I decided today–screw the categories by day.  This Primal Blueprint thing is taking over my life. I might as well just go with it. I’m sure the categories will come into play.  They just won’t be regimented into days.  And this is where my head is now, so let’s just go with it.

Things I’ve noticed since I’ve gone Primal:

1) I need more water to live.  I don’t know what it is.  Maybe the carbs I was eating before made me retain water or something.  Before I cut the carbs, it was torture to drink recommended amounts of water.  I rarely needed to drink at all.  Now I’m drinking water more often than I ever have, and I’m loving the taste of it.

2) I sleep better.  It’s easier to fall asleep, and my sleep is more restful.  About five days a week, I don’t use an alarm.  I’m getting up when it’s becoming light.  I’m not going to sleep shortly after sunset, as recommended, mainly because I live in North Idaho and that would mean I would be sleeping about 10 hours a day or more right now.  (Also, I work until well after sunset.  My boss frowns on on-the-job naps.)  Oh yeah.  I’m napping more.

3) Muscle mass is increasing, mostly in the lower body, though my arms are tightening up nicely.  I haven’t looked at my back in the mirror, but I think I’m developing in the latissimus dorsi.  Here’s hoping to a swift end to back boobs!

4) Nothing in the tummy area yet.  I’m seeing more of a waist, but nothing’s changed in the bad abdominal fat area just yet.  I keep telling myself, “It’s only been a week.”  I’m thinking about posting profile tummy pics on Mondays.  Would that gross you out too much?

5)  Unlike when I did Atkins, I am not craving carbs AT ALL.  I think it’s because I’m allowed to eat as many veggies as I want, and a limited amount of fruit.  Twenty grams of carbs per day will definitely put you in ketosis, but it will also make you feel deprived.  I don’t feel deprived.  I had 85% cacao chocolate today!  Atkins people would have sworn I’d ruined my diet and would have had to start over.

6) The bad news:  I’m not seeing much scale movement.  I’ve been holding steady, really.  I’m not having that massive water dump you usually have at the beginning of a diet that makes you feel like you’re accomplishing something.  (And then you binge wildly on the forbidden foods and gain back and UGH!)  I actually just quit smoking again shortly before I started–I’ve been nicotine free for a week and a half–so I think my metabolism is still trying to find its normal level.

7)  I’m already bored with my strength workout, but I don’t have access to a chin up bar so I can do Mark’s.  Plus I HATE pushups.  Hate them.  The good news is that workout I’m doing, even though it’s boring (Glamour’s Body By Glamour Workout for May of 2008), is primarily body resistance.  I’m thinking of increasing the handheld weight portion past the limit they recommend once I’m completing two full circuits.

I’m still moving on this.  I hope I have some dramatic improvement to show for this soon.  In my heart of hearts, I’m hoping Jeff will do this with me, because I think he’s suffering from all the carb-related issues Mark talks about in the book.