Testimonial written by: Jean
I would just like to take a moment to mention that Robb Wolf’s book changed my life.
It was in 2012, between Christmas and New Year. I was a college student in software programming who had recently gone from 145 lbs to 175 lbs in an attempt to move ahead in barbell training.
My parents had got me a Kobo Mini e-book reader even though reading a book is among the last things on my to-do list. Then again, I was a huge fan of no-bullshit, informative books like Starting Strength. With no one to hang out with that very day, I decided to fire up the Kobo desktop app and check out the selection.
Now, I had heard the term ‘paleo’ a couple of times over at the fitness posts on Reddit. I wasn’t building any muscle mass at that point, so I decided to check if there are any books on the subject. I went for Robb Wolf’s book without really thinking (which was fine, actually). I think it was around 9 AM that morning. Back then, getting up earlier than 7:30 was a real drag and my eyes were dry as a desert but I felt okay by 9 o’clock. That was right there the most constructive thing I had ever done during the holidays.
Then, I began to read. I felt compelled to skip to the ‘what to do’ part to pick up on the highlights of this diet. Okay, sounds fine. I still convinced myself to read the book from the very beginning. The book intro was an interesting read, mostly because even though I wasn’t an avid reader, it still sucked me clean into what was to come.
Then came the more descriptive chapters. Everything had just enough depth to really have me questioning myself. There was much to be said in regards to excess carbs and a plethora of problems with the modern diet. After some time I put the book down and went for some fruit and the very last glass of milk I would drink for life.
I kept on reading. The further I would read, the more I felt like committing to it. Hell, the book mentioned how some foods can alter sleep quality. After almost 10 years of sleep-related problems, this was more than interesting. After reading a bit more, I was already decided: I would go paleo!
However, little did I know that adapting to the diet would have been so painful. For the first week, I could just not shake off the drowsiness and headaches. But one thing alone was enough to get me through this: I slept well for the first time in years. Thankfully, this happened in the last weeks I could spend doing nothing until I’d graduate and work full time.
Come January 7th, college kicked in again. Only this time, I was armed with good sleep and increasingly better concentration. I didn’t use my alarm clock once, even on the 8 AM classes that students dread. I could sleep in and still arrive well on time for 8 AM classes! Not only this, but it also stopped my incessant gasses, reduced my excessive appetite and chopped off an outrageous amount of body fat. My mood also greatly improved!
Needless to say, it didn’t take me very long to say “I’m not going back. Ever.”. Right now, I’m doing something I love for a living and I’m ecstatic that I have plenty of concentration to let it rip. I have not yet made the move to grass-fed meat due to being a recent graduate but now that I have a steady income, I sure am about to.
All in all, I’d like to thank Robb Wolf for writing an awesome book. It convinces, explains and comes with several recipes to help out ex-takeout chefs.
Jean
This is the way that I felt as well after getting onto the paleo diet. I had a few rough starts the first few times, but once I got on the diet and actually committed, I ended up feeling much better after just 2 weeks, and I started looking a lot better too. I dont think I can ever go back to eating grains.
I’ve heard such good things about the paelo diet that i am becoming increasingly interested in giving it a go. Stories like this one just add to that.