February 1st Re-Affirmation

I find it useful to periodically remind myself what I am doing and why. It is a re-affirmation of what I am doing right. I particularly need it today, as I am feeling dumpy and out of sorts.

I need to stop weighing myself. I am not losing any "weight" lately and it is getting a bit depressing, especially since my husband (M) is doing great and losing a bit each day. I suppose it is possible that I am losing inches rather than pounds, and I know better than to rely on the scale as a success indicator. But still...I neglected to measure myself when I started the "Great Cholesterol Experiment" with M, so I really have no idea how I am doing...

I am not new to the Paleo/Primal diet. I have been following a primarily low carb way of life since 1998--not obessively, but fairly regularly. I haven't eaten grains regularly for 12 years, I haven't eaten much processed food for the past 5 years, and since this year began, I have been really good about eating primarily organic and grass fed meat, and eating a pretty strict Paleo diet.

Since my immediate goal is to bring down M's cholesterol, I haven't focused so much on my goals lately. My goal, besides to improve my general health, is to lose weight. I need to lose 50 pounds to be within my "healthy weight range" which would impress my doctor no doubt. So far, I have lost about 7 this year. (I guess that is pretty good...it's just that I lost all of it the first week, and only 2 since then...)

Here are all the things I am doing right:

I am trying to limit my calories to about 1700 when possible, although some days I eat as few as 1300 (not very hungry) and other days I have eaten as many as 3000 (starving). Most importantly, I am limiting my carbohydrates to about 30 per day (sometimes less) but still following a paleo/primal diet that includes meat, vegetables, and fruit.

I avoid high sugar fruits (bananas & pineapple) for the most part--and save dried fruit for special occasions.

I do not eat dried beans and pulses, or grains of any kind including corn--some people think of corn as a vegetable, but it is a starchy grain. I do not eat processed food of any kind (soy, wheat, and corn are in everything!!), although sometimes I buy premade salad dressings because I get tired of making my own.

I am careful to read ingredients and not eat crap.

I rarely eat sugar. If I want something sweet I have fruit, or make something with stevia. Sometimes I use raw honey.

I eat grass fed red meat, free range whole chickens, wild caught seafood, avocado, olive oil, butter, cream. Lots of fat, low carbohydrate mostly paleo food.

Dairy is part of my diet, even though it is not strictly Paleo. I have about a T of cream in my one cup of coffee at home in the morning. At work I drink tea with nothiing added.

I use butter, olive oil, bacon fat and beef tallow to cook with.

I eat lots of leafy green vegetables and other fresh vegetables.

I eat sweet potatoes occasionally (maybe once a week). I drink dry red wine, and dry champagne.

I usually walk about 3-4 miles a day (an hour), but recently have been recuperating from a sprained ankle--this week I will be walking 3 times.

Maybe once a month we have dinner out and have chocolate or gelato (or chocolate gelato!) or something like that. Our next planned cheat like this is Valentine's Day. We have a favorite Thai restaurant that we are going to visit, and we are having raspberry chocolate cake with chocolate peanut butter ice cream and whipped cream and fudge on top. (Well, M is having that. I might just have a little ice cream and call it good.) M has a much more demanding sweet tooth than I do. This meal is going to be after he has his blood drawn for cholesterol testing again.

So, there you have it. THE PLAN. It just feels better to put it out there every once in a while to remind myself what I am doing and why.