I'd say finding out everything I thought was true about nutrition to be the opposite to be fairly surprising.

1. Weight loss. I took up Paleo to ease my joint pain and gastrointestinal distress. I'm now three weeks in, 20 lbs lighter, my pants have attained Hip-Hop levels of gravitational susceptibility and my belt is too big. All the while my performance in the gym continues to improve.

   Oh yeah, the gassy bloating is gone and my joint pain is a fraction of what it once was.

2. Not missing wheat or sugar. Before, in any given week, I would probably eat a dozen sandwiches, a pizza or two, half a dozen bagels and ten servings of pasta. Since giving it up I haven't had a single craving. I do miss sushi, and I'll probably indulge in some once in a while, but going without doesn't feel like deprivation.

3. Vegetables taste good. Before, greens were largely indistinguishable, and some were just revolting. Now I revel sinfully in the explosive palate of brussels sprouts, subtle variations in the age of a bell pepper (nightshades don't bother me), the soothing bite of kale, the enticing bitterness of spinach and the thick, sparkling richness of the collard.

   I am so awed by this new dimension of sensory delight I may become Canadian. Flavour this expressive simply demands an extra letter.

Better mental state. Much less anxiety and much less prone to get angry, yell at the kids, etc.

Various surprises but the main ones are:

I'd heard from a friend who'd been following Paleo for a few months that she felt so much more energetic. OK, but I just assumed that was because she was feeling better because she had eliminated her gluten issues. Anyway, I needed to lose some weight (well, about 75lb or so ideally), other diets didn't seem to do anything for me, I like eating meat, so I thought why not give it a go (of course, it helps that my friend is a cutie :) ). So, two-and-a-bit months on, I'm 28lb and 3 belt notches down, and I also have that energy boost. Feel much livelier.

The other biggie is the lack of support from non-paleo people. All the usual comments like "saturated fat is not healthy", "you're not getting any fibre", "you need bread/pasta/rice to fill you up", right through to "glad when you start eating normally again"!!

Oh, and how easy it was to drop sugar/sweetener. Used to hate drinking coffee without some sort of sweetener but since starting Paleo, I just dropped it and now don't bat an eyelid at it. In fact, I now walk past pastry shops (and even in-store bakers in supermarkets) and can feel myself starting to retch at the previously alluring smell of Danish Pastries, doughnuts (or donuts if you prefer), eclairs etc.

1. I tanned easily. I had read about from other people but didn´t really know if I could believe it until it happened to me.

2. My dental health is better. I had read that it could help and the first thing I noticed was that my gum stopped bleeding when I brushed my teeth. My last dentist appointment my dentist commented that my tartar was diminishing (before my dentist was usually surprised how quickly it came back after cleansing) and also said that next time I didn´t need an x-ray for the tooth that she wanted to repair year ago. I took that as a sign it was healing.

3. I didn´t care much for meat before but now I really love it. I also have started to eat some things that I disliked or even hated before. I thought I would get sick of this and wanting to go back to less stricter diet but I have no desire ever going back.

4. I don´t have to eat every 2 hours. I do 16 hours IF usually without difficulty. Before I would eat when I woke up and often eat just before going to bed because if I went hungry to bed I couldn´t fall asleep.

I hoped it would resolve my other health issues but no such luck. But these things at least make me think I must be doing something right.

Regaining a sense of smell after 30 years without.

1) How offended people get when they find out you don't eat BREAD or PASTA. Oh my!

2) Rediscovering flavors of foods. It's like falling in love.

Lately I've been surprised by how ridiculously happy I can be, all the time, when I eat right. I'm constantly smiling, for no particular reason. I'm sure it's obnoxious to those around me.

It also surprised me how much my body started to crave exercise once I changed my diet. Instead of my brain saying "aw man, I should really go for a run or something", my body seemed to be saying "yay let's go running and jump on things!!" It's been an interesting change. It's also surprising how strong I've gotten, and how quickly, with a good diet and good exercise.

I have also been surprised at the lack of support from friends/coworkers. I've been steadily dropping pounds/inches over the past 4 months, my energy has increased and I feel more awake. I get to cook with my fiancee every night and we love trying out new recipes for meat/veggies.

A lot of people are appalled I've given up grains. I thought I would miss comfort foods like pasta and french bread. I don't. When I want a comforting meal we cook up a steak and serve it with sweet potatoes and bacon-y brussels sprouts.

I'm getting used to defending my diet, but it gets old. I guess the proof is in my pant size.

I turned into a cook!

The fact that no one really has a clue as far as diet is concerned.

Tasting food.

Huge increase in sense of smell and taste.

Well, all sorts of things have disappeared: headaches (migraines, except for the one at menstrual time), fibromyalgia issues, vague aches and pains - that was a surprise. I didn't know I'd have more energy, better skin, the curl back in my hair, my GI tract straightened out, feel a lot less hung over after one drink or that I'd be sleeping better. It is shocking otherwise reasonable people think that this is just a "diet" not a complete life change, and that somehow the USDA food pyramid is "healthy." They're just not making the connection. They still think eggs and butter are bad for you.

But the REAL shocker is after not even six months of predominately eating this way, is how fast my system goes kablooey if I have a cheat day.

This is a fun question and one I was contemplating this week. Kelly summed up a lot of what I experienced too but I'll chime in. My biggest surprises:

No more need for deodorant No more hypoglycemia (HUGE for me) More energy Eating is more enjoyable rather than a chore Cravings for bread and sugar are totally gone I can go up to 15 hours without food and not even feel poorly More balanced moods My dreams are more vivid and I remember them the next day (?) Teeth are whiter

Biggest piss-off for me is that I know only one person who eats like this. I feel a bit isolated. Luckily I have the paleohacks community :)

The biggest surprise is that I became Vitamin C deficient which manifested in chapped lips. I remedies this by eating a little more fruit and drinking some lemon juice in my water.

I also quickly lost some fat. I was already moderately lean (16 percent bf) but I am pretty sure that after just a few weeks, I'm down to at least 14 percent.

I expect the biggest change to come from radically diminishing gluten (I do eat some still about once a week), although I am not sure how that will manifest itself.

Most of what I've noticed or become aware of others have already mentioned above.

One thing that is surprising is the online community of Paleo/Primal/Archevore "leaders," if you will, are able to back up claims with studies and, when they're not, they aren't afraid to say they are just speculating. It's refreshing to get honest opinions about health. 8)

On the downside, I thought I could have converted my husband by now (9 or so months), but he remains disinterested. He is also still surprised that when I make pasta or bread (per his request) that I don't want any of it.

I didn't get enough sleep last night, and I actually yawned this afternoon (once). I realized I couldn't remember the last time I yawned during the day, and I used to yawn all day long. These are just the surprises...I could go on and on all day about stuff I've ready other people experiencing that have happened to me too.

My fine straight hair can go a whole day without getting oily/limp.

I don't have to pee as much. I'm getting to that middle age lady stage, and it was getting ridiculous how many potty stops I needed. I'm soooo grateful. My current theory is the k2 in the kefir.

How quickly my body decided meat was my comfort food instead of high fat carby foods. When I'm blue, bacon (not Lucky Charms) is my BFF!

What it feels like to be able to trust my appetite. I finally let go of counting calories and carbs and I'm able to let my body call the shots. I don't think I've experienced that since before my teens.

Hurray for Paleo!