The Primal Blueprint Health Challenge: Progress Report
The Prize:
The winner of today’s Primal Blueprint Health Challenge Progress Report Contest will receive their choice of any of Vibram’s four designs of Fivefingers.
The Contest:
Today’s contest is a piece of cake. Simply leave a comment in this blog post describing your experience on the Primal challenge thus far, and do it in 3 sentences or less.
How does the reality of achieving your challenge goals compare to how you thought it would be when you began the challenge? Has it been easier? More difficult? Are you happy with your early challenge results? What does Primal living mean to you?
Contest Deadline:
Midnight tonight, August 17th.
Choosing a Winner:
One comment, and thus one winner, will be chosen at random.
Eligibility:
From the United States to the United Kingdom and from New Zealand to New Delhi everyone is eligible. No restrictions.
Other Important Info:
- Remember to use your real email address in the comment board. If you don’t we won’t have a way to contact you.
- Multiple comments won’t get you multiple entries. One comment is enough.
To track all the contests visit The Primal Blueprint Health Challenge Contest Page for daily updates.
Visit The Primal Blueprint Health Challenge for challenge details.
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
I started a week later than the official one – with a few friends. Right now it’s a little too early to tell, but boy has it been hard trying to be really good. Been around family for birthdays is fine for eating cake and good treats, but the leftovers are driving me nuts! But I know it’s better for me.
Continuing to lose excess weight. Sleeping better and smoking less.
The Primal challenge has made me confront my biggest fear – accountability. It hit me in a meeting, everything…everything is connected and I need to be accountable to my wife, kids, grandkids and great grandkids! I don’tknow if I will live to dance at my great grandaughters wedding but if I am I will be functional and vibrant because of my accountability to the Primal Blueprint and the Challenge to live life!
Thankfully, this challenge has served more like a dietary ‘return to grace’ for me. I’ve returned to melting off the excess fat and have lost yet another belt loop. I’m not doing as well at exercise as I thought I would and need to focus on it more.
It is amazing to me that this is no longer about losing an arbitrary number of pounds but has evolved into a genuine desire to become lean, healthy and fit. It’s as though I didn’t really start living until the age of 47, and have gone from a life of frailty to feeling like I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.
And my husband’s getting a kick out of watching his tiny wife lug heavy things around.
Life has never tasted so good spiritually, physically and mentally. Have to work on those late night munchies cravings though.
I’ve been trying to be primal 60/40% for several months now but this month I’ve set a goal to be in Mark’s 80/20 Primal. I’m an avid CrossFitter and have had a pair of Vibram Sprints since December ’08. I’ve pretty much worn them out, so a new pair would be awesome!! I’ve got holes on several of the toes, and god knows after “umpteam” workouts they stink to high heaven even though I wash them regularly.
Eating primal is a dream come true! I can eat all my favorite foods, and keep my six pack too (abs that is)! My wife is a little worried that I’m going to move to alaska and catch salmon with the bears, hmmm not a bad idea…
I’ve really struggled. I don’t know how anyone else finds this, but I’ve got a real discipline problem. I’m hoping it gets easier and being at college makes it only more difficult. I hope that I can just push through and keep going.
I am only 8 days into the primal challenge but I have found it to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. There is a group of about 20 people at the Crossfit gym I attend that are doing it together and we share our experiences/recipies with each other.
Condescending comments and jokes are hard to swallow but, in time, they will be gone as people around will see the difference in me. So, Acknowledge them and let it go!
I’ve always lived with the “everything in moderation” idea guiding my decisions. As a mind-set and true way of life, Primal Living has helped me take that notion of moderation to a new level in healthier choices. Especially during The Challenge.
There is something beautiful in the simplicity of the primal lifestyle..like those juicy chicken breasts with the skin on and bones in I’m about to attack…that is the key: “attack” with abandon: attack your food! attack your workouts! attack your cravings! attack life! Grok say: “Kill it and eat it!!”
I have been pretty much grain free for a couple of months and eating way more fruit and more veggies too. I think I’ve lost about 10 pounds without really changing my exercise much. I figured the dietary changes would be the biggest hurdle so that has been my focus.
Putting my goals in writing gave me a reason to stick to them and it’s been easier than I thought. I’ve experienced increased energy levels, and I am continuing to gain muscle and lose fat, so I’m really happy with my progress. Primal living means making decisions about your diet, fitness, and general health that will help you thrive and avoid the diseases that plague our society.
Well I amworking toward the goal of being primal, and plan on getting the “Blueprint” for my 51 bday this month to help. Still wondering about giving up my nofat cott cheese and nofat yogurt along w a multibean salad I liked and think/thought was healthy. Love the IFs, don’t feel the guilt if i miss a meal or feel like it will throw mymetabolism off.
Eating primal was easier than I thought so that I overreached the 80/20 rule I set. But loosing the bf% and gaining strength takes longer than I imagined – also due to an injury. But I kept the inflammation at bay!
While I haven’t had the weight loss I hoped for (.4 lb), today’s contest prompted me to remeasure–I’ve lost about 1 inch from my waist!!! Yippee!! All of the support on the forum has been amazing.
I love my high energy levels, lower blood pressure, lower weight, smaller waistline. For the first time in years, I feel like I have amazing control over my food intake and am happy about all the food I am eating. The workouts, both the intense lifting and the longer walking/hiking are easier to complete.
So far, so good! My goals were: to cut back on sugar, gain muscle (I’m 5’10″ 127lbs 15%body fat), do 1 pull-up, and be my husband’s girlfriend.
I have cut waaayyy back on sugar (occasional honey still). Haven’t gained much muscle & have lost 1.5lbs (not what I wanted). Getting closer to a pull-up and that works my abs too! Giving lots of massages to my husband & not wearing pj’s all day on the weekend.
The hardest thing seems to be getting enough protein every day.
Oops! Not so good at following directions (and I’m a teacher!).
It has been 3 weeks since I started the Primal Blueprint, and I’ve lost 8 lbs of fat, have more energy and just feel great all day long. I’ve made a goal to lose 20 lbs after 10 weeks and get my cholesterol under 200. When I reach my goal, my family has agreed to start the program as well so I’m not just doing this for myself but for my parents, siblings, wife and children.
I really appreciate this challenge. I have been in a rut and started letting myself go a tad by eating more carbs than I needed. I love the recipes and love to read the comments. I feel inspired by others. It keeps me motivated.
I love it so far! I have not had any grains since starting the challenge, which is crazy because I appreciate a good bread, haha.
It’s amazing how much better I actually feel when I only eat what I was meant to eat! Thanks Mark!
Going primal has definitely been a challenge for me. Have to come up with ideas for breakfast, make sure I get more walks/sprints in. Doing more hikes and staying away from grains, but staying away from sugars is a bit harder.
No major physical changes though, but for some reason I feel leaner.
The best part of going primal is having to come up with primal meal ideas with whatever is in the fridge, some of it turns out really really good.
I love primal living baby. Eat right live right. 2 weeks in, a life-time to go.
I’ve been eating primal(ish), from Sweden and still use quite a bit of dairy, for a couple of months now but went for a summervisit to my parents just as the challenge started so I made my challenge to try to stick to the plan while camped in a ‘foreign cave’.
I think its been going quite well, parents atleast slightly open to my ideas, helped quite a bit i think by me pitching in with the cooking of quite a few really tasty meals. =)
I fear they will probably fall back on the bread wagon again when i move out but personally I think its made my own stance stronger.
I’ve lost 5.5 lbs so far and I feel good, my energy is up this week.
It’s been easier than I expected, I haven’t counted or weighed or tracked carbs – freedom eating.
I’ve made an effort to move and to exercise, maybe not enough yet, but I am trying to increase each week.
I’m 50 and I think I have finally found a way I can eat healthily and effortlessy and lose weight, with exercise that I believe I can build into my life regularly….Thanks Mark.
I’ve been on and off primal living. I started over year ago and once I started immediately dropped about 20 lbs but after that it’s been tough losing the last of the abdominal fat and getting the energy to power through the day. These three weeks have been a good refresher…although no ice cream in the summer is hard
I feel good and excited about continuing the primal diet. Overall I am feeling better and have performed bettered athletically.