My months of debauching and gluttony have caught up with me, as
expected. I can only go so long being a vacuum for all things salty,
gooey, boozy and delicious before it all catches up with me, especially when I
don't work out. Duh, right?! I am not one of those blessed people who can eat
whatever and not gain weight, even though I have hateful eyes for the beloved
who lives with me and is that way...anywho, debauchery had to stop, sigh...
Along with the feeling that something has been stuck between my boobs
and the waistband of every pant I own (yes, even stretchy ones :o ) this time
of year is often really hard for me allergy-wise. I typically have to
dramatically alter my diet, or even do a cleanse, and habits because my face is
constantly oozing, eyes red and itchy, and I sneeze hysterically. A
chub-oozing-goo-sneeze-fest = hot mess!
So for the last 3 weeks I have been back in the swing of my
regular workout routine of exercising 3-6 times a week. (Really loving fitnessblender.com right now! Don't know 'em check 'em out!!) I attempt to wake early most mornings of the week to
do groggy yoga, although the last few days have been a challenge because the
snot-ooze is on another level, and any inversion is like Niagara Falls down my
face and all over my mat, so yeah, yoga in the morning hasn't been happening
much for me the last few days. That and, I have been exceptionally tired and I
am a mess without proper amounts of sleep.
An aside on sleep: We undervalue sleep. It. Is. So. Important. I
love sleep, it is the bestest. And when I don't get sleep I am a cranky bitch
who wants to eat everything in sight. I own that. When I am sleep deprived I am
on a war path, and y'all better watch out, and those who know me and love (yes,
even on my war path) will lovingly look at me and tell me to go to bed. If you
are anything like me though, you try to do even more when you are tired. Which
makes absolutely no sense! Right!? I mean seriously, your body is yelling at
you for sleep - hello coffee cravings, hello doughnuts, pancake, bread,
anything doughy (ie refined carbs) cravings consuming your every thought –
surrender my loves, your body, your sanity, the sanity of your loved ones
around you, sleep is the cure-all. And yes, I am even suggesting sleep over
getting up early in the AM for yoga. If you are tired. Sleep. You will get more
health benefits by catching up on some zzz's than you would by pushing yourself
through a yawn-filled, half-assed yoga-sesh at 6 AM.
Food-wise I am trying Primal for a while. (I hate the word diet
because it plays mind tricks on everyone, so I just think, "Hey, that
sounds interesting, let me try eating like that for a while and see how it
makes me feel." - It works I promise you! Don't call it a diet. Call it a
curious experiment on you.) Throughout my IIN course we have been introduced to
many different types of dietary theories, many I have tried and chronicled.
Anyone read my
vegan egg obsession post? LOLs! So
now onto Primal. Primal is similar to Paleo or the "caveman diet" in
some ways and different in others. Primal is a lifestyle concept founded by Mark Sission.
I have followed his blog, Mark's Daily Apple, for years. The
concept makes sense logically to me - eat the macronutrients our bodies were
designed to assimilate properly - protein, fats, lots-o-veggies and minimal
carbs. The diet consists of organic or local, or both, meat products, lots of
oily fish, eggs, some full-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, lots of veggies, especially
greens, avoiding grains, legumes and refined anything, especially
carbohydrates, sugars, preservatives, alcohol, and man-engineered
food-like-stuff.
There is also lifestyle recommendations of moving with intent
daily, not just hitting the gym for the WOD or pumping iron, as is commonly
associated with the muscle bound testosterone-laden paleo-dudes; allowing for
down, quiet time, decreasing screen time and having a natural sleep rhythm. If
you are interested in learning more, ask me, or pick up Mark's books or check
out his blog. (A little aside that mildly deterred me at first: While there is
a lot of useful, logical information, just ignore that he clearly comes from a
privileged life, where he can make his own schedule and do as he wants in a
day, and clearly time and money are of little concern in his life. We are not
all so privileged or wealthy or stress free, so try your best, don't expect a
miraculous, unrealistic, comparison of a life.)
I am really liking the Primal approach so far. I don't feel
deprived at all. Calories are really not a concern on this "diet"
because it is encouraged to eat as many fats as you feel comfortable with. And
oddly enough I am finding I am actually eating less calories a day than when I
was eating grains and carbs - some days almost 400-600 calories less and
feeling very satiated. We are talking natural fats here people - avocado,
coconut, nuts, olive oil - none of the refined stuff like corn, canola,
hydrogenated crap. Fat is not to be feared. We need fat. Our brains are almost
entirely made out of fat and it is crucial for the synapses and neurons to
fire correctly. Ever since the low-fat craze of the 80s and 90s we have been on
an increasing rate of obesity, cognitive issues and unhealthiness. Our bodies
need fat. Goods fats, and it actually knows what to do with them. Don't fear
fat. I even lost 5 lbs in the first week, not that that is my goal here, just an
added perk. Fat does not make you fat!
I was worried about eating too much meat. I have never been a big
meat eater. I occasionally indulge, but for years have subsisted on a mostly
vegetarian diet with plenty of whole, gluten free, grains. But Primal is
basically vegetarian due to all the greens, seeds and nuts, but with the occasional
protein thrown in there. I am finding I am eating a lot of eggs, which is fine,
I love eggs with the occasional palm-sized local, farm raised protein portion
alongside it. I am not even eating meat everyday.
Another thing I was worried about was pooping. Pooping is a big
part of all our lives and I don't know about you, but the quality of my poop
directly effects my entire day. I have found when I eat large amounts of meat
and dairy everything slows way down. So I was worried that that would be the
case on a primal diet. One of the things Mark even mentions is that you won't
have to wake up and poop first thing in the morning on a primal diet like you
would on a typical grain-filled, high carb diet. This sentence made me anxious.
I like that I poop first thing in the morning. I hate pooping at work. And the
idea of slower moving, possibly harder to clean up poops at WORK made me really
reconsider. I can report this is not the case, at least for me. I am not not
pooping in the morning before work. It just isn't as soon as I wake up. I can
normally get up pee, make my cup of lemon water, let the dogs out, get their
food ready, finish my lemon water and maybe even start yoga before poop time
comes. Before it was up and poop. So yes it is a little delayed, but not like
my anxious brain originally thought. Phew, no pooping at work.
Interesting poop tidbit - so we went Halloween costume shopping
and out to dinner last weekend. Mexican was the choice, and while I didn't go
hog wild on the carbs, I did have some. Man that was a mistake! 3.5 weeks into
this primal thing, no refined carbs, grains or sugars in sight. My taste-buds
were on overload. Everything was too sweet, too salty, too spicy. Not that I
have been eating blandly, but ugh, talk about processed. And the next day all I
could think about was poop and my digestive tract. I felt like my colon and my
intestines were talking to me all day. You know that feeling like you have to
poop but you can't - ALL DAY, ugh, it was horrendous. My Mexican meal was SO
not worth it.
All in all Primal is an interesting approach, I'm enjoying it more
than I anticipated and am feeling healthy, motivated and less lumpy and
gluttonous. I am eating better and working out consistently, and yes, pooping
well. Someone even mentioned my face looks less puffy the other day, which is a
good thing I guess (she too is doing her own paleo/primal experiment, so it was
a compliment from her).
Curious? Try it. Don't beat yourself up. Try the 80/20 rule or
Mark's 21-day transformation. Test what you think and know, for all you know
you might discover something new you like and learn more about yourself.
