Finally, I Am Me
It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!
Last September marked the one year anniversary of the beginning of my Primal Journey. It’s been a life changing year for me and my family. I finally feel ready to tell my story. So here we go…
I can honestly, whole-heartedly say that my whole life, I felt like I was way off course. I am smart, athletic, was always successful in school, came from a good family, knew my career choice (teacher) at a young age and was passionate about everything I did. Despite my “normal” life, I struggled deeply with anxiety as long as I can remember. I never felt normal, or like I could handle anything. The slightest bit of stress sent me into a life or death reaction. I honestly thought I was crazy, but I knew deep down that this wasn’t how I was supposed to be living my life. This wasn’t ok. I knew that for sure.
I was in constant pursuit of changing my outlook on life, but I just couldn’t make it happen. My anxiety spiraled out of control in my mid-twenties and I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My doctor suggested I go on Cipralex, a medication for anxiety and depression. It helped with my mood and I guess life went on, but the anxiety was always lurking in the background and it never felt right being on medication. My husband and I decided to have a baby, so I went off my anxiety medication. The anxiety symptoms returned full force and I was once again feeling out of control. I continued to try and manage it as we added a second beautiful child to our family, but I generally could not keep myself together. It was a tough couple of years. I was unhappy, moody, lost and felt completely alone.
On top of my ever present anxiety and all the other struggles that came with it (weight gain, strain on relationships, lack of sleep, isolation, depression) I was quickly developing horrible digestion issues and felt sick to my stomach after every meal. I had knee pain, back pain, bad seasonal allergies, acne, tendinitis, constant migraines, I was tired all the time, but suffered from insomnia for many years. I felt like I was falling apart and I was only 29. I was really struggling with my weight, which had been creeping up slowly since high school despite being involved in many sports, and eating “very healthy” according to the Canada Food guide. When I say healthy, I mean, “egg whites-whole grain bread-brown rice-oatmeal-no fat yogurt-no fat cottage cheese healthy.” We thought we were very aware of our diets, but I just couldn’t keep a healthy body composition. I was baffled. What was I doing wrong? I was at my worst when I should have been at my prime.
Finally, June 2011, I saw a naturopath who recommended that I give up Gluten and Dairy. I think I actually laughed at them. I thought in my head, there’s no way I could EVER do that. Coincidentally, soon afterward, I started talking to an Ultimate Frisbee friend who ate Primal (I know! Ultimate players know best!). He started talking about inflammation, omega 3-6 ratio, etc… To be honest, I was a bit lost in the whole conversation, but the simplicity of what he ate intrigued me. He told me about your site, I wrote it down on a napkin and checked you out the second I got home. I was hooked immediately! I bought The Primal Blueprint and The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation and started my research. I downloaded your fitness ebook, bought a few cookbooks, read every article I could cram in my brain and dove right in!
Exactly a year ago, I told my husband we were changing our lives and going Primal. He was amazing and 100% supportive from the start (despite his love for sandwiches, crackers, cereal and other high-carb fillers). We went cold turkey (ummmmm!) and our kids are Primal too. A month in I started seeing the changes…changes I didn’t even know I needed! I began to sleep better, wake up refreshed and maintain that energy throughout the day – it was incredible! A few more months went by and my acne disappeared, my knee pain, back pain, tendinitis and allergies were gone. The debilitating migraines that I was suffering from on a sometimes daily basis ceased. I lost 40 lbs and who knows how many inches, gained muscle and leaned out. My husband tells people I look like I did when he met me at 19. I feel younger and am so energetic. I am in the best shape of my life! And the most phenomenal benefit of Primal for me has been the complete change in my anxiety. I no longer feel like I am out of control. No more panic attacks, breakdowns, or feeling sorry for myself. The symptoms of GAD are non-existent. I finally feel like I am living my life the way I should be. I am a better mother, a better wife, a better teacher, a better Me. I am Me. I am truly happy. Finally. I have never been able to say that.
Primal living has changed my life and this passion could not be contained. People were asking me what I had been doing so often, I decided to start running Primal Information and Cooking workshops in my community. I am a full time teacher and love Primal, so I thought I’d combine the two. It has been a great success and I have inspired many people in my community to take control of their health. This past year has been amazing. I feel like I am just beginning. Thanks for all your amazing inspiration, Mark. I can’t wait to see what I can do next!
Nikki
P.S. I am looking forward to taking a Primal Blueprint Certification course through Mark’s Daily Apple…hoping you have one in the works…wink wink.
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
Nikki. You are a badass. That was a great and inspiring story. Well done.
Way to go Nikki! I am so happy for you and your story is so inspirational! My husband and I went ‘fully’ primal about a year ago; and I too had suffered from serious anxiety (panic attacks, extreme moments of highs and lows, etc.) and the primal diet has changed everything! I no longer even take Ibuprofen (don’t ever feel like I “need” it anyways), and now if I seem to be lacking or needing something, I look to the diet and how I can improve or focus on something specific (e.g., extra wild salmon or eggs from grass-fed chickens to help with sore muscles).
You should be so proud of yourself!!! Thank you for sharing your story!
Ps. We had our cat go primal too. Before, our friends and family would say he was pretty aggressive, would bite, and be kind of moody. Being primal for him, he is more moderate, less tempermental, and just seems happier overall
.
I got a puppy from a shelter and within the first three months, she had two serious urinary tract infections. After research on the web, I learned some dogs were just prone to these infections. What did I get myself into? Anyway, I switched to grain-free dog food and there have been no UTIs since. Alleluia.
Great Story! I just turned 30 and have been struggling with anxiety/depression all my life (but it really hit hard in my later 20′s). I am pregnant with my 6th child and because of the first trimester yuck I felt I gave up on primal. But that was the wrong choice. I am now 100%primal and hoping to still feel the benefits of this lifestyle despite starting mid-pregnancy (22 weeks now). Your story really inspired me. Thanks so much for sharing. Do you have a blog?
Great job, and such a nice looking and happy family!
Nikki, your story is amazing and truly inspirational. I’ve been attempting and failing at going Primal for the past year. It’s stories like yours that make me want to really commit to making a change in my life.
(Now a side note: You may want to try and see if you can’t break your little ones of the thumb-sucking habit early on. I’m currently undergoing therapy to fix years and years of damage that such a habit caused, including horrible mouth breathing and a narrow palate. I don’t mean to be a pain in the rear. I’m just commenting as someone who wishes they didn’t have to undergo the pain of fixing this right now.
) (Also: your little ones are adorable.)
The symptoms you describe including the anxiety and the recovery on the primal diet all point strongly toward Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity. It is a real condition (I’ve got it and seen a world class specialist) and removing gluten is the cure. Enjoy your health and good for you!
It took my going primal 6 weeks ago to realize that I had a gluten problem; Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity sounds like exactly the right label. I quit having migraines as soon as I stopped eating grains, period; I’d had migraines on a weekly (or more often) basis for decades. I’ve seen a real reduction in anxiety and depression too, plus a huge decline in joint inflammation too.
Grains; who needs ‘em? Not me!
Brilliant…inspiring…Grok on! Firefly
Spunk! : )
What do you do if you didn’t get anxiety till AFTER going paleo? Ugh! Loved your story and wish for the same results one day. I’m 100% paleo right now (no fruit, grains, sweetners, dairy, etc) and still not kicking the anxiety that I didn’t get till starting my weight loss/paleo journey.
Did I write this? Seriously, I could have written this story. I’m still at the beginning stages of being primal but I hope that one day I have the success that you’ve had.
Nikki, I love the pic of you with the carrots! You are so joy-filled in it. Congratulations on this marvelous transformation. You and you family will be so blessed with good health for many years to come. As an educator you know the importance of modeling. Your story has inspired me to get serious about going primal. Thank you for sharing your story.
Awesome!!! You look amazing!!!
Hi Nikki, your story is inspiring, thank you so much for sharing it xx
How lucky are your kid’s!!!! You are a true inspiration Nikki….. I can relate on so many levels. I have gone paleo as a result of trying to combat systemic candida. The symptoms are the same as what you described. You look far younger than your years. Pictures don’t lie and your’s are one heck of an endorsement to going Primal! Wishing you much success in leading others to a more healthy lifestyle. Way to go!!!!!
My favourite story so far! Well done!! XX
This one really resonated with me. I have been doing Primal for over 3 years now, but I’m not a super-amazing success story because I was already healthy to begin with. Primal was how I stopped myself from slowly gaining weight as I got older, but there were some other lingering issues that I didn’t realize really needed to be solved.
I’m emotional, and recently my husband started to suspect that I was borderline depressed. We both went strict Paleo for a month, and I was amazed at how much of a difference it made in my overall sense of well-being. After my challenge ended, I went back to the occasional cheat and found that my mood plummeted. Now I’m doing another challenge, but when this is done, I have the Paleo Indulgences book to still give me the occasional treat. I made some cookies just before starting my challenge, and my husband actually LOVED them.
I also discovered my inner athlete. I work out with a trainer who focuses entirely on Primal fitness (complete with Primal Blueprint posters) and go only once a week. Other workouts are spent either with the Navy command, doing sprints, or doing time trials, and throwing in the occasional race because apparently I actually like running. Who knew?
The ability to get up and go is the best thing about being Primal, hands down!
Congratulations to you and your family!
At around 4 months into my Primal life my husband began constantly asking what was wrong with me. I didn’t think anything was wrong with me and then I realized how ‘even’ I felt inside.
No more jittery emotional outbursts, no more crying at the drop of a hat, no more freaking out over little things.
I feel more ‘solid’ inside my body and mind.
It’s hard to explain, but I feel in control of everything in my life now.
Mark and Primal living have changed every single aspect of how I live, think, and feel!
Thank you again for sharing your inspiring story.
Super inspiring and I agree, would love to see some kind of Primal certification, etc.
Did you eliminate refined carbohydrates such as all refined sugars, white flour and high fructose corn syrup? Did you abandon all processed foods? Did you refrain from eating dairy products? If so, those dietary alterations contributed more to your weight loss, elimination of headaches and anxiety issues than meat consumption. Do these tests: consume the same amounts of animal protein but add the bad carbs and non-primal approved dairy products back. See if your symptoms don’t return. Next, cut out all the bad carbs and dairy but skip the meat as well. Did the headaches, excess weight and anxiety issues stay away also?
Great story, Nikki! I’ve done paleo on and off, and right now have fallen off the wagon… but your story is very inspirational: I have issues with anxiety and depression, and it would be lovely if those things went away! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, what a wonderful story and transformation – all in one year! Congratulations! I’ve been Primal for 3 1/2 months, have lost 21 lbs and feel so much better! Unfortunately, my allergies have NOT subsided and I’m in the middle of an allergy crisis right now. After 2 months my doc took me off the blood pressure meds I had been taking for 15 years! Yay Mark and yay Nikki!
This was a very inspiring post, and just what I needed right now.
Wow Nikki! I love to read these transformation stories, especially ones I can relate to and yours struck a cord. You look so fantastic and it’s really inspiring. I am curious what your course outline looks like for the community? I agree – primal certification would be interesting. I’d love to see a post on this subject. Again, nice work and thank you for the inspiration.
I have basically gathered all the best information on the lifestyle over the past year of my life (on all the major topics, resources, tips, etc). It’s honestly been a years worth of in depth research from the experts, like Mark, and created a mini-course to get people thinking, or to get them started in the right direction. I have a bit of experience with the lesson planning and organization because of my Education background. I then follow this Part 1 with a Part 2 cooking course. The cooking courses are constantly changing, as I am getting requests for specific ones (breakfast, lunch, etc) and the possibilities are endless. As of right now, that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I love it!
Very Very inspiring, thanks for posting this! You really shine!
I am Nikki’s uncle and I am very happy and proud of her changes she made in her life. I also started eating Primal around the same time and at 51 look better than at any time in my life. I’m trying to get the rest of the family on board.
You go Uncle Kevin! Grok on!
Incredible transformation!!!
There is no better certification than your before and after pictures: hang them proudly in the living room …
People will use it as a standard:
They will say:
I am 1/2 Nikky (good!)
I am 0.9 Nikky (terrific!)
I saw a you tube vid mark posted and somehow ended up here a few clicks later. I’m 28 and feel just like this teacher before going primal. I have always been pretty , skinny, active/athlete , but since having my child in 2004, I’ve had major blood sugar highs and lows, always “bonking” if I didn’t eat every 2 hours. Major mood swings, I felt lost and crazy. I could never gain weight ever but all of a sudden this year I have gained 20 lbs I. The past few months even though I’m actually more active. I suspect thyroid , but anyway at 5’4 and 120 lbs I now am having gum problems, constant depression for no reason, acne, I skip menstrual cycles 2-3 months at a time.
I pray this is my answer. Ordering book. Ill post an update in one month. Feel free to message me, I would LOVE some primal friends.
This is it Amber! It will change your life. Can’t wait to read about your update.
Oh my Goodness, Gracious!!!! You are 100% hot chick, Nikki! I have been going through something similar doing my own trial and error version of low carb (with great results, but some ups and downs and confusion), but it wasn’t until I discovered this website that I started to get a clue and also the confidence I needed to go all the way with this lifestyle. Most women I know look like your before pictures, and that’s how I used to look, too. Everyone is so sick to death of dieting and health issues – the word really needs to be spread. Your transformation looks absolutely amazing, and to hear how much better you feel is also very inspiring. You look like you could be an actress! Wow.