Testimonials: Energy & Weight Loss

I’ve been lucky. I haven’t fallen into the “try every diet” trap. I’ve done a few, to be sure. Now I’ve found my diet home: the Paleo Diet. Since changing the diet and eating habits of my family to follow the wisdom and science behind the Paleo Diet, my husband, children and myself are leaner, not meaner, but certainly stronger and best of all, healthy and fit.

Jan A. Turning Leaf Touch

Am 52 yr old male, 59-1/2″, two months ago weighed 185 lbs., now weigh 152. Virtually no exercise, just the Paleo diet and still losing weight by 1/2 lb per day. Should hit what I weighed when started college in a few weeks! I don’t get hungry on the diet; this is the great thing about it.

Your book changed my life!

Anonymous

I bought and read your book at the end of August, and I’ve followed the Paleo Diet for 80% of my meals since then. I stopped counting calories, my weight is down by 3-4 pounds, and my blood lipid levels are the best ever.

Anonymous

I am a 28-year-old final-year medical student at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia. I have also recently (8/2001) started a PhD at Uppsala University in Sweden where we I am studying obesity metabolism, especially in relation to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. I would like to congratulate you on your latest book which both my partner (a Swedish engineer) and I have read and found very interesting. My partner lost 16kgs in 3 months and feels and looks fantastic. I am hoping for a few kgs less on me by the end of January.

Anonymous

I started the diet around Thanksgiving 2003 hoping that it would help me stay away from sweeteners and grains, because of a 30-year battle with yeast infection. I have included fruit and diet soft drinks in my diet. The diet served my purpose with sweeteners and grains, and unexpectedly from 205 pounds to 195 pounds in five weeks. My age is 57 and height is 6′ 3″. I strongly recommended the diet to a brother (Bob, 76 years) and sister (Dolores, 66 years), who are now attempting to implement it.

Anonymous

I have not yet read your book but got the idea for trying the Paleo Diet from your website and others. I’ve been at it since January 1 of this year and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m 46, generally healthy but was overweight; my family were all fat people and I was going that way myself despite being active. Being vegetarian for some years had only made me fatter: I was not a big dessert eater either, just cooking a lot of pasta and rice by habit.

So now I’m three sizes smaller, have had to throw away clothes for being too big, some minor nagging skin problems have cleared up – my hair and skin make me look younger than my age now. Some incipient aches and pains have vanished, and I have more energy and endurance than I’ve had since my twenties. I’m a graphic designer and was always fighting the forearm and wrist pains that computer people get. Not anymore. And I hadn’t expected most of these improvements: they’re all a bonus.

Another striking point was how easy the transition was. Friends have asked whether I don’t have to fight off cravings: I don’t. Of course I’m teased sometimes (“Isn’t it time you went out and caught something for dinner?”) and occasionally nagged by vegetarians, but it’s worth it. I can’t imagine eating any other way now.

Thanks for putting in all the work on this. I’ll get hold of the book sometime.

Katie M.

Three weeks ago our doctor recommended that we get your book and try the Paleo Diet. He said he liked it better than the South Beach Diet or Atkins. Since I was going to have to cook for him, I figured I should read the book. I got so excited that I decided that I was going to do it whether my husband did or not. I had 100 lbs. to lose, have a family history of diabetes and have polycystic ovaries.

To date I have lost 20 pounds, dropped a dress size and shoe size. Yes, that’s right, I went from an 11 wide to a 10 regular shoe size. I am not hungry or tired. My husband is following it about 80%. And he is losing weight also, just not as fast.

As a Licensed Massage Therapist I believe in trying things myself before I recommend them to my clients. Well, it didn’t take long for my clients to notice the weight loss and demand to know how I’m doing it. Many have bought the book and are trying it also. Thank you for doing the research you’ve done and for helping me and others regain our lives.

Karen M.

Published April 10, 2005

I was stunned a year ago when my doctor mentioned that I should lose some weight. Compared with most Americans, I thought I rated on the thin side, except for a gut that refused to melt after I quit smoking, for the first time, about 15 years ago.

I probably wouldn’t have tried to lose weight, except that the idea of the Paleo-type dietary regimen seemed to make sense, gut or no.

For me, it wasn’t as though I had been a slouch physically. After quitting smoking the second time, about eight years ago, I started building a healthier lifestyle. I cut back on red meat, started limiting fast food, added more vegetables, legumes and lots more fish to my diet and started a moderate weight-lifting routine. With in-line skating, bicycling, canoeing, kayaking and lots of walking, I figured I already did enough cardio.

Then I read Loren Cordain’s book The Paleo Diet (Wiley, $14.95). Following it strictly on weekdays and more loosely on weekends, I cut back dramatically on grain and dairy products, and quit adding salt or sugar to anything. As with my religion, I simply tried to get it mostly right but forgave myself easily.

The hardest thing to give up was wheat grain. It never had dawned on me how often most of us eat wheat, especially refined grain such as pasta, pastries and white bread. I still allowed myself whole-wheat toast and jam on weekends.

My diet primarily became three heaping bowls of fresh vegetables daily, lots of fresh and frozen fruits, especially berries, plus sardines, salmon and low-sodium turkey. Sparkling water became my beverage of choice, but I also had plain water, coffee and unsweetened tea. Sugary soft drinks didn’t pass my lips. Wine and the occasional martini did.

Within two weeks I was down 9 pounds. Within six weeks I was down 15, to 150 pounds. Over the next couple of months I drifted even further down to 145 and plateaued there. At a height of 5 foot 7, that still –unbelievably – puts me on the high end of my ideal Body Mass Index, at 22.7, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nevertheless, my gut vanished, leaving me with a waistline I haven’t seen since college: 30 inches, down from 34 when I first went mostly Paleo four months ago. All obvious fat under the skin is gone.

My cholesterol after three months on the diet was a total of 153, with HDL at 60 and LDL at 76. By most measures, that’s fantastic. My highest reading in total cholesterol was about 220 right before I quit smoking the second time.

Now my energy level seems boundless. My weight-lifting goals in repetitions are much easier to reach than before. Even running, which I never really cared for, is fun.

Maintaining the diet has become easier, once I figured I could find all the vegetables and fruits I want on nearly any salad bar. Trips to the grocery store still tend to feel like an alien experience, but I’ve learned to ignore all my previous loves, especially Lucky Charms.

In fact, now I burn excess calories simply by rolling my eyes at all the processed foods that are offered to us as sustenance.

Oh, yeah, I’ve also gotten a little preachy.

Ross Werland Chicago Tribune staff reporter

After being overweight most of my life at the age of 50, now I have finally found a good doctor that told me about this diet. Since Dec 27th 2004 until May 9th 2005, I am down about 50 lbs. I feel a lot better and I have told others about it as well. Thank you. Best Wishes.

Arnold

Thank you more than words can ever say for doing this research and for making it public. Over the past 25 years, I have gained 100 lbs and have asked every single doctor that I had been to for help. No one had advice that worked, if they bothered to give any at all. I have been doing the Paleo Diet for 16 days now and have lost already 15 lbs, 1.5″ on my waist and 1.5″ on my hips. I have come to believe that I have had celiac disease since I was a small child and have been for years, and borderline, and now definitely, lactose intolerant. You have saved my life! Thank you SOOOOOOOOOO very much,

Marian

After almost two years, I was ready to give up when I read about your diet. It made so much sense! It was logical!

I strictly followed your diet, and in the first two weeks, I lost TEN pounds!!!! As your book recommended, I did not exercise during this time, and I felt rather light-headed at times, but I was never hungry. I imagine that it was quite a shock for my body to stop living on sugar. I started to feel energized as my body started to learn to live on protein without sugar, and over the course of the next three months, I lost another 15 lbs. and I’m now down to a normal weight of 125 lbs, and I’m 5’6″. Not only am I happy with how I look, I’m ecstatic about how I feel. I’m no longer tired in the afternoons, I have a new energy, and I’m no longer sick with every head cold that goes around.

I have relaxed in my eating habits a bit in the last few months, and I watch the scale carefully, so that if I start to gain weight, I can tighten the reins on my eating habits.

What you have given me, and countless others, is not a diet, but a knowledge of how our bodies function, and what we can do to lay down habits essential for good health for the rest of our lives.

Jennifer

I started on your diet, I would say in February of this year (2006 – 5 months ago). Basically, I just follow not having carbs, and if I do intake carbs, it is in a small amount per your book.

My weight was 192 lbs when I started; as of this date, I weigh 178 lbs.

I am happy because it seems like I am not “on a diet” but a lifestyle change which is not hard to do, and people have noticed my weight loss.

Linda Papciak-Duff

I’ve been on the Paleo Diet since May, and I’m down 30 lbs (most of it lost in the first two months) and have never been leaner in my life. I can’t stop talking about (it) when I’m with my friends and family when they ask how good I look. I’ve been evangelizing my Wall Street buddies every time we enjoy a steak house dinner. My acid reflux, IBS, allergies, attitude, and complexion have never been better, and I never go into food coma any more. I wish your book was around in the 80s when I was a teen.

Rudy T.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! This diet is improving my health tremendously. PLEASE tell Mr. Cordain that everything he wrote in his book is true. I am losing weight effortlessly FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. Please tell him to write more books to keep up the momentum!

Sheryl

I was a poster child for the FDA food pyramid…the queen of whole grains. I have a strong family history on both sides of Type II diabetes so I have been very vigilant about diet and exercise. I was bewildered because the more I followed the whole grain, low fat diet, the fatter and fatter I got. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, but treatment didn’t generate weight loss. I did have niggling reservations about whole grains; after all, that’s how we fattened our livestock on the farm I was raised on. I dismissed my reservations (because the experts told me to) and applied myself ever more diligently…and my weight crept up to 188 pounds.

As a 50-year-old female at 5’5, this is not so attractive. Worse, the weight was impacting my activities. I regularly participate in long distance hiking and biking (4 – 6 hours nonstop at least once a week). I have ridden metric centuries and routinely bike 40 miles in a weekend. I kayak, boogie board, horseback ride, ski, and snowshoe. I spent my 49th birthday snowshoeing at treeline in Rocky Mountain National Park. I SHOULD NOT BE FAT.

Every diet I tried gave me minimal results at best or introduced ways of eating or foods that I found to be unhealthy and unsustainable. But when I would cut calories too much, I would bonk and be unable to participate in my activities of choice. I was really suffering. I was grinding out hikes and gritting my teeth through bike rides. I began experiencing debilitating headaches, hip pain, and tingling in my feet. I was lethargic, depressed, puffy, and irritable. Anti-depressants came next and let me feeling groggy and drugged. And the headaches just got worse. I was in a downward spiral mentally and physically. I had tried a litany of vitamins and supplements and never felt measurably different no matter how many I took.

I came across the Paleo Diet when I was researching ways to deal with side effects of anti-depressants. I searched the term and clicked on the link to a new life. In my gut, I immediately recognized the logic of Paleo eating. I don’t know if this diet is right for everyone. What I do know is that is indisputably the right one for my body type.

I can only speculate that I was very insulin resistant and the initial shock of the Paleo Diet was a real challenge for me. While I was never hungry, for the first month, I struggled almost daily with cravings and feeling rather weak and puny at times. I was committed, however, and I continued with my activities level. I bought and read Paleo for Athletes and the guidance in there, particularly allowing sports drinks, helped me significantly during endurance activities. Then I had a breakthrough. I experienced, for the first time in my life, the “runner’s high.” Instead of feeling simply wrung out, hot, and sweaty after biking a steep trail, I felt jazzed. I was actually riding with the big boys! I now routinely get energized by exercise instead of worn out by it. My husband had no idea how much trudging I had been doing over the years. I’m amazed I stuck with it!

It’s been just three months eating the Paleo way. I am losing, on average, a pound a week and the weight loss pace is now picking up. I used to have to preload with Ibuprofen before big events to stave off soreness. I am now using no NSAIDS and experience little or no lasting soreness. Ski season just kicked off and I am skiing without stiffness or aches. I look and feel 10 years younger. I can breathe freely as my nasal allergies have magically disappeared. The few deviations I have made from the Paleo diet always have consequences enough to remind me that this is the way I have to eat if I want to have a healthy, full, active life. THANK YOU!

Christi

I wanted to write to thank you for writing the Paleo Diet. Since I have been on the diet, I have attained a degree of leanness at age 43 that I have never achieved at any age. Whereas before I had to consciously regulate my food intake to maintain a reasonable weight, now I can eat pretty much as much as I want (I did find it important to limit my nut and dried fruit intake as the book indicated).

Thanks again for your fine book. It is not strong enough praise to say it has changed my life.

Tom

I found your book, suggested to me by Dr. Valori Treloar (Dermatologist and co-author of The Clear Skin Diet), to help me with weight loss and lowering my insulin resistance (precursor to diabetes.) I have been following the Paleo Diet for about six months. It was suggested by Dr. Treloar during an appointment, to perhaps change some foods and eliminate others to improve my condition. I immediately purchased your book and found it to be extremely easy to read and to understand your suggestions on food choices and preparations. I was trying to become a vegetarian and introduced beans to replace meat dishes. Although tasty, I was very bloated and not losing pounds or inches. So, I followed your food lists, your recipes, your exercise suggestions and found myself feeling less bloated and more energetic. It is important to begin to feel better to then continue on an exercise routine. In my case, I ride the stationary bike because of knee issues and use the treadmill with caution.

The first couple of days eating the Paleo way, I Iost fluids and as well as my bloated feeling. This felt good. I have so many food choices, I never go hungry. I found vegetarian fed chicken and beef easily in the markets. My quarter cup of walnuts came in handy either on diced apple with cinnamon for breakfast as an alternative to egg white, veggie omelets or a couple of hard boiled eggs (Egglands Best, of course with extra omega-3.) Fruit is a favorite for me, so no problem having a serving with each meal or snack. Veggies are so easy to use in meal planning. I just make sure to buy lots of them at the market in winter and now at farm stands in summer here in the Northeast.

So now for the results: several doctors have confirmed my weight loss which has been gradual. About eighteen pounds in six months, (on Paleo Diet) but actually twenty-five in one year, struggling with the traditional food pyramid. Definitely the Paleo Diet is better for me dealing with the inflammation I had in my body, the fluid retention and lack of energy. I do not weigh myself daily, but I feel my clothes fitting better and actually some are too big for me. I began to see changes in my face becoming thinner, my neck thinner, my upper back thinner, my waist slimming and changes in my legs – less fluid around the knees and ankles.

One very interesting fact appeared about a month into eating the Paleo way. While exercising on my stationary bike, I had a burst of energy and stayed on it for a longer time. It felt good. I now split time on my stationary bike and the treadmill (no inclines because of my knee issues). I am able to walk longer distances outside as long as I avoid hills. It feels great to be able to enjoy being outdoors again. I also found doing tasks around my home taking less effort and my mental attitude is more positive. I am willing to take on a task and complete it. This motivates me to accomplish more during a daily routine. I work from home and my mental attitude is improved.

I will continue eating the Paleo way and suggest your book to others who find themselves unmotivated to lose weight. I enjoy the flexibility of this eating style and know when I eat foods not on the list, I feel bloated and sluggish. There are times when I do crave grains, but definitely I am in control and stay within Paleo guidelines most of the time. I do not deny myself from cravings and when not eating the Paleo way 100% each week, I find it very easy to get back on track. The slimmer me and good, healthy feeling I have, is the motivation to stay with this nutrition plan.

Thank you so much for making your book easy to understand and helpful with food lists. Your menu selections are helpful to get started and I now create my own dishes. By the way, my husband eats the Paleo way since I do the cooking most of the time. He lost ten pounds without extra exercise. We both feel much better eating the Paleo way.

Linda