mountainrun73 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. When I've eaten Primal in the past, I seriously have no desire for pasta or booze or crackers or any of that. That is why for me, I feel that my overuse of alcohol (which isn't every day, it goes in spurts) is my body's equivalent of eating all the cakes and cookies in sight. There is actually research showing that alcohol and sugar addiction are essentially the same. Also, when I've cut out alcohol completely for any length of time, it results in really quick weight loss. For me, there is a very clear connection!

As for the recommendation for carbs, I appreciate that - it makes sense. I love bananas after (or before, depending on how long I'm going) a run. I'll add sweet potatoes and white rice, too.

Any advice for making primal/paleo affordable?

FWIW, i just ate some eggs and spinach sautéed in coconut oil...and can already tell that my brain is better able to focus than when I just have a green smoothie.

I'd urge caution in the "starchy paleo" department. Yes, you might need more starch because of your exercise, but you also need to listen to your body. Sounds like you're pretty good at that already.

I found that I tolerate some paleo starches better than others. I can't do white potatoes, because they affect my inflammation issues (so I'm on AIP, pretty much, these days). I find that bananas can hit me pretty hard and trigger carb cravings. However, on one or two occasions I found myself *craving* bananas (and this is when much more "interesting" cheat-food was available -- we were traveling, and at an end-of-tournament celebration in a *very* fancy food store with amazing treats, and all I wanted was a banana, so that's what I got, and it didn't trigger cravings but made me feel deeply satisfied. Makes me think I was low on potassium or something).

Most fruit is too sugar-saturated for me, so it is a very occasional treat. (Like local tree-ripened peaches, in season. Sort of self-limiting.) I do best when my daily fruit consumption entails a cup of fresh berries, or half a grapefruit.

I do not ultra-low-carb. I find I go into ketosis when I dip below 80g of carbs a day. (That's a lot higher than the 30-50g I've heard people talk about.) On the other hand, I can't eat 100g of carbs two days in a row, or I'll trigger carb cravings. So I try to stay between 50-80g a day, with two days a week between 100-150g. But I am not a runner. Am pretty sedentary, and trying to get into walking again, even though I don't really enjoy it.

The carbs my body seems to do best on involve root vegetables like yams/sweet potatoes, beets, artichokes, some carrot, occasional squash. I often find myself rounding out the day with a cup of one or more of these, roasted or, in the case of beets-carrots, made into AIP "nomato" sauce.

It took some "listening to my body" to figure this out, and everyone seems to work a little differently.

As far as making it affordable?

I buy meat from a farmer (beef under $5 a pound if you get a quarter or half at a time). I found boneless leg of lamb at Costco this month for $5 a pound. Costco also sells wild-caught frozen fish, frozen in individual portions so I can cook one filet at a time. I used to eat a lot of eggs, but can't stomach eggs right now. Too bad, because they were pretty cheap protein, and I was able to buy pastured eggs from a local family for half the price they're going at the store, so they were good quality. I buy whole chickens and cut them up or roast them whole, cut the meat off and make bone broth from the carcass. I help out someone with an organic vegetable garden -- free veggies in exchange for labor. When I'm not feeling well enough to work in the garden, I get organic veggies at Costco. I just have to work at eating them so I don't end up throwing them away and wasting money instead of saving it.

When I'm getting my veggies from Costco, my meals are pretty repetitive -- like having organic baby greens a couple times a day, to make sure they get used up, and then the next week I'll buy organic baby spinach instead. When I get them at the farmer's market or from helping my friend with the organic garden, I get a little more variety.

Pretty much any green (kale, beet greens, chard, that sort of thing) tastes better stir-fried with onions, sprinkled with ACV or balsamic or lemon juice. Pretty much any root vegetable or combination thereof (and Brussels sprouts! and squash!) tastes amazing, tossed with oil, seasoned and roasted in an oven until they caramelize. Actually, I like broccoli and cauliflower done this way, too. I buy the big bags of Normandy mix at Costco and roast half a bag at a time. It's supposed to be several meals' worth, but my family tends to eat them up pretty quickly.

I want to thank you for your post. I can relate to everything you are dealing with and I will connect with this thread to see what advice others are giving. Please keep us posted! I am going to abstain from alcohol as well and see if it helps. . So long, cosmos!

Great news! I'm glad to have you as a friend. I have decided that I will abstain from alcohol Monday through Thursday. I will allow a cocktail with dinner on the weekends-only if I have kept carbs low for the day. I think I just enjoy the taste too much and use it as a crutch when I am bored...or hungry...or happy.LOL. I will check in on Friday.

meghanner wrote: »

In terms of your paleo eats, if you're an endurance runner you will NEED starchy carbs in your diet for sufficient recovery. Fill your plate with yams, potatoes, plantains, bananas, white rice after your big runs. These are all cheap and rather clean sources of starch. Choose lower fat meats when you have a carb-heavy meal and then enjoy a lower carb, higher fat approach on rest days to help balance blood sugar and keep carb cravings away.

Make sense?

I thought the rule was "carbs before [running], proteins after [running]"?

mountainrun73 wrote: »

That's a good plan - I indulged the past couple of days, but really find it much easier to not overindulge when I'm eating enough protein and fat and fewer carbs. Imagine that!

This is how it works for me. Alcohol is the one thing I have cravings for - I don't crave sugars, breads, dairy, or anything like that. However, when I am eating enough fats and proteins, I don't crave my cocktails as much. I drink either Vodka (Ciroc brand of Vodka is distilled from grapes), Tequila, or dry white wine when I do drink, and it is getting way easier to limit myself to one or two servings. I didn't drink alcohol for my first few months of Paleo, though. I think that helped too.

@mountainrun73 I don't know you, and I don't mean this in a judging/insulting way. Just as a "here's how you sound to an outsider":

You say you can't afford to eat tons of meat, but you can afford alcohol? If you were on a budget to the point where you are eating rice because you can't afford chicken breast, then you can't possibly afford enough alcohol to make alcohol a problem unless you are prioritizing the purchase of alcohol over the purchase of nutritious food. How much do you spend on alcohol per month? (Perhaps you're making your own wine, or something...?)