Paleo and primal

[Daughteroughter]

I have been reading about paleo and primal diets has anyone tried them?

Damn, I've just bought a big bag of them! :-( I can't waste them - I will just hope that one a day won't be too terrible, especially since I'd hope the other changes I've made will outweigh this! Thanks, tea
Going to search for butternut squash recipes.. I've only ever made them taste horribly bland!

Chop up butternut squash, coat in oil, add salt, some thyme or sage, if you have it and roast till golden.

Tea you're making me crave a veg box again, after a trip to Waitrose today where the shelves were empty and the veg was very sad looking. I have tried the veg box before and I've given up due to wastage....but that was when the kids were small, I struggled to work around someone else's suggestions....I wonder whether I could do it better this time . Still remember their blood oranges, they were amazing!

Stuffez - 'don't let perfect be the enemy of good'.

In other words, you've made a whole shedload of changes that are going to stand you in really good stead, both weight and health wise. So what if it's not perfect? Sweet potatoes are better than chips, and none of this will work for you if it's not sustainable in the long run. Enjoy your sweet potatoes, they're good, proper food. After this period of skintness is over, maybe just have them once a week!

Snow - honestly, it gives me such pleasure to see my fridge full of veg! I am becoming a bit weird

Better a sweet potato any day which our ancestors probably spent a lot of time grubbing in the ground to find than just about any processed food on the planet.

I eat a sweet potato nearly every day usually mashed with butter and I'm still losing weight. My personal trainer encourages me to eat them! I do tend to not eat enough though.
Am loving primal food and exercise working out for about 5-7hrs a week at the moment and feel amazing, my entire body shape has changed. I posted before and after photos on the BIWI thread

don't let perfect be the enemy of good

Thanks for the reassurance and the positive stories! I love that quote as well.
EMUZ exercise is something I need to step up too. I'm on my feet all day teaching but it's not exactly strenuous. When I've been to the gym in the past, the machine I really got to grips with was he cross trainer. I went from five minutes and feeling like I was going to die, to 45 minutes and feeling like I could keep going. I'm scouting around on gumtree for a second hand cross trainer for when I get paid.

This is after about 3 months primal/Paleo eating and workouts. Loss is 9kg, 7cm round stomach, 3cm off chest and my body is definitely changing shape
i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/brighthair84/E9810A60-22F6-433F-AD67-93C3B942B51C-3852-000004C19BD350A0_zps490af82f.jpg

Bloody. Hell! Wow! That is so noticeable! :-) I am going to take a before shot tonight (maybe not ready to show anyone though!)

I didn't enjoy the before shots
Am pleased with the changes I can see in photos as I can't see it in the mirror yet!!

Wow Emuz what a difference! Well done.

Long way to go yet, I am still in the obese category. Am hoping to start weight lifting/deadlifts properly by June but just need some more lower body and core strength first. The food has made the biggest difference but the exercise has motivated me and been easier because of the food

EMUZ, that's an amazing transformation - well done!

Feeling quite peckish today. 'Tis totm (sorry if tmi) and I think that does tend to bring on the snack attacks. Had a rather nice duck salad from pret a manger for lunch, with an apple and water. Oh, and one of their little bars of dark choc with sea salt - very nice.

Tonight is chicken legs with...something. Will probably roast them with some veg. Or maybe a creamy mushroom sauce - now there's a thought! Last night was a success - ds ate a proper piece of fish! And pronounced it delicious. I roasted some broccoli with garlic and lemon, and added some mashed sweet potato we had leftover, fried up into patties. Spring greens and a dollop of pesto - was fab.

What's everyone else got planned for dinner? I love hearing about your food!

I too enjoy hearing about other peoples food.
Did cream cheese pancakes with raspberry coulis for the kids breakfast - having previously gone down like a lead balloon the last time I offered them, today they were gobbled up with enthusiasm. I had boiled eggs and chicken.
Sausages with stir fried Savoy cabbage for lunch. Kids had sausages, cucumber, kiwi fruit and a banana muffin.
Made some pumpkin gingerbread cake this afternoon - recipe needs work, more molasses and more ginger. But dcs think it's a good substitute for the wheat based version.
Dinner will be five spice chicken with pea shoot salad and maybe some roasted cauliflower - kids will have mash with theirs.
Planning to start making my own sausages soon, got all the ingredients today, I have extra fine almonds arriving in bulk tomorrow, with some coconut flour and a bulk purchase of vanilla, ordered a veg box and some meat from Abel & Cole too, thinking of growing my own Stevia - I need to stay away from the Internet!!!

Exercise today - long walk and circuits in the park. Will go for a run tomorrow.

Shift work so odd meal times!
Brunch - omelette with spring onions, tomato, mushroom and ham
Protein shake post gym
Tea is a bizarre combo of roast chicken, sweet potato mash and a spoonful of curry sauce base

I had tuna and spinach leaves for lunch and got a pork chop with (surprise, surprise!) sweet potato wedges and broccoli. I will get twenty quid for tuition tomorrow and will be hot footing it down to tesco for something a little more interesting!

Snow, do you have the recipe for cream cheese pancakes?

I keep reading about baking with coconut flour. What's it like and how does it turn out? Not for me, I struggle with carbs but I think it would be better for my daughter than wheat!

I had bacon and eggs for breakfast, prawns in homemade mayo for lunch with salad and chilli con carne without rice for dinner.

I struggle for recipe ideas, am not very imaginative.

Breakfast was greek yogurt with grated apple and cashew nuts

Lunch was bacon scrambled eggs and mushrooms

Dinner was slow cooker pulled pork homemade coleslaw and sweet potato chips

I am one very happy cavegirl

Cream cheese pancakes

50g cream cheese
2 eggs
1tsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon - ( I add 2tsp as we love cinnamon)
1tsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix together using a stick blender. You can make them without coconut flour and baking powder to make something more like a crepe.

Spoon a tablespoon of mixture onto an oiled heated non stick frying pan. Like all pancakes you need to play a bit to achieve the right heat and figure out when best to flip over.

Philly comes in small snack sized portions - it's perfect for this, they have a really long shelf life, so you'll always have the ingredients at hand.

Frozen blueberries with more cinnamon cooked in micro till they go jammy work well with these.

I'm trying to lose a little weight and feel more energetic. I run 5 days a week but definitely need to get rid of a little winter flab. I've been doing this for 2 days and have already lost 2lbs! So strange...because I'm eating tons of food...just no bread, rice, pasta or my beloved morning oatmeal. This morning I had a veggie/egg scramble with salsa, went for a 10k run and then had a banana afterwards (wasn't hungry but figured a snack was a good idea since lunch would be late and I had just worked out). Lunch was lettuce wraps with lobster, avocado, mango, carrot and cucumber and a piece of grilled salmon. Afternoon snack was green tea and 4 small squares of 85% chocolate (wasn't hungry but always feel like I need either caffeine or a nap mid-afternoon). Dinner is going to be zucchini ribbons sautéed in coconut oil and turkey bolognaise sauce, green salad and berries for dessert.

Not really noticing much change in energy levels just yet but I feel like my thigh cellulite is a bit less noticeable so I guess that's worth sticking with this for a bit . Appetite is the biggest change...I'm just not hungry...at all. I don't know whether I should eat, just because? I'm pretty active so I feel like I should, regardless of appetite.

Coconut flour can make some excellent cakes. My birthday is next week and I will be making the chocolate cake from Primal Palate which is nicer than wheat flour cake, I think. With coconut flour, you use a little bit if flour and a LOT of eggs, which means that a small slice of cake is very filling.

Thanks for the recipe for pancakes and info about coconut flour, I'll get hold of some and try those for my daughter.

I tend to eat carb and dairy free as I suffer with IBS and avoiding them seems to help. It does limit what I can eat though.

So last night I wanted something a bit sweet after dinner. I mixed a few frozen raspberries into a small bowl of full fat Greek yoghurt, with a very small swirl of honey.

OMG, frankly. Like raspberry ripple icecream. Just utterly delicious. The raspberries must be frozen though, I don't think it would work so well with normal ones!

And btw, ghee makes chicken skin unbelievably crispy and moreish...