I went to the doctor for terrible headaches-migraines and during the pre-doctor visit my blood pressure was an unbelievable 210/178! What a day that was, you should have seen the nurse’s face while she read my blood pressure and re-took it several times! Anyway, my doctor put me on blood pressure medicine that day and on the follow-up visit, I had both blood and urine tests done. When results came back I was also Type II diabetic with high cholesterol at 300, so I was also put on Metformin and a statin. It was highly suggested that I change my diet to improve my lipid issues and to lose some weight. 

They put me on a standard low-fat diet. I followed this diet and on my next doctor’s visit, my blood work was even worse. My triglycerides where 1300! And my doctor told me that my kidneys looked to be in trouble too (potential kidney failure). She wanted to know what I had done to make matters worse. I told her I did exactly what she told me to do. I received one of those looks, which says, “ I don’t believe you.” 

The drive home was sobering. I did what was asked of me from the medical community and things got worse and to boot, my Doctor didn’t believe I was following “their diet.” I got home and realized I needed to be figure this out and started searching on Google on why people get fat and sick and eventually found the “Paleo Diet.” With my background is in science, all this Paleo perspective just made perfect sense to me. It was my moment of EUREKA! 

I pulled numerous papers and bought several books and the rest is history. Except my library is getting larger on this subject, and I am still mystified that this is not mainstream information. Anyway, I started to lose weight, might I say effortlessly, and feel fantastic. After reading some info on statins and Metformin I began, against my doctor’s advice, taking myself off my medications. Today, I am off all medications; I am not diabetic or concerned about heart disease or kidney failure. However, my Doctor is still concerned about my cholesterol level ~ 210 and she wants me back on the statins. I don’t think so….

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
For me, it was pretty easy since it was a matter of living or dying. But the one thing I do remember being challenging was throwing all that processed food away. I wish I could have the money I spent on that crap back in my pocket again.

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?
I believe they should do the often quoted "30 day challenge," and see if they don't feel and look better. My only other recommendation is to get rid of all the processed food in your house, so you don't eat it or are tempted to eat it.

I was a functional fat kid. Meaning- Although I had to shop in the "Husky" section at Sears, I was a good little athlete. So much so that the first diet I remember being on was one that my 5th grade football coach needed me to partake in so that I could make weight limit to run the football. I recall it pretty well. I hated salad, but choked it down every now and then, and then ate a lot of watermelon to curb my sweet tooth. Between that and running for hours in a rubber suit or with my pads on, I made weight limit every game. But an even greater lesson I learned was one of will power and sacrifice- if I wanted to be in shape and athletic, it took starving plus buckets of pain accompanied sweat! From that point on, I was a yo yo with periods of food indulgence followed by periods of starvation.

By the time I got to college I had found the greatness of Ephedrine! I was 5'7 and 145lbs; never mind the, less than spectacular, results I had on the baseball field my freshman year, I was at my BMI!

Anyhow, in the next four years along with my degree pro football players started dropping from apparent ephedrine use. Soon after it was taken off the shelf and my weight started creeping up. Buy 29 I was still 5'7 but over 200 lbs for the first time ever. My back killed me at night, had bad seasonal allergies, a few sinus infections a year, and my labido was pretty darn low. My diet? Well, lets just say I enjoyed morning donuts, night time ice cream, and everything between could be found on a pizza hut menu. 

That year I decided to not go into my 30's fat and sick and started a new home made diet. Give up Burgers the first week, pizza the next and so on. I ended up giving up bread and pasta and lost about 30 lbs in less than 6 months. 

At 175 lbs I felt and slept a ton better but was working out a couple hours a day and pretty much hit a wall. 

A year later my bother introduced me to Crossfit which meshed perfectly with my masochist view of fitness. With the help of the daily WOD I got stronger than ever at about 165 lbs, and was happily killing my self on a 3 on 1 off rotation. While Crossfit did not turn out to be the Holy Grail like I thought it was, it did introduce me to Robb Wolf, and about 3 years ago, I went Paleo.

Right away Robb's podcast and then his book helped me figure out my seasonal allergies and sinus infections. Plus the whole, Ancestral eating thing just made sense. Anyhow, I am now 34 and only wish I could have played baseball in college with the knowledge I have now. I am 180 lbs at about 10% body fat; with energy and strength I thought about trying to get out a bottle back then. And it is easy!

I enjoy food, and I am not neurotic about it. I don't count calories except for the occasional day to see where I am at and if my calories intake is aligned with my goals. I eat until I am full and eat when I feel like it. I let activity dicate how many starchy carbs I eat and enjoy the protein and fat all the time. The only hard part is constantly telling people what I do only to watch them turn to the latest diet trend.

I guess I'll leave it at this; Paleo, Primal, Ancestral, or what every you want to call it works to the degree you are willing to do it.

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
USDA

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 jump in the deep end. Replace your grains with roots and tubers and slowly try and get down around 100 or less carbs a day.