Lady Z, I’m in the same position as you (pre-diabetic and need to lose at least 65lbs). I actually decided to go Paleo over the last couple of weeks even though I’ve been thinking about it for a while.

Thanks for the tips on going Paleo in phases!

I don’t know that “dieters” make it hard. I think that our bodies make it hard. If, as I’ve done, you can eat between 500 and 600 calories in a given day, exercise (half and hour to 45 minutes), and see the scale go UP the next day, it should be fairly obvious that the process is NOT simple (my basal metabolic rate should have made that literally impossible, but it didn’t). The various “fad” diets are addressed towards those who have had this fight and had it NOT be simple. The body’s adaptation ability is a SIGNIFICANT impediment to weight loss. “Starvation mode” is not just a myth. It is a real reaction, and it affects TONS of people trying to lose. So, also, are a number of evolved adaptations (like the hated female tendency to keep weight on the belly, hips, and thighs).

Then, there’s the matter of your particular goals. Some people are looking to get a better “look.” “Skinny, soft, and sagging everywhere” is generally NOT the goal, so, balancing your diet to support your particular exercise regime — especially if you are looking for a defined look — also is not simple. It is, in fact, very DIFFICULT to balance weight loss and muscle building.

Then, finally, there is a matter of how you FEEL. I cut grains out of my diet, personally, because I ended up FEELING better. I had more energy and more stable blood sugar (mine has always tended to crash — at every weight level at every age). Just cutting calories doesn’t always work. Cutting your fat and protein intake down while heavy weight training REALLY doesn’t work.

So, your *body* goals may make it complex, overall.

Sorry, Albert Einstein was smart but he wasn’t an expert in health and nutrition. Speaking as a nurse, one extreme isn’t better than another and touting a vegan diet isn’t more better than an all meat diet. People should eat lean meats, very little starches and starchy vegetables.Also cut down on sugars. As for studies , there are studies that sway from one way to another. For example, for years there studies saying eggs are terrible for you, now it is the opposite. The public needs to be more informed and educated on how to read and evaluate studies. I wish everyone luck on their journey.