Obligatory forum Introduce yourself thread

Your location: Milwaukee

Age (If you want): 29

How Primal are you: Still fall off the wagon from time to time, but getting back on is easier every time. Time spent cheating isn't measured in weeks or months anymore. It's a couple of days, then back to eating this really tasty, nourishing food. I think I'm finally starting to incorporate this fully into my life, in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Do you consume dairy: I do in the form of cheese, but I'm thinking I should cut back. Something is making my throat sore and me phlegmy.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Oh yes. This I'm not giving up.

Motivator for switching to Primal: Weight loss, primarily - just really want to lean out and then wear the kind of clothes I want to wear :-) Confidence. Health.

Favorite exercise: Trail running (but not chronically) with the dog.

Favorite Primal food: I'm a big fan of animal fat. Lately I've been frying everything in duck fat. Ever tried it with kale? Killer.

Best part about being Primal: Where do I start? Not feeling bloated, the energy, the clear skin, the thicker hair, the ability to put down a steak and vegetables and maintain a healthy weight.. I could go on; it's pretty great.

Worst part about being Primal: Hm, I guess it would be having to be constantly vigilant about what I eat because there are so many fake sugars, chemicals and GMOs lurking in this food system. It can be exhausting at times, and then there's the social aspect. A lot of people don't get how messed up our food really IS. At this point, rather than ranting or arguing, I'm just leading by example. Hopefully others (boyfriend, family, friends) will come around or at least understand.

Also, where are my manners? Hi everybody :-)

[QUOTE=vyieort;1085212]Your location: Brooklyn, NY

Age (If you want): 35

How Primal are you: Right now, strictly 100% paleo actually

Do you consume dairy: Last week I did, but for the next month I won't

Do you drink coffee or tea: Nope

Motivator for switching to Primal: I know I have an autoimmune condition (spondylitis) but the symptoms are minimal unless I'm in prolonged cold, damp conditions. But, I know that I feel better without gluten, and grains have been feeling more and more like a "dirty" fuel, creating some lethargy and heaviness. I'm looking for a cleaner fuel for my increasingly active lifestyle while also doing what's best for my overall mood.

Favorite exercise: Running (a year ago I would never have thought I would put this down) and slacklining

Favorite Primal food: No single one—I'm a butcher and cookbook author so cooking is a passion.

Best part about being Primal: Yet to be determined, but for now it's the excitement of a new cooking challenge and refreshing change in life

Worst part about being Primal: Bunless Burgers (so far), though recipe testing for my next book this year is going to be a challenge![/QUOTE]

Well hello, stranger!

hi everyone! I started grain-free 4 weeks ago for weight loss. I have dealt with obesity from childhood. I managed to get down to a normal weight in college due to a flare up in my rheumatoid arthritis which threw off my entire system and I maintained normal to slightly overweight for about 4 years. The rest of my adult life, I have struggled with moderate obese weights. It is very frustrating. The most success I have had has been with low carb but... it never failed, as soon as I added grains back in, the weight piled on. Every year, I always say - "this is the year that I will finally succeed. I have to do it for my kids. I want to be a good role model for them." but within weeks of attempting to bring down the weight, I buckle...

... until now. I know it has only been 4 weeks but I feel SO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! I know this is the plan that I need to follow - not just to lose weight but for the rest of my life. I feel so much better since stopping the grain train. For the first time in my life, I can honestly see myself succeeding and following this lifestyle for the rest of my life. I have not felt the need or desire to eat any grains, with the exception of popcorn - I am a popcorn addict and this may be something I am going to eventually claim in my 80/20 primal but for now, I'm doing ok without it so you never know...

So, now that I have been grain free for almost a month, I am easing into the other aspects of Primal. We have a very limited budget, so I am prioritizing the ones that cost more money. I am also easing my family into the lifestyle (with emphasis on "easing").

Your location: USA

Age (If you want): 42

How Primal are you: grainfree; easing into everything else

Do you consume dairy: yes, but noticing sensitivities now that the grains are not cushioning it. May have to give it up

Do you drink coffee or tea: no

Motivator for switching to Primal: weight loss initially, but after reading all about primal, it "just makes sense" for the long term

Favorite exercise: none, really - have severe arthritis and it hurts to exercise. I do it but none of it is a "favorite"

Favorite Primal food: steak - always has been

Best part about being Primal: I am beginning to feel SO much better

Worst part about being Primal: popcorn!

Your location: Montreal, Quebec

Age (If you want): 55

How Primal are you: 3 weeks of 100% primal blueprint...

Do you consume dairy: Butter and clarified butter...

Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes, I love coffee...

Motivator for switching to Primal: Makes so much fucking sense...

Favorite exercise: High intensity workouts...

Favorite Primal food: Fielt Mignon...

Best part about being Primal: How I feel, only 3 weeks into it and I see quite a difference...

Worst part about being Primal: The social part... although I am having fun with it... playing Gork or whatever his name and not taking myself too seriously...

Your location: Gainesville, Florida

Age (If you want): 33

How Primal are you: about 75%

Do you consume dairy: butter and occasional cheese, but no yogurt or milk ....or ice cream (cries).

Do you drink coffee or tea: chai tea, and sometimes very weak coffee: I warm up half a cup of water, fill the rest of the cup with coffee, and load up on creamer. this practice disgusts my boyfriend.

Motivator for switching to Primal: a lot of factors were pointing towards eliminating starch from my diet (and definitely all processed foods) so I intuitively went in this direction before learning about sugar burning vs fat burning - which totally reinforced my decision. Nevertheless, it initially took some time to accept this challenge to conventional wisdom.
I'd like to lose 10-15 pounds of body fat, OR replace the fat with muscle, whichever happens naturally.
I like that the primal lifestyle isn't just about weight loss, but overall body composition. When I saw from the testimonials that recovering anoretics were using primal eating to gain strength and a healthy body fat %, I knew this was a good lifestyle.

Favorite exercise: kung fu.

Favorite Primal food: salmon.

Best part about being Primal: still transitioning here, but I've already noticed steadier energy levels. As a sugar burner, I would start to shake every 2-3 hours, misinterpreting this as "wow, I must have a fast metabolism!" Nnnnnope.

Worst part about being Primal: carb flu/headache.

Hello, everyone!

Your location: NC

Age (If you want): 30

How Primal are you: maybe 70-80% when I'm doing well

Do you consume dairy: yes, normally only greek yogurt

Do you drink coffee or tea: yep, coffee everyday and tea on occasion

Motivator for switching to Primal: I feel so much better when I am eating primal. Also, I want to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

Favorite exercise: bootcamp and planks!

Favorite Primal food: filet mignon and sweet potatoes

Best part about being Primal: the way I feel

Worst part about being Primal: Well, the [I]hardest[/I] part is sticking to my primal diet on the weekends or trips or what not when my schedule deviates from the norm. Oh yeah, and my willpower sucks when it comes to my sweet tooth.

Hi every one! Kay here from the South of Ireland. :) I used to follow primal about 4 years ago when I was in college, and never felt better. I was at my slimmest, fittest and happiest then. Unfortunately weight has crept up in an incredibly slow insidious way since, so I've gone from a UK size 8 to a 12 in over 4 years, and gone up a horrifying 3 inches round my waist :( I studied Nutritional Science for 4 years, so I really have no excuse for not looking after myself! Anyway, I'm planning to start a food diary here, and hopefully the online support/community will help keep me going as it has in the past!

The Questions:


Your location: Cork City, Ireland

Age (If you want): 27

How Primal are you: 50%

Do you consume dairy: Yes

Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes, both

Motivator for switching to Primal: Health and to lose a few pounds and stop more weight creeping up as I get older

Favorite exercise: Walking

Favorite Primal food: Bacon

Best part about being Primal: The bacon!

Worst part about being Primal: Not satisfying my bread addiction

One day I was wondering to myself, "WHY do we even [I]need[/I] to eat grains when we get so much fiber and nutrients from veggies?", and lo and behold I stumbled on to this site! I love to eat primal, but getting my JungleJim/SO on board is harder than I thought....However, he is awesome for working out so we keep each other in check. Our overall fitness level is healthy with a few extra pounds.

To keep it brief, here are the questions:

[U]Your location:[/U] Alberta, Canada

[U]Age (If you want):[/U] 33

[U]How Primal are you:[/U] Currently ~80%

[U]Do you consume dairy:[/U] Occasionally (full fat cheese, yogurt, & butter)

[U]Do you drink coffee or tea:[/U] Both

[U]Motivator for switching to Primal:[/U] It's simple and it makes sense.

[U]Favorite exercise:[/U] Sleeping.

[U]Favorite Primal food:[/U] Steak or Bacon. Or Steak and bacon...and with blue cheese...mmmmm.....

[U]Best part about being Primal:[/U] The food!

[U]Worst part about being Primal:[/U] The sprints. ugh.

The Questions:


Your location: Baker County, OR

Age (If you want): 56

How Primal are you: not sure, but I love whole food.

Do you consume dairy: yes, mostly cheeses

Do you drink coffee or tea: yes

Motivator for switching to Primal: healthier lifestyle

Favorite exercise: walking and light weight training

Favorite Primal food: Grass fed beef

Best part about being Primal: as the daughter of a meat cutter, I am a happy carnivore

Worst part about being Primal: I miss potatoes!