Marks Daily Apple Forum Forum: Primal Blueprint Success Stories

Marks Daily Apple Forum Forum: Primal Blueprint Success Stories - Recent Topics http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/forum/primal-blueprint-success-stories Just another bbPress community en-US Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:09:54 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.1 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/search.php Zeus on "Trick or Treat, Trick I think." http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/trick-or-treat-trick-i-think#post-81110 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:58:39 +0000 Zeus 81110@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ After a good week of eating primal except for peanuts (need to cut them out) I thought I'd have a treat myself day today with some chocolate and a homemade greek pasta dish, I can safely say it was no treat more like a trick. I feel so tired and out of it at the minute and my stomachs growling. Just goes to show how these manufactered foods (chocolate) aren't meant for us. No more treats for me. MalPaz on "SO butter makes us fat now?" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/so-butter-makes-us-fat-now#post-80660 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:47:24 +0000 MalPaz 80660@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ <a href="http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/butter-and-insulin.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FnqWE+%28The+Heart+Scan+Blog%29" rel="nofollow">http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/butter-and-insulin.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FnqWE+%28The+Heart+Scan+Blog%29</a> has anyone read this?? hutax on "How do you post pictures" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/how-do-you-post-pictures#post-81104 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:13:01 +0000 hutax 81104@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ and or, how do you imbead them in a thread? Greg on "Going Primal has busted my plateau!" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/going-primal-has-busted-my-plateau#post-81044 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:10:45 +0000 Greg 81044@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Hi all and greetings from New York! I'm new here and to the Primal Blueprint. I started very obese and in very poor health back in November 2008. I met a low carb doctor / biochemist who basically put me on an induction phase Atkins type plan in the beginning. I followed this plan (at about 10g of carbs per day) for the past 16 months and haven't gone off it once - not even by a single grain of rice! Over the past 16 months, I have gone from 360lbs. down to 228 lbs., have learned a great deal about nutritional biochemistry, am off all medications, and my blood work and BP are now textbook perfect. I am now a completely different person! I recently listened to an interview with Mark, then ordered and read his book. I am convinced that living primal is not only a natural progression for me but the lifestyle we should all be following. Eating the way I had for so long brought me to a plateau in my weight loss despite being strict with my food and putting in several (wrong and long!) hours at the gym. Not that I've gone primal, my way of eating has been slightly altered for the better and my exercise routine is entirely different. As a result, I have broken my plateau and the scale is moving again! I probably have another 40 lbs. to lose but I'm absolutely confident my body will adjust and reach it's natural point in no time at all. I cut out all processed foods and artificial sweeteners a long time ago so the transition to primal was virtually effortless. I think the biggest change for me is the extra 50 bucks it costs me per week to eat grass fed meats and organic veg - but well worth it! Sorry this was so long... just wanted to share my story and give a special thanks to Mark and to all of you for this excellent community! Greg femininefigure on "Forbidden Fruit = Wheat???" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/forbidden-fruit-wheat#post-80432 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:15:59 +0000 femininefigure 80432@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ I'm not sure if this topic has ever been brought up before, but has anybody read Genesis in the Bible and realized that the forbidden fruit may be wheat? I find the passages quite eerily true when I read it this way. And, of course, we all know about the Garden of Eden. BTW, my religious beliefs run more in the realm of immortality=the everlasing life cycle of eat/be eaten & that all religions have a morsel of truth and a lot of "man". StoneAgeQueen on "Bad reaction" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/bad-reaction#post-80945 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:24:34 +0000 StoneAgeQueen 80945@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Ok so I have been on the PB for quite some time now, I already know that there are a bunch of things I have bad reactions to, especially sugar and gluten. Yesterday I bought some sausages from the supermarket to have as part of my dinner. They are gluten free and only have a couple of ingredients of which all are spices apart from a small amount of gluten free crumb. They are really low carb, containing only 1.7 grams per two sausages. The crumb is made from rice and chickpea flour, not primal I know, but it's a very small amount. They don't contain msg or sugar. I also had a small glass of pineapple juice, because I'm a type 1 diabetic and my blood sugar was very low. Today I wake up with swollen fingers, pains in all my joints, and high blood sugar which I get when I've had something I'm intolerant to. So which was it? I've had these sausages before but I wasn't completely primal then, I didn't get a reaction from them. It's been a long time since I had pineapple juice too, and can't remember this happening. I've had small amounts of orange juice during the week to bring up my blood sugar and this didn't happen. Plaid Dad on "Snoring/Sleep Apnea" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/snoringsleep-apnea#post-81003 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:27:22 +0000 Plaid Dad 81003@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Last night my wife told me that, since I've been eating primal and losing weight, I've all but stopped snoring. Not only does that mean a healthier heart and sounder sleep for me, but greater marital harmony. :) slesca on "Primal Journal (Slesca): attempting primal pregnancy" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primal-journal-slesca-attempting-primal-pregnancy#post-46994 Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:56:09 +0000 slesca 46994@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ I'm about 18 weeks pregnant right now. I started incorporating a primal diet and primal fitness in June of 2009 with great success. I found out I was pregnant in September and followed the PB for most of that month. Things started to go downhill in mid-October, as I went to bed at 8 every night, AND our daylight hours were cut substantially. Slowly, my eating habits deteriorated. Not everyday, and not nearly what it was before, but the gradual creep is getting to me. I'm frustrated with myself- I KNOW how good it feels to eat cleanly, and I KNOW how beneficial it is to stay strong. Why am I eating french fries/sandwiches/cookies/shite crackers? Pregnancy is tough for me; my hard work won't show the kind of results I saw this summer when my 6 pack abs inspired me to say no to nachos. I also won't have the reward of the ever decreasing scale numbers. However, I'm certain that I'll avoid the heartburn, lethargy, and maybe even the pregnancy brain fog if I can straighten up. Therefore, a daily journal. Starting stats: 5'6", 150 lbs, 28 y.o., 17w 4d preg w/ child #2. (I was 135 lbs before pregnancy) I tolerate dairy pretty well so haven't cut it out entirely. I take fish oil, a pre-natal vite, and 4000IUs of D. When I ate right, I never counted calories and I don't plan on doing that now. Prior to pregnancy, I'd skip breakfast 2-3 times/week or skip lunch on weekends. Skipping meals makes me nauseous right now, but that could be because of the crap in my diet. I'll experiment with that after I clean up my eating for a few weeks. Today's breakfast at 8 a.m.: (I never have a problem with breakfast) 3 scrambled eggs w/ 1/4 avocado 2 slices uncured, nitrate-free bacon Some cottage cheese as a topping on my eggs 1 c. coffee w/ heavy cream Planned exercise: Long walk with lunges (try to do five sets of 30) Driveway shoveling Upcoming challenges: holiday cookie party tomorrow; freezing rain in the forecast DarthFriendly on "Darth Friendly's Friendly Primal Journal of Doom." http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/darth-friendlys-friendly-primal-journal-of-doom#post-72543 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:48:12 +0000 DarthFriendly 72543@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ After 2 weeks (is this really day 15?) I'm pretty sure that I'm going to stick with this for a while, until I either stop getting results or decide to do a "weird science diet" where I live off of centipede extract or some such. Whichever comes first. Soooooo, I started out around 300lbs. According to my completely untrustworthy scale as of this morning I'm at 280. I do not believe this for a second, and think that maybe that scale is lying to me, however, my pants are looser, so I'm willing to believe that I've lost maybe around 10lbs. (15lbs. maaaaaybe... but not 20lbs.) I mean 20lbs of water weight just doesn't compute, but as long as the fat is coming off I don't give a damn. My body comp./body fat has to be very high I'm 5'6 (Most of it is torso, very short arms, and legs.) Above 30% almost assuredly. My end point goal is 175lbs at single digit body fat 8-9% but I'll be happy just to get the body fat down. I'm 35 years old also. This is a long term goal, I want to look good, and feel great, that's the real goal the weight body fat number is just a subjective yard stick. 10 years ago I did the raw vegan thing for 5 years, and freaked out completely going right back to eating complete garbage and my weight ballooned up to it's current porportions. My metabolism is probably a mess, but I wouldn't know numbers for blood, insulin, or such. I haven't been to see a doctor in quite a long time, and should probably go. I had been trying to implement a Lower carb/Higher protein style diet, multiple meals a day/every 2-3 hours, etc. for about 2 years, and failing miserably. That style of eating left me hungry, binging, and defeated. (And fatter, and fatter.) So reading through more, and more low carb/primal blogs I found my way here, and decided to give it a try. So for the last two weeks I've cut out all starches, sugars, flours, extraneous carbs, and such. My only slip up was half of a scandinavian potato cake my roommate brought home from a restaurant, and left out for me last week. I felt tired, and cranky the next day, but that could have been a lack of sleep that night, or anything else. Still won't experiment with that kind of thing for a long while yet. I'm easing into this. Not shooting for ketosis yet, tracking carbs, or calories. I've been sedentary far too long, I'm working at getting lots, and lots, and lots more "slow movement" first, fortunately I live in NYC so walking is a natural, I also love kung fu, and taiji so I've got that going on for me as well. Next up, and soon it'll be lifting, and sprints. I really liked doing Tabata protocol with light weights too. But I'm aware that I've got limitations from being so lazy for so long, so I'm, going slow with that at first. I am loving the complete lack of a sense of deprivation with PB. Okay, so last night I wasnted some "rhode island style" calamari, which is friend calamari with pickled hot peppers, and then a bit later I was eyeing some dr.browns black cherry, but these are weak emotional/mental cravings, not insanely strong driving obsessional urges that I was experiencing on raw vegan, and CW lower carb/fitness style diets. After years of hearing about eating every few hours, protein, protein, protein I was a little leary at first about IF. During my first week I was tracking calories, and kind of surprised to see that I was only getting around 1100-1500 calories a day, and hadn't accounted for all of the refined carbs I had cut out. That was kind of shocking. I upped my fat intake a bit, and dropped the calorie counting. I also have half embraced IF. I'm eating when I'm hungry now. If i'm not hungry for several hours, I'm not eating. No more breakfast obsession. (MOST IMPROTANT MEAL OF THE BLAH BLAH...) ALthough I often wake up hungry. (But sometimes I don't.) I used to fast for weeks at a time when raw, which I don't think helped anything. I wrote about a potential hang up I've got in another thread. I'm pretty sure that I have gallstones. This is what prompted me to go vegan in the first place, I've read the stuff posted about high carb diets causing the gallstones, and higher fat intake as merely exposing them. Whatever the case I think I probably have them, and need to figure out a way to deal with them effectively. The other day I had some extremely fatty pork (roasted so that the skin was crispy, and then layers of fat, and meat... mmmmm.) Which made me slightly ill/nauseous, a familiar feeling that I associate with (and feel originating from) my gallbladder. Granted that was WAY more fat than I'm used to eating at once. So I'm chilling out with that until I figure out how to handle it. I'm eating a bit of dairy at them moment, full fat greek yogurt (most often made into a spiced yogurt soup Raita) some butter, and a bit of grass fed cheeses from my farmer's market. I may cut that out eventually for a time to see how I feel. I try not to eat eggs every day, or more than once a day, but they're pretty commmon. I buy alot of chicken, and fish, and then about halfway through the week get tired of it, and demand red meat. Coconut oil, chicken fat, duck fat, butter, olive oil. I should probably start back on with the fish oil caps too. I eat about 2-3 small handfuls of almonds a day as a snack to stave off hunger either while I'm out, and don't want to stop at a restaurant, or mostly at work. As I said I'm not shooting for ketosis yet, I have frozen blue berries, and like one or two frozen strawberries at a time as a snack/treat. Lots of broccoli (my CW penance food) lots of salads. Although I'm no longer afraid of eating meat, and fat without them at this point. Come spring when there are fresh berries at the farmer's market I'm going eat them like it's going out of style. My favorite is black rasberries. I don't give a damn if it's "not necessary" I like it. Sex, and Heavy Metal aren't "necessary" for most people, but I ain't quittin' those things either dammit. (And I'm going to eat a watermelon this summer too, if cucumbers, and watermelon make me fat, so be it.) I take a galaxy of chinese herbs, and other herbal supplements. Schizandra berries FTW! uh... that's all I can think of for now. More to come. Today's food so far has been- S:Handful of almonds. L:Jamacian Jerk Chicken salad. S:Oolong tea, Gyokuro tea, small small handful of pecans, and another small handful of walnuts. D: Will be, but hasn't been yet Steak salad at chipotle with guacamole. Blorton on "Blorton's Blathering, Babbling Journal" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/blortons-blathering-babbling-journal#post-76319 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:26:52 +0000 Blorton 76319@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ After four weeks, it's time to report in. I *Love* this way of thinking. Like most, I dropped a lot of weight at the beginning, and have marveled at what is possible here. Lately, I've been playing more with the "how much can I stuff down and still not gain real weight" line, and frankly, it's been damn impressive. As an example, here are yesterday's meals: breakfast: 1 scoop zero carb protein powder 1/4 cup blueberries 1/2 cup coconut milk 2 raw eggs snack: walnuts and pecans - big handfuls! lunch: 12oz ribeye steak with a side salad. snack: more walnuts and pecans! dinner: 3 shortish polish sweet sausages and a large handful of frozen veggie medleys tossed in olive oil. I gained 1 pound! Incredible! Anything less than that, and my weight stays the same or slowly drops. Awesome! Before starting the PB, I was on the typical rabbit food, obsess over carbs and lean meats diet, and any trace of a binge meal would set me back for days. With this plan, I actually have to work in order to gain weight, and that's frikken awesome! So a little bit of background - I've been working out using P90X and Insanity for roughly six months, and have been eating under the aforementioned diet plan. To say I was a slave to the carb train would be an understatement. A month ago, I decided enough was enough and decided to adopt a diet and exercise plan I could actually live with over the long haul. Progress-wise, I'd managed to drop 26 pounds before starting the PB, and was about 10-15 pounds away from my goal weight. (Which is actually very unknown since I haven't really paid attention since high school and I was a lot scrawnier back then. heh. Back then, I did a lot of distance running and nowadays, the focus is on weight training and overall "durability".) Anyhoos - love this forum and everyone here. Huge thanks to Mark and all of you for the knowledge and inspiration! I figure I have about 10 pounds left to get rid of the last of the spare tire, but that is always subject to change. :) Exercise-wise, I've lately been sticking to the P90X weight days, but doing a lot of different things in place of the cardio days. My favorite so far has been going on a great six mile hike last weekend. I did brisk walking for hours, with clambering over rocks and streams, and it was great! Dropped a pound that day without even trying. :) Love it! FlyNavyWife on "Primal Journal (FlyNavyWife)" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primal-journal-flynavywife#post-3685 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:42:36 +0000 FlyNavyWife 3685@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Hi all. I was first introduced to the Primal Blueprint when I saw that Mark was looking for new Worker Bees to develop recipes for his blog. I spent a couple of days exploring the site in depth and loved what I saw. Unfortunately, I wasn't hired to be a worker bee (Mark, let me know if you change your mind on that!) but after getting so excited over the PB, I couldn't let go that easily. So here I am. My husband is highly resistant to becoming Primal for several reasons. One is that he's afraid he'll not have enough energy for air combat maneuvers (he's a student Naval aviator) and if he passes out or something he could get kicked out of the Navy if they find out he's trying a new diet without the flight-doc's approval. Another reason is Oreos. I'm excited about it though! I am making the change even if he isn't. Earlier this year I decided to go from "living to eat" to "eating to live." Food is just too woven into my life in ways that have nothing to do with sustenance (social context and such) and I realized that the foods I was eating didn't always make me feel energized. I've been doing really well with eating BETTER but I think this is the next logical step for me. Though I love grains and cheese, I know they don't make me feel my best. As far as activity goes, I had been going to the gym regularly and doing cardio and weights. Right now it's on "pause" because I recently had surgery and am taking some time to heal before I jump back in. I'd love to find some more varied exercises though... bike riding, frisbee, other "playing." I didn't grow up in a super-active family so playing physically doesn't come naturally to me. Any tips would be appreciated! So, I guess that's my introduction. Some of my goals in "going Primal" are: 1. Furthering the "eating to live" goal and having a healthier relationship with food. 2. Losing a few pounds, and it would be awesome if my abs were visible again. (Currently 5'6" and 130 pounds) 3. Feeling more energetic in general. 4. Learning to enjoy being active more and figuring out how to play. Kryz on "Primal Journal (Kryz)" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primal-journal-kryz-1#post-69030 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:02:40 +0000 Kryz 69030@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Now that I'm fully back onto Primal, I figured it would be fitting to start up a new journal. I really got into things again over the weekend, and I'm very pleased to say that since Sunday I've lost 5 pounds. Damn, that was fast. I'm also feeling sooo energetic lately, and I never 'need' to eat out of fear of a sugar crash. I've been falling asleep earlier (10pm seems to be my average) and waking up early on my own. I also ordered the PB book (I know, I should've gotten it sooner, but the site does have a lot of info) and Good Calories Bad Calories, working my way through PB now before I start on GCBC. Started off the day right with a natural wakeup at 6:30, some light strength work (I need to get heavier weights...or just a big rock. or a sack of smaller rocks), and a breakfast of steak, bacon, and eggs. Slight downside: I just found out that the bbq sauce that my roommate bought a few days ago, which he said was gluten-free, contains soy sauce. That'd explain why I've felt bloated/constipated...oh well, at least I found out before I had more of it. Ika on "Cold hands/Raynaud's Syndrome..." http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/cold-handsraynauds-syndrome#post-79437 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:01:00 +0000 Ika 79437@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ I have always had problems with cold hands and probably poor circulation in my hands (they are almost always cool/cold, and reddish in color. When I get really cold they will turn more purple-tinged and occasionally I'll get white, numb fingertips). My dad has Raynaud's Syndrome, which is basically that the tiny blood vessels in your hands will spasm when you get cold, and therefore restrict the bloodflow to your hands and fingers, causing the coldness, redness and occasional numb fingertips. I'm pretty sure that is what my problem is, too, becuase I have all the symptoms. My questions are: Has anyone here had to deal with this? Anybody know of any natural (primal) remedies I could try? I have not noticed any improvement since I've started eating primal, unfortuently. Thanks in advance :) gottaluvalab on "Primal Journal (gottaluvalab)" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primal-journal-gottaluvalab#post-61393 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:13:29 +0000 gottaluvalab 61393@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Well, let's see if this journaling for the public thing works. Yesterday was not so great a day mentally and my mood spilled over and affected the physical overly much, so I'm looking for a way to keep myself accountable no matter what's going on in my head--because of course I feel better both mentally and physically if I hold myself physically accountable. Some background basics healthwise: At the moment I'm a bit of a mess. Forty-one, 5'5, 265 (down from 290ish prior to a couple acute illnesses, some unpleasant drug side effects, and going low-carb back in mid-November, but now stalled). Female. Lifetime yo-yo dieter and emotional eater. Diagnosed diabetic in November with a fasting blood glucose of 350-something--walked into the doctor's office with depression, fatigue, and immune system concerns, but wasn't exactly surprised by the diabetes (though I was--and still am--terribly upset). Mother and numerous 2nd degree relatives are diabetic. Blood pressure at last doctor's visit, 180/90. Also diagnosed with "fatty liver" through poor liver values and ultrasound. I haven't decided what I think about cholesterol readings yet, but they're neither diabetic ideals nor total disasters, so I'm just going to wait to worry about them, I've got bigger problems right now. Medications: Taking citalopram 20 mg (aka Celexa, an SSRI--seems to work to some extent, if only as an elaborate placebo effect); glipizide XL 5 mg (stimulates insulin production--not sure if it's "working"/right dose yet); lisonpril 20 mg (an ACE inhibitor for high BP--worked so well at first I felt dizzy on standing, now self-readings are high again--appointment in two weeks). Primary health goal would be to get off all medication--but if I can't, I can't, esp. where the blood pressure is concerned--it's a pretty strong family trait. I believe in both science and common sense, and I hope to abandon neither. Lifestyle/interest background: High school English teacher, so of course I do a good deal of reading and writing. I love my job, though it's definitely my job and not my entire life. Despite lack of fitness, I am a fan and participant in outdoor activities, and until the last two years I was fairly active in my daily life (one of those "healthy fat people" until it all caught up with me). I have two 100 percent amateur-trained retrievers, one yellow Lab with accomplished hunt test titles making the occasional field trial appearance, and a younger flat-coated retriever working on a senior hunt test title; I hope to run her in field trials as well. I can't say I hunt, because I have a hard time hitting anything, but my summer goal is to get my shooting competent and become fit enough that I can spend the better part of any day in a pheasant field next fall, and drag the gear a few miles into the marshes in the winter for duck hunting. I love to cook, especially baking (*sigh*), and I love and am reasonably knowledgeable about a great glass of wine. I am single and straight, personally conservative but tolerant of any and all lifestyles that make a person happy and don't infringe on others' personal happiness; my family is wonderful but far-flung; I have wonderful supportive friends who know and mostly understand me, though the diabetes has been a challenge to that with my "best girlfriend". My main stressors these days are my health and finances. Food related info/beliefs/goals: I'm going for mostly primal, though I do have some oat bran and some brown rice in the cupboard that I'll use up but not replace, and some super-thin whole rye crackers I indulge in with excellent cheese, and a bag of wild rice that I'll probably replace when it's gone. I do eat dairy, particularly stinky cheese, Greek yogurt, and kefir; I use cream in my coffee; an actual glass of milk is very rare and doesn't always agree with me. I love a glass of wine, but I've had to make that very occasional due to the liver issue. My freezer right now looks excellent to me: venison, grass-fed beef, and some high-quality free-range organic chicken, but I'm not above the bag o' frozen chicken breasts if I'm low on funds. Most of the seafood I eat is canned oily fish, as I am way too picky about fresh fish and can't bring myself to buy most of the old frozen or tasteless farmed stuff available in the grocery store. I have eliminated HFCS, I've happily and painlessly kicked the diet soda to the curb, and I've almost eliminated other artificial sweeteners as well (hard to give up the hazelnut syrup in the once-a-week Starbucks...I may keep this as a treat). When I eat only my own food and don't go to a restaurant or friend's house to socialize, most of my carbs come from dairy, nuts, a little bit of not-quite-daily fruit (half an apple, half a pear, a cup of berries), and a half teaspoon of honey here and there; my blood glucose stays in line best when I keep carbs from these sources under 15 for the meal or snack and under 60 for the day. Honestly, I don't count vegetable carbs--they are small and annoying as far as the math goes, and seem necessary. I don't eat more than 15g whole grain no matter what, and if it's less than that I round it up to 15 to count; I do the same with sweet potatoes or peas or beans if I have them, which has been very rare. Exercise-related: I'm a weakling and a train-wreck, but far better off than I was just a few months ago. I much prefer to take a brisk walk to almost anything else; I'm at about a half hour at a reasonable clip in good weather (a little over two miles), and my goal is to work up to an hour of walking daily no matter what other exercise I might do. I have seriously struggled with shin splints, now and all my life every time darn time I've started a new walking regime, and I now find that my toes fall asleep--I am desperately hoping this is shoe-related and not a diabetes complication. My inclement weather and "serious workout" exercise has been 1/2 hour trudging up and down on a step bench in front of the tv (I say "trudging" but I kind of like it). I'm looking to increase the height of the bench and work up to 45 minutes, but for now 1/2 hour on the basic level is plenty until I get myself exercising daily more consistently. I'm just beginning to add light dumb bell work and body-weight exercises like squats with an exercise ball and pushups against the wall. I am frustrated with how weak I am. In high school, I was a starting varsity soccer player for four years, and I do remember what it feels like to be strong and fit--but I have little idea how to get there from here. Suggestions on this welcome! What I will track daily: Weight: (lbs) Morning Blood Glucose: Exercise: (if done, what kind) Food: (brief comment on whether primal and diabetes-friendly ideals met) Mental state: (smiley face, frowny face, or other) Today so far and what I have planned: Weight: 265 Exercise: planned--shovel snow, afternoon, and step and weight work in front of the TV during "Lost" tonight. Morning Blood Glucose: 123 (this is the highest it's been in the morning in over a month, and unacceptable, which spurred me to begin this journal) Food: Given the BG number, I think I need a day that is green-leafy and incidental carbs only--so far so good. Mental state: I think I'm working on a smiley-face day. :) Subsequent journals will be much shorter--but it feels good to get it all out on the table, and since today is a snow day (!) I had the time. Suggestions and similar experiences welcome! Lekki Wood on "Primal journal *Lekki*" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primal-journal-lekki#post-79776 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:22:39 +0000 Lekki Wood 79776@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ OK, I thought I would give a primal journal a go. When I first did Atkins, I did it ultra properly (understanding that it did not just mean eating eggs and bacon all day... go figure) and really got into the forum. I got a lot of help, and as I am a scientist in the field of nutrition and CVD, and also a keen, keen (and experimental) cook, in the end I helped others. I have been pretty primal for 3 months. Quantify 'pretty'? Ummmm... maybe 85-90% I do love my tofu, and sugar free chewing gum, and morning cup of coffee. Anyway, I went home to England for a week (I live in Alabama) and was disgustingly unprimal (ah but the scones and the teas and the roast potatoes and the real CADBURYS :) ), so I figured I would come back with renewed enthusiasm to do it 'more properly' - take it up a notch. This is definitely inspired by health and NOT the fact that my long distance boyf is coming to see me in 2 weeks, and England turned me into a ball of lard. Not at all. Definitely not that vain :P Hence today is my first IF. Why am I so terrified of it? I had dinner last night (2 chicken legs and cauliflower mashed with cream and cheese) and I am not eating until tonight - or so goes the plan. I have already had some cream in my coffee, but I was feeling so shaky and weak before, that I felt I needed something. I lifted weights that were 2.5 lbs heavier than usual on Tuesday and did quite a tiring dance class yesterday, so am a bit tired. Plus I am off for a manicure before work, which entails a 40-min hill-filled walk (actually, they call it a mountain here, but they call crisps 'chips' and courgettes 'winter squash' so what do they know ;)?). Was tempted to skip my first IF for a time when I don't feel so physically wiped, but I guess there is always an excuse. And my MDA email this very morning was commanding me to skip my next meal, so bye bye eggs and cheese, hello coffee *looks mournfully into cup* Hmmmm... we'll see how this goes... Lxxx dsantana on "Primal Journal - dsantana -" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primal-journal-dsantana-#post-78298 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:46:02 +0000 dsantana 78298@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Well I am giving in and starting a primal journal. I have been primal since December of 2009. I decided that it would be the best way to counter all the holiday binging that my family seems to enjoy. Since then I have dropped from 238 down to 215. While I am very happy with the results, I have had a couple of slips. I am starting this journal after a slip. The slip involves a few days of pizza, pancakes and other such nasties. The result of this is a massive headache and a very unhappy digestive tract. I decided to start this journal as a form of accountability and a log to keep me motivated. First some housekeeping. When I started primal I was: weight - 238 chest - 49.5 waist -47.5 hips - 44 Biceps - 14 triceps - 11 thighs - 24 calves - 16.5 Now I am: weight - 217.2 chest - 46.5 waist -44 hips - 41 Biceps - 15 triceps - 12 thighs - 24 calves - 16.5 Oddly, some of the numbers have not changed, but I can visually see more tone in my legs and I feel stronger. At this point I am assuming muscle v fat changes. I may need to have them check body fat at the gym next time. Today I decided I wanted to more to more carnivore and ate primarily steak and chicken. (I did have a some broccoli.) I am feeling pretty good despite a very long day at work. Hopefully I can undo some of the damage of the past couple of days. I am thinking a week or two in ketosis would do me some good. Very excited. Tish on "Why I absolutely love eating primal." http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/why-i-absolutely-love-eating-primal#post-80865 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:57:20 +0000 Tish 80865@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ So I've been about 95% primal since I started in february. I just could not give up my daily apple and peanut butter snack (I kept promising I'd give it up soon.. but then I'd just cave in.) Not that I truly find anything wrong with that being my go to snack... it could be worse,right? But today, we ran out of the usual peanut butter, so I decided to eat Kraft. GROSSSSS. You can actually taste the corn dextrin, soybean oil and all the other crap blended in to it. Needless to say, I've never been more turned off with peanut butter in my whole life. (I promise this story is going somewhere) After that, I was just truly amazed with how different I reacted to junk food. I mean, all of a sudden, not only do I look AND feel better, but I feel like I've finally gotten the poison of all that processed food out of my system, and my body does NOT want it back in. I don't feel like I'm dieting, EVER. I feel connected to my food (which is great, because I used to have an obsessive aversion to it.)Now, it's not about how much I eat, it's about WHAT I eat, and where my food comes from. Eating PB has made me question almost every aspect of my life. I no longer use shampoo,soap or deodarent (and I don't smell), my teeth are the whitest they've ever been (and I had once tried Whitestrips with no results), mood swings are a story of the past, and on top of it all, I actually feel the need (not just want, but need) to be aware of .. Everything. AND THAT'S WHY I LOVE IT. rykabeth on "The "I need your advice" journal!" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/rykabeths-journal-imput-welcome#post-77807 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:35:13 +0000 rykabeth 77807@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ SO I was going to avoid creating one of these but I feel like I really need the support. I have been doing PB for about 4 weeks now with about 95% loyalty. I have 3 small kiddos so the other 5% during my week just has to do with some random "slip ups" that happen when I prepare their food or social situations that are hard to get out of. I am a 5'5 female, 32 years old and my usual weight is steady at 127. I started PB at 129 after an extensive vacation with cruddy food and no exercise. I am an avid endurance athlete. I train for triathlons and run in half and full marathons. This year I have chosen to step away from the training aspect to focus on some other things. I'm still seeking total health though by finding balance. Health and fitness is a passion. I started PB feeling great. I immediately felt great, my joint aches went away within the first week (big big deal), and my sleep became regulated. for the first 2 weeks I felt full of energy and just felt "clean" and good in my skin. I could tell that I was losing fat pretty quickly after I started-especially around my abs. In week 3 I started feeling CRUMMY. My energy fell, I was moody and I felt like I was packing on pounds. I went from briefly losing 2 pounds (back to 127) to 130.4 now :( Now I understand i am not overweight. i'm rather muscular and already lean by a typcial person's standards, but possibly I am asking for the impossible? I'd like to lose a little more body fat and def would love to see the scale go down, even just to 125. I am really comfortable at that number. I'm NOT interested in more muscle. I pack muscle easily. I know the whole "well you are probably gaining muscle and losing fat" but today I took my measurements. My hips were .5 bigger and my thighs were both one INCH bigger. NOT OKAY! I think I'm just packing muscle on TOP of fat and I really just don't like how I FEEL. :( I need some encouragement because honestly? I was feeling fine eating my gluten products, and other grains while exercising (except for the joints) and my weight was lower and steady-this is throwing me a little. I knwo this is healthier for me, but why am I feeling like this? A sample menu would be today: 2 egg fried in 1T butter, spinach, coffee w 1T cream large salad with 6oz canned tuna in water, lots of veggies, 1T olive oil, 1 T balsamic, 1/2-1 avocado handful of walnuts or 1-2T almond butter with celery 5-6 oz salmon, zuchinni sauteed in olive oil and garlic,1/4 sweet potato (cut in thin circles and coated with oil before baking) 1/2c almond or coconut milk What am i doing wrong? I workout 6 days a week. For the past 3 weeks I have done 1 day full body weights, 2 days of running 5 miles each, 2 days of spin class and 1 day of swimming. this is a light kind of week for me, but I haven't had a lot of energy. I understand that on PB exercise is not the forte, but this is not stressful activity for my body, I've done it a long long time. any imput is appreciated, thanks so much. owen sackett on "What resutls to expect?" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/what-resutls-to-expect#post-80641 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:16:36 +0000 owen sackett 80641@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Well i have been following the PB for about a week now and have lost 5 lbs. (from 271 to 266) I walk three days a week and lift kettlebells 2 days a week. Is it normal to lose 5 lbs a week or is this the exception? I need to lose a good 70 lbs in order to be at a healthy weight. Let me know what you all think would be a realistic goal date for losing 70 lbs. Thanks! Todays date is 3-19-2010 Grok of Ages on "Grokkin' for a month, solid results!" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/grokkin-for-a-month-solid-results#post-80415 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:38:42 +0000 Grok of Ages 80415@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Started PB on 2/16/10. Weighed 228 pounds, now 222.5. Already dropped 2 inches off my waist. Energy is up, feel great. I started at 6'-0", now stand a robust 6'-3", breathe fire, can dunk on a 13-foot rim, have the strength of 10 Groks + 2. OK, I exaggerated that last part. But the weight loss / waist reduction / energy boost is legit. I've stuck faithfully to the Primal plan - alot of Big Ass Salads, no sugar & flour, lots of veggies & meat. I have an occasional beer and it doesn't seem to have a negative impact. For all you folks who've been Primal for a while...should I expect similar "proportional" results, i.e. roughly 2 pounds of weight loss per week? I'd like to trim down to 195 lbs. by the time I hit Myrtle Beach in August. Based on initial results, that shouldn't be a problem at all...assuming I can project the next 4-5 months in similar fashion to my first 30 days. Thanks! Tiger on "T's Primal Journal" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/ts-primal-journal#post-78291 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:35:59 +0000 Tiger 78291@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Breakfast: Wasn't hungry, but figured I needed something in my system at 7 since I was going to try to give plasma (didn't bleed, damn it). Fried 2 eggs and half a bell pepper in an ample amount of butter. Lunch: 11 a.m. rolls around, running errands for dad and he makes me pulls in to Sonic. HEEERE we go. He forces me to get something, so I get a bacon breakfast burrito with double bacon and no cheese. Yeah, the tortilla was a hit but at least no plastic cheese. Today was my off day, but I busted my ass off cleaning out my late great-grandmother's yard for about five-or-so hours raking, dumping leaves and junk into a construction-grade dumpster and tearing things apart with handpicks and heavy iron bars to meet clearance code for the lid to fit. Wasn't exhausted and didn't sweat, wasn't even hungry (especially since yesterday). Forced to drink water even though I wasn't thirsty. Dinner: Another screw up. Dad buys SIX large pizzas for about 13 people. My willpower was weaker than I thought, haven't eating anything for almost 7 hours, so I grabbed the smallest slice of cheese pizza just so they would get off my ass. I was a little hungry, but not enough to blow my first attempt at IFing. I can't wait for Spring Break to end so I can get back to a somewhat decent eating habit. Tomorrow, it's hardcore Primal chow. Won't eat for the rest of the night until breakfast since I took in too many carbs, won't be hard. Nutrition: Calories: 979 (Considering working on my rest day, really not too bad) Fat: 50 grams (split between eggs and pizza) Carbs: 69.8 grams (...) Protein: 58.4 grams (coulda been better, coulda been a WHOLE lot worse) PrimalWannabeGirl on "PrimalWannabeGirl's Journal" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primalwannabegirls-journal#post-61518 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:32:59 +0000 PrimalWannabeGirl 61518@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Hey, there. Ok, here's the deal. Me: 54 years old. Wife to a 60-year-old (lovely) fat, bald diabetic, hypertensive guy. Mother to two teenagers, both with special needs (autism, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders), TONS of stress. Repeated conventional dieting--a la Weight Watchers--has left me with a sluggish metabolism. Two years ago, I had extensive surgery of my cervical spine to fix spinal stenosis secondary to osteoarthritis. I now have fusions from C3 to C7. Until very recently, I had quite a bit of pain, but thank God, at this point, I am pretty much pain-free. Now, I have no illusions about becoming Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, at my age, in my condition, and with my limitations. (Tons of stress, remember?) But I KNOW I can feel better than I do now, and I've studied the science and feel confident that if I am very careful about how I implement the activity part of the program, I can regain significant vitality and resilience. I figure, I will be the Primal Poster Girl if good things happen to me as a result of Mark's Primal Blueprint. I am hopeful and ready to take on this challenge. Height: 5'6" Weight: 198 (gulp) Lipid profile: totally sucks. Triglycerides too high, LDL too high, total cholesterol too high, HDL too low. Not diabetic. Yet. Today, I went to the Y and fought the urge to sit a stationary bike for an hour. I was on the thing for a ridiculously short 25 minutes total, including a 5 min. warmup, and I did 4 30-45 sec. sprints. My heart rate high was 145 and I averaged around 118. After that, I did 30 minutes of a beginner's strength training class. It felt good to move my body. It's been an awful two years recovering from this surgery and dealing with the significant challenges of helping my kids transition to adulthood. I really need to drop some weight off my bones---this much weight is hard on my spine---and I desperately need the anti-inflammatory properties of the primal diet to prevent further deteroriation. Today is actually day two of 'officially' beginning my Primal Journey: Today: B: 3 eggs with homemade salsa, 1/2 small grapefruit L: 5 oz. salmon with Asian pesto (cilantro, walnuts, fish sauce, olive oil, garlic, ginger, hot pepper), 1/2 grapefruit S: small can tuna in olive oil, 10 almonds D: Large green salad, 1 avocado, olive oil and squeeze of lemon, 5 oz. buffalo burger Calories: 1728 Protein: 125.2 gms. (29%) Fat: 110.8 gms. (56%) Sat. 36.2, Mono. 49.4, Poly. 13.9 Carbs: 69.2 gms. (15%) How do I feel? Tired, hungry, irritable, hungry, woozy, a big lightheaded, hungry. Hopeful. I'm waiting for my copy of The Primal Blueprint to arrive in the mail, so I'll be browsing around the site a lot until it comes! If this fat, stressed, sleep-deprived, junk food-addicted mama can feel better and get healthier, than anybody can. Back tomorrow. PWG trustmrtwo on "Sous-Vide Cooking" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/sous-vide-cooking#post-80531 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:56:57 +0000 trustmrtwo 80531@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ So I'm debating on buying a Sous-Vide slow cooker from Amazon. It's called the "Sous-Vide Supreme" and is selling for around $450. Sous-Vide cooking is cooking food in vacuum sealed bags, at low temperatures for a longer amount of time, thus preserving nutrients, flavor and texture. For more detailed info, head to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide</a> I know that Richard over at <a href="http://www.freetheanimal.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.freetheanimal.com</a> uses his all the time, but I wanted to get multiple first hand experiences from uses of this style of cooking. So, do any of you use this method of cooking, if so, how do you like it? Is it time efficient? Does the food come out really well? I'm really intrigued by this form of cooking, but can't see myself dropping $450 on something I use occasionally. LittleNappingLion on "Weight Loss/Gain Rollercoaster?" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/weight-lossgain-rollercoaster#post-65595 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:38:11 +0000 LittleNappingLion 65595@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Anyone else experience this? I've been doing PB since thanksgiving 2009, started at a pretty fit 136, I'm 5'6". I was 90% strict (ie working my evening chocolate binge or glass of vino into my total carbs for the day, sometimes 2oz of aged cheese), had a very good fitday FPC profile and I did CrossFit 3 times a week and lost 6lbs. I haven't been down to 130 since like, middle school, so that was a HUGE deal! Then I switched it up and have been doing Paleo STRICT for 30 days...I now weight 138...huh?? OK, I have gained muscle in my legs and tush (yay!) but I have certainly gained weight around my belly. I can see it in the mirror and in my clothes. So could stress be strong enough to cause this much of a weight gain swing EVEN while being strict?? I was promoted to manager of my gym, started working upwards of 60-70hrs a week between two locations (but I love my job) and also got dumped just before Vday AND i'm training for another competition. I mean, this is a significant swing in a relatively short period of time. anyone know about hormones and could cortisol play THIS much of a role here? Timothy on "Original article by Mark on Lew Rockwell site" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/original-article-by-mark-on-lew-rockwell-site#post-79901 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:00:42 +0000 Timothy 79901@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ If you haven't had a chance to read Mark's latest, check it out: <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/sisson1.1.1.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/sisson1.1.1.html</a> Really good stuff. I particularly like his eight steps for getting away from the SAD -- especially #8. We could use a lot more of that kind of behavior in this country. irishhandgrenade on "What do you guys think of this company" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/what-do-you-guys-think-of-this-company#post-80455 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:50:52 +0000 irishhandgrenade 80455@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ <a href="http://www.blackwing.com/index.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.blackwing.com/index.php</a> I am thinking about buyin some meat from them. Thanks for the help Jackrad on "Bare foot question?" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/bare-foot-question#post-80616 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:32:02 +0000 Jackrad 80616@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ I have a few questions about foot ware. First I am not allowed to go to work bare foot as much as I would like to. I also think they would laugh me out of the office if I was to walk in with five finger vibrem's on. I'm already the office clown dont need any more help in that department. So my solution was to get a nice pair of leather Vans pulled all the support out, it leaves a 1/4 inch of flat sole thats just rubber. It's no support at all and I end up walking on the balls of my feet,insted of hitting my heel first. Is that the what I should be trying to do when I walk? Kind of strange getting used to. Thanks for helping me this. Jack Pandadude on "Going to italy, what should I buy for food?" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/going-to-italy-what-should-i-buy-for-food#post-80597 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:10:05 +0000 Pandadude 80597@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ So leaving for Italy tomorrow with my school where we'll be staying for 6 days. I won't have a kitchen in my room, and the thought of pasta and bread with every meal frightens me! Anyone know a bit about Italian cooking and if there are any pretty primal recipes one can buy at a regular italian restaurant? Cba acting like a freak in front of my entire class ordering without pasta and eating just meat sauce lol... lifewithjades on "PB when sick?" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/pb-when-sick#post-80580 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:52:38 +0000 lifewithjades 80580@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Hola Amigos, Quick question- I'm living in Mexico and have come down with a stomach something here....I'll spare you the details but suffice to say the last few days have not been pleasant. Anytime I eat it causes problems, much less meat. Usually I don't even eat fruit and definitely not juice- but all I want now is orange juice, rice and chicken broth. I tried a tad, like 3 bites of meat last night after 3 days of pretty much no food and it wasn't good. Ideas? Suggestions? Gracias Aaron Fraser on "Primal Journal |- Aaron Fraser -|" http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primal-journal-aaron-fraser-#post-50948 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:31:45 +0000 Aaron Fraser 50948@http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/ Starting my primal journal, though this may be in actual blog-format soon. I am incredibly sore from my first CrossFit session from Wednesday. 100 deadlifts done in 11 minutes... yikes. Feeling pretty great though. Trying to figure out a resolution to take for the month of January - my new year's Primal Challenge. On the one hand, I want to try sustaining a sub-50g, maybe even a <20g carbohydrate diet. On the other, I'm trying to put on 10 lbs. of muscle before the end of the year - no bodybuilding exercises, just CrossFit and barbell lifts w/ sprints - and I have access to REALLY CHEAP raw whole milk... drinking 1/4-1/2 a gallon of this a day is a really affordable pasture-raised all natural calorie source and muscle building powerhouse... I am truly torn on this - both are within my end-goals, but I feel that the milk (which I am tolerating fairly well so far) would really help me put on some (hopefully) lean weight. Any thoughts?