Retiree. I tried it for 35 days and I quit. Didn't work for me. page 5

[Jena]

I kind of doubt that someone who would give up after a month was truly 95% primal for said month. And if they were, had success, and still gave up then I would guess that its the "I can eat whatever I want if I take this pill" mentality that needs to be ditched. Not Primal Blueprint, but whatever... more ribeyes for me

[Bob-Tao]

It was confusing to me as well, but I kept a daily journal and checked my bp 3 to 4 times each day to arrive at a daily average.
On 8/8, when I started primal and stopped my bp meds, my bp was 133/73 and weight was was 212.
After one day of primal and no meds my bp was 131/76 and weight was was 208. Initially this was very promising.
After 35 days on primal, on 9/12, my bp was 145/85 and my weight was back to 212. At this point I reintroduced some grains. By 9/14 my bp was 149/90 and I went back on bp meds, my weight was 214.
Today my bp is 135/79, and my weight is 213, pretty much back where I started on 8/8.

I guess I was saying that primal initially gave me a 4 lb weight loss the first day, that went back to my starting weight after 35 days. Going back on grains I gained 2 lbs then lost 1 lb.
In regard to bp, the primal did not keep my bp down in the 130s where it was with the meds. It crept up to 145. I then re-introduced grains and it went to 149. The meds got it back to 135. I found that grains vs no grains made very little difference in my weight or bp.

Am I understanding correctly that at the end of 35 days you lost weight (or at least hadn't gained any more) and were successfully off BP meds? You then re-introduced grains, and as a result gained weight and raised your BP? And the conclusion you reached from these data is that primal eating does not work?

I'm so confused.

[Bob-Tao]

Thanks. I looked at a youtube video by him and will check him out further.

calories control everything. Mark is wrong when he says to eat all you want. good luck to you though. I would suggest looking at some of Dr. Greg Ellis's work, he lets you structure your own diet and live your life

[Bob-Tao]

No I'm not a troll. If you follow my posts I have been around for a couple of months. I did like Mark said and gave it try. Not a 100% effort but as much of an effort as I was willing to make. I'm glad for your husband and you. Good luck.

Could it have been a troll?

My 66 year old husband is doing great on this and does not intend to EVER go back to the way he had been eating. It works. Slow and steady, but it does work.

Tortoise and the hare. One wins, one does not.

[Bob-Tao]

No, I'm just someone who is sharing my own experience, as is everyone else on the forum.

as little sense as OP made, i imagine it was either a troll or someone dying to say AH-HA! SO THERE!

[Bob-Tao]

Cheers to you as well. You're doing well, more power to you. I guess one size doesn't fit all.

Primal is not for everyone. If you are addicted to your meds and your heavier weight, then primal is not for you. All the power to you -- enjoy your pizza, bread, potatoes, pasta and meds. It's all about choice and sounds like you've made yours. Cheers, mate.

[zoebird]

I think your expectations were false, Bob.

I think you expected to loose several lbs and get your BP under control in 30 days, is that right?

If you read most of the success stories, the real results often take 3-6 months (that's 90 to 180 days) -- particularly when we are talking about something like blood pressure issues for which you previously were medicated.

For most people, the first 30 days are getting things in order -- getting through carb flu, getting the diet sorted overall, getting the movement organized, and also getting the rest sorted. This is not a small undertaking.

You mention that you did the diet, but your carb count (100-125g) is above the recommended PB amounts for weight loss (under 100 g). You also mention that you were nto grain free the whole time, which can also have impact. You dont' talk about your daily caloric intake either, because that would also affect it.

You don't mention whether or not you exercise and how -- this has a massive effect on weight loss and overall health. You don't mention how much sleep you get or how much sunlight.

Honestly, you haven't done the primal blueprint as far as I can tell (or, "any more than you were willing to do"), and then you assert that it "didn't work."

No, Bob -- you didn't do the work of it.

Sorry, but that's the bare facts. If you were to give yourself 6 months of getting good sleep, exercising properly, and going completely, 100% primal with calorie counting and making sure you were under 100g/carbs per day and no grains/legumes -- I bet you would see results.

I don't know what you want to weigh, but honestly, it's not unusual for men or women to not loose any weight in the first month. 4 lbs tends to be about the average -- usually water weight in the first week -- and then from there. . .well, it tends to about 1-2 lbs a week after the first month. . . once everything is organized and the body is going that direction.

[cori93437]

It was confusing to me as well, but I kept a daily journal and checked my bp 3 to 4 times each day to arrive at a daily average.
On 8/8, when I started primal and stopped my bp meds, my bp was 133/73 and weight was was 212.
After one day of primal and no meds my bp was 131/76 and weight was was 208. Initially this was very promising.
After 35 days on primal, on 9/12, my bp was 145/85 and my weight was back to 212. At this point I reintroduced some grains. By 9/14 my bp was 149/90 and I went back on bp meds, my weight was 214.
Today my bp is 135/79, and my weight is 213, pretty much back where I started on 8/8.

I guess I was saying that primal initially gave me a 4 lb weight loss the first day, that went back to my starting weight after 35 days. Going back on grains I gained 2 lbs then lost 1 lb.
In regard to bp, the primal did not keep my bp down in the 130s where it was with the meds. It crept up to 145. I then re-introduced grains and it went to 149. The meds got it back to 135. I found that grains vs no grains made very little difference in my weight or bp.

Umm... No!

A four pound fluctuation in weight overnight is NOT a "weight loss".
It's a random daily fluctuation in bodily fluids.

The one day BP change is the same exact thing... a normal daily fluctuation.

The measure and difference in weight or BP in one, two, or three days is NOT an accurate indicator of ANYTHING>
But those numbers can be used to chart progress over time...
And, if one is conscious of things it can show problem areas in your life.
Such as a noting that maybe you get particularly high BP readings when you a really bad day at work...
Or that your weight is not trending downward over time... you need to reassess caloric intake?

In other words... you are not using numbers appropriately.
Not even close.

Also,
Everything Zoebird said.

[Bob-Tao]

Well, I saw about a half dozen videos of Mark and others doing primal and they all said "Just try it for 30 days, and it will change your life." So I tried it for 35 days and it didn't. And I'm not willing to do more than I did. I tried vegetarian diets, they didn't work for me either. Neither did Atkins. What works as well as anything, and is a lot less effort and stressful is eating what I want in moderation, doing activities I enjoy, and keeping my mind occupied. At 213 and 6'1" I'm just moderately overweight. Other than bp I have no other medical conditions. My blood work and all other indicators are in normal range.

So, why did I post? Well, when I searched this site, two things I didn't find were:

1) How this was working for people over 65 (I'm 66). I found lots of introductions by people who were retired, but virtually no follow up posts. So it seemed to me that it was likely it didn't work for them but they just stopped posting. I didn't want to do that. I had invested my time and energy into trying it (yes, not perfectly, but I never have been or plan to do anything perfectly), so I wanted to document my experience. I felt entitled to do so. There was no difference to me or my weight in eaiting 100-150 grams of non grain non legume carbs, or eating grains.

2) I didn't see much on this forum by people who hoped to lower bp by going primal, on whether or not they achieved that goal. Maybe that's an issue that ties into age, as 75% of the people over 65 have high bp. So I wanted to be on the record for that as well. My pressure crept up during the 35 days to where I had to admit I needed to go back on the meds, because primal exercise and diet (albeit not perfect) did not keep my pressure down.

I have a good life. I don't need saving. I am retired 5 years with an adequate income and am healthier and more active than most people my age. Let's face it. Most people my age wouldn't be posting on a primal forum.

I have to say I enjoyed being on this board. The reactions to this, my goodbye post, were not nearly as negative as I thought they would be, and a few positive posts were here as well. To those of you for whom this program works, stick with it. For those for whom it doesn't work, don't blame yourself, look for something else. I did.

And apropos, here's my favorite quote, though I don't know who said it originally...

"In theory, theory is the same as practice. In practice, it's not."

Grok on.

[BennettC]

the 4 lbs was water weight. grains absorb tons of water. 4lbs is nothing bro, sounds like your in denial about your weight and just making excuses for yourself. best wishes though, paleo isn't for everyone