10/19/2011
What a summer it's been! So glad it's over. I don't sleep well when it's warm, which leads me to overeating to keep my energy levels up, but not enough energy to exercise regularly. I've been very intermittent with the whole plan in general. But this last week, I'm back on track and moving in the right direction, yet again.
I'm am nothing if not inconsistent.
Whole30 is introducing a new plan on Sunday, and it is my intent to start, again, to a 100% commitment to a 30-day purely Paleo food plan. By then, all the dairy, grains and legumes will be out of my reach at home. (I've been falling into the cheese and half-n-half lately.) I'm very committed because I have an appointment with my doctor on Dec 2 for my annual physical. I'd like to have dropped another 20 lbs. by then. With no grains, legumes, dairy or sugar in my system, my tests will let me know exactly what state of health I'm in. I'd love to hear her say my A1c is below 6, my blood-pressure us exactly normal and my good cholesterol is well over 50.
I'm cooking purely Paleo for my boys too. If they want something else, they have to go buy it and eat it somewhere else.
8/28/2011
If you are hearing the sound of brakes squealing right now, it's the sound of my weight loss coming to a screeching halt. Thanks to Shark Week...what I'm calling my period lately. Crabby, bloaty all over and cramps. Ugh! Didn't feel like eating all morning, but this evening I caved for two slices of vegetable pizza on thin crust (at least I made a wiser choice). But still, that's what I chose for my last meal before going completely Paleo? Ick! Oh, forgot to mention the hot wings too!
So I'm all set. Got my veggies in from the CSA. Got my Paleo meat choices in the fridge and freezer (bison, salmon and sole, organic pastured chicken breasts and eggs). Got a big box of coconut milk and coconut cream. Even got a new sexy juicer because I plan to include juices as well for part of my meals. I'm officially off coffee and mostly off alcohol. Saving it for special occasions.
Tomorrow I'm going to take all my measurements, and my pictures. But not posting it all till later. By monthly progress. Neat trick having the start of the plan coincide with my bloatiest day of the month. Can't go anywhere but in the right direction from here!
8/25/2011
Just reporting the magical macro-nutrient numbers that seem to be working for me with the continued weight loss:
70 to 100 gm of protein. I'm sourcing this from organic or wild-caught meat and fish plus pastured eggs.
130 to 150 gm total carbohydrates, which includes a range of 50 - 70 gm of fiber. 50 gm of fiber seems to be the minimum required. When I eat less, I don't lose weight. Sourced from organic fruits and vegetables, Julian Bakery Smart Carb Bread (that's the only bread I'll eat, two slices a day)
Up to 120 gm fats, sourced from vegetable oils, rendered fats from grass fed organic sources, avocados (one whole everyday), nuts and seeds
Known issues with increased fiber: Outrageous fartiness! OMG!! But I'm totally not constipated any more. Been keeping up with drinking water and things are moving along nicely!
8/22/2011
I am down another few pounds with the new eating plan. This is odd, since I've been eating my current BMR of 2100. I'm certainly happy with eating more food, and I don't mind the added carbohydrates with all the fiber. I'm not having a problem getting enough fiber as long as I include the bread previously mentioned. I ordered a package of chia seeds, so maybe I'll be able to replace the bread with that, but I'm not really sure how I'm going to use them.
I just had a delicious afternoon snack. A package of crimini mushrooms, sauteed in duck fat, then the pan was deglazed with Van Ruiten Cargnane. I finished the dish with a 1/4 cup of labneh, which is strained yogurt cheese. Oh my lord! I know the labneh isn't strictly Paleo, but it's so creamy and less fatty than the sour cream.
Tonight I'm going to have a big bowl of roasted beets and some leg of lamb. Don't call me in the morning, I'm going to be in the bathroom!
8/21/2011
I had been struggling through the summer, distracted from remaining faithful to the eating plan and regular exercise by summer holiday travel, social life, family issues and general stress. I slowly regained seven pounds, then lost, only to regain again. I needed a new thing to focus on in order to get back on track with my goals.
So why not go back to the old thing? It was working, the Intermittent Fasting. I had lost just over 20 lbs. with it. But I struggled so with cutting calories, and my natural tendency to tweak the hell out of something (that's called ADD) just got me more frustrated, emotional over it, and subsequently, toward the end of every day, extra eating before bed. NOT HELPFUL!
I decided to attempt the Ramadan-style fast. It was actually Ramadan, and while I'm not Muslim, I'm very familiar with it. I thought I could get to the root of some of my spiritual woes and lose a few more pounds that way. But I forgot that when I fast like that, I just get mad all the time! Plus, I'm not a disciplined morning person, so getting up in the wee hours of the morning to eat a small breakfast didn't work. It just got me ravenous earlier in the day! And by the time the sun went down, failure to comply! (I suppose I would have made a really crappy Muslim.)
So, with frustrations mounting over how the summer was not working out, I started seeking answers, again. (That's like my favorite thing to do!) I have learned, finally, that I should pay attention to who I am and if I plan according to that, the I am more likely to follow the plan. Back to the Intermittent Fasting! But I have been reading/hearing how eating protein and fat first thing in the morning helps set up the hormones to burn fat. I have kinda missed eating breakfast, especially with my boys, since starting the IF, so it doesn't take much to convince me to go back to it. But I was also worried that eating breakfast was going to wake up my appetite again and I'd be spending the day eating.
So then I found the video on YouTube about the evils of sugar. From watching that, I took away that all forms of sugar are out for me, but I could eat fruit or even a little grain if there were a lot (and I mean A LOT) of fiber with it. And to stop worrying about my fat intake. (I had started to cut fats and my carb cravings went through the roof last week.) So I sort of ran with that this week. For breakfast, I had at least 35 g of protein, 50 g fat, 35 g of carbohydrate and 25 g of fiber. And this breakfast kept me satisfied till dinner! Protein sources include pastured eggs, uncured bacon, uncured bulk sausage (homemade). Carbohydrates were always the same: 2 slices Julian Bakery Sourdough Bread and a whole avocado. Fat sources: the avocado, and I'd cook the eggs in whatever fat rendered from the bacon or sausage, or I'd use rendered duck fat. Later in the day, dinner was always full of non-starchy vegetables and lean meats, cooked with olive oil. I with the exception of a little half-n-half in my single cup of coffee for breakfast, no other dairy. And I still would get the munchies within an hour of that, so sometimes I ate a lot of popcorn with butter, or some fruit.
At the end of the day, I had eaten about 2200 calories, about 100 g of protein, 130 g of fat, 150 g carbohydrates (50g+ of which were fiber). And I lost weight. I've been doing that for less than a week now, and I dropped 4.5 lbs. I hadn't cut carbs drastically (in fact, I had increased them by a little, but mostly that was fiber). And protein and fats went up. Overall, calories up too. So, I don't know why this works, for now. But I'm very happy to eat this way for a while.
But now I come to the Whole30 thing. By going Whole30 (which is completely Paleolithic, no processed foods, no grains or legumes, no dairy), I'm hoping to eliminate some important foods that may be contributing to the very slow weight loss I've been experiencing for the last few years. My goal is to be on the Whole30 for at least six weeks, to lose another 20 lbs and then go in to my doctor for my annual physical. I want the type 2 diabetes indicators to be GONE! And never return again!
So, what is this Whole30? It's a dedicated Paleolithic food plan. And I plan to write about it in this space, separate from the main blog. I plan to start on September 4 and go till October 15. I won't weigh or measure myself till the end. What I hope to accomplish...the weight loss and drop of the A1c numbers, lower triglycerides, increase in HDL, decrease in LDL. I'm going to eat breakfast and dinner, like I've been doing this week, but eliminate the bread and replace the half-n-half with coconut milk.
According to the Whole30 plan, alcohol is not allowed. Hmmmmm. I only drink a glass (or three) of wine when I'm with some very special friends, or it's been a very, VERY trying day with The Mother. That last one usually requires stronger stuff, like a nice Dirty Martini with extra queen olives. I can figure out what to do when I come to those events.
Other potential stumbling blocks: Family barbecue on Labor Day weekend, St. Basil's Greek Orthodox Church Greek Food Festival, a party I'm hosting at my house for a fun group of ladies that I appreciate so, and a short getaway to LA with one of my sons (we're going to rent an apartment in Hermosa Beach to play in the sand and do NOTHING!) Planning ahead will be important. Like for the family barbecue, grilled meats and veggies plus salads - easy! Unless The Mother starts making the party about her invented dramas. If that happens, the rebel in me will want to just pull out the tequila and chug it in her face! For the festival, I can have all the souvlaki or grilled chicken and salad I want. I really don't feel a craving for the pastries and sweets. But the Ouzo...there may be a problem there. For my party, I'll make sure there's lots of food for me to choose from and I'll leave the starchy carbs for them. Again, wine issues. And finally, the getaway should be easy. It's why I'm renting the holiday apartment, so we have control over our food. There's a fabulous Whole Foods nearby and I plan to raid it! But while I'm in Southern CA, I will be spending time with my dearest friend. Her husband does like to drink wine with me. Maybe I'll just sip on a small glass in the evenings with him.
So, until September 4, I'm going to finish up the rest of my Julian Bakery Amazing Sourdough bread, and then I'm going to search my refrigerator/freezer and panty for things my kids aren't eating that I won't be eating any longer either and I'll toss them out. Everything else will be spot on for the Whole30 plan. And speaking of the kids, my sons will slowly become even more Paleo-like, unbeknownst to them! Don't tell!
