Obligatory forum Introduce yourself thread
(469 posts) (437 voices)-
Jedidja
MemberHeya :)
Your location: PEI, Canada
Age (If you want): 30
How Primal are you: Getting there
Do you consume dairy: Yes
Do you drink coffee or tea: Green tea, occasionally coffee
Motivator for switching to Primal: I enjoy reading about "diet" and fitness; came to Mark's site through the Turbulence Training forums last August and was hooked ever since. It just makes sense :)
Favorite exercise: squats - slowly working my to higher weights.
Favorite Primal food: bacon :)
Best part about being Primal: Never feeling bloated
Worst part about being Primal: Falling off the wagon - you quickly feel horrible again.
Posted 10 months ago # -
rob
MemberYour location: Western N.C.
Age-40
How Primal are you: meat, non-starchy vegetables, fish, nuts, some dairy
Do you drink coffee or tea: coffee
Motivator for switching to Primal: its easy and it works
Favorite exercise: pullups
Favorite Primal food: pork chops
Worst part about being Primal: People at the supermarket don't like me bringing in my spear.
Posted 10 months ago # -
hannah
MemberYour location:New Zealand
Age (If you want):18
How Primal are you:I'm only just starting (but about 70% primal the last few weeks!)
Do you consume dairy:yoghurt and cheese
Do you drink coffee or tea:green and rooibos tea
Motivator for switching to Primal:I was sick of craving carbohydrates, having mood swings and not being able to sleep
Favorite exercise:swimming
Favorite Primal food:roast salmon
Best part about being Primal:a more balanced mood and being able to sleep at night :)
Worst part about being Primal:the people that tell me every day that what I am doing is wrong/unhealthy/harmful etcPosted 10 months ago # -
Jonathan
MemberHello All....
Your location: Scotland, UK
Age: 32
How Primal are you: Approx 5-6 days a week. I don't think it matters too much if you have the occasional cheat meal/treat.
Do you consume dairy: Occasionally.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yeah - lots of black tea... approx 10 cups a day.
Motivator for switching to Primal: Desire to maximise my health & fitness and generally feel better. I read various websites on health & fitness e.g. Crossfit.com, Art De Vany, etc and primal seems the best way to go. The whole evolutionary history points to humans developing via a primal diet, so not following one would be damaging - it's against our nature, the health statistics of modern/convenience food diets prove this. It makes sense to me.
When I started a primal/paleo diet about a year ago I cut out starchy carbs, and about a month later I had lost half a stone (7 pounds), and over the same period I did no exercise whatsoever. I thought if I can benefit that much & still feel good with no exercise, then once I start working out again I'll get great results.
Favorite exercise: Crossfit stuff...Pull Ups, Handstands - basically bodyweight exercises
Favorite Primal food: Venison...no chicken...venison...
Best part about being Primal: Learning more about food, which hopefully I'll benefit from healthwise in the decades to come.
Worst part about being Primal: Temptation to junk food. Years of eating non-primal food e.g. cakes, biscuits, pasta, ice cream, etc, has hard wired my brain to desire junk food. McDonald's, Burger King, pizzas, etc are still some of my favourite meals....
Posted 10 months ago # -
Thalia
MemberDeepthought, ecological (ekologisk) is called organic in English most of the time : ) Whenever I saw ecological my housemates giggle at me.
So, to the introduction.
Your location: Swedish girl on the sunny south coast in England
Age (If you want): 22
How Primal are you: Okish, about to make a major swich in a few weeks when I move house
Do you consume dairy: Very rarely, possibly some cream in a sauce every other month
Do you drink coffee or tea: Red or green tea a few times a week
Motivator for switching to Primal: My stomach has been acting up for the past year, my body doesn't look as it naturally should, to rid myself of strange "food" cravings, to live longer, to be happier, to have less mood swings, to live and eat like I am meant to.
Favorite exercise: Boxing
Favorite Primal food: Butternut squash, roast chicken, almonds, strawberries, blueberries, the list just goes on.
Best part about being Primal: I wouldn't know yet
Worst part about being Primal: I'm not therePosted 10 months ago # -
alejandro
MemberYour location: Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.
Age (If you want): 16
How Primal are you: Except for having a bowl of past once in a while, I´m completely primal.
Do you consume dairy: Not frequently.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Green tea every now and then.
Motivator for switching to Primal: I want to get lean and be healthier.
Favorite exercise: All exercises that involve sprinting. I also enjoy doing pullups.
Favorite Primal food: Strawberries, avocados, nuts, red meat, tomatoes.
Best part about being Primal: Everything, I absolutely love it.
Worst part about being Primal: Not being able to eat pasta regularly.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Mr B
MemberThe Questions:
Your location: San Angelo, TX y'all!
Age (If you want): 31
How Primal are you: Fairly. I don't eat all organic and grassfed like I'd like to (economic reasons) and i still drink too much beer.Do you consume dairy: Yes. Cheese. Sour cream. Heavy cream.
Do you drink coffee or tea: 4 cups of coffee every day without fail. Green tea occasionally.
Motivator for switching to Primal: I've actually been eating this way (mostly) for 6 or 7 years (before I'd heard of "primal") and that was for health/fitness reasons. It's become intuitive since then. After 2 or 3 years of being WAY off, I'm trying to get back to it for the same reasons.
Favorite exercise: Deadlifting.
Favorite Primal food: Fatty, smoked brisket.
Best part about being Primal: Meat indulgence.
Worst part about being Primal: The self-discipline. Was in the "habit" for a long time. Now I find it HARD to get back into it.
Posted 10 months ago # -
SerialSinner
MemberHola!
- Your location: NYC, NY
- Age (If you want): 34
- How Primal are you: 80% on the days of the week, varies a lot on the weekends.
- Do you consume dairy: yes, raw milk and some of the "good" cheeses.
- Do you drink coffee or tea: both often.
- Motivator for switching to Primal: living according to my beliefs, health, keeping in shape.
- Favorite exercise: I don't like exercise a lot, but if I have to choose, it would be trekking or long-walks.
- Favorite Primal food: Porterhouse Prime Ribs, Bife de Chorizo Argentino.
- Best part about being Primal: Evolutionary theory confirmed on practice, it works.
- Worst part about being Primal: guilt while indulging on my fav microbrewery beers (usually thick and very carb-intensive), wine, cheese, diary.Posted 10 months ago # -
Primalchild
MemberYour location: Calgary
Age (If you want): 29
How Primal are you: 90-95%
Do you consume dairy: Every other week I will buy some sheep or goat cheese
Do you drink coffee or tea: no
Motivator for switching to Primal: Conventional diet and exercise wasn't working, and the PB makes perfect sense.
Favorite exercise: hiking, walking
Favorite Primal food: beef
Best part about being Primal: Abundance of energy every day, a perpetual sense of calmness, wellbeing and capability.
Worst part about being Primal: Loneliness; unsupportive friends who keep punishing their bodies every day
Posted 10 months ago # -
Daughter of Grok
MemberYour location: CA, Sacramento Area
Age (If you want): 21
How Primal are you: ~93.7%
Do you consume dairy: Yes, all natural cheese + sour cream.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Tea occasionally.
Motivator for switching to Primal: It's was very logical, and upon testing is working wonders for me.
Favorite exercise: Running LONG.
Favorite Primal food: STEAK
Best part about being Primal: How it feels.
Worst part about being Primal: I oftentimes miss the added variety of grains in my diet.Posted 10 months ago # -
Matthew
MemberYour location: Calgary
Age (If you want): 17
How Primal are you: I've been off and on for a while but I plan on going full on primal pretty soon.
Do you consume dairy: I will have a bit of cheese sometimes but that is about it.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Never really drank either.
Motivator for switching to Primal: Getting into shape and being healthy.
Favorite exercise: Pullups/Pushups
Favorite Primal food: Steak!
Best part about being Primal: Sleeping and feeling so much better.
Worst part about being Primal: There's a bad part?Posted 10 months ago # -
Flat_Eric
MemberYour location:
London UK as a base. I do travel to the US and Europe for work as wellAge (If you want):
36 - I think - . I stopped celebrating birthdays more than 25 years ago.How Primal are you:
I'd say 2/3. The big ones - pasta, rice, bread, cereals, excessive fruit juices- have disappeared from my nutrition at more than 95%, and have been replaced by nuts and other stuff.On the non-food stuff, I can probably do a lot better, esp. the sleep side.
Do you consume dairy:
Only in caffe latte.Do you drink coffee or tea:
Yes. Coffee is the last of the Mohicans for me, and I've actually started to conquer this last fortress this week.Motivator for switching to Primal:
I just can't afford not to. When working extensively, any hiccup in shape can result in a lost day or period, an unaffordable luxury in my life.I found out about Mark by watching the P90X making of on Youtube. Listening to him, I thought: "finally someone who seems to know what he's talking about". I found the blog, read, researched, ended up placing an order for the Master Formula and the Fish Oils... and got hooked pretty immediately. Within 2 months, our kitchen went through several rounds of the "clean your pantries" post.
Favorite exercise:
P90X / P90X+, which should get adapted with some Yoga in the near future.Favorite Primal food:
My girlfriend's wok-ed chicken breast, cooked with peppers, herbs and cashew nuts, and some tomato sauce on the side. Just to die for.Best part about being Primal:
Having the thing I wanted most in life: a TOTALLY even mood and level of energy during my 15+ hour days.Also: anger having disappeared from my daily life. Almost unheard of for family and relatives.
Worst part about being Primal:
Challenging the historical self of being brought up as a French gastronome in a rather drastic fashion.Posted 10 months ago # -
Graeme
MemberYour location:Uk Cheshire
Age (If you want): 38
How Primal are you:90% of the time although I do have a beer 2-3 nights a week.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yeah tea with milk
Motivator for switching to Primal:Overall health benefits,plus I was starting to look like the average UK 40 year old male
Favorite exercise: sandbag/odd object lifting
Favorite Primal food: Duck
Best part about being Primal: body composition changes.I can nearly see my absWorst part about being Primal: Choices of food when eating out.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Ali
MemberYour location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Age (If you want): 32
How Primal are you: 94%, 94% of the time
Do you consume dairy: Yes, only cheese occasionally though
Do you drink coffee or tea: Mostly coffee
Motivator for switching to Primal: Weight loss without starvation...down 20 pounds so far, maybe another 5-10 to go!
Favorite exercise: Walking and most recently sprints
Favorite Primal food: The big as* salad
Best part about being Primal: Clear thinking, tons of energy, no depression, weight loss...can't pick just one.
Worst part about being Primal: difficult to refuse family/friends cooking or eating out and not sharing in the 'shared' appetizers, pizza. Its not the food I miss, just being the obvious one apart from the group. Very minor though in the whole scheme of being primal!Posted 10 months ago # -
Age (If you want): 49
How Primal are you: 80%. Nuts, good veggies, and fish/meat (lots of fish) are the staples. Some wine though and a bit of chocolate here and there. No grains or starches, so healthy, but not quite primal.
Do you consume dairy: Yup! Some good cheese with salads; a smaller amount of yogurt (not much). Not much else.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yup again! But not as much as I used to drink. Perhaps two cups of coffee a day, plus a tea in the afternoon.
Motivator for switching to Primal: I'd gradually reduced the amount of fish, meat, dairy, and eggs from my diet until I was pretty much on the classic high carb, low fat Vegan diet (try low carb Vegan sometime). Just about the time I got to that point, however, everything seemed out of whack as far as how I felt on a daily basis. So I stepped back, did a bunch of research, and reoriented my thinking.
Favorite exercise: Hiking, for sure. Weight lifting also makes me happy.
Favorite Primal food: Juicy steak + eggs. Mmm.
Best part about being Primal: Feeling satiated and getting away from the constant eating associated with a high carb diet; better energy throughout the day with or without eating; MUCH better sleep at night; being more in touch with the primal part of who I am.
Worst part about being Primal: So many people don't understand why I would move from Vegan to Primal. I believe they think I'm some kind of nut because I like to study nutrition and health, then act on what I think I know. And apparently flip flop when it suits me (well that's not MY perspective, certainly). It can be very challenging to say the least.
Posted 10 months ago # -
aleksp
MemberYour location: Belgrade, Serbia
Age (If you want): 25
How Primal are you: a little - just starting out
Do you consume dairy: yes - different types of European/Balkans cheese (like Feta), Yogurt, Kaymak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaymak) ...
Do you drink coffee or tea: yes Jacobs instant coffee prepared with cold milk, sometimes tea
Motivator for switching to Primal: I'm 100 KG (~220 pounds) - need I say more?
Favorite exercise: burpee, rope jumping and bike rides
Favorite Primal food: any kind of meat or fish :)
Best part about being Primal: not sure yet - being healthy I guess
Worst part about being Primal: not being able to order any primal food (at normal cost) at work. And missing pizza and young potatoes with chicken :)Posted 10 months ago # -
coma
MemberYour location: London UK
Age: 28
How Primal are you: Happily been primal for about 2 years
Do you consume dairy: Some cheese and a bit of raw milk when I can get it
Do you drink coffee or tea: Green/White tea
Motivator for switching to Primal: Gradual progression in diet approaches, Bad diet> Low fat diet> Vegetarian> Fructarian> Atkins> Precision Nutrition> Primal> Paleo. Plus it appealed to my sense of what our body needs in response to evolutionary change.
Favorite exercise: squats, heavy and deep!
Favorite Primal food: raw steak or eggs.
Best part about being Primal: Too many to list here!
Worst part about being Primal: Constantly explaining it to people who 'know' conventional wisdom.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Kate116
MemberYour location: Seattle
Age (If you want): 40
How Primal are you: About 80%. I eat 2-3 servings of whole grains on the weekend, and 2-3 servings of starchy carbs (sweet potatoes, beets, legumes) in a week.
Do you consume dairy: Some. Mostly plain yogurt and kefir. Some milk in coffee, minimal cheese.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Both. Usually espresso (instead of drip) and green or white tea.
Motivator for switching to Primal: Want to get leaner in a way that's healthy and easy to sustain.
Favorite exercise: Walking.
Favorite Primal food: Grass-fed beef that we buy from a local farmer.
Best part about being Primal: The pounds are falling off even though I'm enjoying more avocados and nuts than ever before!
Worst part about being Primal: Thinking about how to handle family gatherings, restaurant meals, food-related social occasions.Posted 10 months ago # -
Your location: near Austin, TX
Age (If you want): 27
How Primal are you: hmm...around 90% with an occasional candy binge slip-up (Sugar is an inescapable presence in Texas, or at least that's my excuse!)
Do you consume dairy: butter; an occasional splurge on a block of good, sharp, aged cheddar; whole milk yogurt, homemade when I have the time
Do you drink coffee or tea: lots of green tea & peppermint tea; french roast coffee with cream and a lil honey or an iced latté (no sugar) as a treat sometimes
Motivator for switching to Primal: For years I had been searching for a balance in diet and exercise to bring my energy, weight, and mental health to the levels I wanted.
Favorite exercise: Tabata sprints & pilates
Favorite Primal food: The real, full-fat, natural versions of food (i.e., butter, chicken skin, nut butters, oils) instead of processed, lighter, "healthier" alternatives (that are usually twice as expensive Oo)
Best part about being Primal: Not having to wear makeup or use a arsenal of overpriced beauty products to get great skin, hair, and nails; on a less shallow and superficial note, finally having a sense of serenity that my lifestyle is working with my body's natural inclinations instead of contrary to them
Worst part about being Primal: Watching friends and family that I love continue to feel miserable and sick when I earnestly believe a fundamental change in diet would improve their lives. My hope is that I can convey how beneficial adopting a primal lifestyle would be without lapsing into fanatical zealotry.Posted 10 months ago # -
Your location: sorry, I'd prefer not share
Age (If you want): 23
How Primal are you: 95%
Do you consume dairy: no
Do you drink coffee or tea: yes
Motivator for switching to Primal: I have gone through lots of diets for loosing the dreaded 50 pounds, wasted a lot of money, a lot of time and health too, as I heard of the paleo I thought it was the best and after trying it, the lifestyle itself was the motivator.
Favorite exercise: burpees
Favorite Primal food: steak...yummm...
Best part about being Primal: my body is beutiful now!!
Worst part about being Primal: ok, I don't get anymore to stuff on food for emotional problems, so I have to look elsewhere for coping, it's both a positive and a negative.Posted 10 months ago # -
Your location: Los Angeles
Age (If you want): 40yo
How Primal are you: sort of
Do you consume dairy: YUP!
Do you drink coffee or tea: Yes.
Motivator for switching to Primal: Optimize health
Favorite exercise: Walking/hiking , light weight lifting.
Favorite Primal food: Mammal meat, especially beef/lamb.
Best part about being Primal: Lots of energy, healthy GI system, no more brain fog, better physique.
Worst part about being Primal: More expensive, more prep time in kitchen, getting my young kids to cut down on pasta, rice, crackers, sweets and increase consumption of meat, raw-milk cheese, eggs, vegetables.Posted 10 months ago # -
harleysgirl
MemberYour location: Silicon Valley
Age (If you want): 45
How Primal are you: Approx. 80% of the time. Grains are still a challenge for me.
Do you consume dairy: Yes. No problems with it but am cutting down on excess sugars.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee. Latte's are my downfall.
Motivator for switching to Primal: MDA - Primal Challenge
Favorite exercise: yoga
Favorite Primal food: grass-fed beef and a good "kitchen sink" salad.
Best part about being Primal: lots of energy, better sleep, and I'm nicer to be around.
Worst part about being Primal: I'm the only one in my family trying to be primal. My food choices stick out like a sore thumb, making them ask me why I'm "dieting." I'm not - I'm just being healthy.Posted 10 months ago # -
Your location: Melbourne, Australia
Age (If you want): 24
How Primal are you: As much as possible - organic seasonal veggies, organic meat where available, organic eggs, and some organic dairy.
Do you consume dairy: I'm cutting back, if there were raw dairy products available I'd probably use them, but I'm experimenting with what weight change occurs while restricting dairy...
Do you drink coffee or tea: White tea, green tea, in the evening as a 'snack'.
Motivator for switching to Primal: Graduated from low-carb to primal as the science I was studying lead me down the garden path..
Favorite exercise: Hm. Yeah. I walk to work... But if I were getting formal exercise, I'd be tempted to join a dance class since I love it, and yoga for the bodyweight and flexibility work.
Favorite Primal food: Cabbage.
Best part about being Primal: All the positives of low carb (blood sugar stability, weight loss, mood control) with the addition of the goodness of organic foods - my skin has been first to thank me!
Worst part about being Primal: Having to explain why I can't share in the birthday cake.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Your location: Brooklyn, NY
Age (If you want): I'm trying not to
How Primal are you: work in progress
Do you consume dairy: yes and have just ordered my first raw milk! Can't wait. I'm so confused, is it illegal? It's like trying to get crack delivered. And I worry about the cleanliness of the facility. If I don't post again, you'll know what happened to me.
Do you drink coffee or tea: yes and yes
Motivator for switching to Primal: health benefits
Favorite exercise: most weight lifting exercises, just say no to cardio
Favorite Primal food: eggs, nuts, wild caught salmon, all fruits, almost all vegetables
Best part about being Primal: Mark's Daily Apple
Worst part about being Primal: I don't eat meat so my protein choices are limited. Tofu used to be my thing, but I'm no longer buying into the hype.Posted 10 months ago # -
Your location: Seattle
Age (If you want):37
How Primal are you:80-90%
Do you consume dairy: greek yogurt, cottage cheese and locally made cheese
Do you drink coffee or tea: i live in Seattle. :)
Motivator for switching to Primal: i was running 6 days a week and eating rice cakes and totally baffled that i wasn't losing weight. i increased my protein as a last resort and the fat loss finally jump started. this got me thinking about what my body really wants. I fed that thought into a few google searches which led me here.
Favorite exercise: hiking
Favorite Primal food: almond butter
Best part about being Primal:i am healthier than i have ever been - i KNOW it because i FEEL it!
Worst part about being Primal: trying to help others to entertain the idea that their bizarre, hard round stomachs might have something to do with the USDA Food Pyramid.I also miss the home made bread... and sometimes i still desperately want a doughnut.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Rose
MemberYour location:New Zealand
Age (If you want): 36
How Primal are you: 95% when not falling off the wagon into a pile of chocolate or ice cream.
Do you consume dairy: Yep.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Tea mostly.
Motivator for switching to Primal: Initially to shed a few kilos, but now it's all about health. MDA has enlightened me on a few facts about food, big wake up call.
Favorite exercise: squash. Hiking.
Favorite Primal food: Meat
Best part about being Primal: Energy! Eating fat guilt free.
Worst part about being Primal: Sugar cravings and sugar pushers.Posted 10 months ago # -
NeoPaleo
MemberYour location: Rochester, NY
Age (If you want): 35
How Primal are you: Some days 100%, others as low as 75%
Do you consume dairy: Very little. A splash of milk in my coffee, cheese once in a blue moon.
Do you drink coffee or tea: Coffee once every day or two, tea once a day
Motivator for switching to Primal: Health mainly, to get my BF% down below 10% as a bonus.
Favorite exercise: All kinds of functional exercises, kettlebells, mountain biking, surfing
Favorite Primal food: Meat and fruit
Best part about being Primal: The feeling of health and energy. Can eat lots of fat!
Worst part about being Primal: Eating out, eating w/ friends & family, no more brownies or chocolate chip cookiesPosted 10 months ago # -
twisteddoc
MemberYour location: Spain, yay ribera del duero's resveratrol!
Age (If you want): 25
How Primal are you: if dairy is primal, then i am 90% primal -- the only non primal food is ice cream once per week (it's gluten free haagend dazs), a diet coke once in a blue moon, and the rare artificial sweetener at that time of the month to keep sugar cravings at bay.
Do you consume dairy: kefir and cheese
Do you drink coffee or tea: i have reduced my coffee intake from 7 cups to 1 cup a day (and banished diet coke), i rarely have tea.
Motivator for switching to Primal: that i am inflammation's poster child... I got MS since my teens, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, sebhorreic and athopic dermatitis, lots of other "itis", my weight has been creeping up since my teens...
Favorite exercise: walking it's the only thing i can do right know, and what can be more primal?
Favorite Primal food: MEAT. I am a hunter at heart. And blueberries. And broccoli. And nuts.
Best part about being Primal: the deep sense of "this is right" that comes from the fact that it makes sense (something I can't say about 50% things I gotta study at medical school) in the light of science, evolution (but i repeat myself) and just common sense. It also helps that it is not a one size fits all: it allows for flexibility (you don't have to be 100% "do what i say or die" primal -- which is just not realistic for most people).
Worst part about being Primal: I really really don't want to give up cheese or ice cream - ever! I live in Spain and got family in Italy: manchego, parmesan, mascarpone... C'mon I don't even have paella or pizza anymore, organic manchego with a bit of real balsamic vinegar can't be that bad!
Posted 10 months ago #
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