Rebel Musician Goes Primal After Years of Hard Living
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!
Dear Mark,
Here follows a detailed timeline of how I came across MDA and your book The Primal Blueprint along with more details about my health history:
I was born in Houston, Texas and adopted by a family of Czech origin. I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia as a kid. I don’t so much buy into that diagnosis. I think I was just bored and constrained within the typical public school system. However, unbeknownst to me at the time, the breads, kolaches, pastries and potatoes that were so prevalent in my mother’s native food were spiking my blood pressure to the moon.
I was always involved in gymnastics, competitive swimming, baseball and basketball as a child, so I was never really overweight. Since I was adopted, my mother, who is very wise, took the time to cook differently for me and I ate a lot of seafood and vegetables growing up.
When I got to college I started eating out a lot and since I was physically active and involved in Jeet Kun Do and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu I was always in relatively good shape. However, a few pounds a year adds up after twenty years, and at the age of forty I found myself creeping up on the scale to 240 pounds. I am 6’2” so I was able to hide it fairly well with a big frame, but I felt sluggish. I was living a musician lifestyle and waking up every day at 11 AM.
I have a good friend who is authentic and real. I went to see him in Vegas, and the minute I walked in his door he told me I didn’t look good with three chins and I would never attract a decent woman fat. He has a way with words and I decided to take control of my life and my fitness. My friend and his wife had lost forty pounds a piece utilizing the Atkins diet. I understand enough about psychology to realize that I could simply model their behavior and achieve similar results.
I did and I lost a lot of weight and I felt a lot better. However, I found the shakes and the bars that had the fake sugar in them to taste very repulsive. I believe how you do anything is how you do everything. I have dedicated my life to music and consider it a fine art. I try to make all my relationships a masterpiece and consider friendship a fine art. I was happy with the results of the Atkins approach, but found many of the meals and supplementation boring, and far from fine art when it comes to cuisine.
I have a lot of friends who are foodies and gourmet chefs and I knew there had to be a better way. One night I Googled “no carb recipes” and MDA popped up in my search. I was hooked from the front page and once I started taking a look at the recipes my mouth began to water. Real food in its natural state, no strange ingredients, nothing in a box or can – I was hooked.
I was using Evernote at the time and I copied recipe after recipe from your site. I fell in love with eggs all over again. I had such misinformation about eggs. You mentioned on your site how every grandmother who lived to a ripe old age had that can of bacon fat on top of her stove that she cooked everything in. Mark, that was my grandmother Sophie Slansky. I loved all her food as a kid and she grew up on farm.
Your site elegantly and with fortitude debunked every foolish myth there was about food. Fat, including animal fat, is essential to our well-being, and you have the moxie and the courage to step out on the edge and challenge all of these myths.
The number one thing I learned from MDA and that I encourage everyone who wants to get lean and mean with a great low body-fat percentage is to understand this: 90% of all body composition begins with what you put in your mouth. You could join all the gyms in the world, buy every ab machine, personal trainer and run thirty miles a day and never have the body composition of someone who adheres to the aforementioned principle.
Since I started the Primal approach I have woken up every day for the last two years at 5:30 in the morning. I crave my fennel and dill omelet I learned from you. I crave poached eggs, I look forward to breakfast. I honestly in the deepest depths of my soul can not imagine how anyone could convince me that they honestly crave a bowl of oatmeal or Captain Crunch.
The differences I have seen are incredible. All my friends tell me I look fifteen years younger. It’s completely revived my music career as a performer. There aren’t that many fat rock stars. I can see my abs for the first time since I was fourteen years young. I can’t believe how much I enjoy what I eat. A typical day for me might be a vegetable omelet for breakfast, grilled chicken wings with scrumptious crispy skin for lunch along with a side of celery and real blue cheese, then at dinner a prime dry aged rib-eye with cauliflower mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus, a glass or three of Cabernet, and a piece of 85% cocoa chocolate.
I feel completely satiated and content after every meal.
Here is a video I made featuring me preparing my Primal Sushi Rolls, which are really not sushi at all. They are made with beef and asparagus. They are always a huge hit at parties!
Your post about drinking ten to twelve big glasses of water a day being ridiculous was spot on as well. I was drinking way too much water before I found your site.
This is the greatest thing that drew a rebel musician like myself to your site. Just about everything on MDA is counterintuitive. I found that to be where the truth lies these days you have to seek it out. That food pyramid they stuffed down our throats all those years is a complete joke.
I also want to note that Adelulf – my beloved, non neutered, all black male German Shepherd – eats Primal as well. Every morning I walk out into the yard and give him two fresh eggs in the shell. I set them down in the yard and it’s like Easter. Even as a puppy he knew what to do. He carefully picks up the egg, puts it in his mouth, takes it where he wants, pokes a hole in the shell with his canines and slurps up every last drop of both eggs. He eats raw chicken with the bones, turkey necks, liver, kidneys, and raw beef. His teeth are completely white, and his coat incredibly shiny. If I had a dollar for every so called animal lover, dog expert and veterinarian who told me my dog is going to die from salmonella poisoning from the raw eggs and choke on the raw bones I would be retired on a beach in Hawaii right now drinking margaritas. Here’s a picture of me and my dog where I landed at about twelve to thirteen percent body fat.
Thanks Mark. Pardon the long email, but I have a lot of deep appreciation for what you are doing.
All the best and Grok on, Mark.
Eric
Check out Erik’s website EricKeyes.com and his music video of an original song titled “Words of a Song“.
Grab a Copy of The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation and Start Getting Primal Today!
Posted By: Mark Sisson
HOTcha-cha & a “gawd dayam!”
hee hee I made chicken wings last night with gorgonzola added to greek yoghurt for dippin. I gave 3 pieces raw to my dog for his dinner. i love hearing him crunch through the bones & watching him eat real food like a real dog. he’s in the habit of helping me with the dishes too & he sits & stares at the skillet on the stove waiting for it to cool down
Thanks Peggy,
Isn’t it great what we can learn from our pets. They have great instincts
Ah, another Evernote fan! That deserves bonus points.
Evernote rules!
Thanks JT
Eric – a wonderful transformation (surely that’s your younger brother in the photo?!) – thankyou so much for sharing
And good on you for raising a primal pupster! Man & dog in perfect primal harmony. Beautiful.
I adopted an 11 year old chocolate labrador, who thanks to a diet of pasta, was a stomach on legs and in a bad state. I put him on a raw meaty bones diet and he transformed within months. You can read his story on my website.
Funnily enough, it was researching his doggie RMB diet that knocked some sense into my own head and I started the journey that ultimately brought me here to primal.
BTW – are you making ‘rock & sushi rolls’?!
Haha Sian,
Great idea, I will change the name of the officially to “Rock and Sushi Rolls”
Eric
Thanks for sharing your story, very cool how a commitment to the fine art of living led you to become a masterpiece in the making
Thank you very much
Eric
How could I not love this story? Hot musician who cooks AND has a gorgeous dog. I think it could be love! Great job!
I completely agree with you on the processed adkins “food”. I would feel sick every time I tried them. I’m allergic to many preservatives, so never developed a taste for Captain Crunch or Pringles.
Thanks a million, The Primal way is just so good
I love this line: “Your site elegantly and with fortitude debunked every foolish myth there was about food. Fat, including animal fat, is essential to our well-being, and you have the moxie and the courage to step out on the edge and challenge all of these myths.”
So true and yet so foreign to so many. Great job, you look like a new man.
Thanks Joe,
All of the info at MDA just inspires me. The debunking on the China-Vegetarian thing alone is got to be one of the greatest post ever. I was a vegan for a few years in college and eating that way sucks and there is no taste and fun at all
Great story, thanks for sharing. My gram was primal too! She never met bacon fat she didn’t like and when we went to buffets she urged me to forgo the bread and potatoes and load up on the meats. Not sure the buffet managers liked us very well!
Got to get my pets primal too -
Grandma’s rule, their is a lot of wisdom in the old school way. In my grandmother’s time it was called “sugar diabetes” not diabetes.
The sugar companies lobbied to quit having it called that.
I had some bunion pain before I went Primal, and on the internet I found that the Chinese call it “Sugar Toe”. Hmmm. No more pain since I quit high heels and went Primal.
In The Netherlands, people call diabetes simply “sugar”. He has sugar.
Is that true? So interesting!
Diabetes melitus is Latin for sweet (sugar) urine. So I guess we’re actually calling it urine.
In Russia it calles Sugar Diabetes too
I first found MDA because of the recipes too. A Facebook friend posted a link to a Primal recipe she had made for dinner the night before, and it looked so good, I had to follow the link. Well, I’ve been hooked on the site since then (about a year ago now), and have been completely Primal for about four weeks. Congrats on finding what you were searching for!
That is a gorgeous dog!
Thanks Jessica, I just let him know. He is sitting here at my feet in the office
I did Atkins and shared your disgust for processed low carb food. Congrats on your success.
Naturally, I had to go check out your website and your music and your videos. Talk about authentic people! Very nice to see you cooking ribs (yum!) for the band and then see the show the next day! Very cool.
And you turned me on to that young Italian-Argentinian guitarist, Lucchy. Between the two of you, I blew quite a few minutes on YouTube! Avocado-Banana-Almond Milkshakes for everyone!
Hey Eric,
WAY TO GO! You look absolutely terrific (and so does your dog!). I myself have also been feeding my little guy a raw diet since he was 16 weeks old, now 6.5 years old. His favourite’s are cornish hen bodies, duck necks and beef tripe. All get smothered in Salmon Oil and a green veggie. People are always amazed at the softness and brightness of his coat. Pristine white. All thanks to the wonderful world of primal
that is awesome, I never thought of adding salmon oil. Where can I find duck necks? He loves mackerel and eats it once a week as I do.
You lost me at the “un-neutered German Shepherd” part.
Good job on the weight loss though:)
Thanks Lucie,
I would never neuter him. He comes from a very good bloodline that is custom tailored for their protection ability and incredible nose skills. All his brothers and sisters went to FBI/Military.
We are breeding him next month
I compete in French Ring and Mondio Ring with my Belgian Malinois, as long as your dog is a working or sport dog and is titled I have no problem with responsible breeding:)
Oh, forgot to mention that I grew up with a black German Shepherd. Love the breed and their noble presence (mixed with total goofball moments). What a great primal companion.
Hi Eric! Your words almost made me tear up, they were very powerful. MDA changed my life as well; MDA really makes it all simple: eat real food, move around, rest, etc. I love it!I am very inspired by your experience and love your outlook on life.
Hey, I’m a Texas – where do you ya’ll play??? I’d love to see a Primal musician play some tunes!
Thanks Danielle, I play in Houston, Austin, Dallas and Lubbock quite a bit. Where are you based? If you go to my website and sign up on the e-mail list we will let you know when we are rocking Texas towns
Thanks Eric! I’m in Houston but visit Austin quite a bit. I am signing up on your email list right now, so I’m looking forward to seeing your show schedule, and hopefully checking ya’ll out really soon!
BTW, been reading your blog and holy smokes you are a talented writer! Also, Louise Hay saved my life when I was in a dark place as a teenager… so I dig that you pay respects to her
You rock!
Thank you again Danielle,
I enjoy writing and that means a lot, thank you.
Louise Hay is one heavy duty chick. I feel she is one of the greatest voices for healing on the planet.
Eric
Very Cool!
(and I have your dog’s twin cousin sitting right beside me – excellent dogs!)
I LOVE FRIDAYS! One of these days I’m going to BE your Real Life story.
Eric, Im Czech, so I know what you mean by all the kolache and potatoes. Currently surviving in my parent´s house, waiting to start my first job and these few months of enjoyable stay with my family after a long time turned into everyday fight of strong will -eat or not to eat. On the other hand – primal approach is the only one my mom actually approved for me!!! Woot, woot! I know I will have no problem to eat super clean after I move out in a month, so last few sinful enjoyments following the 20/80 rule shouldnt hurt.
Keep the great attitude, your email was so inspirational!
Jaksemate’ Petra,
That’s a beautiful name. 80-20 rule is profound. I fast one day a week which adheres to that principal.
Got Pivo
EK
fan-diddly-tastic….
Love waking up on a sat morning, and reading a success story. (that’s when they arrive down under)
you rock, mr rock star xo
That is so cool, let me know a good venue in your neck of the woods and I will have Melissa my assistant book a tour through there!
Much Love,
Eric
Now that will be fun, make sure you look at venues around the central west of NSW. Fantastic spot but starved of good music! Well done in your journey, it’s the simplicity and common sense of this lifestyle that reeled me in, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I think your lovely shepherd may have my toy poodle for breakfast though!
Yes it’s 90% food! My husband is 54 and I had to order size 32×36 jeans on the web because no one carries that small waist for such a tall guy! Heh.
I hear you about the people and their scare tactics against feeding dogs a natural diet of raw meat. I gave up trying to find a vet on board with raw feeding. So frustrating. They don’t even really LOOK at my beautiful doxie – ten years old and gorgeous with a shiny coat, white teeth, muscular frame. Ten years on a raw natural diet.
The last vet tried to get me to go buy some processed “raw food” that was formulated by a vet, and I told her it kind of defeats the purpose of natural, unprocessed food, right? DOH!
Keep Groking – me at 52 will be taking beginner drum lessons in June. I’ll never be Bill Bruford but one can always strive!
You go for it Gina, you have good taste in drummers. Bill has played with my good friend Allan Holdsworth for years. He is in a class all by himself.
Much Love,
EK
I’ll have to look Alan up on Youtube. Looks like he’s played with Tony Levin – another one of my favorites and one of the coolest musicians ever. He’s a beast!
Eric, Great story, but even more awesome dog! We had an adopted solid black female GSD, Lucy, for 12 years and she recently passed away due to cancer in her spine. We immediately looked for another solid black, but found a gorgeous European line full-blood GSD that was abandoned at our vets office. She had heartworms, but that was treated and I am happy to say that Sheba is a perfect addition to our family. I gave her a raw egg today (from our friend’s farm) and she LOVED it! I made a tiny hole so she could get a taste and she went crazy. We need to put some weight on her post-heartworms. Any recommendations for good raw weight-gainer recipes?
Thanks Marisa and congratulations on adding Sheba to your family. I would google the “Leerburg Diet”
It’s the best site I have found on feeding the dog raw and doing it right. They are very knowledgeable and will probably have some weight gain info there.
Jack Lalanne used to feed his German Sheperd “Happy” 5-6 lbs of raw meat a day. That would probably do it
Eric, great story. But why did you include that picture of your uncle eating pasta?
Haha that’s funny.
We will just call him “Joey Bag of Doughnuts” my old fat Italian Uncle
Amazing transformation!!!
Thank You Carol
VERY true that 90% is what you put in your body! Can´t bring that home enough.
Congratulations on your transformation.
Also, thanks for sharing on the primal dog! Mine is primal, but spoiled. . . I had always cracked the eggs open for him. Can´t believe it never occurred to me to just give him an egg and let him have fun with it. Tried it today, and–after an initial hesitation–he had a blast! Thanks for that indirect tip! From now on, WHOLE eggs only for my four-legged friend.
I found a farm that has free range chickens in Krum, TX near me. It’s a bit of a drive but Adelulf prefers the farm eggs massively. He eats those with much more zeal
Thanks for sharing. Love your story, your dog and your music. Can’t wait to give my dogs eggs!
Appreciate ya’ Jojo
Eric
WOW great read so articulate and bang on the money. I get it and after being 30kg overweight at 38 yrs old now 44 I have kept the 25-30kg loss off but i still struggle. I exercise well but have food addictions, and seem to only ever manage periods of time on a clean diet. I do crossfit and they endorse a paleo lifestyle I see the results and energy a clean diet produces but don’t seem to be able to fully embrace it. Can you share with me any of your obvious wisdom with this. I recently gave up my adorable dog Nike to a serious body builder and he posted me a picture commenting on his now Paleo diet and new exercise regime I’m thrilled that my dog like yours has the chance to be his best but wonder why I don’t want that for myself?
Hi Kristen,
You are already in the right spot. Just go the recipes that are posted on MDA. They are great and the ones posted by Mark’s readers are great as well. I would copy them all in Evernote and rotate them in and out weekly so that you have a lot of variety. Go for quality over quantity and STAND GUARD AT THE DOOR OF YOUR MIND AND MORE IMPORTANTLY YOUR MOUTH. Your body is your temple and you deserve the best. Also if you can conjure up the willpower to fast one day a week or do the intermittent fasting that Mark speaks of that will give you a lot of leverage and confidence. I also agree with Mark on Tabata interval training and not working out all the time. Bodyweight exercises are all I do 3 times a week for 15-20 minutes. Every one thinks I joined a gym here. I haven’t
I hope that helps
EK
Kristen
I have the same Problem. I think it’s because I’m doing it on my own and have noone to be accountable to and support me when I start to go off track. It’s hard to eat and exercise right when the people closest to you aren’t.
I think you just have to keep trying again though. I try to think of it like giving up smoking. Apparently the average smoker tries to quit about ten times before they’re successful- why shouldn’t it be the same for adopting a healthier lifestyle?
Can’t wait to try the “egi-maki”!!!!! I love the B.A.R.F. diet for the dogs too! Primal.
Great story! love that Adelulf eats primal as well, I’m been considering changing my mini doxies food since I started eating primal too.
Wonderful story and the recipe and video are great. Asparagus is still in season so I will be making the faux sushi rolls soon. Thanks for the tip about peeling the asparagus. All the best to you and your healthy German Shepherd!
Thank you Julie, and the primal “negi maki” rolls work great with chicken as well. One time instead of putting asparagus, I put lobster tail in the middle of the roll. It was so good I cried when I ate them. Talk about Surf & Turf
I loved your essay and the video. You’ve got a great voice! I’m so hungry right now that I would have fought your dog for those beef scraps. It sounds like he has a very lucky life.
I love my saturday mornings!