One month in...

Life is good! I had no idea where this would take me, two months ago when I stumbled on the Primal/Paleo lifestyle. Between March 16th, 2013 and April 18th, 2013 - I have dropped from 263.7 lbs. to 249.8 lbs. I've also lost a total of 8.125 inches from my body. The most drastic change being around my stomach/hips, losing 3.25 inches. Here are the numbers:

Neck:  .125"

L Bicept:    1.0"

R Bicept:    .75"

Waist:    1.5"

Hips/Stomach:  3.25"

Chest:     .5"

L Thigh:     .5"

R Thigh:     .5"

Total: 8.125"

After downloading some Google Doc templates for weight/measurement tracking, I realized that I should've also been measuring the chest under the bust as well as above. There were also calf measurements I could've done, but I've been blessed with shapely calves so I'm not so worried about that. 

How do I like the Primal Lifestyle so far?: I really enjoy it. Rice and pasta were always just a filler because I had no idea what else to make with our protein. As much as I loved them both, I've done fine without them. Tried the cauliflower rice... Not my thing. I like cauliflower, but it wasn't quite appealing. Especially since Cauliflower smells a bit like farts.

What's tripped me up?: Bacon. lol. I love bacon, and it's so easy that I used it for a filler a little too much in the beginning. I've had to wean my husband off of consuming it so much, even though he's lost 26 lbs in the last month. Finding my lettuce. There's like 15 different kinds out there, and some days because my sense of smell and taste is so heightened (I'll get to the changes I've noticed in my body in a moment.) that I can't have especially flavorful lettuce. Ends up tasting too... Grassy. Dark chocolate. I learned my threshold because if I consume too much, it will literally stop the weight loss in its tracks. I've also had to watch my fruit intake. Fruit is good, in moderation. Repairing my gut flora - hello constipation. All of these things were minor, and weren't hard to tweak. I've gotten to know my body a lot better in the last month. 

The Good Stuff: I now know how to pick avocados based upon how soon I want to use them, and I've learned how to ripen them. I am now the master of guacamole, lol. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with chopped bacon - holy moly - quite possibly the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. I've mastered roasted pork, and sniffed out the best deals on meat in the area. My skin is so much softer and healthier. Before, I felt like a lizard. I just chalked it up to my PCOS. Now, my skin is supple and smooth. The dark patches have significantly faded. I think I'm losing less hair from my head, but that may be wishful thinking. I have noticed a difference in how soft my hair is. It's no longer dry and brittle. My jeans that were too tight are loose now. I have more energy, and have started Yoga. Odors: Before giving up grain, wheat, processed sugars/food - I didn't smell that great. I needed to shower twice a day. My hair was oily before the day's end (even though I didn't do anything to get it that way). I was literally oozing the poisons that I'd put in my body. I sweat less, and when I do it isn't as pungent as before. I feel cleaner, in all the most important spots. My range of motion has improved, getting more flexible.

Stuff I'd like to see improve: I'd like to grow back some of the hair that's thinned on the crown of my head. I'd like to lose the facial hair, that'd be heavenly. Of course, my goal is to lose 100 lbs and I'm well on my way. I'd like to see my dark patches of skin disappear entirely. I'd like to have a regular monthly cycle. I need to broaden my horizons as far as vegetables, and meat preparation. 

What I've learned so far: Cooking to temp removes the guesswork, digital meat thermometers are awesome. No matter what you try and supplement the sugar in your coffee with, it won't taste the same. Grass-fed organic beef is heavenly. I can instantly tell the difference now. If it isn't organic, it tastes a little sour. Likewise, I smell sour after I eat it. The dailyburn.com website is awesome, and I highly recommend it if you're too shy or embarrassed to get your arse in front of a class. Pork rinds... Helpful when you want something crunchy, just don't over indulge. Pretty much every "healthy" veggie chip is dripping in corn oil or some other potato starch. They're so good, we tried them twice. Both times, it took three days after eating them for me to start losing weight again. Coincidence? Maybe. I just cut them out entirely. If you can't go organic right away, don't stress. But, once you taste it - you'll never want to go back. Costco has decently priced organic ground beef. Ground beef is my go to, I don't know what to make, meal. Salt and pepper some patties, fry them up - wrap them in lettuce with fresh veggies - maybe some avocado, you're good to go. If you're like me, you'll stick to the basics that get you through until you can make some mental space for learning how to cook without all the stuff you're accustomed to. And, whatever you do - don't switch from non-stick pans to stainless when you start the lifestyle. You will burn everything, everything will stick, and you will want to commit random acts of violence because of it.

Paleo/Primal Cookbooks: For the most part... Completely useless. Save yourself some time - download Evernote and start using the Evernote Webclipper plug-in on your browser. There's no reason to spend $20 on a book of recipes you can't see until you get it and realize they're all too foofy and unrealistic. I think the single biggest thing you could do to sabotage yourself (aside from not getting rid of the crap in your house that's tempting) is to overwhelm yourself with new recipes and too much variety. You'll need to save money as best you can, and the way to do that is to buy certain meats in large quantities and cook around that. Which is why I'm not a fan of the cook book approach. Sure, try new things - but get your basics down. Lunch, for us, has been the biggest challenge.

What I use almost every day: Eggs. Lettuce. Garlic, salt and pepper. Olive oil, coconut oil.

Meats we buy: Costco has great pork sirloin tip roasts, around 3 lbs each - 6 in a pack. Tri-tip - it's a splurge. Our favorite is from Costco, but we like to take advantage of the sales at Safeway as well. Organic whole chickens. Drumsticks. Chicken breasts. Shrimp. Shrimp has turned into an easy and quick dinner or lunch. I currently buy them pre-cooked and tailless because I'm still finding my groove and I don't feel that experimental yet. You can get a big bag at Costco for $9, it usually yields two meals for two adults. They're good in lettuce wraps, over julienned squash/zucchini, as an add on if your steaks aren't that large. We love Isernio's chicken sausages. Especially the breakfast sausage in the tube, and the italian sausage. Until we find a farmer, and we know what goes into our pork sausage - we avoid the store bought because they all have sugars and bad stuff.

Well, it's 2 a.m. - I'll read over this tomorrow/later and finish. Until then! Grok on!