...but I’ve been consistent. PMS is hard; it makes me want cheese sandwiches and pasta and tons of chocolate and sugar. I gave in a month ago and had a week of eating poorly (lots of bread) – and I felt like CRAP. It was actually very motivating. Messed up again around Easter (damn candy) and bought some not-so-good stuff, but I ate some of it and then threw the rest away…it just didn’t taste very good to me anymore. Too sweet! Too waxy! Just gross.
So that’s all good! My tastebuds have changed somewhat. I don’t want crappy candy anymore (potato chips and ice cream are still desirable however). And while I like and miss bread and pasta, I feel much better without it.
The results: most acne has cleared up (I’ve been taking better care of my skin too, so that might not be all diet). Dandruff/scaly scalp is better. Energy is better. And I’ve lost about 10 lbs! I wasn’t planning on doing so, because I was fine with my weight before. But now I’m down to 135 (which is where I was during college) and my skinny jeans fit great, even on wash day.
Other not so good stuff: my sleep is still crappy. I’m reluctant to go to bed until late, and I’m waking up ridiculously early. This is even with regular exercise. Magnesium is helping some, but not as much as I would like. I’m going to be getting a new mattress in a week – hoping that will help somewhat. 13 months ago
Not great either – it’s been soooo coooold here and I’m having trouble getting motivated to exercise, either by walking or dancing. I’ve been cooking a lot though, which keeps me on my feet and at least “not sitting”, and I’ve been doing a lot of upper body stretching.
The 8 hour’s sleep thing is also a little hit or miss – I had horrible insomnia the first two days, and then realized that I hadn’t been taking my bedtime magnesium supplement. With the magnesium I sleep GREAT, although I am struggling to get to bed before midnight. I’m going to do my damnedest to get to bed by 11 this evening.
The eating situation has been great, however. Apart from a sushi lunch date (rice is not awful but not particularly primal either), I haven’t really had any strong cravings for sweets or refined carbs. In fact, I had some roasted unsweetened butternut squash that tasted liked candy! To be fair, the squash has been in the cupboard for several months which might have increased its sweetness, but fruit has been tasting sweeter too. Excited about cooking again, which keeps me well-supplied with nutritious food. 16 months ago
This week I’m going to focus on the following:
- Eating right. I’m not going to do a complete clean sweep of my cupboards, although I am going to put problematic foods (sugar, flour, rice, beans etc) up on the high shelf so they’re less accessible. Going to hang onto the maple syrup – I just won’t overdo it.
- Sleeping 8 hrs. a night.
- Walking 30 min. every morning and stretching every evening. I might do a few gentle body weight strength exercises if it feels right.
- Using my mind/active play: I’m going to continue to work on my crosswords, and work on my word-puzzle-a-day calendar. I also came up with two active play ideas that I don’t hate: learning to juggle, and learning a dance! Both of these involve movement and thinking and enjoyment without team competition.
I think I’ll start on juggling first (I have access to some beanbags which will be perfect), and figure out what kind of dance I want to learn. Probably just some basic latin steps would work. OR – this is dangerously close to “exercise” rather than play but I loved the Masala Bhangra workout videos. (or doing bhangra-ish steps anyway, I get annoyed at Sarina Jain talking and coaching throughout). I’d like to relearn some of the basic steps and then just find some bitchin Punjabi music and get down. 16 months ago
I’m ready to revisit this goal.
I’d like to do the whole deal, too. Not just the eating part, but the movement, play, sleep, and mental parts.
The cooking/eating part will be less challenging. I’m now in the habit of planning my meals each week, and I’ve slowly been building up a list of easy Primal-friendly staple recipes.
The movement and active play portions will be tougher, as I’ve not been doing ANY exercise for the past few months. I’m going to start by just taking 30 min. walks every morning and hopefully hiking at least once each weekend, and maybe doing yoga every other evening before bed. I have a LOT of fun podcasts that I subscribe to now and not enough chore-time in which to listen to them.
Once I can get myself out the door for 30 min. or so each morning, I’ll look at getting up earlier to make it to the gym for sprints and weight lifting.
Play is hard…I hate team sports and I don’t have a dog. I’ll keep thinking about that part. 17 months ago
