Hi Mark,

First, thank you for your website and books. They have changed me.

I love that you post success stories. I read them when I am having a hard week to help me stay on track. I met my weight goal a few weeks ago and would love for my story to encourage someone to try paleo. I am still working on just being strong and healthy.

I grew up on the American diet and often had unresolved digestive and blood sugar health problems. I can’t blame the doctors since I know they said to keep a food diary (and didn’t jump to expensive procedures).

Years later I think so many foods were the problem I didn’t see that it was a diet problem (sugar, wheat, pasteurized dairy). From puberty through high school I was always at the top end of my weight range. University (plus lots of fast food) hit and I think I gained 30 lbs during the 1st  year, and more so by fall 2007. I was somewhere in the 190 lbs on my 5’ 2” frame.

My now husband introduced me to the world of organic food and eventually I became vegetarian. Well, giving up the fast food and a lot of personal stress, my weight dropped off. At 155 lbs a year later, we got married and I started birth control. As soon as I started it the weight loss stopped and I gained it all back. I went off of it a year later at 175 lbs and was never able to make it under the 160s.

While working at an International school in Africa for the last two years, I tried distance running and ended up very ill twice, thwarting my running progress. I gave up during dry season and came home last July for a month. After I realized I had gone up to 177 lbs again and seeing pictures from that summer I started running again. This time though I was continually hungry. It was impossible to make enough health foods, so I started a vicious cycle and if I didn’t run I still ate like I was. Missing a run would set me behind and I just got too overwhelmed dealing with it.

Don’t ask me who told me about paleo. I think I read the name somewhere and looked it up online since I was sick with counting calories. I came across your website and it just clicked. I never liked Atkins because it seemed like non-organic meat and cheese (that didn’t seem healthy), and I watched a lot of people lose and gain it right back. Living in Africa, I would think about what we would have eaten before farming culture. Wouldn’t that make sense? So I got my husband to agree (he hasn’t fully joined) for a month. After that month I was hooked. I was losing and FEELING FULL and great. My skin and hair changed and my blood sugar is great. I rarely feel nauseated and haven’t gotten sick since I started last September.

I started CrossFit around 140 lbs. I seemed stuck there for a bit, but in two months I lost the last 10 lbs plus some. I hit my weight goal of 130 and then continued to lose to 125.

Thank you, Mark, for you website. It changed my life.

This was the last picture taken before I got pregnant. I am 20 weeks along now and so far I have had a perfect pregnancy.

Leah

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