After several months of learning more, and mostly adhering to a Primal diet, I'm finding that some interesting things have happened.
Warning: If you just aren't interested in this aspect of my life, leave now. There's not too much else in the post besides more talk of music, some thoughts on studying for my first exam and the soul deep concentration required to choose a color for the pedi I intend to get on the way home today.
Ok, then. If you're still here, you care about what I've noticed since embarking upon this Primal journey. Or you care about what color I'm thinking for a mid-Winter toe treat. Either way, hi.
So at first the Primal thing is weird. We spend a remarkable amount of time baking, enjoying foods full of grains, eating rice and let's not get started on soy. No sirree. There is a lot of creating a new awareness of what to avoid. Which feels a little restrictive, but that goes away pretty quickly.
Breakfasts can be a little monotonous. That's because I've not thrown as much energy at coming up with creative alternatives as I should, I realize this. That said I'm a little tired of the incredible, edible egg right now.
I've over easy-ed, whipped into omelettes, poached, hard boiled and generally had a pretty extensive love affair with egg since I started down the Paleo road. I am a big fan of raw cheddar cheese from Trader Joe's, and stir frying a bunch of veggies to which I add beaten egg and finish to a fluffy end.
My other breakfast go to is full fat Greek yoghurt. I spoon about a cup into a small bowl, sprinkle generously with cinnamon, then add a small handful of craisins or fresh blueberries. I top it with some sliced almonds. This concoction, surprisingly, holds me until around 11 a.m., not something my old buddies Kashi or oatmeal ever did. No matter WHAT I added to them.
I decided to be easy on myself and just stop with the grains. I've yet to go completely hardcore and entirely remove sugar from my diet. I still add a spoon of organic sugar to my morning coffee, which I also lace with cream now. I'm going to try to omit the sugar this weekend. I've never been a soda drinker, which I'm finding is a really good thing. It also means that there aren't a lot of places for me to cut back when it comes to sugar. The occasional indulgence in the form of a fresh baked cookie or a once a month latte..is really where I have room to shave.
I also drink a glass of wine most evenings, something that super avid Paleos/Primals would say defeats the purpose as the alcohol is essentially a rocket fuel in our systems and causes inflammation and other negative effects. I don't see myself ever completely foregoing wine. I just enjoy it too much. Also, I still believe the benefits of red wine outweigh the potential ill effects, provided one practices moderation. Which this one tends to do, mostly.
Things I was pleased to discover:
While I've only lost a few pounds, my body composition seems to be shifting nicely into a more hourglassy form as a whole, with the little paunch notably smaller...which makes me think it was comprised primarily of the grains...This means my jeans are fitting a little differently..like the waists are loose on most of them. The hips are still about the same, but when the waist has room in it, the pants tend to slip down a little, so I'm going to have to figure that out once I've reached an equilibrium.
My sugar swings/crashes have completely evaporated. This came as quite a shock, and started to happen very early. Turns out the whole fats satiate thing is true.
I can eat as much as I want and not worry, but what's really cool is I want less. Who knew that would happen? I enjoy my food, eat richer stuff with way more fats than ever in my life, yet my cravings and desire for more are nonexistent.
This weekend I'm going to make a recipe for a snack called Nora's Nut Ball Snackers that sound absolutely delicious and which include nuts, coconut, etc. Mmmmmm...I'll let ya know how they turn out. I may add a few small dark chocolate chips, which will render them not absolutely primal, but which may make them even more delicious. Depends on how virtuous I feel when I get to the mixing point.
I'm also going to make an Italian Wedding Soup and sub wild rice for the orzo. And maybe add a couple more veggies like sliced mushrooms and maybe some diced zucchini just for texture and added vitamins.
The bottom line, though, is this is feeling like a very good choice for me. I have been lazy getting my blood chemistry done, so when I do that, those numbers will help me decide if I'm heading in a good direction.
Oh, and about the pedi. I have a dark sparkly brown on right now that I feel needs a bit of a boost. I'm thinking a bold red would do the trick. And since we're mid-Winter, maybe a flower on the big toes, too...
Tonight I cook, and listen to music and probably watch a movie or two. And enjoy Miss Tipper Ann sitting on my lap and purring.
After this week, that sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered.
And then tomorrow and Sunday? Lots of studying. Lots. And I see index cards in my future. Because when it comes to memory? Flash cards work for me.
Have a lovely weekend!
Big Hugs,
Stevie
Warning: If you just aren't interested in this aspect of my life, leave now. There's not too much else in the post besides more talk of music, some thoughts on studying for my first exam and the soul deep concentration required to choose a color for the pedi I intend to get on the way home today.
Ok, then. If you're still here, you care about what I've noticed since embarking upon this Primal journey. Or you care about what color I'm thinking for a mid-Winter toe treat. Either way, hi.
So at first the Primal thing is weird. We spend a remarkable amount of time baking, enjoying foods full of grains, eating rice and let's not get started on soy. No sirree. There is a lot of creating a new awareness of what to avoid. Which feels a little restrictive, but that goes away pretty quickly.
Breakfasts can be a little monotonous. That's because I've not thrown as much energy at coming up with creative alternatives as I should, I realize this. That said I'm a little tired of the incredible, edible egg right now.
I've over easy-ed, whipped into omelettes, poached, hard boiled and generally had a pretty extensive love affair with egg since I started down the Paleo road. I am a big fan of raw cheddar cheese from Trader Joe's, and stir frying a bunch of veggies to which I add beaten egg and finish to a fluffy end.
My other breakfast go to is full fat Greek yoghurt. I spoon about a cup into a small bowl, sprinkle generously with cinnamon, then add a small handful of craisins or fresh blueberries. I top it with some sliced almonds. This concoction, surprisingly, holds me until around 11 a.m., not something my old buddies Kashi or oatmeal ever did. No matter WHAT I added to them.
I decided to be easy on myself and just stop with the grains. I've yet to go completely hardcore and entirely remove sugar from my diet. I still add a spoon of organic sugar to my morning coffee, which I also lace with cream now. I'm going to try to omit the sugar this weekend. I've never been a soda drinker, which I'm finding is a really good thing. It also means that there aren't a lot of places for me to cut back when it comes to sugar. The occasional indulgence in the form of a fresh baked cookie or a once a month latte..is really where I have room to shave.
I also drink a glass of wine most evenings, something that super avid Paleos/Primals would say defeats the purpose as the alcohol is essentially a rocket fuel in our systems and causes inflammation and other negative effects. I don't see myself ever completely foregoing wine. I just enjoy it too much. Also, I still believe the benefits of red wine outweigh the potential ill effects, provided one practices moderation. Which this one tends to do, mostly.
Things I was pleased to discover:
While I've only lost a few pounds, my body composition seems to be shifting nicely into a more hourglassy form as a whole, with the little paunch notably smaller...which makes me think it was comprised primarily of the grains...This means my jeans are fitting a little differently..like the waists are loose on most of them. The hips are still about the same, but when the waist has room in it, the pants tend to slip down a little, so I'm going to have to figure that out once I've reached an equilibrium.
My sugar swings/crashes have completely evaporated. This came as quite a shock, and started to happen very early. Turns out the whole fats satiate thing is true.
I can eat as much as I want and not worry, but what's really cool is I want less. Who knew that would happen? I enjoy my food, eat richer stuff with way more fats than ever in my life, yet my cravings and desire for more are nonexistent.
This weekend I'm going to make a recipe for a snack called Nora's Nut Ball Snackers that sound absolutely delicious and which include nuts, coconut, etc. Mmmmmm...I'll let ya know how they turn out. I may add a few small dark chocolate chips, which will render them not absolutely primal, but which may make them even more delicious. Depends on how virtuous I feel when I get to the mixing point.
I'm also going to make an Italian Wedding Soup and sub wild rice for the orzo. And maybe add a couple more veggies like sliced mushrooms and maybe some diced zucchini just for texture and added vitamins.
The bottom line, though, is this is feeling like a very good choice for me. I have been lazy getting my blood chemistry done, so when I do that, those numbers will help me decide if I'm heading in a good direction.
Oh, and about the pedi. I have a dark sparkly brown on right now that I feel needs a bit of a boost. I'm thinking a bold red would do the trick. And since we're mid-Winter, maybe a flower on the big toes, too...
Tonight I cook, and listen to music and probably watch a movie or two. And enjoy Miss Tipper Ann sitting on my lap and purring.
After this week, that sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered.
And then tomorrow and Sunday? Lots of studying. Lots. And I see index cards in my future. Because when it comes to memory? Flash cards work for me.
Have a lovely weekend!
Big Hugs,
Stevie
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