The Next 50 Primal Years page

[sbh]

i'm writing this in order to keep an account of my journey into the 2nd half of the century of my life. I will be turning 50 years YOUNG in June of 2013. For the past 49 years I've battled my weight. I don't remember a time in my entire life that it wasn't an issue. Sometimes less than others but always there. My story is much like many others, the chubby kid despite being just as active as my siblings and friends. I just never could seem to get enough to eat even though we had plenty of food available. When my sisters would pick at their food and be full I was wanting seconds. I grew up with the typical southern diet of delicious fried foods, vegetables, potatoes and cornbread. Though I managed to keep my weight in check during my late teens and early 20's with diet pills (over-the-counter, illegal, and prescription) and lots of exercise it caught up with me once I was married and very soon children followed. I managed to yo-yo over 25 years from a marriage weight of a normal 140 to a high point about 10 to 12 years later of 262 on a 5' 5'' frame. During these years i managed to try all the popular Doctor approved diets and then some including Weight Watchers, low fat, low carb, slimfast, and many other lesser known fads. I also continued to exercise much of that time by walking 2 to 3 miles 5 days a week. Hiking. Joining various gyms including Curves, YMCA, Ladies Choice and Anytime Fitness. I have owned a treadmill, exercise bike, weights, step, cardio glide and many exercise dvds. Of all of this the most success i had was with low-carb. Little did i know how valuable this would prove to be for me later on.
Fast forward to about March of 2004 when i had an episode that sent my health world spiraling downward. That moment started a whole new life of one medical issue after another. PCOS, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, depression, typeII diabetes, then slightly high cholesterol. By now I am taking 8 prescription medications and see no hope since every diet the well meaning docs suggest do not seem to make a difference. It gets to the point that I felt like my doctor doesn't believe i'm actually trying. Time to take matters into my on hands.
I of course over the years had educated myself about food in that I knew that low-carb worked best for me and my issues even though my doctors didn't think this the healthiest option. They wanted me to count calories. What awful hell that was. Starving and craving and then giving up!!! So forget what they think they know and do what my body has been trying to tell me all these years!! The only problem i had with low-carb was that i still always had those nagging cravings no matter how "good" i was doing. Then a miracle happened! And yes I do consider it a miracle. I stumbled across the Primal/paleo way of eating. That's when i realized after much reading that it was all those pesky grains that have been the problem all along!! Even when low-carbing i was still eating Low-carb tortillas and high fiber beans as part of my diet. After eliminating grains and beans and sugars from my diet I began to really see and feel a big difference. Even after just a few days.
After just a few weeks of eating primal I felt so much better that I began slowly eliminating some of my prescription meds, knowing I had my upcoming 3 month check-up/ lab-work in 2 months. So having been eating primal for those 2 1/2 months prior to my check up I am thrilled to report that I have lost 12 lbs. my cholesterol was down, Ha1c normal, blood pressure great. I had stopped statins, metformin, and anti-depressant.
I do still take a beta-blocker, levothyroxine and blood pressure med but hope to get off that soon.
One of the most amazing things for me is that the cravings for all my old favorites like ice cream and baked potatoes and pasta are almost non-existent. In the old days if had a cheat meal or treat it would be almost impossible to get past the cravings again. But eating the primal way I have treated myself to the occasional ice cream or loaded baked potato but afterward I'm ok. I don't seem to have to take days to fight off the continuing cravings. Now i can have that one treat and I'm good-to-go. It's soooo wonderful to feel free from the addiction to carbs.
So after this long introduction, my hope, my expectation, is to be able to report once a month on my progress and hopefully by my 50th birthday in June 2013 I will be at or very close to my goal weight of 140lbs and even more important feel and look better the second century of my life than I did the 1st.

[Primal Primate]

Hey sbh!
Welcome to the lifestyle - I can relate to your story, although I am still trying to see my way through the first half of my century! At 30 I started to really put the pounds on and shortly there after was diagnosed with high blood pressure. My doctor put me on all sorts of meds for it and lectured me on the dangers of being fat - his words not mine. Of course every diet he tried to put me on or suggested I go on did not work because they were just diets. My brother actually tuned me into the primal lifestyle and I feel great when I am living primal. I'm recovering from a major set back - I fell off the wagon big time but I seem to be back on track. Now to get back to losing the weight and moving forward.
I hope your journey to your inner Grok is a successful and fun one!
Grok On!

[sbh]

thanks primal primate! and good luck with your journey too! Love the Herman Hesse quote. I can directly relate to it.