I've been Paleo for ~11 months now and I cannot see myself ever returning to a Standard American Diet ever again. I didn't have weight to lose when I started, but I definitely leaned out and built some muscle without really changing my exercise habits. For me, the biggest impact it made on my life was the elimination of constant daily heartburn, horrible terrible acne (which is still clearing up slowly), being tired all the time and being hungry all the time.

The key in my mind is that you have to do it with lots of fat and whatever carbs you eat need to be low glycemic index. I'm not 100% Paleo - I cheat every now and then, but I try to make smarter choices if I eat a grain or have some dessert. I do regularly drink red wine and eat dark chocolate.

The books I recommend most are Well Fed (as previously mentioned), Paleo Comfort Foods and Make It Paleo (the one I use most often). There are two more books coming out this fall - Practical Paleo and Paleo Slow Cooker (something like that).

On a regular basis, I read Mark's Daily Apple, Nom Nom Paleo and Paleo For Women. I have found the discussions in the latter to be especially intriguing because it talks about how as women, our different set of complicated hormones can make the Paleo diet tricky for us, as well as learning to accept your body the way it is. I found this especially important because for a while I was obsessed with getting my body fat percentage below a certain set point I made up in my mind, and now I feel more like I am eating to simply be healthy and feel good.

My mom and I both eat this way now and we love it. We're trying to get my dad on the gravy train, but the man is addicted to Cheez-Its.