Welcome, welcome, welcome. I'm Mel. I am super stoked about the lifestyle advocated by the Primal Blueprint and invite you to peruse my ever-growing collection of recipes, research and photos that make up my quest to get in touch with my inner caveman.
BACKSTORY: I'm originally from Houston, Texas. I grew up eating whatever I wanted (and ONLY whatever I wanted - I was a stubborn only child). I never ate vegetables, other than corn (which I now know isn't even a vegetable) and potatoes. My favorite meals consisted of pasta, anything covered in cheese, and barbecue. From a relatively early age (I first remember seeing a doctor about this issue at age 8), I had undiagnosed intestinal/digestion issues. My abdomen would hurt multiple times a day, especially after I finished a meal. I never ate breakfast because my morning stomach ache would not subside until around noon. Most trips to the bathroom were an emergency and often painful. I lived with this chronic pain through adolescence, high school, college and my first few years in the working world. While I never saw a gastroenterologist or other specialist about the issue, I did ask my general practitioners for their opinion on what the cause of the issues might be. I never got a definitive answer, only vague suggestions that I "eat better". The only label ever given to my particular problem was by nurses at the Health Services of the University of Texas in Austin (during my attendance at the university). After standard blood, urine and stool tests, the nurse stated that I had IBS, and then immediately added that this was the diagnosis they give when they cannot find anything physically wrong. They said it must be stress-related. I considered the whole endeavor a bust and went along living life as usual until recently, when a routine trip to the doctor became a wake up call.
THE CHANGE: I went to my new general practitioner (assigned to me by my new health insurance's HMO) with a long list of minor aches and pains. I complained of a burning in my chest that had lasted for 3 days straight, not affected by what or when I ate. I was having pain in the tops of my feet. My lower back had been aching for over a week. The doctor handed me a stack of free samples of Prilosec OTC, told me to wear shoes with a thicker sole, and showed me the door. I was disappointed to say the least. A few days later, while scrolling through Google Reader, I came across an article detailing how to stay in shape when traveling. In it, he mentioned something called the Paleo Diet and that's when I found marksdailyapple.com. I began reading about Mark Sisson's unique scientific approach to diet and exercise. I read success stories featuring everything from drastic weight loss, to the rapid disappearance of ailments such as OCD, rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and many more. I became utterly fascinated in the scientific studies he posted to back up his claims. I went Primal in August of 2011. Now, I am not a large person by anyone's standards. I am 5' 3" and spent all of my high school years and the first half of college at around 100 lbs.
Picture provided for scale (I'm the tiny person that isn't a 6-year old boy)
When I started the diet, I was 26 and weighed 127 lbs. Not a lot by anyone's standards, but certainly more than I've ever weighed previously in my life. As of this post, I am 27 and weigh approx. 105 lbs. (give or take a few pounds depending on the week/time of year). But the weight loss was merely a pleasant side effect to the real drive behind my decision to go Primal. Only two meals into the diet, I noticed a significant lack of pain in my abdomen. The next morning I woke up hungry for the first time I can remember (possibly the first time ever). After two weeks, I began getting compliments at work and from friends about how great I looked. One month into the diet, I noticed my energy level was much higher and remained high throughout the day (no more after-lunch lethargy). I slept better and rarely woke up tired. I took Mark's suggestion and bought a pair of Vibram FiveFingers (shoes that mimic the feeling of being barefoot). The pain in my arches went away immediately. I am now 6 months into my Primal journey and I am still finding plenty of things to implement. Just this morning, I did my first Grok Workout. I didn't last more than 10 minutes, but it was still pretty intense and my heart rate remained elevated for quite awhile after I was done (definitely longer than when I used to use a treadmill and machines at the gym).
About a month before I started eating Paleo
Celebrating my birthday 5 months after going Paleo
DISCLAIMER: I will tell you right now that this is not a scientific or academic blog. You will get lots of opinions, ideas, musings, and ramblings. I appreciate all spirited and respectful debate but will not make it the priority of this blog. I simply wish to take advantage of this platform as an outlet for my newfound passion. At the most, I hope someone benefits from the information I post and that it helps them towards a healthier, happier life. So enjoy, and, as Mark would say, Grok on!
I definitely want to keep up to date with your ventures! I find myself recently (and for the first time in my life) caring much more about the nutrition of the food I put in my body and staying active to be healthy. For a future post: do you refer just to the first site you linked to here (Primal Blueprint 101) or do you read books on the subject, go to other sites or message boards? I'd love to know!
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