Nobody's Perfect

Okay, I did it. I completely cheated.
Let me start by saying that I have been eating some amazing, delicious foods that are all Primal. I have had steak, grilled shrimp, pulled pork, and many, many eggs.
But last night I ate frozen yogurt. I justified it by getting the no sugar added kind made from strawberries and bananas. But, really, there was no excuse. Just short of two weeks in and I broke a major rule.

I read somewhere this week about how it is okay to fail. It's all in how you handle it. Will I eat frozen yogurt again? Maybe. But I do see the error in my ways. I want to be Primal; all day, every day. I woke up with horrible stomach cramps this morning at 1am, which I can only assume was from the yogurt even though I do eat cheese. So, I paid. Probably in my comfort while trying to sleep and on the scale as well.

This morning I am back on track, despite the challenge of having the day off of work (and therefore I am more likely to eat crap out of boredom). I ate two eggs and leftover pulled pork for breakfast. Probably whip up a spinach salad for lunch later and then meat and veggies for dinner.

I'm trying.

Day 7---The First Weigh In

So, here I am one week into my new Primal Lifestyle.
I thought I would be eager to jump on the scale but I woke up a little sluggish. I puttered around the house before gaining the courage to step on my longtime enemy.

What happened? Just a second and I'll tell you.

First, let me make sure it is clear that two factors may affect my progress this week. One, I ate a lot of crap before starting. I weighed in a week ago before starting this change but the night before I ate Dairy Queen. I mean one of their ridiculous meals and half of a Butterfinger Blizzard. I am sure my body hadn't even had to time to tack on the extra pounds from it. Plus, I had spent a glutenous weekend in Vegas (soda, popcorn, buffets...).
The other thing that may affect my loss is water weight. You see when you cut out processed foods you also cut out sodium so it is common to lose water, not so much fat, in the beginning. (Disclaimer: I am new. This is what I have been told.)

So....drum roll....
DOWN 6 POUNDS!

Do I feel or look any different? No. Not at all. But my mind says I am moving in the right direction and so does the scale so I push on.

Day 5--A little cheating but a whole lotta good

I have enjoyed hamburgers, shrimp, grilled chicken, and yummy eggs. I am not hungry at all. I bought a bunch of things that I thought would help when I am feeling "snacky" but I haven't really eaten any snacks in three days. I bought dried mangos and bananas and they just sit in there. I have a variety of nuts but my meals are so filling that I don't touch them. I did steal a few pistachios from my Half Primal Husband but it was more to try them than to satisfy hunger.

I ate three eggs for breakfast mixed with a little grated cheddar, a few pieces of Feta, and tiny bits of gorganzola.

I do have a headache but I am battling the trifecta over here so I have no idea what is to blame. Besides being sick with a head cold that is kicking my butt, and cutting out sugar and carbs, I also started the pill. I know that might be TMI for some of you but, like I said, I am not writing this for you. The pill is known to cause headaches while you are adjusting to the estrogen. So, I guess I was bound to get a headache, caused by one reason or another. I'll survive.

Back to the cheating mentioned in this post's title. I was nauseous on Friday and had no idea what to do but fall back on my pre-primal tactics. I ate five low sodium Saltine crackers. As soon as I felt that my stomach was stable I ate half of a hamburger patty and some avocado. Back on track.

Today I drank some juice, against all advice. You see, I'm new. I figured that if I could eat fruit I could also have 100% fruit juice. I purchased a small bottle on Friday and then determined that it really wasn't the best idea. Rather than waste it, I took a few sips. I'm human. It was yummy but I don't need it. I didn't feel like it filled any purpose. Lesson learned.

Day 2

Well, Day 2 is winding down and I already feel the stress of this. While it isn't going to be hard, it's going to be hard. I am not hungry at all. I did feel hunger this morning and I ate. Because with this plan I can eat. As much as I want. But only of certain things.

I have to admit that I am going to need to break some pretty awful habits. I love soda. Not that diet crap. I mean real soda. Black Cherry and Root Beer are my favorites.

And I love ice cream. I recently pushed myself to give up little $1 sized cups of ice cream and convert to Popsicles but now I can't even have those. After dinner last night I craved the sugary treat. I put coconut milk into the freezer and it was awful.

I did have some successes though.

I made it through Day One, eating turkey bacon, a hardboiled egg, a handful of berries, an apple with almond butter, chicken with beef bacon mixed with steamed broccoli and carrots. Also, I ate my own trail mix that I made up.

That's almond, walnuts, and sunflower seeds (all raw), with dehydrated raspberries and dried mangos and bananas (no sugar added). The bananas are delicious. Trader Joe's carries them and even though they are sweet, I promise the label only lists bananas as the ingrediant.

For Day 2 I ate two eggs mixed with grated cheese. I realize that the cheese was probably a slip up. I am not sure that grated cheese is allowed. I think Feta would have been the wiser choice. For lunch I had an apple and a baggie of plain carrots. I started to eat my Trail Mix but realized that I wasn't hungry.

For dinner I am planning on a hamburger patty with avocado with a small green salad (mixed greens, spinach, feta, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar).

I search recipes multiple times a day for new ideas. Considering a paleo ice cream recipe and thinking heavily about the dark chocolate in the cupboard....more on that later.

I am wondering if people are really 100% primal or paleo. Can you really cut out all of the treats (half a muffin, a cookie, a frozen yogurt) all of the time? I know cavemen did but this is 2012. Is that really what is expected of me, forever?

Where I am starting

After doing plenty of research I set out to purchase the staples.

I went to three different stores (Stater Bros, Sprouts, and Trader Joe's). I left with:

*chicken breasts

*hamburger

*shrimp

*ground turkey

*raw almonds

*raw walnuts

*plain sunflower seeds

*fresh blackberries

*fresh raspberries

*coconut

*coconut milk

*coconut flour

*coconut water

*coconut oil

*dried mangos, bananas, and raspberries (NO sugar added, only ingrediant is the fruit)

*almond butter (replacement for peanut butter)

*apples

*spinach

*spaghetti squash

*avocado

*romaine lettuce

*Extra Virgin Olive Oil

*uncured bacon (beef & turkey)

*kerrygold butter

*canned crab meat

The next step:
Cleaning out the kitchen.

I emptied out all of the fridge, freezer, and cupboards. Throwing out anything that I could no longer eat. This included popsicles (dammit!), juice, pastas, candy, frozen dinners (even the Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers ones), cereal, and my leftover pumpkin pie. I filled an entire trash bin with stuff that needed to go.

Now what?

I need to start planning and start cooking. What am I going to eat tomorrow? How am I going to handle the fact that I am used to quick and easy breakfast bars that require no cooking time? What will I take to eat for lunch at work? Between my job, tutoring, and school work, how will I make a decent dinner?

The Beginning & The End

Here I am. The fat girl. I have always been the fat girl as long as I can remember and I am pretty sure I will always be the fat girl.
I have tried exercise, calorie counting, attempting to jog, lots of walking, Weight Watchers, yoga, more exercise, cutting portions, and other 'diets'. And each and every time I see minimal success and I am still the fat girl.

Well, I am trying something new. Normally I wouldn't broadcast the fact that I am trying again because it never ends well but I am pretty sure I am on the right track this time so I am documenting the journey. This is more for myself than for anyone else.

I am going to attempt to go Primal.

What does that mean? Well, I am new to this so it doesn't mean a whole lot to me yet. The basics, as I understand them, is that I am about to give up all processed foods. Anything that a caveman wouldn't have eaten is out. No more bread, pasta, legumes, sugar, soda, ice cream, rice, etc.

So, what can I eat? Again, I am new so if you are looking at this post for guidance, look elsewhere. I am still learning. But I am going to start with meats (beef, ground turkey, chicken, shrimp, bacon), nuts (all are okay except peanuts), fruits (minimal), vegetables. I will drink water and maybe coconut water (which I have never tried).

Is this a fad diet? For most people that I have encountered and read about, No. This is not Atkin's or South Beach. This is way of life for many people. It is meant to be sustained for the long hall.

Eventually, I will work on my exercise routine as well. Baby steps.

So, tomorrow I begin the Primal Lifestyle and end the Fat Girl Lifestyle. Good bye to the way I have been for 32 years. I am sure it will be hard to shake and there will be bumps in the road. Can I lose any weight at all?
Will I make it through the first week (said to be rough)?
Can I stick with it?
Will I slip up from time to time and give into old habits?

Let's see, shall we?

What will I post?
I am going to share with you the challenges, successes, and hurdles. Maybe recipes and tips. Suggested websites and ideas.
Assuming I lose weight, I will tell you about it. Eventually I may even post photos.