PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION: Month 1

Good morning !!

Stacy - just keep putting one foot in front of the other and have an enjoyable Christmas with family. Don't beat yourself up about anything !!! Next week we'll all get back to a "normal" life... lol

FnV - Muscle Max works for me !!! You know I love that one. So... I'll do the Back chapter today.... I may or may not go to the gym this morning for treadmill.... probably yes.....

As to sweet potatoes - yes on both Primal and Paleo... although both say to not overdo.... because..
Primal recommends 50 - 100 grams of carbs if one wants to lose weight and sweet potatoes.. while extremely nutritious... have a lot of carb grams. Most carb grams should come from non-tuber veggies.... but I'm doing a sweet potato every other day for the Vitamin A..... and the texture....

that's what I miss from eating this way....

the texture of bread, rice and pasta. Potatoes come closest to that and satisfy my carb cravings when they hit. I just need to find a balance.... so.. for now... every other day...

I'm leaning towards FF Greek yogurt and regular half n half vs FF.... Only because I read the ingredients and the FF half n half has high fructose corn syrup in it which is a big no-no on both Primal and Paleo. The FF Greek yogurt doesn't have any added sugar.. just naturally occurring sugar in the dairy.

One big plus from eating this way... I have had outbreaks of eczema all my life.. since I was a baby. It comes and goes. Well.. had an outbreak on my arms and legs over the past couple of weeks... worse than it's been in years.

After 6 days of Primal/Paleo, it is all gone. Completely. Nice !!

ADT worked out well. I'm signed up... now just need to get it installed... not sure when that will be.

okay.. think I'm heading to the gym

bbl...

Make it a great TGIF !!!

Progress, not perfection.....
 
Last edited:
Faithnveggies said:
"A Typical Conversation With My Mom" Tales Of Mere Existence - YouTube

Tell me how you enjoy the tuna. I ate a can the other day by just pouring lemon juice on it. I just needed the protein/meat thing before I ran out the door. Yours sounds better!
Click to expand...

"A Typical Conversation With My Mom" was hilarious !!! Thanks for the link. I'll watch his other ones....

The tuna, avocado, lemon juice combo was okay... not great... not something I'd go to as my first choice. Obviously, the mashed avocado is to take the place of mayo.... but I think I'll stick with mayo. I LOVE avocados.. but not necessarily mashed up with tuna... lol

I'm going to just mix up my normal tuna salad and eat it out of a bowl without the bread....

can of tuna, mashed with fork
a couple of chopped up scallions
some chopped green pepper
a spoonful of sweet relish from a jar
a teaspoon of mayo

The sweet relish gives it a nice kick. But I'll have to read the ingredients.. it probably has something bad in it... lol
 
msdeedee3 said:
Morning, I am not feeling to good this morning. I was up coughing again all night. TGIF and I only work from 7am to noon today. On my way home I am going to stop and get me some Alka-Selzer Plus Day and Night. I am going to doctor on myself this Holiday weeked so whatever I have does not turn into the Flu.

Have a good day Ladies
Deanna
Click to expand...

oh dear ...... take care of yourself Deanna.....

sending lots of hugs your way !!!!!
 
Dang, Deanna, I am sorry you are getting sick right before your 4 day weekend. Ugh! Healing vibes coming your way~~~

Stacy, I hope we can all at least maintain for the next few days. I wish I had a few more days of "food sobriety" under my belt heading into family visit, etc. Oh well, it will be whatever it is going to be and of course it will all work out. It sounds like you are looking forward to some down time and some workout time!

Susan, I was reading the Primal boards this morn--hmmmm. I am back to questioning Ornish vs Primal, etc. I am still moving forward, but keeping an open mind and feeling receptive to whatever makes me feel good and healthy.

I am cooking for family this xmas so I need to do some food shopping, too. I was looking at Gina's site for some veggie casserole type recipes.
So Far---
Menu (derived from individual requests and popular demand)
spiral ham, turkey breasts
white mashed potatoes
rolls
pies(mom making them)

I want to add something green and sweet potatoes. I am thinking a cheesy spinach casserole and baked sweet potatoes or a sweet potatoe casserole, both from Gina's skinny, but not sure if I should try 2 new dishes on holiday, etc. Just having everyone over will be new to me.
Opinions? (Just trying to decrease/minimize full onslaught of butter and carbs and sugar, not avoid it on this day)

BBL with workout checkin (back from MM, right Susan? : ) )
 
2 more thoughts

Susan, do you think that when you count carbs in Primal, they include fruit and veggie carbs? If so, that would be really tedious to figure out how many carbs are in any given pile of veggies/salad etc, wouldn't it?

Deanna, a few days ago, did you ask if MM or ME was like High Reps? I've been meaning to check it out, but now I can't remember the workouts. Bottom line, all of those workout are sorta new to me and I am not sure. But, if you want to do one body part a day w/ me and Susan, just pick one of your dvds and go to that chapter in the workout.

OK, headed to workout, must get STUFF DONE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P785j15Tzk0 (my other fave from him)

Completed Back from MM (those pullovers were hard, I had trouble completing with the weight I had on my bar) but I did some pull up thingys on my STS rack. Also did LIS.
 
Last edited:
midday check in...

I did treadmill at the gym... going to do Muscle Max "back" chapter after lunch.

FnV - Your Christmas menu sounds yummy to me. I'd do either a cheesy spinach or a cheesy broccoli/cauliflower thingie (sorry, I don't have a recipe) and then just baked sweet potatoes (far easier than a sweet potato casserole if you want to cut down on the hassle factor.) Although... sweet potato casserole is delicious and you can make it ahead of time and just cook/heat in over before serving...

As far as our eating plan experiment :)

I'm on the fence... but here's what I know- for me only.. no one else :)....

1) It is exceptionally important to eat whole natural foods and ditch 90% of processed foods. I think that is THE most important finding.

2) It is very very very important to have healthy lean protein at every meal and lots of veggies at every meal.. and healthy oils and, in moderation, fruit and nuts.

3) I'm still concerned about consuming too much fat, so I think one needs to be mindful of that. Some fat is good... as in beef, chicken, pork, etc. We need that for healthy bodies.. just as we need protein (to build strong muscles and for hair and skin cells, etc.) and we need vitamins from veggies and fruits. The key is balance.

4) But, I have found that it is fat that makes one feel full and, therefore, prevents snacking all day long.

5) Wheat and sugar are addictive... I crave them. and they make me tired.
I was eating far far far too much wheat and sugar.

6) After 6 days of this.... I can sincerely say that .... I feel much better not eating wheat and sugar.

7) I'm not convinced that one has to or should eliminate all grains. The arguments in Primal and Paleo sound convincing .. but are they correct?

8) I'm not sure... as a matter of fact, I'm pretty darn sure... that I can not eat this way for the rest of my life. If I had been diagnosed with celiac disease, then yes.. for sure... I would give up gluten permanently. I'd have to and I would.

#6 clearly contradicts #7 and # 8....

hence my dilemma

I'm going to stay on the Paleo/Primal plan for 4 weeks.. today being the end of week #1 and see what happens.

Then I'm going to try re-introducing some healthy bread.. that I'll make in my bread machine so that it is as unprocessed as possible. And add a little brown rice back in and some beans and do that for 4 weeks and see what happens... i.e. bread, rice and beans in moderation.

This is an experiment in progress.

I wish Cathe would post about how her experiment with Paleo is going and what her tweaks are......

back later...
 
Last edited:
As to counting carbs.... yes.. all carbs... most will come from fruits and veggies... unless you do eat some grains...

"they" say that you don't need to count once you understand the ballpark carbs in foods you eat regularly.

There are several websites where you can search for nutritional info on all foods and that's what I've been using...

Here's one.... The Calorie Counter

after you fill in the boxes and hit Search.. scroll down.. the results will be there.

for instance.. a medium sweet potato has 23 carbs

non-tuber veggies have about 7 or 8 per serving... for instance, a cup of cooked broccoli has 8 carb grams..

so.. one starchy veggie like a sweet potato will give you about 25 carb grams... then one or 2 veggies per meal, plus one average size salad and you are right where you want to be...


so no real need to count....

okay.. off to pay bills and other "stuff" ... lol
 
Last edited:
Quick check-in...

I did the "back" chapter from Muscle Max... felt great..

What's for tomorrow FnV? You're the coach !!!

off to forage for supper :p

so far today:

Breakfast:

coffee
1 cup FF Greek yogurt
7 whole almonds
banana

Lunch:

4 oz London Broil - plain
1 single serving Birds Eye frozen baby brussels sprouts
1 tsp olive oil butter

for supper... I'm thinking.....
scrambled eggs and 2 veggies
or
scrambled eggs and a large salad..

see y'all for coffee in the morning

Deanna - I hope you are all snuggled in your bed taking care of your cold.
 
Just popping in to say "hi" and looking forward to the weekend!!

Deanna....I hope you're feeling better!!

Susan, FnV...still love reading your food musings!!

I've got gift wrapping to do tonight...so off to go do that!

Susan, I did want to pass along this tuna recipe that I love....it's for a tuna melt but I dont do the "melt" part though I do serve this sometimes on tomato slices...I'm not sure where it falls exactly with the Primal/Paleo thing but it's a good recipe as far as taste goes. (Quick tip, they sell a bag of already shredded carrots at our local grocery store so that makes it easy to toss it in! I also use a little celery salt instead of regular salt)

The Skinny Tuna Melt | Skinnytaste
 
Hey Ladies,

Deanna, are you feeling better or worse this eve?

Susan, I would have said legs, since that is the next chaper on the dvd, but my dad is here and for some reason I'm gonna feel weird(er) doing lower body so lets skip ahead to shoulders, k? I'm tracking on your thoughts around paleo/primal, I am gonna keep reading and will have more to share next week after xmas.

breakie a banana protein smoothie (only carbs are from the banana) and my workouts.

lunch leftover 1/2 chicken breast and way leftover white potato for lunch (had to eat it or throw it away)

5 pm handful of nuts and ff greek yogurt with extremely very completely thoroughly rinsed berries

....and pizza. : ( I forgot I needed to prepare food for others, I don't usually prepare meals, so once I ate yogurt I thought I was done. Doh!

clearly not pure primal today.

Have a good one yall, I am calling it a night.
 
Good morning my friends !!!

Stacy - Thanks for the Tuna Melt recipe... looks delicious.. I love Tuna Melt... I'll give it a try... It's Primal/Paleo friendly except for the bread... I'll try making the tomato slice the "base" instead of bread !!!

FnV - Shoulders it is today !! I understand about exercising in front of anyone ... lol

Deanna - hope you are getting lots of rest and are feeling better !!!

I'm taking a break on reading about Paleo/Primal/Wheat Belly. My head is spinning... lol

Still following my eating plan... just not reading about it for several days.. let my head clear.

Heading to the gym for one last treadmill before a big Christmas dinner tomorrow....

more later..

Progress, not Perfection..... even more true this weekend than usual :p
 
Not to make your head spin anymore...but what's the difference btwn the Primal Blueprint book and the 21 Day Version??

Susan...I think you'll like that tuna recipe, I've made it many times!

FnV....good job for exercising in front of family! I've done it for so long now my family doesnt even notice. Of course....lately I havent exercised at all!!

Deanna...hope you're sipping some nice herbal tea with your Alka Selzer and feeling better!

I've got my workout clock set to 10:30am, then it's down to my basement workout room to do something!!!!!

I'll report back later!
 
Still here....:D A friend stopped by unexpectedly, so haven't gotten to the gym yet...

Stacy - I haven't looked at Primal Blueprint, but from what I understand, Primal Blueprint is the whole hypothesis behind the plan... in great detail.. and the 21 day transformation is the Cliff Notes version ... plus.... an actual step-by-step 21 day plan to get started.

I haven't read the 21-day book yet.. have just skimmed it... because I decided to read Wheat Belly first.

FnV is reading Primal Blueprint.. is that right FnV? or are you reading the Primal 21-Day?

now... with Wheat Belly - the first 2/3 rds of the book contains all the reasons behind doing this kind of eating plan... the last 1/3 rd of the book is how to do it. So.. since it's basically the same as Primal and Paleo, I skipped to the last 1/3rd of the book... lol

From what I'm reading.... I'm thinking that Wheat Belly is the way to go. It's a tweak of the other two, but I tweak that makes more sense to me.

Don't start yet, Stacy... this may change... but after I read the whole Wheat Belly book, I might recommend that you read that one. He talks a bit about IBS and how he has had patients get rid of their IBS by eliminating all wheat/gluten from their diets...

However.... as I said.. that recommendation may change... because... The Paleo Solution book really does a good job of explaining it all.. the why... even if he does have a bit of an arrogant, flippant attitude and it's a lot to wade through.. but he does explain it very well.

I don't know yet if Wheat Belly has as good an explanation. It MAY turn out that The Paleo Solution (Robb Wolf) has the best explanation and that, for me, Wheat Belly has the best "plan."

lol.... clear as mud???

okay.. this time I'm really off to the gym !!!
 
Summary of Paleo / Primal / Wheat Belly eating plans:

All 3 plans say:

Eat whole, natural, unprocessed foods
Protein at every meal (beef, lamb, pork, turkey, chicken, fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese)
Some saturated fat is good
Lots of veggies
Healthy oils (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocados)
In moderation, fruits and nuts
(berries being the best fruits to choose, then melons, citrus and apples... bananas are not as good a choice.. they send blood glucose levels soaring - 1 -2 servings of fruits per day)
Eliminate all wheat, most other grains, all added sugar

They differ:

How much saturated fat is too much?
Dairy? yes or no
Beans/legumes, rice? none at all or in moderation is okay
Are any grains ever okay?
 
Last edited:
Hello...want to report back that I finally did a real workout, first time in ages!! I did the cardio and upper body premix from Low Impact Circuit and then I did abs. I was a bit scared as I was starting to break a sweat about 2 minutes into the warmup but I perservered!

Susan....thanks for the info. I really dont eat much wheat as it is and gluten doesnt seem to bother me at all as I can eat rice and breads but if I eat garlic bread than that flares up my IBS, I seem to have more issues with certain spices and things. For instance I can eat my own homemade soups but the same soup from a can, big tummy problems. I cant remember the last time I bought a loaf of bread though! I may read one of the books but I'm trying not accumulate anymore diet books. I seem to waste more time reading them than practicing what they preach! I am though on board for cutting back on processed foods, sugars and incorporating more real foods into my diet....just as long as they're bland with not much spices/herbs ;)

Well my sis and her kids will be here in 3 hours and I havent started any of my food prep!! Have a good holiday evening and holiday weekend!!
 
Hello Ladies and Merry Christmas Eve. :)

I am feeling a little better. I was suppose to meet up with a friend today at the Mall and get me a knock off pair of those 5 finger shoes. However, I am going to stay in the house another day. I am making myself some homemade chicken soup.

Yesterday I made myself several cups on Tea with lemmon, honey and brandy. Needless to say I slept majoirty of the day. I woke up starving this morning. I made myself some toast until my soup is done, then I will lay back down.

I will check back in later, I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Deanna
 
Great Job, Stacy!

Susan, great breakdown of the plans so far!

Deanna, sending you some check in vibes. : )

I just finished food shopping w/ my dd18. Dad napping. Dd18 making cookies now and I came home and did MM shoulders- quick and mean. Susan are you liking your barbell? Do you want to squeeze in some biceps tomorrow? pun intended, : D
I know you have a lot of holiday visiting going on~ I may get a walk in today.

Menu is a spinach au gratin and a sweet potato casserole from skinnytaste plus the other stuff. Ideally it would include a kale salad filled with veggies that I make too --for a contrast to all the cheesy sweet things. But maybe I will make it day after and call it redemption salad, ha ha.

Merry Christmas to all, hope you have a great holiday!
 
Home from the gym... It was empty.. lol

Stacy - great job on your workout !!!

Deanna - I'm so glad you are feeling just a tiny bit better. Get plenty of rest..... That always helps..

FnV - I'm up for "squeezing in" some biceps tomorrow... lol I don't leave for Christmas dinner til just before noon... so plenty of time for a bicep workout !!

I LOVE my barbell... best thing that I bought... well.. other than Cathe's DVDs... lol. I could have saved my money on the stability ball. it's okay once in a while, but I could have done without it...

Just stopped in to wish you all.. my dear friends... the very Merriest of Christmases. Enjoy.. family and friends and lots of good food..

We shall start anew Monday morning... bright and early... lol

Hugs to all !!!
 
Merry Christmas Ladies :)

I am up having a cup of coffee and getting ready to fix breakfast and dinner for my son.

I am feeling better, I beleive I have a sinus infection, bronchitis or both. I have been in the bed since early Friday afternoon. Today I am going to cook a little, wash and clean.

I hope everyone have a wonderful and blessed christmas. :)

Deanna
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top