Let the madness begin...

It's Tuesday, May 11th, and it's slightly more than 24 hours since I discovered the Primal Blueprint, and decided to make a drastic change in my life. The first thing that struck me about the Primal Blueprint was the similarity to "Paleolithic Diets", which I'd first read about nearly 12 months earlier. Initially I was tempted to skip reading the site in any detail, and continue merrily on my way, ignorant of the possibilities.

For whatever reason, though, I read on, and found what I was reading fascinating. Having struggled for many years to lose weight, I read on, curious to know how the Primal Blueprint could help me. What I read echoed information I'd found elsewhere, namely that an excess of carbohydrates in our modern diet seemed to be responsible for all sorts of common problems, like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Working on the theory that limiting my food intake to fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy foods would be no worse than my current diet, I decided to give the Primal Blueprint a go. In theory it should be easy, until you realise that the Primal Blueprint restricts carbohydrate intake by cutting out all carbohydrates from sources such as grains, beans and legumes, and starchy plants such as potatoes. As I started to tally up the foods I'd be cutting out that I currently enjoy, I started to get somewhat disheartened.

Fortunately, I read on through the Primal Blueprint website, and found a wealth of alternative foods to replace the things I would miss the most (bread, pancakes and pasta...). With the realisation that things weren't going to be as bad as I first thought, I vowed to give the Primal Blueprint a determined effort. Unfortunately, I can't afford to just throw out everything in the cupboard that's no longer allowed, so the process of starting the Primal Blueprint is going to be gradual.

The theory is simple, to start with I'll just continue to eat what ever is in the cupboard, bread, potatoes, rice etc. Then, as these "forbidden" items are used up, they will be replaced with food that adheres to the Primal Blueprint. One thing that I find intriguing is the notion that things that have long been considered "bad" for me, as a guy with a family history of heart disease, are now not only allowed, but considered good. What's more, there seems to be a wealth of research supporting this, too.

Whatever the case, as of tomorrow, I will be easing my way into the Primal Blueprint. The first step is to replace my snacks with a Primal alternative. Normally I'd have fruit, along with some sort of cake or other sweet item. However, the days of brownies and biscuits are over, and they will be replaced with nuts as my snack of choice. The cupboard has been stocked with almonds and cashews, plus a mix of hazelnuts, macadamias, almonds, cashews and pistachios.

As it stands now, I currently weigh 104kg, and I have been at that weight, giver or take a kilo or two since the start of the year, when I decided that I wanted to lose weight. Despite my best efforts, I have not made any progress at all. Even with an improved diet, at best all I have managed to do is maintain the same weight.

So that I don't find the going too hard, I'll be setting myself some goals over the next few months. The first short term goals are to get my weight below 100kg, and to try and combat my craving for sugar. The two goals are related, as it's by controlling and mastering the cravings for sugar and sweet snacks that I'll be able to lose the weight, and keep it off.

So, the next few weeks are going to be interesting, and I look forward to seeing how I cope with going primal...