I Was Overweight With Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis

This is my story about how my life changed once I got on the Caveman/Paleo diet.

Today is March 1, 2011 and I am 40 years old.  For many years my dad told me I needed to change my eating habits.  Like a broken record he would preach the same line: “Get the grain out of your diet and eat grass fed meats.”  I listened, but I thought it was all a little nutty.  Well, he was getting old and maybe he had snapped already.  Besides, as a trained athlete in college with a Business degree followed by many hours towards a Sports Management Master, I figured I probably knew more about food than he did.  Heck, he's a rancher and stock market analyst.  No food training there.

I figured if I worked out and ate correctly (the regular USDA Food Pyramid diet of balanced foods that many Americans follow) I would not have a weight problem and would maintain relatively good health.  So I kept on living my normal life style.  But I did not maintain my weight nor lose weight when it increased.  Instead I just kept gaining.  My workouts became less frequent and less strenuous.  The weight was getting worse.

Then a watershed moment in my life came along.  My husband and I separated and eventually we divorced.  We had been living in the northeast part of the country, too many miles from dad's ranch in Texas.  So I decided to make an even bigger change.  I moved down to Texas to help my brother on his ranch and help my dad if the need arose.  Looking back I can see that's when my life really took a change for the better.

I had not visited Texas for far too many years.  And my dad was always ranch bound.  You know the story, he's one of those guys who works seven days a week.  So when I arrived and my dad first saw me, he exclaimed, in subdued amazement, “Wow Sandra, you've gained a couple of pounds.”

Well, yes, I weighed about 190 pounds and wore size 16 clothes.  I am 5' 3" with an athletic build – at least it used to be athletic.  That was May 2008 and at that time I was much bigger than my dad!  But, unbeknownst to me, my body was going to change.

My brother lived alone in a big four bedroom house.  So that's where I moved in.  He ate like a caveman to a fault.  Bachelors seem to have a way of keeping life so simple in the kitchen that meals are more like feeding the dog rather than enjoyable sit-down events.  About the only food item in the house was grass-fed meat.  Even veggies were mostly scorned.  So I started eating grass-fed meats and of course I just had to add vegetables.  And since it was sacrilegious to have grain, sugar, high glycemic fruits, and concocted foods around – my diet was restricted to The Real Diet of Man.  That was by the force of circumstances mind you, not choice.

So what happened while I was eating all this food?  I lost 75 pounds!  Now I weigh 115 pounds, the same as my high school weight when I was a gymnast and ran track.  I am back to wearing size 2 and I look great.  I feel great.  I can run again.  I can do flips off the diving board.

But that's not all of the changes.  Before I started eating like a caveman, which also means you eat rather than starve yourself, I had to use an inhaler all the time (asthma) and keep a box of Kleenex handy.  Well, guess what, I no longer take my inhaler with me.  I am not kidding.  No more asthma.  It's the first time in many, many years.  My allergic rhinitis (hay fever and more), which used to require medication, has almost completely disappeared.  It is such a relief to go out in the spring and fall and not have a red nose and carry a lot Kleenex in my pocket.  I can even mow the lawn and my old allergies no longer bother me.  This is all due to eating grass-fed meats, staying away from grain, grain-based foods, grain-fed livestock products, sugar, high glycemic foods, nuts, and dairy products from grain-fed cows.

Now I must admit that I cheat every once in a while, but not very often.  When I do cheat I actually gain weight back, so it's rather irritating these days to see my body respond so fast and so negatively to just a little back sliding.  It quickly reminds me to toe the line.  Consequently, as you can imagine, overall I've made some major changes to my eating habits. 

Just like with my weight, when I do go off the diet just a little my asthma comes back quickly.  It's not fun when you can't breathe.  This really makes me believe my asthma is caused by grain (corn, rice, wheat, oats, barely, etc.).  Dad says it's caused by two conditions.  If I eat grain and/or high glycemic foods, the fungus in my body shoots out mycotoxins causing asthma, allergies, and other disorders within hours and sometimes just minutes.  Also, allergies are a result of a dysfunctional immune system responding to natural environmental conditions.  That condition can be traced to an Omega-3 deficiency which damages the immune system.  Whatever it is, when I stray and symptoms recur that is a rude awaking which inspires me to get back on course with The Real Diet of Man and toe the line.

I want to thank my dad and brother for getting me on grass-fed meats and a proper diet of real food that I can eat without skimping and still maintain good health and optimal weight.  I would never have made the transition without essentially being forced into it after having moved into my brother's caveman lifestyle.  I would not be at my optimal weight.  I would not be experiencing the freedom I now have from asthma and allergies.

Sandra Slanker

April 2008   190 pounds		November 2008   150 pounds, less than Dad!		July 2009   135 pounds	July 2012   120 pounds
Yes, today my weight cycles up and down between 115 and 120 pounds.