----- Original Message ----- > Weight loss tends to decrease > cholesterol levels (LDL in particular) in most people. I just hate it when I don't fall into the *most people* category. My 13 months on Atkins/Eades (Protein Power, not LifePlan) and a >20% weight loss (over first 8-9 months of the diet) produced less change in my total cholesterol than paleo( with no weight loss) has done. I went from a SAD TC of 273 in Feb 2000 to a low-carb TC of 233 in April 2001, a percentage change decrease of only 14.6%. Contrast this to a 26.6% decrease in TC on Paleo. My LDL decreased much less, only 3.3%, from 179 to 173, despite the substantial weight loss on low carb. On Paleo--and no weight loss at all--it has dropped 30%, from 173 to 121. Figure this one out. > I did get an increase in HDL as well, but it took longer. My HDL increased 21.6% on Atkins/Eades, from 37 to 45, but has decreased 11.1% on paleo, from 45 to 40. Bummer. My TRIG, as would be expected, took the greatest dive on low carb--73%, from 286 to 77. And it's further declined on paleo, nearly half again as much--36.3%, from 77 to 49. This really surprised me since I thought my carb intake had remained fairly constant within a strict to liberal low/high range on both diets. Maybe it's the "kind" of carbs I've excluded on paleo that I used to eat at least occasionally on low-carb. Dunno. The one thing I have noticed on paleo is that I can eat the hell out of total calories (and usually do!) with no weight gain. My weight stays constant within the same 3# range, the upper weight related to amount of carb intake and water retention. On the other hand, restricting calories on paleo doesn't bring any weight loss for me. My weight remains at the upper end of the range that by calculations from Protein Power are right for me, but my vanity prefers the lower end. Maybe, as Ray says, it will take 2-3 years on paleo to get those 10# off. I'm hopeful. Theola