I played football and wrestled and had pretty good success, but was clearly not healthy. Much happened between my childhood and college, but into my sophomore year of college: I was very tired of being fat. I had become a 320 pound hammer thrower who was moderately competitive and even carried 320 pounds as well as any 6'1 frame would allow. Still, I was tired about being so big.
I saw John Durant on The Colbert Report. I thought I would try the diet which he described. I started to lose weight and it was easy; perhaps even fun. I started being more competitive with throwing, started gaining confidence and by what I consider to be the grace of an all-powerful God, gained a desire to know why what I was doing was working.
I started reading: The Paleo Solution, Primal Blueprint, Lights Out and then every article that Gary Taubes produced and even one of his books. At my smallest, I weighed in at 202 pounds, but needed to put on some more muscle for throwing, so I sat pretty well at 220 and competed well. Since I am done with college and throwing as well, I am just experimenting with a Lean Gains protocol to see what body composition I can achieve. Just for fun. Sitting at about 210 and probably 20% body fat. So... more to come later!
Being a part of a family that loved and loves deserts. Luckily, my sister who is finishing up med-school has started to be convinced by the literature. Hurray for studies.
What advice (if any) would you give to someone interested in trying a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet? Were there any obstacles that you overcame that could help future dieters?
Find like minded people. Read a lot, but don't necessarily put a lot of stock in Tim Ferris. But enjoy what he has to say.
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