Primal Adventure – Geocaching

Today began with our usual Sunday breakfast, bacon and scrambled eggs. I fry the bacon and daughter #2 scrambles the eggs. Usually I have a grapefruit half, but since today was a low-carb challenge I had eggs on a portobello mushroom instead:

Daughter #1 reminded us that we didn’t get to go Geocaching last weekend, so we decided to try to find some locations nearby. It was another beautiful sunny day, and I was glad that we were able to something active but not strenuous outside.

The family embarks on our adventure

D#2 with the first geocache

finding treasure

Seems like old times!

As close as we get to eating at McDonalds

The second geocache was really cool!

For dinner I decided to try a new recipe for roasted chicken from AllRecipes.

Juicy Roasted Chicken

• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon onion powder, or to taste
• 1/2 cup margarine butter, divided
• 1 stalk celery, leaves removed

Of course I used butter instead of margarine. (duh!)

I felt obliged to save the offal, but I’m not sure what to do with it.

I think that this is the best roasted chicken I’ve ever made!

Organic red cabbage was an impulse buy. The color is so pretty! This is braised red cabbage with vinegar. I thought it tasted like the cabbage you get at a German restaurant. No one else I the family liked it though. If any of my local readers would like to try some, I have more than I can eat!

Dinner

Day 14 Journal
Success Score: 7

Sweet Spot Calculations
Total calories: 1614
Fat 103.6g 58.2%
Saturated Fat 29.4g
Cholesterol 499.5mg
Sodium 2,025.9mg
Carbohydrates 82.1g 20.5%
Fiber 26.5g
Protein 85.1g 21.3%

Areas to improve: increase protein
Worst part of the results: although I easily kept the carbs <100, my stomach is already growling for a bedtime snack, so I’m not encouraged about intermittent fasting.
Best part: fiber at 26.5 grams with no grains or psyllium
Comments: I am supposed to fast from dinner until as long as I comfortably can tomorrow. I may last another 20 minutes.

Rest Day
Comments: I was going to do strength training since I missed all of last week, but my back was pretty touchy today so I went with the rest day.

Summary Comments
Daily energy levels: 2
Hunger level between meals: 4
Satisfaction with meals: 10
Struggles with Primal efforts: intermittent fasting
Benefits noticed from primal efforts: doing more activities as a family
Daily highlights: finding the first geocache

Daily needs-to-improve: I felt I did well today.  I’ve been keeping my carbs a little over 100 since I’m not going for fat loss, and that’s why I think I’m not ready to fast.  Realistically I may never be able to fast with my history.

Week 2 Reflections

I feel that I am doing better this week with interacting more with the family and interacting with friends outside of  just e-mail, Facebook and Lose It.  I’m still struggling with limiting electronic media, but I’m making an active effort not to check my computer and phone constantly.  Both Saturday and Sunday I was able to spend some time outside.  For me the diet is the easy part of it.  I haven’t craved any processed food or grains.  Eating whole food tastes great and makes me feel better, so it hasn’t been a temptation to eat outside of the plan.  I wish that my back would get better so that I could do more of the exercise component to the program.