Hi from Louisiana... page

[kalyn40]

Your location: Baton Rouge, LA

Age: 49

How Primal are you: Probably around 30 %. I'm just starting out.

Do you consume dairy: Yes, butter, cream and sour cream, cheese, eggs (usually only whites)

Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes, coffee, only at work

Motivator for switching to Primal: Liked the idea of being able to exercise at home (or not necessarily a gym), and had been successful on low carb eating once before.

Favorite exercise: PB essential 5 and sprinting

Favorite Primal food: steak

Best part about being Primal: It makes me feel good. Don't need to attend a gym.

Worst part about being Primal: some Primal foods are costly

[Grey Fox]

Hey, there! I'm in Lafayette, LA.

Age (If you want): 30

How Primal are you: 75-80%. I've eaten Primal/Paleo for about 6 months now.

Do you consume dairy: Yep (that's where most of my non-primal-ness stems from - too much milk)

Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee in vast quantities, tea rarely

Motivator for switching to Primal: I suffer from Bipolar Disorder and OCD, and fin dI feel the most funcitonal on a Primal Diet. Hoping the other lifestyle laws are helpful, too.

Favorite exercise: Pull-ups and Deadlifts

Favorite Primal food: Steak. Seriously. Then eggs.

Best part about being Primal: Steak. Eggs. Feeling functional and losing body fat.
Worst part about being Primal: Hm. I miss turtle cheesecake. And banana;s foster bread pudding. :-(

[rozska]

Hey there! I'm moving to New Orleans November 1st.

Age (If you want): 48 (birthday coming in December!)

How Primal are you: 80-90%. I've eaten Primal/Paleo for about 3 months now.

Do you consume dairy: Yep. Cream in my coffee, some butter and cheese. Nothing outlandish though.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Both on a regular basis.

Motivator for switching to Primal: I'd been low-carb before and had wonderful results. Going back was easy. I'm hoping that it will improve my immune system.

Favorite exercise: Push ups and bench press

Favorite Primal food: Bacon. Then most any type of meat.

Best part about being Primal: I'm eating such good food. And I'm losing not only fat but weight. It seems miraculous to me. Plus when I eliminated grains, all my seasonal allergies went away.

Worst part about being Primal: So many foods no longer taste good. Artificially sweetened stuff just tastes like chemicals. Bread and crackers taste like cardboard and chemicals. I also have to travel frequently for the day job, and finding food that I will eat is more difficult (and more expensive!)

[kalyn40]

Hi Grey Fox,
I also suffer from Bipolar Disorder. Hope I get the same benefit as you from going Primal.

Hey, there! I'm in Lafayette, LA.

Age (If you want): 30

How Primal are you: 75-80%. I've eaten Primal/Paleo for about 6 months now.

Do you consume dairy: Yep (that's where most of my non-primal-ness stems from - too much milk)

Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee in vast quantities, tea rarely

Motivator for switching to Primal: I suffer from Bipolar Disorder and OCD, and fin dI feel the most funcitonal on a Primal Diet. Hoping the other lifestyle laws are helpful, too.

Favorite exercise: Pull-ups and Deadlifts

Favorite Primal food: Steak. Seriously. Then eggs.

Best part about being Primal: Steak. Eggs. Feeling functional and losing body fat.
Worst part about being Primal: Hm. I miss turtle cheesecake. And banana;s foster bread pudding. :-(

[Grey Fox]

Good to meet you, Kalyn40. I'm Bipolar II and I tend towards major depression with pretty infrequent hypomanias; I've found that the PB lifestyle (diet + everything else!) helps me to stay functional for longer periods of time, with less dramatic cycling - as a result, I no longer use a mood stabilizer or a nighttime med (used to take trileptal or abilify, and remeron + trazadone), although I still take a morning antidepressant (75mg Effexor Xr, down from 350mg!). When I start to cycle down, I Lift Heavy Things or Sprint, which makes me feel unStuck (I know you know what I mean!). When I start to cycle up or get overly anxious, I Move Slowly for a good, long while; usually alone, so I don't freak out on anybody. I'm prone to 90 min walks when I need to chill out, and throw a kettlebell in a book sack for weighted walking if I'm really in trouble. All in all, pretty healthy coping mechanisms, I'd say - at least I'm not drinking or using street drugs to try to self-medicate, and that's progress!

I will say for the sake of full disclosure (and this is not a medical recommendation!) that 50mg DHEA has helped me more than any pharmaceutical, particularly with the addition of PB living. I think better, handle stress better, exercise better, sleep better and feel better in nearly every possible way. (Even wearing VFFs and low-heeled shoes has dramatically cut down on joint & back pain!) I can't say enough good things about my current way of life. So, in addition to Pb, I would suggest getting a complete hormone profile done (the works, if possible: DHEA, DHEAS, Free Testosterone, Total Testosterone, Progesterone, Pregnelone, Estradiol, total Estrogen, Homocysteine, C-reactive protein (High sensitivity), TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)), in case you're experiencing soome hormonal insufficiency that contributes to your cycling. In my case, DHEA insufficiency and poor cortisol/DHEA ratio seems to contribute to my depression and my anxiety. Of course, seek assistance from a qualified (and experienced!) medical professional.

Grok on!

Hi Grey Fox,
I also suffer from Bipolar Disorder. Hope I get the same benefit as you from going Primal.

[D&B]

Hey there! I'm from Pendleton, SC

Age: 38

How Primal are you: 30% Started about

Do you consume dairy: Yes..Raw Milk, Raw cheese, Organic Sour Cream, Organic Cream Cheese, Organice Eggs!!!

Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee, Coffee, and more Coffee

Motivator for switching to Primal: Be Healthier

Favorite exercise: I am doing Super Slow...at Ultimate Exercise...owned by co-author of Body by Science Dr. Doug McGuff

Favorite Primal food: Steak, Steak, and more Steak

Best part about being Primal: Steak!

Worst part about being Primal: Cheesecake!!!!!