If you want to preserve muscle, lose fat, and gain health...then I say yes, paleo is for you. This isn't a diet that you go on, lose some weight, and leave. This is a reprogramming of your mindset and your genes. My advice is to read "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson or visit his website: www.marksdailyapple.com. I haven't lost any weight eating this way, but that's not my goal. My goal is to lose some fat and increase muscle. So far so good. For me, the only rough thing is Mexican food. I love tortilla chips, so that was a big sacrifice for me. I love the foods I can eat--all the "good stuff" without any crap wraps or fillers. Just the meat and veggies. Also, I've noticed that I don't need things to be as sweet as I used to for me to enjoy them.

Well, I feel that I've had a lot of success with Paleo. I followed the diet strictly for the first month, and now I'm around 80/20 Paleo. I lost 10lbs. in my first two weeks and lost another five after that. I am now at my goal weight and have stayed there for ten months. The book that helped me get stated Was the 21-Day Primal Transformation by Mark Sisson. It's a good book for beginners and lays out the science and theory behind the diet very well.

I enjoy Paleo so much! I don't think I'll ever go back to a regular diet. As a woman, I spent years counting calories and watching what I ate... and the scale didn't budge. I ate a lot of carbs like whole grain bread and brown rice, and I avoided bacon, butter, steak, etc. due to it's high fat content. When I went Paleo, all of the foods that were a "no-no" were completely okay.... so I hardly felt like I was depriving myself. Now, I can have a steak for dinner and feel good about it! Paleo has made eating so much more enjoyable for me, and I don't miss the grains at all.

The first week is rough for most people. Your body basically withdraws from the grains and sugar, so you can feel tired and get headaches. It's called the "Carb Flu". It's worse for some than others, but I had it pretty bad the first week. After I got through that, I felt great! The only other thing that was hard to get used to is the preparation. You can't just stop at a fast food place to grab a quick meal or reach for snack out of a package. Most of the food you eat has to be prepared at home. Just set aside some time every week to prepare snacks, dressings, etc., and you'll be fine.

Best of luck on your Paleo journey!

If you want to preserve muscle, lose fat, and gain health...then I say yes, paleo is for you. This isn't a diet that you go on, lose some weight, and leave. This is a reprogramming of your mindset and your genes. My advice is to read "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson or visit his website: www.marksdailyapple.com. I haven't lost any weight eating this way, but that's not my goal. My goal is to lose some fat and increase muscle. So far so good. For me, the only rough thing is Mexican food. I love tortilla chips, so that was a big sacrifice for me. I love the foods I can eat--all the "good stuff" without any crap wraps or fillers. Just the meat and veggies. Also, I've noticed that I don't need things to be as sweet as I used to for me to enjoy them.

This.

Will it get you "what you want"? Most likely, since you're cutting out the crap foods. It's very common for people to lose weight, without even trying.

The important part, though? Your triglycerides and cholesterol numbers will probably improve (independent of weight loss). You'll likely have more energy/feel better. You'll lose more fat than muscle. You'll be better nourished (get more vitamins and minerals, and actually be able to use them). You'll likely recover (both between big workouts and from illness or injury) faster, and you'll probably be less likely to get sick in the first place. You'll also very likely find yourself feeling better from things you either dismissed as "part of getting older" or other "just a fact of life" things, like chronic back or joint pain, allergies, and even how stressors affect you.

Want to see people who are successful? Check out the submissions from the following, in addition to perusing this forum:

http://thepaleodiet.com/testimonials-from-paleo-diet-followers/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/category/success-story-summaries/

Thank you very much guys, I have already started weaning my way off of all the carbs I was taking in. I have my carbs set at 110 per day right now, although I don't always hit that number. I was wondering... what is the onset time for the "Carb flu" symptoms? For the past couple days I have had a minor headache (front of the head headache), my eyes seem to unfocus just for s#its and giggles, and kinda sluggish. I hope its just an early example of carb flu and nothing is actually wrong.

Sounds about right. Usually lasts for 3-4 days, though some people experience it for up to a week, depending on how many carbs they used to intake vs how many they're eating now.

Also, it's called "carb flu" for a reason, so it may get worse before it gets better, and you may indeed feel like you've got the flu. Again, it's normal, and it will pass. You're essentially detoxing, not unlike a drug addict would. Hang in there, rest as you need (or work through it, if that makes you feel better), drink lots of water and eat lost of good fats (if you've got yourself a good bone broth/homemade stock, that'd be good, too), and you'll be feeling better in a few days.