My Primal Journal - bchordjam page

[bchordjam]

Where to begin...

I guess I’m really just looking for a place to throw my ideas around amongst a circle of like minded thinkers. This primal way of living has really transformed my life for the better, and I would like to share my experiences with those who are facing challenges in their primal journey. Also, it would be great to make some friends and receive some feedback from those of you who have been living this way for awhile.

I’ve definitely been the chubby kid pretty much all of my life. I was involved with Judo for about 8 years and earned my brown belt by the time I was about 15, but I really was never any good at it. I played a lot of sports, but never really excelled at any of them.

When I went away to college, I put on the freshman 15 x 2, and at 5’11” I was weighing around 225 lbs, and I definitely wasn’t athletic during this time.
Super fat..jpg
I ate a lot of pizza, drank a lot of heavy beer, and ventured into the cafeteria far too often. I was only in school for a year and a half before I left to pursue a career in music. Turns out there isn’t a whole lot of money in music when you are starting out, and my diet at this point consisted of whatever little I could afford. A lot of ramen noodles, maybe some tuna, a loaf of bread and some peanut butter, and whatever leftovers my friends could spare. Health was never a concern, but I lost weight this way, and got down to the lowest weight I could remember myself being, which was right around 171 lbs, albeit a completely unhealthy 171.

Over the next few years my life changed in some very good ways. I met my current fiancee, I started seeing some success in music (read: making more money), and I moved to Nashville (love that city). Well, my weight started to change again. I actually had a gym membership at this point, and was half way conscious of what I was putting in my body, yet the pounds kept adding up, until I settled in around the 190 lbs mark for most of the last 3 or 4 years.

It wasn’t until April of 2010 that I discovered marksdailyapple.com and I really have no idea how I came across it, but I loved(love) it. I tried to go Primal around that time, and has some success, but when the flood hit I easily went off track. Over the next few months I saw my weight creep up a little more until I hit a breaking point in October.

I was traveling almost the entire month by way of airports and our bus, and every single meal was at a restaurant, and most of the time it was fast food. By the end of the month I felt completely awful, had no energy, just wanted to lay around, and I was weighing in at 200lbs. The last day we were on the road, October 31st, I made my decision. I was going Primal for good. I fasted that whole day, except for some almonds and raspberries near the end, and November first, it was on.

November 1st: First day going primal. Weight: 200 lbs
Beginning Photo..jpg

Since then, life has been awesome. I feel so good, I can’t even really explain it. I have tons of energy all the time, and I sleep great pretty much every night. When I get up in the morning, I get up, and I’m ready to go! I’m so much more conscious of what food I put in my body and this lifestyle has become less about losing weight, and more about taking control of my health, in a way that makes complete sense.

Month 3 Shot: Weight 171.5 lbs
Feb 1st..jpg

After 4 months of living primal, my weight is down to 169 lbs, the lowest weight I can remember, and I have been more active than I ever have been in my life. I love to hike, walk, rollerblade, ride my bike, bust out random pushup and chinup sets, and when I get the chance, I love a good sprint session.

Everyone wonders how I keep up this way of life while traveling on the road at least 3 or 4 days a week, but it’s simple. Once you realize the science behind this way of life and you see the powerful effect it has on people, there really is no going back. I hope I can be an encouragement to those who work on a non traditional schedule. This primal lifestyle as I see it is the only option. This is the way we are meant to eat. This is the way we are meant to work out. This is the way we can thrive. I want nothing less than the benefits attainable from a primal way of life, and I really cannot imagine living any other way. Thank you Mark, and everyone taking their own journey. You all have been more of an encouragement than you’ll ever know.

-Thomas

[bchordjam]

Alright, how about a little bit about my day.

I’m on the road today, so it always makes for interesting choices. I’ve actually spent only 3 days at home in the last 4 weeks, but with a little bit of planning, good food choices on a cruise, and just straight up skipping some meals, I’ve managed to stay primal.

I had a great sleep last night and woke up ready to roll. As far as exercise for the day, I just did a set of 30 pushups before I jumped in the shower. We also load in all of our own sound gear, and I was on my feet a lot today, so that will have to do the trick.

As far as food, the bus stopped in a Walmart parking lot for some Gold Star Chili hotdogs, but I skipped that and instead picked up some smoked salmon, spinach, a little thing of raspberries, and I also brought along my stash of almonds and macadamia nuts. I think after the show we’re supposed to stop at a Frisch’s Big Boy for dinner... not optimal, but then again, they may have some “grilled” chicken and I think a salad bar. I keep my own olive oil on the bus for a salad dressing.

As for supplements, I take Mark’s Advanced Health Formula, plus the Vital Omegas and Primal Flora every day, and some extra Vitamin D if I don’t get any sun.

I love to cook when I home, and I hope I can post some recipes and maybe pictures (or links to pictures) of my meals. I don’t know if I’m quite ready for any exercise videos (ha!) but maybe I can squeeze in a before and now picture to help document my progress.

-Thomas

[Hedonist]

Welcome! Great success story!

[bchordjam]

Thanks!

[bchordjam]

Today was an interesting day in the eating department. It was going to be Cracker Barrel or nothing at all, so I opted for a steak, two eggs, and a salad. I was happy with that, but then we got into a discussion about chicken livers.

I personally have never tried chicken livers, although I grew up eating beef liver about once every week or two back home. Since going primal 4 months ago, I can only count three times I have actually had a minuscule amount of grains, and I definitely had not had any deep fried foods during that time. Someone ended up ordering the deep fried, breaded chicken livers for me to try, even though I insisted that I didn’t want to try them, and even though they know I’m on “the atkins diet.” (their words)

Honestly, the actual chicken liver part tasted good, but I couldn’t get over the fact that I was eating something that was breaded. I ate two, and that was it. Bad move. For the next three hours my stomach was so upset, and I had to rush to the bathroom on more than one occasion.

Lesson learned. I’ve explained my new eating habits to the people I’m always around, I’ve said no two and three times to the same dessert or food week after week, and I really try hard not to be a dick to people when they don’t take the hint... but I think today I’m over it. Screw eating something to please someone else. Not only was my body pissed that I ate that fried garbage, but I was pissed at myself for caving in. The perfectionist in me would fly off the deep end after one slip up, but I think I’ve found the balance to hold strong, but next time, I might not be so nice when I say no.

For dinner we were fed at the venue we played at... basically a potluck. I had two pieces of ham, some green beans, and two deviled eggs with the yolk/mayo scooped out. I got lucky and had some smoked salmon and almonds left over on the bus to make up for the lack of friendly options during dinner.

I’m on my way home for the first time in a few weeks and I’m pretty stoked. I have five full days of cooking my own food to look forward too, plus some nice weather to get out in. I’m toying with the idea of parking my car during the week, and only using my bike as transportation. I like it for a few reasons. Move frequently at a slow pace, obviously, but it also helps me cut back on my spending. Less gas, less chance I’ll just drive somewhere to get something I “need”, and I can only bring home what I can carry on my back. Sort of like a caveman (maybe the one who invented the wheel).

[bchordjam]

Alright, here are some pictures (people like pictures)

This is me right around the end of September. If I wasn't 200 lbs then, I was pretty close, and just generally uncomfortable in my clothes.

Fat..jpg

And this is me exactly one month ago, at the Big Texan in Amarillo, TX, getting ready to down a 24 oz ribeye.

Texan..jpg

[bchordjam]

Lunch today:

11..jpg

12 oz Bison Ribeye. It's all I really wanted once I got home.

Not sure what's on the menu for dinner. Possibly grilled bone in chicken breast, broccoli, and a spinach salad. Dressing is usually EVOO and some fresh squeezed lime.

I also bought some coconut milk and frozen fruit this morning to make an after dinner smoothie. I haven't tried it before, but my roommate has a Vita-Mix and it rules.

As for exercise, if the rain holds off I may take my roommate's dog for a walk. I also have a goal of completing 100 Chin-ups by the end of the day. I'm doing them in sets of 5 whenever I pass the bar hanging in my bedroom door. I also scatter sets of 20 pushups throughout the day too. My long term goal is definitely two sets of 50 pushups, and Grease the Groove seems to be getting me closer to the goal every day.

Also when I'm home, I stand:
Standing Worksta&#116.jpg

My desk is the island in the kitchen, and it's where I do all of my work when I'm home, plus my eating. I stand, do what I have to do, and move on.

Tomorrow will mark 4 months since going Primal, which is when I like to weigh myself and take a picture, and I'll more than likely post the results on here. Have a good day everyone!

Thomas

[bchordjam]

I'm pretty stoked.

I went out with some friends last night for dinner (BBQ Pork) and had a few beer afterwards, then I came home and cooked a ribeye and a sweet potato right before bed, knowing I had my weigh in this morning. All is good. I weighed in at 167.3 lbs, which puts me at a little over 4 pounds lost for the month of February, and almost 33 pounds total since I went primal on November 1st. Here's a picture from this morning:
March 1 167.3..jpg

And here's a comparison to my November 1st shot at 200 lbs:

Four Month Compar.jpg

Some things I learned this past month:

• Next month, shave the goatee for the picture
• I was only home 6 days out of February. That means the majority of my food was consumed at a restaraunt. This doesn't reduce the effects of the Primal Blueprint
• I started "grease the groove" for pushups and chinups and it helped imensely. Will continue.
• I really got over the whole "I can eat that because I exercised today" mentality. Definitely a big help.
• Don't eat something to make someone else happy!

Everyone keeps asking if I am going to lose any more weight, and then they throw in that I shouldn't because I'll look sick. I love to point out (even to my mom) that my younger brother is an inch shorter than me but weighs 155 lbs with a bf% around 10%. I really think, like Mark says, that this lifestyle promotes optimal gene expression, and that my body will settle in where it wants to. If I lose some more fat, awesome! If I gain some more muscle, right on! If this is where my body wants to be, nice! The best part about it all is the mindset, knowing that taking control of your health is a life long journey, not a few month crash course before you return to your old ways.

I once read an article somewhere, and the woman said something like, Don't believe your own excuses. It's so true. I always have an excuse, but I'm believing them less and less.


As for future goals, I'm not sure I have any weight wise. The weight is starting to come off at a slower rate which is totally fine. I initially had a goal of reaching 165 lbs by my birthday (June), and I'll probably hit that next month. I'm not so concerned about that number any more, but in other metrics such as max pushup and chinup sets. I would like to sprint some more, as I didn't do any last month, and now that the weather is getting better, I'm going to try to make it out to hike a little more often.

[bchordjam]

Things have been going well lately, and I learned a valuable lesson last week about eating out. I think I have been happy with my results, so I'm branching out a little bit more with my food choices. While on the road last weekend I ate some Zaxby's chicken wings (not breaded, but fried) and I had a stomach ache for the following two days. I decided that I have to start bringing some food with me out on the road to avoid problems like that in the future. This week I chose to make Mark's Best Chili Recipe with a few minor adjustments, and it turned out awesome! I wasn't sure how much it was actually going to make, but I think I'll have enough for the whole weekend.

The other thing I find myself doing at home a little more often now is enjoying the occasional beer. I find myself being satisfied after drinking one or two while doing other things, instead of just sitting around and drinking 6 or 8 like I used to. I think I'm going to cut back the alcohol consumption to once a week max though.

Other than that, I hung up my pull-up bar in the doorframe entering the hallway, and every time I pass it I've been busting out some pull-ups. I've got to where I can do 4 pull-ups in a row now, where a few months ago I could barely do 1. Time to warm up some chili.

[bchordjam]

Things have been going great and I feel my diet is really getting in line with the Primal way of eating. I have been throwing around the idea of starting a food blog in the Primal vein for awhile now and it is finally up. Primal Grub is going to be my new outlet for all things to do with food and nutrition.

Don't get me wrong, I love exercise and I continue to push myself in new ways and continue to make gains, but I believe this is made possible by the way I eat. Also, diet definitely has more of an impact on your overall health than exercise, and I really want to help people to become educated on the food we put in our body. If you're interested, come check it out!

May 1st will mark 5 months since going Primal with no signs of turning back. I'll be on the road, but hope to post a weight update and pictures when I get home.