Hey everybody!  I've been contemplating Paleo for several months now, and
after finding this list a few days ago and reading through 4 month's worth
of archives, I was finally inspired to start.  I am a 21-year-old female,
but even at this tender age I felt my health urged me on this path; I have
poor digestion, poor eyesight, and an autonomic disorder including heart
palpitations.  Plus I study anthropology at college and the evolutionary
perspective makes SO MUCH SENSE.  I know it's only been 3 days, but I have
already experienced a few changes (some good, some bad), and I was wondering
if anyone could perhaps expound upon them.

1. Improved digestion and reduction of gas!  This makes me very happy.

2. At first I felt pleasantly full at all times, never stuffed to the gills
and never ravenous.  However, for the past day or so I've been aware of an
increasing hunger.  I found myself scavenging the chicken skin that baked on
the pan last night, and I constantly go to the kitchen looking for another
snack.  Is it normal to experience hunger for the first week (or two or
three) as your body adjusts?  I have not experienced any cravings for bread
or sweets, I am just uncomfortably aware of hunger.

3.  I have a slight autonomic disorder, which is the system that affects
your fight-or-flight responses.  It basically boils down to heart
palpitations, I am very easily startled (esp by loud noises), my pulse goes
up at the slightest hint of nervousness, and a few other things.  I read an
excellent book about it that suggests carbohydrates exacerbate it with the
spike in sugars (surprise surprise).  I had hoped that going off of grains
would help, but so far it has not.  I still get occasional heart
palpitations.  I am hoping that perhaps it will just take a short time for
my body to get itself in order, but I was under the impression that the
palpitations were a rather immediate response.  Maybe I should eat less fruit?

3.  For the women out there, does eating Paleo affect your menstrual cycle
at all?  No need to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.

Somewhat unrelated to my own diet, my boyfriend is slightly overweight,
asthmatic, allergic to everything...basically everything that can be cured
with the paleodiet!  He will not try it though, as he eats out every day for
lunch at work and thinks it will be too hard.  He is also worried about
cholesterol - I keep reassuring him that it will go DOWN, not up, but he is
very skeptical.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!