A Day in the Life... A year later

It wasn't long after I switched to a primal lifestyle last year that the positive changes started to show.  I lost weight, I looked more fit, I had more energy.  Friends and family started asking about my recent diet changes and many wanted to better understand what I was eating and doing to have such success.  In reply to that I kept a running food/activity journal on this blog so anyone interested could get a better idea of how the Primal Blueprint fit in my life.

More than a year later and I'm still seeing great benefits from the primal lifestyle and still getting questions from friends and family.  With the 2012 Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge currently underway, some friends are taking this opportunity to give the Primal Blueprint a try.  With that in mind I've decided to once again blog a daily food/activity journal to offer a few tips, ideas and encouragement.

I left for work a little earlier than usual this morning and stopped for breakfast on my way into the office.

BREAKFAST
Whole milk latte and a Tartine Diablo (scrambled eggs, tasso ham, spinach, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños topped with avocado slices) from one of my favorite local eateries, LaFarm Bakery.

A tartine is an open-faced sandwich and the bakery serves this wonderful creation on a slice of asiago cheese bread.  I just skip the bread and it's a great primal breakfast!  I ate the 2 small orange slices but skipped the melon.

I had a busy day at the office and was full from my large breakfast so I opted to skip lunch.  (A form of intermittent fasting.) I had plans to go for an afternoon walk but I got bogged down in work and that never happened.  I also had plans to get home early enough to go kayaking with my son, but that didn't happen either.

LUNCH
Nothing (Intermittent Fasting)

In fact, nearly all of my afternoon and evening plans did not go as expected.  But my goal with this blog/journal is not to show the ideal.  Sometimes life throws you a curve and you fall back on the 80/20 principle.   For me, today, that meant that I didn't get in the level of activity I intended, I didn't eat the amount of veggies I usually eat and my dinner was not as primal as usual (but it wasn't too far off and it was incredibly delicious).  That's because when I finally got home from work today the family informed me that our favorite food truck, The Humble Pig, was going to be located just a few miles away from the house.  Even better, The Pig was going to be at a local winery.  Seriously, wine and pig?  And not just pig, but happy, pasture-raised, local farm pig made into the most delicious smoked ribs that you've ever tasted.  That's not a bad end to a day even if it didn't go as planned!

My glass of Cabernet Franc from Chatham Hill Winery was surprisingly nice (it's the only NC wine I've ever tried that I liked).  It paired well with my amazing ribs, sweet potato waffle fries (I only ate 3 or 4) and coleslaw. Oh, and I also shared some of my daughter's delicious smoked chicken leg.  I usually eat lots of leafy greens during the day and would have loved a salad or collards with the meal, but the small side of slaw was the only green veggie the food truck offered, so I made the best of it.  The vegetable oil used in the potatoes and cole slaw and the little bit of sugar used in the sauce and potatoes are not primal ingredients, but I ate those in small quantities and concentrated on the pasture-raised pork which is very primal.

DINNER
Smoked ribs and chicken leg, sweet potato waffle fries, cole slaw, red wine

Back at home I had another glass of wine and some dark chocolate for dessert.  Just before bed I spent some time practicing yoga, working on a few strengthening poses and some deep stretches and finishing with the foam roller to work out some trigger points.

DESSERT
More red wine and dark chocolate

ACTIVITY
Just some light yoga.