Before and after pics page 479

[Ghâshûl]

Very nice progress for you as well! Do you intend on taking up weightlifting at some point?

And thanks for your nice comments! I do believe I am quite close to my goal weight, as you say still some on the stomach, but not too much. I'm lifting now, so I find it likely that I'll stay around the same, or maybe even go back up a bit in weight.

As for calories, I honestly don't know. I've never bothered to count. I follow WHEN (when hunger naturally ensues). Usually that means I eat 2-3 times a day. Quite often I'll eat a scramble of bacon, three eggs and some vegetables at 1 or 2pm, and then have dinner at 6-8pm. That's often some meat (today it was two pork chops) and veggies (green beans today).
Today I also had ice cream for desert, which I don't usually have. But it was good quality vanilla ice cream, and I crumbled some 85% chocolate into it.

[Daydreamer]

Very nice progress for you as well! Do you intend on taking up weightlifting at some point?

And thanks for your nice comments! I do believe I am quite close to my goal weight, as you say still some on the stomach, but not too much. I'm lifting now, so I find it likely that I'll stay around the same, or maybe even go back up a bit in weight.

As for calories, I honestly don't know. I've never bothered to count. I follow WHEN (when hunger naturally ensues). Usually that means I eat 2-3 times a day. Quite often I'll eat a scramble of bacon, three eggs and some vegetables at 1 or 2pm, and then have dinner at 6-8pm. That's often some meat (today it was two pork chops) and veggies (green beans today).
Today I also had ice cream for desert, which I don't usually have. But it was good quality vanilla ice cream, and I crumbled some 85% chocolate into it.

Thanks for you answer Ghâsûl !
Yes to be honest with you I do want to do some weight lifting. I'm not totally a newbie concerning this domain, I used to lift weights quite regularly (with a shitty overtraining routine, I really don't like the oh so common "6 days a week splits" you can find on bodybuilding forums these days...) That and somewhat lowfat eating was the trigger of my hormonal crash which revealed my natural hypophysis weakness and pubertal problem.

But for the moment I'm struggling with French doctors and hospitals, because here academic medecine is very very late in terms of treatment for hypogonadism and all kinds of hormonal therapies, so I'm left with a fucked up health due to untreated estradiol (a form of female hormone) increased by aromatization of supraphysiological testosterone and all kind of annoying stuff (hypothyroid, problems with cortisol, pregnenolone... the list goes on.)
Many many bad effects come from this, it messes up with my neurotransmitters, so therefore causes depression, extreme fatigue, no motivation, no libido, water retention, whole body swelling, hot flashes, insomnia...

So I guess the time is yet to come...

Thanks for the clarification on how you eat !
Even if, considering my age I don't know if we'd benefit from the same WOE

[Ghâshûl]

I do Starting Strength coupled with some bodyweight exercises, and that's a lot more manageable with 3 sessions a week, and only three lifts each time (+what I add). When you're ready to start up, I recommend doing that program!

It sounds horrible what you're going through, but I hope that even with the doctors being less than competent, you'll eventually find your optimal health!

How old are you, since you say it like that? I would guess that you're some years younger than me? I'm 29.

[Daydreamer]

Yes Starting Strength or this kind of well thought routines with plenty of rest and focus on gaining strength is what I want to do once I'm able to.

In order to solve my problem, I will go to Belgium when some expensive doctors are much more competent in this domain, with one being the most quoted doctor worldwide on all TRT patients boards (T. Hertoghe). I talked with one of the doctors he works with on the phone and I'm looking forward to seeing him since he seems to be well aware of the problems I'm dealing with and how to solve them.

I'm 19 by the way.

[Ghâshûl]

Great to hear that it will go in a good direction then! You're as old as I feel then

[primalbetty]

Hey everyone! I'm excited to join in the fun here. Been paleo for about 3 months now and it's been mind-blowing to see the changes that have taken place in such a short space of time. A little history? Oh go on then...

I've never really been overweight, but I was sort of lucky in that I am a 5'11" female who carries weight on my bum/thighs. My stomach never really got fat. So I could easily hide any excess by dressing right. I've always been pretty athletic, but stopped doing sport after leaving school. I missed sport, but various injuries, slugishness, lethargy etc. always seemed to put an end to any attempts I made to rekindle my sporting side.

So I was plodding along happy enough but with constant life long IBS, general malaise, occasional depression and bad skin. I flirted with being wheat free in my early 20s and while it made me feel amazing, I found it hard to keep doing it, especially without guidance.

Then I hit my 30s. And I looked in the mirror and realised I'd put on a fair bit of weight. The scales confirmed it - I was the heaviest I'd ever been. I had been a pretty constant "just under 11 stone" my whole adult life, but now I was 11 and a half, and I could see it. Cellulite had always been an issue for me, and now it had started to appear on the front of my thighs, which looked bad. I realised that being in my 30s, it was now or never. I could take control and get in the best shape ever, or sit back and wait to get old. I went for the first option :-)

So, I started working out. I went 4 or 5 times a week, lifting weights, not really knowing what I was doing, but getting into it. I started cutting out wheat and eating lots of fresh meat and veg and fish. I booked myself a 10 session intensive personal training course, which came with an assessment and a diet plan; and that's when I first heard "paleo".

Straight away I was hooked. As a skeptic, the science made sense to me, it sounded healthy and good. The diet plan I was given by my trainer was dull as dishwater, so I did some research, visited some sites and made my own paleo plan. I got really into it. And I got a proper training plan, involving free weights, bike sprint intervals, planking, step ups (I had bad knees that wouldn't let me squat without collapsing) and I worked really hard at it.

And it worked. Really worked. The weight fell off me, I was eating really well, feeling amazing and getting MUSCLES that I'd never imagined. My upper body came along quick, my lower half is still a work in progress, but is 100% better than it was 3 months ago already. In the 4 weeks of eating paleo and doing my personal training, I lost a stone in fat, gained muscle and lost 3 and a half inches from my waist and thighs. My body fat % went from 26% to 19% in a month. And I felt incredible.

Since then, I've carried on eating paleo, loving it and eating well. I've experimented with baking with coconut flour and succeeded and I've continued to work out regularly. I'm now down to 10 stone and my body fat % continues to drop. I'm 31 years old and feel younger, fitter and sexier than I have done since I was a teenager.

So anyway, the evidence is below! Starts with a "before" picture (if they're in the right order?!) Hope you like the progress. Looking forward to gaining more muscle now and getting in even better, stronger shape.

Cass x

[Kakes]

primalbetty- Dang girl!! Nice work! You look amazing!!

[Gravyboat]

It's my birthday today so I'm postin'. I started 10 months ago, and have lost 63lbs as of today. As I begin being 26, I'm remembering what I looked like when I became 25. Those who follow my journal know that I have changed and progressed the most in ways that cannot be seen in a picture or read off a scale, but I still think this image says a lot.

I still have a ways to go, but my life is so completely different now than it was a year ago. I feel better now in EVERY WAY. And I am not exaggerating when I say that I am a completely different person now, physically, emotionally, and mentally. But even if you ignore all that, damn, I am skinnier!



Fun fact: I have lost 8.5" off my hips.

[Kakes]

Yeah gravyboat! You look so much younger and more confident. Smokin'!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

[sarahz]

WOW Primal Betty you have exactly the same body type as me and I've been doing this for over a year with no real changes. I would like to know exactly what you eat and do please?