70 Pounds Lighter and Medication-Free: How Going Primal Changed My Life

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

I’ve been the chef/owner of a couple of restaurants for the past 23 years. When I started in the biz I was kind of like a kid in a candy store! I gained on average about nine pounds a year for 10 years and found myself weighing in at an impressive 317 lbs! I was told by my then doctor to “do” something or bad things were going to happen! I was pre-diabetic and borderline high blood pressure. No specifics on diet or exercise or anything were mentioned. I was left on my own to lose weight and get better.

So I went on a no starch diet and joined a health club! I’d go to the health club between lunch and dinner shifts. I lost 30 lbs and got in aerobic shape through lots of hours on the treadmill and elliptical machines. Emphasis on the word treadmill. Not much fun involved at all. So of course, I gained some weight back and stopped the health club. My weight yo yo’d for the next ten years, I became Type II Diabetic and officially had high blood pressure.

In July of 2014 I weighed in at around 296 pounds, was on a Type II diabetes medication called Glipizide, taking a pill called Losartan for my high blood pressure, and was just prescribed a pill called Omeprazole for my constant queasy stomach and acid reflux. I didn’t eat bacon anymore and couldn’t even stand the smell of it! So I took all these pills and still felt terrible! But I had good blood pressure readings, my blood sugar was “under control” and I wasn’t so queasy anymore. So from the medical community’s standpoint, I was “cured”, see ya, and that couldn’t have been further from the truth! What was the root cause of all my problems? I took it upon myself to do some research.

I zeroed in on fixing my gut first, the thought being that everything starts in the gut! I read some books by Dr. Alejandro Junger and proceeded to sign up for his 21-Day Clean Gut Repair program. I did a protein shake for breakfast, ate a salad with some protein for lunch and had a second shake for dinner. No gluten, no sugar, no dairy, no alcohol and no caffeine! There were a lot of other no’s too, but these were the major ones. Lots of supplements including digestive enzymes, probiotics, liver support and blood sugar support taken at each “meal.” By the middle of the second week I felt great! Stopped the Omeprazole! By the middle of the third week I asked the coaches “what do I do next, the program’s almost over! What do I do for the rest of my life?” One of them said “check out Mark’s Daily Apple, go Primal.”

I did and I did! Best move I ever made (besides marrying my wife of course)! Bought the books, signed up on Marksdailyapple.com. And started reading. The food is great and just by eating Primal, I started losing weight! I couldn’t do the PEMs, sprints, not even jumping jacks to warm up! Just too out of shape and too much stuff jiggling around. It hurt! I really thought I’d never be able to run again. And I was just 62! But the weight kept coming off and little by little I started getting in better physical shape. Then I joined the online 21-Day Primal Blueprint Challenge that runs on Vimify.com every month. That really helped. The online community there is so supportive! I continued to lose weight, my blood sugar was under control and my high blood pressure was coming down! I run, I sprint, I play! I became a mentor for the online challenges then in October of 2015 I took the online courses to become a Primal Blueprint Certified Expert!

The results are in, but they are not final. I still have some way to go! But I’ve lost 70 lbs, I’m off ALL my meds, my blood pressure is normal and my A1C is going down. My doctor is impressed! I’m back to eating bacon! I have a website called EatBaconGetHealthy.com. I do Primal specials in my restaurant, Harry’s Hideaway in Cornville, Arizona. I’ve developed a online 21-Day Primal Food Challenge that’s going to start running on Vimify in May 2016 with recipes and videos. Life is good! And I owe it all to Mark Sisson and The Primal Blueprint! You are a genius Mark! Unlike the other “diets” I’ve been on, this truly is a way of life and something I’ll be doing for the rest of my (hopefully longer) life!

Thanks again, Mark!

Harry Olson

P.S. This week was a momentous occasion! I went to see my doctor. My wife has been trying to get our insurance premiums lowered given my recent weight loss and exercise activity. So here’s how my doctor summed up my visit: “You are no longer diagnosed obese. You are no longer Type II diabetic. Your blood pressure is perfect. Your cholesterol numbers are that of a 20 year old. And you are officially off all medications!” I’m getting a little choked up writing that. Why this Primal lifestyle is not mainstream is crazy!

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