This blog is all about my journey following a Paleo/Primal way of eating. I assume, if you're here, that you stumbled across this blog by searching for some information about the Primal lifestyle. I don't claim to be an expert and I'm probably not the right person to explain to you how the Primal lifestyle works. If you're looking for more information about becoming Primal or Paleo, please check out my links page for more information.
So what is this blog, exactly? It's a place for me to share my trials and tribulations of following the Primal lifestyle. Who knows what will happen along the way?
So who am I and how did I get here? Well, that's a really, really long story. I grew up in a household that didn't emphasize nutrition, so not surprisingly, I grew up very overweight. By my teens, I weighed a staggering 265 pounds. I've battled with various eating disorders over the course of my life, starting in high school when I tried starving myself to lose weight. It wasn't a successful venture (surprise, surprise). After I graduated from college in 2006, I decided enough was enough, and made a rela effort to lose weight. Using extreme calorie restriction (we're talking less than 1000 calories per day) and intense cardio exercise I dropped over 100 pounds in less than a year. I also awakened The Beast. Extreme calorie restriction often leads to binges, and binge I did. At first, my binges were rare, but then they became a regular occurrence. I self-diagnosed myself with Binge Eating Disorder in 2008; in 2010, my BED was confirmed by a psychologist. The Beast is something I still live with every day.
I hit an all-time low in November 2008. I starved myself down to 145 pounds by eating only 300 calories per day. The Beast sought revenge and by January of 2009, a mere two months later, I gained 40 pounds. Maintaining a healthy weight, and a healthy relationship with food, has been a struggle ever since.
And then I heard about Primal.
Fast forward to February 2011. I spent the past three-years yo-yo dieting and feeling miserable. After a particularly bad binge-streak celebrating my boyfriend's birthday, I was at my wits end. One night, the BF and I curled up on the sofa and watched the movie Fat Head on Netflix. Suddenly, everything seemed crystal-clear. I was addicted to carbs, and that addiction was not only stunting my weight-loss progress, but also making me unhealthy. I decided it was time to do some research...and time to make some real changes. No more quick-fixes.
On March 1st, I jumped into the Primal lifestyle head-first, and the first two months brought me amazing results. I was healthy, I felt good, I was happy, I was no longer preoccupied with food, the Beast was kept at bay, and I was losing weight and inches rapidly. It was amazing. I finally found a lifestyle that worked for me.
And then everything went to hell.
The problem with the Beast is that it doesn't like to be locked away. After graduating from graduate school, I treated myself to a trip to New Zealand, which knocked me out of the Primal routine. The Beast was back. Over the course of three weeks, I spent more days binging than not binging. I'm too afraid to step on the scale to see the damage that I caused. Now, here I am, recommitting myself to the Primal lifestyle and fighting tooth and nail to keep the Beast at bay.
And this is where you find me now.
When I started the Primal journey back in March, I kept a blog on SparkPeople.com, but I decided it's time to branch out to a wider community. I hope that by reading this blog you'll find some good stories, some words of advice, and a real person to relate with. I'm not perfect and I don't pretend to be. I'm a real person trying to figure things out, and I'm inviting you to join me as I embark, once again, down the Primal Pathways.
Cheers!
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