I concur with Philip regarding eyesight improvement. Eyesight is one of 
my  easier methods of gauging the impact of the Paleo diet. When, and it 
happens more frequently then I like, I eat nonPaleo, the effects on my 
eyesight occur within 12 hours.
Don
Philip wrote:
> Robert Kesterson wrote:
>   
>> For what it's worth, I think the high failure rate of conventional 
>> diets
>> is mostly because of the people engaging in them.  
>>     
>
> Since obesity is rare or nonexistent among HG's, I think the availability
> and quantity of modern foods is obviously the biggest factor in the failure
> of conventional diets. Unfortunately, these modern foods are available as a
> temptation to Paleo-dieting modern people too, so I don't know if the
> success rate of Americans trying a Paleo diet is any better than
> conventional dieters, but it would obviously be better if the modern foods
> were not available.
>
>   
>> ...  I  
>> was fanatical about recording everything I ate into a 
>> database so I know  
>> for sure how much I was getting.  If the average person 
>> dieting did that  
>> for a month, they would probably discover that they're eating 
>> a lot more  
>> than they think they are.  I know I was.
>>
>>     
>
> Counting and tracking calories is a long-used method that does not have a
> good record of success. I'm glad it worked for you and I also lost some
> weight after I got flabby by consciously reducing intake of high-calorie
> foods, but it unfortunately does not appear to work long-term for many
> people. I lost a lot more weight and much quicker on the Paleo diet (not
> that I was trying to get as lean as I ended up) and experienced other health
> improvements I did not get by more conventional methods. As an example, my
> night vision and overall vision improved. I had been in need of a new,
> stronger prescription for my eyeglasses, but my vision improved enough that
> I no longer needed a stronger prescription and still don't years later. I
> just got word today from a fellow Paleo dieter that her vision prescription
> has improved twice in about a 3 year period since going Paleo (and her night
> vision improved also). She now has to get lenses with a weaker prescription.
> I know two other near-Paleo dieters who say their night vision improved. I
> know someone else who's Grave's Disease went into total remission after
> eliminating gluten. I could go on and on with the amazing stories from a
> dozen or so different people, but I think this is enough to illustrate the
> point that the Paleo diet offers more than just weight loss and more than
> conventional diets do. I don't think you would be following the Paleo diet
> if you didn't think that it does.
>
> Cordain et al found that myopia is caused by chronic hyperinsulinaemia
> (chronically high insulin levels in the bloodstream), so a reduction in
> hyperinsulinaemia could account for the vision improvements that Paleo
> dieters such as myself have experienced. 
>
> 	"...a previously unrecognized diet-related malady (chronic
> hyperinsulinaemia) may play a key role in the pathogenesis of juvenile-onset
> myopia because of its interaction with hormonal regulation of vitreal
> chamber growth."
>
> Cordain L, Eaton SB, Brand Miller J, Lindeberg S, Jensen C. An evolutionary
> analysis of the etiology and pathogenesis of juvenile-onset myopia. Acta
> Ophthalmologica Scandinavica, 2002; 80:125-135.
> http://www.thepaleodiet.com/published_research/
>
> Hyperinsulinaemia could also have contributed to the flabby weight gain I
> experienced in my 30's, and could also explain why some studies supposedly
> have found little or no weight loss for patients via exercise, as explained
> here:
>
> "Carbohydrate Meals:
> # Raise blood glucose levels.
> # This in turn elevates levels of insulin on the blood
> # That insulin takes excess energy (glucose) out of bloodstream.
> # And that energy stored as fat.
> # THE RESULT is: weight gain!
> # But insulin also inhibits use of energy from fat cells.
> # THE RESULT IS: no weight loss [from exercise]!"
>
> Second Opinions: Diabetes Type 2,
> http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/diabetes-3.html
>
>   
>> Changing the content will probably work faster and easier
>> *if* the person  
>> can stomach the change in content.  
>>     
>
> Yes, of course. That is the great difficulty--especially with the modern
> foods and ads for them all around us. I don't know of a single case of
> scientists finding an obese HG who was eating a Paleo-type diet. The trick
> is being able to stick to that type of diet. That's in part what forums like
> this one are for--so people can learn more about the Paleo diet, learn how
> to stick to it, and get support from fellow Paleo dieters.
>
> There are some people I 
>   
>> know (my wife
>> is among them) for whom a meal just is not complete without bread, a  
>> potato, rice, or something.  
>>     
>
> I used to be one of them, we probably all were at some point. The starch
> portion of the meal is like a reserved section of the plate. The only
> question was, do I put bread, a potato, rice or pasta (or some combination
> of these) in it tonight? If there is desert or a snack it often contains
> starch or sugar as well. I used organic whole grain bread, pasta and rice,
> thinking that was the healthy way to go...until I learned better.
>
>   
>> It's really hard to change that
>> mindset.  Her  
>> opinion of my diet is that there's nothing she can fix for me 
>> other than a  
>> piece of meat and a vegetable.  My opinion of my diet is that 
>> the choices  
>> are endless (though admittedly they do tend to boil down to a 
>> piece of  
>> meat and a vegetable).  :-)
>>
>>     
>
> Being a "good cook" in the modern world often involves baking starchy and
> sugary foods. Men tend to be more into grilling meats (and sometimes
> veggies) on the barbeque, if they're into cooking at all, so the change
> tends to be less wrenching for them than for women, but not always of
> course. Has your wife perused the recipes at paleofood.com or in the Paleo
> Diet or NeanderThin yet? I've found the Paleo meatloaf and a salmon recipe
> my mother to be two of the best dishes I've ever had--and I never used to
> like meatloaf very much. You can also explore other Paleo foods you haven't
> tried yet and see if you can find new foods you like. For example, someone
> recently served what he said was the white part of bok choy. I'd never tried
> it before and I liked it--it tasted like mild radish (which I also like).
>
>   
>> The mind is the hardest thing to change -- get *that* done 
>> and the diet is  
>> easy.
>>     
>
> I think the key is keeping the modern foods out of the household. If you can
> do that you've got most of the battle won. If your wife can't give up
> starches and sweets or baking goodies, she could do the compromise, which is
> to use Paleo or near-Paleo replacement ingredients like fresh and dried
> fruits, nut and seed meals, honey, maple syrup, etc. Cordain argues against
> it but I think it probably isn't that bad and Paleofood.com has numerous of
> these types of recipes, as you may know.
>
>