Category: Story Topics
I’m not a fan of overeating. In fact, I think consistent overeating is one of the unhealthiest things a person can do because it places you in a state of constant energy excess. Excess means you can’t handle the food you’re taking in. It means your cells are literally full, your organs are overworked, and hormones aren’t functioning the way they’re supposed to function. Overeating is actually inflammatory, so if you’re doing it every single day you are chronically inflamed. And that’s not even mentioning the impact it has on obesity.
But we are humans—we feast. Whether it’s for a holiday like Thanksgiving or a birthday celebration or just because we feel like it, sometimes we like to eat a big meal. Sometimes we like to overeat.
How do we make it safer? How do we mitigate the negative effects of overeating and possibly even turn it into a positive input?
Let’s find out:
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Diet & Nutrition, Digestion, Recent Articles, Success Stories
Today I’m sharing Amber’s story of making her way from vegan to pescatarian to keto—and, ultimately, to health! Have you improved your health, tackled a fitness goal, or overcome obstacles with the help of the Primal Blueprint? Inspire others by sharing your success story with the MDA community. Contact me here. Hi, Mark! I wanted to share how putting the steps provided in your book into practice has changed my life. Thanks for reading. I was already 20 pounds overweight when I gave birth to my son in 2016. During pregnancy I put on another 40 pounds, which put me in the obese category. I let myself indulge in every craving (mainly strawberry shortcake) and paid no attention to the scale. I was overly confident the weight would fall off after delivery, but when it didn’t, I started to think this was just my new normal. Six months later I joined a gym. On day one I stepped on the scale, and when the number was displayed I was completely mortified. I had zero muscles in my abdomen, and they often had to create different exercises specifically for me as I could not participate in their regular classes. I was embarrassed but determined, and after 11 months I was down 30 pounds and feeling proud. However, I was hungry most of the day. In an effort to drop the weight, I had “tinkered” with diets. At the time, I was on a vegan diet that quickly turned into a pescatarian diet. One day, my gym announced they were moving locations and could no longer provide daycare for my son. Just like that, my gym days were over. I tried to “will” myself to the gym at 5 a.m. but it NEVER went well. I could barely keep my eyes open let alone do a proper workout. I let the membership expire and quickly noticed the weight coming back. I could not understand how this was happening. I thought I was making healthy meals. A normal day went like this: One piece of sourdough toast with avocado and some juice. For lunch I would make vegan nachos comprised of a starch-like substance to substitute for cheese along with black beans, rice, lettuce, and tomato served over chips. For dinner I would make yet another dish with beans or fish with gnocchi. It went on like this for the next two years, and abruptly white wine enters the picture. Wine became a constant in my life and—surprise!—I started gaining even more weight. I was tired all the time; I went to bed at 8 and yet woke up exhausted. At age 32 I thought for the first time that this was not any way to live life. I decided to address this extreme exhaustion with my doctor. She ordered labs, and when the results came back (sparing you the details) everything was elevated to “red” in EVERY category. I was shocked and ashamed. My doctor explained a “new” diet she heard remarkable … Continue reading “Amber’s Keto Success Story”
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Female, Keto, Recent Articles, Success Stories, Weight Loss, Weight Loss
Today I’m sharing a fantastic success story from Mark’s Daily Apple reader Nic, who accomplished a tremendous physical feat with smart training and nutrition.
Have you improved your health, tackled a fitness goal, or overcome obstacles with the help of the Primal Blueprint? Share your story with the MDA community by contacting me here. Your story will inspire others!
I signed up for the Marathon des Sables (MdS) about a year before the event was to take place in 2022. In terms of race experience at the time of signing up, I had run many marathons but only one 50km ultra race.
For those not familiar, the MdS is a self-sufficient race. There is a nightly Bivouac (to be shared among 8 people) provided by the organisation. Although water is supplied, it is keenly rationed. It is up to you to carry everything else you might need across the 6 stage, 7 day 145-mile course, up and down any Jebels and dunes.
Apart from the required physical ability to complete the race, it then becomes about the planning, training, testing and evaluating what works. Living in England, UK whilst training, there is a distinct difference from the expected race conditions and a lack of available options to replicate training scenarios without extensive international travel; but you focus on controlling the variables you can!
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Diet & Nutrition, Keto, Male, Primal athletes, Recent Articles, Success Stories
For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering questions about a rather mysterious supplement called turkesterone. I’ve been getting questions about it lately, specifically regarding its promise for muscle building.
Turkesterone has exploded in popularity, but there isn’t much solid information to go on. Compared to supplements with reams of human research, like whey isolate or creatine or magnesium, you’re flying pretty much blind with turkesterone. I’ve had to sift through animal studies, murky Russian research, and anecdotes to bring you my best take on the compound.
It’s not the final word, but I stand by it for now.
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Dear Mark, Fitness, Lift Heavy Things, Muscle Building, Recent Articles
Hello, readers! Scott sent in his first success story five years ago. A lot has happened since then, so he’s back with an incredible update. Join me in congratulating Scott and wishing him well!
Now I have a request for you: I consider it a true privilege to publish these real life stories, and I need YOURS to keep this feature going. If you would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. Your journey can inspire others to take those first steps!
Five years ago, I wrote a success story about living the primal lifestyle to improve my health. After going Primal, I discovered I had advanced stage-four cancer. When I wrote the story, my cancer was in remission, and I had no evidence of disease. But cancer is a sneaky foe, and it didn’t give up as easily as I had hoped.
Cancer reoccurred in my liver two more times, and it spread to my adrenal glands, more lymph nodes, and my lungs. My original prognosis was that I had about a 7% chance of surviving for five years. Every time my disease spread it lowered my odds of survival. However, that didn’t stop me from living, and I continued to adhere to the primal lifestyle.
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Male, Nature, Recent Articles, Success Stories, Weight Loss
Today I’d like to share a letter I recently received from an MDA reader. After all these years, I am still blown away when I receive testimonials like Kelly’s. If I’m being totally honest, this one made me a little emotional. I hope you find it as uplifting and inspiring as I did!
Good Morning Mark,
I’m writing today to share my success story with you while expressing my deep gratitude. Your books, interviews and blogs have helped me to accomplish something I wasn’t quite sure was possible – losing 75 pounds during the premenopausal phase of my life. (Sorry if that is too much information, however I’ve read all of your articles on this life stage for women, so I know you get why it is relevant!)
Not only was I facing menopause, but I had rollercoaster-weighted my entire life. Back in April, I decided to change my eating habits. We were emerging from the COVID pandemic, and I was shocked to realize the weight I had gained would preclude me from fitting into my summer wardrobe.
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45-54, Diet & Nutrition, Female, Personal Improvement, Recent Articles, Success Stories, Weight Loss