The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation: A step-by-step practical guide to losing body fat and living primally

This is a great starting point for those interested in living more primally - cutting out grains and sugars, moving naturally, and realigning your activities to more closely match the ways in which we evolved to live. I've been working towards becoming more primal for over a year now, and feel enormously better with each stride I take towards following this program more completely. And this book is a simple, inspiring, straight-to-the-point guide showing you exactly what steps to take to feel better fast. This would be good if you're new to the primal way of life and want to reinforce some of the things you're learning, or get a good overview of it all in one place. I also loved the 21-day guide at the end that shows you how to implement all of the changes for a 21-day transformation. It's about 50 pages at the end of the book and is helpful if you're actually hoping to have a solid plan for making a huge change in less than one month. This book covers similar information to what is found in The Primal Blueprint, just in a totally different style - much more "how-to" than "why-to". Mark tries in this book to summarize the action points and get you energized to DO this stuff. You know better what you'll find most helpful to start with - the in-depth descriptions of the reasoning behind this lifestyle in The Primal Blueprint, or just the "jump right in" details of how to get started that are in this book. There's a lot of overlap between the books, and I'd guess that anyone who has lived primally for more than six months only needs one of the two. I love the stories in The Primal Blueprint, but the photos and diagrams in this 21-Day book are great for that initial getting-on-track phase, so I'm torn as to which is better. The one quibble I have with this new book is a tiny one. The author uses terms like PUFA and CAFO a lot, and forgets to periodically remind us what those terms stand for. He must have introduced the terms in the front of the book and not returned to them. I know what they mean since I've been primal a while, but always forget exactly what they stand for. Hopefully he can fix that little oversight in future editions. (You can always go to Marks Daily Apple, his very active blog, to get refreshed on any terminology he uses.) This book, and The Primal Blueprint, both (probably intentionally) lack much inspiration about what to actually cook once he's cleared your cabinets of junk. Only so many salads and omelets one can eat. If you're new to this and are going to commit to a 21-day transformation, definitely get his Quick and Easy Primal cookbook at the same time, since it has a ton of delicious food that you can make fast, so this whole primal thing will seem do-able. On the flip side, I would avoid his first cookbook until you've completed the 21 day transformation, as it has absolutely marvelous recipes for things like primal pancakes and muffins, that you honestly shouldn't be eating much of during the first few weeks anyway (contain natural sugars and are high-calorie). The Quick and Easy cookbook has more of the type of food you will be eating everyday. Overall, this is a colorful, easy-to-browse book that will be of great benefit to anyone getting started on the primal path.

I have been a big fan of Mark Sisson and his very sensible, well-reasoned, and comprehensive approach to living our lives so that they more closely align with the way our bodies were meant to be -- good food, adequate sleep, ongoing moderate exercise with occasional intense spikes, and intermittent fasting . His basic book (Primal Blueprint) is very easy to read and his website (Mark's Daily Apple)continuously provides information on a very wide range of topics. What I like about Mark's approach is that it seems to be based on good science (he has a degree in biology) and really isn't extreme -- his approach to lifestyle is that we make a number of mostly small changes most of the time. There really is not much new in the book if you have read "The Primal Blueprint" or delved into Mark's website, but it is organized in very easy to follow sections that tell you about various things you need to do to become primal and then concludes with the 21-day plan, i.e., the 3-4 specific things you should do each day over 3 weeks. This really is not a one-time, three-week program though but the roadmap to transition to some long term lifestyle changes that bring our bodies and routines back to where we have been for most of our specie's existence (with room for the occasional dessert!). I would highly recommend this book if you want a clear guide to how to shift to a primal lifestyle (you will feel better for the effort!) or want to help someone else easily adopt the primal lifestyle. It is easy to read and quite comprehensive, though you can always go to the "Primal Blueprint" or better yet I think Mark's website for more information. One of the rare books I would give 6 stars to, though mostly for the excellent content! PS I personally have done well at age 50+ by going primal and losing (and keeping off) some weight, getting stronger with fewer trips to the gym, and developing a lipid profile which my internist says is one of the best he has ever seen (good cholesterol consistently close to 100) and going from possible pre-hypertension to a consistent 110/70 blood pressure reading. All the while enjoying great food like buffalo burgers, loads of vegetables, eggs, nuts, good chocolate, etc.

Mark Sisson makes an excellent case for the primal/paleo way of life. He is entertaining as he explains why this is the healthiest way to live. I do find Mark's style a little bit 'Californian', but that is more than forgiven by the quality of his writing and the value of his message. The primal/paleo way might sound challenging, and there are plenty of those who disagree with what he recommends, but it isn't as hard as it sounds. In fact it is really very easy and can be sustained without any real sense of loss (once you get through the first couple of weeks). This way of eating and living will make remarkable improvements to your health and well being. I strongly recommend you put aside your doubts and give it a genuine try. You won't regret it.

This book is great for what it is. What it is is a 21 day jump start for people new to primal living who want a plan to follow. Yes, it's a shorter version of The Primal Blueprint. Everyone has different life circumstances - beach/no beach, 14 hours of daylight or 2 hours of daylight. The point is this gives you best case scenarios and you have to adapt based on how bad you want optimal health. With this book I have been able to introduce primal blueprint principles to my friends and family. They aren't going to read the longer versions. But there is enough material here to change anyone's life for the better. It's not everything but it's enough. It is what it is. Regarding the book, it's in an engaging magazine layout with lots of color, pictures and heavy semi-gloss pages. The margins are color coded so it's easy to flip through it and know where you are. It's a visually pleasant book to read and easy to reference over and over. It's simply organized - 8 principles and 5 action items. But you can read that as you work through the 21 day plan. The whole book is summarized on two pages early in the book and each principle is summarized in more detail later. If you know much about primal or paleo living then this will probably only be helpful to you as a way to organize your thoughts when you talk to others about it. You'll already know almost everything here already. This book is really written toward a complete newbie audience who just needs a step by step plan to change their life. My only criticism is that half of the 21 day plan pages are "journal" pages you're supposed to fill out. I dislike writing in books like this and so it's just filler to make the book heavier. I would have preferred that taken out and made available as a digital download for those who want it. But that's really a minor point. It's right there on the cover that that's included so it's not a surprise. And it keeps you from seeing more than one plan day at a time so I appreciate that. It's unfortunate that people are giving it 3 or 4 stars because it wasn't written to their unique personal circumstances. That wasn't the point. It's a great resource and accomplishes its purpose to its intended audience.

I have great respect for Mark Sisson and have spent many, many hours reading articles on his website. He is clearly extremely knowledgeable and writes very well. From my time there as well as from reading other Paleo-related sites (such as Chris Kresser's site, for example), I already had a very good overall knowledge about what to eat (and what not to eat). I also had a good grasp of the Primal lifestyle changes he endorses (regarding exercise, sleep, etc.). I bought this book (rather than "The Primal Blueprint") because I didn't want in-depth coverage of the science behind it all (I had already read enough to be convinced and am great at researching if I need more). Rather, I wanted what I hoped would be a good overview (to cover any gaps in my research thus far) of Primal / Paleo eating and then a good 21-day "plan" to get me started on the right track (I'd already cut out wheat and made several other changes, but not 100% there yet). The book was beautifully done from an aesthetic standpoint. Nice pictures and an easy-to-read layout. But the actual "21-day" part was not at all what I wanted or was expecting. I didn't need a "journal" that included things like "hardest part", "best part" (of each day), or a lecture on getting enough Vitamin D from sunlight (easy for the author who lives in sunny southern Cali, but not feasible for much of the year here in the gray, rainy Pacific Northwest - plus I already supplement with D3). The various days also include things like "Reach out" to a friend or family member who might be interested in the Paleo lifestyle, "Use your brain" (i.e. look for ways to keep myself mentally stimulated), doing a "listening challenge" that particular evening (those just seemed very odd to me to include in the 21-day part). Everything else was information with which I was already very familiar from prior research and reading, so that part of the book was redundant. Not a bad "overview" book if you're brand new to the Primal lifestyle and way of eating. However, I'd recommend skipping this book and just reading articles he has on his site, starting with "Primal 101: A Guide to the Basics", "The Definitive Guide to the Primal Blueprint", and "The Definitive Guide to the Primal Blueprint Eating Plan". Those give you plenty to get started. Then, keep reading as time permits and, as questions come up, just do a search on his site and it's most likely covered, as his site has hundreds of articles on it that help readers stay on track. I'll save my "5 stars" for his website; it's much better than this book (and costs nothing to read!).

This book was really good. Read the whole thing the night that I got it. I had also read the original Primal Blueprint. This book was much more to the point, better laid out, and had the bare essentials of what it takes to live primally. This book is a perfect introduction book. Most people don't want to read all of the science behind this, and I felt that the fine balance was struck just right on being basic yet still explaining key concepts that are crucial to understanding how this lifestyle is so right. Personally I enjoy more of the science (I'm a medical student). But now I feel I have a really good go to tool if I have questions, and not only that this book makes it so much easier to share this way of life to others. I will referring several people to purchase this book. I would have referred them earlier but I didn't think they would have enjoyed reading his first book (too much detail/research vs how the heck do I actually do this right). Mark thank you for another amazing book! I recommend this to anyone who wants to sleep better, have more energy, get their blood pressure down, lower their bad cholesterol, decrease inflammation, lose weight, have fun, learn a new perspective on life, and build muscle. Personally I have had huge health benefits from this including: 70 lbs of weight loss, LDL levels at 170 down to 85, decreased joint pain (down bout 90% what it used to be), gained about 15 lbs of muscle so far, sleep much better (used to only get 3-4 hours of restless, now get a full 8), blood pressure from 150/90 down to 115/75, these are just to list a few. I've finally found the right groove for my body/health.

Very informative!! A condensed & refreshed guide from the book "The Primal Blueprint" with some valuable updates and very action oriented. Practical guidance is provided, in a very well organized and actionable manner. It may seem a too simple approach to better health, and that's where it draws its power and effectiveness from. After a few weeks following it (starting from the book and the website, and now with this guide) I noticed plenty of improvements. For example: after years of suffering symptoms, my intestinal issues are now gone; My constant hunger reduced significantly; Energy levels more stable thru the day; Faster recovery from workouts. One thing I use to do since a couple years is to keep a log of my weight, and I noticed that now after following PB for four months I keep my weight constant and at the same time my physique improves noticeably (packing muscle instead of fat, while burning fat more efficiently for energy). With this guide I was also able to correct two errors in my initial adoption of PB: (1) I started by eating too much protein to replace grains and its derivatives, and this guide helped me finally understand and clarify adequate proportions (I wasn't eating enough vegetables); (2) by consciously sampling different foods and observing their effects in my body and energy levels, I now realize that reducing dairy also contributes to my improved digestive function (dairy's something I used to consume too much).

Im a novice, started asking myself questions about how the absolutely ridiculous method of how a calorie calculated. Which led to a basic understanding that we are all scrwed with what is being pushed at us in terms of what we should be eating. So, I ended up on marksdailyapple.com liked what I saw and bought this book. Its Good Book and that is undeniable and I have gotten 2 more as gifts for people like me that need it and that I care about. Paleo is a new way of thinking for me and Mark does a great great job of explaining why we are sugar burners and how to become fat burners. I just hope he is right. The book was just a bit long and actually the 21 day journal and instructions at the end to me, was pretty useless. I wish each day had each meal laid out for me. I get the theory that you eat when your hungry and what you want to with basic rules. It just would have been nice for the first 21 days to be told exactly what to eat. Anyways - Sorry for the 4 star review Mark but it is what it is. And Thank You

Really good book.

I really do rate this. The information in it is excellent. its unconventional, but it seems to work. This, together with his book for Paleo/Primal recipes , which in my view is also essential ,to get the full picture, has increased both my energy levels and also, my body temperature. That is one of the signs of low thyroid, .So, its made a real difference to my life.

La pena es el idioma,pero con que estés suelto en traducción y haciendo anotaciones lo puedes seguir. muy bien hecho y estructurado,gran calidad de formato. Bien maquetado,conciso y con buenas instrucciones y guías. Totalmente recomendable.

Love this book! The challenges are easy, it eases you into the primal lifestyle. After 21 days I lost 9lbs and 11inches off my body. My husband went primal with me and he's had a ton of success to! We are currently working on switching our 4 year old over to the primal lifestyle but our 4 month old baby will never know the difference. I defiantly recommend this book if your considering going primal.

Das Buch ist auf englisch und gute Sprachkenntnisse sind Voraussetzung!! Es handelt sich hierbei um eine praktische Anleitung, wie Sie von der üblichen "gesunden" Ernärhung , auf eine wissenschaftlich belegte gesunde Ernährung umstellen können. Als Einsteigerbuch, ohne Grundkenntnisse zu haben, kann ich es Ihnen nicht empfehlen, weil die Gründe, weswegen es gesund ist, nicht erörtert werden. Vor ab ist es sinnvoll, sich die theoretische Wissenschaft beispielsweise mit dem Buch von Nicolai Worm "Ein Mammut auf dem Teller" anzueignen, weil diese Form der Ernährung allen bekannten Empfehlungen widerspricht. Beim ersten Einkauf könnte Ihnen das Gefühl begegnen, dass Sie den Inbegriff des Herzinfarktes in Ihrem Einkaufswagen vor sich her schieben. Dies fällt deutlich leichter, wenn Sie verstanden haben, warum diese Ernärhungsform gesund ist. Es handelt sich hierbei nicht um eine Diät, sondern um eine lebensverändernde Maßnahme, die Sie - je nach aktuellem Kohlehydratverzehr - anfänglich richtige Entzugserscheinungen erleben lassen. Das Prinzip ist ganz einfach: Sie essen all das, wofür unsere Gene und dementsprechend unsere Körper gemacht sind: Viel Gemüse, viel Fleisch, Nüsse und Obst. Wann immer Sie Milchprodukte verzehren, nehmen Sie das mit Abstand Fettigste, was Sie finden können. Rotwein und dunkle Schokolade sind ebenfalls als Genießer-ausnahme gesund. Verzichten ist geboten bei: Jeder Form von (Kohlehydrat)Mehl (Nussmehle sind ok), Kartoffeln und Reis. Das bedeutet: kein Brot oder Brötchen, Kuchen, Plätzen, Pizza, Nudeln, Pudding - auch dann nicht, wenn es Vollkorn, Hirse, Dinkel, Roggen oder Buchweizen etc. enthält. Es klingt drastisch und das ist es auch, deswegen ist es absolut notwendig, dass Sie im Vorhinein bereits die wissenschaftlichen Hintergründe kennen; um es auch (in der Anfangszeit) zu schaffen. Wenn Sie umgestellt sind, möchten Sie das nicht mehr missen. Eine kurze Einführung: Von Natur aus ist Fett unser beliebtester Treibstoff. Durch falsche Ernährungsrichtlinien sind wir auf Zucker umprogrammiert (unserem Körper ist es im Übrigen egal, ob Sie einen Lolly oder Vollkornbrot essen, im Magen kommt bereits beides als Zucker an). Wenn Sie sich - durch die Anleitung in diesem Buch - zu einem "fatburner" (Fettverbrenner) gemacht haben, werden Sie in Zeiten des Nichtessens automatisch von Ihren Reserven leben. Hunger entwickeln Sie immer dann, wenn Ihnen eine notwendige Stoffquelle (Vitamine, Mineralstoffe, Eiweiß, Eisen) fehlt und nicht, weil Ihr Blutzuckerspiegel Achterbahn fährt. So kann es auch Tage geben, an denen Sie keinen Appetit verspüren. Ich möchte diese Ernährungsweise nicht mehr missen und wünsche auch Ihnen, dass Sie dadurch glücklicher leben.