Going Primal

Recommended Reading – Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson

I don’t remember the last time I posted [just checked – it’s been over a year, wow!], but I’m ready to get back into it. I’ve been away because, quite frankly, I’ve been in a self-imposed plateau for two-plus years. I say ‘self-imposed’ because I got lazy about counting every calorie, weighing everything I eat and writing every little thing down. I stopped wearing my body bugg, which was a huge help in the beginning because I had no concept of portion control [though, looking at it now, it was because of the foods I was eating and not so much about a lack of willpower]… I think I got burned out. Starting a new job at a small company for a very demanding boss didn’t help. Oh, and I broke a toe last year around this time clean through and it took forever for it to heal… [like, I’m JUST starting to wear normal shoes again and can finally go hiking and trail running after taking last year off, which was a total bummer!].

The good news is, I successfully maintained the 65+ lbs I’d already lost up until before the last holiday season. I ended up gaining 10lbs between November and February… then came to find out I had an enormous cyst on my right ovary, which might have explained some of the crazy cravings I was having, along with the fatigue and scary abdominal pain, which prevented me from doing my usual workouts [resistance training, kickboxing, running… high impact or heavy lifting – so anything I enjoyed doing!]. Even walking on the treadmill at anything higher than a 2.8 felt like I was being stabbed with each stop. not fun… I normally walk at a 4.0 or 4.2… 2.8 is slower than a warm up for me… I was diagnosed on 2/26 and had surgery on 3/26. I think I stopped working out for a total of 8 weeks, during which time I felt gross. I couldn’t wear normal pants without a ‘bella band’ because the cyst was so big – my doctor said it was like the equivalent of being 5 months pregnant. It was an experience, that’s for sure…

So, during my down time I started researching nutrition again, looking for some fresh material so I could focus on the one thing I COULD control, which was my diet. I ended up revisiting ‘paleo’ but remembering that it was a little too strict for me… until I stumbled across Mark Sisson’s book “The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weightloss, Vibrant Health and Boundless Energy.” I read it cover to cover [figuratively speaking since I use an e-reader] over a weekend and started right away… And have been loving it.

The cravings I was having for starches and sugars disappeared within a few days, and now I’m having fun experimenting with new recipes. I’ve also started working out again, but not so intensely and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the changes I’m seeing in my body so quickly – just from dropping grains, legumes and sugars from my diet and adding more primal foods back in, namely for me – FAT. And it’s been great. Rather than eating every 2 hours and feeling hungry all the time, I eat 2-3 times a day. It’s made life a LOT more simple. Planning all those mini-meals was getting tedious. And so was the low fat, lean protein, high-carb menu.

One of the epiphanies I had while NOT working out for two months was that my knees and hips would hurt by the end of the day on the days I was eating more grain-based foods – even whole grains like brown rice. I always associated that pain with an extra tough workout, but with workouts benched the pattern became obvious, so when I found Mark’s book, it was simple to toss grains out of my life. I love beans, but my stomach never did, so ditching legumes wasn’t a problem either. I’ve always tried to keep sugar to a minimum because everyone in my family is diabetic and I don’t tolerate it well, so that was simple enough.

I do feel like I came across Mark’s book at the right time in my life. I was ready for it. The best part is, his plan is more moderate in that he doesn’t say you have to completely cut out dairy, which most strict paleo plans do. I happen to love full-fat dairy and tolerate it just fine so it’s like my treat to have a piece of really great, aged cheese with some grapes or a pear for a snack…

I haven’t been weighing myself much since I knew I would need to go through a ‘rebuilding’ period to gain back my lost muscle, which entails a lot of fluids and repairs as I workout more and more… but maybe I’ll get back on the scale this weekend and see if I’ve made any sort of dent.

Just a quick review – I started this whole journey 5 years ago now and my top weight [that I recorded] was 255lbs. I’m 5’7″ tall and of medium build. I’ve always been muscular – and so, always heavier than my girlfriends, even when I was considered ‘thin’ in highschool. At 160lbs I’m a size 8. Right now I’m hovering between 10/12 and am around 195lbs. My lowest before the plateau and recent weight gain was 185lbs. I’d like to get down to 155-160 as a goal range, but honestly, I don’t really care about the number on the scale anymore. I’m more concerned with how I feel and how my clothes fit. I want to get back to being a consistent size 8 and stay active and healthy until I drop dead. That’s my goal now. Which I feel shows I’ve come a long way mentally and emotionally from where I started 5+ years ago.

I’ve also adopted a new personal philosophy that has helped me maintain a happy, optimistic attitude, even through being diagnosed [and not knowing if I had cancer for 2 weeks], and then through surgery and recovery. My husband actually told me he was proud of me for how I handled things and even said ‘the old you would have fallen apart.’ This meant a lot to me because in the 18+ years we’ve been together he’s never said out loud that he’s proud of me. He’s not the complimenting type.

So, my posts going forward will probably have a ‘primal’ spin to them. I’ll post my experiences, victories, information, but I have to recommend Mark’s blog if you’re interested in Primal living at all – It’s Mark’s Daily Apple and it is fantastic. He started it in 2006 so there’s a TON of material to read, including some really amazing success stories for motivation. I started from the most recent and am working my way backwards. I’m on page 80 of 600+, so I have a ways to go, but I’m loving it. I also have his cookbooks for meal inspiration and have had so much fun making new things like homemade chicken liver pate, and yesterday I finished off my first bone broth, that I simmered for 2 full days to extract all the nutritious goodness out of some grass-fed cow femur pieces. After a day or so you can actually cut through the bones with a knife to get at all the little pockets of marrow and gelatin – so full of nutrients. It’s like drinking a multivitamin. Another staple of my diet lately is a homemade coconut soup that I can make hot and spicy or mild and creamy… I’ve added seafood, veggies, chicken or any combination I have on hand for fast meals. I eat a lot of greens and veggies, 1-2 fruits per day, a little full-fat dairy and a huge variety of animal proteins [grassfed, organic, no hormones, no nitrates or nitrites, etc.].

I’ve concluded after almost 4 weeks of eating this way that I’m done with grains and will be tossing an entire pantry shelf-ful of whole grains I know I won’t use. I waited this long to be absolutely certain I liked eating this way and WANTED to do without them… It’ll be nice to use all that space for other things like raw nuts and seeds, bulk spices, etc. And I’m so happy to be weight lifting again. Nothing feels as good as lifting heavy – and NO, it doesn’t bulk us girls up… It just makes me feel tight and strong. After 2 months off, it’s great being excited about activity again!

Until next time… Cheers!