Primal Blueprint 21 Day Transformation

bonkers5975

I'm just wondering if there's anyone out there following, or interested in starting the Primal Blueprint/Paleo plan. My husband and I are going to do 21 day total body transformation, and thought this would be a good place to log our successes, stay on track, and post tips and tricks along the way. I have a serious peanut addiction, and will be kicking that to the curb.

Anyway, anyone that would like to join in, please introduce yourself and feel free to contribute!

We plan to begin officially on Monday, but I will be doing my shopping and stocking tomorrow in prep.

Good luck and Grok on!

Ange

amycal

Good luck. I am currently following a plan my mom's doctor outlined for her which is somewhat paleo - although it does allow some beans and steel cut oats in phase 2. I have lost 3.3 pounds in first 7 days of it!

Drunkadelic

I eat mostly Primal but I'm not sure what the 21 Day Transformation entails.

I love eating this way - I've never been happier with a diet in my life!

Good luck!

bonkers5975

Great job, guys!

Ang, the 21 day trans. is a book Mark has just released. It's available at Amazon for 15 bucks, and just pulls the Blueprint into an actionable plan to get the ball rolling. It's an interesting read.

For those who feel like they can't do this because they need a book, check out Mark's Daily Apple over at http://www.marksdailyapple.com . Everything you need to know is there, and I'm happy to answer any questions I am able to.

Good luck!

bonkers5975

I am just cruising Mark's website for some new recipes and am finding some great ones that I plan to try this coming week. Any diet plan is effortless to follow if the food is spectacular! Check out this recipe for terrine: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/pork-beef-and-liver-terrine/

And this one for Creamy Macadamia Shrimp: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/creamy-macadamia-shrimp/

I'm going to pick a couple to take out for a test drive and to vary my normal stirfry and roasted chicken fare.

PrimalMorningMoon

Anyway, anyone that would like to join in, please introduce yourself and feel free to contribute!

We plan to begin officially on Monday, but I will be doing my shopping and stocking tomorrow in prep.

Good luck and Grok on!

Ange

I want to participate. Will you post the challenges from the book? At least until mine arrives, since I'm thinking of ordering one.

bonkers5975

I will. Even though day one is all about purging the pantry, I'm doing that part this weekend. I had to do my shopping for the week today. So I emptied my pantry and fridge of non primal foods, for instance I had some cans of corn, some white flour, and some peanut butter. This wasn't too hard for me, since I have been mostly primal for the last 18 months or so! But for those of you just starting out, eliminate the grains (including corn) all the processed junk and cereals, legumes and snack foods.

Stock up with meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cream, tons of fresh veggies (avoid the potatoes for now), good fats like olive and coconut oil, and some snacky stuff like macadamias, almonds, pecans, walnuts, jerky, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, etc. Have some cream and coconut milk on hand for cooking and coffee.

My best advice to guide you through this is to visit Mark's Daily Apple. They have some great recipes. To keep costs down, I choose two or three recipes for dinner, and buy for those recipes. That will take care of the week's dinners. Then we do salad or a homemade soup or piece of meat for lunch. Eggs or omelets for breakfast.

Please let me know if you have questions!

Ange

missmorninglory

I just received my book today. It's very heavy and colorful I started doing Paleo over the summer but the last few months my life has been kinda crazy. So I'm hoping this will get me back on track for good! I haven't even looked at the challenges in the book. Did you plan on posting them or initiating discussion in some way? I just really wanna chit-chat with some primal girls

bonkers5975

Hi morningglory. I don't have any structure in mind. I too, just wanted to share the 21 day journey with someone, and thought it might help to keep us motivated. I will not post the challenges in full detail, just because I work and I don't know when I'll have the time, but I will outline the challenges for the day, and point whoever is interested in the right direction!

So chit chat away. I would love to hear about your sucesses and challenges with the primal lifestyle.

evanslawn

I'm starting the Transformation on Monday. Do you have any good smoothie recipes?

bonkers5975

For smoothies, I use greek yogurt, (and I never measure anything!) but probably about 1/2 cup, a handful of berries, frozen or fresh, some ground flax, a little splenda, and then thin with water or milk. I have not figured out how to make a truly low carb smoothie, and I've never used a protein powder, either, so likely someone else will have a better recipe!

Oh, sometimes I add a half a banana or a squirt of vanilla extract.

Ange

missmorninglory

I'm starting the Transformation on Monday. Do you have any good smoothie recipes?

I make a vanilla banana smoothie a few times a week. One cup of almond milk, scoop of protein powder, ice and 1/2 frozen banana. I like a milkshake consistency, frozen fruit really helps to get that. For protein powder I like Optimum Nutrition, currently the vanilla ice cream flavor.

missmorninglory

For smoothies, I use greek yogurt, (and I never measure anything!) but probably about 1/2 cup, a handful of berries, frozen or fresh, some ground flax, a little splenda, and then thin with water or milk. I have not figured out how to make a truly low carb smoothie, and I've never used a protein powder, either, so likely someone else will have a better recipe!

Oh, sometimes I add a half a banana or a squirt of vanilla extract.

Ange

I really need to put ground flax on the shopping list! Also, those BlenderBottles are pretty awesome if you just need to throw something together really quick.

http://www.amazon.com/BlenderBottle-28-oz-Black-Green-20-oz/dp/B003IL9P9A/ref=sr_1_8?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1319328370&sr=1-8

missmorninglory

Hi morningglory. I don't have any structure in mind. I too, just wanted to share the 21 day journey with someone, and thought it might help to keep us motivated. I will not post the challenges in full detail, just because I work and I don't know when I'll have the time, but I will outline the challenges for the day, and point whoever is interested in the right direction!

So chit chat away. I would love to hear about your sucesses and challenges with the primal lifestyle.

I am currently working my way through the semester from h*** :P But, I'll try to stay on top of things and I have not actually even looked at the challenges yet so I should probably do that. It only just occurred to me that it's almost halloween, since my mom just brought over more sugar than a group of schoolchildren will ever need!

PrimalMorningMoon

I will. Even though day one is all about purging the pantry, I'm doing that part this weekend. I had to do my shopping for the week today. So I emptied my pantry and fridge of non primal foods, for instance I had some cans of corn, some white flour, and some peanut butter. This wasn't too hard for me, since I have been mostly primal for the last 18 months or so! But for those of you just starting out, eliminate the grains (including corn) all the processed junk and cereals, legumes and snack foods.

Stock up with meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cream, tons of fresh veggies (avoid the potatoes for now), good fats like olive and coconut oil, and some snacky stuff like macadamias, almonds, pecans, walnuts, jerky, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, etc. Have some cream and coconut milk on hand for cooking and coffee.

My best advice to guide you through this is to visit Mark's Daily Apple. They have some great recipes. To keep costs down, I choose two or three recipes for dinner, and buy for those recipes. That will take care of the week's dinners. Then we do salad or a homemade soup or piece of meat for lunch. Eggs or omelets for breakfast.

Please let me know if you have questions!

Ange

I've been cleaning out the pantry and restocking only primal foods. My Spouse is not totally on board, but he'll get there... Tonight I made taco seasoned ground beef and fixed all the veggies to put on a taco. We had three taco shells from the last time we had tacos. He ate those, and I had a big ol' yummy taco salad.

I went to the farmer's market today and got relatively reasonably priced pastured eggs and (mmm) grass-fed and organic beef liver. And a few tomatoes. So far, lifesaving things for me are the eggs, coconut oil and coconut butter, pumpkin seeds and unsweetened coconut flakes, and dark chocolate...really dark, cuz it's not my favorite so doesn't seem to trigger cravings.

I not-too-long ago bought a vitamix specifically because of THIS smoothie...

1/2 c of fruit juice or water
1/2 banana
1/2 lime
1 c or so kale
ice

makes THE yummiest slushie-type smoothie.

I like your idea of choosing several recipes...that sounds smart and I may try that this week, although I've already done most of the shopping.

bonkers5975

Good Sunday morning to everyone!

Sounds like you're right on track, Graysgirl. My lifesavers are... well, I don't know yet! They were hills bros double mocha (sf) and peanut butter. Now that I have to cut those out, I will have to find another go-to.

I did buy a huge bag of pistachios yesterday, and plenty of heavy cream. I will be so glad when our family cow comes back into milk in December; I'd forgotten how pricey cream and butter are. Thankfully, I still have homemade butter made from fresh raw cream in the freezer. If I go easy, it may last me the next 6 weeks.

So what results are y'all hoping to see at the end of this 21 days?

I would like to see some fat loss, hopefully of at least 8 or 10 lbs.

I would like to be back into the swing of regular exercise that my plantar fascitiis have nixed the past few months.

I would like to be free of splenda, and free of cravings for sugar and wheat.

Does that sound reasonable?

bonkers5975

Day 1 challenges

Purge your home of non-primal foods.

Restock with primal fare. If you can't get to the store, stop somewhere and grab a few basics to get you through.

Increase your daily movement by adding in at least 2 5-15 minute strolls, with the dog, the kids, during your lunch break, after dinner, etc.

Reduce exposure to digital media in the evening, and even consider lowering light levels after dark. Prepare for success the following day by planning your walks, planning for sprints locations, choosing active wear and planning meals and snacks.

Fill out Day 1 journal. Honestly


Guys, I am giving you the bare bones here. For more detail, you'll have to find a copy of the book. If you go through marksdailyapple.com, they are running a great deal with amazon, and I got the book for 15 bucks. I don't know if I'll be able to do this every day, but at the very least, I would like to post my journal entries, and I would like to read yours if you have time to post them.

This is in prep for tomorrow, which is Monday. Day 1!

Grok on!
Ange

Journal Entry: Day : Success Score (1-10):

Kitchen/Pantry Purge

Hardest part:

Best part:

Comments:



Restock Preparation

Primal shopping resources:

Comments:


Increase Daily Movement

Ways you can increase daily movement over the long-term:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Describe today's movement endeavors (morning, midday, evening stroll, etc.):

1.

2.

3.

Primal Essentials

Items acquired today:

Comments:

Summary Comments

Daily energy levels 1-10:
Hunger level between meals 1-10:
Satisfaction levels with meals 1-10:
Struggles today with Primal efforts:
Benefits noticed from Primal efforts:
Daily highlight/s:

Daily needs-to-improve:

missmorninglory

Ange, I can't believe you typed all that up! Hopefully it will help those that don't have the book yet.

In regards to results, I did Paleo Robb Wolf style in the summer. I'll give you a brief recap but keep in mind that I'm on the wrong side of 30 The first week I dropped just over 7 pounds which was all kinds of awesome and then pretty much stalled. Over the next 5 weeks I dropped an additional 3 pounds. In total I lost nearly 11 pounds in 6 weeks. After the initial loss, getting the numbers to move was like pulling teeth. Grrr.

People will tell you this is just water weight, blah blah blah. It's not, when the scale isn't moving your body is still changing. Somebody remind me I said that in 2 weeks when I'm whining about the scale lol. Anyways, even though the scale stopped. I ended up needing all new clothes.

But let's talk about how freakin' happy I'll be in about 4 days. If you've never done this type of eating you're about to see just how depressing carbs make you. The cravings stop. I always looked at people like they were crazy when they said that but I am a true sugar addict and I swear its true. All that sugary stuff won't even appeal to you, you won't be tired or moody and half the time you won't even be hungry.

Well, that concludes my sunday sermon on eat fat not sugar

Christine

bonkers5975

Christine, been there, know that! That's one reason I'm renewing my efforts with the help of this challenge. So very true, and I too am a raging sugar addict

I routinely lose 6 to 7 lbs in the first week, then, previously on primal, I lost about 3 lbs a week. But then it stopped. I'm thinking now I took the slow down badly and some bad stuff sneaked in. Hopefully this will get me back where I need to be.

I would really love to be down 50 lbs by next summer. I don't know if it will happen, but it sure would make me happy

Honestly, any downward movement and I'll be ecstatic. haha

bonkers5975

DH and I took our before pictures today. Wearing only undies. I'm seriously afraid to look at mine. Eek.

bonkers5975

I am working out tomorrow's menu so that I am fully prepped to get hubby off to work and have time to care for the livestock before starting my own work.

This will be dinner tomorrow night. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/heritage-turkey-and-mashed-parsnips/
With it, I am going to prepare fresh snapped greens, and mashed pumpkin. (The pumpkin is canned, but it is natural, no sweetners or sugar added.)

Breakfast will be eggs, maybe with some salsa.

Lunch will be a big salad with radishes, carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, sunflower seeds and olives, and 1/2 of a twelve ounce can of swanson chicken breast packed in water. It will be dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Snacks will consist of some dried veggie chips, carrot and celery sticks, and pistachios or almonds, or a mixture of both.

The turkey will be used for lunches for the rest of the week, some jerky once I get my dehydrator, and this recipe for one or two breakfasts: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/root-vegetable-hash/

Let me know what primal recipes you want to or have or plan to try!

Grok on!
Ange

PrimalMorningMoon

I know it sounds really icky and not a little scary, but a spoonful of coconut oil, or coconut manna, or coconut butter, or even a handful of shredded coconut (unsweetened) will kick sugar cravings butt.

S'truth. Word. :flowerforyou:

missmorninglory

I know it sounds really icky and not a little scary, but a spoonful of coconut oil, or coconut manna, or coconut butter, or even a handful of shredded coconut (unsweetened) will kick sugar cravings butt.

S'truth. Word. :flowerforyou:

I've been so close to picking up some coconut oil and I always chicken out. Maybe next week I still have to make myself eat avocados. Its not the taste, but the mushiness that puts me off.

momof8munchkins

I have been doing eating pretty strict paleo for months and doing the leptin reset since September.. I am curious what the 21-day transformation is all about

PrimalMorningMoon

I have been doing eating pretty strict paleo for months and doing the leptin reset since September.. I am curious what the 21-day transformation is all about

I just got the book on my Kindle. (Still want a paper copy to share around.) The contents of the book include kind of a condensed version of what's in The Primal Blueprint (see www.marksdailyapple.com for what's in that, though I suspect you already know that website.) Then it has the 21 day challenge with things to do every day to move ever closer to a Primal lifestyle in every way...diet, fitness, and other lifestyle factors. Starts with the purge and restock, with lots of good ideas on the shopping list and some easy meals and recipes. It includes what to do for workouts, sleep, play, and everything. Not like micromanaged, but goals and ideas. I've only read through the first week of the challenge. It seems pretty complete as well as doable. Since I've been doing this for a couple of weeks, I've already done some, but can definitely use encouragement and ideas to keep going and get it ingrained.

What do you see as the difference between paleo and Primal? I don't want it to be even a debate, I'm just wondering.

missmorninglory

I have been doing eating pretty strict paleo for months and doing the leptin reset since September.. I am curious what the 21-day transformation is all about

Hi We met briefly on a different paleo thread. How is the weight loss going now? I've seen mention of the leptin reset but what is it exactly? If it's not too much trouble to explain it. The brief information I've seen makes it sound like a carb frenzy :happy:

bonkers5975

Graysgirl, my understanding (and I know too little about paleo) is that paleo is stricter, for instance NO dairy. Just what I've heard, tho'.

Yes, I'd like to know about the lectin thing too?

Well, guys, let me wish everyone luck as they wake up on Day 1 tomorrow!

Grok on!
Ange

PrimalMorningMoon

I created a template of the journal from the book in my blog here. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Graysgirl/view/21-day-primal-challenge-journal-template-162154 Please cut&paste if you want it. If I've got it set so you can't view it, let me know and I'll make setting adjustments.

I hope you all are having a good day 1. I used my mouth to purge the house of the very last of the almond m&ms--teeny tiny bit primal anyway, right? Other than that faux pax, the day is going well. Now I'm off to "increase my movement."

momof8munchkins

I have been doing eating pretty strict paleo for months and doing the leptin reset since September.. I am curious what the 21-day transformation is all about

Hi We met briefly on a different paleo thread. How is the weight loss going now? I've seen mention of the leptin reset but what is it exactly? If it's not too much trouble to explain it. The brief information I've seen makes it sound like a carb frenzy :happy:

Hi again.. weight loss is coming slowly for me.. 22 since goign paleo 6 months ago.. 4 last month nothing since. But that is common on the reset for women..not a lot of weight loss until leptin sensitivity is gained. the leptin reset is 6-8 weeks long, extremely low carb.. 50 grams or less for most. 25 grams or less for those needing to loose more than 30 lbs. it is strict paleo with eating 50 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking.. no cardio and no weight training until certain things have taken place in your body.

here you can find more info on the subject

http://jackkruse.com/the-leptin-rx-faqs/

momof8munchkins

I have been doing eating pretty strict paleo for months and doing the leptin reset since September.. I am curious what the 21-day transformation is all about

I just got the book on my Kindle. (Still want a paper copy to share around.) The contents of the book include kind of a condensed version of what's in The Primal Blueprint (see www.marksdailyapple.com for what's in that, though I suspect you already know that website.) Then it has the 21 day challenge with things to do every day to move ever closer to a Primal lifestyle in every way...diet, fitness, and other lifestyle factors. Starts with the purge and restock, with lots of good ideas on the shopping list and some easy meals and recipes. It includes what to do for workouts, sleep, play, and everything. Not like micromanaged, but goals and ideas. I've only read through the first week of the challenge. It seems pretty complete as well as doable. Since I've been doing this for a couple of weeks, I've already done some, but can definitely use encouragement and ideas to keep going and get it ingrained.

What do you see as the difference between paleo and Primal? I don't want it to be even a debate, I'm just wondering.

as far as I know the only difference between them is Paleo is non-dairy.

missmorninglory

Hi again.. weight loss is coming slowly for me.. 22 since goign paleo 6 months ago.. 4 last month nothing since. But that is common on the reset for women..not a lot of weight loss until leptin sensitivity is gained. the leptin reset is 6-8 weeks long, extremely low carb.. 50 grams or less for most. 25 grams or less for those needing to loose more than 30 lbs. it is strict paleo with eating 50 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking.. no cardio and no weight training until certain things have taken place in your body.

here you can find more info on the subject

http://jackkruse.com/the-leptin-rx-faqs/

That really doesn't seem awful to me. I can never seem to eat a ton of carbs on Paleo. However, 50 grams of protein for breakfast! Good gravy!! I hope it helps with your weight loss