2 More Success Stories from Mark’s Daily Apple Readers
It’s time for another round of Primal Blueprint success stories. It’s been a real pleasure receiving these messages from Mark’s Daily Apple readers and being able to share them with the community. As you’ll read, Malika sent hers in recently after reading a bunch of stories submitted by other readers. If you have a Primal Blueprint real life story, I hope you’ll do the same. Shoot me an email with pics explaining how the Primal Blueprint has played a role in your life. Have a wonderful Friday, everyone. Grok on!
Mark,
After reading another half dozen success stories I decided tonight is the night I submit my own.
Right now, as I type this I’ve just downloaded pictures from a photo shoot I just completed in Miami that I can hardly believe is of ME… and that’s all because of YOU and our little community here!
I’m seeing muscles I thought were lost forever and a number I never thought would be possible after having 3 kids and starting to believe that I had to settle for the fluffy mommy look forever.
Frustrated with my results after doing an entire round of doubles of a 90-day home workout program that glamorized “muscle confusion” (you may be familiar with it from a past life of yours), I figured the problem must be my diet.
I didn’t have a scale when I started the program but by the end I was 151 pounds.
That led me to explore low-carb eating according to the glycemic index.
After about 2 months of replacing all my white/brown carbs with beans (gag, I know) I was asked if I ever heard of the Primal Blueprint.
I bought it and the cookbook almost immediately. That was May 1st of 2010. It was a massive nutrition education crash course and I took my husband and 3 kids along for the ride with me!
Yes, we had a semi-huge argument about the rapid change in our diet which of course led to an increase in the food budget but after about a week of eating uncured bacon, sausage and real eggs from a near by farm for a week… There wasn’t anything to argue for. I mean come on, what red blooded American male would argue for whole wheat pasta instead of spinach, tomato and onion in bacon fat with a big honking piece of rib-eye?
I didn’t have any other issues I was personally looking to solve except for losing belly fat to avoid diabetes. I was approaching the age, 32, where my father was diagnosed with diabetes after a HIGH rice/bean Caribbean diet. It has rendered him legally blind which has taken away a lot of his independence, impacted his self worth and self esteem as well as his lifestyle.
It’s also effected my grandmother (took her life 2 years ago), aunt, uncle, two cousins and will catch up to the rest of my family who refuse to seek change or entertain life after grains.
I am determined to have that disease stop with me in my blood line.
My husband however, seems to have recovered from his totally undiagnosed IBS and thanks me at least once a week for his newly uncovered 8 pack!
Also, the two oldest of my 3 kids – 10 and 8 – have also leaned out as well from a pudgy 137 lbs and 110 lbs to 106 lbs and 84 lbs, respectively.
Things have gone so well that we’ve created a community to help woman and families transition to living PB!
Malika
_________________________________________________________________________
Dear Mark,
Rewind 8 months, after having my second bundle of baby joy, when I was the heaviest, most disgusting, hideous blubber-monster known to man. I am sure that no one thought I looked THAT bad, but that was exactly what I thought of myself. My self-confidence was almost non-existent. Yet, I still allowed 6 months to float by trying to lose weight the “conventional,” carb filled way. I suppose you can guess that I did not lose one spec of weight. Even though my husband, who is the nutrition and Crossfit whiz in the house, was there to encourage me and write workouts for me, I still did not lose weight. He kept *nicely* suggesting that I try to go Primal, but I poo pooed it because I have a special place in my heart for mini muffins.
Finally, on the first day of September ’10 I was ready. I was 5’5” and 175 lbs of self loathing. I remembering taking my first “before” pictures and looking at them. I looked worse than I even thought! I had to call my husband and apologize that he ever had to gaze upon that (as I am sorry that you all have to as well).
Upon recommendation from my husband, I actually started out using the Zone blocks but eating Primal. I needed to count and weigh for a while simply because my perception of servings was a little….skewed. If I was left to eat until I was no longer hungry I would still be eating to this day.
Let me just say that as far as “diets” go, I had never stuck with anything much past 2 weeks for this very reason. After two weeks of Primal perfection, I was excited to step onto the scale and see how much progress I had made. When the scale registered at 175 lbs still, I cried. I actually cried. In swooped my husband with a measuring tape and showed me that I had actually lost an inch on my hips and an inch on my waist. With a little resistance due to society’s focus on scale weight, I allowed my husband to hide the scale in the house somewhere. I began working out 4 times a week in a Primal/Crossfit style. Short. Intense. I love it. You should see my shoulders! The point is, after 2 weeks it got easier and I kept going.
Fast forward with me now to December ’10 and 20 lbs dropped.
This journey was first about fat loss and fat loss only. I happily received that, but it is almost a secondary blessing to all of the benefits that come from eating Primal! Food has become a casual friend and not an obsessive lover anymore. I don’t weigh or measure anymore. I eat when I am hungry, and, if I am not, I don’t! The scale sits, yet again, on the bathroom floor but I only use it occasionally. I am less hungry, I don’t crave things, and I have a full day’s worth of energy. That ain’t easy when you are chasing around two kids all day. Also, going Primal has almost eliminated my headaches and migraines I would get several times a week. I haven’t had one in months.
I still want to get down another 10ish pounds, but I figure my body likes doing the 5 lbs a month thing, so I am in no hurry. Going Primal has proven itself as far as I am concerned.
The last reason why I can never go back to living or eating any other way can be summed up in one word: bacon.
Thank you so much for your dedication, service and information to all who care to look! See you all in another 3 months!
Lindsey Forbes – Tucson, Arizona
Grab The Primal Blueprint Cookbook Today and Receive Free S&H and a Free Primal Blueprint Poster
Posted By: Mark Sisson
Holy hell, these are some great testimonials. Thank you to Malika and Lindsey for sharing your stories and photos. AWESOME!
Way to go ladies!!
Outstanding!! I am so impressed and inspired by your stories, thank you for posting your before and after photo, I hope to do the same one day.
Awesome stories! Thank you for sharing! You are both beautiful. And hot!
God bless you both. Amazing transformations. Inspiring!
My lovely wife has lost 55 lbs doing Weight Watchers and doing a program at the Y called Fit It In. Really working on her for our entire family to go Paleo/Primal….
Very inspirational ladies, congrats on your hard work
Oh my gosh, ladies, you both look amazing. Great work. You have much to feel good about, particularly the wonderful example for your children. Malika, I bet your kids are so much happier and healthier also.
They love the variety of foods we get to eat and the new creative ways we make cookies, pies, crackers and desserts from scratch. They love all the new fruits and veggies we now explore that we never even considered… it’s amazing to realize we were stuck on apples and bananas!
Now they like pumpkin, cabbage is the NEW noodles and they can’t get enough of the “cereal” with 3 different nuts, pears and coconut milk!!
I can’t thank my Beachbody friend for turning me on the PB.
Wow!! Congratulations, Lindsey and Malika! You both look fantastic! And happy!!!
Hello My PB friends and colleagues! I’m so excited to read all the comments and kudos but I’m more excited to see what stories will come out of those of you who are just starting out.
No grains, low sugar works SURELY… fast or slow depends on your consistent application WITHOUT excuses like, “A little bite won’t hurt” or my least favorite, “everything in moderation”.
I lost half of the 30 pounds in 2 months without even exercising…
Way to go to my post mate Lindsey!!! 5 pounds a month is AWESOME and nothing to sneeze at. Especially when you get to eat BACON, steak, coconut, avocado instead of starving OR becoming a Cardio Queen at the gym!
Congratulations to both of you. Inspirational stories there for anyone that wants to be healthier, and especially for the moms who can clearly see that yes, it can be done!
Awesome Awesome Awesome! So Inspiring, Ladies! Thank you Lindsey for posting about how it’s not all about what the scale says, and that it’s important to ignore that in the beginning and just keep going- what a knowledgeable and supportive hubby you have to “swoop in with the measuring tape” and wisely make the scale disappear- it’s so hard for us American women to make that mental shift!
Wow. Congratulations to Malika and Lindsey. Amazing transformation stories.
Congratulations to both of you, thanks for sharing your stories.
Thank you BOTH for sharing your story. I have been feeling in a rut, thoughts of, “Well, I’ll get back to Primal after Christmas because, you know, Christmas COOKIES.” I should say not only feeling as though I’m in a rut, but also feeling like a RUT. Sugar and carbs will do that. Both of your stories and photos helped rev me up to get going again and treat myself well not only after the holidays, but NOW!
Malika, may I ask? Was your end weight 151? I’m confused because I know what 151 looks like on me and let me tell you, it’s not anywhere as awesome as your final photo!
Thank you again Ladies.
wow, great success stories, thanks ladies for sharing it with us. Loving Ms. Malika’s style and her progress, beautiful woman indeed.
I’ve been following Malika and I’m inspired and amazed. I’ve gotten off the train recently as far as health goes (recent break-up with a guy who said in the beginning he supported my food lifestyle but did not in fact he resented it) and aim to get back on.
I’ve lost alot of weight but it is from not eating at all vs. eating right (I kind of resemble a heroin addict right now).
But anyway I just wanted to make the comment regarding the cost of food…I read that in Europe people spend more of their paycheck on food than we do in the USA. Apparently in Europe they care more about the quality of the food they eat. I can’t verify the validity of the statement but it makes sense. We have this cheap food mindset in America.
Jolie, only believe the statistics you’ve made yourself. In Germany, where I live, there’s also the cheap food thing going on. My parents (and the whole family) are really big on it and get often nearly a heartattack when I eat steak or by “expensive” oils (like pumpkin seed oil, I just love it). They definitely prefer quantity over quality. From what I know France and Italy are really on top when it comes to food.
Forget about this guy and do yourself something good. You’ll find the right partner soon enough, maybe you should go looking for him at a Crossfit gym near you. Hot and good stuff eating guys and you can do cool everchanging workouts. Sounds like heaven, no?
Great job girls! You both look amazing! You have totally motivated me to go Primal! I am doing crossfit right now and that has made a huge difference for me but this makes me want to change the way I eat too!
Inspirational! This is just the ‘kick in the pants’ I need to get me back on track. Thanks!
Girls you are amazing. Well done.
And Malika, whoa, I’m so envious of those muscles.
Thanks Malika and Lindsey. Those are truly great transformations and stories.
Such beautiful and strong women, mentally and physically! Great job, and thank you for sharing your stories!
Thank you both for sharing your smiling success with us. When I’m having a down day, I like to tune in to “Success Stories”. It feels good to be happy for and inspired by others.
I just want to say that you both have done an amazing job. You both look amazing and most importantly, happy and healthy. Lindsey, I really enjoyed your story and it was really important to me to have an example of someone who didn’t have results on the scale right away. I always seem to lose weight rather slowly, so now I feel like I should just keep pushing. Malika, you look amazing and I am very impressed by how you’ve brought your family along for the ride (which I would find difficult) maybe if I have results like you two awesome ladies, they’ll jump in willingly!
Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing!!
great …keep it going…
Just amazing! Ladies, you look incredible
You ladies all look so beautiful, glowing with health, vitality, and joy. Thank you for sharing your success stories!
Wow to the both of you!
Malika, do you have any before and afters of your husband?
You guys are awesome!
Malika and Lindsey,
You both rock the house. Seriously. Rock on.