Karen,
Thanks for the tips and I agree that I should eat whenever I am hungry. I just don't get hungry that ofen enough to eat 5 times a day - LOL. I suppose I should just cut down portions so I can spread it out more, but I'm still on a learning curve here - finding out what works for me.
I welcome any and all tips, suggestions.
You are right - Polly is a great motivator!!!
Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
You are doing very well. I don't think it is easy to completely follow anybody else's advice - the question of how many times a day you should eat can be answered in many different ways - even the people who consider themselves experts don't agree. If you want to hear my expert opinion you would have to listen to your body and eat when you feel hungry and/or when food is available. Unfortunately, food is almost always available (or fontunately, depending on how you look at it) to us - that is very unlike Paleo conditions and circumstances. Our ancestors often had periods where they went w/o very much food or w/o food at all - in those times they relied on fat stored on their bodies to get through the tough times. This is why some paleo dieters (fanatics?!) try to fast periodically - they want to treat their body as close to the way our ancestors treated theirs (involuntarily). Of course some paleo dieters have a very different motivation from ours/yours to follow the diet - some do it because they think it is the way to secure better health now and in their future as they age and to possible prolong their lives and their youth by dieting and exercising in accordance with paleo studies. Those are very valid reasons, I think, and I tend to lean in that direction a little myself; of course we don't know if we will live tomorrow or if this moment is our last one to enjoy but if we enjoy living the paleo lifestyle of our choice perhaps that is the best choice regardless of whether it added to our youthfulness or extended our longevity.
You are an inspiration for others who are interested in the diet now and in the future. Thank you for allowing us to participate in your journey and cheer you on from the side lines.
Shirley, I'm so proud of you. I have no doubt that you will have great results with this diet. My MC symptoms are at bay- it took a year.
I'm close to Paleo diet, but still hanging onto a few things that the true diet restricts. Just be prepared for weightloss- I have lost 50lbs in a year, it just melts off. I had it to lose so figure my body will stable out soon.
Karen, I'm using our dehydrator for fruit and meat - I love it. I have never read Against the Grain, and have it ordered to pick up this week. In the meantime, I found a book called no-grain diet which I'm reading now.
Let's all say prayers for everyone in katrinas path. I'm so worried about this storm and the havoc it is going to do. Her path is big.
I am still knowingly slipping up (such as the hot dogs) but I think I'll get there. Florida will be the BIG TEST!!
I don't consider myself an "inspiration". I think those of you who jumped into GF and Paleo right off the bat are the "inspirations". If not for all of you, I wouldn't be doing this right now, or be as determined.
Thanks to all of you.
Joanna, I agree about Katrina. There is going to be a lot of devastation and those people need all the prayers and help they can get.
Love, Shirley
PS - I just ordered The Paleo Diet
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
I think that's a good way to go - just being aware of what you are doing (wouldn't you agree, Matthew? LOL!); knowing it and watching yourself from the side lines and paying attention to what you eat, attention to which choices you make - it's always a choice, each and every time. And just really taste the food and feel what it does to you. Questioning quietly what it would mean if you chose to break your old habits - to actually make a new choice; what would happen? Each moment we are faced with all the opportunity to change - to make a difference in how we feel.
You are on your journey.......
I wish you the most wonderous journey.......
Karen , You have Soooooo struck me with having stated so well what has been the most important part of my regaining my health. Paying attention “Questioning quietly what it would mean if you chose to break your old habits - to actually make a new choice; what would happen?” Wowie, Wow, wow. That is really the essence of of my ability to change my concept of diet, or anything I want to change.
I had come a long ways by myself when I arrived at the old site grain free and basically Paleo and find a great deal of strength from so many finding the same path. To say the least, all of the reseach that every one has done makes me feel that what I have discovered to be true for me has some scientific basis
I have found that when I think, act, and appreciate it lends a different quality to my action . It comes from a sense of abundance as opposed to a feeling of being poor . I can act out of my own inspiration. When I concentrate on how difficult diet is or concentrate on what I can not eat and how there is not enough time , of course that is what I get. As the saying goes it is not what happens to you; it comes down to doing something about it.
Of course it is pretty amazing to find out all these things about myself through dealing with this totally unexpected set of circumstances, but it is even more amazing to find so many discovering the same thing.
Thanks for everyones insights. I learn from all of you.
I re-read Karens post after reading yours Matthew--wish I could slow down a bit in my life but it seems usually I check in here so late and often I miss the most important messages we share here.
This is all about ownership, and that's a great gift we gain from diet. We do it, we own it. It's awesome to have such power- and we must be prepared to live with our challenges and pay attention to our bodies and do what me must do to get back on track if the challenge is not worth the consequence. I pay lot's of attention to my body these days and my body is doing very well ....thanks for all your imput.
I am feeling good about my new diet and finding that I like the foods. I know I would never have made a good effort to adopt this diet if it weren't for the things I have learned from all of you. Thank You.
I have lost about 4 lbs so far. I hope it's real fat and not water or something but at any rate - 4 lbs. is 4 lbs.
I had to cut back on the cantaloupe since I had full blown D yesterday after apparently eating over my limit. That was in the AM. By the time I went to bed, stools were back to "small pieces" and no problems this AM.
I need to give a few away before they go bad.
Wish some of you lived closer so I could share with you.
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
Well, I still make bad choices but overall I am pretty pleased with myself.
Had to make Bill a blueberry pie today and I had one piece but it really bothered me (reflux) so I do believe the rest is his. I still haven't taken anything for the reflux/sour stomach except the Rhizinate that the pharmacist told me to use. I chewed two about 20 minutes before the pie but it still bothered me. I don't want to go back on the Nexium unless I absolutely have to.
I think I feel a little better than before I started on the diet. I have made some bad choices and I hope to do better in the next week. Maybe I'll feel even better. I had a full size "grown up" Norman the other day.
I may have found a place to purchase organic free range beef. Got to call tomorrow and see if they sell retail. It's just a few miles from my house. Might know I'd find something like that 3 weeks before I leave for Florida!! I also know where I can get free range chicken and eggs (another local farm but quite a bit further away).
I'm still hanging in there
Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
Shirley, sounds like you are doing relatively well on the diet - simply realizing that eating Blueberry Pie doesn't make you feel good is a step in direction of getting more control over your diet and subsequently how good you feel. It can be very painful to see that some of the foods we love are making us feel very bad
Try to fall in love with some of the foods that make you feel good
I had a very risky meal in Atlanta yesterday - my husband and I were at an Antique Show and I had brought nothing but dried fruits, nuts, and water.... I was just so hungry for something more substantial so I decided to order a bowl of fruit salad; they assured me it didn't contain anything other than the fruit (Thumbs up!!). I could see they had spilled some feta cheese from the greek salad into the fruit salad and asked them to take my fruit from the back of the pan where there was no cheese.....
The risky part was, that I decided to try their home made hummus (a mashed chick pea dip). The girl slammed a piece of pita bread on top of the bowl before I could raise my hand.......... OK, we took the bread off the top and I dug into the hummus that had not been in touch with the bread. Tasting it was kind of strange. It tasted to me like something was artificial about it. I concluded that they had probably used canned chick peas rather than soaked/cooked ones. My husband urged me not to eat much of it just in case the dish contained something that wasn't "kosher".
I ate a few fork fulls of the hummus and decided it wasn't worth it; it didn't taste well enough to even bother with....
I have not been the least bit sick after the lunch in Atlanta so I was lucky again.
Just keep plugging away at it Shirley - your gut will respond favorably.
I'm really glad you haven't suffered any consequences from "pushing the envelope" in Atlanta.
Yes, I agree, I just have to pay attention to how I feel after eating things that I haven't been eating for a while. It had been about a month since I'd had blueberry pie and at the time, I was still on Nexium. I obviously can't eat it without Nexium so it's no good for me!!
I DO LOVE macadamea nuts, pecans & brazil nuts I have been using the macadameas and pecans and some almonds for snacks. I bought some unsalted brazil nuts yesterday, but for some reason, niggling at my brain is the idea that brazil nuts might not be a good choice. Something that was posted on the old board, I believe. Can't remember what it was.
I also love lightly sauted asparagus and broccoli. I love eggs.
Smoked pork chops - not ready to give up the smoked ones yet. They taste so good to me. I have the impression that I shouldn't be eating them but I still sneak them in sometimes.
Well, that's not too long of a list so far, but I hope to keep adding to it.
Thanks Karen,
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
Shirley
you would have to listen to your body and eat when you feel hungry and/or when food is available. Unfortunately, food is almost always available (or fontunately, depending on how you look at it) to us - that is very unlike Paleo conditions and circumstances. Our ancestors often had periods where they went w/o very much food or w/o food at all - in those times they relied on fat stored on their bodies to get through the tough times. This is why some paleo dieters (fanatics?!) try to fast periodically - they want to treat their body as close to the way our ancestors treated theirs (involuntarily). Of course some paleo dieters have a very different motivation from ours/yours to follow the diet - some do it because they think it is the way to secure better health now and in their future as they age and to possible prolong their lives and their youth by dieting and exercising in accordance with paleo studies. Those are very valid reasons, I think, and I tend to lean in that direction a little myself; of course we don't know if we will live tomorrow or if this moment is our last one to enjoy but if we enjoy living the paleo lifestyle of our choice perhaps that is the best choice regardless of whether it added to our youthfulness or extended our longevity. 
