Hi, guys!  My name is Wendy.  I'm new to the list so I thought I would
introduce myself and give you all a bit of history so you know where I'm
coming from.

I have always lived on junk food.  We were really poor when I was growing
up, so we ate all the really cheap stuff (mac and cheese, hamburger helper,
spaghetti, frozen corn, canned veggies, lots of sandwiches, potatoes and
beans and rice, Kool aid, etc.-and, of course, Coca-Cola and candy bars).

I always thought I was fat, but I really wasn't-not until I had my first
child, that is.  I gained 75 lbs during my pregnancy-eating mostly
cantaloupe, Pepsi, Raisinettes, and twice baked potatoes.  I never really
lost that weight.  I never tried to diet-I am not into deprivation of any
kind.  I lost some after I had my son, but I would always gain it
back-usually the next time I got pregnant.

So, after having three kids and getting my tubes tied and starting to have
health problems (asthma, fatigue), I was ready to lose all that weight and
get on with life.  I read about all kinds of diets, but since I have always
liked to eat meat, the low carb diets seemed more doable for
me.  Unfortunately, I am addicted to carbohydrates-and have been for quite
some time, so it was much harder than I ever thought it would be.  I tried
Atkins and lost 20 lbs (and one pant size) in one month, which I thought
was pretty awesome, but it didn't seem to improve my health much, so I gave
it up.

Now I have gained that weight back and my health is deteriorating at an
even faster rate.  It's not that I have any acute illness, I just don't
FEEL well most of the time and I sure don't have the energy and stamina I
had when I was younger and thinner.  The doctors say there is nothing wrong
with me, but I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired (and having
migraines and asthma and feeling old before my time and, just recently,
I've added severe foot pain and heart palpitations to the list).

I am considering switching to the paleo way of life, but I have a LOT of
questions about what is allowed and what is not.  Before I went on the
Atkins diet, I read every low carbohydrate book I could find at my local
library, and I'm pretty sure I remember reading Neanderthin, but I can't
find it at the library now, so either I didn't read it or someone never
brought it back and they deleted it from their records.  I guess I'll have
to break down and BUY it.

Anyway, I did Atkins because I liked the ketosis idea-and it DOES work-but
like I said, I didn't FEEL any healthier.  The paleo diet is a little more
complicated.  With Atkins, all that mattered was the carb count, so I ate
lots of peanuts and dairy products and artificial sweeteners (probably why
I never felt any better).

So my question is...what CAN I eat on this diet.  Are sunflower seeds
considered paleo?  And I have a question about olives and olive oil,
too.  I know when they make black olives, they have to cure them in lye, or
something like that, so I wouldn't consider that paleo.  But do they have
to cure the olives they use to make olive oil, or do they just pick them
and press them for the oil?

I was thinking that I should try to get used to eating paleo in general
first and then, once I'm used to it, trying to do it low carb, if I'm not
already losing weight.  So I want to do it right.  I don't want to eat
anything that I'm going to have an allergic reaction to or anything else
that will sabotage my efforts.  Iknow that there isn't just one list of
foods and that everyone's diet will be different, but I would really
appreciate some advice on what foods to definitely avoid, aside from grains
and sugars, of course.

Thanks,

Wendy