Yeah, I hear ya, but just wait.

My peers (middle age) are all getting fatter and sicker and achier. Seven years ago, when I first started, I was the chubby, unhealthy one. Now... they are asking more questions.

all of my friends are getting larger and larger and sicker and sicker..
all my friends in South Florida and not one of them will ask me for help.
one is a total vegan.
one is a standard american diet fiend.
one is a soy freak and low fat freak...

and all of them are larger and sicker than when i met them 16+ yrs ago.


the gal here, was desperate and open minded.
she knew she was getting really sick and asked for help.
it's the ones that ask for help that really want help and those that refuse to hear you are just getting sicker and larger....
it's a very sad situation that some people can't get off their high horse and out of their wheelchairs and ask for help.

i wish to God i could help my friends in FL but they know it all..
they think i'm nuts with my extreme diet.. yet i'm healthier, leaner and i'm walking!!!!!!
the vegan had a heart attack and she's on all kinds of drugs and eating absolutely no protein or fat...
i don't expect her to live that much longer..

and let's not forget that i'm living in Veganville here in nashville.

I'm originally from Germany, so excuse any grammar mistakes!

Before I moved to the US at age 23 I grew up in central europe on pork, eggs (all feedlot, industrial meats), ultra heated, homogenized chalk water (milk) and boiled everything else like potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts and green beans. No fish ever. We had plenty of sweets as in puddings, chocolates, fruits, ice cream and lemonades. I was born prematurely and fed Ersatz milk the first 6 weeks of my life, then put on a mashed potato and carrot diet after that.
This had already set me up for digestive failure. I was ok until I hit the teen age. Plagued by constipation, hard painful stools, brittle hair, nails that peeled off my fingers backwards, painful periods, weak joints and a general feeling of weakness.
After coming to the US I started to gain weight, trying to stay healthy I adopted an all organic diet. (LOL - hello organic grains!)
After years of eating 'organic' from the store I had tooth decay, brittle hair and nails got worse, weight gain that wouldn't stop, mysterious skin rashes I thought was from soaps, extremely hard stools to the point of emergency room visits, PMS already starting only 7 days after my last period was over, bad eye sight, pain in my face, TMJ popping, lockjaw, severe rheumatoid arthritis, mood swings, temper fits, a tongue that I could never quite get clean, allergies to everything inside and out, extremely tired and exhausted, sleeping for 14 hours and still wake up tired, chronic sinus infections, medications for allergies like nasal steroids, nasal sprays (over counter) and allergy pills (which non of it helped), generally depressed and fearful of life.

All that is gone, ALL of it. I now have long hair, strong nails, white strong teeth. My facial pain was from an underdeveloped facial bone that has grown in now through orthodontic treatment. Bite has been corrected. My hearing has improved as a result. Tongue is always clean, bad breath is gone, body odor is nice and spicey and when in the sun my skin smells like a multi-vitamin. I am off ALL meds related to my allergies (which have completely disappeared, even the outdoor ones). I only take cod liver oil to supplement my paleo/primal diet. I have recently ditched ALL vegetables and digestion is stable, regular and comfortable. I am on a 80% carnivorous diet ( did do raw dairy though which I will ditch this fall) and doing better than ever. I feel healthier now at 40 than when I was 18.
I have ~5 vanity pounds to go, maybe once I ditch dairy that'll all take care of itself. Looking forward to all the years ahead!

Waldpfad aus der Pfalz

That's pretty amazing.

I saw this thread when I was searching for others that had success with the Paleo diet. I was moved to the point that I have joined my first forum I started the Paleo diet on October 3, 2011. Mind you, I have Celiac and Thyroid disease so it was very easy for me to cut out the grains. I cannot tell you how this has changed my life in such a short period of time.

10 years ago I was a size 6, athletic and not a worry in the world. Since that time, I now am a walking pharmacy, taking more drugs than I ever thought possible for migraines, inflammation, thyroid, depression, steroids and the list goes on. This is what I do to function on a daily basis. My blood work however, has remained normal. My blood sugar perfect, lipids better than perfect and blood pressure low. In the past 3 weeks of going Paleo, my migraines are gone, my depression is lifting, the swelling is going away, I have energy and I have lost 13 pounds. I wish I would have found this ten years ago. I have tried other low carb diets with success, but I believe the dairy was the problem for me. I will continue to follow this as a lifestyle. It is easy for me.

Thanks all of you for sharing your stories, so inspiring! It's all set, after Atkins I'm switching to Paleo!

Paleo/low carb has helped me lose 145 pounds.
With the sudden death of my wife I knew I had to change my lifestyle. This prompted me to study diet and nutrition. I've learned a lot over the last 20 months. My diet has gone from low carb to more paleo.
So I would say the weight loss is how it's helped me. I feel so much better now than I did 145 pounds ago.

Dan, congratulations on the 145 pound weight loss!!!

The best thing you can do is set the right example.
Some will change. I'm amazed at the doctors that change when their health is at stake. Don't stop trying to educate your friends. But your own personal example is sometimes the best we can do

This is really inspiring reading folks, thank you.

Wow, lots of inspiring stories!!

I've been eating paleo for about six months now. Definitely being sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free is excellent for my digestion. I've had IBS since I was born, and this WOE is the best thing for it.

The weight loss is slow, but at the same time I'm finding this is a diet I can stick with long term. It feels like a real change in lifestyle, not just another diet plan. In the past I've done low carb and was inspired to stay on it whenver I lost weight. But once I plateaued I would eventually give in to carb temptations and gain it back. Now I can't imagine ever eating gluten again! My stomach hurts just thinking about it!

The only challenge is eating out or at other people's homes. But that's always been a challenge with my preexisting food intolerances anyway. So in my books, it's definitely worth it. My blood sugar is more balanced, and I'm getting the nutrition I need instead of filling up on empty carbs and feeling sick and bloated after.

I think the real key with this WOE is going pre-industrial. Cutting out all the chemicals and processing does wonders for our health. As a culture we need to stop buying into the TV commercials telling us all that junk food is so wonderful. All it really is is a recipe for chronic illness and death.

Couldn't agree more. Over 70 lbs ago I was miserable, moody, and I felt and looked completely disgusting. I switched over to Atkins style eating, but the last few months went completely Paleo and it was the best decision I'd ever made. I won't touch processed food anymore, and it's made a difference in my QoL. I'm convinced that all of it is poison. I'm now trying to wean my partner off sugar\processed\boxed food. She's been resistant, but I'm making progress

What makes me sad, is when people ask me how I lost all the weight, they don't really want to hear the answer. They want to hear some fairy tale of how I awakened one morning and suddenly it was ok to stuff the candy and cake in your mouth without giving a thought to what's in it.

I stopped trying to explain to people and just tell them 'diet and exercise', allowing them to interpret that as they wish.

You made me LOL.

I know: people look at me like I have two heads when I tell them "no wheat."

Yet: i think of the lady I knew, in a wheelchair and unable to pick up an object off the porch because of her arthritis. Would she give up bread and cookies to be a functional human being again?

Heck YES.

I'm feeling that Paleo is already very similar to how I eat - the closest thing to processed foods in our house is canned diced tomatoes or Chobani yogurt (which hasn't graced my tastebuds in a week). The main thing that I feel I'd be cutting out are grains and sugar, which I guess are big deals. My husband and I love to bake bread and we comment on how much flour we go through. But I'm 30 pounds overweight and he's 70 pounds. I'm very lucky in that I don't have any food intolerances and am otherwise quite healthy and active.

I'm doing an Atkins induction right now and have lost 5-6 pounds. I guess I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around being able to eat my nuts and fruit and larabars and still lose weight just by getting rid of my sourdough pancakes.

And then I have to get him to buy into this.....

I don't think many people would say that's possible. Paleo's generally have to cut back on carbs too. Although, getting rid of grains and sugar tends to eliminate most of the carbs in a typical diet.

I'd urge you to try giving up the grains and dairy for a couple of weeks and see how you feel. It's amazing how many issues we just live with or account to growing older that are actually due to neolithic foods. Sinus, joints, skin, IBS, flatulence, emotional issues... all of it I've seen improve on a truly paleo diet.