Starting from Zero
With yesterday’s launch of this year’s Primal Challenge, I hope you’re all feeling as pumped and excited as I am. Whatever your biggest goal coming into it (e.g. weight loss, stress management, fitness performance), you’re in great company. Thousands of readers every year find the annual Challenge a powerful catalyst for transforming their well-being. Having made the initial commitment, we’re now on the journey itself. This is where the rubber meets the road, folks. Rush turns to focus. Vision becomes reality one day at a time. For some readers, however, staring down the path might seem especially long and arduous. The road side, so to speak, might be littered with the psychological scraps of past disappointments, long-term illness, or emotional issues. Some folks can feel like they’re starting their journey from a formidable zero.
You might be in the worst shape of your life. You might be tipping the scale at an all-time high. You might be fighting a serious health condition you never dreamed you’d encounter. You may have battled disordered eating. You might not remember when/if you ever had a good self-image. My good readers, how many of you felt this way before going Primal? A good percentage of our Friday Success Stories tell this story. An inspiring number of our 2012 Success Stories in the Making reflect the same.
In all my years talking with clients and readers, I’ve heard people often say they’re starting from zero, from rock bottom, with no baseline at all. I understand where they were coming from. Everyone is beginning this journey with a different level of fitness and health. I get that. Yet, I have never in my entire career met anyone starting with nothing. The concept defies physiological reality.
You might get winded walking up half a flight of stairs. You may have lost significant muscle mass. You might struggle to simply sit with (let alone carry) around the extra 50, 75, or 100+ pounds you’ve put on. However, your body is still made to move. It still craves it. I ran across a quote recently “If you have a body, you’re an athlete.” I’d second that. It’s feels harder to train at times, but – make no mistake – living and breathing within you is that pure physical force, that Primal Grok, that evolutionary extraordinaire. Choosing to live Primally – with the right fuel, the expected movement, the necessary sleep and sun – simply allows you to live out the full measure of that vital potential.
And let me say something else about one’s “baseline.” When beginning a journey like this, baseline is about much more than VO2 max, mile time, bench press weight, or lipid profile. Numbers don’t tell your story, and they don’t determine your prospects for success. Think for a minute about what else you bring to the Challenge. What about the motivational power? What about the emotional stamina? What about the social strength of friends, family, and Primal community? What about the force of full-on personal investment or raw will? Those count for something. In fact, those often count for everything. Your physical baseline determines the particular level you start from, but it doesn’t define the trajectory of your journey or the fulfillment of your experience along the way.
Along these lines, let me offer a few suggestions and invite each and every one of our readers to give their own perspective and encouragement.
Invest in Support
As you begin the Challenge, make sure you’re taking full advantage of the support system you have. Not everyone in your life is on board with the Primal Blueprint, it’s true. Regardless, look to those in your life who bring a Primally sympathetic or just open mindset. Some friends, even if they can’t understand why you’re eating so much fat, will support you because they want to simply celebrate any investment you make in your health and happiness. Embrace that. Open yourself to the support of folks in this community. Participate in the comment boards, join the forum, and you’ll see what I mean. Finally, if you feel like past issues like disordered eating still have a grip on you, enlist the professional help you need and deserve.
Develop Big Picture Perspective
Sometimes people get caught up in a particular goal and lose sight of the full process. Embrace daily Primal living and not just specific Challenge goals. (For some people, this might be an important Challenge focus itself.) Going Primal will get you to the destination you have in mind, but it’s not the deprivation-focused, white-knuckle experience you might be used to. Use the Challenge to transform your life as well as you physiology. Relish the myriad of benefits going Primal offers. It’s more than the weight loss and lean muscle mass. Notice the better quality sleep, the more even mood, the sharper focus, the more consistent energy in your day. On that note…
Prioritize Feeling Good (Primally Speaking) Every Day
You’re making a point of eating real, ancestral-worthy food, of adding an exercise regimen. Rest assured, you’re remaking your physiology in the process. You will absolutely reap the benefits long before this Challenge is over. But also make a point of doing something (or several things) that make you feel good today. These healthy “indulgences” can help get you through a rough day of low carb flu or unexpected stress. Relax in the sun. Relish turning in early for a full night’s sleep. (Remember what that feels like?) Share a walk with a good friend you haven’t talked to in a while. Play. Enjoy an old hobby. Take a personal retreat. Make a masterpiece dinner and savor it in real ambiance. In other words, let yourself enjoy the process. Make the Challenge an indulgence as well as an investment in yourself. And make sure you have good Primal fun every day.
Grokkers, please chime in – whether you identify with the “starting from zero” or want to support those who do. What perspective and advice do you have? Thanks for reading today, everyone. Check back tomorrow for the 8 Key Concepts you need to understand for a successful Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge.
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
This challenge is such perfect timing. I’ve been slipping for the past month or so, and man, I have totally been feeling it this past week. Tired, weak, annoyed more often, unable to focus…now I know why I went primal in the first place! My words of advice would be, EDUCATE YOURSELVES, folks! I think the most inspirational, motivating tactic for me was RESEARCH! I subconsciously began making better food choices when I had the knowledge of what they were and why. It got me excited and it made me feel special [and admittedly a little superior at times] that I knew so much more about health and nutrition than most of the people around me. Devour MDA and read some of the blogs Mark recommends. Get yourself amped up and stick with it! To quote an infamous Men’s Warehouse ad, “you’re gonna like the way you look…I guarantee it”. Good luck all!
That quote is so fitting, nice touch.
When I found MDA 3.5 yrs ago, I *was* at rock bottom! A year before my (then) spouse had left me AND he had been diagnosed with cancer. I lost over 25# on the doom-despair-heartbreak “diet”, leaving me at 102 on a 5’4″ frame. A yr later I had gained back that weight at such a high speed that my skin felt too tight – I was miserable & uncomfortable in my own body. A couple I knew (who were also vegetarians) mentioned “paleo” in a blog. I started the switch. Within 7 days I felt marvelous! Then while looking for recipes, I discovered MDA.
Long story short: MDA/PB brought me back! Still a work-in-progress, but I’ll never go back
I started at 288lbs 5’5″. I am down 130 lbs by eating a primal type diet and a lot of running. I now don’t run as much and have added Crossfit.
I would have to say the journey is as rewarding as reaching the goal. I celebrated every new accomplishment, like losing 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50…etc. pounds and adding time to my running every week. I started with jogging only 15 mins on the treadmill and then walked the rest of my work out. I challenged myself to add 5 minutes every week. It was hard, but I did it and it felt so good to accomplish so much.
Celebrate every little success you have!
I got to rock bottom December last year, I was 104 kg (229 pounds) and even tho I was quite fit for that sort of size, you couldn’t see my muscles but I knew they were there. I had heard about low carb and got on to MDA by googling that and found a lifestyle rather then a diet. I remember it was a big oh Yes! moment. I followed the food part strictly, the exercise not so strictly and lost 10kg quite quickly, maintained that for a while and now have lost another 10kg so I am 187 pounds and have been for a couple of months. I felt great and it seemed to be sorting out some lifelong hormonal problems caused by PCOS. Lately I have not been so strict, I have gotten lazy and some starch and carbs have been creeping in. I want to feel like I did a few months ago and I want to loose another ten kilo so this challenge is my chance to refocus so I don’t hit the bottom again before I decide to change!
I’m one of the “in the making” types. I’ve had enormous success this year. I have one strong recommendation: get fiber every day (no skipping a day), and drink plenty of fluids. I got a rectal fissure from dehydration and lack of fiber shortly after starting, and it’s taking some time to heal. Ouch!
Been there, although it was horrible choices and diet in my college days that brought me the agonizing pain for the next ten years. In my case I had to have surgery, but it was well worth it. I no longer fear daily “duties” and have a bounce in my step again. Gotta love the human body, treat it badly and pay the price!!!
Started my 21-Day-Challenge by whacking myself in the knee with my sledgehammer! Luckily it was just a glancing blow. Perhaps there is such a thing as too much enthusiasm!
I’m at zero, got an office job five years ago. I used to build houses and had more muscle than I knew what to do with. Now I’m 35lbs over weight and no upper body mass. I do run and mountain bike ALOT and it just doesn’t help me to loose weight. I have studied primal for over a year. I had a hard time with the thought of giving up grains and beans and milk etc.etc.etc. I have read the Primal Blueprint, have the cook books, signed up for the e-mails, and hope this works! My wife is supportive so here we go!
I am 55 have been primal for about 6 months now. People always told me I didn’t need to lose weight but I knew better. I am tall and carried the spare tire pretty well. It is mostly gone now but intermittent cheating (IC) has stopped me from finishing it off. This 21 day challenge is just what I need to lose that last 5 pounds. Each time I am tempted I tell myself I can wait til October. I told my wife I still have a little way to go. She said, “I don’t know, your butt looks sculpted already”. Now that’s motivation to stay primal.
I started primal at one of my lowest points a little over 2 months back. I clocked in at 335lbs, my heaviest weight ever. The year before my blood work came back with pre-diabetes. Now that i’m on primal, i’ve already lost 37lbs (first time in 2 years i’ve gotten below 300lbs!) and feel the best i have in almost a decade.
I’ve found that it’s easier to live primally by focusing on each day, rather than some future goal. It’s a lifestyle shift, after all. If I invested too much energy into getting to the end of 21 days, I wouldn’t enjoy it as much, and would be much more likely to binge on day 22 (and each day thereafter).
I think it’s a great idea that people incorporate more elements of primal living into their lives. There is so many benefits to be gained – primal/paleo lifestyle doesn’t have to end at dietary choices.
My zero is a little different than some of you. I’m thin, always have been, but have been a “skinny fat”. No muscle whatsoever, eating like crap, no sleep, run ragged, and all stressed out. I have been working out hard (krav maga and crossfit) for about 6 years now, and finally went primal about a year ago. I quit overextending myself, reduced the stress by 10 fold, and have gotten my life back. The last remaining issue is sleep. I have lived on 4 hours of sleep since high school, and this is the toughest things for me. I’m up to about 5 now, but I have a long way to go… today, I am getting 5 hours 10 minutes. Tomorrow I’ll go for 5 hours 15 minutes… we’ll see!
Lisl
Good timing on this challenge. I’m not at zero, but I am suffering from my summer holiday and a work conference.
I stayed more primal than not, but made some exceptions for family harmony and ate a little less well than usual because I was in situations where I was not in control of my own food for longer than I wanted to fast. The small changes here and there added up to feeling ‘off’ (and a very small weight gain – 3 pounds).
I’m looking forward to feeling great again, very soon!
I’m also not at zero, but suffering from being too lax. For the most part I am eating and living primal, but can always kick it up a notch or two.
I am looking forward to the next 3 weeks.
Starting from zero was actually a prerequisite for me…I don’t believe I would have gotten into this so head on if I hadn’t almost burned out. That event actually made me extremely susceptible to change and that is exactly when I found all this
I was on the course, but now I just dove in…and it feels awesome!! 
I think that for me this challenge is about being focused but also remembering to breathe deep and enjoy life. I get way to intense about things sometimes and forget to play, not good at playing! I have lost 34 pounds since Feb on primal and I feel so much better. Just got to get my head straight and relax, sleep, walk and have fun in the sun… lovely thought!
I am a HUGE promoter of the Primal lifestyle. I try my hardest to bring the lifestyle to people’s attention and then when they bite, I offer support. My advice is to only do what you can handle at the time (some can handle jumping in with two feet, others need baby steps) but I encourage them to push further outside their comfort zone when making changes.
My zero was having ZERO success after years of trying with CW. I was taking 3 antidepressants/mood elevators, I had sciatic issues and multiple running injuries. My chiropractor (who was working on my running injuries) recommended I check out this website and follow a more Primal/Paleo lifestyle. I did and haven’t looked back. This experience has been AMAZING for me!
Even though I’ve been delightedly primal for a year, I’m doing the challenge because–well, it’s a challenge! It’s fun. I like stretching myself, as much as I’m able. I’m pushing 70 and arthritic, but that doesn’t stop me for a minute. I do what I can, and love it. One of my goals was to get more sun…yesterday, at home, today out at the lake, sketching with the wind in my hair and fall sun pouring down on my shoulders, knowing there was good food and fresh lemonade waiting at home.
I am very, very happy with the primal life, so thanks to all who encouraged ME when I started. If you’re new and join the forum, my journal is “Still Craving Pterodactyl.” See you there!
I’m the heaviest I’ve been outside of pregnancies. 5’7.5 and 166, small frame. I am going to cheat and start 21 days on Thursday, my birthday tomorrow. Looking forward to a positive change!
I wouldn’t exactly say I’m starting from rock bottom. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve lost 20 pounds, from 196 to 176. I started running in March but fell off all of August. So in a sense, I’m back to square one, and back in the 180s. I need to do this for me. I need to stop making excuses and make it happen.
My zero point was Mother’s Day this year. I have a wonderful 11 y/o son and a great husband and I had no energy to anything with either of them. My high weight was 247 on a 5’7″ frame. That was the day I found MDA and the P.B. 21 day challenge. Well, for a Mother’s Day gift, I talked with my guys and asked them to go on this journey with me. I have never looked back!
So far, I have lost 40 pounds. My energy is excellent, I found a primal type weight lifting coach (and Jason has already helped me immeasurably), my digestion has cleared up (no longer buying stock in Pepcid!) and my skin is clear.
Really looking forward to this new 21 day challenge to see what wonders it will bring. Oh, and I went on a 30 minute walk with my friend to start fulfilling my personal challenge! Feels great!
Guys, I’ve only been primal for about 3 months. Iim a scientist, a biochemist actually and loved the real science backing this approach. It’s now so obvious to me, I can’t believe I didn’t bite years earlier. So let me say that scientifically, this approach has got so much merit that I can’t believe the greater nutritional community hasn’t responded. From a n=1 experiment, I have lost 28 pounds (I was only a little overweight) and more importantly eliminated every autoimmune issue I ever had, gone completely off meds, and so many people now comment on how ‘well’ I look. My success has inspired my family to adopt this approach and they have already lost 25 pounds each, eliminated GERD, sleep apnea etc. it sounds like a contradictory thing to say given my background, but have ‘faith’ that when you fuel and nurture your body correctly, it knows what to do. Don’t count calories, don’t obsess over meals, make the right choices, enjoy and savour, and have faith in your amazing body. Its been protecting you from the insults of the last ten years the best it can and if you treat it well, It KNOWS what to do
Amen
And congrats to you!
My baseline was a few years agod when I was 125kg. On a (currently) 24 year old 5’4″ female it’s not such a good idea. Over the last few years I have lost 20kg, but it’s been a massive struggle.
I have always thought I was “relatively” healthy, but doing the primal essential movements yesterday has shown me how far I really have to go.
But that’s okay, you know? It WILL happen.
I too start every day at zero; however, as many others have said today’s zero is far from that from a year ago. It is almost one year since I started a paleo lifestyle and just last week found out that I am hypothyroid. Tomorrow’s new zero incorporates a 100% gluten/dairy free diet (no cheats), along with the paleo autoimmune protocol. Wish me luck.
I can empathize, Nicole–have been heading toward paleo for a couple of years, but got the Hashimoto’s autoimmune hypothyroid diagnosis this summer. It’s tough to follow the autoimmune protocol, when the forbidden veggies are exactly the ones that are in season, fresh and locally grown (and dominating the CSA week after week), not to mention the dairy. Gluten-free has not been as hard, for some reason (and I lost 10 lbs in the bargain).
Good luck to you and me both!
…and losing eggs has been super hard. Between eggs and nightshades, that takes out half the paleo/primal recipes. Even in her lovely new book “Practical Paleo” Diane Sanfilippo was unable to leave eggs and nightshades out of her autoimmune recipes and meal plans.
So yeah, extra good luck to us autoimmune types moving past our daily zero!
Why are you losing eggs? Nightshades I get, but eggs?
Some of us react to eggs badly. I’ve found that eggbeaters (as NON-primal as they are) are OK – egg whites are OK… but eggs don’t work for me. (ugh).
And YEA, I miss them too.
…and nuts, another hard food group to lose per the autoimmune protocol.
I personally have never noticed a reaction to any of the blacklisted foods, but with autoimmune disease I figure I have to dot all the i’s, cross the t’s, and try everything that has been found to help by others.
My parents have been diagnosed with autoimmune diseases in their 80s, and it seems clear to me that it started long before and has hurt their middle and older age lives. I do not want to go down that road.
I’m not starting from rock bottom either… I’ve definitely been worse, and thanks to following the PB for the past 2 months, I’m also the lightest I’ve been in about 4 years (for all that it’s still a weight I NEVER thought I’d see when I was young and slim). I hit rock bottom about 3 years ago, after working in a roadhouse for a year, living in a small town, and feeling really depressed and isolated (and of course, eating all that roadhouse food). I’m not sure what my highest weight was (I avoided scales) but I’d say it was close to 15kg above where I am now (I was in the obese category)… I was unfit and miserable. So really, even though I’m quite a long way from my best, I’m not at my worst either (I have another 15kg to lose to get to my goal weight).
isolation feelings… ugh. I hope you found people to let it loose with! afterall… we are pack animals
I’m glad to hear about your successes! Amazing!!!
Welcome to the rest of your life, DayZero-ers! Your journey starts with this first step.
My advice to you is to clean out your fridge and pantry, donate the food to the hungry, and RE-STOCK with only primal options. Easiest way to stay on track.
Prepare to see dramatic changes over the next few months. My favorite of all is that I no longer feel bloated after eating. Never realized that all the “healthy” grains I was eating weren’t quite so friendly for my gut.
Best of luck, we’re all here for y’all
I couldn’t agree more. Be sure to have only healthy foods in the fridge and cupboards. Eat primal and enjoy. You will begin to feel so much better! And that’s just for starters…
All the best.
I started going primal after my football career ended this past May, since then I lost 39lbs of body fat and totally reshaped my body. The past month I experienced some health issues, vertigo, and was unable to work out and my total progress stopped. I felt angry that I couldn’t work out and began eating SAD again. Within a month I gained 21 pounds of weight. That brings me to where I am today, I’ve needed to refocus but I was unable to find the drive and motivation i needed to be disciplined. I am hoping to find motivation with this challenge. I am trying to recommit to myself, my health and my future.
losing 2 inches around my belly is what my challenge is all about. I believe I finally have it down now. Wish me luck.
I am having a love affair with this site Mark. I have a BS/MS in Holistic Nutrition and I’ve been a CPT for about 5 yrs… the basic premise of my degrees is your body can heal ANYTHING when it’s provided whole foods, pure water, sunlight, rest and exercise. I’ve seen it in my own life and countless others. I love that it’s just a blueprint… not a do this for 2 weeks then do this…then 4 weeks later you do this. You address the WHOLE person!!! Diets and exercise plans only address one aspect… or maybe 2-3. I love the wealth of knowledge on here from proper joint mobility to play to leptin. THANK YOU for actually coming up with something real. I hope you read this amongst your 100′s of emails and comments and real life
My reason for doing the challenge is… baby #4 has been a totally different experience for me. By 6 months Ive reached my normal weight and clothing size with all my others but #4… 10 mo out and Ive got about 15lbs left. I’ve just about gone bezerk with trying to figure out what I’ve done wrong this time and it’s time to just get back to basics and allow it to come instead of fighting for it. 21 days = 3lbs of BF. If not… well. I’ll keep keeping on… Adjust sleep…or play…or calorie make ups…
Hi there – where did you do your Holistic Nutrition education? I have recently been looking into pursuing this (I’m in Canada), but it seems to be a rather new field and I’m not sure what schools are good??
And I hear ya on baby weight, I’m still working on weight from #2, just in time to start working on #3!
Yeah, me! I finished my first day completely primal! I started PB a year ago and lost 70 lbs. In June I was hurt and my fitness level dropped. I’ve gained back 10 lbs due to pain and the heat this summer. I’m using this challenge to lose that 10 lbs and regain my fitness level, poor though it was. I just started a new hobby of finding wild edible plants. I find I walk further every day in my searches. The bending, stretching and rough footing is helping the back pain too.