Obligatory forum Introduce yourself thread page 314

[dmrob2009]

Hi, all! My name is Diana, and I have decided to go primal! I'm a Lew Rockwell fan, and have seen article after article about how fabulous this lifestyle really is. I'm taking the plunge! Short bio... I was a thin, muscular hottie when I met my husband in 2003. During my first pregnancy, I gained 75 lbs. I lost about 30 of that and the proceeded to gain another 50 with my 2nd child nearly 2 years later. I had been an alcoholic for most of my adult life. I quit drinking in 2009 and my weight skyrocketed to 336. I was taking a cocktail of about 5 psychotropics (antidepressants, antipsychotics, etc.) I was fat and miserable... and the pharmaceuticals were exacerbating the problem. I quit my meds cold turkey in Jan. of 2011. Since Feb. 2011, I have lost 116 lbs. Most of that success came from a low carb diet. I tried to change it up and go vegan for 6 weeks... that was an epic failure. I've never been so miserable in my entire life. Since about October, I have been completely stagnant on weight loss... and I have a wedding that I have to look fabulous for in May!!! I still have about 60 to 70 lbs to lose and I feel like changing the way that I eat forever is the way to do it. In addition to that, I have 2 small children who have fallen into the junk food junkie trap. I'm so ashamed of that. It affects their mood and energy in a terrible way. Any suggestions as to how I might get them on board with this is welcome, as I'm desperate to change this.

Your location: Arvada, CO

Age (If you want): 37

How Primal are you: My book just arrived a couple of days ago. I'm reading through it now!!!

Do you consume dairy: I do... but planning on following this lifestyle change to a T. Should start in a day or two. Just finishing up reading the book.

Do you drink coffee or tea: a small amount

Motivator for switching to Primal: My little sister's wedding is in mid-May and the bridesmaids dresses are short :P Also, for preparedness.

Favorite exercise: Zumba/elliptical/walking/hiking/spin class/yoga/pilates (recently fell into the "chronic exerciser" category)

Favorite Primal food: Does prime rib count? If not, a filet.

Best part about being Primal: I've South Beached it before, and had a lot of energy. I can only imagine what adding healthy fat to my diet would accomplish!!! I'm very excited!

Worst part about being Primal: If bad breath is an issue like it was on the South Beach diet, then that would be my least favorite part about it.

I'm excited about talking to y'all often!!! Cheers!

[KMH52PA]

Hey everyone, I am new to the primal world. I am so glad that I found the Primal Blueprint when I did. During the last half of 2011 I battled a serious health issue that caused my vision to be blurred, at time to the point of being legally blind. It finally came under control in mid-December, started in early July. Lifestyle and diet were key contributors to it. I had followed so much Conventional Wisdom through the years, I was just totally confused and frustrated. My weight was an all time high. My energy level was non existant. Within a few days I noticed a huge increase in energy. Shortly after starting the program I was laid off from my job of 18 years. I was always a stress eater in the past, but I kept on being Primal. One of first things I did was go play basketball with my kids at the park. I am hardly ever hungry and eat a lot less food than I did in the past. PB has also gotten me to a place where I can deal with my life situations in a constructive manner. Looking forward to my new Primal Life!!
Your location: Eastern PA

Age (If you want): 41

How Primal are you: New- in my first month

Do you consume dairy: Yep, Whole milk from local dairy fatm (switch from 2%) and all natural or organic cheeses.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes- Switched to organic last week

Motivator for switching to Primal: Struggled with my weight most of my adult life and got very confused as to what was right and what was wrong. Needed something simple and effective. Found the Primal Blueprint while browsing on my Nook. Got it, read it and converted.

Favorite exercise: So far- Kettlebell workout outside on my patio with a fire roaring in the firepit in January. Totally Grok inspired.

Favorite Primal food: Definitely the Primal omelet.

Best part about being Primal: I feel so much better about myself. I have energy all day and a clear mind.

Worst part about being Primal: Trying to find things to do during the winter months to use up all this extra energy I have.

[Anzu]

Hi everyone! I'm Anzu and I currently live in Tokyo, Japan, finishing up uni.


Your location: Tokyo

Age (If you want): 24 (25 in March!)

How Primal are you: I'm eight days in!

Do you consume dairy: So far, no. If I reach my weight loss goals, then I might think about adding it back in.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Tea, yes. It's a big part of life here.

Motivator for switching to Primal: I'm about 30 pounds overweight, and I'm going to be a quarter-century old in March! Time to act like an adult and get things in order. Looking nice for my birthday wouldn't hurt, either.

Favorite exercise: I've started looking up parkour training exercises. Wow, what a workout.

Favorite Primal food: Eggs, steak, seared tuna, and butter.

Best part about being Primal: I'm shocked at how much my health problems have cleared up. No more coughing in the morning, no more dizziness swinging out of bed, and I feel so full all the time!

Worst part about being Primal: I love the texture of bread, and I sort of miss fried foods. But, oh well! That's life!

[Archero]

Your location:

I travel 49 weeks of the year. My house is in Little York, IL.

Age (If you want):

39

How Primal are you:

Just getting started.

Do you consume dairy:

Yes. I currently drink milk daily with my breakfast. Eat cheese (aged cheddar) as afterwork snack. Some Kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt infrequently.

Do you drink coffee or tea:

cup of coffee with breakfast

Motivator for switching to Primal:

I spend so much time traveling and was not happy with my 2+ meals from dining out. I was gaining weight and not feeling 100%.

Favorite exercise:

Walking, hiking, backpacking

Favorite Primal food:

Salmon and Tuna

Best part about being Primal:

high quality meats and fish

Worst part about being Primal:

No more sourdough breads.

[Infraredhead]

Your location: Katy, Texas

Age (If you want): 47

How Primal are you: I am just getting started. I hate processed foods and had already eliminated them from my diet so hopefully the rest will be easy.

Do you consume dairy: Yes but I am trying to wean myself of this. I bought coconut milk today to use in my coffee.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Oh...hell to the yeah! I teach high school and facing 30 fifteen year old kids at 7:30 am makes this almost necessary!

Motivator for switching to Primal: I had my thyroid removed a little over a year ago. My weight will not budge (trying to reduce a little) even though I have been working out religiously and my "numbers" are normal on lab tests. This led me to truly examine what I was eating and how I was working out.

Favorite exercise: Walking

Favorite Primal food:Beef

Best part about being Primal: I have noticed that I don't crash at 2:30 every day

Worst part about being Primal: We are surrounded by tortillas in Texas and sometimes I really, really want one.

[dstarrb]

Debbie (dstarrb)

Your location: Northeastern Indiana

Age (If you want): 57

How Primal are you: just started today - so far, 100%!

Do you consume dairy: cheese, cottage cheese, heavy cream - have given up all else

Do you drink coffee or tea: both

Motivator for switching to Primal: lose my belly fat, gain energy, balance hormones

Favorite exercise: hiking

Favorite Primal food: beef

Best part about being Primal: not sure yet

Worst part about being Primal: not sure yet

[Tbauer]

Emporia, Ks.

22 years old

I'm just starting into primal lifestyle, I have been a gym rat and "healthy" eater (or so I thought) for about 2 years now. I was an all state high school athlete and played football my first year in college.

Yes, as of now I have been consuming dairy regularly. I am starting my primal lifestyle tomorrow so I am still unsure as to how much dairy and what types I should be consuming.

I usually enjoy a cup of coffee with my breakfast every morning.

My motivator was just the lack of results in my physique, energy levels, and performance after so much dedication to the gym and my "healthy" diet.

My favorite primal food would have to bananas w/nut butter

Idk really I'm just about to start, I hope it fixes the things I want to improve in my life.

[_sarah_]

Your location: Queensland, Australia

Age (If you want): 22

How Primal are you: I've been mostly primal (maybe 80-85%) for a few months now, and have been loving it and feeling great. However, the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of ultra-long work hours, topped off with seemingly endless special occasions - I've fallen off the wagon on a lot of occasions, and am feeling much the worse for it. So I'm now determined to fix things up, and go as close to 100% primal as I can.

Do you consume dairy: I usually have a bit of raw, full-fat Greek yoghurt in a smoothie at breakfast, and I do use a bit of whey protein, but I've cut out everything else.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Very occasionally. I will have a coffee if my energy levels flag when I'm working on something important, but I'd prefer it if by living fully primal, I could up my energy levels generally, and not need to resort to caffeine. However, I don't beat myself up over the occasional coffee, since I make sure to drink it without milk or sugar, and the coffee does offer some antioxidants.

Motivator for switching to Primal: I don't really have any weight to lose, but I do want to be more toned. I also love the feeling of being strong and functionally fit, and knowing that, like Grok, I could rise to whatever physical challenges might come my way. I also love the energy that comes from living primal! I love waking up in the morning alert and happy, and hungry to try new things every day.

Favorite exercise: I'm lucky in that I love all kinds of exercise, and have the opportunity to take part in exercise very easily through my university. I love doing resistance training - free weights, machines, and bodyweight exercises. I also love cycling, yoga and pilates, and I've recently been getting into tennis, netball, and the Les Mills fitness classes.

Favorite Primal food: I love my salads at lunch, and making primal soups.

Best part about being Primal: Having so much energy that I can't wait to take on new challenges.

Worst part about being Primal: I find it hard to come up with enough new, interesting cooking ideas to keep me from being tempted back to things that are bad for me. Will need to check out the recipes on this site to really get me going with my new commitment.

[JayHoward]

Name: Jason aka Jay

Your location: Spokane, WA (normally Seattle)

Age (If you want): 21

How Primal are you: I am just beginning my relationship with the primal lifestyle and can confidently say I stayed true at least 80% of the time.

Do you consume dairy: Greek yogurt and some cheese every now and then are the extent of my dairy

Do you drink coffee or tea: Green tea

Motivator for switching to Primal: Desire to be the best me I can be and have longed for a lifestyle with the same guiding principles

Favorite exercise: Anything involving weights or basketball

Favorite Primal food: Absolutely thrilled that I can eat bacon and not feel guilty about it!!

Best part about being Primal: Better quality of life

Worst part about being Primal: You must be proactive and plan ahead...sourcing high quality ingredients can be cumbersome at times but it's worth it!

[jerryking]

Jerry King

Your location: Los Angeles, CA

Age (If you want): 25

How Primal are you: 90%

Do you consume dairy: NO (half&half in coffee)

Do you drink coffee or tea: COFFEE!

Motivator for switching to Primal: Curing my Acid reflux (mission accomplished!!!)

Favorite exercise: Very tough ...... Squat Clean

Favorite Primal food: Steak

Best part about being Primal: Being Overall Healthier

Worst part about being Primal: Spending lots of $ on high quality food....