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 spent my 20's in the 255 pound range.  At age 30-31 I lost almost 100 pounds basically through starvation and calorie restriction with no thoughts as to food quality or macro-nutrient levels.  My restricted calories were high in sugar and carbs.

I maintained that low for only a few years and then stress & life and M&M's were introduced and I gained 40 or so pounds back.  I attempted calorie restriction again with only moderate success.  I started listening to Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low Carb podcast and decided to try that (I had done "Atkins" years prior).   My weight loss picked up considerably and I started reading and listening to more podcasts, digging into the blogs.  I transitioned my way of eating to a more Primal (Paleo + HF dairy) with a focus on food quality and that's where I am today.  About 8 months ago I started exercising with kettlebells and now have added TRX suspension work and plan to start sprinting when the snow melts!  

I am not where I want to be, weight-wise, but also have some thyroid and adrenal issues to contend with and trust that if I stay the course, I may get there - or not.  I think I am at a healthy point even though my appearance is not what I would like.

CHALLENGES: 
I crave sugar and sweets (almost) all the time.  I definitely have a sweet tooth and it is a contstant battle.  I can live without bread and grains but if I could eat ice cream or candy a couple of times a week without consequence, I would (which I can't!!)

ADVICE: 
I would advise them to just try it!  This is a hard-sell.  There are so many people who have complemented me and ask me how I did it, and then immediately say, "well, I couldn't give up my ______(pasta, bread, etc).  Surprisingly, you can. I am at a point where I never crave pasta or bread...but still love sweets.  Some people naturally prefer savory foods and I think they are naturals for this way of eating!!

"It all started with a podcast. I'm a geek, I can't deny it, so I spend a lot of time listening to the podcast's from Leo Laporte's TWiT network (http://twit.tv/). On one particular show called Windows Weekly the co-host Paul Thurrott mentioned a book he'd read called 'Why we get fat, and what to do about it' by Gary Taubes.

Paul was very complimentary about the book and had used the knowledge found inside to lose weight. I was intrigued to say the least, as a long time unsuccessful dieter I was desperate for any help. Over forty years, I'd tried all the fad diets alongside the official diet as set out by the NHS (National Health Service in the UK) dietitian. Nothing worked, at one point I was down to 400 calories a day and walking up to 10 miles a day and loosing almost nothing.

So I bought the book and read it in one sitting. I was astonished, why had I never heard about this before?, it all made sense. Gary Taubes is a fantastic writer, he was 
able to explain in layman's terms how the body works and how it deals with the foods you eat. I was angry, really, really angry. I thought, if this is true why have I been lied to by my health care professionals all these years.

Based on the information in the book I cast around for a low carb diet to follow (I'd heard of Atkins, but had never followed up on it). After much research on the internet I came across the Atkins Diet Bulletin Board and all the useful material there in. I bought the DANDR book as recommended and started my journey on 24th January  2011. My starting weight was 336lbs. (At my heaviest I was over 410lbs, but I'd lost weight on a low, low calorie/low fat starvation diet for a gallbladder removal three years ago. I managed to get down to 294lbs but of course had put weight back on as soon as I stopped the diet).

I was lucky, I didn't get the Atkins 'flu'. Probably because I was inadvertently already eating low carb as a result of the low amount of calories I was allowing myself (around 1000 a day at that time). I followed Induction to the letter, extending it for 22 weeks because I was happy with the amount of food I was eating (in hindsight, I wouldn't have done it).

How did I do?

Weight loss over 22 weeks: 6, 5, 5, 2, 2, 2, 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 3, 3, 1, 1, 6, 5, 2, 3, 4, 1, 4. = 76lbs

Since then I've moved to OWL 3 and lost another 52lbs. Not once in the year of living the Atkins lifestyle have I been hungry, or looked to eat off plan. All I can say is, Atkins works. Follow the plan and you will lose weight. No question."

CHALLENGES: 
Eating more food than I was used to eating. I've lived my life as fat man on a low calorie/low fat diet.

ADVICE: 
You have to commit to this as a lifestyle change, not a diet otherwise you will regain any weight you lose.

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 did Atkins years ago and lost 40 pounds, but sadly didn't finish the diet and gained all of my weight back plus more. However I always remembered how good I felt when I followed a low carb diet. Last year, while at my heaviest I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Obesity is generally one of causes of it due to all of the excess estrogen stored in my fat.

​Thankfully it was caught very early and after surgery I was considered cured. However my oncologist told me I may now be cured of cancer, but my chance of an early death was still possible due to my high risk of a heart attack or a stroke due to my weight. My doctor recommended Ideal Protein to me as she lost a lot of weight on it and so have many of her overweight patients. I started Ideal protein in September of 2011 and as of February 2012 I have lost 65 pounds so far. It is a low carb, low fat, low calorie diet.

​I have never lost so much weight on a diet, have never felt so good (thanks to ketosis)and in the 5 months I have been on the diet I have not cheated once and have no plans to. I still am only 1/2 way to goal and hope to be at goal by the end of summer with a total loss of 135 pounds. 
​

CHALLENGES: 
Going through carb withdrawal that first week felt like going through a drug withdrawal. After that it really hasn't been difficult this time around.

ADVICE: 
Committing yourself to the plan. When I started I told myself this was a life or death situation and I could do anything for a year. I knew this would take about a year to loose all of my extra weight.

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.