How 21 Days Transformed Me for Life

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What do I like best about Primal eating for weight loss? NO COUNTING!! No counting calories, no counting portions, no counting values.

What do I like second best about Primal eating for weight loss? I’M NOT HUNGRY!

I have not been hungry since I began following the Primal strategies nearly six months ago. That has been unheard of in my multiple experiences with weight loss “diets.” It has been so easy with minimal amount of effort. Let me tell you the story of how my Primal journey began.

About 10 months ago my family physician insisted I begin a cholesterol lowering drug because my bloodwork numbers were too high. I explained that I wasn’t willing to use drugs without trying other interventions. She was not happy with me. Her nurse kept calling and leaving messages about filling my prescription.

In the meantime, I tried an herbal cholesterol lowering product which was supposed to capture the cholesterol and send it out of the body. I faithfully took the product with meals for two months and returned for a bloodwork update. Unfortunately, even after taking the product without fail, my bloodwork numbers were EXACTLY the same as the prior results. My physician emailed me that I needed to get started NOW on the cholesterol lowering drug. Her nurse called at least once a day, leaving me a message about filling the prescription.

I was very disappointed because I know that cholesterol lowering drugs could eat away your muscles. I decided that if I did, indeed, need to take this drug, I wanted to be sure my muscles were as strong as possible.

Here is where my fabulous personal trainer comes into the picture! My lifelong exercise routine had been following various workout videos. I wanted more individualized help, so I located the best-rated women’s gym in my area, and signed up to work with Anthony Munkholm, Fitness Director and personal trainer at Sweatshop Health Club in St Paul, MN. Little did I know how this decision would change my life!

As I began working with Anthony, he asked me about my fitness goals. In the beginning, I was only interested in building my strength; later, my endurance. I had been stuck at the same over-weight for nearly ten years, and I could not think about one more discouraging weight loss attempt. For now, I was happy to be so excited about my training sessions. I had more energy and was actually beginning to see definition in my muscles. I couldn’t wait for training days!

Anthony never pressed me to think about a weight loss goal. When we chatted about my ever-evolving goals, I would say that losing weight with my new exercise program would be a side benefit. After a month of training sessions, Anthony said he had a book he thought I might be interested in. He shared The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation with me. It was just the thing I needed.

Chapter after chapter, I said to myself, “Yes, I believe this. Yes, I can do this.” And I realized that Anthony had already been using the Primal philosophy in my training. He incorporated the Primal Essential Movements with a few sprint bursts in between. He conveyed confidence in my own intuition, which is also part of the Primal philosophy.

Checking in on my bloodwork…after six weeks of training with Anthony and eating Primal, my results improved so much, my physician said I should return in three months for reconsideration. The new results, three months later, had even greater improvement: Total cholesterol down 20 points, LDL down 14 points, BMI down from 31.3 to 28.3, and body fat down from 43.5 to 37.9. You can imagine how thrilled I am with these results. And so is my physician!

Checking in on my weight…I’m down 25 pounds off the scale, replaced by more and more muscle, of course! With total body fat down, down, down, and dress size down as well, I am back to a size from over 15 years ago! And I’m not worried about a final weight goal; I just keep eating Primal 80/20 and the pounds seem to melt away.

Stocking my cupboard with delicious Primal choices makes eating at home easy. Special requests like meatballs and marinara sauce over double broccoli, instead of spaghetti noodles, makes eating out easy as well. My lifelong sweet tooth has disappeared. Walking passed a bakery or junk food aisle is not temptation. My blood sugar levels have evened out, and I don’t miss the grains or sugars at all. Successes are all around me!

I am relentless about keeping my training schedule, even though I work out of town on a flexible basis, sometimes being gone for a couple weeks at a time. Anthony plans an “away” training routine I can do on the road. I meet with him regularly the weeks I am home. I am proud of my exercise accomplishments. Push-ups on the squat bar, going lower and lower; beginning at 5-14, now 2-3 sets of 15-24. Goal for next year is 10 on the floor! Assisted pull-ups, consistently made harder; now I can do 12! Squats, starting with leg press, moved to ball squats to the TRX, now perfect body weight squats! I also do a “mean” plank!

My trainer, Anthony, lives a Primal Lifestyle. He shares his own challenges, successes, knowledge and recipes with me. I am indebted to him for providing the Primal Lifestyle information. I am thrilled that my 21-Day Transformation has grown into an Every Day Life Transformation.

Alice

Filed under: Fitness