The same paleo story.

[ABMann]

The Paleo lifestyle is a slippery slope. I think it is because it makes everything just so much easier.

I am, just like many of you, the body that constantly struggled with weight loss; the fat kid in class; the last one picked; the near-diabetic that couldn't give up ice cream, cake, bread.

In 2004 I did successfully lose an astounding amount of weight after college, mostly because I eat a raw diet - inadvertent paleo - and actually got some decent and consistent exercise for probably the first time ever - including a first half marathon late last summer. And then, when I hit that goal, I immediately gave up the diet. Because diets are, after all, temporary by definition. And then, of course, slowly, inch my fatty inch I crept back up and up and up.

I don't recall exactly how I found the Paleo diet but I started it in June. I've subsequently lost 25 pounds with little effort. I haven't seen much weight loss in the last week or so which, I suspect, is because I'm still consuming whole milk. I'm not yet at the point where I'll give that up but, instead, decided to get my workout-self in gear.

Goals:

Run another 10+ mile race before Winter.

In Wisconsin, that starts around October.

Become a traceur.

I have always wanted to be a traceur, do parkour. A friend turned me on to this site and the parkour for beginners post which has been inspirational - the Parkour, Naturally videos in particular.

The tricky part is that I have only one arm. So the basic pull up is going to be extra-difficult and figuring out HOW to work the left side of my back and chest will be tough. I have up to my elbow on the left side so get some leeway on machines so I've been doing that.

Stop caring about weight.

Hard, for sure. I'm 6ft and 193 pounds in my FiveFingers which is good, not great. I'm essentially hoping to build and tone muscle well enough that the body fat just vanishes over time.

There is, also, the general fat kid anxiety of gaining weight even with weight training. But, since I no longer fear gaining weight because of my diet, I think this will subside over time.

Which is to say: Let's DO this.

[Timmy M]

welcome and good luck to you, 'rcarper' is also the owner of a single arm so a look at some of his posts could prove beneficial if you're trying to build evenly

[ABMann]

I like that you describe it as "owner of a single arm."

[Timmy M]

phew thank god you didn't take that badly

[ABMann]

Oh, dude, I appreciate your concern. I got over myself years ago. There are far better things to get upset over, like who drank the last of my whiskey.

[Antiope]

Another Wisconsinite! I also kept a mostly raw diet when I saw my first significant weight loss, but I didn't realize how paleo it was until you said it. And dairy is hard for me too - I'm lactose intolerant so I don't drink milk anyway, but cheese, kefir and yogurt are pretty much staples for me - this is the first week I've cut them out completely. Good luck reaching your goals!

[ABMann]

Yeah, Wisconsin reprezent!

At worst, the amount of dairy I eat is maintaining weight. If, though, I don't see some body fat change with increased weight training, I'm going to have to chuck it for at least a few weeks. Last ditch effort.