Obligatory forum Introduce yourself thread
(461 posts) (429 voices)-
Del Mar Mel
MemberYour location: Del Mar & Santa Barbara, CA
Age (If you want): 41
How Primal are you: Just discovering it. I am pretty much 100% organic, whole foods, dabbling in raw foods
Do you consume dairy: Not much, mainly just yogurt, occasional cheese, will try whatever this PB approach prescribes
Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee in the morn before my run, then yerba mate or tea if I want it in the afternoon
Motivator for switching to Primal: I have been dabbling in raw foods the last few years but I know I will not give up fish or eggs or the occasional yogurt. Trying to find what works and am committed to whole, fresh foods that I make myself, nothing processed
Favorite exercise: Running and am a member of Valerie Waters' Red Carpet Ready Club. She has fantastic circuit training that she uses with clients such as Jennifer Garner. I love her workouts.
Favorite Primal food: Grilled salmon or seared ahi
Best part about being Primal: Just getting started but I think this is probably not going to be too hard for me to follow, I don't really eat any processed foods
Worst part about being Primal: I am a little concerned about the fat but will give it an honest go, assuming that I will get my post workout carbs from a green smoothie with a little fruit and some protein powderReally excited to get into this book and put it into action. I think it adds what I've been needing in my diet
Posted 4 months ago # -
Dan
MemberYour location: California/Oregon
Age (If you want): 27
How Primal are you: 60-70%
Do you consume dairy: Yes
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes!
Motivator for switching to Primal: Fitness, health, simplicity
Favorite exercise: Surfing & hiking
Favorite Primal food: Omelet w/ avocado, tomato, & salmon...mmm
Best part about being Primal: Mental clarity, vibrams, and freedom
Worst part about being Primal: Social situations can be tricky, as they almost always revolve around junk food!Coming from an endurance sports background I found this site (and the book) to be a breath of fresh air. My main interest in nutrition was performance related, and led me down the path of vegetarian/vegan/raw vegan. After trying it for a few years, I decided it wasn't working for me, and thus began incorporating animal products. So far so good, feel great and getting stronger. Now just working on striking a balance between eating plants and animals. Carrie's post was an excellent inspiration, as well as all of the incredible info on the site.
Posted 4 months ago # -
primalclubber
MemberYour location: San Francisco Bay Area
Age (If you want): 49
How Primal are you: Nutritionally 60-70%; Activity 95%
Do you consume dairy: Yogurt
Do you drink coffee or tea: Both black and green
Motivator for switching to Primal: CW no longer made sense to me about 5 years ago, and I started reading DeVany and Ori Hofmeckler(Warrior Diet). The lifestyle just suits me.
Favorite exercise: Anything with my kettlebells, maceclub, and now playing with my new clubbells.
Favorite Primal food: Pork Ribs
Best part about being Primal: I own my lifestyle. I use PB as a guideline, and make my own decisions regarding what works for me. No dogma, no worries.
Worst part about being Primal: Since I own it there is no worst part.Posted 4 months ago # -
Squirrel Jo
MemberYour location: Oxford, England
Age (If you want): 28
How Primal are you: Nutritionally 70%; Activity 20%
Do you consume dairy: A bit if milk & cheese
Do you drink coffee or tea: Only herbal teas
Motivator for switching to Primal: Been struggling with fertility issues for 2 years, herbalist told me to drop wheat, then I decided to go gluten free... came across this website and decided to go grain-free too. Oh, and I liked this way of eating because lots of fats made sens to me, my unhealthiest time ever was on a fat-free diet.
Favorite exercise: Yoga & walking
Favorite Primal food: Olives, steak and artichokes
Best part about being Primal: No falling asleep at my desk and eating fat!
Worst part about being Primal: Sugar cravings are driving me nuts.Posted 4 months ago # -
twentyclicks
MemberYour location: Belfast, N.Ireland
Age (If you want): 28How Primal are you: 2 weeks. Cut grains/sugars for the most part, still eating baked beans (although only 1/2 a tin at a time). Trying to focus my exercise more PB. I'm a bike courier so can be cycling a few hours each day. I need to check my heart rates but it's not that hard unless there are serious winds!
Do you consume dairy: Yes. Cheese, butter, cream. Have given up my whole milk although only had a bit with porridge anyway.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Black tea! Maybe 1 cup every 2 days.
Motivator for switching to Primal: Years of fatigue, despite my fitness. Doctors never found any problems. Stuffed my face on all the good stuff to try and get enough calories. Also, I like the idea of better all-round fitness.
Favorite exercise: Always liked pull-ups. Tai chi, hiking, bike sprints.
Favorite Primal food: Steak.
Best part about being Primal: Being awesome & having energy (I hope)
Worst part about being Primal: No bread or cakes. Seriously, I can give up rice and pasta no problem, and maybe even my bedrock porridge oats...but I have a love affair with baking. The past 2 weeks have been hard.
Also, with my job, I have no idea how I will get enough calories. It's been very quiet the past 2 weeks, but I've lost about 6lbs. I generally don't feel hungry, so I hope it's just using body fat (I was maybe 17%): but that can't keep up much longer. I've started logging my food and am on maybe half the calories I should be. Will need to start eating chunks of butter!Posted 4 months ago # -
Plaid Dad
MemberYour location: New England
Age (If you want): 43
How Primal are you: I'm only 4 days in, so I don't know, but I'm considering this a serious experiment.
Do you consume dairy: No; may reintroduce butter at some point.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes
Motivator for switching to Primal: Weight loss and fatigue
Favorite exercise: Body-weight exercises, swimming, walking, and anything that doesn't require equipment or shoes
Favorite Primal food: Salmon
Best part about being Primal: Not being hungry all the time
Worst part about being Primal: Convincing frugal wife that good meat is worth the expense (and costs less than hospital bills)Posted 4 months ago # -
Clark G.
MemberYour location: SE Michigan
Age (If you want): 38
How Primal are you: 50%
Do you consume dairy: yes, but limited
Do you drink coffee or tea: yes, 1 cup per day
Motivator for switching to Primal: lose weight, eliminate metabolic syndrome
Favorite exercise: aikido, hiking
Favorite Primal food: bacon
Best part about being Primal: bacon!
Worst part about being Primal: None yet!I work behind a desk 40-50 hours per week. I've been heavy most of my life, but stayed active. I'm a big guy with a host of health problems that I'd like to get rid of and a family history of heart disease and type II diabetes.
I've had success on other carb-restricted diets, but PB seems more like a lifestyle than a dread "diet."
Having grown up with chronic cardio and the conception that you need to lift weights to get strong, the PB philosophy towards exercise is refreshing.
I found MDA from his interview for the Art of Manliness Podcast, which I only downloaded four days ago. The website is great and I can't wait to get my copy of the book!
Grok on!
Posted 4 months ago # -
My name is Paul and I have been following the site and primal plan for a year now come Thanksgiving. I am loving it. I would say I am %90 primal with my only detours the occasional bitter sweet chocolate chips that I put in my brownie recipe from Elana's Pantry. I also drink raw whole milk since I am lucky enough to live in
California where I can buy it. Nothing beats brownies and milk for a treat! I am completely grain free and feel fantastic as a result. I also love coffee and still drink it daily. I really enjoyed the coffee article Mark linked us to today.Posted 4 months ago # -
unheatedgarage
MemberWell, I guess I should introduce myself instead of trolling the forums with snark.
I’ve been following Mark’s blog, along with Arthur DeVaney’s and Dr. Eades’s for a number of years. Although I have no doubts about the veracity of a paleo lifestyle, I’ve never taken a shot at it for a number of reasons, until now.
So here I am, about two weeks into it.
Your location: Arkansas
Age (If you want): 33
How Primal are you: 70-90% (hey, I’m working on it)
Do you consume dairy: Only when I’m cheating.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Every chance I get. Earl Grey, HOT!
Motivator for switching to Primal: Vanity
Favorite exercise: Walking/sprinting
Favorite Primal food: Bacon?
Best part about being Primal: So far, balanced energy throughout the day.
Worst part about being Primal: The fact that beer isn’t Primal.Posted 3 months ago # -
Marvin
MemberYour location: Hayward, CA
Age: 22How Primal are you: Fairly, I would count as a Lacto-Primal
Do you consume dairy: Yes, I consume a lot of butter and cream. I do keep Casein and Lactose low, however.
Do you drink coffee or tea: No.
Motivator for switching to Primal: Looking at the information on Stephen's site (which I found before MDA) it seemed logical to have a diet based on our evolutionary history and focus on foods not associated with the rise of diseases.
Favorite exercise: Squats
Favorite Primal food: Liver!Best part about being Primal: Everything feels right, I do not have any concerns right now as far as physical health goes.
Worst part about being Primal: None so far.
Posted 3 months ago # -
TexTodd
MemberYour location: Dallas, TX
Age (If you want): 40
How Primal are you: 60%? I follow pretty closely other than the items in the next two questions.
Do you consume dairy: Cream, cheese & butter
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes, lots with cream!
Motivator for switching to Primal: Health & Weight Loss (Im down 55 lbs so far!)
Favorite exercise: Lifting heavy things
Favorite Primal food: Beef Ribeye
Best part about being Primal: I love meat and fat. Lowfat has always been a tough way to eat. I can see myself being happy with this way of eating the rest of my life
Worst part about being Primal: Im a Mexican food lover. The chips/tortillas have been hard to sacrifice.
Posted 3 months ago # -
beatassasin
MemberYour location: Santa Monica, CA
Age:38How Primal are you: 80%? I don't cheat on meals, but snacks and coffee and marinated beef/pork
Do you consume dairy: not on purpose try to avoid because I found it was the root of my asthma
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes, lots.
Motivator for switching to Primal: mostly allergies/asthma, body strength, not enough time exercise, and I smell better
Favorite exercise: yoga
Favorite Primal food: beef any part, esp grassfed patties
Best part about being Primal: I love eating meat to piss off vegans and tofu fascists
Worst part about being Primal: avoiding the pleasure I get from sugar after a long day
Posted 3 months ago # -
slesca
MemberOops, I've been posting here and there for a few months and just noticed this thread:
Your location: Midwest, near lots of grassfed cows
Age: 28How Primal are you: Maybe 75%? I enjoy baked goods now and again, as well as french fries/chips/etc. All in moderation. I don't like zealotry.
Do you consume dairy: Yes, but trying to experiment with cutting it out. It's going to be a very gradual process.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yep, no chance I'll cut that out
Motivator for switching to Primal: being sad about my lethargic, softening body. Actually, my first step was severe calorie restriction (800-1200/day) and chronic cardio. When I only lost 2 lbs after a month, I decided to try something different. This worked better.
Favorite exercise: clanking those heavy weights, especially olympic lifts.
Favorite Primal food: bacon, obviously!
Best part about being Primal: No more joint pain from the chronic cardio; no more pms (well, I'm pregnant now, but that was the best before) no more insomnia and anxiety; steady and noticeable weight loss.
Worst part about being Primal: no more baking :( It was so comforting and smelled so good. Now the house always smells like bacon and fried fish.
Posted 3 months ago # -
almostinzen
MemberYour location: Portland, Maine
Age : 24
How Primal are you: 85%...too many cooks in my apartment and too much food to let it go to waste, but, i always pass on refined foods and grains.
Do you consume dairy: I cook with cream and eat cheese occasionally.
Do you drink coffee or tea: yes - to both
Motivator for switching to Primal: I recently discovered primal eating after realizing that I've been experimenting with it for months. Great minds think alike?
Favorite exercise: pull-ups
Favorite Primal food: wild salmon
Best part about being Primal: stable energy throughout the day
Worst part about being Primal: Convincing naysayers and unbelievers... it's an uphill battle, but I'm up for the challenge!Posted 3 months ago # -
Another person like me whos favorite exercise is pull-ups...Masochist! j/k...welcome aboard!
Posted 3 months ago # -
g2baker
MemberYour location: Bellevue, Washington
Age (If you want):44
How Primal are you: 99%. because of the next Q:Do you consume dairy:Yes, but using coconut milk more now and loving it!
Do you drink coffee or tea: COFFEE please!
Motivator for switching to Primal: It's obvious the route I was on was not working for me. Getting fatter by the month.
Favorite exercise: I've been a competitive swimmer my whole life, but trying new things now. The big thing is I'm trying to exercise less. I lift weights 2x/wk, take 2 pilates classes/wk, and 1-2 tabata sprints.
Favorite Primal food:Best part about being Primal: I'm getting really strong, I'm not experiencing chronic injury from running, the weight is slowly coming off. Finally, my husband and I are doing this together and we love it.
Worst part about being Primal: If I eat too much fat I gain weight.
Posted 3 months ago # -
Pikaia
MemberYour location: New England
Age (If you want): 35
How Primal are you: All the way, and I don't feel deprived by skipping cheat meals. Just give me steak!
Do you consume dairy: Ghee, a little cheese
Do you drink coffee or tea: Tea!
Motivator for switching to Primal: A couple years ago I went gluten-, dairy-, and soy-free because of my breastfed daughter's food sensitivities. More recently I went completely grain- and legume-free to try to address some annoying joint pain. After stumbling on MDA, I decided PB provides a really nice framework. Besides, saying "I eat Primal!" is a more positive statement than "Sorry, I don't eat grains, I don't eat legumes, I don't eat soy, I don't drink milk, etc."
Favorite exercise: Hatha Yoga. But I have to admit, aside from chasing after my kids, I'm kind of a couch potato. Gotta work on that.
Favorite Primal food: Steak with a big pile of greens.
Best part about being Primal: Zero carb cravings.
Worst part about being Primal: Had to change my mind on this one. The worst part is that I'm having trouble maintaining my weight. I was already slender, and eating lower carb makes it hard for me to keep the number on the scale from dropping. However, upping the carbs doesn't feel good either. So clearly I'm going to have to focus on building muscle.
Posted 3 months ago # -
Kins
MemberYour location: Florida
Age (If you want):71 How Primal are you:maybe 80%
Do you consume dairy: organic cream and butter
Do you drink coffee or tea: 1 10 oz cup of coffee a day
Motivator for switching to Primal:health
Favorite exercise:walking and running
Favorite Primal food:rib eye steak
Best part about being Primal:wonderful energy
Worst part about being Primal nothingPosted 3 months ago # -
rlb165
MemberYour location: KY
Age (If you want):46
How Primal are you:0% some days, 100% some days
Do you consume dairy: very rarely
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes
Motivator for switching to Primal: Weight Loss.
Favorite exercise: Chasing/being chased by our dogs.
Favorite Primal food: Venison
Best part about being Primal:Energy Level/Sense of Well-Being.
Worst part about being Primal: Being the only one I know who eats this way.Posted 3 months ago # -
HotfootinJoe
MemberLocation: London, UK
Age: 22
Primalness: completely primal a third of the time, half primal a sixth of the time and not primal at all half the time.
Dairy Consumption: Whole milk is my life blood!
Coffee/Tea Consumption: Rarely
Motivator for becoming primal: It makes more sense than you can shake a stick at!
Favourite Exercise: Playing chase the squirrel/stick/tail with my dog.
Favourite Primal Food: MEAT!!! it's the new bread!
Best part about being primal: Finally having a reason to walk around everywhere barefoot!
Worst part about being primal: People staring at me like I have a third eye when I tell them why I don't eat whole grain.Howdy everyone!
Posted 3 months ago # -
janjones2006
MemberYour location: San Diego
Age: 58
How primal are you: Getting back on the wagon after travel and holidays.
Do you consume dairy: Some butter, a little cheese
Do you drink coffee or tea: Morning coffee & Matcha tea
Motivator for switching to Primal: Health and following Dr. Davis' Heartscan Blog
Favorite exercise: Swimming
Favorite Primal Food: Meats
Best part about being primal: Increased energy/Not feeling hungry or deprived
Worst part about being Primal: Not having pizza and spaghetti, two former favorites. :)Posted 3 months ago # -
cassie33
MemberYour location: TN
Age (If you want): 18
How Primal are you: Mostly; I still occasionally eat peanuts, and oats in extreme moderation.
Do you consume dairy: No, but for moral reasons.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Sometimes tea, but not often.
Motivator for switching to Primal: Feeling better, mentally and physically. Also, I've never been fat, but I was eating an extremely high carb diet before(with plenty of grains) and looking back I'm pretty sure I was on the road to diabetes.
Favorite exercise: I've always loved to sprint. Pullups come in at a close second though.
Favorite Primal food: Roasted, lightly salted almonds. More addicting than potato chips.
Best part about being Primal: Better health, being able to go a while without food if need be. Feeling fuller, not crashing during workouts.
Worst part about being Primal: No grains. I miss my morning bowl of oatmeal, but I really am better off without it (at least on a regular basis).Posted 3 months ago # -
missalex
MemberYour location: Washington state. And NOT Seattle. There are other places here besides the west side.
Age (If you want): 19
How Primal are you: I'm trying to do as much as I can. It's hard though since I've moved back home (for budgetary reasons and that I'm a poor college student) and don't always have control over what the family gets.
Do you consume dairy: I'm in the process of trying to drop it.
Do you drink coffee or tea: I love decaf earl grey or a nice licorice tea.
Motivator for switching to Primal: I have struggled with dieting/eating disorders/chronic overexercising since I was about 12 years old. I bought into the whole you have to be a skeleton to even have a shot at being pretty thing. I just want to be healthy now though. I'm tired of being a slave to my latest endeavor to keep me as thin as possible.
Favorite exercise: I love/live to dance. It is where I feel the happiest and the most at peace.
Favorite Primal food: As a former vegan I never thought I'd say this but...I really could live off eating a huge juicy steak every single night. Oooo and bacon. Bacon has changed my life haha.
Best part about being Primal: Feeling so much healthier and not being a slave to eating anymore.
Worst part about being Primal: I've gained a lot of weight on it actually. Of course, I was severely underweight when I started. I am 5'10" and weighed about 115 before this. I weigh a ton more now but I probably look a lot better. I was skinnier than those damn runway models!
oh and I do miss oatmeal.
p.s. how do I put up a profile pic for myself like so many of you have? I am technologically disabled and can't figure it out.Posted 3 months ago # -
Kristen
MemberYour location:Toronto, Canada
Age (If you want):28
How Primal are you: The food, 85% (I don't buy organic), the lifestyle, 50% :( but getting there!!
Do you consume dairy:yes, I love it and my body doesn't mind
Do you drink coffee or tea:Yes, but not a lot
Motivator for switching to Primal: I've been reading everyones posts, and you will all be happy to hear that I'm a convert!! My primal friend (whom I teased and didn't believe / understand for years) wouldn't let up, and sent me a MDA link. I read it, ordered the book, and changed my life!! Now I get to be the one that's crazy, especially b/c I have a 6 month old boy who will be primal and trying to make MY mother understand that is like trying to squeeze water out of a rock! So keep it up, all of you, your "lost cause" friends may turn around eventually!!
Favorite exercise: Like I said, I don't get enough, but does shopping count? lol
Favorite Primal food:There is a roast in the oven right now that smells pretty damn good!
Best part about being Primal:I started this whole change after my son was born, and I'm happy to say that I'm 30lbs lighter than BEFORE I got pregnant. None of my clothes fit.... they're too big! And also, I was never the type to diet or restrict food, and that's why I love this, because I don't do either!
Worst part about being Primal: I miss icecream, and cakes, and ...... OK, I'm just going to stop there!Posted 3 months ago # -
welcome aboard fellow Canuck!
Posted 3 months ago # -
fishergirl106
MemberYour location: Sudbury, Ontario
Age (If you want): 19
How Primal are you: I'd say 75-80% consistently (some days are better, some are worse)
Do you consume dairy: cream, butter, some cheese (LOVE goat's cheese)... wish I had access to raw dairyDo you drink coffee or tea: I'm a college student... pretty much no way around that! (yes, I put a little bit of sugar in my coffee, and cream of course!)
Motivator for switching to Primal: never really liked grains in the first place... and I always felt hungry even when I "allowed" myself to have as much as 2000 calories a day on a CW - approved diet!
And I love the idea behind eating what our primal ancestors ate.Favorite exercise: hiking, canoeing, cross country skiing... anything I can do outdoors!
Favorite Primal food: eggs, and wild game =)Best part about being Primal: I feel fantastic, I never have that carby hunger feeling that I used to have all the time, I don't crave junk anymore!
Worst part about being Primal: not being able to find any decent meal at school that is truly "Primal"... I have to mix and match to the point that I'm paying 20$ for a meal and I'm getting weird looks!
Posted 3 months ago # -
Grok is Softball!
MemberYour location: Austin Tx
Age (If you want): 39 (almost 40, ugh!
How Primal are you: Just bought the book online today
Do you consume dairy: yes, for now
Do you drink coffee or tea: both
Motivator for switching to Primal: Health, weightloss
Favorite exercise: softball, hiking
Favorite Primal food: any meats
Best part about being Primal: not sure yet
Worst part about being Primal: giving up my beer, pastasPosted 3 months ago #
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