Annika
11-22-2009, 02:10 PM
Hey, I'm Annika, I was invited to this forum by pkafka, so here I am! My primal journey began just a few months ago in July 2009 when I read Good Calories Bad Calories, which pretty much blew my mind. I drastically changed my eating habits when I was only a quarter of the way through the book. I found Mark's Daily Apple around the same time, and have visited it daily ever since. I'm not the most devoted or conscientious Grokette, although I probably manage to follow the 80-20 rule. I was a vegetarian for years, then ate no red meat for many more years, then added grass-fed meat to my diet after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. I've always endeavored to eat a healthy, whole-foods diet, but that used to include lots of whole grains, little animal fats, etc. I haven't given grains up completely, but there are lots of days when I have none at all, and they are certainly never the foundation of a meal like they used to be. I'm finding pizza and tortillas hard to give up, and my 12-year-old daughter loves to bake, so that's a real challenge! I have a 14-year-old son too, and neither kid is on board with the Primal diet. I don't want to be a food-nazi mom, so I still buy them grain-based foods. Luckily, my husband likes the switch to Primal food. I still have nagging doubts about saturated fats, because it's been drilled into my head that they are so bad for you, and the overwhelming consensus is that we should minimize them in our diets. I find it frustrating that dietary advice is so polarized and there is disagreement on everything related to nutrition.
In terms of fitness, I just began the Body by Science program - brief, intense lifting sessions only once a week. I'm having some knee pain that I think is caused by squats, deadlifts, and/or leg presses, and that's worrying me some. I've lost about 10 lbs since going Primal, and I don't need to lose any more, but I do need to firm up and lose some of my jiggle.
In terms of fitness, I just began the Body by Science program - brief, intense lifting sessions only once a week. I'm having some knee pain that I think is caused by squats, deadlifts, and/or leg presses, and that's worrying me some. I've lost about 10 lbs since going Primal, and I don't need to lose any more, but I do need to firm up and lose some of my jiggle.