PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION: Month 1

I did do my workout this morning...3 miles on the treadmill a mix of walking and jogging and abs, and then had oatmeal before work.

Lunch at work was junk again...cookie and chips.

Went out to dinner but had a decent meal....flounder, broccoli and a baked potato, but did have dinner rolls.

Overall better than yesterday..

I'm definitely interested in following along on the diet plans but maybe not til after Xmas, and I also want to read up a bit on them. We have a half-priced used bookstore nearby gonna check that out first.

Been a long day, I'm calling it a night!
 
Good morning my friends !!!

I'm sitting here miserable :p

I have my annual physical this morning and that includes the usual blood tests for cholesterol, etc. and that means fasting and that means no half n half in my coffee !!!! aaaarrrrrrrghhhhh... I hate black coffee...... awful stuff..

but that's all I'm allowed to have.. that and water..... geeze...

Other than that.. life is good !!

I did my 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym yesterday morning and then got a ton of Christmas errands done, including standing in line at the Post Office to mail some packages. But that's done, so that's a huge relief.

I stopped at Barnes & Noble at the end of my errands and bought the book "Wheat Belly" by Dr. Davis. Another of the "give up grains" line of thinking.

And my books from Amazon should be here when I get back from the doctor later in the day.... The Paleo Solution and The Primal Blueprint 21-day plan.

lol.....

hey.. when I jump into something its with both feet...

So lots to read over the next couple of weeks. I'm going to be so immersed in these 3 books that my head is going to spin....

And wait til I tell my doctor what I'm going to do... lol... Should be interesting.

Stacy - great dinner !!!! I've never been a fish eater... I need to start. I do like shrimp and clams.. but have never cared for "fish" fish. My friend said to start with tilapia.. that it's a mild fish that non-fish lover's can tolerate..... hmmmmmmm.....

I'm off to do some things around the house before I have to get showered and out the door for my doctor's appointment later this morning...

Make it a great day my friends.

We CAN do this... we ARE doing this !!!!

Progress, not Perfection :)
 
Deanna, how were the Margaritas?? What are you weekend plans? Is it Fri?

Susan wrote: hey.. when I jump into something its with both feet... I can relate! I think we are kindred spirits in that we both love to research.

Susan, doc/blood work is cool b/c it will give you a new before paleo profile! Sometimes I drink strong tea if I can't have stuff in my coffee. I'm gonna read the primal links in the thread today. Enjoy your books, I am interested in wheat gut too.

Stacy and Deanna, fyi so you can play along, the Paleo in a nutshell is
EAT lean meats, veg and fruit.
DONT EAT grains/cereals legumes (beans or peanuts), dairy. Accent on alkaline producing foods (which is a buzzword a kangan water friend of mine has been spewing for a long time)

I think Primal is what my friend was doing - remember when I was inspired when my bestie changed her eating for health scare and lost?

I did ride to library yest. Fun, but too many intersections and idle time to count as a workout, but maybe an activity boost. bbl with a cathe to report
 
Morning :)

Had a okay day at work yesterday. The crabby lady snapped at me by telling me what she wasn't going to do!!!! No I am not her surpervisor, but it is obvious that she is threatened by me. I immediately left my office and found a place to pray. Then I went to her and asked if we could talk? She agreed and I just told her that I refuse to bring in the New Year with this animosity between us. She agreed and said she felt it was a hostile enviorment! I shared with her that I took offence to the way she came at me by telling me what she wasn't going to do. I then asked her if I could show her a trick on the computer that would help her job easy. She said she just want the work to go quick, I explained to her that you are not always going to have things the way you want it. And when obsticales present themselves you have to find away around them. She thanked me for helping her, and said how computer savey I was. I STARTED to say see I am not as bad as you guys think I am. I told her that we were not there to be friends however we do have to be corgial to one another in order to get the job done. I am not sure if she went and told the other two crabby women in the office. It really doesn't matter because I am comfortable and confident in my skin and it is obvious THEY (all 3 of them, including my supervisor) are intimidated by MY SELF CONFIDENCE and computer skills. :) I am going to keep on smiling, finding ways to help me do my job better and exercising.

Deanna
 
Well done Deanna !!!!

I am sooooooo proud of you !!!!

You did what you needed to do... calmly.. politely and intelligently. You sat down with her and discussed it, you said that you wanted things to be more cordial and that you would do your part, you offered to help her...... what more could you possibly do????

Fantastic my friend.

Now the ball is in her court. She can choose to change her attitude or not. Her choice.

But you can rest easy.. confident that you did all that you can do.

Good job !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Thank you Susan :)


SusanMcL said:
Well done Deanna !!!!

I am sooooooo proud of you !!!!

You did what you needed to do... calmly.. politely and intelligently. You sat down with her and discussed it, you said that you wanted things to be more cordial and that you would do your part, you offered to help her...... what more could you possibly do????

Fantastic my friend.

Now the ball is in her court. She can choose to change her attitude or not. Her choice.

But you can rest easy.. confident that you did all that you can do.

Good job !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
 
FnV - yes... lol... I love to research !!! Isn't it fun? Google is my best friend.

Here's what the Paleo diet says to do for 30 days to jump start weight loss
(this isn't the whole Paleo eating plan... just a 30 day jump start)

3 - 4 meals per day

at each meal:

4-8 oz lean protein (beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seafood)
Several servings of colorful veggies - raw, steamed or lightly cooked
Good fats - avocado or olive oil or unsalted nuts such as almonds, pecans, macadamias or walnuts

limit fruit to 1-2 servings per day - choose berries or melon
---------------

Here's a sample daily menu:

Breakfast: Shrimp scramble with basil and steamed spinach. 1/4 cup blueberries. Expresso

Lunch: Chicken salad with red onions, romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts and mixed bell peppers. Dressing: Lemon/Olive Oil with a hint of garlic. Green tea with lemon

Snack: Grilled shrimp and veggies with a handful of macadamia nuts.

Dinner: Baked pork loin with ginger cabbage and olive oil. Dessert: shaved almonds over 1/4 cup mixed berries.

I think I can do that :p
 
Thanks for the menu Susan. I don't usually cook and rarely cook meat,so this will be part of my challenge.

I called my friend who was (unknowingly) doing primal as part of a health recommendation. She went from 125ish to 121 ish the first week and now is at 116/117 and has jeans she wore a month ago, she can pull off her body w/o even unfastening them! What she has found to be remarkable is that it seems to be coming off where it needs to come off and she looks good as opposed to having a gaunt face and thick thighs. No dairy, no sugar, no grains and no fruit for the first 3 months.

I completed BBTS4.

Tomorrow is a lower body workout. Which reminds me that I used to have this beautiful long stick/weapon that my dtr used in Tae Kwon Do which I borrowed for balance moves- It was just one of the random things that got lost in the multiple moves/storage/rental shuffle limbo from last year.
 
Deanna....you did good!!

Susan....I LOVE black coffee, however, it has to be GOOD black coffee, drinking coffee black really lets you know if you're drinking crappy stuff with old beans or the REAL stuff with fresh roasted beans, brewed to perfection. I'm a bit of a coffee snob. My husband roasts beans at home!

FnV, Susan....Paleo sounds good, however I always have to modify things b/c my IBS makes it hard to eat in the morning and too many "colorful" veggies really messes me up! With no dairy, does it suggest Vit D and Calcium supplements? I'd think it would have to so as not to promote osteoporosis!

I'm going out town this weekend, will be back late Sunday! Have a good weekend everyone I'll check back Sunday night!
 
Good morning !!!

I'm a happy camper.. sitting here with my coffee with half n half... lol

Stacy - I hear ya... and I agree... black coffee really lets you see if you are drinking good or bad coffee !!! But I've been putting half n half in my coffee for 50 years, so I doubt that I'll change now....

Upon further research, it appears that the main differences between Paleo and Primal Blueprint are:

Paleo says "lean" protein, Primal says higher fat protein is good because fat is what keeps you feeling full.

Paleo says no dairy or eggs. Primal encourages eggs (any time) and dairy (in moderation) if you don't have any issues with it (lactose intolerance, etc.)

They both agree:
protein and veggies for the bulk of one's eating plan
fruit in moderation
healthy oils
no grains
no beans/legumes (although Primal says a few won't hurt)
-----------------

soooooooooooo.... I'm going for a blend :p

the lean protein of Paleo
eggs from Primal
dairy in moderation from Primal

I think dairy is important for calcium.......

and.. in the beginning.. as a transition.... I'm going to do a little bit of oatmeal and a little bit of brown rice.....

should be interesting... I start today....

my big things are: no processed food and no wheat.

and... I'm going to follow the Paleo 30-day weight loss with my modifications...

i.e.

3 - 4 meals per day

at each meal:

4-8 oz lean protein (beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seafood)
(I'll do 4 ounces)
Several servings of colorful veggies - raw, steamed or lightly cooked
Good fats - avocado or olive oil or unsalted nuts such as almonds, pecans, macadamias or walnuts

limit fruit to 1-2 servings per day - choose berries or melon

but my protein will also include yogurt and eggs as options
and I'll add maybe 1/2 cup cooked brown rice to one meal a day and have an occasional bowl of oatmeal......

okay... I know you guys are sick of me babbling about all this.... so I'll stop. I have all 3 books to read: The Paleo Solution, Primal Blueprint and Wheat Belly. That will keep me busy for the next week or so... lol

Make it a great day... I'm off to cook a Paleo breakfast...

We CAN do this... we ARE doing this....
 
Hi all,

Personally, I disagree that dairy=strong bones.

Last eve, I went out to bf's company dinner at a very nice restaurant and was looking forward to enjoying it from a guilt free paleo/primal perspective rather than a guilty veggie eating a filet. I had big variety salad from awesome salad bar, shrimp scampi and sirloin. I planned to just eat salad bar and my proteins, but my steak wasn't well done and after I finished my shrimpers I ate the big old white potato (sans sour cream) while I waited for my new steak. I should have gotten up and hit the salad bar again. Oh and two glasses of chardonnay. (one given to me as an apology for the rare steak)

It seemed ironic, here I was ready to embrace a big meat fest and minimize carbs and alcohol and DOH, foiled by a bloody steak.

PS a big thank you to Susan for the run down on the Primal/Paleo breakdown. It is very helpful.

But, before I showered for dinner, I did first 30 minutes of cardio fusion from the BM/LIC/DM series. wow, that turned out to be a real soaker.

I am over blessed with social opportunities this weekend- what are yall up to? Susan, how did your breakie go? I had two scrambled eggs, black coffee and a cup of fruit at restaurant this morn.
 
Last edited:
I think you "done did" good FnV !!! Big salad and shrimp and steak !! yes... also a potato and 2 glasses of wine.. but that's okay.. progress, not perfection !!

For breakfast, I had 2 scrambled eggs, 3 slices of Oscar Meyer Center Cut Bacon and 1/2 cup fresh blueberries.

For lunch, I sauteed garlic and chopped onion, then threw in chopped green pepper (a whole one) and 3 large broccoli florets chopped and 8 cherry tomatoes...... once they were almost finished stir frying, I added 4 oz of lean ground sirloin that I had crumbled and browned in another pan. No rice. Just put it in a bowl and ate it. Was delicious !! And... a cup of hot green tea for dessert.

It all has tasted great so far..... I keep thinking that I want carbs, but it's all in my mind... pure habit. I am very very full.

For supper, I'm going to do a big salad with a grilled chicken breast and an olive oil based salad dressing....

I'm knee deep in reading The Paleo Solution..... only about 40 pages into it.... I may have been wrong about Paleo and eggs.. they may be allowed. I know they are strongly encouraged on Primal.... lol I'll get the two straight eventually.

The overwhelming tenet of both is protein and veggies at every meal !!!

Make it a great day my friends !!!

Deanna - gym today?????
 
Good morning !!!

Just finishing up my coffee and going to head to the gym for some treadmill. Tomorrow I'm going to get back on track with my weight workouts with Cathe.

Yesterday was Day 1 on the Paleo and it went well. So very very odd to be eating so much meat... and no wheat.... yikes.. quite a shock to my system. But I feel good.

There are those on the Paleo/Primal message boards who warn that many experience "Carb Flu" when cutting all grains/beans/legumes out of their diet. Aches, lethargy, headaches, etc as one's body adjusts..... so if that happens, I'll know to just keep on keepin' on and get through it.

I've decided to drop the brown rice and oatmeal.... that was my safety net. Instead, when I crave my old carbs, I'm doing a couple of red potatoes as home fries.. cooked in olive oil. That satisfies my craving.

sooooooo..... here's what I'm eating...
------------------------------------------------

at every meal:

Protein - beef, chicken, turkey, seafood, eggs, bacon, yogurt
Veggies - all kinds.... at least 2 per meal... go easy on the tubers
Healthy oils - avocado, olive oil, butter and in moderation - nuts

Fruits - 1 - 2 servings per day - mostly berries

and that's it !!!

Only unprocessed food - whole, natural

No wheat/grains, no beans, no legumes
--------------------------------------------------

So far.. so good :D

okay.. I'm off to the gym.

Make it a great day my friends !!!!

We CAN do this... we ARE doing this...

ETA: I'm fine with lunch and dinner, but I'm struggling with breakfast. I love bacon and eggs and home fries, so that's not a problem.

But I can't eat bacon and eggs and home fries 7 days a week. The idea of eating meat and veggies for breakfast is something that I'll have to ease into... lol. Yes.. I can do yogurt.... but they highly recommend meat or eggs or both for breakfast.. not just yogurt..... On the msg boards, they recommend a veggie omelet for breakfast... That I can do... then ease into meat and veggies down the road..... "they" say you get used to it eventually and actually come to like it !!!
 
Last edited:
Susan, your lunch sounds great, I will try it.

I've been sticking to no sugar no dairy no grains for a full two days. The scale dropped a pound, but there have been so many things going on, I am not sure if it was because of that or in spite of that.

Sweet potato and some nuts in the afternoon {went to a ballroom dance showcase to see a friend perform (great show, fun) }

Then Greek place and had chicken gyro (I ate with fork, minimized yogurt sauce and no pita) and green beans

Wine (about 4 glasses?) I went to a party last night--I literally danced for about 2.5 hours straight, I can't help it. Did not graze at the food line one bit!! And much more amazingly, had no desire to do so. (that is why I hit the Greek place, I didn't want to show up hungry)

1 carnito taco thing and a few bites of tiny creme brulle? some dessert that I ate the bananas at midnight run to restaurant.

Susan, is the problem that you are missing your oatmeal or that you don't want eggs everyday? My primal/paleo friend eats black beans with her eggs, so maybe that will work for you? ooh, maybe with fresh salsa and cilantro and onions? Oh Wait, I see you are doing no beans, so no on that at least for now.

I'll bbl to check in with a workout or something
 
Last edited:
Good morning again !!

mid-day progress report:

FnV - I also lost one pound yesterday.... of course we know that it could be water weight loss or just the normal daily fluctuations... but interesting.

A couple of thoughts as I read for hours on the Paleo and Primal message boards.....

Paleo strongly recommends limiting saturated fats... some? yes.. but don't go overboard. And I think Paleo bans dairy, but I'm not at that point in the book yet.. lol.... so hold that thought..

Primal says.. not only can you eat a lot of saturated fat, but that you should eat a lot of saturated fat.

I don't think I can do that..... it scares me.... coming from a family history of heart attacks....

soooooo.... I seem to be leaning strongly towards Paleo with the exception that I'm going to keep my yogurt in my regular protein rotation and allow myself a little cheese on occasion. Like for a cheese omelet.

I'm going to eat lean beef, skinless chicken breasts, pork chops and roast, shellfish, eggs, and my FF Greek yogurt.

For healthy oils... I'll do avocados, olive oil and, in moderation, nuts... with butter allowed sometimes..

And... some bacon once in a while, just cause I love it... lol

But.. please... do your research... I don't want you following me without making your own decisions about all this...

Here's a thread I started at the Primal Blueprint site: some good answers to my questions.... but remember.. these are the high saturated fat people... although... there seem to be quite a few who also do what I'm doing.. follow the plan, but do lower fat options....

PUtting one toe in the water :) | Mark's Daily Apple Health and Fitness Forum page

Lots of good info in those message boards... as long as you take some of it with a grain of salt and make up your own mind... as always on the Internet.

okay....
------------------------------------------

here's what I've eaten so far today:

7:00 a.m. Lots of coffee with real half n half (as opposed to the FF of before Paleo) Other than that... I wasn't hungry from all the food I ate yesterday... amazing..

11:00 a.m. Brunch

4 oz stir fry Angus sirloin - stir fried in a non-stick fry pan no added oil
2 small red potatoes - stir fried in 1 TB of olive oil
1 singe serve package of Birds Eye baby brussels sprouts with 1 tsp Land O Lakes olive oil butter

I am STUFFED !!!!!

-------------------------

From what I am reading.. in the books and on the message boards, it is very important, if one is going to follow this plan, to really and truly eliminate all the grains/beans/legumes. At least in the beginning as your body adjusts.

Over time, some people find that they can tolerate a little bit.... i.e. a bowl of oatmeal once in a great while.... or a few beans....

A lot of the posters on the message boards say that they follow the plan 80% of the time.. or 90% of the time, but that they allow themselves some non-plan food for special occasions or just because.

But in the beginning (first several months? ), it's important to be strict... protein, 2 or more servings of veggies and healthy oils.... for each of 3 meals a day... 1 - 2 servings of berries per day ......nothing else.. (well.. I ain't giving up my morning coffee.. lol... just ain't happenin')

As I said... just sharing what I've found and what I'm going to do..... but... I ain't no doctor, I'm not even a dietician or nutritionist..... so you need to make your own decisions.

okay... enough babbling from me. I apologize.. don't mean to monopolize our thread with my fanaticism....

We CAN do this... we ARE doing this....
 
FnV - sounds like you had great fun last night !!!! Dancing for 2.5 hours is my kind of fun... and a Greek restaurant... I love Greek food.... yummy...

Interesting that we've both lost a quick pound doing this.... we shall see what happens in a week. I'm optimistic...

okay.. need to get away from the computer and get some things done..

bbl.......

Progress, not perfection.

Deanna - where are you???????????
 
I am soooo full that I can't eat any more. I am not hungry between meals... at all.

Only had 2 meals today.. brunch and supper and a mid-afternoon snack of a bowl of blueberries.

For supper I had:

1 cup FF Greek yogurt
3 oz fresh blackberries

salad made of:

fresh spinach
1 whole cucumber, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1/4 of an avocado, diced
1 TB Italian salad dressing

I made the salad dressing in my Good Seasons bottle with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. I buy those dry packets of Good Seasons salad dressing mixings so I can use good olive oil instead of the other oils they put in pre-made salad dressings.

Anyway.. the fat from the beef for brunch kept me full from noon til 6:15 ... only had the blueberries mid-afternoon.... and then the fat from the avocado and salad dressing..... I'm stuffed...

Coffee with half n half this morning... hot green tea plain this afternoon.

Amazing... I'm not craving food at all.....

I truly believe it is from eliminating all wheat and sugar (except, of course, for the natural sugars in fruit).

This is a very interesting adventure :p

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

for breakfast tomorrow.... 2 scrambled eggs and a small baked sweet potato with 1 tsp of my olive oil butter.
 
Hello all, I'm finally back from my out of town trip. I feel like I've gained about 25 lbs. No healthy foods to be found at my parents' house. My mother's health again just left me totally depressed and now I feel like a blob which isnt helping.

I see I've got alot of posts to catch up on! I'm very interested in the Paleo vs Primal discussions and I perused some of the forums but did as search to include IBS. I'm pretty much sure that I will not be able to follow either plan strictly but I both plans seem very similar to the plain old common sense plan I try very hard to follow and what I know works. Sticking to it is the problem!!!

I will probably skip weigh in tomorrow. I know it will be bad.

I'lll see you in the morning!
 
Great Job on food plan, Susan!

I had unusually busy weekend- bf Christmas dinner Fri and out to breakie with him Sat, ballroom dance showcase and then party and midnight run to Yard House, friend over yest morn, dance class, took dd 16 to Kohl's and then another get together at one of the besties home's.

My pound is back, but that is probably not bad considering the wrap up of the weekend was a bellydancer get together. I grazed heavily on olives and nuts and blackberries and some fresh veggies and did not partake of the choco dipped strawberries, petit fours, brie and pastry, (you get the picture). So it could have been worse. BD gtg are my biggest challenge food wise. Whew, now....

Welcome to MONDAY!!

Susan, I am going to check out the support forum today and continue my paleo book. I like reading your findings about the two plans.

Deanna, get your butt into this check in!! : D

Stacy, I am sorry you feel like a blob. Here, take my its monday fresh start/clean slate pass. Travel and staying with unhealthy family are toughies. Its like sending an alcoholic to a bar to do 12 Step work. (same thing with my gtg w/ the besties).

My progress, is 90 percent avoiding grains, dairy and legumes and overt sugar.

I will bbl with workout...knees still hurt from dance fest. "How Low Can You Go" was probably not a challenge I needed to embrace~ lols.
 
Morning Ladies.....LOL...Sorry I was MIA = Missing In Action. ;)

I went out dancing Friday night after work, rest Saturday and Brunch with a friend Sunday.

My right thumb has been hurting for about a week and has been getting progressively worse. I went to Walmart and got myself a Thumb Brace yesterday and it is starting to feel much better.

I will not be going back to the gym until after the new year. Trying to finish up with all the stuff at work for the 1st of the month/Year. At this time it is just easier to come home and workout. I will be doing Cardio (No Weights) until after the New Year. Very difficult to hold/grab anything with my thrumb.

Okay, time to get ready for work. Make it a great day ladies. :)
Deanna
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top