Obligatory forum Introduce yourself thread page 307

[Maui Primal]

Your location: Maui, Hawaii

Age (If you want): Ageless

How Primal are you: 95%

Do you consume dairy: Sometimes

Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee with coconut sugar, sometimes peppermint tea

Motivator for switching to Primal: Read Susan Schenk's new book Beyond Broccoli which explains the need for animal protein, fat, etc. - made me think that this way of eating sure made sense. Then read the Primal Blueprint. That did it.

Favorite exercise: Rebounding, walking/some running

Favorite Primal food: Black Forest Bacon

Best part about being Primal: No calorie counting

Worst part about being Primal: none

[Greywolf]

Your location: Tennessee

Age (If you want): 58

How Primal are you: Just started learning about "Primal" when it comes to healthy living! But, the more I learn, the more it makes sense! I had not even heard of the Primal Blueprint program or anything like it until about a week ago... This week has been a HUGE learning experience.

Do you consume dairy: Well, yep... my share and a lot more!

Do you drink coffee or tea: I did for many years. If I didn't have a coffee cup in my hand, I wasn't awake! Since retiring from the Navy I have consumed a cup or two a day.

Motivator for switching to Primal: I've gotta get healthy! I have lete myself go far beyond rundown! I've tried a couple of programs over the past 5-6 years but didn't stick with them because they were cumbersome... count this, don't eat that, eat more of this and stop that... jeez, it was harder keeping up with the do's and do not's than anything else. 10 years ago I was in terriffic shape even though I had suffered a heart attack at the age of 40. I wasn't overweight... Doc said it was mostly stress-induced. Not sure about that but whatever... So, I got in shape, started eating healthier and was very active. Well, about 5 years ago I started doing all the things that put me there in the first place. Now, I've gotta get back on track before I have another heart attack! I'ts way past time!

Favorite exercise: Up until the last 5 years I loved weight lifting. But, for the past 5-6 years my two personalities clash about that. One personality says, "get off your fat lazy azz" and do something about it and the other personality says "you can kiss my fat, lazy azz"... needless to say, the satanic personality has had the upper hand!

Favorite Primal food: MEAT... I'm a meat-lover and always have been... That's why some of the other stuff out there just will not work for me!

Best part about being Primal: I'm gonna find out!

Worst part about being Primal: I'm gonna find that out too!

Greywolf

[LaraE]

Hi Primal Ethusiasts,

I just went primal 2 weeks ago and absolutely love it, so i thought I'd join the forum as well.

The Questions:


Your location: Prague, Czech Republic

Age (If you want): 26

Weight/height: w: 117.2 lbs/53.2 kg, h: 5'4'', 165cm

How Primal are you: 80% but increasing

Do you consume dairy: just cutting it. PB made me realise that I am probably lactose intolerant.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Both, but without any sugar or milk. My favorite is fresh ginger and mint tea (without honey).

Motivator for switching to Primal: I wanted to find a sustainable way of living healthily.

Favorite exercise: Long hikes with an intense sprint to the summit after 2-3h of walking.

Favorite Primal food: Rib-eye

Best part about being Primal: Where shall I start? No more cravings, absolutely none. Prior to PB, I had been a victim of cravings as long as I can remember. No more greasy skin and much less acne. No more stomach pains, bloatedness etc. Feeling fresh and energized throughout the day!

Worst part about being Primal: Having to explain to other why you eat the way you do ALL the time and having to get into discussions.

[paleocyster]

Hello, all! I'm brand new to the paleo thing, although have been making gradual changes for the last few weeks...today is Friday, and I've been strictly paleo + dairy since Sunday afternoon. So far, I'm loving it!

Your location: St Louis, MO

Age (If you want): 33

How Primal are you: Just starting out, and trying to lose weight, so probably 95%...the 5% being the diet coke i just can't give up yet!

Do you consume dairy: butter, organic cream and a bit of hard cheese, but that's it

Do you drink coffee or tea: tea

Motivator for switching to Primal: I have PCOS so I know that low carb/high fat works for me, but i never felt good on atkins and i couldn't poo (sorry). Any other diet plans I've tried with "smart" grains have only worked for 10-15 lbs and then stop. I recently read Gary Taubes book and then started doing more research from there, which led me to this lovely site. This plan makes so much sense to me, so I started making some primal-friendly meals, and my husband and i liked them and felt satisfied. So, the next week i tried to make more primal meals than not, but we still had some unhealthy ones in there, too. Meanwhile, i was still doing more research and started reading Robb Wolf's book and Primal Blueprint. I didn't want to wait until i was done with the books, though, so i just jumped in with both feet this week! Since Sunday afternoon, we've just have primal foods (well I have, my hubs cheats at lunch) and I feel amazing! That alone is motivation to continue...

Favorite exercise: ugh, not a huge fan yet, but i do walk my dog for about 40 minutes a day. I've noticed that i have a lot more energy, though, so i'm thinking i'll need to add some exercise soon to use up this energy. When i was younger and smaller, i loved cycling so hopefully i can pick that up when it warms up a bit

Favorite Primal food: hmmmm...I had a couple of surprises this week. Not sure which wins out, but the favorites were garlic roasted cauliflower (could not get enough of it!), organic fuji apple with almond butter or straight up fried cage free eggs

Best part about being Primal: I'm 5-6 days into this so far, but right now I love how much energy I have, how well I'm sleeping, how well rested I am when i wake up, only waking up with reflux once this week instead of almost every night...oh, and 7 pounds plus my tight, uncomfortable jeans went right on this morning and fit great with no squats

Worst part about being Primal: Can no longer call Pizza Hut to pick up a $10 pizza because I forgot to thaw meat/don't know what to make/don't feel like messing up the kitchen/am too exhausted from sugar crashes to consider making a meal.

[Grok of the North]

Howdy All!

I live in Montana and am currently snowed in all the way to my door=time to join the forum

Age: 23

How Primal Am I? I've only been primal for less than 1 month, so I'm still working it all out, thankfully I can cook! I've been pretty strict with myself starting out, but I do love cheese, so I've eaten it a couple times per week.

Dairy? Yes, cheese on occasion.

I drink coffee and tea

Motivator for going Primal:
I want to lose weight (already have) feel better (already have), and being a modern homesteader type, this lifestyle is easier for me to follow and
perpetuate on my own land, in addition to connections with other rural resources. Plus, it just.makes.sense.

Favorite exercise:
Crossfit, long, slow jogs, hunting, hiking, and splitting logs for my wood stove.

Favorite Primal food:
The animals I have killed myself, and made the most of, out of respect for the land.

Best Part about being Primal:
After hearing about all of the things I don't have in Montana, it turns out that I'm alot closer to the things we all really need: Real Food. I also feel better all the time.

Worst part about being Primal:
I am a local "beer expert" and live near several breweries, where they know my name. While I have not cheated yet, I'm certainly not swearing to never set foot in a brewery again. But hey, if you gotta cheat, cheat well! I won't cheat for bud light and cheetos, but a well crafted beer is as much an art as a five star new york restaurant meal. But should probably be enjoyed about as often as most can afford a five star meal=not very often.

[TomCal]

Hey fellow Groks !!

Here we go...



Your location: Trumbull , CT

Age (If you want): 39

How Primal are you: As primal as I can be. Just getting into it so following it and trying to improve on food sources...(Local, Organic..etc)

Do you consume dairy: Trying not to. Maybe a splash in my coffee in the am.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee

Motivator for switching to Primal: Don't want to hit 40 being out of shape and over weight. Started off going gluten free in Dec 2011

Favorite exercise: Plank

Favorite Primal food: Anything with eggs !

Best part about being Primal: Feeling better, more energy.

Worst part about being Primal: Missing carbs and junk food lol.

My wife had to go Gluten-Free because of her Hashimoto Hypothyroidism. She noticed a huge improvement ! Tough to try and cook all the same meals when others in the house are not. I didn't want to hit 40 feeling the way I did. I'm 6'0, 262 lbs and physically out of shape. I started going gluten free in December and that didn't seem to do much. Since I went primal...I'm down 11 lbs !!! My wife is working on it with me...not seeing the results yet but we are positive and happy that we are eating better !

[kgswenson]

The Questions:


Your location: The Dakotas

Age (If you want): 21

How Primal are you: Not at all yet, starting Mark's 21-days on Monday

Do you consume dairy: I probably still will but in very little amounts

Do you drink coffee or tea: Neither in particular

Motivator for switching to Primal: I'm 21 and in college. I had been using "I don't have time" as an excuse to ignore my physical expansion. This new year I realized "When will I have time?" and realized that if I don't do it now, when it's easy, I won't have a chance when I'm retired and sick.

Favorite exercise: Love strength training, but I have to say I also enjoy learning the forms for boxing.

Favorite Primal food: So far, I'm loving being able to eat beef jerky. It has always been on the "naughty" list, and now I can eat it daily, if I want.

Best part about being Primal: Knowing the truth.

Worst part about being Primal: Living where I am and having few options grocery-wise.

[cantat]

Hoy hoy! I'm on day six of being primal. On day four I woke up with either a sinus infection (that's what I'm leaning toward, since my roommate was sick with one recently) or some very dramatic, very rapid expulsion of all dairy and grain/sugar fueled congestion out my nose, all the time. Oh, it's awesome. It's not, really. I'm hoping that regardless of what's causing this, when it's gone, I won't be congested anymore, as I've been at least mildly congested continuously since I was about 16.

Your location: Seattle

Age (If you want): 28

Weight/Height: 193/5'4

How Primal are you: 100%...so far. Trying my best to stick to it 100% for the first 30 days.

Do you consume dairy: No. It'll be one of the first things I try when my 30 days is up.

Do you drink coffee or tea: No.

Motivator for switching to Primal: It was rationale that finally made sense to me - if a food is good for you, it's good for you, period - not when it's processed a certain way (for example, whole grains vs. processed grains). I've been thinking that the more whole a food is the better, but CW was telling me otherwise so I just gave up trying to make sense of it all. I really hope I'll lose weight as well - if not, I'll have to find some way to lose weight.

Favorite exercise: Brazilian jiu jitsu

Favorite Primal food: Can I count ghee as a food? I love it. Also bacon. And bacon grease.

Best part about being Primal: Eating when I'm hungry with no guilt. Wait, no, it's not having any anxiety about what will happen when I'm hungry, more than the no guilt part. Not worrying about fat.

Worst part about being Primal: No popcorn, no soda. I miss those things the most by far. Cake, cookies, bread, pasta...eh. But popcorn and soda, they are my kryptonite. Maybe after 30 days, they will constitute the entirety of my 20%. Maybe after 30 days, though, I won't really miss them anymore.

Wish me luck!

[tbriley]

Your location: Seoul, South Korea

Age (If you want): 26

How Primal are you: I stick around 80/20.

Do you consume dairy: I do. Post workout is often a glass of chocolate milk. It doesn't seem to bother me. I've switched from 2% ---> whole fat ---> cream for my coffee.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee is one thing I roller coaster on. Usually I'm about 2 cups a day. Sometimes I get up to 5 (oops!), but I'll usually try to go a day or two without it when that happens. I drink green tea a few times a week.

Motivator for switching to Primal: I want to feel better now and in the future.

Favorite exercise: run fer fun

Favorite Primal food: Bacon ^.^

Best part about being Primal: Better energy, fewer digestive issues, and eating more without feeling guilty.

Worst part about being Primal: Most of the people I know aren't, and even though I cheat for special occasions, I still get plenty of disappointed friends, lectures, and eye rolls.

[DaddyProgrammer]

Your location: San Marcos, Texas

Age: 36

How Primal are you: I'm on again, off again for years, but this time, I'm more serious about it.

Do you consume dairy: My genes are well-adapted to dairy, but I have cut back. I cook with butter, and I put some cream in my coffee. I used to treat cheese as a staple, and now, it's more of a condiment.

Do you drink coffee or tea: oh man, do I love coffee.

Motivator for switching to Primal: Three things: 1) I got sick of Common Wisdom, and switched to a doctor who immediately put me on "The Paleo Diet" by Loren Cordain. 2) I read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and it forever changed the way I think about food. 3) My kids. I want to be strong and fit enough to play.

Favorite exercise: walking, swimming

Favorite Primal food: homemade, slow-simmered chicken or beef broth. It's not something I eat all by itself, but it gives me great pleasure to cook with this essential ingredient.

Best part about being Primal: feeling great

Worst part about being Primal: the only thing I miss, but I miss it a lot: just about any kind of pizza

My doctor had me read "The Paleo Diet" by Loren Cordain back in the Fall of 2006. I have been on again, off again for five years. Whenever I'm on, I feel great, and the pounds begin to melt away. Then something happens, I get distracted, and it's back to Friday night pizzas and chicken burritos for lunch.

But in the past five years, this has turned into a movement. "The Primal Blueprint" is a much better book than "The Paleo Diet." People who actually care about having delicious food are writing recipes and cookbooks. I feel like the tide has finally turned for me, so I'm signing up for this forum for the first time.

I've lost ten pounds in three weeks, but I know that three weeks is easy. I need to to make it to three months, then three years, then, well, forever.

Happy to be here,
Zach