More about the Primal Blueprint Challenge

A handy infographic (this may or may not work):

<a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-blueprint-21-day-challenge-infographic/"><img src="http://bit.ly/1fxixc3" alt="The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge" title="The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge" /></a><br/>Learn more at <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com">Mark's Daily Apple</a>.

Monday

Bad day Friday for food; on top of too much candy (chocolate covered blueberries), I opted for Mexican at dinner - and pigged out on chips and salsa. Saturday was okay, I think; a late breakfast and what was supposed to be no-carb pizza for dinner, and too many cashews afterwards, but that was it for bad eating. Yesterday was actually pretty good, I hope. My stomach is telling me otherwise this morning, though - it's a bit messed up. Here's yesterday:

• tea with cream
• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• a bit of apple butter
• meat-only chili topped with melted cheese
• salad with blue cheese dressing
• 2 pieces of cheese
• a bunch of walnuts (not measured)

That was it. 157.6 this morning, some of it leftover inflammation, I think. And the thing that I am full of this morning.

So the Primal Blueprint challenge starts today, and finishes the day after we arrive in New Orleans. So mine might be a day short. I got some amount of momentum going last week regarding walking - not quite daily, though - and did the squats from the baseline exercise on Saturday (some of that inflammation is from those, and from shoving boxes of Christmas stuff into the attic). I haven't looked at today's stuff yet, but plan on doing it. Skipped breakfast today because I have to go on a lunch thing for work (not likely to be fun, either). Dinner is to be steaks and salad.

Sleep Friday night was good - I slept like a log until after 6, I think. Woke up for the day Sunday at 3:30. Took 1 Benadryl last night and knew nothing until after 5 am - although I recall dreaming. Not the greatest approach, but at the moment, it seems to be working for me, so I'll keep it up.

Friday

Up later than planned last night - I think I got to sleep around 11:15. Work. I took 2 Benadryl as soon as we finished up and it took about 1/2 hour to work, I think. After that, I don't remember a thing until the alarm went off. I needed it, desperately. I almost wish it worked every night, but it's probably better for me that it doesn't. I don't think I have an issue with addiction, but I also want to avoid the near occasion of addiction. I'm tired today and a bit washed out, but less hair-trigger than I was yesterday, which is a very good thing.

• 156.6 this morning - at least, I think so. The scale's light went out as I bent down to focus. I know I went to bed with swollen feet, and can only assume I'm carrying water. No real idea why. Here's yesterday:
• tea with cream
• the usual supplements
• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• cheese (4 pieces)
• salad with meat and cheese and blue cheese dressing
• 2 Christmas chocolates
• some salted roasted peanuts
• 2 dark chocolate peanut butter cups

I think that was it. I don't think I bothered with honey last night, because of the Benadryl.

We didn't exercise yesterday. There wasn't really time, or we didn't think there was time. And I was not in the mood. 

Working from home today. Christmas take-down this weekend. If the weather permits, I may try to get a walk in outdoors - I think that would be nice. And I think we are in for a stretch of 40s without snow, so it's possible. Today is grey and grubby and cold - we got a skift of snow (I think that's the word) overnight, but it just makes everything look brittle. I think the other thing to do this weekend is a set of the Primal bodyweight exercises (pushups, planks, squats), since the aches from the baseline set I did are finally gone. I was surprised that they caused so much stiffness; must be doing something.

Thursday (I desperately hope, anyway)

Another bad night's sleep last night, for the same combination of reasons. The dog wanted a drink at 1-something am. She whined. Only I heard her. I let her out. After which, last night, she wanted to go outside. I got back to sleep around 4, and had to take aspirin to achieve that. Much worse than the previous night. I'm exhausted again, cranky as hell (not being improved by my first moments at work, I must say), and a pound and a half heavier than yesterday, for no obvious reason. 157.6 this morning. Here's yesterday:

• tea with cream
• bacon (4 pieces, I think)
• a piece of beef jerky
• leftover paleo shepherd's pie
• a cup of green chile as soup 
• cobb salad with blue cheese dressing
• 2 chocolates (working through the last of the Christmas stuff)
• some walnuts
• 1 tsp honey

We hit the gym and I walked about a mile and a half - slower than the day before per the Nike running app, which I attribute to being tired. And had dinner afterwards. The walnuts were ad lib., from a jar of them, and I know that they have caused issues with weight before, so they may be the source of my issue, but I'm so damn tired of watching every stinking bite and looking back after a jump like that to see, truly, nothing that should have been a problem.

I had RedBull on the drive to work this morning, and will probably have Benadryl tonight - 2 of them, too. This is a hell of a way to live.

Wednesday

156.0, stiff and sore from the baseline exercises (much more than yesterday). Very very tired; we found out after dinner last night that Lee is going to be Mardi Gras king next year, not in 4 years as we had thought, so we had to start doing some rapid planning, and my brain never did really settle down. Fell asleep after 11; the dog woke up at 1:30ish to get a drink - she moaned just enough to penetrate a single Benadryl. I just hurt.

Yesterday went like this:

• tea with cream
• the usual supplements
• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• cheese
• paleo shepherd's pie (beef, mirepoix, cauliflower, cream, butter)
• 2 chocolates
• peanuts
• 1 tsp honey

I have the rest of the shepherd's pie with me for lunch today, and had cold bacon for breakfast (bad roads, made worse by bad traffic reporting). If I'd had time on the way out of the house, I'd have grabbed a RedBull as well, but will have to make do with tea. Gonna be a long day.

Monday

I guess we've already had the first post of the new year, so I won't go into any of that. Suffice it to say that I was at 155.6 this morning - not bad after 3 days spent in hibernation, basically. It was cold, Lee's still sick (!), and while we did make it out for a walk on Saturday, and I got my eye appointment done for contacts to wear for Mardi Gras (it's way easier to deal with masks wearing contacts than glasses), that was pretty much it. I did some sewing yesterday, and some reading, and some TV-watching (oh, joy).

I don't think I recall yesterday's eating, but it involved an omelet and a few hashbrowns for breakfast, cheese and ham and chocolates, and that was it, I believe. I'm trying to get back into fat-burning mode, and am planning on doing the upcoming Primal Blueprint 21-day challenge (starts in 1 week). The point of the latter, though is less about eating (we're mostly Primal these days, except when I dive face-first into junk food) than about the strength exercises. I feel like that's my big issue these days - I am not particularly strong, and I need to be stronger. So I want to focus on his fitness routines for a solid period, see if they work for me. And if I can't find time or room to do bodyweight stuff 2 days a week for a total of 45 minutes, then I have bigger issues than strength.

Sleep over the weekend was much improved from Thursday; I think I slept clear through all 3 nights. Last night, I took Benadryl, just as a precaution; the 2 nights before were honey/magnesium/melatonin nights. And the honey dreams are kicking in full-force, that's for sure. And starting to be memorable as well - which, I hope, means that I'm less exhausted. Crossing my fingers that I have at least a bit of a handle on the sleep these days.

Friday

Interesting. Yesterday was a complete loss. Due to a combination of factors (alcohol with dinner, fireworks, nervous and spoiled dogs, and menopausal insomnia), I woke for the day shortly after midnight. Spent the following 5 hours tossing and turning carefully to avoid falling off the bed because the nervous spoiled dog was occupying my normal foot room, and finally got up for good around 5:30. Consequently, there was no January weather option that could have enticed me out to do the planned 5K; I spent the day on the couch with my feet up, reading with the TV on (that is, not really getting much read). I did actually fall asleep for about 10 minutes mid-afternoon, but that was it until bedtime. Last night, I slept with a Benadryl, didn't so much as move until after 5 am. I feel better, but wish it didn't have to be that way.

Anyway, I weigh 155.4 this morning. Here's yesterday:

• tea with cream
• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• tomato slices
• 1-2 pieces of cheese (I think)
• a bunch of roasted salted peanuts (not measured)
• 4 mint dark chocolates
• 1 regular chocolate (Christmas)
• pork roast
• roast potatoes
• gravy
• fruit salad
• black-eyed peas

I think that was it. I guess I'd call it balanced. I had made crock-pot Jambalaya for dinner before we got invited to eat with my parents. Otherwise, dinner would have involved chicken and shrimp and a bit of rice. We're having that tomorrow.

Nearly done with the Christmas candy, I'm happy to say. We still have a stash of Trader Joe's dark chocolate what-nots, but I'm going to try to put them somewhere out of sight and see if that leads to "out of mind". I really need to get my head back into the "sugar is poison" mindset - so that's my reaction to it viscerally, instead of "yum!"

Working from home today - will try to stick to cheese as snacks, and a movie tonight, we think. Probably dinner out. I want to avoid flour and stuff, though, so my going-in plan will be for a big-ass salad with meat. Sounds like the weather might be warmer this weekend, and Lee's mostly over his flu, so we're talking resuming gym visits. I'm sure it will be crowded and chaotic.