I started out a few months before my 39th birthday at about 320 pounds with the goal of meeting 40 at a reasonable weight, which for me is around 200 pounds (not the 175 recommended according to BMI recommendations, due to my larger frame). I had previously attempted weight loss before, and had been at healthy weights a couple of times over the intervening 30 or so years. I kept reading that after 40 it becomes somewhat difficult to lose weight, so I wanted to attempt it one more time before resigning myself to all the metabolic problems that come with excess fat storage. I had previously been successful following the Dr. Atkins plan, but as so many others, I started the Induction phase and had such good success that I never progressed on to OWL. That is to say, I severely restricted my carb intake to about 60g of carbs a day, period. I was able to maintain this for a few months, but when it got close to a year, I found that I couldn't continue to eat this way. 

I read Gary Taubes' "Good Calories, Bad Calories", and realized that nutrition was not simply carbs vs proteins, vs fats, but rather nutrients and metabolic processes that would compliment and feed back on each other. I changed my eating habits as follows; first, I did severely restrict carbohydrates for the first few weeks for a couple of reasons. First off to break the carbohydrate/insulin feedback loop and get my body burning fats instead of sugars. The second reason was to de-sensitize my palate to sweet. Our diets contain so much added sugar that we can no longer taste the natural sugars and sweet flavors in real food. After a couple of weeks of severely restricting carbohydrates in general (but specifically any kind of sugar; sucrose, HFCS, fructose, lactose, etc) of course the weight started to come off. 

Over time I re-introduced some carbohydrates into my diet, but for the most part fruits and vegetables. I did avoid grains in general, especially corn and wheat. The only exceptions to the ban on grains was Quinoa, which I found as a great compliment to any dish, and brown rice, as my ethnic background made it very difficult to eschew rice completely. Those were infrequent additions to my menu which consisted of mostly proteins and fats. The main focus of my eating plan was to avoid processed foods completely. I did a lot of cooking at home and starting with raw ingredients. I rarely if ever ate anything that would come out of a box, a bag, or a can. I became a label-reader and would avoid any product that had more than 5 ingredients (to me that was a sure indicator that it had been moderately processed). I also consciously watched my portions, as I knew that I was overeating in any case. My golden rule was "all things in moderation". The trick is determining what the appropriate amount of any given food was. 

After eating in this style for almost two years now, I know it is a sustainable approach to eating. What I did not realize at the time is that this closely follows the "Paleo" or "Primal" nutritional approaches. What I realize now is that as omnivores, we are equipped to nourish ourselves with a lot of different sources. It is when we take one nutritional source and consume it almost to the exclusion of other foods that we get into metabolic trouble. Too much science has been devoted to isolating carbs, or fats, or refined sugars, or this micronutrient, or that micronutrient, and then making these huge sweeping claims about their benefit or dangers. What had not been approached is how we need all of these nutrients in the correct amounts based on our own metabolic chemistry to keep us at healthy weights and at optimal health. This balance will vary by individual and ethinc background, but by and large we can all agree that none of us are equipped to consume the huge amounts of refined sugars we find in our foods nowadays. By cutting down to the bone and starting with reasonable quantities of proteins, HEALTHY and NATURAL carbohydrates, natural (not processed and industrially extracted) fats, any one of us can start to repair the metabolic damage that our modern refined and processed diets have done to us.

Another aspect of my weight loss success is definitely getting exercise whenever possible. During my weight loss efforts, I was diligently going to the gym three times a week for an hour each time to do resistance training and some cardio. I would change up my routine almost every time I was in the gym. I had a big list of different exercises and the goals of that particular exercise, and would mix and match from there. I would always do some kind of cardio-ish work; sprints some days, stationary bikes some day, a run outdoors some days. Same with the strength. Some days I would do body weight exercises like pull-ups, push-ups lunge squats. Some days I would do static resistance like planks, other days I would just use resistance machines. The goal was always to work the muscles both in reaction-type exercises (to build fast-twitch muscle fibers) and more sustained resistance (to build up the slow-twitch muscle fibers). I continue this workout routine to this day, and it is easily sustainable and is still enjoyable. 

Another big contributor was to move as often as possible. I never take an elevator any more, always the stairs. I don't look for the closest parking spot at the office or the shopping center. I turn common household chores into an opportunity to do exercises by concentrating on balancing and squatting when I am putting away dishes, or reaching and stretching when I need to get things off of the top shelf. I avoid plopping down on the couch or on the bed after dinner and staring at the TV or the computer. Its not to say I won't watch TV, but I am doing something while I watch. I also took up some additional hobbies that keep me occupied at night. It doesn't necessarily have to be something physically active, but at the very least I am standing while I do it (motor repair, or wood work, that kind of thing) At lunch time I don't just go to the break room and sit, but rather take my lunch outside and take a walk while eating lunch. I make an effort to get enough sleep (7-8 hours every night), and make an effort to rise with the sun even on weekends and days off. When I have down time, it is spent taking my kids on a hike, or a bike ride, or a swim if its the right time of year. I basically keep trying to move as often as possible to keep the muscles moving, contracting, and out of "idle" mode.

In conclusion, I do want to say that I have been at my healthy weight of 195 pounds for a year and a half now. My goal is to maintain this weight for at least the next 5 years without having to plunge back into "restricted" mode i.e. just maintaining my eating and exercise regimen as it is now. I have relaxed a little bit in that I will occasionally indulge in something sweet (birthday cake, or a spectacular dessert to cap off a night out) or possibly have something that is served with bread. My body can now tolerate it without showing obvious ill effects. I have reached a sustainable balance of restricting certain foods, eliminating other foods, and exercising. I can foresee me maintaining this lifestyle and my healthy weight and build into my 50s, 60s, and beyond.

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
The biggest challenge was managing my portions. Even though I had eliminated a lot of the processed foods, fact is that our bodies will still take excess calories and store them as fat. Its the way we are made, its the mechanisms that helped us survive as a species for hundreds of thousands of years. You still can't have a half pound of bacon, a dozen eggs, and a 16 ounce (thats a pound of meat, boys and girls) steak every day and expect to lose weight. Your body will want to hold on to those excess calories in case the local market closes down and your next meal is a week down the road. If your metabolic mechanisms that regulate hunger and satiety are broken, you need to rely on visual queues to insure you are not consuming excess nutrients. Learn to measure portion sizes and recognize them, and learn to limit yourself based on these visual queues rather than the biochemical indicators which at this point may be damaged and in need of repair. 

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?
My biggest advice I can offer other carb-restricted dieters is to remember that it is a process. You didn't become obese or overweight from one day to the next. Your metabolism is probably damaged, and needs to be repaired. Like healing any broken body part it takes time, and sometimes feels unpleasant. Stick with it as best as you can, and if you fall off the wagon, don't give up. Don't even say "today is shot, I'll try it again tomorrow". Recognize that you may have eaten something that is not proper for optimal health, and immediately dismiss it and go on. Even small changes in your eating habits where you eliminate some of the refined and processed foods will have a benefit.

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Finding a medical doctor that understands low carb & paleo nutrition can be a daunting task. Even mentioning the words 'low carb' to your doctor will likely be followed by an eye-roll and a lecture on how damaging it will be to your health. Yet if what if you tell your physician instead that:

"I started a new program. After years of struggling with my hunger pangs and food-day-dreams, I am suddenly freed from the hunger-handcuffs that consumed my every thought for the past 10 years of my life. No longer do I have to attempt to count the calories I eat. I just eat when I'm hungry. And it's not just me. It seems that when people adopt this lifestyle, 95% report no longer feeling hungry between meals. When they test this new program in randomized clinical trials, it seems to produce the most weight loss, in at least 14 studies. On top of all those exciting benefits, my blood triglycerides have plummeted and my HDL is slowly rising."

Of course framed in this way, doctors would be more excited about it. These potential benefits reside behind the stigmatized "low carb" curtain  that has tainted our view of primal nutrition in the eyes of our health professionals. 

Yet shining a light through this dark curtain are people like Dr. Gerber, Denver's Diet Doctor. With years of experience treating patients with low carb high fat nutrition, Dr. Gerber has seen the results with his own two eyes and is not looking back. Above is his interview with Dr. Eenfeldt, discussing his success in treating his overweight, diabetic, or metabolically deranged patients with carbohydrate restriction. 
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The days in which finding such medical doctors to help you lose weight and get healthy are numbered. At the registry, we are making a centralized location where paleo and low carb health experts can connect with people around the world who need their help.

Teaming up with Dr. Gerber and other paleo and low carb health professionals, we now offer a marketplace where people can go to "shop" for services they need, or experts they want to work with. 

You can skype, talk on the phone, get some advice on your cholesterol levels and diet, or e-mail Dr. Gerber and our other experts as they guide you on your primal journey towards better health. 

See the services we offer, or view our experts here.

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We have redone the results page, and compiled some stats based on the first 1,100 people to register. We've got thousands of data points to analyze, and present some interesting findings thus far. The large majority of registry members don't count their calories. This practice speaks to one fundamental difference between paleo or low carb, and the traditional advice. Instead of relying on portion size estimation which is very difficult for most, or the false precision of calorie counting, registry members seem to rely on their biology. Once they eliminate grain and flour, they simply eat when they are hungry. No calorie counting. 

Relying on calorie counting as your primary mechanism for determining how much to eat inherently relies on the food industry's abilities to provide accurate information on their food labels. Yet "accurate" is a relative term. The FDA only requires that food manufacturers be within 20% of their actual caloric values. So that 500 calorie lean cuisine spaghetti dish may actually be 600. 

See our new results page!

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I am writing this narrative for my husband. My husband has been a type 2 diabetic for over 30 years. He saw his doctors faithfully every 3 months, took his medications, watched what he ate (except no one told him what to watch), and tried to exercise. 

11 years ago he was put on insulin. First 5 units and then about a year and a half later he was talking 43 units. His weight ballooned to 280 pounds. The neuropathy in both his feet that he was suffering from intensified. He now could not walk over 75 feet. In 2002 I told my grown children that in 6 months I would be pushing dad around in a wheelchair. He had profuse night sweats due to hypoglycemic episodes (we did not know what was causing this at that time), he was irritable, depressed and always tired. He fell asleep while driving once and hit the concrete barrier in the middle of the freeway. He did nothing around the house except work the remote control for the TV. 

I read Dr. Bernstein's book, "Diabetes Solution" and could not believe my eyes. I told my husband about how I could help him but had to wait until he accepted responsibility for this illness. Not blame but responsibility. He needed to know that it was his disease and he was in charge of it. About 6 months later, he told me he was ready. Our lives changed dramatically! Within 3 months he was completely off of insulin, within 9 months he lost 80 pounds, the profuse night sweats were gone, the irritability and depression were replaced with a love of life. Neuropathy was eliminated! He has been in two 5K races and finished (walking, of course). He walks at our gym 3 times a week and usually does 2 miles each time. He is back to being the man I married. 

Friends and family could not believe the change! They also could not believe that low carb is what did it. I set out on a quest to prove that the low carb way of life is the best. 
I read Gary Taubes book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories" and was ecstatic! Here it was in black and white - proof that low carb is the right way of life not only for diabetics but for all of us. No one would believe me.

I read Jonny Bowden's book, "Living the Low Carb Life" more proof. Then Gary Taubes came out with his book that I call the book for the layman to understand why and how low carb is best, "Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It" there is no question that for my husband and I the research of these scholars coupled with our own experiences is proof that low carb saves lives and helps everyone live a better life.

We had the pleasure of meeting and hearing Mr. Taubes at a lecture that he gave at The Ohio State University last April. He is inspiring and speaks from research and with tremendous knowledge. 

My husband and I put together a program to help other diabetics understand that they have control over diabetes and how we beat diabetes. 

Thank you, Gary Taubes, Dr. Bernstein and Jonny Bowden. You saved our lives!!!!

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
We had to give up the middle European foods we loved. As the cook, I had to give up cooking the meals that I had perfected in over 40 years of marriage. It's been over 9 years now that I had to change my way of cooking and eliminate my baking. I miss it but would much rather have the husband that I have than anything else!

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?
Decide that your weight is YOUR responsibility and no one else. 
Clean up your environment. Dispose of all carb laden foods and junk foods. You can't eat what is not in the house.
Stay active. Watch TV only in the evening when you finally sit down to rest. Then do it for only 2 hours. Some people equate TV with eating.
Keep cheeses, hard boiled eggs, lunch meats, etc. on hand for quick meals or for the occasional snack.
Plan your meals. We have a breakfast tray in our refrigerator. On it are eggs, butter, bacon and/or sausages, strawberries and blueberries. We set the table the night before, make sure our frying pans are out and ready and the coffee pot is set to go. After we get home from the gym, we have no problem making a great low carb breakfast. Eat lots of green leafy veggies. " If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail" Benjamin Franklin?

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