PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION: Month 1

I want ice cream :p

I want potato chips :p:p

Am going to get a large bowl of fresh blueberries instead

Today is the first day that carb/sugar cravings have hit me really hard since we started this Paleo/Primal path 11 days ago...

I have been fighting this carb/sugar craving urge ALL day.... aaarrrggghh

I went grocery shopping and looked but did not touch... did not buy.... I came home without them....

but it's killing me...

that's all from me for now..... lol

see ya'll for coffee..

P.S. I have stuck to the eating plan 100% today !!!
 
Stacy - great job on the yoga workout !!

Deanna - how are you feeling?

FnV - Have fun at dance class !!! I agree.. the insulin info is what is convincing me.....

I think that my carb/sugar cravings are because I had carbs/sugar at Chrismas dinner and that triggered the cravings. For the week before that, I had had no cravings.... well... a minute or two here or there.. but nothing major.

I need a couple more days of "clean" eating to get rid of these cravings.

But ... once again... I must say... I really do feel better from eating this way. Amazing.....

I believe that the cravings are in my mind... not physical cravings... just left over habits of many decades of carbs and sugar overload... and persistent snacking.

Breakfast
2 scrambled eggs
4 slices of bacon
coffee w/ 1/2 n 1/2

Lunch
6 oz of boiled shrimp
bottled cocktail sauce
sweet potato

mid-afternoon snack
10 whole almonds

Supper
6 oz stir fry beef sauteed in frying pan
large salad - spinach leaves, cukes, tomato, green pepper
Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing out of a bottle

The only "supplements" I am taking are 1 Vitamin C tablet (500) and 1 Vitamin D (1,000)
 
Last edited:
Susan, I commend you on fighting those cravings!! I find that THE most difficult thing to do!!

I started out good with food...scrambled eggs, with turkey sausage and red peppers. Then hubby wanted to try a new deli....and their cheesecake....and their potato chips....and did I mention we still have peanut m&m's from the holidays sitting around :( :( :( I'm not blaming hubby for anything, but it's SO hard to have a skinny husband that can eat whatever he wants! I know he doesnt mean to sabotage things, I really just thinks he forgets b/c he's never had to watch what he eats so he just doesnt think in those terms and he sees me "always" dieting yet eating m&m's I'm afraid he thinks my diet "restarts" are just fads/phases, and unfortunately I have done nothing to prove him wrong. I joined WW a year ago and I weigh the same as I did then and that was my highest weight ever. Reflecting back on this year I do feel like a failure. I've had the goal of losing 10 lbs for the past 10 years now and now I've packed on an additional 10 lbs. I'm just venting b/c I'm feeling down and hopeless right now. My willpower is zilch. Then to top it off my mom sent me our annual family Xmas picture and my face is SO chubby, even more so that last year. I feel like sometimes what's the point. I have these pep talks and then I do well for awhile and then I backslide..have another pep talk etc etc and I've managed to GAIN 10 lbs more. Sigh.

On another note, with regard to my workouts and Turbo Barre and Booty Barre...these are the only workouts that have given my thighs soreness in that inner area right above the knee, if anyone needs work on that area, you may want to consider these two workouts.

Yoga felt nice, I def needed the stretch.

I know I just had my pity party, but I'm not throwing in the towel. Has anyone thought about resolutions for next year? next week??

Mine are general....

1. Primal Blueprint eating 80%
2. More water
3. Stick to a general workout rotation for 6-8 weeks with some sort of actual focus instead of random haphazard workouts.

I'm working the next 7 days in a row including all holiday weekend, which makes it difficult to squeeze in a workout, so my workout rotation wont officially start until Jan. 3rd which is my next day off.

Deanna...feeling any better today?? Hope the old bats at work arent making you feel worse!!

FnV...I dont take any supplments except for an occasional Multivitamin when I remember, which isnt often. My "probiotic" is my yogurt which is lower in sugar than most so I still plan on eating it b/c it helps my IBS. (It's 8 grams of protein and 3 grams of sugar). My family is majorly insulin sensitive and I know I am too, or rather I have the genetic potential to be if I'm not careful. I probably am already to some degree b/c I see the fat really accumulate when I'm eating high carb/high fat junk! My family has alot of diabetics and at least 2 relatives with diabetic related leg amputations so that's a major motivator for me, that and the fact that my stomach/IBS has been a mess the entire holiday week! I dont want to go back to work tomorrow but I do need to get back to some routine, even if it's just me being away from my own kitchen!!

I've rambled enough...see you tomorrow, probably not til after work!
 
Stacy - sending you lots of hugs !!!

I know you are not going to give up. You are too strong and too determined to give up. Sure... you're feeling discouraged right now.. but this time of year is so difficult and I think you've done well with all the family visits and being surrounded by bad food.

I've been saying for the last 5 years that I was going to lose my excess 30 lbs and in that 5 years, the excess 30 has become an excess 45 lbs. So I know exactly how you feel.

But now that I've found Cathe and a healthy way of eating... it's time to get serious. And that's what it takes... serious dedication to doing it right... not every minute, but overall. We are.. the Progress, not Perfection Team!!!

I'm certainly not a doctor, but I think it's worth trying giving up all wheat and preferably all grains and all processed foods for 30 days and see how your IBS is after that....

I see a big difference in how I feel from eliminating 99% of processed food and all wheat and grains. I'm using bottled salad dressings and Hellman's mayo and bottled seafood cocktail sauce for my boiled shrimp.. but those are the only processed foods that I'm eating.

And I am going to be dedicated to sticking to my workout program...

Will I do it perfectly... food and workout... every day? Of course not.... Life gets in the way. But I'm going to do my best to do it as well as possible.

We CAN do this !!!!!!!!!!!!

We REALLY CAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm heading to the gym early this morning for treadmill... then home to do one of the Lower Body premixes.....

later.....
 
Hi girlies~

Reading PB is really inspiring me to stick with a high veg fruit and no grain/sugar lifestyle. The blood chemistry chapter is pretty compelling.

Susan, I also commend you for both sharing your urges and also for being able to resist. I agree, the Christmas eating was a set back in craving control.

Chilly here this morn, about 55, I have sliders open and it is 75 and dropping in my living room which will prob feel nice for workout, but for now I have a jacket on! My AC started leaking over Dad's visit, darn it.

I think I'm going to try out the barre workout. I have the STS rack. Stacy, do you use a high back chair or do you also have a rack for your barre?

Deanna, can you start walking at work again or are you still too stuffy?

I will take dance again tonight since I am still off work. OMG, last night some guy randomly dropped in and took class. While I don't usually comment about other's technique, especially in beginner classes (its all good, we are having fun and enjoying the music the moves and the process)- this guy was a hoot. He was in an intermediate class and but had never done any bellydance classes before. He was leaping all over the room and after each song yelled WOW! He even did this funky hand stand hip hop move after about the 3rd song. It was crazy.

PS, hey Susan how did your doc visit go a few weeks ago? How was your blood work?
 
Last edited:
Morning :)

Just wanted to pop in to let everyone know I am still fighting this horrible cold. When I feel congestion relief I will start exercising again. :)

I am wondering if by me exercising in my cold garage could have something to do with my illness?

Okay time to get out of here. Make it a great day.
Deanna :)
 
Last edited:
I completed Turbo Barre Lower Body PM- not too bad. Some parts I didn't feel like I did very effectively but overall a good workout, different. I could feel the parts on my thigh that Stacy mentioned.

I stir fried broccoli and assorted peppers in coconut oil and had those w/ 2 scrambled eggs for breakie.

Have headache, blah.

TCB...taking care of business

Edited to add headache gone, lunch was ground turkey seasoned for tacos and the last of the sweet potato casserole and just now a hearty high nutrient dense salad w/ some leftover bites of cheese (indulgence) and chicken breast topped w/ one of my Annie's dressings.

As I do household biz, I am thinking about the negative financial repercussions if you are not fit and healthy (insurances, employment and more).
 
Last edited:
Hi all...got out of work on time for a change!

Deanna...colds are so annoying!! Frustrating to have those setbacks for sure!

Susan...thanks for the cyber hugs!

FnV...I use a kitchen chair for Turbo Barre, I felt like my technique was better the second time. I think the Booty Barre (hate that title) actually burned my legs more than Cathe's barre workout, but each had slightly different exercises for both upper and lower body.

I did okay with eating until I got home...

B--coffee
L--20 almonds, low carb yogurt, a few carrot, red pepper and celery sticks

Got home at 4pm starving so ate 4 peanut m&m's and then a healthy serving of leftover cheesy potatoes from the holidays....good but not PB friendly. My hubby ate a late lunch and wasnt ready for dinner and I have no food in the house except non-PB high carb stuff. I really need to find some quick, healthy, yet filling foods to have around for just these moments!! Any suggestions??

I've got some projects to do for work tonight and also need some diet friendly dinner later when I'm hungry again, ugh!

Check back later! Planned rest day today.
 
Susan, how goes?

Stacy, for me, cold meat is good to have on hand- leftover chicken breast or salmon or something.

Deanna, how's the cold coming along? My dd has one, too. I have to babysit in her place today b/c she has fever and sore throat. I'm thinking of riding my bike there and back, it is about 5 miles or so but a lot of intersections to cross.

I did dance last night again. Guy showed up again but turns out he is stalking my teacher thru her dating profile on website rather than interested in bd. lol, its tough out here for us singles looking for love ha ha.

I think circuit workout this morn of some type. I am really having to rethink my workouts as well as food with this PB. He says that long hard cardio is counter productive so maybe circuits can fulfill my cardio needs better than before since I am more open to a lower cardio intensity.

Two PB suggestions I am considering today- choose 5 PB friendly meals and just alternate them for 2 weeks and to use a tracking site like Susan had provided before to count carbs (not really a PB suggestion but might help me see what I am really doing) I registered at one, but the lack of privacy online these days is getting creepier by the minute. I go to register and it tries to autofill with all my FB info and profile pic? wth?

PS Stacy, how does one eat a mere 4 peanut mms? ::shakes head in wonderment::
 
Last edited:
Quick drive-by......

ADT is here installing my security system.... I'll be glad when they are finished... but will probably take most of the day....

I did the last STS Total Body premix yesterday.. (I think it's called Single Sets) it was terrific !!!

It's one set of each exercise.... about 45 minutes and that includes abs and stretching... I loved it !!!

Eating was good yesterday, until dinner... then I somewhat fell apart.. but not totally. Today will be a challenge with ADT here... I'm guessing they will leave for a lunch break and then I can eat while they are gone... lol

No gym this morning because they arrived at 8:00. Maybe I can get to the gym after they leave... today is cardio day on my schedule.. but I ain't jumping around the living room with an audience.. lol

more later.....
 
ADT is gone... yea !! They did a great job and were very nice, but I'm glad they are finished..

FnV - My visit with the doc for my annual physical went very well. He proclaimed me to be in superb health... except for those pesky extra pounds I'm carrying around. Cholesterol levels are still a little high, but not bad enough for him to want me to be on statins (which he knows I won't take no matter what.. lol). So.. he said... work on getting the weight down and all is good !!

Deanna - how's the cold? There is no way that working out in your cold garage brought this on or even made it worse. The only thing that causes a cold is a virus which you picked up somewhere. Maybe work? Maybe the supermarket? Could have been anywhere. I hope you are feeling better !!

Stacy - Are you eating enough food? I worry about you... saying you only had coffee for breakfast.. and some almonds and yogurt for lunch.... geeze.. that's not enough to eat... Are you eating a miniumum of 1200 calories a day? I know you usually eat supper, but still....

Turbo Barre - I need to try that one. It looks like a lot of fun. I'll have to use a chair.

Has anyone tried the Slide n Glide one? That also looks like a ton of fun.

Okay... an awful day for me on the "plan." No workout... lousy food....
This will go down as one of those "not perfection" days for me :p

But.. back on track tomorrow for sure..

See y'all for coffee in the morning !!!

ETA: I didn't weigh myself this morning.. was running around trying to get organzied for ADT's arrival at 8:00 a.m.
I'll weigh in tomorrow morning !!!
 
ooops.. almost forgot...

FnV - what brand of coconut oil do you use? I'd like to try some, but I don't like the taste of coconut so I was hoping for a mild one.

My supermarket only carries a brand called Spectrum.. but there is a Whole Foods nearby so I'm sure they have other choices...
 
Hey there,
I ended up doing the first 60 min of Low Max this morning (I was gonna tag you on FB deanna) and then Abs from Cardio and Wts. I haven't tried slide and gide yet.


I didn't enjoy babysitting very much, too much chaos and boy energy ...

Coconut oil- mine is "Jarrow Formulas organic, ideal for cooking, neutral taste neutral flavor". I prob picked it up at whole foods/whole paycheck on sale. I actually like the taste of coconut and bought it to make popcorn with a faintly coconutty flavor, but this imparted no coconut flavor at all, I almost threw it out. But since PB, have renewed interest in using it. I keep it on counter tho b/c if you keep it in fridge, it just gets way too hard. Spectrum makes a lot of oils, it would be a good brand but I can't tell you if it would have strong flavor or not. "Coconut Oil Extra Virgin" - Swanson Health Products I use swansonvitamins a lot, including their brand. I have fish oil and probiotics in my cart now. ps the one I have is on sale at swanson for around 8 bucks.

Congrats on ADT, sleep safe and confidently.

My food has been pretty good- carbs at 71. I needed way more veggies today, but since I got way laid with babysitting, I did OK.

Starting from what is sitting in front of me and working back
Merlot
Almonds
FF greek yogurt, blackberries, swirl of agave
sausage stolen from the kids
3 hb eggs(babysitting food)
protein shakes made w/ unsweetened almond milk
1 banana

Hope all are well, coffee manana
 
Good morning, work is back in full swing unfortunately so I was just too darn tired and stressed out to even post last night. Needless to say, no workout either and diet sucked. I'm working the next 4 days and I'm pretty bummed about it, it's going to be super busy and super annoying :(

I have PB on the Kindle but havent read it yet. I'm not in a good place mentally right now, really down on myself about many things, hoping "this too shall pass" and I'll be gung ho again, would love to quit my job, but kinda need the money. Everything just seems so overwhelming right now :(

As always, everyone here is keeping me hangin' in there, so thanks!! This forum helps keep me grounded and focused with no pressures, very much appreciated!

Well off to work, I"ll pop in when I can this weekend!

P.S. What's the though process behind the coconut oil, and do you use it just like you'd use olive oil? Can you use it for baking??
 
Good morning my friends !!!

FnV - thanks for the Swanson link... I'll try to run over to Whole Foods this afternoon and see if they have the Jarrows and see what their price is. I'm sure the price at the Swanson's website is cheaper.. but ya never know .. lol

Great job on the carbs at 71. I've been going way over on carbs the last few days... not from veggies, which I'm still not eating enough of, but from potatoes... my "go to" when carb cravings hit.... One day recently I had a sweet potato with my protein for lunch, then home fries with my protein at dinner and that pushed my carb grams way too high. One of the books/websites says that for weight loss one should keep total carb grams between 50 and 100 and those should come from .. primarily veggies and secondarily fruit, so I need to be real careful about not going overboard on the potatoes. A small sweet potato is perfect... but I didn't need the home fries :p

Stacy - you will get through this rough patch. We believe in you !!! This is such a difficult time of year and your work schedule makes it even more difficult. So just coast until you get to a clear patch and then you'll be fine.

As to the coconut oil..... it's a "good" fat.. along with Extra Virgin Olive oil and avocados and, in moderation, nuts.

What I've read is that olive oil doesn't do great at high heat but coconut oil does. So.. they recommend using coconut oil for cooking and use extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings, etc. Olive oil is fine for low to medium heat cooking, but I guess it breaks downs some at high heat.... I've never had a problem cooking on high heat with olive oil, but I'm willing to give the coconut oil a try. What is surprising.. is that coconut oil is solid in the jar and it doesn't need to be refrigerated and yet.. it isn't a trans fat.... "they" always say that you shouldn't use fats that are solid.. but coconut oil is the one exception....

I'm not sure about using coconut oil for baking. Perhaps FnV knows ????

Stacy - I was thinking about you last night {{{{{{{{ Stacy }}}}}}} and had an idea :p hey... I'm Grandma... lol.

How about focusing on one thing.. just one. Having protein 3 times a day... a couple of hard boiled eggs.... a can of tuna.... a cold chicken breast from the day before.... some cold leftover beef.... anything.... just concentrate on protein for breakfast, lunch and supper....

Just a thought... not pressure.... not an order... just a thought... take it or leave it as you choose.

We know you'll get through this rough patch. Take a deep breath.. let it ALL out and coast ......

Deanna - how's the cold????? You probably got it from one of the heifers.. lol

Has anyone done Pyramid Lower Body? I previewed all of Pyramid last night... I'm trying to decide which total body workout to do for tomorrow... and I've done Pyramid Upper Body once and really liked it... but watching Lower Body last night it looked very frustrating... in that you have to change the weight on the barbell every 10 seconds... I suppose one could use dumbbells instead.....

I may try Supersets.. haven't done that one yet....

okay.... I'm off to the gym for the treadmill that I didn't do yesterday !!!! And.. I'm going to try to stick to play today for food.......

Progress, not Perfection !!!
 
Last edited:
RE veggies...For me, the one working truth that seems to keep bubbling up, no matter what the diet philosophy (weight watchers, low cal, low fat, primal, paleo etc) is heavy front loading with non starchy veggies is the key to making it work. When I lost weight with WW it was because I was eating 7-8 servings of veggies a day. Lost weight and got super fit w/ Cathe starting with WW and ending up mostly vegan- heavy veg intake. The bottom biggest line on the PB food pyramid (page??) is veggies (not meat!).

DD was baking cookies last night when I got home, so add 3 cookies to my food list and carb list- dang it.

Re coconut oil, IDK about baking, but I would imagine yes, but I'd google it first. Also agree, it is good for high heat. What do you bake that isn't grain/carb fest anyway?

I am willing to let go of my previous concepts regarding fats, just like I am doing so regarding grains.

I've never done SS or PLB so no feedback there. Not sure what my w/o will be today.

I like the protein idea from Susan for Stacy. Or here's a PB tweak I just read- eat a very heavy protein breakie and maybe fast during the day til dinner and then have another protein meal lined up. PB is a proponent of variety and occasional periods fasting.

Deanna, I hope you are working on getting your workout groove back. That cold has to be on its way out by now!

Sending you all hugs today~
 
Hey Ladies :)

I am still sick, it has been one week. There are several people at work who are also sick. I have been drinking cough syrup like water. I really do not want to go to the doctor, but if I do not stop coughing by the end of next week I will have to go.

Deanna
 
Deanna - I KNEW it was the heifers.... lol. Seriously though.... I know what you'd be telling me... drink lots and lots and lots of water !!!!! I know you probably are already, but just thought I'd reinforce it for ya. :D

FnV - thanks for the link to Mark's post. He makes some excellent points. And I loved his gym and farmer's market visuals.... so very very true at my gym starting Jan 1st.

re: veggies.... FnV you are absolutely correct. Every diet in the world agrees.... eat lots and lots and lots of veggies. They can disagree on everything else, but that is the one constant.

My new solution for veggies: I have filled my freezer with boxes and bags of frozen Birds Eye veggies. I'm going to have one box or one large serving from a bag of one veggie for lunch and one veggie for supper.

A Birds Eye box is 3 servings. The bags have 4 or 5 servings.

So one box at one meal and then one box or half a bag at the other meal will give me about 6 servings of veggies per day. And... I'm going to try not to repeat a particular veggie for 3 or 4 days so that I get a good variety.

Frozen veggies are great for several reasons:

1) They are easy... just cook in the microwave.
2) They are picked at the height of freshness.
3) They don't spoil... they can stay in the freezer for months.
4) It takes no thought.. just grab a box and nuke it.
5) Easy prep.. no cutting, chopping or other fussing.


I think I've said this before, but I'll repeat it anyway. :p

I buy Birds Eye frozen veggies because they have a wide choice of plain veggies (no sauce).. that also have zero sodium.

I used to buy both Birds Eye and Green Giant, but then I started reading the labels. And almost all of the Green Giant frozen veggies are loaded with sodium, so I stopped buying them.

There are some Birds Eye's that do have sodium, so it's important to read the labels.

okay..

Did 3 miles on the treadmill at a nice cruising walking pace.

Breakfast
1/2 cup FF Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
7 whole almonds
coffee with real 1/2 and 1/2

Lunch
2 scrambled eggs with 1 TB 1/2 and 1/2 mixed in for good consistency
3 slices bacon
1 whole pkg Birds Eye frozen artichoke hearts
1 teaspoon olive oil butter
some juice from a fresh lemon

Plan for supper
4 oz London Broil - plain (I bought a lg London Broil and cut it up and froze 4 oz pieces)
1 box of some Birds Eye veggie - TBD
and maybe some more blueberries for dessert or a whole orange which I need to eat up
 
Quick "drive by" post...

I like the idea of concentrating on one thing, unfortunately it's even more simplistic...it's having time to actually EAT at work! With my IBS I really cant eat breakfast, I often have to work thru lunch, today my lunch "hour" was about 1 minute long, so I scarfed down half a cup of yogurt and ate 2 baby carrots! Then I'm ravenous when I get home and eat junk or too tired to cook or come up with some meal idea so I eat fast food. I really dont know how to get out of the rut b/c the IBS isnt going to change, and I dont have much control over my lunch hour or lack thereof. I certainly have control over what I eat for dinner, so will have to put my concentration there I guess.

Susan...I've done PLB once and it was annoying to change the barbell honestly. I really havent done it in ages b/c of that reason.

FnV....I dont bake anything but desserts on occasion for other functions, was just a curiosity question.

Deanna...sounds like you need a doctor's visit soon!!

Nice tip on the Bird's Eye veggies...gotta check it out whenever I'm at the store next!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top