What was your wake-up call? page 5

[Annieh]

Well today is my anniversary and it's a year since I realised that I was definitely going to tackle my weight and health in the coming year. I was as heavy as I'd ever been, and felt unattractive, lethargic, bloated, moody, and had a couple of incidents of stomach pain for no reason I could identify. I thought about it a lot over the summer break and resolved to join a gym as soon as school went back, which I did. A few months of that and I was enjoying being stronger, becoming fitter, and had lost a few kilos by cutting carbs. But I wasn't sure how long I would be able to keep it all up.

Suddenly, the gym posted a before/after pic of one of their members, I clicked, found her link to MDA and read as much as I could on the site. At the same time, I asked another gym classmate about her diet as she always looked good, and her diet sounded similar to mine except she said she didn't each much bread. The penny dropped.

Immediately I went back to Primal Blueprint, cleaned out my pantry of the grains and what few processed products I could find (I was already into wholesome food really), and started.

The bloating disappeared instantly. The fat dropped off me faster than ever (to the point that some people became a little concerned). My insomnia and other menopausal symptoms went away.

So yes, I was definitely primed and ready to adopt this way of eating when I found it. It provided the missing link - I had discovered that low carb would help me lose weight, but I didn't know how to maintain the loss. I don't like sport so I knew I couldn't and didn't want to continue to increase the exercise factor. Funny thing though - now I have more energy than I ever expected to have at my age and have actually joined a team, not because I feel I should but because I actually wanted to.

Best of all, I can keep this up forever and feed my husband and children the same knowing I am nurturing their health too. They miss a few things but not enough to complain as the rest of the food is so good.

[trekfan]

What was my wake up call? A series of them, actually. Late April of 2011 (last year, wow) I weighed 273 pounds. I was 5'8 and 22. I had just come off the worst semester of college ever, was depressed, and we had a family picture made. I looked like a freakin white whale. I was so embarrassed ... but I coped as I always coped: food. I ate. I drank sweet drinks. I ate some more.

May and June I continued to get bigger. I don't know how much, I didn't step on the scale, but the clothes I was in during that picture in April were really tight by late June. In early July I moved in with a friend who had been preaching Primal since October 2010. She had lost over 40 pounds, went from 155 to 115, felt great, looked amazing, and said it worked. I didn't really believe her until I saw it in person.

I saw it in person for three weeks. It worked on me, slowly. I ate the way she ate (for she cooked and bought the food) so I lost some weight. I didn't really notice, but it was there. Then her niece showed up. She was hot. I liked her from sight one and she spent the weekend with us.

I didn't register on her radar. I tried everything I could, even engaged her in the forbidden topics of Religion and Politics to try and get something ... nope. Nothing.

I went for a long two hour walk down a busy highway, pissed beyond belief. It was hot but I was mad as fire. When I got back, I had come to grips with it ... I was a fat, unattractive slob. I needed to do something now or be forever this way.

It had hit the point where I would either get better or get much worse.

I chose to make a go at better. My friend gave me every bit of advice, every bit of help she could. I started this at 266, began posting my weekly progress in a note on Facebook for accountability, and I set a goal to be down to 206lbs by my birthday (10/13). I didn't make that goal (I lost 47lbs by then) but I had found something that worked and I was growing smaller by the day.

I got sick, ended up in the hospital at the beginning of November. Gained some weight back, battled over the holidays to chip it off, and by the time early January came around I was at 199 and in size 32 jeans. I was the smallest I had been in seven years.

I kept going, kept hitting weight loss goals, and by the end of June this year I was 140. That's where I've been since. I've focused on strength training and building muscle and I still am slimming down, much slower, but still slimming down. I was in size 30 jeans at the end of June, I'm in size 28 now. I could fit into a small t-shirt all right at the end of June, now small t-shirts are bigish on me. I buy clothes sized for teenage boys, so desperate for something that fits and doesn't hang off me.

I can do pull-ups and chin ups with ease. At the end of June I could barely do one pullup and five chinups.

Primal has given me the confidence to learn how to cook. It has given me the confidence to say no to horrible food. It has allowed me to be the thinnest adult in my family (an honor no one would have predicted I'd ever earn). People mistaken me for 15-16 routinely. I'm 24 now.

I eat right, I keep the weight off, I sleep better than ever before, and I have more energy than I know what to do with. I feel like this is what I should have felt when I WAS 15-16 but I never felt that then.

Primal works and I will do it for as long as I live. I will never go back.

[OneDeltaTenTango]

Wow Trekfan. Fan-freakin-tastic work. What phenomenal results and what an inspiring story. Keep up the great work!

[peril]

Heart attack, five stents and a lot of drugs woke me up

[Louisa655]

I've always eaten healthy -- grew up in a home where my parents 'slow cooked' every meal. We never had junk food, but pasta and bread were staples daily because that's what Italians do!

I'm no 48 years old, and have been athletic, fit and healthy my whole life. I started a Master's programme two years ago, and between that, working full time, and in a new relationship, the weight has creeped up. On top of it all, I sustained a serious back injury and have not exercised for four years.

In December 2011, I remarked to my husband that "I didn't feel well' after eating grains. I stopped eating grains for two weeks at a time, and then would try introducing grains again -- ouch! My husband gave me a gluten free cookbook for Christmas. Simultaneously, I was researching nutrition, exercise programmes, and how to heal a herniated disc.

In June 2012, I was enjoying a nice meal in a restaurant with friends, and suddenly just felt unhealthy, overweight (by 15 lbs), and felt that I needed a change. I had read Mark Sisson's website, and had been lurking for about a month or two.

The next morning, Monday --- I woke up -- turned to my husband and said: "I'm changing the way I'm eating". He said, "Okay". I never shared any information with my husband but started to see results immediately. Within a few days of eliminating all grains, dairy, sugar, I started feeling more energetic and just healthier. I visited my nearby health food store and added multivitamins, krill oil, Vitamins D and B to my daily routine. Coconut oil is a staple in my kitchen -- it's aroma and flavour is my new comfort food.

Within 4 months, I dropped 20 lbs, 11" and I feel amazing. The last bit of stubborn belly fat is finally coming off. I've given away all my size 12 clothes, and now wear a size 8. Some silly people make comments like, "don't lose anymore weight" which I just laugh at. We are so used to seeing overweight people, that a slim individual now stands out like a sore thumb --- how jaded our perception of 'healthy weight' has become.

My husband eats what I eat because I do the cooking and the grocery shopping. I love the way that I feel --- even amounts of energy, daily. I'm sleeping better and I feel sexier in my new size 8 clothes. I rarely have cravings for anything anymore. I enjoy my food, but I don't dwell on it. I have a healthy relationship with food and like the fact that I'm eating two meals a day versus three with a few snacks.

I'm looking forward to graduating with my Master's in the next few months. With all my 'spare time' -- I intend to join a Crossfit class. One of the greatest benefits of my new healthy lifestyle is that my back feels healed. I no longer experience daily pain and I attribute that to the reduction/elimination of inflammation in my body. The muscles in my back are stronger from the daily planks and body weight exercises that I do at home with my own equipment.

Anyway, that's my story. I have learned so much from so many of the wonderful members on this forum. I have realized that we are all individuals, with unique needs, desires and wants, and yet there's something for everyone here. Big thanks to Mark Sisson --- he keeps things simple and I like that. /Lu

[trekfan]

Wow Trekfan. Fan-freakin-tastic work. What phenomenal results and what an inspiring story. Keep up the great work!

Thanks Delta I don't know if I'll ever have the six-pack Mark has, but I'm way happier as I am now than I was before.

Some silly people make comments like, "don't lose anymore weight" which I just laugh at. We are so used to seeing overweight people, that a slim individual now stands out like a sore thumb --- how jaded our perception of 'healthy weight' has become.

You're 100% correct. My family is the same way with me about my weight. They insist I shouldn't lose anymore and I tell them I'm not, but they can't understand I'm still losing inches and wearing smaller clothes. I def feel like I stand out in a crowd now, especially at grocery stores where everyone is just ... well, as I was. I feel bad. I wish I could scream at the top of my lungs "I HAVE THE KEY! I KNOW HOW TO DO IT!" but I know people will only listen when they're ready. I didn't listen until I was ready.

But the world's perception of a healthy weight -- especially America -- is majorly skewed.

[Tribal Rob]

Then her niece showed up. She was hot. I liked her from sight one and she spent the weekend with us.

I didn't register on her radar. I tried everything I could, even engaged her in the forbidden topics of Religion and Politics to try and get something ... nope. Nothing.

This part of the story needs futher exporation, have you pulled that lass yet - if not go out and get on with it man

[trekfan]

This part of the story needs futher exporation, have you pulled that lass yet - if not go out and get on with it man

I've actually seen her twice since. Still hot but I'm ... well, socially awkward I guess is the phrase. I never had a real reason to develop social skills before that didn't involve me being the fat guy. I played the fat guy role ... loud, boisterous, ect and played it to perfection.

Now, I'm no longer the fat guy but I have no idea really what to do with myself around girls, especially that one because she remembers and has seen how much weight I've lost. We've talked about what I did as far as diet and exercise are concerned but as to any moves towards dating ... seems like a giant leap. She goes to school in Ohio anyway so logistics are a bit tough to work out but still, I need to work up the courage to ask. It just seems every time I get around her -- and cute girls in particular -- I just lose any confidence in myself and putter around trying not to fail horribly (which is a poor strategy, just saying).

So ... there's that. *shrugs*

[Knifegill]

I've actually seen her twice since. Still hot but I'm ... well, socially awkward I guess is the phrase. I never had a real reason to develop social skills before that didn't involve me being the fat guy. I played the fat guy role ... loud, boisterous, ect and played it to perfection.

Now, I'm no longer the fat guy but I have no idea really what to do with myself around girls, especially that one because she remembers and has seen how much weight I've lost. We've talked about what I did as far as diet and exercise are concerned but as to any moves towards dating ... seems like a giant leap. She goes to school in Ohio anyway so logistics are a bit tough to work out but still, I need to work up the courage to ask. It just seems every time I get around her -- and cute girls in particular -- I just lose any confidence in myself and putter around trying not to fail horribly (which is a poor strategy, just saying).

So ... there's that. *shrugs*

I was a nervous guy, too. Lost a lot of good opportunities when young to those second thoughts. Got to act like you own the place. Polite, confident, and able to listen for a long time to stupid long stories about nothing with a smile on your face.

[JoanieL]

trekfan, here's an urban legend you might like: A guy living in Manhattan stands on a corner every day and asks every pretty woman who walks by if she wants to get laid. As you can imagine, he gets quite a few expletives tossed at him, and even gets slapped occasionally. But he gets laid every day.

So, while I'm not advocating that kind of behavior, it does kind of show that you have to put it out there. The worst that can happen is getting turned down. That's not the end of the world.