Month: December 2016

Don’t Try To Keep Up

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us20072016I’ve noticed people getting discouraged in their own weight loss journey because they find themselves unable to keep up with the rate of weight loss someone else has achieved. STOP! Don’t be this person! We all start at different weights with different body types, conditions, and amounts to lose. I started at over 290 lbs and my ideal weight is over 130 lbs less. My body was more than happy to let go of the weight at a fast rate because I was so far overweight. For someone who is only 50 lbs overweight, it’s going to be  harder to lose the big numbers fast than for someone 150 lbs overweight.

If you have less to lose, your number of pounds lost per week or month will be less than mine was in the beginning. However, it’s the rate as a percentage of the whole you should be looking at. When I weighed 290 lbs, I lost 20 lbs in my first month. Sherry was nearly 100 lbs less and lost 10 lbs. Who lost more? Actually, she did, because she weighed less and her loss percentage was higher than mine.

Don’t try to match my numbers or anyone else’s numbers. Don’t try to match any numbers. Just stick with your plan and you will see results. Sure, they almost always never live up to your expectations or goals, but success is success, and when we’re talking about health, we need to take any and all successes we can. It all adds up, and in the end, these little losses accumulate and add up to big losses. At fifteen months later and 113 lbs lighter, I still can’t believe that I’ve lost as much as I have. It’s a great feeling and I am proud of the accomplishment. Most of all, I’m happy that my body is no longer at war with itself trying to keep all systems operating properly.

Holiday Baking

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Sherry has returned to her holiday baking this year. Check out how we stayed Paleo while enjoying some traditional holiday treats!

paleosherry's avatarOur Daily Bacon

One of my absolutely favorite holiday traditions is baking Christmas cookies in the first few weeks after Thanksgiving.   I have 3-4 cookies I always make, and then if I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll throw a new one in there, just to make it interesting.  Unfortunately none of my traditional cookie recipes are Paleo, so last year I simply didn’t do much holiday baking to avoid temptation… but that was officially a crappy solution.  It took away one of my favorite traditions, and that made me sad…

And I refuse to be sad during my favorite time of the year.  So this year, I’m back to holiday baking, Paleo style!

Here are some of the goodies I made:

  • Banana Bread – This is E.J’s favorite holiday treat.  I’ve always made mini-loaves to give away and one big one for E.J. to enjoy for breakfasts.  This time, it was so good I…

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Fitness Journey: It’s not a destination

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It’s a funny thing. I started my weight loss journey with a goal of losing over 100 lbs and getting healthy again. I’ve accomplished those goals, and it feels great! Yet the strange part is that once I got there, I didn’t feel done. I felt as if I’ve only just gotten started. Sure, I met the weight loss goal, and yes, I’m healthier, but now that I’m at this point, I realize that this is just the beginning of a new, healthier life.

It’s been a fun ride, and fortunately, fifteen months after I started, I’m still enjoying the food and the exercise. Yes, the exercise is a new thing in the journey having started only on September 10th, but it’s something I still enjoy and I look forward to every time.

The point is that our health and fitness isn’t a destination. It’s why I refer to my weight loss as a journey. It’s a journey to stay fit and to stay healthy. Fortunately, the journey doesn’t have to be without good food and without having fun. Sherry has done a superb job with making wonderful and delicious foods, and I’m never hungry or craving snacks.

Now that I’ve added exercise to my plan, I also feel much better. I can’t imagine not running every other day now, and as I look back on my journey so far, I feel fortunate to have lost enough weight to be able to run safely now. It makes it that much better.

Don’t look at weight loss or fitness as something you will get to. There is no destination. It’s a journey that you are in charge of. You get to decide the twists and turns and where the detours are. It doesn’t have to be drudgery. It can be a lot of fun! Mine has been!

Yoyo Dieting: Madness

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So many people diet to get to a certain weight and once they reach it, they think they can go back to eating the way they used to before. It’s such a real phenomenon that there’s a name for it: “Yoyo Dieting.” This type of dieting is very bad for you, and actually most people gain back even more weight than they lost, going up to a higher weight. I did this a few times, and I know many others who have as well. It’s because our education in diet and healthy lifestyles has been flawed for so many years.

If you add 2 + 2, you will always get 4. If you want to get to 3, you have to replace one of the 2’s. The same applies to our weight and health. If you eat with abandon, your weight will soar. If you cut back and eat better quality foods, you will lose weight. If you get to a weight goal and return to eating anything and everything, your weight will go back up.Seems kind of logical, yet so many people somehow don’t understand this.

Making a change to lose weight is good, but it will be meaningless unless you make the change in your lifestyle long-term and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Losing weight through diet and then going back to pre-diet eating habits is madness.

Completed my first 5k!

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file_004I did it!

This morning, in an uncharacteristically cold 39 degree morning in The Woodlands, TX, I completed my first official 5k run: the Jingle Bell Run benefiting the Arthritis Foundation.

We got there at 7 am and while Sherry went to the area to wait up for some employees of hers to show up, I waited in the car to keep warm. It was VERY chilly out there, and with the wind chill, it felt like 24 degrees!

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I headed back into the cold to stand in solidarity with her at around 7:30 am, and I kept warm by doing push ups. I did 70, and yes, it did warm me up!

After getting the preliminaries out of the way, the run began and I started off strong with a first half mile pace of 8:16. I kept below 9:10 for the first two miles and let my pace slow a little for the final mile to a 9:42 and a 9:30 with the last little bit down to a 7:31 pace. In the end, I finished at 27:37.5 with an average pace of 8:55/mile. These are all personal bests for me, and I’m very proud of the numbers considering I had to lay off running for almost two weeks. Had I not had that break, I’m sure my time would have been much better.

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But, it is what it is. I’m proud of my accomplishment in running a 5k after starting running exactly three months ago today. Sherry and I were talking about how she ran this last year (she had a personal best today as well!), and when she suggested that I run this with her this year, I told her back then, “I don’t think I’ll ever do one of these.” After today’s run, I told her about some more that are coming up that I want to do.

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It was a good time, and it felt good to be out there among the other runners. I haven’t run with that many people since I was in the Marines. It felt good to be back.

How Much Exercise is Enough?

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Me after a run. I really enjoy running now. I never thought I could.

I run three to four times a week. I’ve reached most of my running goals rather quickly, and at this point I am just running and building my stamina and speed slowly and naturally. I used to have a goal of running every day, but I’ve decided that if it happens, then it happens. If not, running three or four times a week is probably enough. I also do fifty push ups before I run, and I try to increase it by 5-10 whenever the current number of push ups I’m at starts to feel too easy. I have a goal of 100+, but no timetable.

I firmly believe that I’ve had such success with running because I’ve taken it slowly and let my body dictate the pace and distance increases. I haven’t gone out and pushed myself hard, and when I felt a little off, or while I got sick two weeks ago, I held off from running. Returning to running was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and the body bounced back quite well. Monday night’s run was very enjoyable after running only once the week prior and not at all the week before that. I was very worried it would be difficult or that I would be out of breath. Neither were true.

I think it’s important to take into consideration your current physical ability and take it slow. I was told by a wise Gunny back in the Corps that you want to get out for 30 minutes of solid activity. Build the pace and distance each time within that 30 minutes. Once you are fully active in that 30 minutes, expand the workout as needed. That’s what I’ve done, and I’m really happy with the results. I never went out there to push myself super hard, and as a result, I’ve successfully avoided injury so far.

In past attempts to reintroduce an exercise regimen into my life, I have always ended up injured and unable to continue. This made me depressed and always led to me gaining weight. This time, I was smart about it, took my time, took it easy, and let the increases come naturally. I can’t be happier with my results.

My specific plan was to start with a slow jog. I jogged for 1.63 miles in nearly 30 minutes. My success for that run was that I jogged the entire time without stopping. I increased my pace and distance with each successive run, and I gave myself at least one day and sometimes two to recover between runs. Nearly three months later, I’m running over 3.5 miles with every run sub-10 minutes (and nearly sub-9’s) for each mile. The best part; I do so without really getting out of breath or over-exerting myself. These are comfortable runs that I enjoy.

Running used to be hard for me because I didn’t enjoy it. Now that I do it regularly and have learned to enjoy it, it’s become something I look forward to. It’s a part of my life, and I’m happy when I’m running. I find that I am less stressed after a run, and that overall, I’m a happier person because of it.

How much exercise is enough? As much as you feel is enough to meet your goals, whether they are physical or emotional. I can’t tell you what that is for you. You need to get out there and figure it out by doing.

Running my First Official 5k in Over 25 Years

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The last 5k I ran was when I was a Corporal at NCO School at MCAS El Toro when I was 24. We did it as a formation run, and we finished in under 24 minutes. We then ran back as individuals to “pick up” other runners and help motivate them to the finish. It was a good time, and one of the rare times that I remember a run being fun in the Marines.

Fast forward 25 years and I’m about to run a 5k on my own volition and I’m actually looking forward to it. Sherry and I will be running the Jingle Bell Run tomorrow morning in The Woodlands, TX for the Arthritis Foundation. So many in my family and my wife’s family have been affected by Arthritis that it only makes sense for Sherry and I to run and try to raise some donations to help fight it.

I am honored and humbled by the donations received for tomorrow morning’s run, and I’m thankful to those who donated. I’m going to do my best in the morning and try to set a good time for me to work on in the coming months/years as more of these 5k’s come along.

I did bang my knee pretty hard against a printer today, and it is a little sore right now, but I’m hoping that time and if necessary, some Motrin will help make it feel normal when it’s time to run in the morning. Otherwise, I’m really looking forward to it. I have warm running clothes I’ll wear, and the only real dilemma I’m facing is whether I should run with my Bluetooth headphones (as I always do) or without. I haven’t quite decided yet. I guess I’ll see in the morning.

Wish me luck! I will be posting with a post-run report tomorrow!

Tips for people new to Paleo

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lobster3I was recently asked for tips for someone who is new to Paleo, and I thought about it for a few days. Here are some things I wish I knew more about when we started our Paleo lifestyle.

  • There are lots of foods that we are used to eating and that is available at restaurants that is already Paleo. These include:
    • Steak
    • Grilled chicken
    • BBQ chicken (ask about sugar content in the rub, spices, and sauce)
    • Ribs (same as with BBQ chicken)
    • Brisket
    • Sausage (check for sugar content)
    • Lobster
    • Crab
    • Fish (grilled, broiled)
    • Steamed or grilled vegetables
  • Prep days can be made easy with crock pots, smokers, and slow cookers.
  • You don’t have to eat a lot of salad and grilled chicken; there are LOTS of recipes available to make amazingly delicious foods that are Paleo compliant.
  • Ease into the Paleo recipes an ingredient a week. It takes time to learn them and some of them can be costly (though this is getting better as Paleo is getting more mainstream and even Costco and Sam’s is carrying Paleo ingredients).
  • Plan your prep days by shopping ahead and making a plan for the week’s lunches and dinners.
  • Prep days. Make your week’s worth of lunches and some dinners so you can enjoy the little time you have after work by just warming up some good food. It’s easy to go off-diet when you are tired and don’t want to take the time to make a Paleo meal in the middle of the week.

Some things to avoid when going Paleo:

  • Too much fruit. Lots of sugar, even if natural, isn’t good for you.
  • Snacking. Try to limit this as much as possible.
  • Desserts. These should really be treats and not part of normal meals.
  • Eating salad and grilled chicken every day for lunch and dinner. You’ll go nuts and quit and want a burger.
  • Artificial sweeteners. Stevia may be natural, but you need to break away from sweeteners as well as sugar. The effect on your brain is the same with artificial sweeteners as it is with sugar.

This list isn’t all-inclusive, but it covers some of the things I wish we knew in the beginning. I hope it helps!

When you finally hit that low point

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I was very close to my breaking point here at nearly 300 lbs.

I was there. I woke up one morning and rolled off the bed into a sitting position to put on my shoes. As I bent over to tie them, I found I couldn’t breathe. I had to hold my breath to tie my shoes. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me and my weight. Something had to happen.

Of course, one strand of straw won’t break a camel’s back. There has to be a lot of other blades before that happens. For me, it was the discomfort of being heavy. The health issues were beginning to pop us; all of them weight related. The discomfort of sitting in an airline chair and being unable to open the tray table to put food onto. The discomfort of telling a hostess at a restaurant that I can’t sit in the booth because I don’t fit. The embarrassment of being unable to buy a t-shirt at a concert because they only go up to 2XL (and that was too small). The discomfort of being out of breath after going up the flight of stairs in our house to talk to my kids in their bedrooms. Being unable to take part in just about any physical activity without getting winded and my heart feeling like it was going to pump out of my chest. All these things and more added to the impetus for changing my life.

As they say, the first step is admitting that you have a problem. My problem was my weight and the behaviors I engaged in to get me to that dangerous position. I ate too much. I ate because I liked to eat. I ate because it was entertaining and it made me feel good, so there was probably an emotional element to it as well. I ate foods that were high in sugar. I ate if I was bored. If I was eating, there was a good chance that I was planning my next meal already. After a snack, of course.

I was fortunate in that I was able to recognize that I had a problem. Only after years of discomfort, embarrassment, and pain did I finally reach that point. Before then? There was no way I could give up my favorite foods. God forbid I exercise. There was no way I was going to do any of that. Until I broke.

When you break, you will recognize it. It marks a fundamental shift in your priorities and how you see your life and what you want out of it. Like they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. I was told time and time again what I needed to do to change my situation, but I never thought any of it was tenable. Until Whole30 and Paleo.

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My wife and I in November, 2016.

I don’t care what you do as long as it’s healthy. So, I’ll forego the Paleo talk here. The important part is that when you get to that point where you want to make a serious change in your life, do it. Make that change. Do the research and then commit to it like you would to breathing after being underwater for 30 seconds.

Why Paleo?

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file_001-9There are as many diets out there as there are names for people. What made Sherry and I pick Paleo? I think it came down to science. Not that we should eat like cavemen or be like cavemen. It came down to the fact that grains, dairy, legumes, and foods with added-sugar are filled with sugar which our bodies turn into fat with alarming efficiency. These carb-heavy foods are killing us and people mistakenly believe that whole grains, gluten-free, and low-fat are the answer.

They are not and they are worse for you than the alternative.

And that alternative is Paleo. Not because I’ve lost over 110 lbs in just over a year without doing a lick of exercise. Not because my health has improved and I am no longer diabetic. Least of all because I say so. It is because of all the people I know who have adopted the Paleo lifestyle and who have all begun to see the positive effects of eschewing grains, dairy, legumes, and food with added-sugars. It’s not just me; it’s everyone.

Do the research. Do the reading. I can’t ever convince you, and I don’t try to. I am trying to lead you to the answer, and that answer is evident once you do the research. I’m not telling you to agree with me; I’m telling you that you will agree with me once you see the information with an open mind. And yes, ignore the parts where they talk about cavemen being healthier. I don’t follow that. But the science about carbs is pretty solid and is being confirmed study after study.

Whatever you do, throw away the margarine and the whole grains. Get rid of the low-fat and diet soft drinks. You won’t believe how much better you feel after eating real food for a few weeks. It’s amazing.

Finally, if you do the reading and still don’t agree with me, that’s okay too. I implore you to continue looking until you find something that makes sense from a scientific standpoint and helps fuel your body in a way that is natural and not harmful. Ultimately, that’s the true goal here, and it’s why I adopted the Paleo lifestyle.