Obligatory forum Introduce yourself thread page 321

[Lexie T]

Your location: United Kingdom

Age (If you want): 27

How Primal are you: 98%, no grains but have the odd bit of mayonnaise or cheese with a meal maybe once a week

Do you consume dairy: Only a little cheese now and again, don't tolerate dairy very well so feel better staying away

Do you drink coffee or tea: No

Motivator for switching to Primal: I felt my health was declining and at 27 didn't want to be feeling unwell and on medication for the rest of my life. Taking meds for severe period pains and vomitting every month, also having digestive problems and heart palpitations/chest pain anxiety attacks. Was recommended a personal trainer who recommended the primal nutrition, exercise, lifestyle change. Been living this way for 3 weeks now, reading up on it where I can, just seems like common sense!

Favorite exercise: Getting into weight lifting and interval sprints, but also love walking out in the hills near where I grew up.

Favorite Primal food: Loving my beef omelettes for breakfast. A few weeks ago the thought of eating meat for breakfast made me feel sick, now I wake up craving it.

Best part about being Primal: Feeling full of energy, leaner, stronger. It's only been 3 weeks and seen such changes already.

Worst part about being Primal: Walking into a supermarket and being surrounded by advertising for foods that you once loved that start the cravings going. It definitely gets easier as the weeks have gone by though.

[bluekarana]

Your location: Michigan, USA

Age (If you want): 48

How Primal are you: ramping up, still drinking alcohol, an occasional small bite of processed food (only about 3 bites in the last five days). Started low-carb three weeks ago, fully grain-free for the last week.

Do you consume dairy: less and less. Limiting to "seasoning" with hard cheese and using smaller amounts of raw milk cheese.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee, mostly black, sometimes with whole cream. (gave up the old sugar-free syrups in the last week)

Motivator for switching to Primal: Weight loss and digestive health. Too many grains made my tummy rumble and made me hungry all the time. I was trying to stick to the advice of the Schwarzbein Principle and stick to 15g of carb for meals and 7g for snacks, but it was just a hassle to prepare and eat such small amounts. I was also told I have various grain allergies and I should limit and alternate days that I ate them. Huge hassle!

Favorite exercise: Tennis and recumbent bike. (I've struggled with lifting weights my whole life. I get muscle spasms very easily)

Favorite Primal food: Steak and Bacon!

Best part about being Primal: Not being hungry all the time

Worst part about being Primal: Knowing that I need to give up alcohol. My body isn't tolerating it very well now, but my mind is putting up a fight.

[Tizawee]

Your location: Tampa, FL

Age (If you want): 54

How Primal are you: Almost 100%

Do you consume dairy: Butter only. (Coconut oil is (finally) on order to replace that.)

Do you drink coffee or tea: Lots of green tea. And black coffee only a couple of times a week at most. (I love it but it causes inflammation.)

Motivator for switching to Primal: Started on Atkins a couple of years ago & discovered I have celiac disease. Then I picked up "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolf, who also has celiac disease, last summer. The more primal I got, the more my symptoms of all kinds subsided, so I stuck with it.

Favorite exercise: Learning to do push-ups

Favorite Primal food: A thick, juicy steak grilled Pittsburgh Medium

Best part about being Primal: I had multiple symptoms from multiple food allergies/intolerances. Now, it's no longer the norm for me to be depressed, in pain and angry at the world... all at the same time. LOL! I turn out to be a pretty nice person. Who knew.

Worst part about being Primal: Can't get my husband to give up his neolithic diet so there are lots of temptations in the house.

It would be nice if I was able to lose weight as well. But I've been so neolithic for so long that my body has lots of healing to do before I get to that point.

[giuseppelc]

The Questions:
I'm reading PRIMAL BLUEPRINT and am totally taken by the new paradigm. I've got 2 elderly parents already indoctrinated about the solidity of the Mediterranean diet and its associated traditional wisdom. My mum is on the path of dementia and none of the orthodox medicine seems to stop the process. As going primal means reducing the causes of "inflammation", I thought I'd give it a shot, but I cannot change it overnight, so new eating habits will have to be introduced gradually. I'm curious to know if there's anybody who's got any anecdotal evidence of going primal being able to stop (maybe reverse?) the progress of diseases such as dementia/alzheimer? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Your location: Milan, Italy

Age (If you want): 44

How Primal are you: novice

Do you consume dairy: yes (mostly cheese)

Do you drink coffee or tea: yes in very moderate quantities

Motivator for switching to Primal: improve eating habits since removal of gall bladder

Favorite exercise: long walks

Favorite Primal food: red meat

Best part about being Primal: yet to find out

Worst part about being Primal: ditto

[unstoppable48]

Started this journey about 4 weeks ago. much easier than I ever thought it would be to give up bread. harder than i ever thought it would be to give up donuts! I have lost about 8 pounds so far. I'm sure it would be more if it were not for the proverbial "falling off the wagon" and eating a donut here, a cookie there, or a tortilla that attacks my face! It always seems to happen on the same day. the donut leads to the cookie which leads to the tortillas attacking me! I am living proof that the more crap you eat the more crap you want! Looking forward to an entire week of just Primal food.

Your location: Texas

Age (If you want): 48

How Primal are you: Want to be 100%. probably consider myself at 75-80% right now.

Do you consume dairy: yes

Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes to both

Motivator for switching to Primal: Weight Watchers quit working. Reached a plateau that would not budge!

Favorite exercise: Rowing machine

Favorite Primal food: Steak and eggs

Best part about being Primal: Feel better

Worst part about being Primal: Hard to find grass-fed "anything" and/or organic good for you things.

[Pamsc]

The Questions:
I'm reading PRIMAL BLUEPRINT and am totally taken by the new paradigm. I've got 2 elderly parents already indoctrinated about the solidity of the Mediterranean diet and its associated traditional wisdom. My mum is on the path of dementia and none of the orthodox medicine seems to stop the process. As going primal means reducing the causes of "inflammation", I thought I'd give it a shot, but I cannot change it overnight, so new eating habits will have to be introduced gradually. I'm curious to know if there's anybody who's got any anecdotal evidence of going primal being able to stop (maybe reverse?) the progress of diseases such as dementia/alzheimer? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

There is a lot of recent research that gets reported in the popular press as Alzheimers is diabetes of the brain. Google Alzheimer's coconut oil for one person collecting evidence.

[Rachelcmorgan84]

Your location: space coast FL

Age (If you want): 27

How Primal are you: very! I started on Jan 23 and havent had any of the big no-no's. I occasionally have cheese and rarely have dark chocolate. We keep our meals simple. It seems like the more ingredients I add, the more complicated and carbs are added. Since I'm losin weight, I'm staying vlc

Do you consume dairy: a little

Do you drink coffee or tea: about 1 cup of tea/day with a little honey

Motivator for switching to Primal: sustainable diet that aids in weightloss

Favorite exercise: anything that sculpts my legs since they are the thinnest thing on me!

Favorite Primal food: fish or eggs!

Best part about being Primal: feeling so dang good inside!

Worst part about being Primal: explaining to everyone who looks at me like I'm nuts. With an anthropology degree and fast results, people are supportive, but they still don't get it sometimes.

[northerngirl]

Your location: Winnipeg, Canada

Age (If you want): early 30s

How Primal are you: I just started last week. i was a vegetarian for 20 years and over the last week i have troduced meat, fish and eggs and have cut out grains, sugar and legumes. i feel great!
Do you consume dairy: cream in my coffee and cheese on my omelets.

Do you drink coffee or tea: i drink coffee in the morning.

Motivator for switching to Primal: anxiety and sugar crashes after eating SAD.

Favorite exercise: dead lifts and squats

Favorite Primal food: bacon

Best part about being Primal:

Worst part about being Primal: i miss rice already. a lot.

[ridesabike2]

Your location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Age (If you want): 37

How Primal are you: All the way!

Do you consume dairy:

Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee

Motivator for switching to Primal: Struggling with weight and food sensitivities.

Favorite exercise: I love mountain biking, some road biking, cross country skiing and lifting heavy things. Right now I'm mostly lifting heavy things though while I try to heal up some injuries related to chronic cardio.

Favorite Primal food: Bacon!

Best part about being Primal: It feels so natural, and my health continues to improve.

Worst part about being Primal: Can't think of a worst part. I'm hooked! I've been doing this since May of 2011. I'd love to find others in my region who enjoy this way of life as much as I do.

[mrwhite]

Your location:Europe

How Primal are you:Well,started last Friday-guess 100% so far.

Do you consume dairy:In coffee,might change that some day.

Do you drink coffee or tea:Both.Just started drinking coffee.Neither is something I have to have though-

Motivator for switching to Primal:I am fatter than I like to be,not as fit as I want to be,and the stuff I have been eating can`t be healthy(sugar processed grains etc etc)

Favorite exercise:Heavy bag and pads,bodyweight excercise(which I used to hate),hard to say,I like most of it.So why I haven`t done more of it,I have no clue.And when I do train,I overdo it.I guess that is how I am-full speed or complete standstill,nothing in between.

Favorite Primal food:Too early to tell,but I guess the same as before-moose and other game.

Best part about being Primal: Dropped 5kg(11 lbs for the metrically challenged) since I started.No way that is anything but at least 4 litres of water,but still..never happened to me before either.Not that I have tried any diet(don`t like the word diet btw,to me it means that there is a timeframe,) before,I have just stopped eating sugar etc when I wanted to drop weight and get in (better)shape.

Worst part about being Primal:Eating things I am not used to(I live at work now,and have to eat what is served).I am not a fan of boiled vegetables,but I sneak some in where I can.Not big on fat either,but I guess it is needed so...
Feeling dizzy,tired etc,but that happened when I quit sugar too.Getting back to normal now.

I am hoping the glow in the dark stuff I cough up now is because this diet helps,and not because it is making me sick