I know I haven't posted in awhile and I feel I need to. I've had a lot of new stress in my life as of late and it's been a struggle to stray on the Primal/Paleo bandwagon. It came to a head last Wensday and I had two Cadbury eggs and a whole Dove 70% dark chocolate bar. And, this straying hasn't quite stopped yet. It's not really the gluten that's creeping back in, but the chocolate and way too much of it. Last Thursday I had around 10 Cadbury eggs, some Russell Stover dark chocolate eggs and a dark chocolate coconut bunny. I've been trying to limit the amount of chocolate I'm eat for the past week to two pieces of dark chocolate a day and haven't been successful. Like today, I was at the mall and walked past a chocolate shop, Fannie May's to be exact and saw they had some dark chocolate coco balls. Couldn't resist them and went a head and bought some.
I need to make a commitment to going Primal/Paleo again. As in not as much dark chocolate and NO sweets like Cadbury eegs, coco balls, etc. Now, that I've "converted" two of my aunts, it will hopefully be easier and I will definitely be getting on the scale again. Multiply levels of accountability I've heard help in making habits stick so, here is one of those levels!
Back on track, starting now!
Sayonara!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
A Change in Plans
If you may recall, I'm supposed to be doing gettinstronger.org's Deconditioning Diet. Well, guess what? I have decided to discontinue it. It was getting to time consuming and I think I was becoming a little to obsessed with food as a result of starting the craving log(which I haven't used in several weeks). I just wasn't liking how this "diet" was making me feel and it took me away from one of the original reasons I went "Primal" in the first place; learning to really listen to and be in tune with my body and not always be obsessing over food. Just eating when I'm hungry, stopping when I'm full, and what my body's supposed to eat. What it's really telling me it wants.
I had better luck not being so hungry simply following the Primal Blueprint way of eating than with this Deconditioning Diet! So, I think it's time to return to the basics of a Primal/Paleo lifestyle with a few tweeks (thanks to Healthy Skeptic's Chris Kresser to hopefully clear up my skin issues).
There's a blog post (more of a podcast, really) on his website about clearing up skin conditions by healing your gut. It's a rather good post which talks at length about the brain-gut-skin axis and the importance of having a healthy gut lining and flora. Did you know that the is considered by many scientists to be like a second brain? 80% of your serotonin receptors are in your gut, not your brai!
Anyways, back to the reason I brought this up in the first place, my eczema. In this podcast, Kresser has what he calls his "Gut Healing Protocol". It's basically a Paleo/Primal with no dairy, nightshades, FODMAP foods, minimal insoluble fiber, and lots of choline rich foods (bone broth in particular). I think the Paleo part is pretty self-explanatory. It's been well documented that eating grains with their anti-nutrients that attack the lining of the small intestine and lock onto nutrients making them harder to absorb, can not be good for one's digestive health. Also, eating processed foods and too many unnatural simple sugars is also not good for ones health (diabetes, etc.),
No diary makes sense for me because of the lactose and casein issues I have. The only exception on this rule is Ghee or clarified butter. For those who don't know how wonderful or what ghee is, it's butter with all the lactose and casein removed. I recently got some and have been using it to help my coconut oil last longer. No nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and mushrooms) also make sense because of the small amounts of neurotoxins that can build up.
However, FODMAP was an acronym I'd never heard of until I listned to this podcast abd whose meaning escapes me at the moment. But, apparently fruits and vegetables with excessive fructose, fructans (still don't really understand what those are), and polypols can cause gut problems for some. We shall see if such is the case for me.
Another thing I've started to notice is that I'm being increasingly drawn to a more strict Paleo diet. I'ver been following (for the most part) Mark Sisson's "Primal Blueprint", a less strict version of the Paleo diet, for almost a year and it has helped me out a lot with loosing 85 pounds and keeping it off.
However, some skin issues have come up, mainly ezcema that I'm wondering if a more strict Paleo diet will help cure. I've gotten a steroid cream from the doc which I use twice a day and I also use a moisturizing lotion from Kiss My Face once a day. My ezcema has improved quite a bit since using these, but I can't help but wonder if cruching down on my diet hasn't helped as well.
I hope things continue to improve and clear up over the coming months and that I can move towards an even healthier lifestyle with this switch to a Paleo, as opposed to "Prima" diet.
Sayonara
I had better luck not being so hungry simply following the Primal Blueprint way of eating than with this Deconditioning Diet! So, I think it's time to return to the basics of a Primal/Paleo lifestyle with a few tweeks (thanks to Healthy Skeptic's Chris Kresser to hopefully clear up my skin issues).
There's a blog post (more of a podcast, really) on his website about clearing up skin conditions by healing your gut. It's a rather good post which talks at length about the brain-gut-skin axis and the importance of having a healthy gut lining and flora. Did you know that the is considered by many scientists to be like a second brain? 80% of your serotonin receptors are in your gut, not your brai!
Anyways, back to the reason I brought this up in the first place, my eczema. In this podcast, Kresser has what he calls his "Gut Healing Protocol". It's basically a Paleo/Primal with no dairy, nightshades, FODMAP foods, minimal insoluble fiber, and lots of choline rich foods (bone broth in particular). I think the Paleo part is pretty self-explanatory. It's been well documented that eating grains with their anti-nutrients that attack the lining of the small intestine and lock onto nutrients making them harder to absorb, can not be good for one's digestive health. Also, eating processed foods and too many unnatural simple sugars is also not good for ones health (diabetes, etc.),
No diary makes sense for me because of the lactose and casein issues I have. The only exception on this rule is Ghee or clarified butter. For those who don't know how wonderful or what ghee is, it's butter with all the lactose and casein removed. I recently got some and have been using it to help my coconut oil last longer. No nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and mushrooms) also make sense because of the small amounts of neurotoxins that can build up.
However, FODMAP was an acronym I'd never heard of until I listned to this podcast abd whose meaning escapes me at the moment. But, apparently fruits and vegetables with excessive fructose, fructans (still don't really understand what those are), and polypols can cause gut problems for some. We shall see if such is the case for me.
Another thing I've started to notice is that I'm being increasingly drawn to a more strict Paleo diet. I'ver been following (for the most part) Mark Sisson's "Primal Blueprint", a less strict version of the Paleo diet, for almost a year and it has helped me out a lot with loosing 85 pounds and keeping it off.
However, some skin issues have come up, mainly ezcema that I'm wondering if a more strict Paleo diet will help cure. I've gotten a steroid cream from the doc which I use twice a day and I also use a moisturizing lotion from Kiss My Face once a day. My ezcema has improved quite a bit since using these, but I can't help but wonder if cruching down on my diet hasn't helped as well.
I hope things continue to improve and clear up over the coming months and that I can move towards an even healthier lifestyle with this switch to a Paleo, as opposed to "Prima" diet.
Sayonara
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Decondition Diet: An Update
A couple of nights ago, I had a craving for a 72% cocoa dark chocolate bar with peppermint bites and completely craved. Ate the whole damn thing (41 g of carbs) in one sitting! I didn't even like it very much yet I continued to chomp until the bar was gone. What the hell? What cues set this off? Was I bored because I had to wait outside for the bus? Disappointed because I didn't have enough money to buy a book on writing I wanted at Barnes & Nobles or was it a food "reward" for having actually lost 2 lbs since I last weighed myself?
More than likely, this chain of events got set into motion by a combination of all of the things mentioned above. After all what leads to a craving is often more complex then people realize. And, if you want to deal with one, you've got to look at ALL the cues involved. Most people don't. They simply look at the food itself (in my case that dark chocolate bar) and that usually doesn't work in the long term. Sights, sounds, smells and even hormones play just as big a role. Just eliminating whatever is being craved may work for awhile, but expose one little trigger and that craving might come back full force!
This is why it's important to look at the big picture and deal with everything that goes on during an "episode". I'm hoping the Deconditioning Diet talked about in my previous post will help me do just that. Hence, why I created a Craving Log-to help me notice patterns surround my episodes. One that I'm starting to notice is I tend to "crave" dark chocolate when I'm tired. This probably has more to do with the caffeine content and not so much being hungry (most of the time) and yes, I have caved several times this week. Actually that's the reason I'm extending phase 1 of the diet another week. Hopefully this will allow the cravings to dissipate enough that I feel comfortable moving on to phase 2. More on this later.
Sayonara
More than likely, this chain of events got set into motion by a combination of all of the things mentioned above. After all what leads to a craving is often more complex then people realize. And, if you want to deal with one, you've got to look at ALL the cues involved. Most people don't. They simply look at the food itself (in my case that dark chocolate bar) and that usually doesn't work in the long term. Sights, sounds, smells and even hormones play just as big a role. Just eliminating whatever is being craved may work for awhile, but expose one little trigger and that craving might come back full force!
This is why it's important to look at the big picture and deal with everything that goes on during an "episode". I'm hoping the Deconditioning Diet talked about in my previous post will help me do just that. Hence, why I created a Craving Log-to help me notice patterns surround my episodes. One that I'm starting to notice is I tend to "crave" dark chocolate when I'm tired. This probably has more to do with the caffeine content and not so much being hungry (most of the time) and yes, I have caved several times this week. Actually that's the reason I'm extending phase 1 of the diet another week. Hopefully this will allow the cravings to dissipate enough that I feel comfortable moving on to phase 2. More on this later.
Sayonara
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Hormesis, Gettingstronger.org and The Deconditioning Diet
Hormesis, ever heard of it? Probably not. I'd never heard of it until I listened to the latest podcast at robbwolf.com. For those who don't know, Robb Wolf is the renouned author of The Paleo Solution.
The guest of this podcast talked about a website called gettingstronger.org and it's philosophy of "hormesis". Hormesis, as far as I understand it, is the idea that increasing one's exposuer to stressor's slowly over time, can in fact re-wire pathways in the brain and rest of the body to make us stronger. Ironically enough, if you have read my last blog post, I was working on not being so reactive towards one of my bosses. This website has the potential to provide me with a way to do that through applying the pricipals of hormesis.
This brings me to my next topic. gettingstronger.org's "Deconditioning Diet". This diet is designed to help eliminate or control cravings and put a stop to so-called "emotional eating"- something I've learned I still do from time to time, usually during periods of high stress. And yes, even after doing Primal Blueprint for as long as I have, I still get cravings. What I crave has shifted from largely sweets to things like hard-boiled eggs or prime ribe, but that intense "need" for some sort of food is still there and I do not wish to be controlled by this.
So, as of today, I am doing a deconditioning diet. Bye-bye cookies, fudge, and all the other crap foods from the holidays; welcome, wholsome real foods and freedom from cravings (at least I hope).
The first "phase" of the diet is involves just following a low-carb diet iwth three scheduled meals and no snacking for at least a week. This is were I'll be starting since I did fall off the Primal wagon this weekend. Even though, I'll be following Primal Blueprint again, I will be leaving out more foods than usual. Eggs will be one of these food. I know I've loved the eggs I make for breakfast, but the lictins in them may still be causing me digestive problems.
The last part of phase one is making a craving log where you note all your cravings: the time and date. nature of the craving (general hunger or a specific food) and speculate what could have caused the craving. I've already used mine twice today.
That being said, let's get down to business! Updates to come in the future.
Sayonara!
The guest of this podcast talked about a website called gettingstronger.org and it's philosophy of "hormesis". Hormesis, as far as I understand it, is the idea that increasing one's exposuer to stressor's slowly over time, can in fact re-wire pathways in the brain and rest of the body to make us stronger. Ironically enough, if you have read my last blog post, I was working on not being so reactive towards one of my bosses. This website has the potential to provide me with a way to do that through applying the pricipals of hormesis.
This brings me to my next topic. gettingstronger.org's "Deconditioning Diet". This diet is designed to help eliminate or control cravings and put a stop to so-called "emotional eating"- something I've learned I still do from time to time, usually during periods of high stress. And yes, even after doing Primal Blueprint for as long as I have, I still get cravings. What I crave has shifted from largely sweets to things like hard-boiled eggs or prime ribe, but that intense "need" for some sort of food is still there and I do not wish to be controlled by this.
So, as of today, I am doing a deconditioning diet. Bye-bye cookies, fudge, and all the other crap foods from the holidays; welcome, wholsome real foods and freedom from cravings (at least I hope).
The first "phase" of the diet is involves just following a low-carb diet iwth three scheduled meals and no snacking for at least a week. This is were I'll be starting since I did fall off the Primal wagon this weekend. Even though, I'll be following Primal Blueprint again, I will be leaving out more foods than usual. Eggs will be one of these food. I know I've loved the eggs I make for breakfast, but the lictins in them may still be causing me digestive problems.
The last part of phase one is making a craving log where you note all your cravings: the time and date. nature of the craving (general hunger or a specific food) and speculate what could have caused the craving. I've already used mine twice today.
That being said, let's get down to business! Updates to come in the future.
Sayonara!
Monday, December 19, 2011
More Tweaking
I've been doing some tweaking with my diet as of late. After doing some further research, I decided to add more "safe starches", as The Perfect Health Diet calls them. Their blog/website has some really good resources and PHD is very similiar to the Primal Blueprint/Paleo way of eating, but with more starches. These include, white potatoes (without the skin), sweet potatoes (for now), white rice, tapioca, and others that I can't remember at the moment.
One blog post of theirs talked the body's immune response to fungal infections being dependant on glucose levels, and how very-low or low carb dieters can be prone to them. Having read this blog and that white potatoes digest into only glucose, while sweet potatoes digest into a combination of glucose and fructose (something we want to limit our consumption of), I decided to try adding one white potato a day to my meal plans to help fight the fungal infection on my legs. I've also started putting coconut oil on the effected area twice a day as I've read coconut is a natural anti-fungal. It seems to be helping, abate, at a slow pace. The effected areas have not got worse or spread, but not getting better as quickly as I'd hoped.
Now, this could be the safe starch I'm using. Potatoes are also nightshades, plants that need shade to grow and have low levels of neurotoxins in them. I've notices red spots on my right arm recently and am wondering if they might be a delayed allergic reaction to the increase in potato consumption. I only have three left, so I will finish those off and switch to white rice for 30 days to see if the spots go away,
On another note, I've discovered that dark chocolate may be causing me indigestion. I ate only half a bar of Trader Joes 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate bar yesterday morning around 9:00 am, A half an hour later, yep you guessed it- indigestion. Looks like I'm going to have to cut out dark chocolate for awhile. So much for that Pound Plus 72% Cocoa bar I bought! Oh well, it's not that big a deal. I needed to cut down on bother the amount and how often I eat it anyways.
That means I need to find other ways to manage my stress levels, particular the stress coming from one of my jobs and dark chocolate has become a bit of a "comfort" food for me since going Primal. The owner of the store and I just don't quite see eye to eye and he seems to be one of those people who is always right and everyone else is wrong. I know he's the owner and there's really nothing I can do about it, yet he always seems to get some sort of reaction out of me.
I'm working on not being so reactive to his craziness and finding another job. One where I get the money I earn on time, a schedule more than a day or two in advance, and isn't nearly as stressful. The stress from this job will often add to the temptation to eat thing that are not good for me or eat more than I need to or when I'm not even hungry. This usually results in weight gain or stalled weight loss and feeling like shit/lower energy levels for the next day or two. Not something I want since I've not reached my goal weight (I've got 20ish more lbs to loose) and I want to feel healthy with lots of energy to get through each day.
I hope to get through the holidays without consuming too much food. We shall see how I do.
Sayonara
One blog post of theirs talked the body's immune response to fungal infections being dependant on glucose levels, and how very-low or low carb dieters can be prone to them. Having read this blog and that white potatoes digest into only glucose, while sweet potatoes digest into a combination of glucose and fructose (something we want to limit our consumption of), I decided to try adding one white potato a day to my meal plans to help fight the fungal infection on my legs. I've also started putting coconut oil on the effected area twice a day as I've read coconut is a natural anti-fungal. It seems to be helping, abate, at a slow pace. The effected areas have not got worse or spread, but not getting better as quickly as I'd hoped.
Now, this could be the safe starch I'm using. Potatoes are also nightshades, plants that need shade to grow and have low levels of neurotoxins in them. I've notices red spots on my right arm recently and am wondering if they might be a delayed allergic reaction to the increase in potato consumption. I only have three left, so I will finish those off and switch to white rice for 30 days to see if the spots go away,
On another note, I've discovered that dark chocolate may be causing me indigestion. I ate only half a bar of Trader Joes 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate bar yesterday morning around 9:00 am, A half an hour later, yep you guessed it- indigestion. Looks like I'm going to have to cut out dark chocolate for awhile. So much for that Pound Plus 72% Cocoa bar I bought! Oh well, it's not that big a deal. I needed to cut down on bother the amount and how often I eat it anyways.
That means I need to find other ways to manage my stress levels, particular the stress coming from one of my jobs and dark chocolate has become a bit of a "comfort" food for me since going Primal. The owner of the store and I just don't quite see eye to eye and he seems to be one of those people who is always right and everyone else is wrong. I know he's the owner and there's really nothing I can do about it, yet he always seems to get some sort of reaction out of me.
I'm working on not being so reactive to his craziness and finding another job. One where I get the money I earn on time, a schedule more than a day or two in advance, and isn't nearly as stressful. The stress from this job will often add to the temptation to eat thing that are not good for me or eat more than I need to or when I'm not even hungry. This usually results in weight gain or stalled weight loss and feeling like shit/lower energy levels for the next day or two. Not something I want since I've not reached my goal weight (I've got 20ish more lbs to loose) and I want to feel healthy with lots of energy to get through each day.
I hope to get through the holidays without consuming too much food. We shall see how I do.
Sayonara
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Notes to Self
Wow. My first "relationship" if you can call it that with a woman (I don't even know if I'd call her that because quite frankly, I now realize she acted very much like a teenage girl with several issues she's too afraid to admit to), did not end well. I can not believe I allowed myself to be manipulated like that. Our relationship was never solid to begin with and my aunt was right about one thing- there were several red flags I chose to ignore because I was too wrapped up in having my first girlfriend and too nice to call them on not wanting to grow up and better themselves until after they ended it. If you don't want to grow up and change and admit you might just need professional help because your previous relationships haven't worked out either, than I guess your not worth my pity, which is what I really felt towards this person.
Red flag number one: Making it a requirement of the relationship to have it posted on Facebook. Now, don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with posting your relationship status on Facebook, but to make it a requirement of your partner is just wrong. Relationships are about respecting your partners wishes, and don't make up some excuse about "oh, I don't want to have to hide it." That's fine then don't, but if your partner doesn't want it on Facebook respect their wishes. It's the right thing to do.
Red flag number two: Lives at home with parents/parent, doesn't have a job and doesn't really see that if your over 18, you are a guest in your parents home. Now, if this is just a transition between jobs or between places that's fine. So long as you give the owners of the home common courtesy of following their rules (it is their home after all) and asking if it's OK if people come over before you talk to the people you want to bring over. It doesn't matter if your parent/parents will be OK with it, the polite thing to do is ask and get premission beforehand.
Red flag number three: You really don't have much in common with them and there's lots of miscommunication right off the bat. Sure, we were both writers and misfits in high school, but that was where our commonalities ended. Also, they started asking me questions about my possible future relationships, after the relationship had ended, which at this point, is none of their business.
All this being said, this still doesn't change my attraction toward woman and I've learned a lot about what I want out of a partner and what I don't want and I do know, that I need to be single for awhile to sort all of this sh*t out and purge myself of this negative influence.
I really don't need an immature girl too afraid to admit they might just be the reason their previous relationships haven't worked out, who just turns around and calls me judgemental when I decide I don't even want to even be friends with them.
Besides, it was them who thought we'd be better friends in the first place. Yes, I did agree at the time because I hadn't begun to fully process what was going on and how I really felt towards them. But, just because I've figured out I don't need their negative influence in my life anymore and that they really aren't worth my pity, doesn't give them the right to say "you'll never get a girlfriend if you treat people this way", "you're stuck up and judgemental,", etc. Seriously? What kind of naive fantasy are you living in? Certainly not one I want to be a part of. All just because multiple people most likely called on some issues you have. If that's not a sign of someone whose got issues, I don't know what is and someone who wants to change and is mature, will take a look at themselves and say "you know what, maybe they're right, lets see what an objective third party has to say."
Sorry for the long rant. I just really need to get this out of my system.
Sayonara
Red flag number one: Making it a requirement of the relationship to have it posted on Facebook. Now, don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with posting your relationship status on Facebook, but to make it a requirement of your partner is just wrong. Relationships are about respecting your partners wishes, and don't make up some excuse about "oh, I don't want to have to hide it." That's fine then don't, but if your partner doesn't want it on Facebook respect their wishes. It's the right thing to do.
Red flag number two: Lives at home with parents/parent, doesn't have a job and doesn't really see that if your over 18, you are a guest in your parents home. Now, if this is just a transition between jobs or between places that's fine. So long as you give the owners of the home common courtesy of following their rules (it is their home after all) and asking if it's OK if people come over before you talk to the people you want to bring over. It doesn't matter if your parent/parents will be OK with it, the polite thing to do is ask and get premission beforehand.
Red flag number three: You really don't have much in common with them and there's lots of miscommunication right off the bat. Sure, we were both writers and misfits in high school, but that was where our commonalities ended. Also, they started asking me questions about my possible future relationships, after the relationship had ended, which at this point, is none of their business.
All this being said, this still doesn't change my attraction toward woman and I've learned a lot about what I want out of a partner and what I don't want and I do know, that I need to be single for awhile to sort all of this sh*t out and purge myself of this negative influence.
I really don't need an immature girl too afraid to admit they might just be the reason their previous relationships haven't worked out, who just turns around and calls me judgemental when I decide I don't even want to even be friends with them.
Besides, it was them who thought we'd be better friends in the first place. Yes, I did agree at the time because I hadn't begun to fully process what was going on and how I really felt towards them. But, just because I've figured out I don't need their negative influence in my life anymore and that they really aren't worth my pity, doesn't give them the right to say "you'll never get a girlfriend if you treat people this way", "you're stuck up and judgemental,", etc. Seriously? What kind of naive fantasy are you living in? Certainly not one I want to be a part of. All just because multiple people most likely called on some issues you have. If that's not a sign of someone whose got issues, I don't know what is and someone who wants to change and is mature, will take a look at themselves and say "you know what, maybe they're right, lets see what an objective third party has to say."
Sorry for the long rant. I just really need to get this out of my system.
Sayonara
Friday, November 11, 2011
Leptin Reset: Update
Hi all,
I decided to stop the Leptin Reset RX via Dr. Jack Kruse because I just can't eat 50g of protein in one sitting. I can eat about 30g before I start getting reflux. Also, I've realized I just can't do 50g of carbs or less for very long anymore. After about a week or two I wasn't feeling very good and didn't really have as much energy as I thought I should have. It helped me get out of a weight loss plateau and get my carbs back under 100g a day, but it isn't very good for me long term. I just need some more healthy carbs.
I also started reading his Facebook posts and didn't really agree with some of them. And, if you think it's ok to drop your pants in a department store just to show your weight loss, than sorry but I'm going to start questioning what you say. So, yeah, Dr. Jack Kruse is out. Even unfriended him on Facebook.
I'm going back to just plan ol' Primal Blueprint like before.
Sayonara!
I decided to stop the Leptin Reset RX via Dr. Jack Kruse because I just can't eat 50g of protein in one sitting. I can eat about 30g before I start getting reflux. Also, I've realized I just can't do 50g of carbs or less for very long anymore. After about a week or two I wasn't feeling very good and didn't really have as much energy as I thought I should have. It helped me get out of a weight loss plateau and get my carbs back under 100g a day, but it isn't very good for me long term. I just need some more healthy carbs.
I also started reading his Facebook posts and didn't really agree with some of them. And, if you think it's ok to drop your pants in a department store just to show your weight loss, than sorry but I'm going to start questioning what you say. So, yeah, Dr. Jack Kruse is out. Even unfriended him on Facebook.
I'm going back to just plan ol' Primal Blueprint like before.
Sayonara!
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