Yard Dart's Primal Journey

Well I started my journey with the Primal Blueprint January 1...thought I would tie my lifestyle change with the new year to have a good date to mark the start.... not really as a new year resolution per se...those get broken. I picked up three of the books to read up on over the Christmas holiday and on New Years day I kicked it off. The wife joined me on the plan which was easier for her since she seems to be the diet master.... very helpful in keeping me straight on the plan. She has been gluten free for years.

When I ETS'd back in 97 I weighed 197 and was in good shape.... that is my target weight for right now. Where I end up time will tell....

Our dinners have always been along the Paleo type of diet with Pizza as an exception from time to time. The biggest challenge I have had over the years is with breakfast and lunch as I tend to grab something fast. So the hardest part for me was the dietary change in what I eat... and not cheating.... Sad to say that I do cheat a little with maybe a beverage or two I should not have.... from time to time. Meal planning is the hardest part I would have to say.

Since I have started I have not been to a fast food joint (the wife is amazed at that item). I made the change to the plan cold turkey in regards to what I am eating and am very happy with the results to date. I told myself I was either in or out..... and the deal I made with myself said YOU ARE IN!!

Two weeks after I started I was down for about a week with a mild case of the flu. This set me back on any working out for the most part and so I have just started to get back to that area.

Thanks to @melbo and @Quigley_Sharps for the spark, motivation and endless detail which have spurred me on, as well as the many others of us that our now on our journeys.

I have already had to punch holes in two belts and when I do not carry IWB, my pants are to big.... guess I will be picking up some new pants this weekend. I seem to be sleeping better at night and have more energy throughout the day.

January 1st- Start
Weight- 229lbs

February 3rd
Weight- 215

Change to date: -14 lbs.

 

Congrats YD. I can't wait to follow your journey.
I had the carb flu like symptoms in the first two weeks. Felt like the flu was coming on but never made a full appearance. Not sure if that's what you had going on. My wife got hit hard by it.


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I am leaning on a taste of the regular flu, I never lost my "lunch" but I felt like hell for a week and a 100 degree temp one night. The wife and daughter both picked it up as well and theirs turned into bronchitis. Sucked either way for about 2 weeks of hacking and feeling miserable for the house....

Yesterday we had to deal with our dog... so I failed miserably at our little wake we had for her. I had clam chowder, a BLT (with bread) and two Porters. Guess I will have some work today to peel away that transgression.

 

Ya sounds like the real flu, again sorry for the loss of your buddy.

 

I will have to say this has been a tough Primal week. It started with the Superbowl (snacking/beverages) and rolled into the loss of my pup (comfort foods you might say). I cheated a few times early this week due to those events and I saw a 4 lb. gain. Realized I was slipping on Wednesday and returned to the plan and have not made anymore errors this week. I am now more aware that if I cheat/slip just a little, weight loss can reverse it self quickly. Note to all, that it is a mental thing and if you cheat you will pay for it. I have reminded myself of the repercussions of not following the plan, eating right and getting proper rest.

Weight 219

 

Welcome to the club

 

Okay- happy Monday to all. I have been able to reverse my little gain from my cheat last week... and get back down to 216 lb's as of this morning. Lots of physical work planned this week, so we will see what it all brings in results.

 

Had a nice relaxing evening last night with a chicken leg quarter and a nice salad for dinner. We had almost hurricane winds here last night with heavy rain.... power went out in the middle of the night. Went to bed early and woke up this morning feeling nice and rested. Lots of trees in the roadway on the way in to work.... just another PNW day.

Weight: 214

 

I really need to keep up with the posting, jesh...
Been a good couple weeks without any cheats.... for the most part. Wife has been travelling so my bad influence is out of the house....
With the weather/rain calming down around here it has been better to get outside and do some work without rain gear
Spring fever has set in for me... tired of winter, time for it to go.
Dropped another 2 lbs since last post.

Weight: 212

 

Well here we are again... time to catch up on progress. I have been working quite a bit lately and keeping busy with life. The plan is getting much easier to follow without making the normal mistakes or lapse in judgement (cheating).... The body talks to me when it needs fuel and I think that is pretty cool.... I have listened well I suppose. I am doing a much better job at planning for meals each day, to ensure that breakfast and lunch are taken care of and not "figured" out on the fly, which is where the mistakes take place for me.

I hit a plateau of some sort for a week+ and the scale just moved around a lb. or two daily. Today I jumped on the scale and was quite pleased to see that I was now at 209 lbs. I have officially lost 20 lbs. since the first of the year!!
I have not been this "light" in years and I do feel more energy than I have in some time. I have to say Thank You!! to @melbo and @Quigley_Sharps for their initial threads, information and motivation to start this plan- good job men!!.
YD

 

Here I sit, planning another confessional on how I have been a bad boy and not following the Primal path to the T. Father please forgive me for I have sinned: I ate Mexican food last weekend... with beans and chips/salsa one night; I have had two mocha's in the last week, and who can have St. Patties day without a nice dark beer or two. I hurt might right foot Saturday and have been a bit gimpy the last few days, so I have not done my walks. But the foot is feeling better now and I should resume my treks tomorrow most likely. I have used that opportunity to find areas/routes throughout our area that I was not to familiar with.... as well as a better familiarization with who is around me.

I have been getting more rest lately and feeling the results of that and the better diet since starting this journey. The wife has requested me to get into the cookbook more and provide a little more variety to our eating plan so we do not get "bored" (I do most of the shopping and cooking as she is a career gal as well and usually works a couple of hours later than I do). Guess I have some more homework to do on that subject of meal planning.

I am still sitting at 209 and have not lost anything in the last 10 days but suppose I am nearing a weight my body likes... I am most likely changing out of the XLS shirts I have and needing to go to a large, as well as the old pant size has gone down. My belts hardly work and I have punched extra holes in a couple of them to keep using. I will have to say that it is nice to hear the skinny jokes now and then, I guess the loss show's.

I need to do more physically and that will most likely spur some more loss with fat but gain in muscle. I have been working on our home remodel for two months now and that has been keeping me busy, in addition to a heavy workload right now at the office...business is good for us which is nice.
YD

 

Had a nice slab of Sockeye Salmon last night and artichokes.. The wife and I spent half the day running around doing errands and then the rest of the day cleaning the garage and staining the new wood shelving for the remodeled pantry.

Weight today: 207 lbs. with a total loss since January of 22 lbs.

 

We cut the stock off about an inch from the Artichoke, cut them in half from top to bottom and boil in a big pot till the leaves pull off easily with a pair of tongs (maybe 30 to 45 minutes). Then you dip the meaty part of the leaf in mayo or melted butter and they are mighty tasty. Once you get to the base and all the leaves are gone and there is nothing but the very tiny leaves that look like fur, you scrape that off and eat the base which is the heart of the artichoke.... enjoy.

There are many videos on line that show assorted techniques...

 

It has been a slow week around my neck of the woods and caught up on a bit of rest with a long 4-day weekend last week... which for me translates into working around the house. Been sticking with the plan pretty well and starting to increase my exercise regime a bit more.

My daughter picked me up a couple boxes of these Ostrim Ostrich Meat Snacks: Ostrim High Protein Snack, Beef & Ostrich, Natural Flavor, 1.5 Ounce - 10 Count: Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food
The natural ones are pretty tasty and have made a nice addition to my snack options to keep some variety.... the Teriyaki version is okay to...
Thought I would throw that out for anyone looking for ideas. I actually have more on order and will be adding these to my GHB/EDC as additional food to what I have there now....

Weight this morning was at 209 lbs. I find that I have been shifting around in weight at between 206 and 209 for some time now...

As a side note I have suffered a bit of hay fever for many years in the spring time with all the pollen floating around. While my daughter is just dying with hay fever right now.... I have not had any issues, which for me was a surprise. Don't know if it is related to switching to Primal, but maybe it is

 

My allergies are gone so far, see what happens mid summer.

 

We have had high tree pollen with the springtime and I have not had any allergy issues at all.... nice.

I have been increasing my distance on my walks and keeping a nice brisk pace. Every time I run, my right knee reminds me that it does not like it...
Interesting things I have been discovering on these walks and have made some new neighborhood contacts.... life in suburbia. Found out one of my neighbors a block over is keeping beehives in his backyard.... I scored a barter for some of his honey

Weight has plateaued and I am sitting at 208 lbs. right now. I have been eating good but am still getting the request for more variety.... does that ever end, I suspect no....
With the BBQ fired up all weekend I had plenty of left-over brats, chicken, and hamburgers for extra meals....
YD