Newbie Introduction!
KittyMarie13
Posts: 75
First off I apologize for the lengthy post; I try not to write novels, but I always seem to.
Hi! I'm a newbie looking to start Primal eating, and I wanted to introduce myself to the group.
I've been wanting to lose weight for many many years, but I've actually been putting in the effort for about the last year. I have a personal trainer, I've been working out 5-6 days a week for at least 1 hour (alternating HIT, cardio, & strength), watching calories, eating healthy (both real foods and the conventional wisdom "healthy" foods)..... and nothing is really happening. I get exhausted after a week of workouts and calorie restrictions, I never really feel satisfied by my food, and by the weekend I'm so tired and hungry that I either lay around all day or carb-load and then feel like crap. Calorie in calorie out just can't be the be-all-end-all of healthy living, because with that math I should be (at least) 10 lbs lighter than I am now (actually 15+ but I'm leaving room errors). So I stumbled upon MDA and Primal, and I think this might be the answer I've been looking for. I know that this isn't going to be an easy breezy transition, but the logic of Primal rings really true to me. Plus I love meat and veggies; the hardest part of my previous efforts was lack of fats. Butter, olive oil, red meat, salmon, bacon... they make life tasty!
So I bought the 21 day Primal book with the intention of starting in full force on Monday. I can't do the pantry clean, my sister and I share a place and she isn't interested in giving up grains (but she is good with other healthy/real food). I've been scouring the topics here to get a feel for what I should be on the lookout for, like carb-flu. I did have some questions, if anyone has the time to look this over, and was hoping for some Primal/Paleo friends. I'm not telling anyone irl about this, yet, because I really want to give it a try before people try to give me the "glorious carbs" speech. So now for my plea of assistance:
If anyone has time could you look at my diary for August 22 (yesterday)? I made a mock menu for items I am most likely to eat in a day and I was hoping for some feedback. I set my macros to 50f/30p/20c based on what I've seen others set to.
Is there anything that can be done to ease the carb-flu? I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be a lucky duck and get to skip it, but I'd like to be as functional as possible.
Any/All feedback or suggestions are welcomed!
Btw - I have to say this group is the most supportive and drama free I've ever seen on one of these sites. That gives me a lot of hope that this eating plan is where I belong! Y'all Rock!
Hi! I'm a newbie looking to start Primal eating, and I wanted to introduce myself to the group.
I've been wanting to lose weight for many many years, but I've actually been putting in the effort for about the last year. I have a personal trainer, I've been working out 5-6 days a week for at least 1 hour (alternating HIT, cardio, & strength), watching calories, eating healthy (both real foods and the conventional wisdom "healthy" foods)..... and nothing is really happening. I get exhausted after a week of workouts and calorie restrictions, I never really feel satisfied by my food, and by the weekend I'm so tired and hungry that I either lay around all day or carb-load and then feel like crap. Calorie in calorie out just can't be the be-all-end-all of healthy living, because with that math I should be (at least) 10 lbs lighter than I am now (actually 15+ but I'm leaving room errors). So I stumbled upon MDA and Primal, and I think this might be the answer I've been looking for. I know that this isn't going to be an easy breezy transition, but the logic of Primal rings really true to me. Plus I love meat and veggies; the hardest part of my previous efforts was lack of fats. Butter, olive oil, red meat, salmon, bacon... they make life tasty!
So I bought the 21 day Primal book with the intention of starting in full force on Monday. I can't do the pantry clean, my sister and I share a place and she isn't interested in giving up grains (but she is good with other healthy/real food). I've been scouring the topics here to get a feel for what I should be on the lookout for, like carb-flu. I did have some questions, if anyone has the time to look this over, and was hoping for some Primal/Paleo friends. I'm not telling anyone irl about this, yet, because I really want to give it a try before people try to give me the "glorious carbs" speech. So now for my plea of assistance:
If anyone has time could you look at my diary for August 22 (yesterday)? I made a mock menu for items I am most likely to eat in a day and I was hoping for some feedback. I set my macros to 50f/30p/20c based on what I've seen others set to.
Is there anything that can be done to ease the carb-flu? I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be a lucky duck and get to skip it, but I'd like to be as functional as possible.
Any/All feedback or suggestions are welcomed!
Btw - I have to say this group is the most supportive and drama free I've ever seen on one of these sites. That gives me a lot of hope that this eating plan is where I belong! Y'all Rock!
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Replies
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Hi there:) Welcome to the group, you are so right about this group, it's nothing but amazing support! I had the carb-flu for almost 2 weeks, I was so tired and cranky all of the time. I found out afterwards that some fruit or sweet potato would've helped but I'm passed that now, and I rarely crave sugar and have no troubles passing up candy or donuts so it's worked out well for me. Good luck on your journey!
Oh and I know what you mean about not losing, I spent weeks/months with a personal trainer and following a standard low fat diet. I am now losing, doing exactly opposite that.
And your diary looks delicious from the 22:)0 -
I am on week 3, and it is getting much harder for me. My boyfriend and I went on a camping trip last weekend, and I had a hot dog and s'mores.
My carb flu was not too bad, at least for me. I was so angry, all the time. It lasted about 4 days, and it was like super PMS. I just tried to isolate myself, so I would not get into too much trouble. My advice is to always be prepared. If you do not have food with you, you will find the wrong kind. Also, do not cheat too early into the diet. Coming back is so difficult. Help that helps.
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Welcome!
I am also new to the group and the lifestyle - at the end of week 2 now. I felt actually "fluish" on day 3, weak on day 4, but since then I have felt fine. I don't crave sugars or sweets. Dropped 5 pounds last week without trying to. The cooking is new and demanding, but I get up early and cook and make myself a lunch to take to work... my husband and sons are not going paleo, so I know what it is like not to be able to just "throw it all out" and have a clean kitchen.
If you add me, I will be there to shout support in the moments of temptation 0 -
Your meal plan for the 22nd looks awesome!
I don't think there's much you can do skip the carb flu - I'd been gluten and mostly grain free for over a year when I went paleo/primal last September, and I still suffered through it though it was milder than what a lot of people report.
And I second the advice to plan. If you can plan breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks for at least the first week or two, I think it really helps it stick. Also, if you're cooking protein, cook extra to have on hand for lunch or emergencies. I also chop and cook double veggies most of the time, especially if it's something like an onion and bell pepper combo. Little tricks like that make it easier to avoid that fast food/processed food trap when you're tired, stressed or just plain don't want to cook!
Good luck! Send me a friend request if you'd like - I try to be pretty active and supportive.0 -
Hello!
Two words: BATCH COOK. Batch cooking has saved me sooooo many times when I've felt like it'd just be easier to eat an English muffin or something rather than cook. When I get home from the store I chop all my veggies, bag and freeze individual portions of proteins, and then cook 3-4 meals worth of food and refrigerate. Then all I have to do is heat a meals or toss some veggies in a pan and I'm done. My husband still loves his carbs so I have them in the house still and if I have something a few minutes away from being ready to eat, the carbs are much less tempting.
Carb flu will be kinda dependent on how "carbed up" you are. I'd keep some sweet potatoes and fruits on hand to help.0 -
I'm so glad you posted this! I'm trying to start out and I'm struggling too! I get home from work and I'm exhausted and the last thing I want to do some nights is cook. I haven't really planned anything, but I intend to do so before I do my grocery shopping this weekend. I've also bought a couple cookbooks, so I can learn some basic go-to recipes.
Feel free to send me a friend request if you want. I can always use more friends!0 -
Welcome! :flowerforyou: I'm new myself - have only been eating Paleo this week. Feel free to friend me if you want.
By the way, what exactly is "carb flu"? Thanks!0 -
Never mind - I googled it. 0
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Thanks everyone for the support, advice, and taking a look at my diary/plan. I'm really excited to get this going, and I think with a little work initially I can get into a good rhythm. I'm a big fan of crock pots and batch cooking, so I'm working up a recipe list and corresponding grocery list so I can spend Saturday cooking and prepping. I'm chopping up veggies and meats and bagging them with broth and herbs so I can freeze them and have quick grab and toss in the crock pot options for when life gets hectic. Best part is that I can eat them as is, and my sister can mix them with rice or pasta or whatever so I'm still only cooking one meal for the house. I also like the idea of cooking up extra proteins; nothing says fast and healthy like a grab and go chicken salad.
And thanks for the heads up on the carb-flu and fruit/sweet potatoes. Strawberries are on the grocery list already so I'll make sure I have enough. If I get hard to deal with I'm just planning on telling people I'm sick; there's cold/flu stuff going around the office and my sister's work so no one will question it.
Is anyone else doing this while keeping up a regular exercise routine? I plan on cutting back on the lengthy cardio, but there are Turbo Kick and Strength/Calisthenics classes that I really enjoy at my gym. I'm thinking Turbo Kick is more of my "run as fast as you can - fight or flight" type workout, and the Strength class is half sprinting half lift heavy things. He has us run, high knees, go go go... then lift lift lift... go go go...etc. He has the heart rate going up and down for a full hour.
The gym is my social place right now, so while I know I can do some things outside of the gym I'll probably still do a lot of my workouts there. Plus they have a sauna, steam room, and hot tub.
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I went paleo about 11 months ago. I had very little f the carb flu, but significant caffeine withdrawal from giving up my morning Coke. I did have cravings and such, but fruit is a good bridge. I will say that I very likely consume too much of it, so haven't really kicked my sugar addiction. My go-to stuff have been eggs and cured pork product of some sort. I keep almonds around to snack on. I was never a big fan of them, but they taste better than they used to now. I like pistachios a lot too. I was never able to give up dairy, but it doesn't seem to cause me any issues. I stayed pretty compliant other than that for the first month, and have had only a couple minor places where I fell off the wagon. I dropped about 30 pounds the first couple months, but then stalled out, but maintained my weight while my body composition changed. 2 months ago I started kickboxing, whereas before the only activity I had was walking my dogs ( a lot). I go 2-3 times a week, and lost some belly fat, but no weight for a couple weeks, then a week ago I tweaked my macros to lower my carb intake and up the fat, and I lost 2 pounds since then. Also I started eating more calories, which I think was just as bad as not eating enough fat. Your macros look like they are set similar to mine. Feel free to snoop my diary for more food suggestions. I try to make stuff in batches, too, but lots of times I end up scrambling. I would imagine that perhaps you were working yourself out too much and got fatigued. Maybe 2 Turbo kick classes and one Strength class would be adequate. You need to get your rest in, too! Good luck with everything!0
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Hey Kitty, welcome!
Like everyone else, I was suffering carb flu, what helped was to up my carb intake from about 50g to about 75g (YMMV). It sucks, but you get over it.
I found this meal plan about 6 months ago and it has been on my fridge since then. I didn't end up following it (I'm more a spontaneous eater), but even my (non-paleo) men thought the meal plan looked pretty yummy. Maybe it will help you :
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-meal-plan/
Good luck!0 -
So i started Paleo in may and I felt amazing the weight was flying off, i had never felt healthier, then about a month and half after i started i dislocated my knee, so who did i turn to in my need of comfort, hot cheetos, pizza and my arch nemesis Baked goods. Now as my weight is inching back up I've decided to get healthier, for good this time. Today is the first day and i am already having carb withdrawals.0
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Hello and welcome - I have found this group to be very supportive and helpful with all of my questions! I just recently finished reading The Primal Blueprint and spent the first week just avoiding bread, pasta, etc. I'm now on my second week of trying to follow the Primal lifestyle, which differs a bit from Paleo with the view on dairy. I have to say I started this all right after a wonderful vacation where I came back with an extra 4-5 pounds. Over the past two weeks, I have lost most of the vacation weight and am hoping to make progress towards losing the other 20 pounds I want to lose.
First week without bread went fine...then last weekend I had two days where I felt out of sorts - a bit light-headed, foggy, achy - most likely the carb-flu, but thankfully it was short-lived and I am feeling great this week!
I'm still trying to get my ahead around consuming a higher number of fat grams....and have to do more work on keeping my carb grams between 50g and 100g today as is recommended by Primal. It's amazing how the carbs quickly add up!
Would love to have more paleo/primal friends, so please feel free to add me.0 -
Is anyone else doing this while keeping up a regular exercise routine? I plan on cutting back on the lengthy cardio, but there are Turbo Kick and Strength/Calisthenics classes that I really enjoy at my gym.
If anything I kicked up my routine a little bit. It's not a diet, but a lifestyle, as they say ad naseam. I did feel a bit weak about 4 days in, but I still did my workout and pushed on. Feeling fine now. 0 -
Feel free to add me, or anyone can. I have been doing Primal 80/20 for about the last couple of months. Plan on starting again, the Whole 30 September 1st.0
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Is anyone else doing this while keeping up a regular exercise routine? I plan on cutting back on the lengthy cardio, but there are Turbo Kick and Strength/Calisthenics classes that I really enjoy at my gym.
If anything I kicked up my routine a little bit. It's not a diet, but a lifestyle, as they say ad naseam. I did feel a bit weak about 4 days in, but I still did my workout and pushed on. Feeling fine now.
I do CrossFit twice a week and work with a trainer twice a week. That and I have to start to get in some good long walks - I am doing the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Research in NYC in October (26 miles on Saturday and 13 on Sunday)!0 -
Welcome! I am just now in my second month and I never had the carbon flu that I am aware. I agree with the prep. It has been a saver for quick snacking! I heart Paleo!0
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Welcome, and feel free to check out my diary or friend me. I eat primal blueprint and it's been great for me. 9 lbs lost since July mostly from diet, not exercise.
I had a rough carb flu from about Day 3 to Day 10. Major fatigue and the blues. All I wanted to do was nap and I really had a hard time motivating at work. I felt very foggy-brained and pretty damned irritable. I think I was also eating too few calories at the time, so that didn't help. I was just starting at a new gym with HIIT, and it was really hard to motivate to go. During those days, it was hard to feel positive about the diet... I was saying "yay, Primal!" but that's not how I was feeling.
I will say my sugar cravings disappeared pretty quickly. Maybe after only 5 days or so. I started the diet and stocked up with lots of dark chocolate, and most of it is still sitting unopened. Before I started, I wanted and ate something sweet after EVERY lunch and dinner. Now I only do occasionally, and I feel like it's for fun, not to feed a craving.
On Day 11, the fatigue and blues just disappeared. Since then it's been great. I feel very satisfied with my meals.
Ditto to what's said above about batch cooking. I'm bad at it, but want to do better. The best thing for me has been to make sure I pack my lunch every day. I also have a box at work full of paleo-friendly snacks. I do much less snacking than I used to, but it's good to have them there for when I just feel like crunching. I raided the raw foods aisle at Whole Foods and bought a bunch of seed-based snacks. And I ordered 30 packs of Sophia's grass-fed survival jerky which I like better than any of the jerky at health food stores. I'm going to try to order jerky from US Wellness Meats next to try them.
I've also accepted the fact that while salads usually bore me, I like eating the same veggies separately. So my lunches are often 1/2 cucumber, 2 medium carrots cut into chunks, avocado, chunks of cheese, some berries or peach, and some sort of protein. It takes me longer to eat and I just like it better than making salads all the time.
My house is overflowing with processed crap. My husband is a sugar freak and often comes home with cookies and pastries. I can't complain because I really much prefer this addiction to the one he previously had. But, I find that I have no problem at all avoiding those evil bombs of sugar. They just don't tempt me anymore. I still cook rice/pasta/bread for the family, and I just make sure I have plenty of veggies instead. I love love love zucchini pasta and I'm now a fan of cauliflower rice.
Best of luck for your journey!0
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