I know it's been said before, but...
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caribougal
Posts: 865 Member
... it's amazing to me how my eating and, more importantly, my thought patterns have changed since eating Primal.
Prior to July 3:
If I didn't get breakfast at home in the morning (ALWAYS a bagel with lox and cream cheese), I would stop at Einsteins on the way to work and eat a bagel thin (only 110 cal!) with lox and cream cheese. By 11:30, I was hungry for lunch and obsessing about what I would eat, because of course I didn't pack anything. So my choices were Subway, Indian Buffet, Quiznos, Wendy's. All across the street. If I got Wendy's I DROVE across the street because I was too ashamed of eating fast food to bring it back to the office. Plus, even though I would eat it, I can't stand the lingering smell of fries in my office. After eating, I would wash my hands and brush my teeth to remove the fast food stink, and I would still smell it on myself. Oh, and I also had an allergic reaction EVERY TIME I ate fast food fries, but that didn't seem to stop me. If I was "good", I'd drive to Whole Foods and get take out. Spending sometimes $15-20/day on breakfast and lunch. Then, obsess over snacks in the afternoon. No vending machine in my office (THANK GOODNESS!) so I would eat from the snack jar... animal crackers, red licorice, tortilla chips. Or, get in my car and go actually BUY a candy bar. Yes, I did that. Then, go home and IMMEDIATELY head to the fridge for something, anything. And snack while I tried to figure out dinner since I hadn't planned that. Eat dinner, with plenty of carbs, take seconds of those carbs. Then snack on sweets after my kids went upstairs for bath and I did the dishes. Or, snack on them after kids went to sleep.
Ugh. So depressing.
Now, 3 months into Primal:
- I eat breakfast every day, and if I don't have time, I skip it, or just eat fruit/cheese combo. I start to get hungry around noon, but I often think "Oh, it's noon, I'm hungry and I should eat". Then I get distracted by work (or MFP), and I realize it's 1pm and I still haven't eaten. I'm hungry, but not obsessive about it, and not shaky like I used to get. I eat my yummy packed lunch, in my fun PlanetBox that makes everything look pretty and controls portion sizes. In the afternoon, sometimes I snack from my trusty snack box on raw nuts, seeds or other raw snack goodies, jerky or dark chocolate). Sometimes 5pm rolls up and I realize I've had no thought to snack. I'm still bad about planning dinner, but getting better. Usually 4 of 7 nights I have a clear plan, something defrosted and ready to go or some plan for reusing leftovers. I don't eat while I cook, or if I do, it's the veggies I'm preparing. I only ever take seconds of veggies (since I'm not eating the rice/pasta/bread I make). I usually don't have an after dinner snack, and if I do, it's berries, or an apple, cheese, or dark chocolate. I did have ice cream on Monday night as a treat, but not because I was jonesing for a sweet, just because I was way under cals for the day, and I figured it would be good.
I'm so glad I found this lifestyle. Now... it's 1:13 and I'm hungry for my lunch! Ummm... leftover liver, asparagus, and kimchi. My office mates are going to love me when I heat that liver up in the microwave. I think I'm going to hate the kimchi... It's the first time I'm trying it... we'll see.
Prior to July 3:
If I didn't get breakfast at home in the morning (ALWAYS a bagel with lox and cream cheese), I would stop at Einsteins on the way to work and eat a bagel thin (only 110 cal!) with lox and cream cheese. By 11:30, I was hungry for lunch and obsessing about what I would eat, because of course I didn't pack anything. So my choices were Subway, Indian Buffet, Quiznos, Wendy's. All across the street. If I got Wendy's I DROVE across the street because I was too ashamed of eating fast food to bring it back to the office. Plus, even though I would eat it, I can't stand the lingering smell of fries in my office. After eating, I would wash my hands and brush my teeth to remove the fast food stink, and I would still smell it on myself. Oh, and I also had an allergic reaction EVERY TIME I ate fast food fries, but that didn't seem to stop me. If I was "good", I'd drive to Whole Foods and get take out. Spending sometimes $15-20/day on breakfast and lunch. Then, obsess over snacks in the afternoon. No vending machine in my office (THANK GOODNESS!) so I would eat from the snack jar... animal crackers, red licorice, tortilla chips. Or, get in my car and go actually BUY a candy bar. Yes, I did that. Then, go home and IMMEDIATELY head to the fridge for something, anything. And snack while I tried to figure out dinner since I hadn't planned that. Eat dinner, with plenty of carbs, take seconds of those carbs. Then snack on sweets after my kids went upstairs for bath and I did the dishes. Or, snack on them after kids went to sleep.
Ugh. So depressing.
Now, 3 months into Primal:
- I eat breakfast every day, and if I don't have time, I skip it, or just eat fruit/cheese combo. I start to get hungry around noon, but I often think "Oh, it's noon, I'm hungry and I should eat". Then I get distracted by work (or MFP), and I realize it's 1pm and I still haven't eaten. I'm hungry, but not obsessive about it, and not shaky like I used to get. I eat my yummy packed lunch, in my fun PlanetBox that makes everything look pretty and controls portion sizes. In the afternoon, sometimes I snack from my trusty snack box on raw nuts, seeds or other raw snack goodies, jerky or dark chocolate). Sometimes 5pm rolls up and I realize I've had no thought to snack. I'm still bad about planning dinner, but getting better. Usually 4 of 7 nights I have a clear plan, something defrosted and ready to go or some plan for reusing leftovers. I don't eat while I cook, or if I do, it's the veggies I'm preparing. I only ever take seconds of veggies (since I'm not eating the rice/pasta/bread I make). I usually don't have an after dinner snack, and if I do, it's berries, or an apple, cheese, or dark chocolate. I did have ice cream on Monday night as a treat, but not because I was jonesing for a sweet, just because I was way under cals for the day, and I figured it would be good.
I'm so glad I found this lifestyle. Now... it's 1:13 and I'm hungry for my lunch! Ummm... leftover liver, asparagus, and kimchi. My office mates are going to love me when I heat that liver up in the microwave. I think I'm going to hate the kimchi... It's the first time I'm trying it... we'll see.
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Replies
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I am only a few days in and I am already noticing much the same!0
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and keep saying it. Celebrate it. It is something people that haven't reached your point of success can't fathom. They believe they have to eat whole grains, low fat and basically starve themselves of actual nutritious food to lose weight.
I love your point about what you would spend on a crappy breakfast/lunch. For an average work month about $300. This is the secret most people won't face when they say paleo/primal is too expensive.
I found that real food, even organic, is far cheaper than anything in a box.0 -
woohoo!
I have been wheat-free (and trying to keep carbs low) for 2 weeks now and really have noticed a difference in swelling all over my body (I even notice that my face is less swollen). I accidentally ate some soy sauce (wheat) last night and I really paid for it with stomach cramping and running to the bathroom!
Anyways, I am not as good as you are at keeping carbs low, but since keeping an eye on them, I have started making way better choices and eating much healthier!0 -
Liver, mmgh. Gotta pull a piece out tomorrow.0
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I also love my planetbox - everyone at work thinks it is weird and fun...0
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Just googled planetbox!! WOW Thats pretty trick!!I also love my planetbox - everyone at work thinks it is weird and fun...
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I hear you on the eating changes....I ponder that myself all the time, thinking how obsessed I was with food, it was always on my mind, yes I make mistakes and had some cheats, but I have had no wheat of any kind for the last 80 some days, and that is huge, I might have had soy sauce and Rice in my sushi, and Ice-cream oh yes the new yogurt place, you can put it in the cup by the ounce and about 20 different flavors, it got me into their store a few time, but every time I did it I end up with the belly ache, so quite frankly it will not get me next time, the price of pain is to hard on my system.0
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Just googled planetbox!! WOW Thats pretty trick!!I also love my planetbox - everyone at work thinks it is weird and fun...
I totally love my planet box. It helps me pack a variety of colors and flavors, so my lunch is varied and satisfying. People at my office always ogle (is that a word?) my lunch. It also keeps me from eating too quickly. I pack a bunch of finger foods and ET it over the course of an hour. My boys always ask what I put in their special "treat" section. And they love deciding what goes in what section and mix matching the magnets.0 -
OOh... such a pity we don't have them over here.... wouldn't know where to get it...... *sadface*0
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OOh... such a pity we don't have them over here.... wouldn't know where to get it...... *sadface*
I live in Norway - bought it online from their website using paypal.0
