*insert standard greeting here*

[morri]

Hi! My name isn't really Morri, but for the few years I was in a raiding guild in WoW, I answered more quickly to "Morri" than my "real name."

I spent a large part of the weekend reading NF articles and the first half of Good Calories, Bad Calories. I decreed that I was giving up grains and dairy, save butter, in favor of meat, and my husband and I decided to start following the beginner's bodyweight routine. We were pleased to see the six-week challenge announcement show up on Monday; we signed up for the forum to be able to participate in it. The start-date of the challenge was serendipitous, and I am not about to shun assistance.

I am a 29-year-old engineering manager with asthma and a thyroid disorder. It has been ridiculously easy for me to gain weight, and I've been loathe to press my luck with the strenuous and long-duration aerobic activity that conventional wisdom insists is necessary to lose weight. (I've also been a little lazy, but it's difficult to say how much of it was laziness and how much of it was a broken thyroid.) It had not occurred to me to try lifting weights instead.

What had occurred to me was diet modification. I stopped eating meat after watching Food, Inc. and having a scary reaction to some antibiotics. I was a high-raw vegan for many months, convinced that all the fruits, vegetables, and nuts would be healthy and sustaining. I lost a lot of weight, down to ~205 from a max of 270, but I couldn't sustain the diet: I still craved cheese, cooked vegetables, and bread. I waffled between vegetarian and vegan for about a year, alternating between not eating enough protein because I am less than fond of soy and beans and still not having enough protein, but wheezing because of the limited dairy I'd added in. During a bizarre and terrifying series of thyroid swings in December, out of nowhere, came the urge to eat some chicken. And I did. And it was good.

Fast forward a few months, and here I am: trying to eat primal, and starting an exercise program. I hope that both of these are positive and lasting changes.

I'm usually the type who doesn't say anything unless it needs to be said, so I'm not the best at forum chatter, but I am happy to be here!

[Bumblebee4]

Welcome Morri. I'm not much of a chatter either till I get comfortable but remember we can't read your mind if there is something that you want/need support on. Hope you find what you're looking for here on NF

[AKLulu]

Welcome, Morri! My WoW name is Svetka

It sounds like you've been on quite the journey with your health already, but I'm glad you're with us now. One of my friends has a crazy thyroid condition (rendering her basically "diabetic") and she has done Paleo for years now and says it's a huge help. Hopefully your new(ish) primal diet will help you in more than weight loss!

I'm pretty new around here and I didn't join the 6-week challenge (I already sort of have a personal one going), so I'm impressed that you and your hubby have both jumped in so fast. Good for you!

I think there are a lot of people that frequent the forums, but don't chat much. If you end up hanging around the forums much, I think you'll find that I'm not one of those... sometimes I think I post a little too much Anyways, I'll can the chatter for now and just say "Welcome!" once more

[betsywhim]

Welcome, Morri! Congratulations on the weight loss/health reversals thus far - I've been doing paleo/primal for 8 months now and it's reversed a bunch of health issues I'd been struggling with for years - that plus a strength-training program might also work well for you as well! Good luck & I'll be cheering you on...