The year the Green Bay Packers drafted BJ Raji I remember being extremely shocked that I weighed almost the same as him (319 was my peak). Winter of 2009 I started riding a stationary bike fairly regularly, Spring of 2010 I started bike commuting regularly and by summer of 2012 I was down 60 pounds.
As I became more interested in fitness I was more interested in how the body handled different kinds of macro nutrients. I did a few random Google searches for a book on the topic and in June of 2012 I found a review of the original PHD edition which made it sound like what I wanted. I wasn't looking to change my diet, I had a lot of joint pain and was very susceptible to binge eating/drinking, but I was loosing weight so overall I was happy.
I remember reading the first chapter where it explained the "gotchyas" like having to give up wheat and laughing out loud at the though of it. I was a complete carb fiend to the point where I'd been baking my own homemade artisan breads.
I found the book to be a quick read, it took me only a week. I definitely went a bit cross eyed at some of the more complex biology, but overall I found it as entertaining as it was informative, and when I'd finished I thought "What the hell", I'll try it for a week or two and see what happens.
My first weekend was a little rough because I went out with some friends and because bar we were at only had fried foods, I ended up drinking way too much on an empty stomach. My first attempt at baking salmon the next day was promptly thrown up, but fortunately it didn't give me a bad taste for the fish.
In only a few days I started to notice how different being hungry felt. I'd always made it a point to have breakfast and not eat again until Lunch, but I usually had a few spikes of intense hunter which I had to fight past. On this diet the hunger was there but it was more of a casual suggestion.
Needless to say I had such an easy time on my two week trial that I kept the diet. That summer I lost as much weight as I had the previous two combined. I feel much more even in terms of mood, my mind feels sharper, I have a nice even energy level all day. I had hoped my joint pain would clear up faster, but it has definitely gotten better as well.
I'd been wanting to reread the PHD for a while, but I knew the new edition was coming out soon so I held off. I was aware of some of the changes from following the blog (which is excellent, it's such a trip to have Paul give expert answers to your questions personally), but still wanted to go through the whole thing again.
The new version is a definite improvement. Like I'd mentioned some of the biology in the original edition, particularly on the different types of fats, came early and confused and discouraged me a bit. This version they hook you in with simpler explanations and do a better job of building up the biology as you go.
Also after the original edition I had to do a lot of fine tuning to the diet based on questions I'd ask Paul on blog, or going back and reading other peoples questions. In this edition they do a much better job of practically spelling out things so its easier to jump in.
Finally the reader results that are included in the new edition are a really neat addition. I'd read a lot of them on the blog as well, but they're so amazing and inspiring, sprinkling them into the text the way they did was a really great idea.
After finishing this new edition I feel freshly excited about a diet I've been on for half a year. I also feel better about recommending this edition to friends because it reads so much easier.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to gain health, loose weight, or even just learn about how their bodies work.