97 Pounds Destroyed!

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!

Hello Mark,

My whole life changed because of the Primal Blueprint. Ever since I can remember, I struggled with weight. Unsure why at times, since both of my brothers had no problem being thin and built. My bodily make-up was apparently different.

I tried many diets over the years. Accompanied by many short stints with gyms and home workouts. I lost 10, 20, and even 30 lbs one time, and gained it all back with vengeance. When I was 24, I suffered a back injury that required surgery. From that day on, I was constantly in pain from my lower back.

As life went on, I began to believe that being a big guy was me. I grew to accept what, I felt, I could not change. I also grew to accept back pain as a way of life (sometimes crippling pain). At one point in my life I remember weighing in at 350. Below is a picture of what I had become – 339lbs.

John - Before

Something about seeing this picture, triggered the biggest battle of my life. I left work one night and joined the nearest gym I got to. Once there, I was offered a trainer as part of the membership offer. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it full bore. Two days later, I started with a trainer and battled through every workout, till I had given it everything I had. As time went on, the workouts became easier and the bodily pain subsided. Back pain also greatly reduced.

I was put on a nutritional plan by my trainer. It was very similar to the low carb lifestyle of Primal Blueprint. However, it was very confusing to me and not very clear cut. I started making salads for lunch instead of ordering in at work. Pounds started to disappear. This transitioned my thought process into, how can I make it better? I checked out books on Amazon about how to lose weight and stumbled across your book. As I read through it I realized the similarities to my current plan. Only it had one key factor that I was missing; an understanding of how everything effects my body.

Two months later was weight check-in time. I had lost 38 lbs since this all began. This just gave me more drive. I was so close to dropping below 300 for the first time in, I don’t know how long.

I went out and bought a treadmill, weight machine, free weights and a rowing machine to build a home gym. I wanted something for the nights it was too late for the gym. I went a little overboard. Who would have thought, I’d convert my home bar into a gym.

I started experimenting with many Primal recipes. Concocting my own and spending free time searching Mark’s Daily Apple for new and exciting meals. I have eaten vegetables and fish that I have never tried in my life, and love it! I am always searching for new ideas.

With all the changes taking place, I decided to step it up a notch. After 16 years, I grew my hair back and shaved my goatee. I was surprised to find a full head of hair.

I even felt so ambitious that I signed up and started a 25 person team for the ToughMudder (inspired by British military training) in July. Twelve miles and twenty-five obstacles of Guns a Blazin’ Primal exercise. Everyone on our team must make it. When I make it through that will be when I feel I have completed what I set out to do.

And now 10 months later, I am weighing in at 242 lbs. 97 lbs destroyed!

I still have a long ways to go, but I’m getting there. Training hard for July. I just wanted to say thank you, Mark.  Your book has inspired me to fight the toughest battle of my life and has changed it forever…

John - Primal

Thank you,

John

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