In the fall of 2010 my husband stumbled upon marksdailyapple.com and starting looking into the primal/paleo diet. As he learned about diet health, he shared the information with me, and I began to learn about it as well. It intrigued me and challenged my assumptions about diet health. After reading through Good Calories, Bad Calories, I became convinced that this diet was clearly on the right track, and decided to follow the Primal Blueprint.

At the time I did not have any intentions of losing weight. I carried around an extra 10-15 lbs, but didn't look or feel particularly fat, and was never concerned with weight loss; I simply wanted to be healthier. My concept of health at the time was the expectation that I would live longer and not be so decrepit in my old age. I had no idea what kind of changes were in store for me...

In following the diet, I immediately gave up grains, legumes, sugars and vegetable oils (which had previously constituted a fairly large portion of my diet). I ate mostly meat with a little bit of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy. I ate more potatoes than is probably recommended by the primal blueprint, but then again, the amount of safe starches you consume is supposed to be tailored to your individual needs, and I'm insulin sensitive, so I can handle the range of 100-150g carbs a day. What followed was a startling and entirely unexpected improvement in my well-being in a number of areas. Here are some of the spontaneous improvements that occurred when I switched to eating primally:

1. Improved bowel movements. I had been having trouble with what I believe were hemorrhoids and anal fissures. I kept bleeding when going to the bathroom and I experienced quite a bit of pain. My stools were large and bulky, and it had gotten to a point where it felt like I was passing a cactus. It was excruciating. When I changed my diet, my stools immediately softened and the hemorrhoids went away and the fissures healed. Going to the bathroom was no longer painful.

Shortly after going primal, I decided that I wanted to revert back to my old diet, so that I could eat all of the desserts and foods I was used to eating around Christmas time. I intended to temporarily forgo eating primally until the beginning of the new year. However, when I switched back to eating grains and such, the pain associated with going to the bathroom came back with such violence that it ultimately motivated me to switch back to eating primally, even before Christmas rolled around. I never want to experience that kind of pain again. Unfortunately, the second time I went primal, it took my bowels a full month to heal and get back to normal, but they have stayed normal ever since.

2. Reduced flatulence. I used to pass gas quite frequently, and this made me rather self-conscious. Giving up grains, however, seems to have eliminated the bulk of it. I hardly ever pass gas when I'm following the diet; it's a substantial reduction. I notice also that when I cheat and eat a lot of carbs or sugars, I get gassy again, though not quite as much as when I used to eat grains.

3. Elimination of back spasms. I had been having sharp spasms of pain in my back that would shoot through like bolts of lightning. I'd been getting them for about a past year or so, occurring roughly once every two weeks. I had gone to a chiropractor to try and get rid of the pain, but that accomplished nothing. In the months prior changing my diet, the spasms had increased in frequency to an average of once or twice a day. Within two days of going primal, the spasms stopped entirely. I had one small spasm within the week, and then nothing. In the past two and a half years of being primal, I've had a handful of weak spasms, but they are effectively gone.

4. Elimination of stomach pain. I used to have to eat about every three hours in order to avoid getting too hungry, because when I got really hungry, I would get an excruciating pain in my stomach that would last maybe half an hour to an hour and was completely incapacitating. Once the pain would start to set in, I would quickly try to eat as much as I could to stave it off, but it never worked. Once it started, it just had to play out. Generally I was paranoid about always making sure to eat in order to avoid this kind of pain, but it still ended up occurring every month or couple months anyway. After going primal, I stopped getting this pain. It recurred once only, after I made the mistake of ordering cream of broccoli soup at a restaurant. (It occurred to me afterwards that the soup was probably thickened with wheat flour.)

5. Reduced hunger. I think this one deals with having stabilized my blood sugar. I used to get hungry very often and eat frequently. Especially with the threat of the aforementioned stomach pain, I was particularly careful to always have food on hand. About two weeks after going primal, I just didn't get so hungry any more. And when I did feel hunger, it wasn't so pressing, and I could easily ignore it and it would go away for a while. This meant I could take the time to prepare food when I was hungry instead of rushing to grab whatever was quickest and most convenient. After I had adjusted and stabilized, I spontaneously ate less food and less frequency. Hunger was no longer such an urgent and constant issue.

6. Spontaneous weight loss. I was never particularly fat, but I did gain about 7 lbs in college and about 8 more lbs afterwards from eating a lot of fast food. Although I had a bit more fat on me than I would have preferred, it wasn't enough to bother me, so weight loss was never really a goal of mine. Nevertheless, in the course of six weeks on the diet, I lost 15 lbs and reverted to the weight I had been in high school, with a visible reduction in body fat. I was very happy with the resulting change in body image, especially considering it took no effort on my part. I wasn't even exercising. I've gained back some of the weight since then (probably because I haven't adhered consistently), but I still weigh less than I did before going primal.

7. Mood stabilization. One of the things that went with being hungry on my old diet was moodiness. When I was hungry, I got really irritable and difficult to be around. But once I was primal, that stopped. In the same way hunger no longer led to an urgent need for food, it also no longer led to bitchiness. But even beyond that, I generally felt a lot happier and more emotionally stable. Prior to the change in my diet I had experienced anxiety and depression on and off, but after the change in diet, it was mostly off. Happy is my default state and rare are the days when I feel overwhelmed by anxiety or depression. It's a vast and invaluable improvement in my general well-being.

8. Improved sleep. I used to have significant trouble falling asleep and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. Insomnia was a problem for me. After going primal, I noticed that I just fell asleep fairly easily and quickly most nights, and woke up feeling well rested and refreshed in the mornings. It was a nice improvement. I've noticed that eating sugar/excessive starch is most disruptive to my ability to sleep well.

9. Increased energy. I used to be rather lethargic, not wanting to get up off the couch, not having a lot of energy to do stuff. After going primal, I had so much energy; I had no trouble getting up and moving about and I would get restless if I sat around too much.

10. Improved saliva production. Ever since my teenage years I've had trouble producing enough saliva. I always have to drink when I eat, or foods will get stuck in my throat, and it will be rather uncomfortable. I probably would have on average five glasses of water with a meal, just so that I could comfortably swallow the food. After improving my diet, this dropped to about one to two glasses, and sometimes I don't even need water at all with a meal. I think my saliva production is still a little lower than normal, but it's vastly improved when I eat well. Whenever I cheat and it too many carbs, my saliva production goes down again.

11. Improved dental hygiene/health. This probably goes along with the saliva production thing, but also I noticed that my teeth just did not accumulate anywhere near as much plaque as they used to. When I brush my teeth now, it's like they're already clean before I brush.

12. Improved immune function. I virtually don't get sick anymore. On occasion I'll get a bit of a sore throat, but in two and a half years, I've only really been sick once. And that includes a 6-week time period where I was in a house surrounded by sick people during cold season and a toddler bringing home germs from day care.


As you can see, it's quite the list of improvements, and the drastic change in my overall well-being convinced me that this primal diet was definitely the right one for me. It hasn't been all smooth sailing, though. For a while it was difficult to adhere consistently. I would generally do well for about a month, and then decide to have a cheat, and I'd eat some ice cream or chips or chocolate. I would often think that I could handle just a little bit, but a little bit would quickly turn into a lot, and then some of the pains would come back, and I would remember again why I was supposed to be avoiding those foods.

In general, I've been pretty good about avoiding grains. Initially I was very careful to avoid wheat (with the exception of an occasional burger bun) but cheated some with corn, somehow convincing myself it was a lesser evil. However, after a bit of that, it became clear to me that eating corn-containing foods resulted in negative side effects as well, and I cut it out completely, so I'm completely grain free now. I've also gotten to a point where I no longer cheat with wheat at all. It's just not worth it to me. Even though when I see cookies in the store and they look delicious, I also see them as instigators of pain, and I realize that the temporary reward from eating grains is outweighed by the negative side effects.

It's sort of been a learning process, every time I cheat. I've been able to notice which foods lead to which symptoms, and I've come to realize that even small amounts of grains and vegetable oils produce noticeable, adverse reactions. I'm now to the point, though, that I don't really cheat much at all any more. I really enjoy having good health and I like to keep it that way by not screwing it up with junk.

At first, I decided to adhere to a diet that I had entitled, the "Don't Eat So Damn Much" diet. Inspired by the work of Martin Berkhan over at Leangains.com and Brad Pilon, author of "Eat Stop Eat," I decided to eat lunch and dinner five days per week, and just dinner on two days per week. It didn't start out as an Ancestral Diet per se (I ate plenty of non-paleo foods), but my carbohydrate totals each day were below 50g just as function of "less food."

Not Eating So Damn Much worked GREAT. Everything afterwards was just adjustment. For example, I found that increasing my protein intake kept me fuller for longer. Similarly, upping my saturated fat intake also kept me fuller for longer (thanks to Tom Naughton for teaching me that saturated fat is good for you).

Although I didn't specifically set out to limit my intake of carbohydrates in either variety or amount, they ended up as a minuscule part of my daily diet just because I was emphasizing protein and fat. Now, though, I realize that what I discovered through trial and error was what the Paleo and Ancestral Health crowd has been advising for years. 

Nowadays, I won't eat any grains. Once per week or so, usually after a weight-lifting workout, I'll have some starchy veggies like potatoes or yams. I never get hungry before 1pm. I am a voracious drinker and find that whiskey does not cause the same water retention and ill feelings as beer. Plus, a dinner of steak, bacon, and whiskey is badass. Incidentally, that's one of the only good uses for grains: whiskey. Luckily we don't have to EAT grains; that's what animals are for.

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
The biggest challenge was finally letting go of all the BS that you hear from "experts." First, you don't need to eat every few hours; in fact, your body is VERY well equipped to function in the absence of food. Second, there is no such thing as an Essential Carbohydrate; your body is well equipped to function without them. Third, but really most important, natural fats are good for you; they do not cause heart disease. 

The biggest challenge was ridding myself of the crippling GUILT of skipping meals, skipping carbohydrates, and eating delicious animal fat.

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?
Don't treat this as a diet. All diets end. Therefore, when you get to the "end" of eating in this way, you'll go back to eating the way you used to. This is not a diet. This is a correction. This is how you eat now. Just like brushing your teeth, showering, putting your right foot into your pants first, stopping at stop signs, etc., this is not a temporary thing. Eating grains and other modern manufacturing marvels will no longer seem like a palatable option for you. 

Also, be flexible. I still have coffee, whiskey, and other "non-Paleo-approved" things from time to time. Since this isn't a diet, I don't see it as cheating, and I don't feel the need to "atone" for anything. I just select meat and vegetables most of the time with some other stuff thrown in as a treat.

Our testimonials page offers hundreds of quotes from all over the world from real people talking about their experiences with paleo or low carb, categorized by health topic, supporting many of Nell Stephenson's claims yesterday on the Dr. Oz show.

We are happy to announce that our very own Nell Stephenson will be appearing on the Dr. Oz show tomorrow (4/22/2013) discussing the paleo diet, along with her mentor and friend Dr. Loren Cordain. The title of the show is The Paleo Diet Craze: Does it Work? We aren't sure what to expect, but considering it is on the Dr. Oz show, we are very confident it will be overly dramatic! 

Book a consultation with Nell Now >

Why Nell Went Paleo:
From her profile: In 2004, I contracted a parasite during an Ironman race.  I sought medical advice and accepted my prescription for Flagyl right away, but continued to feel worse and worse. After six months, I was at my wits end. I began to research online and, through trial and error,  discovered I had developed an intolerance to gluten. Despite having spent six months visiting doctors and specialists (none of whom asked anything about my diet) and going to the E/R on more than one occasion, left to my own devices, I figured it out on my own.

I’d previously always eaten a ‘healthy’ diet with lots of veggies and fruit… as well as plenty of ‘good old’ whole grains, legumes (lots of soy and peanuts when I was vegan for two years!) and organic dairy.  I was a ‘fit’ age group athlete on the outside, but on the inside, my GI system seemed to be rapidly progressing from the mildly annoying stomachaches I’d had for years in varying degrees, to suddenly being doubled over in pain after every single snack or meal, for months!

Long story short… I stumbled across The Paleo Diet, read it, and began following it straight away.

I felt better in three days. I wrote to Dr. Cordain to simply thank him for his work and tell him what a gift it had been to me to discover it, and to share with my clients. He wrote back, and the rest is history!

Nell's Services:
You can work with Nell directly through our site. She offers skype or phone consultations as well as nutritional counseling. See her profile for more.

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In October of 2010, my doctor prescribed medication for high blood pressure. After a few weeks on the medication, my blood pressure hadn't dropped at all. She wanted to start me on another medication, but at that point it struck me that I needed to take control of my health. I was about 230 pounds and tired most of the time. I got out of breath walking my stairs, and fell asleep on the sofa most nights. I told the doctor that I wanted to try diet and exercise before a new medication. So, for the next month, I followed the DASH diet - a low fat, carb-based diet - and exercised (cardio) most days. I did lose 15 pounds, but my blood pressure wasn't getting any better, and I didn't feel much better, either. This was especially so because I still suffered from intense, painful, daily gastric issues which I expected would go away once I adopted a "healthful" diet.

One day while I was surfing the Internet for something unrelated, I came across a Website that featured low carbohydrate eating. Although I was always against low carb, something about this Website made me want to give it a try. Within a couple of days, I'd switched to Atkins. I decided to avoid things such as sweeteners and low carb products, though, knowing how addicted I was to sweets and carb-heavy foods. 

I lost 60 pounds fairly quickly and easily, without much tweaking. I did have one 6 week stall after the first 40, but it was easily overcome. I felt satisfied most of the time, and lost weight even though I typically ate between 1800 - 2,300 kcals per day. My blood pressure dropped, my high triglycerides became a thing of the past, my energy increased, my gastric issues disappeared and I was (and still am) thrilled about all of this. 

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
My biggest challenge actually didn't come until after I lost these 60 pounds. I still wish to lose another 30, but I've been unable to get those pounds to move without uncomfortably restricting Calories, which I find I cannot do for any meaningful length of time. Although most people find that their appetites are very suppressed on a low carb diet, I do not. And, sometimes my appetite is quite high. I am looking into going with a lower protein, continued very low carb approach to try to induce a level of nutritional ketosis that may suppress my appetite enough to shift these last 30 pounds.

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?
Make sure to read, read and read. You will likely be bombarded with advice from well-meaning friends, relatives and physicians to avoid a high fat regimen and eat more carbs. Being armed with knowledge will help to keep these people from diverting you.

Have a support group. There are a number of good Internet forums where a low carb eater can find information, advice, support and friendship along this journey. It really helps make a difference, especially when something discouraging such as a weight loss stall occurs.

My whole life I’ve been thin. Not athletic, but pretty skinny. And not much of a complexion. Pale. You might have thought I was healthy, but pretty much my entire life has been full of different health problems. From birth I was plagued by gut distress issues, unexplained stomach pains, and chronic acid reflux. My colic as an infant was likely attributed to this.

My mid teens I was prescribed proton pump inhibitors for the reflux. This may have made my health worse. Since my stomach was virtually shut down, nutrient absorption took a big hit, and gut pains and problems persisted, despite my lack of stomach acid.

I also had really bad acne. Chronic eczema too, which I was prescribed anti-inflammatory steroids for. I also got sick at least once a month.

On top of all that, I was tired all the time. I crashed hard in the afternoon. I slept all day long when I could. I didn’t eat much and remained thin through my freshman and sophmore year of college. The acne and skin problems followed. This, by the way, accumulated a bunch of stress and social anxiety on me.

Come the second half of sophmore year, I began to have sudden and violent pains in the region of my esophagus. Multiple ER and doctor visits came up with no answers for me. It was terrible, like being stabbed over and over again. Writhing in pain for hours on a hospital bed until they finally give you pain killers is not a good time. The only explanation was “take more proton pump inhibitors” or “it’s esophogeal spasm, there is no cure”.

“GREAT!” I thought. Wtf is this? It definitely wasn’t acid reflux related, since I had no acid pain, and it seemed to happen completely independent of any other symptoms.

I started going to they gym. The stress relief seemed to help, but I never put on any significant muscle, and I never totally cured the pains. They kept coming back every once in a while. I began to associate them with anxiety, since they started happening at large family gatherings. It never crossed my mind that it might be food related….

After years of trying to find a way to get muscles, without getting fat like all my other gym-going friends, I came across the Musclehack website. Basically a low-carb diet plan designed to bulk you up without fat, coupled with some really great workout routines (Which I still use!). My heartburn was mostly cured! I started to notice whenever I ate a bagel or something like that, heartburn would flare up immediately. BINGO! I thought I found the answer….

I was wrong. The low carb approach was close, but still an incomplete answer as far as my health was concerned. I was still eating junk on the weekends and grains and sugar during the week (even though they were small amounts). Heartburn would still show up sometimes, as well as the pains, acne, and other health issues.

I researched everything like a mad man. I wanted to know why everyone was stuck on the conventional old wisdom. Nothing seemed to add up. I got deep into the biology. The more I read and questioned, the more I started to come to a realization. Health and bodybuilding are based off of old outdated ideas that have no science behind them! The conventional wisdom sucks, and everyone is listening to a small group of old stubborn people who just repeat everything they hear from crappy publications and adhere to outdated conventions that have to causal evidence to back them up!

I started to realize that there is more to health than counting macronutrients or calories. I realized that food has to be looked at within a certain context; the context of the human species as we evolved.

I didn’t know it, but I was about to stumble across Paleo. The wonderful world of science, common sense, and deep understanding of the biological processes that drive health and fitness. We are Homo Sapiens, animals. Genetically identical to our 100,000 year old ancestors.

Once I cut out grains, sugars, beans, and vegetable oils completely from my diet, I noticed immediate positive changes in my health AND body composition! Muscle became almost effortless to attain. My recovery times diminished, as I used to get super sore for days. My soreness was now nonexistent, or only lasted one day. I stopped getting sick. My acne cleared up. I spent more time in the sun. I dropped all the prescription meds. I never had a stomach pain again. My heartburn disappeared completely. My social skills improved, likely because of a clearer mind and better body composition. Muscle is a great confidence booster, and continues to give me the motivation to keep going.

I always keep learning. I never stop reading and thinking. I always ask why. I always find out how things work, inside and out. It’s my duty to my body to follow the path of the animal, to live a long happy life. 

I feel great every day. My mind is clear. It’s almost as if there’s a constant stimulant running through my blood. (It feels as if I have an unlimited natural source of adderol or something, pumping right into my brain) I never wake up sore or tired. I never need coffee during the day. I leave work energized and ready to lift heavy shit at the gym. I sleep more soundly than I ever did. Paleo has flipped my life around competely!

I refuse to spend the final years of my life in a bed or a wheelchair. I refuse to follow the masses. I refuse to be caged. That’s my philosophy. Hopefully my experience will inspire you to make the same changes, so that you can live a long healthy life, fully independent and capable, free of worry from injury or disease.

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
My original ideas about health. The idea that fat and cholesterol were bad. It took a lot of research for me to understand the mechanisms truly at work.

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?
Forget everything you think you know about health. Chances are, you've been deceived. The hardest part to let go of is the cholesterol-heart-health myth. Trust me, cholesterol is good.