I Feel Like a Normal Human Being Again
It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!
My primal story starts about nine months ago. It was December, and we had just been visited by both of my brothers. My brothers’ visits usually consist of copious amounts of eating and drinking. We’re generally healthy folk – we exercise regularly and try to eat a balanced diet. But when we get together, we drink lots of beer and eat lots of delicious fried food. Well, the unhealthy binging was starting to catch up to me, and I was topping out at 147-149 (I’m 5’ 6”), a solid five pounds more than my usual fighting weight.
In addition to being constantly uncomfortable due to the tight pants, I was also struggling with some serious anxiety issues. I would get anxious over the silliest things – waiting in line at the grocery store, stopping at a red light, walking through the mall, etc. I always felt as if I was going to pass out or spin out of control. I finally talked to my awesome nurse practitioner/chiropractor and realized my issues were caused by allergies clogging up my head something fierce. I was able to get some relief through her treatments, but I still wasn’t feeling 100% normal.
While trying to find a non-prescription solution to my problem (my MD wanted to prescribe anti-anxiety meds, of course), I ran across an article about eating primally in my Lifehacker RSS feed. I followed the links to Mark’s Daily Apple and was super intrigued by what I read. I ordered the 21-Day Total Body Transformation and instantly identified with what the book said. This was a “diet” I could get behind – one where I could eat the foods I enjoy and not have to count calories. The whole approach also meshed with other things I care about – eating locally grown food, living a simple life, and disconnecting from the Matrix.
I started the 21 days in early January (after binging on carbs and drinks, of course). Within the first couple of weeks, I had lost a couple of pounds and realized that I was no longer waking up in the middle of the night, filling 10 tissues with green slime. Gross, I know. About 11 days into the diet, I had to go to a holiday party, so of course I drank. That very night I woke up in the middle of the night, snot just pouring out of my nose. I’m sorry to be graphic, but it’s true. A light bulb went off – my body does not like alcohol (or gluten – surprise!!)!
I got such great results in those first few weeks, that I just kept following the plan over and over again. I think I did it three times in a row. It’s nine months later, and I’ve slacked off a bit on following the exact plan, but I still eat primally, I run at a slow pace three to four times per week and do pushups, squats, planks, and pull-ups at least three times a week. When I started I couldn’t do one real pushup – now I can do seven. I could only do a flexed arm hang, and now I can do two pull-ups. I can do a plank for 90 seconds, and I can do 25 squats with 20 pounds. I’ve lost 20 pounds, so I’m at 129 at 5’ 6”. I went from a size 10 to a size 4. I have TONS more energy. I no longer want to fall asleep at my desk in the afternoon. Best of all, my anxiety levels are WAAAAY down. I feel like a normal human being again – no longer petrified to be caught at a red light. I cannot describe how good it feels to be relieved of that fear.
So I proselytize. To anyone who will listen, I tell them how eating primally is, “good for what ails ya.”
What’s bad about primal living? Well, it definitely takes more planning, but it’s so worth it. The food I make at home tastes way better than the food we get going out. I also don’t know what to say when people say, “You’re so skinny!!” Um, thanks?? And change the subject. I also get made fun of mercilessly by my coworkers for my diet. They help keep me on track by judging me if I eat an occasional non-foraged doughnut or slice of homemade pumpkin bread. I’m sure they do it out of love. 
I actually got one of my coworkers interested in the diet. However, she Googled Primal Recipes, and the first one she ran across was “Tender Grilled Baby Octopus.” And…she was out.
I am so glad I found MDA. It really has changed my life! Thank you, Mark!! Like everyone else, I blogged about my experience. If you want more details, check it out here: HloDeCello.
Some stats:
Starting weight: 149.3 pounds, Chest 36 inches, Waist 31 inches, Hips 43 inches
Ending weight: 129.6 pounds, Chest 34 inches(sorry Hubby!), Waist 28.25 inches, Hips 38.5 inches
I’ve attached before and after pictures. I wasn’t really portly to start with, but I wasn’t thin or toned enough to want any photos taken of me in a bathing suit! After eating primally for six months, however, I happily bought a string bikini while on vacation on Ocracoke Island and let the hubs snap a pic.
Heather
Grab a Copy of The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation and Start Getting Primal Today!
Posted By: Mark Sisson
Loved your story. You look great, and happy ! I agree with your comments on the Primal/Paleo plan helping to reduce anxiety, and many other issues as well. I am a nurse (RN) and stand alone in my work place as an advocate for making the change. I have challenged the doctors and nurse practitioners I work with to try advocating the lifestyle and dietary changes to patients rather than just writing prescriptions. I am the only person in our group of 15 or so to LOSE wt and keep it off. (I went Primal/Paleo February 2012) I regularly get teased about what I eat and don’t eat when I bring my lunch to work. I have lost 47 # in 9 months (I’m 5’7″ and dropped from 183 to 136), and every single one of the other staff have gained at least 10 or more pounds. Yet, their eyes glaze over when I hint at how much better life is without all the bread, grains, and sugar. Happy for you that you feel so much better. Keep trying to get others on board. Thanks for a good story. I really like the Friday success stories. Always inspirational.
A friend of a friend is studying to be a nurse. She is lean and pretty. After camping with them for a weekend was I blown away. She chain smokes, lives off of sweets and grain based snacks, and is on a huge bag of pills for anxiety, ADHD, and other things. I watched her peak and crash many times that weekend. Her mood swings, wow. After talking with her she told me she hardly poops. (Funny how bad pooping or not pooping seems to ail so many people). When I suggested suggested ditching grains and sugars for 30 days she flat out said no way.
She wants to be a nurse to help other people, yet she struggles in helping herself first.
I applaud you, Nurse Nic for being a positive beacon in the health care industry.
+1
My Mother was an RN. Let’s just say some people are attracted to nursing because they are closet hypochondriacs. She’s not particularly warm or caring person, but she loves rules and the idea that someone out there will save her regardless of her own actions.
My Mother was a whole lot like your camping friend – she’s in a nursing home at age 72 (and overweight) basically because any advise to cut out the sugar and or even simply to eat better is totally ignored. That’s where your camping nurse (unfortunately) will end up if her habits don’t change.
Right on Heather– I’m slowly losing my last 10 lbs of fat and Mark’s site is a daily read full of more resources than I could ever fully ingest!
But think about it– When others are wolfing down cookies, cake, pizza and such, and you KNOW what it’s doing internally to them– it’s easy to stay primal!
Congrats, I’d send in my own success story but I am afraid the pictures might scare the fainthearted.
Keep it up Rev. Dave! I think you would like Gary North’s writings. Check him out.
My story will be similar to yours. I have only about 35 lbs to lose, but I don’t look like I have that much to lose. I’ve been trying to follow a paleo lifestyle for a few months now, but I get side tracked. Starting in January, I’m going to do a 21-day challenge. Hopefully, I can get back to the weight I was when I was climbing mountains on my days off, not just sitting around surfing the interwebs.
I enjoyed your story, especially where you list how many pushups, planks and squats you do. I have struggled to achieve the kind of weight loss I see here that others get so effortlessly. I took up weight lifting hoping that maybe it would be the key to success. Instead of helping, it caused me to have a huge crash. Too much adrenaline, maybe. Too much stress. Maybe 20lb squats are better than 100lb.
Congrats! i loved your story because it shows how much you can change when you don’t even think you have that far to go!
It’s funny, I was just posting on the forum about how I’d made a connection between consuming sugar and my irrational anxiety. Honestly, I need to lose quite a few kg of weight, but eradicating anxiety is probably even MORE IMPORTANT (I’m overweight rather than obese, and generally pretty healthy…). I don’t like the idea of remaining the weight I am (I don’t feel like ME) but if I had a choice between losing weight and being free of anxiety for the rest of my life, I’d have to choose the latter. (Sure I’d be miserable about my appearance but I can deal with that easier!!).
Fortunately with primal it’s not an either/or situation
Eating clean will help me lose the weight AND ditch the anxiety. After just two days without sugar I’m already feeling less anxious!
I also find that you can’t TELL people about the primal lifestyle. If they’re not receptive… they’re not receptive. I was on another forum recently where a girl posted that she’s suffering from alopecia and is stressing about her thinning hair. I mentioned that when I went primal and ditched sugar, my hair loss (which had been quite extreme) slowed right down, and when I got lax with my diet my hair loss started increasing again. I did say I wasn’t 100% sure there was a connection, but it was worth a shot to try ditching the sugar and see what happened! Well her response was something along the lines of “oh, I love sugar too much, I couldn’t do that!”. If someone had told me something like that, I’d have at least considered TRYING it! Same with weight loss. My sister is obese (probably borderline morbidly obese) and I told her about primal (she was on lite ‘n’ easy) and she was like “Oh, I couldn’t go without grains!”. She lost a bit of weight, but as far as I know it’s stalled… and she’s probably 40kg overweight still! So she’ll eat low fat, and deprive herself in other ways, rather than at least opening herself to the possibility of change in another way. I sometimes really don’t get people!!
Another great success story, thanks Heather!!!
Trust me, you have no reason to say “sorry Hubby”.
Thank you!
Awesome story, don’t you feel incredible and thanks for the inspiration. The. Re is no denying it, when our outside is working like the inside there is nothing like it.
I need a boost and this Thursday when I have some extra money I am going to join the gym and start , if You hold be accountable guys it will help.
I think that writing about your efforts really helps. I literally had 5 people (all friends and family) who read my blog when I did the Challenge, but it helped me stay on track because I didn’t want to lose face to those 5 special people. You can start a WordPress blog for free!
Heather, thanks so much for your story. It’s so great to hear from another, everyday woman. The stories from atheletes are nice, but it’s always great to hear how other women like me are doing following the paleo lifestyle. I’m not doing this to increase my performance, I’m doing this to be as healthy as I can be. And like you, I’ve loved all the side benefits I never thought I’d get out of it. So happy for you!
Congrats! You look great!
Wow, I struggle from anxiety, and this story is a huge motivator! Thank you all!
From my nurse practitioner, I found out that my lymphatic system wasn’t draining, which caused a lot of my anxiety issues. I take magnesium and PureBalance PureLymph daily, and that really helps.
What beach is that. It looks like st Pete beach
It’s a beach on Ocracoke Island, NC. SUPER beautiful beach.
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