Primal Day 21 – The Finale

Today draws the 21 Day TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION!!! to a close.  Reflections?

Most clearly, I noticed two things.

1.  My energy levels were much, much better.  Except for a day here and there, I didn’t have the post-lunch energy lull, where you feel as if you just want to crawl under your desk and take a massive nap.

2.  My allergies have been so much better.  I still have that persistent feeling of needing to itch the back of the roof of my mouth with my tongue, but the head-fog and pressure behind my eyes has all but receded.  I only took Allegra 1 day out of the 21, after taking it almost daily for the past 12 months.  Amazing.  I wish I knew exactly what caused that.  Am I sensitive to gluten?  Dairy?  Carbs??  As noted in previous posts, if I drink more than 2 drinks in a sitting, my allergies tend to act up.  I start sneezing and will wake up in the night with a drippy nose.  Weird.

Over the past week, I have been cheating more than I did the first week – some Nestle dark chocolate chips here (lots o’ sugar), a low carb beer there, a bite of a breaded pork tenderloin there (but just a bite).  I did feel better – cleaner, almost – when I was more strict with myself.  My stomach was flatter too, which felt awesome.

So, how to proceed?  I plan on following the 80/20 rule.  At least 80% of the time, I will eat primally.  I will indulge in pizza or a microbrew here or there and not feel guilty about it.  It’s all about balance and moderation.

I like how my life has changed over the past few weeks.  I spend more time cooking, so we are eating food that tastes better than restaurant food, and food that is way healthier for us.  I know what I am putting into my body.  I’m experimenting with different cooking techniques and kitchen equipment.  Tim and I have eaten way more meals at the kitchen table, talking, instead of in front of the TV watching dumb mind-numbing television.  I don’t even mind washing up afterwards.  It’s kind of a relaxing ritual.  Plus, it keeps my on my feet instead of my arse.

I enjoy spending 20 minutes on a Sunday morning looking through recipes and picking out tasty, healthy meals for the week.  It’s so nice having everything planned out for the week, so we don’t end up getting Taco John’s because we don’t have anything in the house.

So, thank you, Mark Sisson, for making so much information available on the internet and introducing me to to his concept.  I look forward to what the next few months will bring.  Hopefully I will be in swimsuit shape by June for our trip to Ocracoke Island!

I will try to remember to take measurements tomorrow morning.  I have a feeling that I didn’t loose anything from last week (due to the aforementioned cheating), but that’s alright.  My health is definitely better, and that’s what’s really important.