Not a Carnivore!

I tried eating Primal for a couple of days and it made me sick, head-achy, and no energy. I was really hungry, even though I was eating 1400 calories, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Not the plan for me. I will stick with a diet comprised mostly (ideally 90%) of lean meats, good fats like olive oil and avocados, lots of fruits and veggies, and whole grains (like bulgur wheat, yum!), with the occasional room for chocolate and ice cream!

Primal!

I have been researching the Primal Blueprint  diet lately and I am going to give it a whirl. Reasons? 1) Reducing starchy carbs and dairy products from the diet has been shown to reduce acid reflux, which I have (and it sucks!). 2) I pretty much always crave sugary stuff and need to eat less of it. 3) I love fruits, veggies, and eggs, all of which I can eat lots of on this diet. 4) This plan claims to reduce hunger pangs and cravings.

I will be trying to follow this as closely as I can for the next 1-2 weeks and will note any changes in mood, attitude, energy, concentration, physical well-being, and of course any weight/inches lost. Basically I will be cutting out all sugars and grains. Potatoes are ok in moderation but not encouraged. Wild rice is ok, because it is not actually a grain. Fats and proteins are a heavy part of the diet. Fruit is fine in moderation and non-starchy veggies are unlimited. Dairy is fine but preferred to be fermented or whole fat if possible. No alcohol. Small amounts of dark chocolate are permitted.

I'm encouraged to get low-moderate intensity cardio 3 days, 2 days with heavy weight training/calisthenics, and to get daily play and sun in and to get plenty of rest. I'll keep you posted!

2

Today is the 4th and I'm having a great day so far! I made a great contribution to our family potluck...a Black Forest cake made low fat and low sugar but tasting 100% great! After that I am walking down to the riverfront (about 1 mile each way) to watch the fireworks with my boyfriend. Have a Happy 4th everybody!

1

Today went well. I slept in really later for me, 10 AM, and was busy so I wound up eating for the first time at 2PM. That's odd for me because I am a big breakfast eater! I went with my boyfriend to the Super Buffet and had sushi, stir fried mushrooms and broccoli, lots of water, and a little dessert. Then I went to my brother's to work out and stayed for dinner. We had spaghetti pie and cheesecake. I was a lot more active than usual and despite skipping breakfast on accident and eating semi-junk, I was never too hungry, and didn't overeat or even eat a lot. Tomorrow - swimming!

The Beginning

My blog title is "Round To Hourglass" and that is my physical goal in a nutshell. I am starting my journey to better health and fitness. I'm a 27 year old female and I have let college get in the way of health and I am working to find a better balance. I have a Y membership, keep a food journal, have a bicycle, and Netflix has lots of streaming workout videos so I can even work out at home if the gym is closed or weather is bad.

I'm not sure where I am exactly healthwise. Physically I fit in a size 12 pants and large tops. But I also have been recently diagnosed with high blood pressure and my weight just keeps going on up. I now weight 187 and I am not going to gain more weight! From here it it going to go down. Diabetes runs in my family and I am scared that I will become diabetic if I stay overweight. I'm not sure how overweight I am because BMI is not very accurate (according to it bodybuilders are clinically obese) and I don't have a good way to tell my body fat percentage. I am going to be tracking my weight and measurements once a week, on Saturday morning. 

My starting stats are:
Ankle - 9.5
Calf - 16
Thigh - 25.5
Hips - 44
Waist - 38
Bust - 44
Neck - 14.5
Bicep - 13
Wrist - 6.5
Weight - 187 lbs