Obligatory forum Introduce yourself thread page 48

[RavunJM]

Location: Hailey Idaho (ski country)


Age: 32


How primal are you: 85%-90% very primal during the week, a little more liberal on the weekends (read more alcohol). I can count three times total that i have had wheat or wheat products over the course of my 2 months doing this.


Do you consume dairy: Yes, some heavy cream in my daily two cups of coffee. Other than that i have found cheese and milk to have stalled my weight lose goals. So i keep them to a bare minimum. Not being dairy intolerant as a whole i will reintroduce it once i have lost the 40 extra pounds i have.

Do you drink coffee: i completely blame my wife!!!!! i used to not care so much about coffee until she became a barista and introduced me to to the wonderful world of GOOD coffee. So yeah...i drink my usual two cups in the morning.


Motivator for switching to Primal: After doing research on why i was having such terrible weight/gut/bowel/chronic heart burn issues. Even after switching to a mostly veggie and organic whole wheat eating program (in fact it got worse) I was watching a Dr Oz rerun about a lady that had celiac disease, i notice that all my symptoms matched hers! One link lead to another...then i found MDA...oh what a god send! After staying up till the wee hours of the night reading the info on the site, i switched the very next day. Of course it wasn't until after reading the book and visited the forums for a while that i considered my life style to be totally in harmony with BP.


Favorite exercise: Any body weight exercise. Hiking with my 2 year old on my back.


Favorite Primal food: BACON...bacon and more bacon!!!!


Best part about being Primal: Feeling good again! The instant relief of gut issues (i was truly amazed at how fast it happened). Mass amounts of energy. Dropping 15 pounds all ready. Being able to sleep at night. Sex drive is back and better than ever. Learning how to cook and appreciating REAL food.


Worst part about being Primal: umm havent found one yet.

[Squeaker]

Location: Hamilton, NZ (originally from UK, and returning there in July)


Age: 28


How primal are you: 90% - 95%. Tend to relax it a little at the weekend with a glass of wine and a nibble of chocolate.


Do you consume dairy: In teeny-tiny amounts - usually just a little knob of butter to scramble eggs or fry mushrooms in.


Motivator for switching to Primal:

1. I have PCOS and its the best way to fight the weight gain and improve my chances of conception.

2. Although the biggest I reached was 154lbs at 5ft 8 (really not that big, I know), I was chubby/ skinny fat enough that I hated my husband seeing me naked. Not a good place to be.

3. Wheat makes me so farty, its gross! Personal record was my gut waking my husband in the middle of the night because the smells coming out of it were so terrible! Really!

4. My Mum was morbidly obese for most of my life, but in the last two years has shed over half of her body weight and is now down to about 150lbs and looks great. She unwittingly did it by going 80% Primal - despite never having heard of primal or paleo eating. She just worked it out for herself.


Favorite exercise: Hiking


Favorite Primal food: Beef. Although 85% chocolate mousse made with just eggs and chocolate is pretty high up there.....


Best part about being Primal: I've lost 17lbs since Christmas!


Worst part about being Primal: The smell of fresh baked hot cross buns when I do the grocery shopping.

[wug]

Hahaha... Squeaker, I am totally not always winning that hot cross buns battle at the supermarket!

[mia]

Your location: London

Age (If you want): 30ish.....

How Primal are you: up ans down constantly but about 60 -70%

Do you consume dairy: yes i do now but never really liked milk. Now have cream in my tea and have raw cheddar, brie, camembert, parmesan. Like goat cheese but can't find a raw source that not super duper expensive.

Do you drink coffee or tea: Both, more tea than coffee

Motivator for switching to Primal: Diana Renata!

Favorite exercise: Used to love the treadmill but having a crisis of faith, plus need an ipod

Favorite Primal food: sausages, bacon, stews, thai fish curry, pate...never ending

Best part about being Primal: Being able to eat in restaurants; eating food that tastes good for the first time; not feeling constantly guilty; not craving fat; feeling full for the first time ever, enjoying cooking...

Worst part about being Primal: you know there isn't one. I miss rice, fresh pasta and sour dough bread but then I'm still eating those, also eating at friends houses and not wanting to stand out so eating whatever I'm served.... this is what my bf wrote as a response to a wedding invitation about dietary requirement last year.

"Mia is currently vegetarian and low fat though that may change by the wedding date; also if the meat looks good on the day she may have some"

[kristinjillian]

Your location: Ontario, Canada


Age (If you want): 25


How Primal are you: About 70%, but am thinking about going 95%+ (I am unlikely to give up the occassional glass of organic white wine or tsp of ghee)


Do you consume dairy: Yes, but usually only pasture-fed ghee and 24 hour fermented goat milk yogurt (the lengthy fermentation period eats up most, if not all, of the lactose and helps to predigest the proteins, while providing high amounts of probiotics). I am thinking of cutting all dairy.


Do you drink coffee or tea: Herbal tea, on occassion.


Motivator for switching to Primal: Desire to be as healthy as possible in all respects.


Favorite exercise: Mood dependent, but likely walking, jogging, yoga, and bicycling.


Favorite Primal food: Dark meat poultry and vegetables


Best part about being Primal: Intuitive resonance with eating the way that our early ancestors ate.


Worst part about being Primal: Not being 100% sure that it is the absolute healthiest diet for me.

[Cynarin]

Your location: Atlanta, where the players play


Age (If you want): 26


How Primal are you: I've eaten about 75% Primal naturally for the past three or four years; have moved more toward 90%


Do you consume dairy: I am trying to consume less and less; it doesn't agree with me very well (except for yogurt), though I am a lover of butter.


Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes.


Motivator for switching to Primal: I wish I could say it was wanting to be healthier or more in tune with my evolutionary past, but, really, I just wanted to be back in the great shape I was in when I was a little younger.


Favorite exercise: Squats with a lot of weight, push-ups, chin-ups


Favorite Primal food: Artichokes with homemade mayo (hence the name)


Best part about being Primal: I hate cardio and processed foods. I have always hated cardio and processed foods. Now I have validation!


Worst part about being Primal: I really enjoy baking. I still do it, but it's less fun when you have to constantly tell yourself that the cake you're making is for other people, not for you.

[fit4lifegal]

Your location: NW burb of Minneapolis


Age (If you want): 48


How Primal are you: 80-90% March through October...then I fall off the wagon... trying to make it all 12 months, so I don't gain back the same 15-20 lbs every winter.


Do you consume dairy: Some half & half in my coffee, some greek yogurt, trying to cut out the cheese... thinking about dairy-free April 1


Do you drink coffee or tea: both


Motivator for switching to Primal: I've been a fan for years - rarely posted, went to log in, and my account was gone.. :-( First saw Mark on Doug Kauffman's "Know the Cause" - the pieces started falling into place - and I know I feel so much better when I stay away from grains.

Favorite exercise: walking, hiking, biking... starting kettlebells (still in Army Reserves - have to do push-ups and sit-ups)

Favorite Primal food: Steak, eggs, butter


Best part about being Primal: Aside from breaking a lifelong grain addiction, the lifestyle makes sense and is relatively effortless... no fancy equipment, no health club memberships, I love unprocessed natural food and salad... my joint pains, fatigue and other health problems disappear when I follow PB.


Worst part about being Primal: Missing some of my favorite foods... pizza, bagels, pasta...

[Greg]

Your location: New York


Age (If you want): 37


How Primal are you: 100% in terms of food choices but still working on going 100% organic and grass fed


Do you consume dairy: No


Do you drink coffee or tea: No


Motivator for switching to Primal: A cleaner and more natural way of life for me. I had been a very low carber for a year and half prior but my weight loss had stalled due to dairy products and an improper exercise routine


Favorite exercise: Right now I'm doing a 5x5 routine and loving it... along with low intensity cardio (cycling or hiking) - Looking to incorporate sprinting soon!


Favorite Primal food: Steak


Best part about being Primal: I am no longer on any medications; my blood work is textbook perfect. I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. I look and feel better now at the age of 37 then when I was 25!


Worst part about being Primal: None. I wouldn't change my lifestyle for the anything!

[metazeph]

Age 56, Santa Fe, New Mexico.... gone primal today after reading the book -- grain vegan diet I was on before, hungry all the time, health issues....


anyway, I'm new to it... I will eat some dairy, but limited, just purchased some grass fed meats, especially buffalo (lots in New Mexico)..... lots of leafy greens and seeds.... won't change that.. love salads.


I wish you all a good success... guess I didn't answer the questions in order..

[tfarny]

Your location:New York City

Age (If you want):38

How Primal are you:Still figuring that out - only 3 weeks in

Do you consume dairy: Oh yes. If I had to give up dairy this whole thing would be far harder.

Do you drink coffee or tea: 3 cups of strong coffee daily.

Motivator for switching to Primal: Doctor trying to get me on Statins in my 30s, our conversations about cholesterol prompted me to read up on the science and here I am.

Favorite exercise: Racquetball. Totally primal-friendly sport too! 110% bursts of activity, full body movement.

Favorite Primal food: Ribs. Oh, ribs. Guilt-free ribs.

Best part about being Primal: I would say improved mood, sleep, and energy levels, I know that's 3 but hey. Weight loss, the reason I started, is great but not the main benefit for me as it turns out.

Worst part about being Primal: Hard to buy a good quick meal around the office, even though it's Manhattan. Bread is everywhere! I shouldn't complain though, it's probably easier to be primal here than in most of the country.