I’ve lost 68.3 lbs since August 31st. That’s a lot of weight to lose in less than 5 months. It is impossible to not notice anymore, and every single person I’ve talked to who hasn’t seen me since August of last year has been surprised by my new appearance. My wife receives the same attention.

Here is a photo of us in 2012, and again a week ago.

I’ve been asked many different questions about how I did it. “Did you have surgery?” “Are you on some program?” “Are you on Weight Watchers?” “Do you take weight loss pills?” “Did your doctor prescribe something to help you lose weight?” The answer to all of these questions, of course, is NO.

The program my wife and I follow is this:

• Started with a Whole30
• Transitioned to Paleo Primal with Keto influence
• My wife exercises daily: I haven’t started physical exercise yet

That’s it. Of course, there’s a lot more to it. Looking into Whole30 and Paleo (and Keto) will bring up lots more information, but in a nutshell, the first two things are what we both did/do, and the last is what she does. It works. It’s worked for us, and for many people we know.

I’ve been told by some that my “rapid weight loss” is unsafe. Well, my initial week was rapid, but my average weight loss has been about 11 lbs per month, which is just a little over 2.5 lbs a week. That’s not entirely unsafe, according to my doctors. Also, my blood work has revealed that I’m not only healthy, but far healthier than I was. My doctors are happy with the weight loss I’ve achieved, and my blood work results showed that I’ve become a healthy person again.

Here is the graph that shows my weight loss since August 31, 2015:

Yes, in the beginning, the weight loss was very rapid, but as you can see, it’s been pretty steady. Yes, it’s dramatic: losing just under 70 lbs in just under 5 months is a lot of weight to lose, but I’ve been eating healthy the whole time and just avoiding carbohydrates, sugar, saturated fats, and artificial sweeteners.

One thing you will also notice is that there are times when my weight loss slowed or even reversed before dropping quickly again. I have no idea why this happens, but these weight loss cycles appear to happen pretty regularly. I’m in the middle of a weight loss period which I know, based on past performance, that will end for a few days before resuming. For me, this is normal, and nothing to be worried about.

I log my weight every day, and it helps me keep in tune with my body. I keep track of how I feel after meals, and I reconcile that with my weight the next morning. This is something that may not be for everyone, but I offer this insight because it might be something that could work for you.

In the end, we all have to find what works best for us. Logging weight and eating Paleo works for me. Adding exercise to the mix works for my wife. Whatever it is, find what works for you and stick to it. Do it. You have it in you to get back the life you want.