I had been hearing more and more about the paleo diet over the course of 2011. In August I finally started researching it and was struck by the sheer simplicity of it and its logical, fact-based criteria. After seeing a number of friends shilling out wonder supplements and fat loss pills in weird pyramid schemes, the fact that the paleo diet didn't have a corporate overlord or someone at the top profiting off of materials, menus, processed food products, etc. was highly appealing. It didn't feel like another gimmick.

So I gave it a go, and immediately felt fantastic. I lost 18 lbs within just a couple months, and while my weight loss has slowed since then, I'm still losing inches as I continue to work out and lift weights. I'm the same weight I was when I lost weight on a conventional low calorie diet a couple years ago, but I'm actually a clothing size smaller than I was then. In fact, I'm the smallest size I've ever been as an adult! I have increased energy, I don't have that afternoon crash at my desk, my hunger and/or cravings aren't overpowering my thoughts, and I am truly passionate about what I eat and put into my body. I know more now about how my body functions than I ever did in school, and I read up on it constantly. Not only that, but I have regained my passion for cooking. It's now a creative form of expression, a love for food and produce, rather than just a chore of "making dinner."

​My fiance has more or less adopted this lifestyle as well. He doesn't really need to lose weight as he trains and coaches Brazilian jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts several days a week, but he has noticed a dramatic increase in muscle mass. It's not uncommon for him to walk into the room, topless and flexing. I've read several great books on paleo and primal living, as well as the advantages of eliminating harmful substances like wheat from my diet. I read multiple blogs every day, covering topics from how my body absorbs Vitamin D to how to cook a sensational pork roast. I love it all and love sharing what I've learned. My results have inspired others and I've encouraged many people near and dear (and even some I don't know that well) to look into the paleo diet. I actually have to hold myself back for fear of preaching and evangelizing something I value so highly. It has impacted my life that positively, and I'm so looking forward to continuing my paleo lifestyle and what the future holds. I initially had a "lose 30 before I turn 30" goal in mind. Since I've almost accomplished that with 5 months yet to go, I'm setting my sights higher. Bikini by the time my honeymoon rolls around in September? My fridge full of meats and veggies, my pantry stocked with coconut oil, olives and nuts, my kettlebells, my pullup bar, and my coach of a fiance all say yes, it's possible.

CHALLENGES:
Going out to eat has been the biggest challenge. While I can usually find something to eat on a restaurant's menu, it's depressing if the only option is another salad with a protein added. Salads bore me, and I get frustrated when there are so many menus that offer such limited fare that isn't loaded with grains or sugars. That's when it's easier to stay home and whip up something as delicious and much healthier. Also, I work for a wonderful craft brewery, so giving up beer has been near impossible. I did it for a month as a challenge, and my consumption has declined dramatically, but giving it up entirely isn't in the cards just yet.

ADVICE:
All the information you need is free and online. Some quick Google searches will show you how to do it, what groceries to buy, and how to cook so many amazing recipes you'll swear you're a healthier Julia Child. Once you read about how bad grains (especially wheat) and sugars are for you, you'll never look at something like a doughnut the same again. Once you start eating and living paleo, that doughnut will never hold the same appeal it once did. And if you give in to that doughnut, how you feel afterward is a huge indication as to how bad it is for you! Reading people's success stories is another huge source of inspiration if you're ever feeling like you can't quite do it. Use their stories to fuel your own!

I am a Natural Chef with an emphasis on paleo cooking and eating for health. I attended culinary school at Bauman College, a holistic nutrition and culinary arts school. I became interested in food and wellbeing through a lifetime of food allergies, intolerances, insecurities, and frustration. When I began to experiment with my food; the types, preparation, source, nutritional quality, etc, I began to fall in love with the creative and loving process of cooking. I've been dairy-free (few exceptions over the years) since 2004 when I finally got sooooo sick from eating ice cream that I was rolling on the ground with stomach pain. I've been gluten-free since 2007 after discovering that I had an intestinal parasite from 9 months prior. I spent months going to doctors and trying to figure out why I couldn't lose weight and why my stomach hurt so much. I figured it out on my own.

I became paleo in April 2010 after a friend suggested I check out Marksdailyapple.com. That same year I decided to become a paleo chef. My digestion was reasonably under control (still figuring out the nuances), I weighed less than I had in high school. I wasn't running everyday and I got lots of sun! I follow a Primal/Paleo diet which includes meat, fish, eggs, very few nuts and seeds, all vegetables,very little fruit, and some tubers. My indulgences within Paleo are dark chocolate, occasional wine, and coffee. I will also enjoy some corn from time to time (1-2x a month) in the form of mexican food. And rice maybe 3-4x a year for sushi. If I'm being strict I omit alcohol and all natural sugars. (dates, honey, coconut sugar, and most fruits).

​Over time I've found myself putting on weight again. I think my fat intake has been much higher than when I started paleo. Also, since I'm a chef, I'm around food all day. So even if I'm paleo-compliant... I'm probably over-feeding myself in a caloric sense.

CHALLENGES:
Social situations. Going hungry or saying no to foods offered at other's houses or at a "questionable" restaurant.

ADVICE:
Don't rely too heavy on nuts or nut-based products. Also coconut and coconut based products. It's too easy to try and replace neolithic foods with paleo alternatives... but at the end of the day the meals should always be very similar. Meats, veggies, and fat.

I hesitated to share my story since before I started The Primal Blueprint (PB), I was already a fairly healthy 22-year-old, so my transformation simply cannot compare to those that have lost weight in the triple digits and literally cured diabetes. However, I decided to write out this story after some encouragement from my friends, and I do believe that my transformation is incredible in its own right: particularly, the results materialized so quickly. I'm writing this after less than 4 months of following PB. Moreover, I don't see many success stories involving my ethnic group, Asians, probably because of the importance of rice in our culture. One of the most common critiques that I hear is "look at all those skinny Asians who gobble down rice." I wanted to show that there exist substantial benefits to toning down the consumption of rice.

My story starts in my senior year of college. After four years of college, I had put on 20 pounds, reaching 160, which was slightly overweight considering my height of 5' 5". Furthermore, the acne that I assumed would disappear with time still persisted from my high school years. You can see me as a college senior. When I graduated, I decided to make my health a priority and threw myself fervently into the Conventional Wisdom (CW) approach. For 5-6 days every week, I would exercise splitting my time about 50-50 between cardio (in the form of running) and strength training (mainly pull-ups, squats, and bench press). As for diet, I ate my whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy, and upped my fruits and veggies. The results were slow, but over the course of about 3 months, I managed to lose 10 pounds. Suddenly, progress stopped. I stayed the course with this regimen for 2 months, and my weight remained unchanged. In addition, I doubted my ability to sustain this volume of exercise: I constantly felt tired. You can see the results of CW.

Around this time, I stumbled upon Mark's Daily Apple when looking for ways to increase my ankle mobility (I was having trouble squatting low, which I have also since remedied). I began to dig deeper into this concept of "Primal Living," and I found much of it, particularly the bits about insulin and cholesterol, aligned with what I had learned in my college Biochemistry class. Suddenly, I began to look through the lens of evolution, connected the dots, and realized that something has gone awry with how humans interact with our environment. For instance, I discovered that high-carbohydrate diets have been linked to myopia. In terms of evolution, it makes no sense that I was wearing glasses by the time I was 7, and myopia among Asians is the norm. Perhaps, we don't store fat the way Westerners do, but I sincerely doubt our carbohydrate-rich diet is harmless. Frustrated with the CW approach and being young with not much to lose, I figured that I would give PB a try. Rather than ease in to the PB, I dove all-in, dropping grains immediately. When I got the low-carb flu, I doubled down and ate more fat. I had an awful case of the flu that lasted nearly 3 weeks, which indicates that I was very insulin-resistant at the start.

After 6 weeks, I decided to check my progress, and I couldn't believe the results. I had already reached my goal weight of 140! That was my weight back in high school when I played tennis and soccer, but I found myself even leaner then than my former 18-year-old self. I've managed to stay the course, adding in things like organ meats and intermittent fasting (which for me tends to mean simply skipping breakfast), and have made even more progress as you can see. The ease of PB has surprised me the most. Fat tastes delicious, so I eat better-tasting food. I don't go hungry because I simply eat until I'm full instead of counting calories. I work out even less than before: most weeks I lift 3 days and sprint 1 day. If weather permits, on the weekend, I may run 3-4 miles, but this happens maybe only once a month in Boston during the winter. I'd say that the only difficult thing was learning how to cook, but I view it as a fun challenge and a chance to experiment. Furthermore, the 80/20 rule allows me ample chances to deviate without feeling guilty. Like many, I started PB for weight-loss reasons and have discovered other numerous benefits.

​Not only have I lost weight, but also I have gotten stronger as measured by my weight room gains, I recover faster from hard workouts, and my skin is much better as one can see. Most importantly, though, my energy levels are more stable, which has made me more productive at the office. Not being a slave to eating three square meals per day and having too much energy to sit still and watch TV has afforded me the time to do things I enjoy like reading, cooking, and mathematics. All in all, through this experience, I have become convinced that "Primal Living" is the right way to live. If my example can even inspire one person to convert, I'll feel that I have spent my time well writing this.

CHALLENGES:
Learning and taking the time to cook.

ADVICE:
Just try it for 30 days and see what happens.

My "before" picture is in June 2011 at an unknown weight. I was avoiding the scale at that time, for obvious reasons! In July we took our vacation to the lake and I was unable to get out of the water on my slalom ski, both because of my weight and because of my lack of muscle tone. Between that and the ugly feeling I had in a bathing suit, I decided something needed to be done. I don't remember how I came across Robb Wolf's book, The Paleo Solution, but it stuck a chord with me. (As a side note, I don't agree at all with the concept of evolution, but find I don't need to in order to agree with the science and with the obvious better health of hunter-gatherer societies in our world.) His science was compelling, so I started the diet (or should I say, "the new way of life") at the beginning of August.

The weight just fell off! I initially didn't do much in the way of exercise, but as I lost weight I found it easier to exercise and that I had the energy that needed to be burned. Initially I was walking and biking. I live in a climate that makes outdoor activity difficult in the winter, so the biking was temporary. Then I came across Mark Sisson's website/book after hearing him on Robb Wolf's podcast. I like what he teaches on exercise. Wolf tends to cater to those who really want to do weight lifting, and that's not me. So with Sisson's ideas on sprinting once a week, lifting heavy things once a week, doing slow aerobic the rest of the week, and playing as often as possible...well...that was right up my alley.

As a testimony to the effectiveness of the sprinting on overall aerobic capacity, I was able to do the sprints for four weeks before going to Colorado to ski in December. On the first day, I ran up three flights of stairs, two at a time, and wasn't winded! That is unheard of for me. My first run down the mountain was top-to-bottom, non-stop (even with my weight, I am an accomplished skier), and I wasn't winded nor was I feeling the burn in my thighs. Again...unheard of for me recently. Between the weight loss and the sprinting, my physical abilities at altitude were better than I can ever remember. OK...I got ahead of myself. The weight fell off quickly. The "after" picture is from early October and the total weight loss at the time was about 30 pounds. I continued to lose weight, but at a slower pace until I was down about 34 pounds by December. Then I got to spend a lot of time skiing, so my exercise level was necessarily increased considerably. That brought me down to a loss of 39 pounds. Right now I have been bouncing around at between 35 and 39 pounds of loss for about a month.

I believe it is because I have gotten a bit slack and allowed myself to eat too many sugary sweets like hard candies, etc. I have about 20 pounds to go to get back to high-school weight, so I am going to bite the bullet and let those sugars go by keeping my eye on the goal. I also had a VAP cholesterol test done. I don't have a "before" test to compare it to, but it came back as expected as "high" overall, but with good HDL, Type A LDL, and good Triglycerides.

​I've read a ton of Chris Kresser's work on cholesterol and am not worried about the numbers. He also pointed out that it really isn't a good idea to believe the numbers until you have been at a stable weight for several months. So I'll test again when I get to a stable weight. Overall, this has been the simplest way of eating I've ever encountered. I don't miss grains at all. And it will be a lifestyle. It has to be. If it is only a "diet", then as soon as I get to my goal, my old way of eating comes back right along with the weight. That can't happen. I want to be healthy as I age, able to be active as long as possible.

CHALLENGES:
​ I have a nasty sweet tooth, so staying away from things like hard candy and ice cream is especially difficult. In fact, I am at a plateau right now and suspect that this is the culprit. So I am going to work especially hard at avoiding the opportunities to consume those items.

ADVICE:
Know why you want to do this. I inundated myself with all the books about eating Paleo/Primal...everything from Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, Gary Taubes, Chris Kresser, and Loren Cordain. One of my favorites was "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis. All of these helped convince me that I was eating in a manner that would make me healthy for the rest of my life. With all the other potential diseases out there, why make it easier to be debilitated by the way you eat?! Set a goal, but more importantly, set a REASON. If it's only a goal, once you reach it, you will be tempted to return to your old ways. But a reason stays with you and you can make this style of eating a lifestyle.

I was diagnosed T2 diabetic at age 23 on October 1st, 2010.  My diagnosis levels were 275 mg/dl fasting and 11.7% hba1c and ~345lbs.  Today I am ~250lbs (lowest weight of 240lbs) 95 mg/dl average fasting and 6.1% hba1c (hba1c as of April, 2011).  Typically after meal numbers are under 110 mg/dl and usually fall in the 80-90 mg/dl range.  At 345lbs I was a size 46 pants, now I'm a size 38 (and they're getting loose).

The year leading up to my diagnosis I was lethargic, sick a lot, and slow to heal.  6 months before my diagnosis I broke 300lbs and decided to begin doing something about it and signed a gym membership.  6 weeks before diagnosis I was 345lbs, going to the gym 5 days a week for 1.5 hours a day, ravenously hungry all day long, and still gaining weight.

Being diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic and reading Gary Taubes and Dr. Bernsteins books literally saved my life.  

CHALLENGES: 
Doughnuts.  I still lust after a good boston creme doughnut. In all seriousness, the biggest challenge was getting rid of carbs because my wife was not following the diet.  When she began following it after reading Gary Taubes book it became much easier.

ADVICE: 
It REALLY helps if anyone living with you also follows the diet!  
Experiment at restaurants and find some places that are quick and easy (Jimmy Johns, Hardees, Greek take out places[we both love getting chicken alfredo without noodles]) where you can get low carb meals on the go.  Also, find about a dozen places that serve awesome salads, you can never have enough salads!  

I have lost over 300 pounds. Ok, so I have lost 30 pounds more than 10 times! I have been dieting since 1963 when my mother first took me to The Diet Workshop. I was 11 years old...and I have been hungry all these years! I have faithfully followed a low fat diet and have successfully lost weight when "on a diet". And I always gained it back again, plus a little more each time. 

I have been on most every diet, including Stillman's Diet (all protein), Weight Loss Clinic ( 500 calories a day), but generally stayed closer to the moderate low calorie diets of The Diet Workshop and Weight Watchers plans. I stayed clear of Atkins, being a nurse, it seemed outrageous and so heart unhealthy given the current research. I have made a life long study of nutrition and weight loss for personal and professional reasons and followed the current literature. I read Good Calories, Bad Calories and Gary Taubes' NYT article, "What if it's all a Big Fat Lie?" and started to re-think the low fat mantra. When I read "Why We get Fat" and finally understood that it was all about the insulin, things started clicking into place and I understood the answer to the question, "What happened over the past 30 years that has produced an obesity epidemic?" and the answer is, "too much sugar in our food supply". NOT too much fat. 

So in Jan. 2011, I changed my thinking from low fat to low sugar and cut out all sugars and starches. It was hardest to wrap my head around the idea that I could eat fat, low fat was so ingrained in my way of thinking and way of life. Fat has always been "bad". I did not count calories and generally followed the Duke University Weight Loss Clinic Diet that Gary Taubes recommends in his book. The best part was I wasn't "dieting". I learned very quickly that fat actually is "satisfying" and I was not hungry between meals, had no cravings for sugars or starches once I got them out of my system... which took only about 2 weeks. 

I didn't eat any fruits for about 3 months, but enjoyed 1-2 glasses of wine each evening with my meals. In 6 months I lost 36 pounds and have maintained it now for 8 months. I am the best weight I have ever been, I feel great and energetic. The best part is I don't "diet" by restricting calories. I have reintroduced an occasional fruit (2-3 per week) and starchy vegetables like beets, carrots and sweet potatoes. I find this way of eating very easy day after day. Best of all, my satiety gauge has been re-set. Funny how fat works! 


So after more than 40 years of dieting and being hungry, I now eat what I want (because I don't want sugars and starches any more), I am at my ideal weight, and I feel great!!

CHALLENGES: 
Getting the low fat mantra out of my head.

ADVICE: 
I do try to keep in mind the diet that humans were designed to eat. That makes it easier to stay away from processed foods and stick to what nature provides. Shop the "walls" of the grocery stores to find foods closer to nature.

I first did a low carb diet called a cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD) back in 2005 after reading Lyle McDonald's book on the ketogenic diet. I also read the book Natural Hormonal Enhancement by Rob Faigin which discusses CKDs. McDonald's is not a dietary guidance book but rather explains the scientific basis for why the diet works however it does include enough information to help you make it work.

Anyway, I stayed on the diet for about 9 months and had great success with strength gains while doing a lot of squats, deadlifts, and other free weights regularly. I also got down to under 15% body fat in my mid 40's and dropped some weight to get me back to where I'd been 20 years previously.

The CKD imo was difficult for me to stick with long term because of the regular carb up periods. They are nice at first but after a while they became tedious to me and played havoc on my family's meal planning. I had two preteens and an understanding wife but there was only so much I was willing to put them through. There may be a place for it somewhere in the future but for now I feel so good keeping my carbs under 50 grams per day all the time I'm not sure I want to try it again.

I reentered the world of low carb dieting in March of this year when I joined a team at work which was competing in a state-wide program whose goal was for each team member to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks. Everyone in my group made great progress and after about 8 weeks they'd all met their goal including one guy who had lost over 30 pounds in that time. As I found out later he was doing Atkins! In an effort to not let the team down as we all had to lose the 10 pounds to qualify for some prize drawings, I started low carbing again with less than two weeks to go. Before that I had tried calorie counting, getting more exercise, and avoiding certain foods/drinks for eight weeks and had lost a big fat nothing.

It was close, and I had to sweat off a couple of pounds on the day of the weigh-in but I managed to lose 11 pounds in less than two weeks doing essentially a low carb induction. Surely some of the loss was water weight but clearly as my continued regular measurements with a Slimguide caliper have shown, I lost and have continued to lose body fat as well. 

I'm now just doing a generic low carb diet developed from reading various books including Atkins, Eades, Taubes, Bowman and the two previously mentioned books plus a lot of website research. I don't do carb ups like with a CKD, in fact I try to eat no carbs at all other than vegetables, and I feel absolutely great and have had great results in body composition and blood profile. 

In July, 2011 I had some blood work done and the results were good:

Blood pressure: 117/77 (in normal range and unchanged since starting the diet)

Total Cholesterol 131 (under 200 is desirable)

HDL 65 (over 60 is desirable)

Blood Glucose 82 (up to 100 is normal)

Bodyfat: 18% (down from 20%)

BMI: 24 (down from 26.4, normal range is 18.5 - 25)

Weight: 177 (down from 195) 

I've lost another 3% body fat and about 7 or 8 pounds since then as of this writing. The icing on the cake is that this diet is much easier for me to stick with and for my family to accommodate. I'm loving the diet and it is loving me right back. 

After being on a low carb diet for about 7 months I decided to incorporate Intermittent Fasting (IF) into my diet. I have hit my goal weight area (171 +/- 3 lbs) and now I'm trying to both lose fat and build muscle at the same time. However, according to the reputable fitness sites I've read that is a pretty difficult thing to do. My journey eventually led me to Martin Berkman's leangains.com site where I learned about Intermittent Fasting (IF) and about Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat IF plan. Berkman has an IF plan as well but after considering it I didn't think it was the right one for me.

Essentially Eat Stop Eat is a 24 hour fast done either once or twice each week. My version is to eat breakfast, then not eat again until the next breakfast. The plan also recommends a strength workout during the fast so I try to do some body-weight lifting that day along with some free-weights. 

The first few fasts were hard and getting through dinnertime can be a challenge but I've done at least 5 weeks with at least one fast per week and feel really good. After kind of splurging at Thanksgiving and picking up a few pounds and an extra bit of bodyfat, all it took was one fast to bring me back down to where I'd previously been. 

The Eat Stop Eat plan allows you to essentially eat whatever you want but I find it works particularly well for me on my low carb diet since that tends to keep hunger in check. 

My goal, which I'm putting down in print for the first time, is to have visible abs for the first time in my life by the time I turn 53 in 3 months. To accomplish that I will need to get more disciplined about my abdominal and strength workouts and stick to my diet pretty closely but I really think I can do this despite the holiday season.

CHALLENGES: 
Finding or making good reasonably priced low carb food and getting cooperation from family members.  

ADVICE: 
Be flexible with your family.  Don't dictate to them what they'll be eating.  Instead try and work around their choices, or better yet get involved in food preparation so you can accommodate yourself and your family's preferences.

I was always a sickly one, coming down with the weird diseases and symptoms that made no sense to anyone.  Finally, when I turned 30, the doctors diagnosed me with Multiple Sclerosis.  

At that point, I was terribly unhealthy -- overweight, not sleeping, in constant pain, daily migraines, having difficulty focusing, asthma.  You name it; I had it.  And to top it off, I just kept getting fatter and fatter, no matter what I tried.

I finally decoded to go gluten free in desperation as a way to dal with MS.  I had read Atkins, so I combined Atkins with gluten free.  The weight melted off.  And I immediately felt better.  It took about six months before I really felt "healed," but I knew immediately that gluten free low carb was the answer to everything -- my health issues, my weight, my headaches, etc. It has been six years, and dropping gluten was the single best decision I ever made.

CHALLENGES: 
Travel for work, that included meals that were already set.  I travel quite a bit, and while I can usually manage to eat out if i am in control, it is much harder when meals and snacks are all planned banquet style.

ADVICE: 
Do not fear fat.  Eat when hungry, but not on a schedule.  Give it a month before you even touch the scale for the first time.

My A1C tested elevated and my doctor told me to lose 10 lbs. I tested again in 3 months and it was better, but 3 months later the 10 lbs were back. I knew I needed something different. I had tried Jenny Craig (lost 40+ lbs), but was always hungry and the weight came back. I had never liked vegetables so dieting was hard. 

Then I read Gary Taubes why we get fat on Jan 30, 2011 (weighing 313.4) I began my journey. 67 days later I was 10% lighter. Before thanksgiving I clocked in at 230.2 (a loss of 83.2 lbs). this morning (2/13/12) I weighed 231.2  MAINTAINING. 

Over the last 3 months LIFE has happened, but I have stuck with the basics of my diet (meat, cheese, very little carb) and many friends at work have also asked me and started eating low carb. Now that winter is over, I plan to do a lot more walking and I believe that my hibernation will re-start my weight loss. I plan to lose another 50 lbs and then will be at about 180 where I last was 20 years ago. Maybe I will lose more, but I will NOT gain it back. All of my blood work has improved. My fatty liver immediately was gone. Early on I had some issues with lethargy. It turned out my blood pressure no longer needed my meds so I stopped taking those as well as weaning myself off of most of my meds. 

CHALLENGES: 
The hardest part for me what the financial output. Not knowing if i would stick to it, the food was a bit more expensive at first. I was eating nearly 3000 calories daily and while i can buy in bulk, that made it cost more up front. since then it has been very easy for me to maintain my diet especially since I have always liked a routine.

ADVICE: 
For me, my weight melted off. I have inspired others at work to try and their results have not been identical, but i was very adamant about sticking with what was working for me. We scoff about tracking what we eat, but that is probably the most important thing. Find a way to write down everything you eat AND BE HONEST and you will be fine. I use an app for my phone - and i eat similar menu items. so once it is entered it is easy to just "click to add to today".

During my pregnancy with my first child, I gained over 100 pounds. At 5'6", I ballooned from an athletic 160 pounds to 280 pounds. Over the next 6 years, I managed to shed 25 of those through "calorie counting" and exercise. 

In 2007, after my third child was born and I weighed in at 255 to 260 pounds, a friend introduced me to Atkins. She had lost close to 100 pounds on the diet and thought it would be worth a shot. I tried it and immediately lost 20 pounds, but I had difficulty sticking with it. By that summer, I'd gained the weight back. 

In early 2008, I recommitted to getting the weight off. I read up on the principles behind Atkins and decided to create my own plan. Ultimately, I discovered my "breakthrough" of meat, eggs, nuts, veggies and in-season fruits could best be described as the "Paleo" diet. On this plan, I dropped from 255 pounds to 215 in a few short months, and was soon expecting my fourth child. I stayed "Paleo" through my pregnancy and gained only, which I lost plus another 30 by the time my son with 6 months old. By his first birthday, I was down to 170 pounds.

Since the first few weeks of the diet, sticking to it and keeping the weight off haven't been problems. I cook most of my meals at home and enjoy experimenting with new combinations. After a few months, it became as natural to cook a Paleo meal as it had been to open a package of spaghetti. The biggest struggle has always been (and will always be) social events. It's often hard to find foods that fit the plan at a catered event or a small restaurant. 

I'd still like to lose another 10 to 20 pounds, but, after four children, I count myself lucky to be at nearly the same size I was before pregnancy. Obesity after pregnancy runs rampant in my family, so even if I have a bit more weight to lose by the numbers, I think it's a win to be able to zip up pants I wore a decade ago.

CHALLENGES: 
Convincing my children and ex-husband to get on board. Initially, none of them wanted to give up their usual meals.

ADVICE: 
Find places to buy meat by the animal and join a CSA, especially if you're starting your journey in late Spring. It was absolutely essential that I had a freezer packed with beef, pork, chicken and fish, and a fridge full of farm-fresh veggies. I never once struggled with having "nothing" to make for dinner that fit my plan.