If you’re one of people who read PaleoMarine because you need some extra motivation to stay Paleo, cool, but this post probably isn’t for you; You can go back to Reddit now. For the rest of you, read on.

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Chances are, if you’re overweight, you are either in denial and think you are at a good weight, or you already know it. You no longer are able to fit into the pants you wore five years ago, the size of your clothing having increased at a steady rate. You find yourself winded when going up a flight or two of stairs, or you find it more difficult each year to bend over and tie your own shoes. Things that used to be easy are now more difficult; sitting up in bed, mowing the lawn, or even long walks at the mall.

This didn’t happen overnight which is what makes it so insidious. It happened slowly, over the course of a long period of time, and the weight packed on silently while you looked the other way. Like a ninja in the night, that extra weight attacked without notice, but instead of killing you quickly and leaving, this ninja is killing you slowly and is sticking around until either it kills you or you do something about it.

If you’re like me, you don’t want to have to give up everything to lose weight. I know; even when confronted with the prospect of bad health and even mortality, being comfortable with the food we eat and not feeling hungry all the time are really important. I also am not a huge fan of exercise, and although I do it now, I couldn’t when I began my weight loss journey. I was too heavy and it was actually risky to my health long-term.

There are all kinds of programs to turn to; so many, in fact, that I won’t list them all. These programs range from exercise, diet, nutrition, supplements, drugs, and even surgeries. I considered them all, and spent a long time researching a large number of programs and procedures. Something about them never resonated with me, however, and coupled with my lack of desire to give up delicious and filling foods, I floundered in a sea of indecision and inaction.

What finally made me change course and make a decision to take back my health and to lose weight was a number of things, but perhaps it was learning that weight loss is 90% diet and only 10% exercise. This seemed incredibly appealing to me as a person who neither could nor wanted to exercise heavily, and yet I was incredulous. I was well over 125 lbs overweight. I was obese. It seemed too good to be true, but my cousin Sarah had done it, and my friend Matt’s nutrition science added up, and it’s as if a light bulb went off in the room in my head that is reserved for motivation and enlightenment. I could eat good, healthy, delicious, and filling foods and lose weight. I could eat this way forever and be happy. Best of all? I didn’t have to spend hours working out.

My path and journey is well documented on this site. To read about it, just go to the very first post and you can read from there. I’ll paraphrase the past nine months: Whole30 followed by Paleo. Some ups and downs here and there, but the trend has been steady, comfortable, and sustainable.

I encourage you to find your path. I don’t care what it is or how you do it as long as you make a meaningful change in your life and commit to making that change permanent. There are no temporary fixes to a problem that lasts as long as we draw breath. There are no shortcuts or effortless ways to go about getting healthy. If you’re overweight now, chances are you will be overweight your entire life unless you change what you eat, how you eat, and how much  you eat. Getting some exercise will help, but it won’t solve  your weight problem. Make a change and stick to it. If you need help, seek it out from someone you know who is healthy, or who has become healthy. Trust me; they will be willing to help you with advice, motivation, and a shoulder to cry on when needed.

I’m always here to answer questions via social media, personal messages, email, or comments. Feel free to contact me. I keep all interactions personal and private. I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist; just someone who has lost a lot of weight naturally and without going crazy with hunger or going nuts in the gym.