Bob - I read about the Leptin, Ghrelin, Insulin you are attempting to modify with diet and IF. If you run across any good links on these, can you make note of them for me?

Your mom’s comment was uncalled for, I do not understand why people aren’t supportive or, at least, why they don’t keep their mouth shut. Ditto for you Kara. What are people thinking???

I have been losing inches like mad on my hips and thighs where I carry a lot of weight, but everyone is noticing my shoulders and neckline which have always been slim and are now super-slim. So far I’m lucky in that everything has tightened up beautifully (thank you sweet body!)

I’m more excited about the bottom half because I’m fitting into size 14-16 pants which I haven’t been in for 30 years probably. Either pants sizes have gotten bigger or I have shrunk down proportionately more on the bottom, probably a little of both.

So ... yesterday I was walking with my sweetie up to a Starbucks, and I saw us both in a plate glass window. He’s a normal-sized guy and I’ve always hated these “plate-glass window” moments because I’m so much bigger than him. But ...yesterday ... I didn’t look that much different. My hips and legs are bigger than his, but generally I’m almost *correct* when compared with him.

Susan -- woot on those *big* size 2 shorts. You must be tiny.

Tyma -- the link Ilene provided gives you everything you need to know. It's actually easy -- eat protein and veggies. Keep your carbs around 50 grams per day.

CJ- Congrats on the size 14-16, I bet you are feeling great. I know exactly how you feel about those plate glass windows, I was always like that in the grocery store when I'd walk by the frozen food sections and see my reflection in those doors, yikes. Now I just walk by and think, oh, I'm not huge, great. Same with pictures, I can look at them now. I'm happy for you that everything is tightening up, my body is still flabby in the upper arms area, but hopefully these pushups will keep tightening them some, its bearable though, they are huge anymore.

Bob -- Mothers they are special ... I just hope I don't stay stupid mother things to my DD ...

Susan -- I completely understand about weight being slightly up but stomach flat ... I can «almost» see some abs ...

Tyma -- Marksdailyapple.com is a very good site for PrimalBlueprintinformation... Keep reading it, you'll understand the lifestyle a lot better....

CJ -- on the smaller booty

I went out this morning & bought the book. DS & I also stopped at Chanps for lunch. I got the Cob salad (avocado, blue cheese, bacon, chix, tomato & black olives) Not sure if that was a good choice or not but I do know it is much better then what I could have gotten. Thanks everyone!

Oh I forgot to tell you that I also bought some coconut oil (not the pills) Do I use that instead of regular oil or butter in the pans to fry eggs & what not?

Yes ... Many of us use it in our coffee along with our cream or coconut milk...

what I got looks more like lard. I dont think I want to put that in my coffee. I bought it at GNC.

Tyma - it does solidify at room temp, but I have been putting about half a teaspoon in my coffee with either a little heavy cream or a splash of coc. milk. The oil melts into the coffee. It seems like a weird thing to put in coffee, but it tastes good (yes, it does have a mild coc flavor, which I do enjoy). I do not enjoy eggs in the oil as much - I've been cooking my eggs in butter (yum).

The cobb salad, by the way, sounds very primal! I am still working on my book too ... learning and learning.

Yep took me a while to try it out but it's really nice in coffee...

walking2lose -- The one I got has no flavour and is very nice to fry in... Tuna and salmon patties fry up really nicely because it has a higher heating point than say olive oil...

Ilene, what brand has no flavor? I have the GNC stuff in my coffee right now. I also have Nutiva, which seems identical to GNC, both too coconutty for most cooking purposes. Maybe it's just me. Great in coffee though, Tyma.

Thanks all for the support re: mom. She's a generally negative sort like that, but she also has great primal recipes. Got me eating liver this week!

CJ -- I am pretty sure I will launch my own little blog on topic in July. I am turning over a business blog I wrote for four years to a new author who is smarter than me anyway, and I will use the freed up time to chronicle my weight loss story. So all the leptin, ghrelin and insulin stuff I am focused on will be posted there right away. It is currently very unorganized in my bookmarks, but the good news is three simple things seem to amp up the chemical sensitivities. Low carb eating, gut flora health, and intermittent fasting. A fourth is this notion of low fat complex carb refeeds. On a more controversial note, I am becoming quite enamored with research into calorie restriction.

Kara - I was in Kmart yesterday and feeling pretty good about the smaller image in the windows. I kept asking my kid if I was fatter than this person or that person. hehe. She kept saying, "No daddy, that person is fatter than you now". I definitely love my daughter more than my mom.

W2L -- I too do not like the coconut oil in eggs, or with beef, or well, EVOO is still my oil of choice.

Fast #9 is in the books, still going strong actually at exactly 36 hours. One more to go on Wednesday, then I weigh, then I do it every other day in July. Outdoor exercise is out of the question for weeks to come now. It will hit 113 today, and it will not go below 95 at 3am. Sigh. I want to move to Hawaii.

Bob: Spectrum has no flavor if you can find it, I got mine at the local grocery. Can we all move to Hawaii and start a Primal community? I can only dream!

I have been so hungry today, not really sure why. I am just letting myself eat and then maybe by tomorrow my body will be ready for an IF. My fat intake is high today, and I'm a bit low on protein, I'll evaluate tomorrow if I still feel famished. Its strange because usually I go 6-12 hours without eating and today I just feel like my stomach is an empty pit.

Bob here is the coconut oil I use Omega Nutrition

I just used mine on my green beans. I barely tasted the coconut flavor.

So ... I've noticed something that I like but seems a little strange. As I've gotten older, my eyebrows have thinned out quite a bit. But, they have actually filled in some during the last few months! Yay! Any explanations why?

CJ: I think it has to do with the fat and cells being fixed/grown...someone else will know more specifics. I too have noticed my hair thickening and I had started getting some gray but it seems to have stopped. I've read so much lately about how fat helps our cells especially in the brain that I am amazed that this isn't more mainstream. I have a doted interest in Alzheimers as my MIL has it severely and my great-grandparents died from it years ago, the info coming out about fat and exercise to hinder the disease is promising. Sorry..that didn't answer your question...maybe Bob can fill us in on specifics!