It is not impossible to have a huge transformation in short times on Primal diet. I did not have as drastic as transformation. I read a fair amount of testimonials of guys losing a lot of weight in a few months. Here is one example, where a guy loses 60 lbs in 6 months. They go from being obese to being rather muscular in such a short period of time. These types of stories are usually inspiration for most, but what happens if after 6 months and your not ripped or in super great shape. Do you than quit exercising and primal in frustration or carry on? I think its wise to be skeptical yet, use the hope to fuel the diet and workout. The person could have great genetics for losing weight, or simply far more discipline. Exercising and healthy eating is for life, so don’t give up if your results aren’t as great as you expect at first. The effort will pay off down the road.
I lost about 30 lbs in a few months when I first went strict primal, a good portion of that was water weight. I’m 5′ 4″ so its a fair amount of weight for my size. However after a period of time I noticed I wasn’t making any progress. If I had added Starting Strength style workouts with intermediate fasting a few times a week I possibly could have gotten bellow that at the beginning. My exercising was not consistent until about a year and a half ago. Four years have passed since I started the primal diet. I have fell off the diet twice, which I is pretty good since it can be tricky to stick to when life gets rough. I’m slowly getting to being lean and muscular. I figure that an instant transformation into a healthier body isn’t some quick fix scheme that most workout books and supplements sell you, to buy the book.
I’m at 20% body fat currently, and started at 30%, four years ago. This change was pretty big since I’m a small guy, however its not as drastic as the link I posted. I have gained a ton of strength as well (I added 70 lbs on my bench press this year), and I look lighter than I am. Its not necessary for good health to be that much lower than 20%, but its great to have goals to move towards. The less weight you have puts less pressure on joints though so its not a bad goal. A bad goal would be for looks only especially if its for others.
I have recently been eating a high amount of carbohydrates which help with gaining muscle mass and better digestion. However its not good for fat loss. Mid carbs which are probably higher than 250 grams a day seems to be overall a good range for me, but I tend to easily maintain weight that way. I need to go lower on the carbs to lean out. I can not however maintain low carb diets for long since it causes constipation and lack of energy for me.
My results with primal, have been very slow and somewhat disheartening, since I’m impatient and assumed it would be easy. However how I felt both mentally and gut wise has been an big improvement. This is why I stick with primal, since my gut and mind have been my biggest issue for more than 10 years. I still have problems with both, but I will correct both over time. You don’t fix chrohns quickly that has been around for 11 years, however I’m medication free so its much better than before. No more IVs or asacol.
I think you need to have a specific plan either to gain muscle or lose fat. When you first start exercising you can do both for awhile, but eventually you might have to chose one or the other. The plan will also have to include diet changes such as different amounts of carbohydrates for your goals. I don’t think you just stick with diet.
primally kosher 