Steps to Mastery

So, I was reading through Dean Dwyer's blog posts on Being Primal and his latest post gave me the desire to do my own desire checklist. At 46 lbs down, I'm still very much a beginner in my own Primal Blueprint. I'm still on Level 1. So, what do I feel that I must do to feel like I'm on level 2? What is the maximum level there is? Do I even want to quantify the max level or just one day arrive at it and say "Oh wow. I can't think of anything I could do to be healthier." Yeah, I'd rather have that oh wow moment than try to kill myself leveling up as fast as possible. Been there and done that in various MMO's.

So back to the original thought, what is what I feel I need to do to be level 2? Honestly, to be level 2, I'm setting the bar pretty low of a body composition of below 15% body fat. After years of failed dieting starting all the way back in high school, That would be a major achievement for me. And you know what, I know I'll make it.

BUT, if I'm setting the bar so low for level 1, why not set some goals for level 2? I can easily pregame the experience and potentially hit level 3 within days of level 2, if not skipping the need to worry about it all together.

Well, level 2 would be this:

1. Progress into baseline with all of the Primal Fitness exercises Mark Sisson suggests
2. Find and purchase the best footwear for everyday use that allows me to relearn proper balance and build some form of arch.
3. Work in more vegetables into my diet. I think I might need some more food prep tools for this.
4. Find a way to purchase and store my food in bulk in order to save more money.
5. Put more than minimum effort into all my classes. I really have no excuse for grades C or below. Especially with $4k in loans a semester.
6. Finish and publish my first Android App. Enjoy it myself, whether it sells well or not.
7. Clean up the bass guitar I was just given and learn how to play 5 songs on it.
8. Pay my credit cards off. (This will open up quite a bit of monthly income for other things)
9. Learn how to do some parkour.
10. Become a better shot. I've got a .22 conversion kit for my AR-15 now, so no excuse to not go out to the range and practice at least 100 shots a week.

I think that is more than enough for a Level 2 challenge. Although half of those are just ways to become a more successful and mentally healthy person without the diet/exercise portion, after years of letting myself be a victim of diet, I feel like I'm overdue to redesign my life to be as productive and creative as I can possibly be. I feel like a human being for the first time in my life, and it is amazing!!!

So, I'm going to try to encourage some comments. Think of your life as having experience points. Be brave and post what you feel like you would want to accomplish to get to your next level! Or just comment on what I've posted Show me some comment love! :P

Picture Update!

Because I've been talking about it a lot, but not actually posting any results, I figured now is the time! So, I'm going to have some fun with this!

First is me with my custom AR-15, second is Just me. My mother really wanted to get a picture of me with my rifle for some reason :P

Nearly a month - lots to convey

Well, I definitely disappeared. I think I missed out on some opportunities to post. Here we are Thanksgiving day and I'm finally having some weight loss results again. I'm now down 46 lbs as of this morning after about 3 weeks of yoyoing between 272 and 268. Finally broke the 268 barrier with 266 and I couldn't be happier.

As I think of all my focus on the weight, I feel like somehow I forget the entire focus of being Primal, sometimes. I'm mentally and physically healthier with more energy than I can clearly remember... I think I had this much energy right before my parents divorce at around 12 (I can't remember exactly how old I was), which happened to coincide with the start of weight gain. My memory is getting a lot better, but I've lost some of my multi-tasking ability as the lack of caffeine contributed to most of that, but also contributed heavily to my insomnia.

Muscle cramps are at an all time low, and I'm starting to suspect that vegetable oils might be causing them. Honestly, every time I eat out, no matter how meticulous I am about how I order, I always leave with minor heartburn and wake up in the early hours of the morning with a leg muscle seized up. I've learned that putting pressure on the muscle (standing and putting as much of my weight as possible on the leg) usually causes it to stop (the faster the less soreness later), but when a muscle in the top of my foot does the same thing, there is no easy way to stop it. But I'm also considering the possibility that it might be fluid intake. I drink a lot more water in 1 sitting at a restaurant than I do in my own home cooking, mostly due to the lack of saturated fat and moisture in even the tastiest looking dish at the restaurant. A single 12 oz cup of water will normally last me hours at home, with only drinking half of it during the meal, while I'll go through nearly 30 oz of water in a single meal in the restaurant.

Changing gears, my subconscious desire for a relationship is getting ridiculous. I'm feeling like a high schooler in some ways in that regard all over again, and since I haven't dated in over 3 years, I'm a bit rusty on how to even approach a female on the subject. I like being direct, but I hate being direct about asking out of personal fear of rejection (as well as having some of that 'I'm too much of a fat ass to be loved' mentality lingering), and I think I messed up big time a few weeks back with that. I honestly don't care what it's called, who pays, what happens, as long as I learn more about them during the time. And if the back of my brain goes "Hey, pay more attention to her." I'm usually interested in asking them out just to make time to have some one on one. There wasn't any real one on one time to have a long discussion that evening, because mutual friends offered to 'double date' it. It ended on a short one on one discussion that I'm still mentally sorting through, but coming to the conclusion that I ultimately screwed up on and just need to move on in that regard. Maybe try again later, because from what I keep learning she's an awesome human being, but the old me of trying to push for more and more chances is just going to destroy even what could turn into an awesome friendship. I need to move slowly in this area of my life anyway, just because of how long it's been. Moving quickly with anyone would spell disaster for long term viability and I'd like to see who is out there that I could be most happy with. Watching too much TV growing up really warped my sense of how to find love and I would really like to experience the 'getting to know you phase' before I dump myself into a relationship.

Oh yeah, it's Thanksgiving. I really don't understand most holidays. A celebration of thanks created around the idea of surviving a colonization attempt of the New World with the help of the native peoples who would eventually be pushed off native lands and forced into reservations of some of the most undesired land that could be survived on. But, most people don't think about it, or just don't know, so when family members that don't drive me nuts make requests of my presence, I go to enjoy the company of people I don't see often. I'll be visiting my half sister and her family later this evening and seeing my mom and the rest of my blood siblings tomorrow. I'm looking forward to both.

Moving Foward

I'm just going to stop apologizing for not posting in this from now on. I'll post when I post, and I only post when there is something new to talk about. :) I'm also thinking through something that happened earlier this evening and felt that since I can't sleep, I might as well post an update.

Anyway, so since the last post, I've lost another 3 lbs. I'm now sitting right at 270. I've lost those pounds in the last 4 days. I also discovered that I accidentally was putting myself into starvation mode. The cure: what would have been a normal amount of food before the diet change at regular intervals. I went from a lot of no eating because I wasn't hungry, to eating a big slice of meat, 3 eggs, and a random vegetable at every meal. I effectively doubled my caloric intake to start losing again. We'll see how long this plays out. It might be just what I needed.

Also, I'm starting to feel a craving for more vegetables. Things that I was trying to force down my throat just a month ago, I eat with delight. I'm still not eating very many, but I'm eating them again, where as I wasn't for a while. I guess that's part of the 'listen to your gut' aspect of the diet after you get acclimated. I'm also consuming greek yogurt with small amounts of honey mixed in. Some might say it isn't strictly Primal, but in the quantities consumed, combined with my still relatively low vegetable intake, I'm not seeing any negative effects from eating it. In fact, it's helping keep my stomach settled and stable.

More later.