Paleo Pals - Health, Weight Loss & Support

Vamp & JKL - Agreed, completely. If she was a younger healthier woman then we'd probably have no other alternative but to spill the beans. As it stands I think the big news would only tear a chunk out of her joyous love for her husband, and as JKL mentioned cast doubt on a lifetime of what she believed him to be. As Vamp said, why stir the pot? The possibility of turning her remaining days upside down is too great to risk. The lady ain't no fool and deep in her heart she probably knows he was sexually active (especially seeing as he was 38 when they married, and having fought 4 long years in WWII), but I'm positive those things weren't spoken about. Even in today's social climate who wants to hear about the love of your life's escapades? I don't. I choose to not go there in my mind. He's mine now, that's all I need to know.

JKL - LOL novel indeed, a dime store one at that! I'm considering writing a book.....My Brother From Another Mother )))))) My DH is very happy he tested and is embracing his new brother enthusiastically.....so much so that we're booked to fly back to Toronto in a few weeks to meet up. I'm dying to see similarities! He's thanked me for the 'gift' a thousand times....whew, so yes, he would repeat and plans on taking other tests available. His half bro is also all for it but is still struggling. He's having to come to terms with the fact that his mother was, ummmmm, 'active' (5 kids, different dads, whole other story). Bless him, wrapping one's head around that can't be easy. My DH's siblings are also happy to find him, except for my BIL...of course, such an asshat. I know he's allowed his feelings on the matter, but the ONLY problem he has is being ousted as the eldest male (long story, you'll have to trust me on that one). I'm next up on the DNA thing and am taking three.....Ancestry, 23andme & National Geographic Neanderthal DNA (pretty sure I'll rank big on the last one LOL)…..no worries, I've already contacted my Mum and asked if there is anything I should know ))) I'll be posting my results, but it could take months.

I'll also be posting on the continuing 'brother from another mother' saga. As for decisions, the only one I'm 1,000,000% sure of, is that this Christmas I'll be buying my caveman a new set of golf clubs )))))))

KathBaby - Sounds like you’re doing pretty darned good....cauliflower-rice addiction is one of the few that doesn’t require a 12 step program lol! Take it a step further and make yourself some mashed faux-tatoes with cauliflower, add garlic & onion and you’ve got yourself a little piece of paleo heaven. Sky is the limit! Oh I’ll take them humourous, but wise??? Only if you add ‘ass’ to the end )))) So glad the cave chickies are helpful to your eating quest! Wishing you much peace during this trying time, be kind to yourself.

JKL - OMG do I hear you on people ‘enhancing their roles’!!!! My supposed BFF used my diagnosis and treatment as a reason to throw herself a pity party! “Oh poor me, I’m so upset, my friend has cancer!” became her battle cry. She also told the WHOLE world after being asked explicitly not to pass on the info to a soul. I arrived at work only to have an office full of people wringing their hands at my plight...ugggggg! Lesson learned, never tell my ‘BFF’ anything I don’t want printed on the front page of the New York Times the next day! Hard to figure peeps sometimes, and maybe I’m naive, but I take a confidence to the grave.

Vamp - I’m not versed at all in melatonin. The only thing I’ve heard (from one person) is that it worked for a while then stopped being effective. Hoping Ksusan can fill us all in. Blame the exercise LOL!!! That ain’t getting you off the ‘rebuilding’ hook...tomorrow is workout Wednesday, and there will be a quiz!!!! ))) btw...how did the pup’s vet appt go?

Junie - thank you so much for updating us, you’ve been in my thoughts all day! Well it appears you are in VERY good hands at the Mayo, and I’m still crossing fingers and toes for good/ better news from tomorrow’s imaging. You must be exhausted from the days events and the heat. I hope you’re resting comfy tonight, thoughts of the Kirbster dancing in your head! Hugs!!

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY!!!! (keeps on rearing it's ugly head doesn't it?)

The Home Gym Episode

Today's segment is totally PiXi and Vamp inspired! If you missed the convo between these two lovely and amazing ladies, they were discussing working out at home, specifically strength training. Those with budget restrictions or just don't want to plunk out the cash might want to take a peek at this vid:

This dude shows us how everyday household items can be used in place of weights, so no need to invest in expensive equipment.

Here's another:

This lady works it with some GREAT moves, both weight bearing and body weight.

And one more:

This fellow even looks paleo! A good vid for a more extreme home workout….try building up to it!

Sooooooo……anyone making today a sweaty one? Join me in perspiration soaked spirit! Ew. ))

Whew....Gym done. .Can't say I didn't get a few strange looks while doing squats with a massive bottle of Tide ))))))

JKL - No! We want MORE exercise!! )) Joking of course. YOU, Ms. Lifer, are the epitome of paleolithic determination!!! 2 weeks out of surgery and going strong. ANY exercise is a good thing, but doing I while recovering surgery deserves the Paleo Princess Crown for the day.....and it'll fit right in with Downton Abbey!...ahhh the days when peeps dressed for din-din. Gotta love that show! I was a diehard Upstairs Downstairs fan too. Y'all got no excuses if JKL is rocking workout Wednesday post surgery!! :PPPP

Ksuze - Awesome on the blood levels.....amazing what fewer carbs can do for us eh? Three cheers and pulling for your metabolism to start 'the burn'.....see kids, this stuff really works! I'm normally not a fan of daily fasting (for a few reasons we all debated in the past) BUT, when it comes to diabetes, it's an imperative regime tool. Keep us posted on your progress please, I'm especially interested in your blood results over time, if you don't mind of course Oh shoot, forgot to mention, and glad you wrote about it ....below ground veg (tuberous veg) are paleo, but keep to a dull roar chickies, they're starchy (ie carby)

SpecialK - Hiya!! Long time no see....happy to see you post! As for informing the MIL about the 'happy surprise', well, thankfully the family is leaning towards keeping it under wraps. I think they see the sense of letting the lady live her days out without causing unnecessary stress. I'm sorry to read that your brother's experience was disappointing. I'm hoping he didn't take it too badly, and my condolences on his passing, bless him. Cancer so very much sucks! The emotional complexity of issues that crop up with DNA results is astounding.....as we have discovered. My own grandfather was illegitimate, but raised under great secrecy. We only found out through army records that my last name should be something different that it is! His mother (my great grandmother) was ostracized and sent to live in Boston (apparently she beat them to the punch, took up with the town butcher and made off to Boston with him.....how's that for family scandal?). Her parents kept the baby (my grandfather) and told him she was dead. Not one person was willing to talk about what actually happened until the late 1990s. Even then it was relayed in whispered tones....sheesh! The lengths people went to hide is amazing.Well I hope that if & when you do make a connection that it turns out joyous for you! When I get any results in I'll be sure to let you know when I post about them....hopefully you'll have good news by then too!

Everyone: Anyone heard from MAP, SAS, Shazzza? I know Cowgirl is terribly busy. Miss em' all!

Holy moley….I just noticed I've made 1100 posts....chatty little bugger I be! )))

Inna (godda davida) - EXCELLENT question! So excellent in fact that I'm going to put the kibosh on my original Thursday post and dedicate this one to you sweetie.....so here goes!

TUTORIAL THURSDAY - THE INNA INQUIRY

Inna stated: Hey, guys. Just curious: all my doctors recommend plan based diet for me with the goal to limit animal proteins to a minimum due to the fact that animal proteins contain estrogen and my cancer is hormone positive. What made you go with the paleo diet?

First, I went Paleo because I was fat and very unhealthy. After treatment I tried EVERY regime under the sun and passed by Paleo for a year thinking "omg, no bread? NO FREAKING WAY!!!" Yuck! I did the rollercoaster weight thing to the point of tears. I gave paleo a try out of sheer desperation.....and man oh man, it saved my bacon, literally.

Paleo is not an orgy of meat consumption. 2/3 of our diets are composed of vegetation (which I might add can also contain estrogen (soy, legumes) and a host of other nasty chemicals), nuts, seeds eggs etc. Everything in moderation.

As for you dear INNA, you have to follow your head and heart on this issue, and no matter what way you decided, you'll still be a member in good standing in the Paleo Chicks community....always! We'll love ya even if you go vegan ))) I wholeheartedly encourage you to do your own research and come to the best conclusion for YOU....we all need to be doing that on a constant basis

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THIS IS SOME INTERESTING SCCCHHHHTUFFF & may help INNA and others with her question:

Let's get to the meat of the subject, excuse the pun. I read the study regarding meat and breast cancer, as well as many like it, it including the biggie released in 2009 which specifically targets meat and breast cancer. The studies are observational (over a 10 year period), but painted with a pretty broad brush. All are full of as many holes as swiss cheese.... and leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

Specific critiques include the fact that there is no accounting for carb intake nor lifestyle of the subjects. Carbs drive insulin, and insulin drives fat production, fat storage, inflammation, coronary heart disease. It can also lead to obesity which fuels cancer. There is NO MENTION of the complete diet regimes of the subjects in the studies, so one has to question…Did the subjects eat enough extra carbs to hike triglyceride levels? What cuts of meat were they eating….roasts & steaks or hamburger with additives tucked into a carby white bun? Was a sugary treat eaten after dinner? Carbs (especially in the form of HFCS, which is a food additive in almost all foods in the Western world) drive the triglyceride mechanism to the greatest degree. Were the subjects active or sedentary? No mention of this in studies. The ground breaking red meat study in 2009 noted (authors own words):

"Subjects who consumed more red meat tended to be married, more likely of non-Hispanic white ethnicity, more likely a smoker, have a higher BMI, higher daily calories, total fat, lower educated, lower activity levers, lower fruit, vegetable fiber and vitamin intakes."

Not exactly fair to blame it all on the red meat if the author is basically negating his own study, the subjects weren't healthy to begin with. I for one say the problem was marriage )))))

The 2015 WHO report on red meat was based on a questionnaire asking subjects to fill out a form listing what they ate over the past 12 months. Can you recall a years worth of eating? I can't! Were the subjects honest, did they forget? Did they report what they thought the WHO wanted to hear? Not exactly reliable data.

The WHO study (great band, but they should have stuck to music HAR!) concluded:

Evidence from prospective studies of red and processed meat consumption and risk of breast cancer was inconsistent [7,8,53,55,57], and the mechanisms involved require further investigation. Several mechanisms were important in explaining the association between red and processed meat intake and risk of breast cancer: (1) carcinogenic byproducts—such as heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—formed during high temperature cooking of red meat [4,62]; (2) fat, heme iron, and the animal sugar molecule N-glycolyneuraminic acid were enriched in red meat, which could promote inflammation, oxidative stress, and tumor formation [63,64,65]; (3) in a few countries, hormone residues of the exogenous hormones used to stimulate the growth of beef cattle has also been suggested as a risk factor of breast cancer [66].

And:

However, additional well-designed cohort or interventional studies and studies exploring the mechanisms in humans are needed to confirm the association.

So, the red meat may not be the problem.....processing, feed type, cooking methods, growth & antibiotic stimulators seem to be the culprit. As with the dairy post I made last week, we desperately need clearer studies that encompass all the variables.I'd bet my bottom dollar that if a study was done with complete diet and activity profiles on the subjects, comparing grass fed beef organic vs regular, the numbers would look very different. Studies are conducted on regular ol' hormone laced, antibiotic tainted, gmo grain fed livestock. No wonder cancer rates are up, but to put the blame squarely on the meat isn't a fair nor clean conclusion.

Here are a few paleo take away items for you -

Considerations for meat consumption:

• Grass fed, antibiotic/hormone free, organic meat is the way to go. Organics are a wee bit better than regular, but what were they fed? Make sure it's hormone/antibiotic free. Paleo folks choose grass fed for very good reason. It contains CLA (a healthy transfat with anti cancer effects), antioxidents from its diet which protect oxidation of the fat. Expensive, but worth every penny. If it's out of your budgets reach then buy the best you can afford (trying to avoid hormone added), you'll still reap benefits.

• Eat a variety of meat....just like your veggies you need to mix it up for optimal benefits.

• AVOID processed meats (and foods) at all costs! The additives alone are strong enough to clean truck tires…and clearly cause cancer…all types of cancer.

• The amount of red meat eaten should be match by or exceeded with vegetables. They not only work hand in hand but reduce carcinogenicity. Broccoli and other greens are perfect for this. Any paleo/primal worth his salt eats far more veg than meat.

• Cooking methods are KEY….braising, slow cooker, pressure-cooker should be relied upon most days. Marinate a cut if you plan on grilling…liquid helps. Grilling or searing = increased carcinogen release. Rare or medium rare is best. Eat antioxidant rich foods with meat, tea, coffee, berries, turmeric…they all inhibit and reduce risk, not just for the meat, for every food.

• Red meat isn't my daily choice, I eat chicken & fish 5 days a week. I eat so much chicken I sneeze feathers! I love my beef & pork, but my mantra is balance, and until the numbers are clearer, I'll keep my consumption on the down low.

• Exercise...essential. Walk far & walk at a normal with occasional HIIT sprints. Lift heavy things.

p.s. Our bodies adsorb 85% of unhealthy fats, and only 10% of healthy fats. Don't fear animal fat.

At the end of the day, and I might take heat for this, many of the medical community AND nutritionists are basing their opinions on that 2009 study (and many) like it that are touted all over the media. For years we've been pushed a low fat high carb regime....and where has that gotten us? The same place I was years ago, fat and really unhealthy. My PCP, MO, Onc BS and even RO are completely on board with paleo and I'm happy to report my bloodwork is (in the doc's words), perfect.

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We def need better and more complex studies on this issue because so far the results are skewed. Until better numbers are in I'm sticking to what is making my weight and bloodwork shine like blazes.

As a side note, I don't believe there is a question that cannot be asked here SO FEEL FREE TO POST ANYTHING. It makes for great convo!

Oh, and we lost Aretha Franklin today....damn, damn, dammit!