Obligatory forum Introduce yourself thread page 323

[Dulcimina]

Your location: Maryland, USA

Age (If you want): 40

How Primal are you:One week into a whole 30 challenge. I've been grain and sugar-free for about 6 months, but was drinking a lot of coke zero and baking with sweeteners (splenda, stevia, erythritol).

Do you consume dairy: Not for the next thirty days, but love cheese and yogurt, and will add them back if I don't have any issues. Cheese is the only food that made me cry when I thought I couldn't have it any more.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Tea, every now and again. Coffee was always a once in a while treat made with lots of sugar and cream, drunk while browsing at bookstores. I've replaced with tea or plain water.

Motivator for switching to Primal: Short answer - Graves disease, psoriasis, gastroparesis. Long answer - I started Dukan low-carb, low-fat diet last year to try to lose weight. I lost about 10lbs, but more importantly, I noticed that my seasonal allergies stopped. Then I realized that the vomiting from gastroparesis stopped too. If I cheated on the diet, the symptoms came back. I started looking around the internet to see if anyone had the same experience and found you guys.

Favorite exercise: Deadlifts. When I started lifting weights in October, I could only deadlift the bar. Now I can lift 90 lbs. I always feel like a superhero when I do them. I also like Turkish getups just for fun.

Favorite Primal food: I love pumpkin in soups, chili and smoothies. Where has coconut butter been all my life? Short ribs are better than bacon.

Best part about being Primal: It takes my focus of my weight and puts in on my health. Before starting the Whole 30, I decided to cheat a little on Mardi gras. I ended up wandering aimlessly around the store for 10 minutes because none of the things I wanted was worth spending the next two weeks throwing up.

Worst part about being Primal: My anger at the medical establishment. Why were they so willing to push a treatment for symptoms and so unwilling to treat the ultimate causes?

[Incendies]

Your location: Toronto, Canada

Age (If you want): 34

How Primal are you: 75%

Do you consume dairy: yes, in my coffee and i quite like cheese

Do you drink coffee or tea: 1 - 2 coffees/day

Motivator for switching to Primal: the quality happy energy it gives me and the sustainable weight loss and strength gain

Favorite exercise: sprints and squats

Favorite Primal food: mega omelette

Best part about being Primal: having a health approach that is more than vanity - 'optimal gene expression' motivates me a lot as I strive for my best in other areas of my life

Worst part about being Primal: explaining it to others without sounding like a DB and since I'm fairly new to it...I have to admit, I miss ice cream and pizza

see you around!

[Kai-man]

Hi all,
My name is Kai and I live in Germany. My wife and I started going primal roughly at the beginning of 2012, so not too long ago.
We have two girls, one 4 and one 7 years old, whom we are slowly weaning off grains and sugars.
Luckily it is much easier to raise children healthily here (my wife is American and I have lived in the US for 14 years), as the cereal aisles are small and in general people are more aware of sugar and general bad stuff in your food.

However, we are only partially primal at this time as we are using up certain items first and I don't think I am going to give up beer entirely (hey, I am Bavarian by birth, what do you expect). But we are moving in the right direction.

Yes, I do consume dairy and all of us don't seem to have a problem with it. Primarily cheese though. Milk we have and use, but within reason.

Coffee is my drink of choice in the office. I am noticing a higher sensitivity to it, since going more primal and I may want to / have to switch due to increasingly sour stomach.

My motivator was two fold. For many years I have dabbled with the concept that all our processed food is not good for us, also noticing the scam on "low-fat" foods which then have huge amounts of sugar in them, etc.
Add to that slowly, but steadily increasing weight. I am just under 6 foot and weighed 246 lbs when I decided to go with Atkins, which worked ok. Atkings lead to PB, which works great. I have lost 20 lbs so far.

Favorite exercise: I like to row, but I am enjoying the concept and variety of Mark's workout routines. Seems very sensible. Once I am in better shape I will pick up martial arts again.

My favorite primal food has to be beef and crunchy veggies. I love to BBQ, so this is wonderful.

The best part about being primal is that Mark has spelled out much of what I had thought and felt and doing it just feels right.

The worst part about going primal is giving up some old loved ones, like pasta - but this is made up by munching on a good steak.


So, all in all I am glad I am doing it, I feel great and I have been reading with great interest.

[erikaj]

Your location: Columbus, OH

Age (If you want): 22

How Primal are you: I just "test drove" the 21 Day Challenge (completed it yesterday! Now to Jeni's ice cream to celebrate tonight ) by just eliminating all grains and most tubers & legumes from my diet to see if there was something to this Primal thing.

I'm happy to report that I'm going to stick with it! I will continue to stay away from grains (I didn't really miss them...especially when there's SPAGHETTI SQUASH!), buy local/fresh/organic, un-processed foods and have minimal dairy.

Do you consume dairy: Yes, but it's mostly in my coffee (Snowville whole milk). I will continue to minimize it... (It's not you, Brie....it's me. OK...maybe it's you!)

Do you drink coffee or tea: Both but... Coffee every day (working on being un-relient from it).

Motivator for switching to Primal: Wanted to look and feel good, but didn't want to start "dieting". I also didn't have them time to be a "work-OUT-aholic" AND make healthy meals!

Favorite exercise: Walking!

Favorite Primal food: Grass fed beef.

Best part about being Primal: Never feeling that tired slump after a meal.

Worst part about being Primal:The time it takes to cook.

[chilledc]

Hi everyone!

Your location: Sydney, Australia

Age (If you want): 24, approaching 25 in a couple of months.

How Primal are you: At the moment, not very. I cycle through being 'good', and then eating pretty shitty foods. I have a massive sweet tooth and struggle a bit with that.

Do you consume dairy: I try to avoid milk, but eat a bit of cheese and small amounts of yoghurt at the moment.

Do you drink coffee or tea: No.

Motivator for switching to Primal: Improved health, fat loss, improved muscle growth.

Favorite exercise: Heavy squats.

Favorite Primal food: Any type of steak.

Best part about being Primal: We'll see. I'm yet to take the complete plunge.

Worst part about being Primal: Missing out on pizza and some types of alcohol.

[fishboy]

Your location: Philippine Islands

Age (If you want): 28

How Primal are you: 60% (looking to go 100% soon)

Do you consume dairy: yes

Do you drink coffee or tea: yes

Motivator for switching to Primal: more energy & vitality, to not get sick, to still surf hard when i'm 70+

Favorite exercise: surfing waves (play), boxing, HIIT, pull-ups/pushups, BJJ

Favorite Primal food: steak, fish

Best part about being Primal: Not getting sick

Worst part about being Primal: Shunned/considered impractical by cultural factors

[lemonsprig]

Your location: Wales UK

Age (If you want): 37

How Primal are you: Not Sure.... but somewhat

Do you consume dairy: yes - Milk in Coffee, some cream in cooking, and some cheese (cut down a lot though)

Do you drink coffee or tea: yes Coffee and Herbal Tea

Motivator for switching to Primal: To loose the belly fat, and generally get healthier

Favorite exercise: What's exercise? Very little although have started moving more

Favorite Primal food: I don't really have any at the moment

Best part about being Primal: Too early to say

Worst part about being Primal: Too early to say

[lordgrover]

Your location: Bristol, UK

Age (If you want): 49

How Primal are you: Pretty much

Do you consume dairy: Very little, occasional mature cheddar cheese

Do you drink coffee or tea: Fresh filter coffee & green tea

Motivator for switching to Primal: Fancy a change from the dull low fat/whole grain dullness

Favorite exercise: Weights, probably deadlifts

Favorite Primal food: Streaky bacon & scrambled eggs

Best part about being Primal: Not getting hungry

Worst part about being Primal: The first few days to a week when you're still adjusting

[SGRhapsodos]

[QUOTE=timconradinc;280]In other forums I've been a member of in the past - at least for small communities - there's been a 'introduce yourself' thread with some questions that people can answer. I know that there are people reading this forum that are fully primal, partially primal, and are considering it. I thought that I'd put some questions together to cover these things just to get an idea of who's out there.


The Questions:


Your location: Florida, USA

Age (If you want):26

How Primal are you: beginner

Do you consume dairy: Greek yogurt

Do you drink coffee or tea: no

Motivator for switching to Primal: managing celiac

Favorite exercise: brisk walking

Favorite Primal food: cashews

Best part about being Primal: not worrying about cross contamination.

Worst part about being Primal: people think I'm crazy.

[denasqu]

Your location: Naples, Florida

Age (If you want): 51

How Primal are you: 99%

Do you consume dairy: very little. some raw milk and aged cheese once in a while.

Do you drink coffee or tea: three or four cups of coffee a day and a lot of white tea

Motivator for switching to Primal: misery and imminent death

Favorite exercise: swimming

Favorite Primal food: Kurobuta pork chops

Best part about being Primal: feeling stronger and more energetic

Worst part about being Primal: reading food labels and putting a lot of things back on the grocery shelf