How should a Primal person feel? page

[C2H5OH]

I have read countless posts, countless articles and many, many success stories here. But I am still confused in two aspects:
a) how do you know if you are already primal, if the primal transition is over?
b) how should one feel when health is back?
(I don't remember the times when I was really healthy, so maybe I can't compare it really). But maybe the present state is "health".

I have quite a problem with understanding some aspects of an English language. Reading comments stating that something is awesome (transformation, recipe, exercise), when it is just quite good. I've seen it many times, so maybe being primal being "awesome" is in fact just being a little more than ok? Maybe it's an example of "keep smiling/be optimistic" attitude.

So what are the milestones of being primal? do you have so much energy you can just run without an effort, are not tired when carrying groceries half a mile and then five floors up using the stairs in a heavy coat? Or you are just "normal" person, like the more fortunate people, who can eat everything and feel quite ok? Help me in my confusion if you can.

[Gathwh]

Dominant. You should feel enthusiastic about life, and a bit more aggressive. When around other exercise liking people you should be the one with the most energy and endurance. Running should be fun. Don't be disappointing if you can't get to this level, just use this as a guideline for where you want to be.

[Tawny]

My best personal marker of primal health is when I don't get enough sleep (maybe 5 hours instead of my usual 8) and I can still get through my day without feeling tired or in need of a nap. In fact, I don't feel any differently than if I had gotten my full 8 hours. In my pre-primal days, a poor night's sleep would have had me dragging myself through the day, drinking lots of coffee, and probably eating lots of sugary snacks for more energy.

Other markers for me are clear skin and no joint pain. As far as running and carrying groceries, I was able to do those things without too much effort when I was eating a conventional diet, but then I have always been a runner.

Have you kept a journal? That might help you discover your own markers of good health - keep track of how you feel when you aren't following PB closely to compare with how you feel when you are following the lifestyle. I suspect that everyone's markers for health are a little different.

[IvyBlue]

I was fairly healthy to begin with but I'm finding now I just have boundless energy. I would also say my skin positively glows, it's full winter here (snowing right now) and I look like I have a slight tan. No dry and cracked hands for the first time in I can't remember when. And I work a midnight shift. And I'm 48. And I only started in Oct.

I feel like I've cracked the code to physical well-being, for myself anyway. We'll see in a years time where I'm at.

[PrimalWannabeGirl]

Hmmm. C2H5OH: Ethanol.

*grin* Maybe you'd feel better with another nick?

PWG

[Melantha]

Dominant. You should feel enthusiastic about life, and a bit more aggressive. When around other exercise liking people you should be the one with the most energy and endurance. Running should be fun. Don't be disappointing if you can't get to this level, just use this as a guideline for where you want to be.

This is the best description I've heard so far. When my diet is good and I go out running, I feel like I'm a wolf, or maybe a big cat, loping along for the sheer joy of it. When I ate more grains, I felt more like the wildebeest huffing along getting chased, by my inadequacy, by my hopeless goals, and by other runners who kept passing me. Same thing with strength training. I don't feel like the "girl in the weight room" anymore. I feel strong.

People say I carry myself and move like a dancer, probably because I'm slim, but I like to think I carry myself more like a wild animal (a predator).

It's not about "Wow, I feel so much better and my X, Y, and Z conditions are cured," but more about a subtle shift in my attitude.

[Sungrazer]

When all the hot chicks crane the neck to get a better look of you when you enter the room - that's when.

I am joking, but only just.

I feel the most primal when my thirst is slaked and my hunger is quenched, and also when I am feeling no discomfort or pain. Surprisingly enough I also feel the best when I am 16 - 18 hours into an IF. At that point my mind is in an alert, focused and calm state. That's when I would also say I go into predatory mode - not in the literal sense but in a figuratively way. It's rather quite strange, and hard to describe.

[C2H5OH]

Every response in this post is just epic. I can remember a literaly few moments in my life when I was feeling accidentaly like this, and this ROCKS

[Primal Fist]

Yeesh. I read some of these responses, and I think I must be doing some totally different way of eating.

[mozzy10]

I feel like I don't have to worry about food/eating anymore.
I can go hours without eating now. Before I would be hungry all the time and eating snacks.

I enjoy my food more now. It tastes better. I am not bloated or gassy anymore. No more low blood sugar crashes after eating.

My skin looks better. No more spots. Cuts heal faster. No dry hands this winter.

My balance is better. I move around better as my joints don't hurt anymore.

I had a long bout of glandular fever early last year which has affected my energy levels so I can't comment on energy. I believe eating PB will help me get my energy back up to normal. Before glandular fever I was very energetic and eating PB back then too.

I have been eating PB/primal/ or low carb for 2 years now and I think it's one of the the best decisions I ever made.