Then, at a Christmas party for my son’s Civil Air Patrol squadron last December, I started a game of keep-away with the cadets — I nearly dropped to the ground after 10 minutes. I knew I had to do something. I had a vague idea of going Atkins/low-carb again since it had worked quickly the last time, but my plan wasn’t set until New Year’s Day when my wife sent me a link to Free The Animal, an ongoing record of one man’s impressive weight loss following the tenets of “primal” living.

Primal — or paleo, as it’s also known — is inspired by the way our ancestors ate and moved before the rise of agriculture 10,000 or so years ago. It eschews grain-based carbohydrates (breads, pastas, cereals, the high-fructose corn syrup that’s in just about every bit of commercially prepared food) and legumes (beans, peanuts) and replaces those calories with copious amounts of veggies, moderate amounts of (raw) fruit and nuts, and unashamed portions of high-fat, protein-rich meats and fish, and encourages short bursts of intense physical activity rather than endless hours on the treadmill. Within 10 minutes of clicking around the site, I was hooked — it just made sense to me that since humans evolved in times of both unpredictable abundance and prolonged scarcity, dietary fat (long-lasting, efficiently metabolized stored energy) couldn’t possibly be the enemy it’s been portrayed as over the past 30 years or so. And as I thrum with renewed energy and watch my body get visibly leaner each day while counting nary a calorie, I’m convinced I’m right.