Lynda’s Paleo for Life Story: “My Healthiest Weight in 54 Years.”

This article is an excerpt adapted with permission from the book Paleo for Life: Superfoods to Slow Aging, Boost Longevity, and Enhance Your Well-Being by Dr. Loren Cordain, Trevor Connor, and Dr. Mark J. Smith. In this groundbreaking guide, the leaders of the Paleo nutrition movement reveal the longevity superfoods that can help you live longer and better, starting today.

By the time Lynda had bariatric surgery at age 64, she weighed 340 pounds despite trying to diet for decades. “I was like a yo-yo,” she says. “I could lose the pounds but couldn’t keep them off because I couldn’t find a way of eating that satisfied me.” Her weight affected her mobility because of pain in her hip. She started seeing a chiropractor, “but nothing he did seemed to help me walk better.”

RELATED: How to Support Your Mental Health During a Weight Loss Journey

The surgery did help Lynda tip the scale in the right direction, partly because she was too nauseated to eat for about three months afterward. She could tolerate only liquids during that time, mostly tomato juice and chicken broth, eventually graduating to soft foods like scrambled eggs after six months. She dropped to 221 pounds but gained 43 pounds back a year later.

When her doctor diagnosed Lynda with type 2 diabetes in May 2024, “That’s what changed my thinking,” she says. Her aunt had recently died; she was obese like Lynda and also had type 2 diabetes and heart problems. “I knew I didn’t want to end up like that,” Lynda says. 

Lynda saw an herbalist and asked if there was anything natural she could take to lower her blood sugar instead of the medication her doctor prescribed. The herbalist suggested some natural remedies, but strongly advised Lynda to go on The Paleo Diet®. Coincidentally, Lynda’s granddaughter had also discovered The Paleo Diet and was encouraging her to try it. 

With her granddaughter’s help, Lynda filled notebook pages “with what I could and couldn’t eat on Paleo.” She spent the next two weeks cleaning out her cabinets and refrigerator, and as she shopped for food, she began reading labels for the first time in her life. She also joined a Paleo support group on Facebook. 

Soon after starting Paleo, Lynda was walking better and had more energy. This surprised her. “I hadn’t realized before then that The Paleo Diet helps with getting rid of inflammation,” she says. The weight started coming off as well, and at her next checkup, her blood tests showed that her glucose levels, blood pressure, and lipid panel were much improved. 

Lynda’s weight has now dropped to 183 pounds. “This is the lowest I’ve weighed in 54 years,” she says. Best of all, she recently went to Busch Gardens with extended family and was able to “walk all day long. I’ve never walked that much in my entire life. Paleo has been a lifesaver for me. I can live this way and be perfectly content,” she says, noting that where other diets left her hungry, on Paleo she feels satisfied.

“Recently I had a pineapple, mango, and kale smoothie, and it was absolutely wonderful,” she says. “Fruit has never tasted sweeter.”