Hello, I am a fellow bloodthirsty ZC barbarian savage.

Tallow is rendered suet or bone marrow--usually suet. Yes, I make my own low-temp jerky. The only gluten-free jerky I've ever seen offered for sale was priced around $50/lb, as I recall and commercial jerky is usually heated at too high temps and way too salty. I also make my own pemmican, as I much prefer it to the US Wellness brand, and it's cheaper. I render the tallow at low temps to keep it essentially raw. It means it can't be preserved for as long, but I make small batches that don't need to be preserved long anyway. So, no need for arguments over whether pemmican is sufficiently raw--it's a win-win.

My weight had fallen to 122 lbs several years ago while on a low-carb, moderate-fat Paleo diet that still included some stuff like nightshades and allegedly "Paleo" carbs like bananas (inedible during Paleo times) that I hadn't figured out I should eliminate yet. I've got it up to 133 now. Ironically, I was lifting weights when I weighed 122 lbs, including squats, pull-ups, shoulder press, bench press and dead lift, and I'm not now (for strength exercises I'm currently just doing calisthenics). In retrospect, I think the bad-for-me foods I was still eating (without knowing they were bad for me) were sickening me and offsetting any benefit of lifting. Another factor is that no one in my family has big muscles. Even though my grandfather was as strong as an iron rail, he was as thin as one too.

The female head trainer at the weight room I used was thin like me despite lifting enormous weights and being a champion lifter, and the same was true for one of the stars of the gym, a young boy who was also a champion lifter and nearly as thin as me. Seeing those folks was pretty demoralizing, as I was lifting to try to bulk up, not to win contests. One of the strange things is, they did some of the types of lifts that are supposed to bulk you up, like squats, and they lifted massive weights.

135 is what I weighed for most of my adult life. I'm not looking to become a body builder, but I would like to get it to 150, which is about what my father weighs (and he's a mostly-Paleo dieter)--so that seems feasible.

Right now I do calisthenics: push ups, bicycle maneuver, crunches (vertical leg, reverse, etc.), squats (standard, frog, toe), single-leg calf raises, dips, pelvic tilts. I mix it up some for variety.

I also try to incorporate exercise into my daily life: putting some sprints into my daily walk to and from work wearing a pack, taking the stairs instead of the elevator (5 flights), lugging stuff around at work instead of using push-carts, walking downtown, using rowboats and canoes/kayaks instead of motorboats, carrying groceries instead of using a shopping cart, etc.

I'm wondering what people think of these no-damage-to-door pull up bars that seem like they would be good for my apartment if they work:

http://www.malibuwholesale.com/Exercise-Fitness/Accessories/Deluxe-3-in-1-Door-Pull-p5914202.html
http://www.seriusfitness.com/Chin-Up-Bars/105/
http://www.jumpusa.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=J&Product_Code=DOORWAYGYM&cvsfa=1182&cvsfe=2&cvsfp=DOORWAYGYM

I also do a yoga pose or two now and then (such as eagle pose, toe stand, standing cow face arms) to check the progress in my balance, flexibility and joint strength and thus make sure I'm eating right (and to demonstrate to others some of the benefits that eating right have had for me), rather than as an exercise. I became unimpressed by yoga after trying it for some years. I had taken it up as a stress reliever, to relieve back pain, and to try to improve flexibility in some of my stiff muscles, but never noticed much benefit from it other than temporary relaxation. My balance and flexibility only improved very slightly after years of doing it, whereas both improved rapidly and dramatically when I later improved my diet while not doing any yoga. Also, my father is a retired Phys. Ed. professor with a degree in exercise physiology, who taught yoga among other things, and who taught me that some of the poses are counterproductive (which I further confirmed with some research of my own). So I only do poses that I consider physiologically appropriate.

Wearing flat/flexible-soled shoes has further strengthened my calves, arches and toes. I find myself popping up onto my toes unconsciously these days, as they are very strong now and it feels good to do it.

I think its best we redirect debates about human origins in this thread.

What's your leading analysis / guess / hypothesis / theory / belief at this time?

Because you may as well go "low protein" or "low fat". It doesn't make evolutionary sense to try to quantify foods like that.

It's not what paleo man ate except in very occasional times. If you have metabolic syndrome or something and want to do it that's fine, but that's not paleo. *shrugs* It's not my fault. Low carb is something else. It's not very paleo-like to go counting carbs, or anything else.
 

Have some of you ever experienced paranormal phenomenon such as premonitory dreams, telepathy, visions or other kinds of extrasensory perception (ESP) ? Are those phenomenon more often experienced when we’ve eaten 100% raw paleo for some time and/or when we are in love?

Cheers
Francois