - 69.35g
Carbs - 10.63g
Calories - 1234
Workout - 218cals

This is NOT an average day.  I'd normally have three full meals (as breakfast would be earlier during the work week).  However, I'm very happy with this for a very relaxing day.

My Meat Locker

As stored in my garage.

Three weeks ago, the Grok household received a giant delivery.  A 17.5 cubic foot freezer full of meat to feed a family of 3-4 for a year.

Lamb, chicken, beef, pork, turkey and a variety of wild fish.  All free-range and organically-fed (as much as possible).

A primal dream.

Since that day, I've enjoyed many delicious and satisfying meals.  The leftovers make the next-day lunches a breeze, and what's fabulous is that having a meat locker makes it difficult to deviate from my primal goals.

I highly recommend searching for a local distributor that provides this type of product.  I will, however, admit that it's a little pricey.  The cost of the meat is higher than that which you would get at Costco, yet cheaper than buying the organic and free-range meat from your neighbourhood grocery store.  I make bi-weekly payments, and they threw in the freezer for free.  FREE!  The meat is all flash-frozen and put in substantial vac-packing that keeps the meat for up to a year and a half.

The initial consultation was great.  A very nice gentleman arrived at my house and provided an overview of the family-owned company.  He wasn't pushy and he was up-front about costs and rules, and he didn't give fluffy answers to my questions.  After browsing through a binder full of the different cuts that I could choose from, Grok and I selected what was most to our taste. After the delivery, we had the opportunity to look through the meat and decide if we wanted to make any exchanges within the first six weeks.  It has been a great experience so far.

Out of the many meals I've had, there has only been one that was just average, but I think I screwed up how I cooked it.  The meat theremometre I put in the pork roast was broken, so when I unwrapped the twine the uncooked meat fell to pieces and had to be cooked further.  The presentation was severly off, and the fat distribution wasn't even so it threw of the taste and the texture.  Oops.

Daniel St. Pierre

Every other meal has been great.  Even the beef, which up until now I haven't been able to eat because it hurt my stomach for days.  I'm not saying that the quality of the meat or my primal ways have changed my ailment, but something has happened over the past 5 months that has enabled me to digest beef properly.  I first discovered that I couldn't consume beef after eating a giant burger on a camping trip 6 years ago, and subsequent tests of eating steak proved true. 

Oh, prime rib, how I've missed you.