Primal Blueprint diet, 2nd week
By Linda
This is my second week of Primal Blueprint eating and I’m feeling very good good about things. I’m truly noticing a big difference in my energy levels, which is something I didn’t expect to see right away. I don’t have any big ups and downs of energy throughout the day, and even more amazing—considering I’ve never been a morning person—when my alarm goes off at 6 AM I get right out of bed, no problems.
Plus, I’m sleeping better. I don’t normally have issues with sleep, but in the last week I feel like I’m somehow resting more deeply at night; it’s like when I turn off the light I just immediately start sinking into the bed and I’m conked out moments later. It’s almost the favorite part of my day right now, because it’s so incredibly soothing.
I went off-plan for Saturday night and Sunday because I thought I probably needed to stock up on glycogen for Sunday’s 21-mile run, and I could absolutely feel a major body change after Saturday’s noodle-heavy dinner. Right after I finished eating I felt super lethargic, like I just wanted to sleep, and then—even though I was totally full—I immediately started craving more carbs. I wanted sugar and crackers and candy, badly.
I’ve long suspected that I’m carb-sensitive, in that they are triggering for me and eating them just makes me want to eat more and more and more. I have never been able to have a SMALL piece of cake, or ONE cookie, and call it good. I don’t even want cookies if I can’t have, like, nine of them, you know? (Plus a whackload of the dough before they baked.) Eating primal has essentially eliminated the entire cycle of sugar high, followed by crash, followed by the intense desire for more sugars, and so on. If I want something sweet, I eat some fruit, and that feels satisfying. Unlike candy or chips, which of course taste GREAT, but never really satisfy me.
So while I’m not educated enough to get on the soapbox and exult the health values of this diet yet, I am absolutely convinced this is a good eating plan for someone like me who has issues with sugar.
The plan recommends eliminating grains and at least reducing dairy, which I’m doing (with the exception of half and half in my coffee each morning). So what’s making me feel better? Is it avoiding milk? Not eating bread? Eating so many more fruits and vegetables than I normally do? A combination of all these things? Hard to say, but so far, I really like the results.
Other positive physical update notes: virtually no major bloating or gas, ever. No more headaches like last week. Down six pounds total. Aches and pains seem to improve faster (I definitely hurt after that long-ass run, but three days later I felt back to normal). Hard to say if my runs have improved or not but I did 4 hilly miles last night and had good energy throughout, which I rarely have after a full day of work/swimming lessons/kids’ bedtimes/etc.
Downsides: this is a comparatively expensive way of eating, there’s no way around it. Eating mainly fresh fruits and vegetables and meats, preferably organic, preferably local when possible, isn’t cheap. Also, I find it more difficult to make large, leftover-providing meals ahead of time since I’m not using grains. Factor in our crazy-busy schedule of late and I’m back to doing a lot of last-minute grabbing of whatever’s available. I think I can improve this, though, with a little extra planning and some recipe-hunting.
Oh, and I’m still eating Splenda. I KNOW. I plan to stop someday. Really.
Food diary:
Saturday, 4/10:
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, 1 slice ham, coffee with half & half & Splenda
Lunch: 1 patty lean ground beef with tomatoes & horseradish
Snack: 1 apple with natural peanut butter, 2 turkey hot dogs
Dinner: 1 bowl steak pho soup, 2 spring rolls, strawberries
Snack: pretzel sticks, frozen blueberries with half & half
Sunday, 4/11:
Breakfast: 2 pieces wheat toast, peanut butter, coffee with half & half & Splenda
Snack (during long run): Clif Shot Blox, energy Gu, pretzels
Snack (after long run): 1/4 waffle with peanut butter, protein shake
Snack: 2 turkey hot dogs
Dinner: 1 artichoke dipped in light mayo, steamed chicken
Snack: frozen blueberries with half & half
Monday, 4/12:
Breakfast: 1 slice ham, strawberries & kiwi fruit salad, coffee
Snack: 1 apple, a few peanuts
Lunch: salad w/ spinach greens, cabbage, 1 hardboiled egg, cucumbers, red peppers, diced ham
Snack: small bowl raspberries
Dinner: salad w/chicken, salsa, red peppers, mushroom, tomatoes; 1 pear
Snack: carrot & celery sticks w/hummus, 6 almonds, 2 sugar-free popsicles
Tuesday, 4/13:
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, strawberries & kiwi fruit salad, coffee
Snack: 1 banana
Lunch: salad w/ spinach greens, cabbage, diced ham, beets, kale, small amount wild rice
Snack: 1 apple with cashew nut butter
Dinner: 2 turkey hot dogs, 2 pieces turkey bacon, 1 smoothie with blueberries, strawberries, banana, 10 peanuts
Snack: raw cauliflower, celery, hummus; raspberries and strawberries
Wednesday, 4/14:
Breakfast: 2 egg scramble with spinach, 1 grapefruit, coffee
Snack: small bowl peanuts, wasabi soy nuts, 1 pear
Lunch: salad w/ spinach greens, beets, cucumbers, parmesan; 1 apple
Snack: 1 protein shake
Dinner: 1.5 servings leftover chicken, green beans, 1 pear
Snack: 2 kiwis, handful raspberries with Splenda
April 15th, 2010 at 11:29 am
I’m glad you wrote this today. I’d been trying to follow this eating plan, but today stuffed a carrot muffin into my pie hole and then because obviously ALL WAS LOST ate a piece of pizza for lunch. And now I feel gross and bloated. But I’ve been craving bread all afternoon, so I agree that once the sugar comes into play again it all gets more difficult. I was left feeling down about this whole hard chore of eating well, and true, the MONEY! Sigh, alas, you’re doing great and I’m glad you’re feeling better. And tonight, I’m back at it too.
April 15th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I don’t know if this has already been suggested or not, but have you thought about/tried replacing your Splenda with Stevia? It tastes the same to me, and it’s all natural, calorie free. It’s what I put in my coffee, although I haven’t tried baking with it or anything yet, but in small amounts it’s a great alternative to the artificial sweeteners. I think the most common grocery store brand is Truvia, but you can get it at Trader Joe’s too.
April 15th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Jen: I’ve tried Stevia and . . . well, suffice to say it doesn’t taste the same to me. : )
April 15th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
I recently discovered agave nectar… It’s pretty yummy. Not sure if that would fit into the primal eating plan or not?
April 15th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Miche: I give it to the kids in place of pancake syrup (which, whoah, that stuff is like HFCS + corn syrup + corn flavoring + CORN, or something) but it’s still sugar. The real problem with Splenda — well, aside from the chemical death contents and all — is how intensely sugary it tastes, so if you’re like me and addicted to it, you want/need about a CUP of agave to flavor your coffee.
Oh Splenda, why you got to be so bad, when you taste so good?
April 16th, 2010 at 2:47 am
How about Sun Crystals? They are a blend of stevia (I think) and a bit of sugar. They are good in coffee too. BTW, what kind of waffles and pretzels do you eat?
April 16th, 2010 at 8:58 am
I’ll check the Sun Crystals out, JMH. No special brand on the pretzel/waffles, those were off-plan foods.
April 19th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Linda, here is a recipe for mostly on-plan pancakes that are pretty good:
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breakfast1/r/lowcarbpancakes.htm
Almond flour is a lifesaver; you can get it for a pretty good price at (wait for it, wait for it) nutsonline.com.
April 19th, 2010 at 10:21 am
I’m impressed. I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a primal type diet but can’t move past the “but it seems so HARD” phase of my lazy brain process.
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