Success story update: Six million steps later

Five years ago, I wrote a success story about living a primal lifestyle to improve my health. After going to Primal, I found out I had stage four cancer. When I wrote the story, my cancer was in remission, and I had no evidence of illness. But cancer is a sneaky enemy, and it’s not giving up as easily as I had hoped.

The cancer recurred in my liver twice more, and it spread to my adrenal glands, many lymph nodes, and my lungs. My initial prognosis was that I had about a 7% chance of survival for 5 years. Every time my disease spreads, it reduces my chances of survival. However, that did not stop me from living, and I continued to adhere to the primitive way of life.

While battling cancer, my exercise and activity levels dropped to near non-existent. Even after losing over 100 pounds, I still can’t wear my own socks and shoes because I still need a full hip replacement. My hips are not flexible, and my pain level is through the roof.

Finally, the time between cancer flare-ups stretched and I was able to have hip surgery. It’s hard to explain the joy of moving painlessly after a decade of suffering. I started walking.

At first, I couldn’t complete a half-mile lap. A decade of muscle atrophy and surgeries have affected my core and legs. But my initial diet gave me the energy and desire to go further. And I became stronger.

In 2019, I committed with a dying friend to completing the Camino de Santiago in Spain in his honor. If you’re not familiar with the Camino, it’s a pilgrimage across Spain. My route is 566 miles. I know there will be trouble, but I don’t know what I’m going to the store for.

First, my bone density took a hit during my inactivity. When I tried to ramp up my workouts, I got a few stress cracks in my feet. Each appearance interrupts training for six weeks. I injured myself while practicing running on slopes and had a very severe case of plantar fasciitis. That took me another 8 weeks out of my training schedule.

I worked out the whole time during chemotherapy and radiation. But the Primal lifestyle can show steady improvement. I switched between the original diet and the keto diet without too many cheat days. I also wait to eat until 4:30 pm and close the eating window at 6:30 pm.

I still need to lose a significant amount of weight, and in the long run, an ounce is like a pound. I went hiking in a fasted state every day. I’ve added to my intermittent fasting regimen by adopting a “No Eat Thursday”. I wanted to test my limits on metabolic flexibility and give my autopilot a larger window to operate. While I don’t recommend my plan as an ideal, it has worked incredibly well for me.

I will stop eating at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and eat no more calories until 4:30 on Friday. Except for a little trouble sleeping on Thursday night, I was not affected at all. I’m never tired or weak, and I don’t cut back on my hiking schedule. In fact, I set a 13.1-mile goal for Thursday and Friday. That way, I’ll finish the entire 26.2-mile marathon in a fasted state.

In fifteen months, I have logged nearly 2200 miles. Excited and anxious, in March 2021, I was planning to book my trip to Spain in advance. Oh wait, did I mention the global pandemic? Covid has hit the globe, and when it comes to chemotherapy, I’m a very high-risk person. Despite taking precautions, I still contracted this disease. I suffered from persistent abdominal pain and severe illness for three horrible weeks. I have a severe case of pneumonia. And although I have no evidence to back this up, I do believe that exercise and diet saved my life.

Despite the setbacks, I never gave up. I have more energy and activeness than I did in high school. I tell my friends that I feel like a kid again. The primitive lifestyle changed my body, but it also changed my mind. I feel empowered, and my mileage is increasing. I knew I wanted to average 16 miles a day for 35 consecutive days on the Camino.

Finally, I made it through the 17-mile test run with a fully loaded 20 lb backpack, and I knew I was ready. Unfortunately, Spain will not cooperate. After all my efforts and overcoming many obstacles, most provinces in Spain are still closed to non-essential travel. I canceled my June 2021 travel plans. My camino finished before it even started.

But just like the promise I made to myself years ago when I began my original journey, I am determined to keep this promise, at least mentally. I found a website that offers tracking and other services to complete a virtual Camino. I signed up, packed my backpack, and started hiking. I hiked around my home city and on local hiking trails and parks.

I brought everything exactly as if I was in Spain and alone. I have a lot of weird looks, but everyone I meet is enthusiastically supportive. After a year of lockdown, it’s great to reconnect with strangers.

I am pleased to share that after 38 days, I completed my virtual Camino journey on July 4, 2021. Not only have I kept a promise to a dear friend, but I have also accomplished something that I consider to be my heart. was completely impossible a decade earlier.

I weigh less now than when I was married thirty-seven years ago. I’m down 175 lbs. since I started the primitive way of life. I just finished a 566-mile hike, carrying a 20 lb pack. at 61, with stage 4 cancer and two prosthetic hips. Including training, I recorded over six million steps. Anyone who wants to know what the Primal lifestyle will do for you need look no further than me. This works for anyone of any age.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Mark Sisson for his incredible contributions. Instead of achieving a major life goal like completing the Camino, I would have died if I hadn’t discovered Mark’s Daily Apple. And that’s not exaggeration or exaggeration. I started at the bottom of a big mountain with no hope until Mark came into my life. Today again I have no evidence of cancer and I feel great. The Primal lifestyle is now an effortless habit to follow. On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of other people you’ve helped, I want to give you a big thank you!

Information about the Authors

Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather of the Primitive food and lifestyle movement, and New York Times best-selling author of Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with the Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is also the author of many other books, including Preliminary designis credited with driving the growth of the primal/palo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating people on why food is the key ingredient to achieving it and maintaining optimal health, Mark founded Primal Kitchen, a food company that creates Primal/pale, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.

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