I'm no guru, or even wed to any specific ideology. I am more like Lex, and on my own personal quest for what works for me, but it was b-12 deficiency that sent me from raw vegan to raw omni, and now I am doing it raw omni, low carb. That is a big transition for someone who used to eat his own weight in fruit every few months as his main calorie source.

The raw meat thing is so much easier as a lifestyle as well.

Well, my worst fear seems to be coming true. I think I have a kidney stone. Last time I was low carb (atkins diet in mid-late '90s) I ended up with kidney stones. Now I think I have another one. I have found references to low carb and kidney stones being correlated, but only in studies with children eating cooked food to control epilepsy. Anyone know what is at play with kidney stones in the raw paleo world? They really hurt, and I am dreading the next couple of days if this is a stone moving through my ureter.

I am going to re-read Aajonus' kidney stone remedy right now...

I find it raises my blood pressure. It also raises my energy levels. I use it sparingly at best.

I got my first back fat shipment a couple of weeks ago. I thawed one package. I am not able to eat it fat enough to keep the entire pound "fresh" in the refrigerator. I have half a pound left and it smells and is a little slimy. I know that there are many who like to cultivate bacteria on their meat, but eating a large slab like this just turns my stomach.

So how much do people eat in a serving or per day, and how do you keep it fresh? Do you re-freeze?? Cut it frozen and only thaw a portion at a time?

I got a 10 pound bag of grass fed marrow bones from a local butcher. I had a friend pick them up for me as they were out of town. Upon receiving them, they were about 9" long on average.

What are my best options for splitting these bones and getting the marrow?

1. Returning to the butcher to have them sawn lengthwise?
2. Getting them sawn in short segments across the bone?

any options for splitting the bones myself? I don't really want to buy a meat cutting band saw (unless cheap enough).

Well, I am working at getting myself to raw paleo, and struggling, so I thought I would start a Journal to track my progress and possibly receive useful feedback on my struggles.

Current status:
  o 42 years old.
  o Significantly over weight.
  o Adrenal Fatigue (confirmed with spit test).
  o Mild hypertension (controlled with prescription).
  o Mild depression and intermittent anxiety.

History: Misdiagnosed sleep apnea in late teens led to 15 years of trying to treat apnea symptoms with anti-depressants. During that time I gained a tremendous amount of weight, and actually became quite depressed. The med-go-round of antidepressants, which continued even after a proper apnea diagnosis led to additional weight gain.

In 2007 I was taking an antidepressant that resulted in 50 pounds of weight gain in 6 months. Blood pressure went from normal to extremely high (180/110). Frequent intense headaches. Doctor prescribed 3 BP meds. Within 6 months of this, my cholesterol skyrocketed (over 350), and I developed Type 2 diabetes. I was placed on 2 diabetes meds.

The diabetes diagnosis scared the crap out of me. I started doing my own research. Discovered the BP meds created an increased risk for diabetes. Discovered the raw vegan claim that diabetes was curable. Became a raw vegan overnight. My doctor then tried to put me on statin meds for the cholesterol, which I already believed to be a huge danger. I asked about waiting for 30 days to check the impact of the diet. He said no. He was fired on the spot.

Within 30 days I was off the diabetes meds and blood sugar was always normal. Within 90 days I was off of 2 of the 3 BP meds, and down to a half of a pill on the 3rd. Over the next 9 months, I lost almost 70 pounds (from my peak weight of over 350) but fear a lot of it was lean muscle. During these 9 months I became vitamin b12 deficient and probably greatly worsened my adrenal fatigue.

My triglycerides were normal though, as was A1C Hg, and my total cholesterol was at 135.

I then added raw red meat into my diet, but my diet was largely raw vegan still. Over the next 16 months, as a raw omnivore, I was struggling with a high stress lifestyle, and was eating RVAF augmented with occasional cooked meals and far too frequent ice cream binges. I remained grain free (except rice) during this period. I also regained about 35 pounds of my lost weight.

My diabetes remained controlled. My triglycerides remained normal. My cholesterol crept back up to around 220. I suspected the refined sugar not the meat for causing this increase in cholesterol.

At my most recent adrenal function test, I learned I was no better after a year of very expensive supplement. I then did the research to discover that sugar is the enemy of adrenal fatigue, and found my way to Aajonus' writings. I bought his books, and the Paleo blueprint book, and read them. I realized this was my next stop in my quest for health: a raw paleo lifestyle.

As my greatest health concerns are adrenal fatigue, general fatigue, and weight loss, as well as stabilized mental health and a desire to eliminate that last half of a pill I take for my BP, I think my initial approach is to try to restrict carbs. I am not thinking zero carb, but <100g/day.

I had done a VLC diet a la Atkins in the late '90s, and lost a lot of weight, but the second time I tried the Atkins style diet I ended up with kidney stones, and have heard of other dangers involving the kidneys on this diet. I am researching that topic now as it might apply to RLC.

Raw goat cheese. I can even get raw goat cheddar around here. I keep to a very low dairy intake though.

Imagine you are traveling suddenly, or stuck at a work function where food is served, which would you rather eat:

1. Salads, including cheese and bottled dressings
2. Cooked Meats, including deli meats
3. A combination of the above

And while on the road, would you rather have:
1. Some jerky and nuts and cheese
2. Some salad with bottled dressing

I was faced with a need to compromise my diet and was unsure the best way to break from my eating plan.

I have been reading conflicting reports about the eating of raw egg whites. What is the consensus here? Should I be eating them, or only the yolks?

I am trying to get to a 100% raw paleo style diet, and am having some trouble in getting good sources of raw animal fat.

Prior to today, I only had some cooked nuts. I need to get away from that.
My local butcher has marrow bones, grain fed only. No suet or fat trimmings at all.
I can get local pasture raised chicken eggs (I got 4 dozen today)
I can get raw cream from pastured grain fed cows (I got 2 pints).
I can get some pig lard, from the same farm that has the eggs/dairy (though it is pricey).

I am getting a side of beef (grass fed, pastured) in a couple of months, and will be getting all the marrow bones and suet with it.

I had some cream today, I am definitely having a mucous response. I don't think raw dairy is a good idea for me.

So, in the short term, What should I be doing beyond egg yolks given the options above. I will order some bison back fat next week, and keep looking for decent sources of marrow. I was really disappointed, as I was told they had grass fed marrow on the phone, but when I got there, it was a different story.

I am looking for some references about eating RZC. What about claims of alkalizing the body with fruits/veggies, and the benefits found there? My understanding is that without these foods, we tend towards the acidic, and need to utilizes calcium stores to alkalize. Surely there must be some reason that this is an incomplete understanding of the picture.

And what of sources of vitamins, where can I find a good source for balancing my food intake to be sure i get what I need form just animal sources?

I am game to go pretty low carb, and eat exclusively raw, just not use if I should be eating/juicing low carb veggies to round out the nutrients available to me.

From what I gather, I am looking at eating a high fat, moderate protein diet of all raw animal products. But I am unsure the best way to go about this for best chances of success.

I'd love to get more sun time, but I really hate being outdoors under the sun. I know this gets better the better I feel, but these days I just dread it. I also am very faired skin, and burn through any SPF level I have ever used. As I get healthier, I will try to get more into the sun. In the meantime, sunshine in a bottle for me.

I am using supplemetns under the direct care of a competent naturopath, so I am taking D3. Though he has a track record of success treating people with adrenal fatigue with his supplement based approach, I agree, and I would like to get healthy enough to get off of them. I don't yet have the courage to just stop them on my own, as I don't quite fear them the way I do the heavy duty pharmaceuticals. If I could find a practitioner who was interested in working with me without prescribing $350/month in pharmaceuticals, but wanted me to spend that money on better food, I'd be there in an instant.

Oops, uh, I mean CLO is probably better for you raw. Sorry for the thread hijack.