September was the second month on the Primal Blueprint, and it coincided with the 30 day Primal Challenge on marksdailyapple.com. Looking at my weight from a month ago, I've lost 7 1/2 pounds this month, nearly 2 pounds a week. I would say that it's been a successful month. A couple of keys to the success were:
1. Doing some of the challenges on marksdailyapple. Entering the contests (didn't win any) helped keep my excitement up while I adjusted to the new lifestyle.
2. An intermittent fast last week. It helped me break through my first plateau. It was a 19 hour fast, and I'll do another one probably next week. It was tough mentally, but I think it was great physically and also spiritually (what do you know, there is something to meditation while fasting).
3. Continuing to source clean food. I found grass fed beef at Sprouts, Whole Foods, and the CC Farmer's market. I found pastured eggs at Whole Foods. The more places I can "forage," the better chance I've got to stick to the blueprint.
After this second month, I'm proud to report that my craving for Diet Soda has drastically decreased, and I had no problem pawning off a piece of office birthday cake on a coworker. It's getting easier to go without grains, sugars, and sweeteners.
I've got one more month until my follow-up blood glucose test. That'll serve as motivation to continue my quest for real food. I'm aware that historically November and December are my big weight-gaining months, so I want to make sure I not only lose weight in October, but prepare myself for the winter ahead, stock up on good freezer items (beef/veggies/berries) so I have good food on hand, and brainstorm ways to stay active when the temperature drops.
But today, I'll celebrate 7 1/2 pounds of real weight lose this month. Good job me!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Primal Places - Cherry Creek
It's a sad commentary, I think, on the state of our society when obesity is striking lower income families, and one of the most healthy, clean places to buy food is hoity toity Cherry Creek. But that's where we're at, and don't let the art galleries and designer clothing stores disuade you from foraging here on a summer Saturday. Admittedly, I'm happy there's primal eating to be had in Cherry Creek because I work here. Here's the ins and outs:
Cherry Creek Farmer's Market ~
An institution in the parking lot of Bed, Bath, and Beyond, right off Speer and University, this farmers market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays until 1pm from May through October. On my last visit, one of farmers, without any prompting, busted open a tasty purple bell pepper for us to sample. This sort of interaction is what makes farmer's markets so much fun. You can connect with the source of your food. Grass-fed beef, Alaskan Wild Salmon, and so much more is available. If you're a regular in Cherry Creek, you've probably got enough cash to plunk down on a bottle of Black Truffle Olive Oil from the EVOO Marketplace, but for the rest of us, we can enjoy plenty of other affordable olive oils, freshly roasted Hatch green chilis, and a ton of organic produce. One sensible indulgence not to be missed is the raw honey.
Cherry Creek Whole Foods ~
The typical grocery store rule of thumb applies to Whole Foods - stick to the outside of the store and you'll be okay (skipping the bakery, of course...and how is this considered a "healthy" store?). Greatly appreciated, though, are the pastured eggs available from Grant Family Farms. For primal dairy folks (not me), Morning Fresh Farms products are also available. Morning Fresh won't be certified organic for another three years, but this is good, preservative-free, organically-produced milk. The salad bar is expensive but often carries a huge variety of produce. Kale, spinach, watercress, artichoke hearts, chopped asparagus, berries, eggs, and a variety of vinegars are some of my favorite highlights. It's easy here to throw more than twenty ingredients into a box. You pay for it, but for me, its worth the convenience. A word of warning - the chicken at the salad bar is cooked in canola oil, so go for the eggs, tuna, etc. for your protein.
Eco-Burger ~
A new restaurant that, unfortunately, is in a goofy space, which is why I think the tapas bar before it failed. Hopefully Eco-Burger will last. Here you can have a 100% grass-fed burger wrapped in lettuce. It's tasty. It's juicy. It's eco-friendly! The side salad has wonderful sprouts, just eat around the corn. It's nice to indulge in a grass fed burger while out and about, and I'm glad that there are places like this popping up.
Cherry Creek Mall/Cherry Creek Trail ~
Great place for walking or a bike ride, the area along the back side of the Mall is one of my favorite stretches of the Cherry Creek Trail and has plenty of adjacent lawns for sprint workouts.
Relaunch of The Eternal Stew
Years ago (okay, just two years ago), I launched this blog to publish some humor sort of pieces. I quickly gave up on it. Frankly, I didn't have much to say.
Lately, though, I've felt called to talk about my experiences with living a primal lifestyle per Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint. It's been eight weeks, and it's changed me.
It's not just the 17 pounds I've lost so far. It's something more.
Since 2007, when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea, I've studied nutrition. I learned about glycemic loads, Omega 3 fatty acids, micronutrients, inflammation, etc. To what effect? I lost weight, gained it back, tried all sorts of approaches (regular low carb, the Zone, South Beach, Mediterranean, allergy elimination, etc). I've known most the pieces. I've known Conventional Wisdom is wrong. I ate mostly whole foods, hit the gym regularly for strength and cardio.
Where did it get me?
Two months ago, I had my annual physical and had high blood sugar. I weighed the same I did in 2007. A lot of effort. Nothing gained.
That night, I started reading Mark's Daily Apple. I started the Primal Blueprint. It made complete sense as to what I was doing wrong. Two weeks later, my blood sugar was in the acceptable range. My HDL (known by most as the "good" cholesterol) was up a tick.
In a month, I'll go back for another blood sugar test. Already, though, after 17 pounds melting away, I can tell you, this is the right way to eat and exercise.
So that's what this blog is about. I may still throw in some humor pieces here in there, but I'll be spending a lot of time talking about my experiences trying to become more primal, healthier, and happier.
Lately, though, I've felt called to talk about my experiences with living a primal lifestyle per Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint. It's been eight weeks, and it's changed me.
It's not just the 17 pounds I've lost so far. It's something more.
Since 2007, when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea, I've studied nutrition. I learned about glycemic loads, Omega 3 fatty acids, micronutrients, inflammation, etc. To what effect? I lost weight, gained it back, tried all sorts of approaches (regular low carb, the Zone, South Beach, Mediterranean, allergy elimination, etc). I've known most the pieces. I've known Conventional Wisdom is wrong. I ate mostly whole foods, hit the gym regularly for strength and cardio.
Where did it get me?
Two months ago, I had my annual physical and had high blood sugar. I weighed the same I did in 2007. A lot of effort. Nothing gained.
That night, I started reading Mark's Daily Apple. I started the Primal Blueprint. It made complete sense as to what I was doing wrong. Two weeks later, my blood sugar was in the acceptable range. My HDL (known by most as the "good" cholesterol) was up a tick.
In a month, I'll go back for another blood sugar test. Already, though, after 17 pounds melting away, I can tell you, this is the right way to eat and exercise.
So that's what this blog is about. I may still throw in some humor pieces here in there, but I'll be spending a lot of time talking about my experiences trying to become more primal, healthier, and happier.
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