Monday, August 3, 2009

Primal Challenge! and some rambling

Ok, so I've been really slacking on my blog. Sorry guys! I've been eating not so great lately. Not terrible, just not great. Also, my doctor put me on thyroid a few weeks back and I just got retested to see if the dosage was accurate and it seems like my levels have gotten worse instead of better. Which sucks, but it at least makes me feel better about the "mysterious" 3lbs that I gained over the last month - which I can now contribute to going even more hypothyroid. Yay.

Anyway, Mark's Daily Apple is hosting a month-long Primal Challenge that starts today! What better way to take control back over my eating! And exercise has always been a weak area for me (ie, I don't exercise at all), so I'm hoping to use the challenge as an incentive to kick my own butt into gear. My short term goal is to look good in a two-piece swimsuit by the time the family vacation rolls around on August 23. I think that's better than a size or weight goal, since I've never done exercise before and I don't know what that will do to my weight (might be heavier at a smaller size, or turn into a gorilla, or something, who knows). I will be doing some traveling this month, but I've used that as an excuse to eat crap in the past and always end up feeling cruddy, so I will be making an effort to remain as Primal as possible while I am out of town. This will be hard when I'm staying in a hotel in New Mexico for a few days, but should be much easier during the family vacation which is 2 weeks at the NJ shore in a house with a fully functioning kitchen and a grocery store down the street.

So how does Primal differ from what I usually do? Well I've been thinking about it. In my head, I've always aspired to "paleo," which to me means basically what is laid out in the book Neanderthin or on the http://www.paleodiet.com and http://www.paleofood.com websites. This roughly means:
No grains, dairy, legumes, sugar, processed foods.
Yes meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts.

It has never meant Loren Cordain's "The Paleo Diet" plan, which is maybe what some people think of when I use the word "paleo." Anyway, I have never achieved this ideal of mine. In reality, I think I settled on something resembling Mark Sisson's "Primal" plan before it had a name. What that means in real life is that I mostly stuck to my little list up there, but I had cheese or butter sometimes, or dark chocolate, or some beer, or ate at a restaurant a few times a week (without going overboard, but without being a stickler either). I had always referred to it as "paleo-ish," but I think from now on I will just start calling it "Primal" since it has a name now!

Anyway, it shouldn't be too hard to get back into the swing of the diet. I've had that down for years. What will be the challenging part for me is to incorporate all the other stuff. Here are the list of Primal Blueprint rules:

1. Eat lots of plants and animals
2. Avoid poisonous things
3. Move frequently at a slow pace
4. Lift heavy things
5. Sprint once in a while
6. Get adequate sleep
7. Play
8. Get adequate sunlight
9. Avoid stupid mistakes
10. Use your brain

3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 are going to be my challenge areas. I'm excited to get started though! I'm really curious to see what my body can do if I really start treating it right.

I'm going to be keeping a journal of the challenge here on the blog (at least until I go out of town). I'll weigh and measure myself and take pictures today and track those, and I also want to photograph all my food. It will help keep me honest. :) I'll probably also be tweeting, so if you want to follow me give me an add at @kallyn. If you actually read this whole thing, you are a crazy person and I salute you. Give yourself a (Primal, nut-based) cookie! And check back here later!

7 comments:

Mindy said...

hi! I started eating paleo July 3rd and have been following your blog ever since!! My friend and I used your coconut chicken recipe and it was absolutely AMAZING!! Thank you for all your recipes!!! I also read that you have hypothyroidism.. I do too!! I was diagnosed Jan 2008 and it has been quite the rollercoaster ride ever since. If you ever need someone to talk to, shoot me a message!! My email is MinLee424@gmail.com Stay strong and thanks again for creating this awesome blog!!!

-Mindy =)

Yummy said...

Elizabeth - you are awesome! I am looking forward to your posts and your sure to be amazing results!! :)

Elizabeth said...

Mindy - Yay, I'm so glad you like the recipes! I just got the hypothyroid diagnosis a little over a month ago and I still don't know what the heck to do about it! Sure explains a lot of things though.

YG - Haha thanks! I'm looking forward to yours too. :)

Tracy said...

Hey :) Good luck on the month-long challenge!

btw, when are you going down the shore? I'm going to stay with Joe's family at their beach rental apt at Sea Isle City August 13-15.

Anonymous said...

In sticking with the Primal nutritional program and adding exercise, you will surely see the results you seek. Since you have not exercised in the past, you will experience some frustrations. STICK WITH IT! It gets easier and better and more fun as you go along. Take each day as a new adventure and know that in the long run it will all work out to your amazement. After all, it's obvious your commitment to eating healthy shows that you can see things through. So, adding exercise to your daily routine is right up your alley. Good luck! And yes, thanks for the blog. I check it daily.

Elizabeth said...

Tracy - Ah boo, we'll just miss each other by a week. :( We'll be in Sea Isle City Aug 23-29 and then we'll be in Wildwood for another week after that.

Anon - Thanks for the encouraging words!

Anonymous said...

Hi Elizabeth! I am just noe finding your blog via a Paleo Diet Android app. I don't even remember where I learned about the Paleo Diet, but have been researching and wanting to convert ever since! With Fibromylagia and occasional bouts of acne, I wanted to do it for health reasons mostly. I work out alot, so I figured it would be a plus factor for that too. My mom also has Fibro and since her and my dad have been wanting to lose weight and feel better to no avail, I am hoping Paleo is our answer! Problem is I am feeling overwhelmed due to the fact it seems expensive to follow and time consuming to make most everything from scratch. Have any suggestions for how to get started (and for convincing two stubborn parents to convert too? :)

Thanks - Jes