Leptin - The Big Bad Master Hormone and Me

I think this is working. Granted I am up 4lbs this week, but as I am just ending my TOM, that is really not bad. And I am not concerned.

Last week I started following Dr. Jack Kruse's Leptin Reset program in conjunction with the primal diet. It will take a long time for me to regain leptin sensitivity, but I am confident I can follow this WOE for the rest of my life. Heck, I already have a little proof that it is working!

Normally my TOM is 7 days of excessive bleeding, cramps, mood swings and uncontrollable cravings. I would normal ditch a low carb or primal WOE as soon as the first strains of PMS hit. Except they didn't hit this month. I did bow to the demand for chocolate because it wasn't there. I did not eat bread despite making two fresh loafs in the past 2 days. Was briefly tempted by the smell of the bread and cut it up for the hubby and the boys with barely a second thought.

And best of all... The excessive bleeding I mentioned usually requires 3 days of pads AND tampons that are changed every hour-2 hours. I thought I was going to be in some serious trouble because I forgot to pick up tampons when I went grocery shopping - and only had about 6 left. I only need 5 total! Because instead of 3 days of heavy bleeding it was 1/2 a day! And after 3- 3.5 days my TOM is DONE! I am amazed. And despite this head/chest cold that will not go away I feel awesome.

There is one more part of this that I think is really working for me.

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Photo from A&E TV website, for "Hoarders"

While I was never quite "Hoarders" bad I am admittedly a slob. I don't mean to be or want to be, but I get overwhelmed and can't deal. In that respect my kitchen has been a disaster since before Christmas - especially with 5 puppies getting into every thing and not quite being completely housebroken. It was all I could do to keep up with cleaning up after them and getting enough dishes done to make dinner before I was mentally and physically overwhelmed by it all.

But Saturday I looked at my kitchen and said to myself - "Man I need to clean this place up!" And did it. Without wanting to cry, without being overwhelmed, and in just over an hour my kitchen was more or less clean. I need to mop the floor 2X a day (puppies) but still. For thise that know me personally they know what a big deal this is.

So going primal and fixing my leptin is fixing me inside and out, mentally and physically. I cannot wait for the tomorrow and next week and next month and the spring and summer and fall and next year because I know each day living this life is bringing me one more step closer to the super awesome person I am supposed to be!

Cartwheels

I could never really do a good summersault. My belly got in the way. And handstands or headstands were far beyond the ability of my upper body to support the rest of my weight. But I could pull off a decent cartwheel. I was known to do a random one out of sheer happiness and excess energy now and again. I have not done a cartwheel in at 13 years.

But I feel like I could do one today. I am too scared to attempt it right now, but I have the energy and joy that I used to have when I would do them.

The joy comes from seeing my stepson for the first time in 10 years - and finally introducing him to his little brothers.

It comes from finally bouncing off my stalled weight plateau and incrementally headed down.

It comes from eating well, being satisfied and NOT craving junk at "that" time of the month.

It comes from being on the right path and knowing it. :)

Goals not met so far...

Okay, I have been having serious trouble meeting my goals for January - as evidenced by the fact that I have not been posting everyday as was my initial intention. I have not been working out very much either.

On the plus side, I have been following my primal WOE (way of eating - I like this so much better than "diet") with a good 80/20 success rate. I know I eat more dairy and nuts than recommended (I have been keeping it full fat and organic as much as possible) and I have nibble on hot dogs (not recommended) and ranch dressing (has "modified food starch - a clever way to say "wheat") which I suspect has stalled my progress somewhat. I gained 5lbs the first week on PB (Primal Blueprint) putting me at 259, but that has come back down to 253.4 - and I suspect another pound or two has come off since I weighed myself last week, but as I have no heat right now (ran out of oil for the furnace, can't get a delivery until Monday, been 35-45 in my house for 4 days!), I am not getting undressed to weigh myself any time soon!

When I have low carbed and tried Paleo or clean eating in the past I have never let go of my splenda, or "Atkins approved" treats... so I had never had the taste bud shift. This time (while I still use Stevia in my coffee) I have avoided treats in general this month. So the other day when I made a steak for dinner and dipped a bite in steak sauce, my first reaction was "OMG how much sugar is in this stuff!" - apparently 2g per serving, and a serving ain't all that big! My new preferred steak sauce is a dash of sea salt and a pat of organic butter, so good - I could eat my weight in steak when it is prepared right! :)

So, I will eventually LHT (Lift Heavy Things) most likely using ChaLEAN Extreme, I will sprint using Turbo Fire, and I will get in lots of movement running or using my NordicTrack Ski machine. I know if I follow these PB "laws" I will see the success I want!

ChaLEAN Extreme and Turbo Fire

This is what you get when you let a four year old monkey boy pick your workout programs. He likes the ones with the girls best :)

I have not gotten out to run since Sunday. I am hoping that I will be able to tomorrow. Food has been pretty good., Higher carb and a bit of sugar today - but the sugar was in the form of craisins and a tsp of honey instead of the nutter butter bar that smelled so good...

I have done 2 days of CLX and 2 Turbo Fire HIIT workouts. I think I am going to do INSANITY too at least for January. Might as well go hardcore for the 4 weeks that I do not have anything else taking up my time.

Cold

Too cold to run outside with the boys again today. I think the temp is going back up tomorrow. I need a treadmill ...

I have tons of DVDs I could have done today, but the thought of them left me cold so I decided to "rest" today. Now I am off to bed to get some real sleep.

Day 1 CLX

I asked the monkey which program I should start. He decided on the one "with the girl" :) He has always had a thing for blondes. So today was day 1 of ChaLEAN Extreme. I did not get my miles in today - blizzard like conditions meant I couldn't get outside with the boys and the timing did not work going by myself.

Paleo eating was good today - although cravings for chocolate have been hitting fairly hard. I am getting some blood tests tomorrow and not eating anything until late afternoon - getting my thyroid, vit D and cholesterol checked. Maybe some other things too. I am hoping something will shed light on my "failure to progress" in improving my shape.

A Primal New Year

I am not sorry to see 2011 go... car accident, financial troubles, housing difficulties (roommate) and my laptop got stolen just before Christmas meaning all of my computing/blogging/surfacing is being done via phone - not fun. 2011 was not my best year.

Certainly one of the highlights was finding the primal lifestyle. In the half-@ssed way I have been following it for the last 2 months I have already noticed changes - including how sick wheat makes me. I have confidence that following it with more discipline will bring a myriad of health improvements.

I did not make any resolutions this year. I have set myself goals for the next month and will continue in that vein for the year.

January Goals

Strict primal eating for the next 31 days: No grains, no sugar, no processed foods. High quality foods including loads of veggies and fruits, meat - as much grass-fed and organic as I can afford - and healthy fats.

Low carb: As a natural consequence of cutting out grains I will reduce my carb intake. I know I feel better when I keep my carbs to the trace amounts found in vegetables and nuts and fruits, I will be trying to maintain a lower carb primal diet to jump off my weight loss. I will review that at the end of the month to see if I want to continue that way or change it up.

Daily Miles: I will walk or run or a combo of both everyday - outside as much as possibel. I am aiming for 3 miles a day but I will be flexible. The important thing is to get myself and the boys outside as much as possible.

P90X/ChaLEAN Extreme: I need some regimented strength training. I am going to try P90X again and trust myself and the fact that I put on muscle way faster than I take off fat.

Blogging: I will at least check in here daily to keep myself accountable.

These are my goals for January to help me make 2012 my best year yet. How are you going to become the best you in 2012?