Changes...

You might see up at the top, that I have changed the name of my blog. That's because it no longer fits. I'm no longer on a hard road. I am on day 15 of following the Primal Blueprint(www.marksdailyapple.com), and it is the easiest thing I have done with regards to weight management. I had a couple of weight fluctuations(mainly related to exercise and body composition changes), then my weight settled at one point, and didn't change for a week. This morning, it was going back down. The important thing is, I haven't kept track of my food intake in over a week. I stopped weight watchers, there was just no point to it, as it had stopped working for me. It worked great to get me started at weight loss, but toward the end, I was hungry most of the time, craving carbs endlessly, and basically looking at gaining all my weight back, if something didn't change.

Well, I have read Marks Daily Apple for nearly a year now, and have spent a lot of time chasing down studies and medical papers, verifying the information Mark presents on his site and in his book. It all fits. I have seen the differences I felt when I ate more or less processed carbs, and other foods my body wasn't built to process. I decided two weeks ago to try the Primal Blueprint way of eating. It has been so much better than I hoped. I sleep better, I have virtually no seasonal allergies, my asthma is gone, I have more energy, steadier energy. I eat when I am hungry, and That's it. No calorie counting, no spending hours on end trying to save my last few points for that popcorn I want to have with the movie, virtually no worries of any kind.

I am approximately 80% on the Blueprint. I can't afford all organic, or only grass fed beef. However, I don't crave carbs at all anymore. I can look at the chips in the cupboard, or the pretzels my wife is eating, and it just doesn't matter to me. I had two days that were pretty hard, but I got through them telling myself it was just for a couple days. Now, I don't have any desire to go back to my old eating habits. I feel so much healthier now, so vibrant, and so happy, knowing my health is improving.

Those of you who don't think you can't give up chips and such, pizza and bread, I encourage you to try it. Read the information available(there's a lot of it), do some research, and commit yourself to eating Primally for 3 days. That's how long I had planned to try it. Better yet, I challenge you to 7 days of Primal eating. We were not meant to consume many of the things we do. High fructose corn syrup, wheat flour, potato chips, these things are poison! I know I sound like a nutjob. When I went on this plan, I still had doubts, despite my research. It really is a better way to live. And I really am living now, rather than spending all day focused on what I can eat.

Skipped a day

Just didn't feel like messing with the blog yesterday.

Breakfast
12 oz coffee with stevia
1 medium apple

lunch
1 sauteed chicken breast
8 cups mixed greens
1 cup cherries
1 medium apple

dinner
1 cup cherries
2 medium apples
1/2 chicken breast
4 cups mixed greens

Made it through 14 minutes of the 30 day shred DVD tonight, before I stopped being able to keep good form on anything. I hurt. It's a good thing.

30 day shred

Holy crap. I put the DVD in, and made it through 10 minutes before I knew I was risking foot injury. Just too much inflammation in my feet right now. I am going to keep at it, though. I think 2-3 days between attempts will give me enough time to adjust and build my strength. Mind you, this is only the most basic workout on the DVD. So, yeah, Jillian Michaels wants me to die. I highly recommend the DVD. 10 minutes is halfway through. Not terribly bad for a first attempt.

Breakfast
4 oz turkey breast
2 romaine leaves

Lunch
5 oz london broil(sauteed in garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, ginger powder and onion)
8 cups salad(spinach, romaine and iceberg in equal amounts)
dressing for the salad was the juice from the sauteing. Delicious!

So, I didn't post my meals yesterday. Planned to, but then I was watching a movie, and just didn't get to it. But, I am back at it today.

Breakfast
12 oz coffee with stevia

lunch
large garden salad(Subway) with grilled chicken breast and vinegar as dressing
1 grilled cajun chicken breast and 4 cups mixed greens.
1 tbsp ranch dressing

snack
9 pork rinds(1 serving)
8 cups green salad
4 oz ground turkey
1/2 cup salsa
1 oz cheddar/monterey jack

Bought a DVD yesterday. Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. Got pretty good reviews on Amazon. I don't plan to use it as an everyday thing, but to make it "easy" on days when I feel like being lazy. Easy in that I will not have to think, just follow along on the DVD. I watched the first level(there are three) today, and it is going to kick my ass hard. I am pretty sure Jillian is the devil. So, I might do it every other day, if I end up liking(surviving) the first time through the workout.