We are traveling to Washington D.C. on December 5th for the American Society of Nutrition's Advances and Controversies in Clinical Nutrition Conference. You can see the program here.

Check out a sneak peak of our poster, in PDF form. We will be presenting on December 6th. Come stop by and say hi!

I had reached my late forties without ever dieting and my weight had slowly climbed, reaching a high of around 215lbs. I am 5' 9" in height, so this gave be a BMI of over 30 - technically 'Obese'. My blood pressure was also very high - well into hypertension at 170/105.

I began on the Tim Ferris '4 hour body', which is limited carb., and on this I lost around 30 lbs in 4 months. I gradually transitioned to a Keto diet over the next 5 months, reducing carbs further, and increasing fat over protein. I have lost a further 25 lbs on this.

As of today, I am around 55 lbs down at 160lbs (with a 'normal' BMI) and this year I have run two half marathons, and plan to run a full marathon (after having done no exercise or sport for nearly 30 years) 

As another positive side effect, my wife, who doesn't follow the diet strictly but does eat the same as me in evenings / at weekends, has also lost over 15lbs in the last six months.

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
None - it was very easy, both at home (with the help and support of my wife!) and whilst eating out - which I do a lot.

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 wait - start tomorrow. 

Weigh yourself every day, but learn to ignore the fluctuations and look for the trend. 

Any and every restaurant, from MacDonalds to the very smartest, can provide you with food that will fit your diet: make sure you know what that is.

I started dieting when I was nineteen (now 67) and did Weight Watchers several times in the next 44 years. Lost significant weight but regained it. Intermittently I tried calorie restriction but could not maintain any loss for more than a few weeks. It did not help that most of my employment years were spent in bakeries, coffee shops, and other food related industries, which certainly encouraged my sugar, cake, and pastry loving tendencies. I finally achieved my goal weight 4yrs ago using an online calorie counting program. I developed a few health issues (heart/blood pressure) and my doctor referred me to a heart specialist who prescribed a low fat diet (C56%, F20%, P24%), with statins. Then began the seesaw of binge/starve to keep the weight off. After 12 months I realized I could not do this for the rest of my life and needed to stop the seesaw and get off the statins which were affecting my liver. I went online and started reading about food, appetite control and cravings. 18 months ago I watched the movie "Fathead" then read Gary Taubes GCBC and that was the start. I spoke to the heart specialist about the high carbohydrate load I was consuming and about the binging and struggle I was having and asked if I could increase the fats. With his OK (and blood tests every 3 months to keep an eye on things) I started increasing fats and decreasing carbs (they are now C30%, F45%, P25%) while continuing to read and research. Read Loren Cordain, Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson and several others. Finally settled with Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint, mainly because I still have some dairy.

I never went Very Low Carb as I have read a number of people struggle to stay less than 50g and many reported a loss in energy. I wanted something that I could do for ever without the struggles I had been having. I was tired of struggling. Eating lower carbohydrates and cutting out grains, legumes, sugar, and processed foods have been all positive. My carbohydrates now come from the huge amounts of vegetables and fruits I eat. I have almost totally eliminated anything that comes in a box or packet with an ingredient panel.

Eating Primal/Paleo is the best thing I ever did. At first I counted every calorie and weighed every day. Now I weigh weekly. I only count calories if I see a pound or two creep on which usually means I need to pay a bit more attention to portion control rather than change what I eat. After many years of weighing and measuring with no good result, there is no stress in doing this and for me it is an effortless way to keep an eye on things. From a high of 190lb down to my current 130lb my weight remains stable with no more binge/starve, no cravings, no statins, more energy, clearer head, heightened sense of taste, good blood pressure, and blood test results after 1 year are excellent. I’m happy and my doctor is happy. My husband (73), impressed by my increased energy and improved health, has joined me in this WOE. His health has also improved (but that is his story to tell).

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
The biggest challenge is being able to afford the better quality proteins and vegetables. It is a challenge I willingly accept as the rewards have been enormous. 

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?
Some family members were sceptical at first but after seeing the results are now supportive and usually serve some Primal foods at family gatherings. Other members have seen the results and joined us. At other times or with friends I often take a plate to share. Otherwise I just do it. Because I am rarely hungry between meals it is no big deal to just have the coffee/tea and pass on the cakes or pastries. After all it is my life that may be at stake.
I would recommend a Primal/Paleo lifestyle to anyone struggling to lose weight or maintain a weight loss. For many attempting weight loss, constant hunger and cravings are the biggest hurdle and with this way of eating (for me at least), it has become a non-issue.

This isn’t the first time I’ve lost a significant amount of weight. After college and baby number one, my weight and general fitness level began to slip. Five years ago, I weighed nearly 250 pounds. I was tired all the time. I didn’t have the stamina to keep up with my kids or engage in the types of outdoor activities that I used to enjoy. My whole life I have been active. I dance. I hike. I garden. I play. Being active wasn’t enough anymore.

I started walking during lunch breaks and joined WeightWatchers and at the end of a year I had lost 65 pounds. I felt great, for a while…but slowly and insidiously the weight crept back on. I didn’t regain ALL of the weight, but I regained most of it, enough that the general fatigue and lack of motivation set back in. 

I’m not sure where my mental shift came from, maybe it was the death of my Grandmother due to complications related to Type 2 Diabetes or my Father’s pre-diabetic diagnosis, maybe it was the fact that I was creeping up on 40 and all of the research I read talked about how much harder it was to lose weight and get fit as you get older (especially for women). I think it was all those things and the fact that I was tired of being fat. When I looked in the mirror, the person looking back was not the person that I knew I was.

In November of 2011, the hula halau that I dance with decided to have a "Biggest Loser" type competition. I started my "diet" by dropping all starches, grains and all processed foods and refined sugars from my diet. I also increased my water consumption and fruit and vegetable intake. I began going to the gym most days of the week, cycling between circuit strength training and cardio intervals. Through my hula sisters, I heard about a local personal trainer who hosted weekly “Boot Camp” classes on a drop-in basis. I dropped-in. It kicked my butt! I could only barely do about half of the exercises and it took me a full week to get over the muscle soreness. But you know what? Even though it was hard and I was sore, it felt good to be moving and pushing myself! I started going to boot camp every Saturday morning and it started getting easier (not easy, but easier). I started to notice changes in my weight and energy level. 

On January 1st, 2012 I started a 30 day Paleo Challenge. I started out by following the meal plans and recipes outlined in the challenge but quickly caught on to the "rules" and began planning my own menus. After the first 30 days of strict Paleo (no dairy, no grains, no beans, no processed or refined foods or sugars, etc) I felt GREAT!! The changes in my mood, energy, physical well-being and athletic performance were huge. No more blood sugar ups and downs! No more stomachaches after meals! My family was even starting to come around to this way of eating! (Well, my husband anyway...)

After the 30 day challenge ended, I was sold! A friend suggested that I take a look at marksdailyapple.com. I loved the 80/20 principle! It all made sense to me and I had already experienced, first-hand the results of a low-carb diet high in fresh vegetables and clean protein. I liked that the Primal Blueprint lifestyle allowed for the inclusion of some quality dairy (if it agreed with your system). It seemed friendlier and less restrictive while still touching on all of the healthy benefits of the Paleo diet. 

I have been living primally ever since. Since the end of October 2011, I have lost over 60 pounds. I currently weigh less than I did my Senior year in high school. For the first time in my adult life I don't care about losing weight. I feel good in my skin! My new goals are to get stronger and leaner but I could care less what the scale says!

I incorporated a Whole30 in there right before my 39th birthday and I had a "cheat" week while on vacation but by and large, I will continue to eat and live this way long-term. It is not a diet. It is a lifestyle and as a result I am in better physical condition than I have been in my entire adult life, oh yeah, and no more back fat!

By the way, I won the “Biggest Loser”… 

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
When I began the paleo diet, my family drug their heels a bit. My daughter was a carb-heavy vegetarian and my husband didn't "get it". It created some problems in the meal planning arena and some resentment about the difficulty it posed to eating out at restaurants. 
It can also be quite expensive starting out. Especially if you're used to eating cheap, junky fast food and processed foods. Once we made the initial adjustment we realized that we were eating better quality and may even be saving money due to not eating out at restaurants several times a week.

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?
Stick with it! If you are a sugar junkie like I was, it takes at least a week to get past the cravings. I ate a lot of grapefruits the first couple of weeks! 

It can also really help to create weekly meal plans. Knowing what you are going to eat in advance for the week reduces the chances that you're going to put something "bad" into your mouth and it allows you to combine shopping trips for the week and prep ingredients for ease of preparation. 

I also found myself falling into a meal routine during the week. I eat a protein shake or dinner leftovers for breakfast and a big salad with whatever protein we have on hand on it every work day. It's delicious, convenient and makes my mornings a little easier.