30 Day Primal Challenge Day 20: Amazing and Unexpected Results So Far

It’s day 20 of my 30 Day Primal Challenge.  My wife wanted to say something.  Perhaps my "going primal" has had unforseen implications?

Read on for a guest post from my wife Annie...

A few days ago, Will posted that after asking people to join him on his 30 Day Primal Challenge, no one answered the call.  Not exactly true.  I joined him.  And I have been surprised completely by the results I have achieved thus far.  I felt compelled to share them with you.

My first day was exactly two weeks ago, so I just started Day 15 of my journey.  Although weight loss was not my main intention, I have dropped 5.5 pounds along the way, a fairly normal result for me when I “diet” (ugh, I hate that word).  But here’s the thing—I never once counted a calorie or kept from getting seconds (or thirds) if I wanted them.  Of course, I did have to cut out ALL grains, dairy and legumes, but I figured, it’s just 30 days, I can handle it.

What astonished me were the other benefits that have resulted along the way.  Check out my log below for a real-time recount.

Some background first. I came into this experiment with little to no expectations.  When Will first brought this concept up a month ago and explained the Paleo Diet to me, I thought it was crazy. Cut out grains, what are they nuts? I thought whole grains were good for us (high fiber, low fat energy source), how could they be suggesting that this whole food group could be causing us problems? 

I kind of put the whole thing out of my mind for contemplation another time, until about a week into Will’s Challenge. Then, out of what some people might consider to be an irrational need for control, I wanted my kitchen back.  I had visions of Will staying up late and getting up early to prepare extra volumes of meat and fish and vegetables.  Frankly, I wasn’t willing to have to share the space so much, and thus, my Challenge began.

Another piece of background to keep in mind.  My husband is an athlete, pure and simple.  He runs marathons, tri-athlons and a host of other races and generally finishes these things with some sort of trophy (usually as a top finisher in his age group).  My friends refer to him as “the machine.” 

I am not an athlete although I have been working out for 20 years as a way to control my weight.  I used to be more dedicated when it came to cardio, but I found, especially as I got older, recovery was taking too long and the injuries were too risky.  Besides, since having my second daughter two years ago, I had developed chronic back pain (treated with stretching suggested by the orthopedist) and I didn’t want to aggravate it (more on this below, HINT HINT).  I am good for 2 or 3 workouts/week and they are usually yoga or strength training.  In short, I think it has been easier for the results to show up on me (since I am less fit) than my hubby.

Below is a consolidated excerpt from my daily log over the past two weeks.  For the most part, I have stuck with the rules of the Paleo Diet cutting out all grains, dairy and legumes and trying to restrict sweets.  Occasionally a few of these forbidden items have slipped in and if you keep reading, you’ll see what happened.  Keep in mind that as I started this plan, I was simultaneously reading Robb Wolf’s book, The Paleo Solution, which was taking me through much of the anthropology and scientific evidence.  Reading his book was a great way to stay motivated.

Day 1 (9/6):  Ok, have no idea what I’m going to eat.  Muddle through the day.

Day 2:  Need to get more veggies and meat in the house. Feel sluggish.  Can’t wait to sleep!

Days 3-6:  So sluggish. My body must be missing the carb loaded energy.  Keep myself busy stocking the fridge with more fish, veggies and eggs.

Day 7:  Get out of bed in the a.m. with NO back pain for the first time in two years.  Hmmm.  Robb Wolf said that a diet with grains has a tendency to cause inflammation.  Let’s see what happens tomorrow, but in the meantime I feel great!

Day 8:  Woo hoo! Still no back pain.  And I think my skin looks more clear.  Feel better about the food options.  It’s not just salad and grilled chicken. 

Day 9:  Try on an old pair of low-rise jeans (these things never fit right even when they are big).  Here goes...and the muffin top is GONE.  Huh?  Robb Wolf said this might happen too - a reduction in belly fat.  Elevated cortisol in our systems caused by insulin resistance fed by a high carb diet can lead to retaining fat around our middles, even if we’re skinny. 

Day 10:  I don’t have puffy eyes anymore.  This had gotten so bad during the summer that the inflammation was causing me to strain (via raising my brows) to keep my eyes fully open.  Hmmm.
After a great week, I have a stressful evening and “binge” on half a KitKat and a handful of candy corn.  Frankly, this binge would have been considered tame by my old standards, but I must admit that since starting this diet, my sweet tooth has gone away.

Day 11:  Uh oh.  Back pain and puffy eyes are back.  Could it be due to the excess sugar last night?  Back on track and have a good day eating.

Day 13:  Back pain gone again. This is wacky.  I can’t believe my diet is so directly correlated to my back pain.  Luckily have a good day eating again.  Really do not want sweets anymore.

Day 14:  Another good day.  Only worked out twice last week.  Hope to get to it today.

Day 15:  Down a total of 5.5 lbs over the last two weeks.  Happy with the weight loss but ECSTATIC about the other unexpected results.

So here we are in the middle of Day 15.  For those of you who have trouble believing my results, I highly suggest taking a read through Robb Wolf’s book.  He explains the anthropological and chemical evidence without ever being boring.  While the book is engaging and fun, Wolf is a biochemist by training and provides the scientific explanations if you would like to understand it.  I found his book to be a great cheerleader in the process.  And it explains every single result that I encountered so far:

• Weight loss without counting calories or major exercise
• No more back pain
• No more pudge around the middle
• No more puffy eyes
• Clearer skin

Whether you choose to accept Will’s challenge or not, I hope you found this evidence helpful.  I plan to finish out the 30 days and evaluate where to go from there.  In the meantime, I am enjoying being pain free for the first time in a long time!

So....amazing results thus far for my wife.  In my opinion, the most compelling evidence that “going primal” works was what happened when she re-introduced some candy on Day 10.  The problems came back.  Eliminate the bad food again...problems gone again.

Makes you wonder what would happen if you tried it...