I weighed myself this morning as per my normal routine, and found that I’ve reached a new low weight: 166.9 lbs! That puts me at just under 2 more pounds until I reach my goal of 165 lbs! I’m really excited!
At my current sustained rate of weight loss, I should be there within the next week or two. I will celebrate once I’m there!
I was reading about Drew Carey today. He was a pretty heavy guy in the beginning of his career (he’s also a former Marine) and is now quite svelte at the helm of The Price is Right. His transformation is nothing short of amazing. For me, it’s even more amazing that he allegedly did it through exercise.
He hit the gym 6 times a week with 2-3 days per week doing intense cardio. This star lost a total of 100 pounds and now looks amazing as hosting one of the most popular TV game shows “The Price is Right!”
Ummm… wow. I couldn’t ever do that. First, I don’t have the available time to work out 2-3 days per week doing intense cardio or hitting the gym 6 times a week. Second, my muscles would explode, my heart would have given out, and I probably would have died somewhere along the way.
Weight loss can be done without exercise and without diet pills, powders, shakes, patches, or surgery. I know it can, because I did it, my wife did it, and no fewer than six of my best friends are all doing it. Now my son is also on the bandwagon and has lost over 10 lbs in the past few weeks. We all did it without exercise.
Whole30 and/or following the Paleo Diet is all it took. And before you think Paleo is a deprivation or starvation diet (and you couldn’t be more wrong!), it limits only the following:
Now, I know what you’re thinking because I had the same thoughts when initially looking at Paleo: but I love so many foods with those things in them! Guess what; me too! But I love being healthy, fit, and no longer diabetic SO MUCH MORE! Besides, while most people concentrate on the foods they can no longer have when looking at Paleo, I suggest you focus on the things you can still enjoy that you love today:
*With no sugar added
Honestly, there is so much out there available to me to eat that I no longer miss those things I’m not supposed to eat. Seriously; the food I eat is so delicious that I honestly don’t miss many foods. And when I absolutely must have something like a chocolate tort or a hot dog, there are Paleo options available that are quite amazing (albeit either time consuming to prepare or with a higher than I’m comfortable with carb content).
Don’t think you have to exercise yourself to death to get the body of a celebrity; you don’t. You just have to eat right. It’s not easy, but it is simple. Take a look at Whole30 and The Paleo Diet. For recipe ideas (and to get a glimpse into the kinds of foods my wife and I eat at home), check out my wife Sherry’s blog.
This is something I get asked pretty often once people become more comfortable with me and feel like they can ask me more personal questions. I’m okay with it, as I’m not the most modest person when it comes to body image. “Do you have a lot of extra skin since you lost so much weight?” Fair question, and it was one of my major concerns when I started on this weight loss and fitness journey. The short answer is, “Not really.”
I have seen many photos and heard accounts of people who had lost 100+ lbs and they have flabs of skin hanging off of them. These people typically lost their weight very quickly, likely a result of either gastric bypass surgery or a lap band. These people will lose weight very quickly, and as a result, the skin doesn’t have time to shrink over the lost body mass.
Since I lost my weight naturally and without the aid of surgery or other outside sources, my loss was at a slower, albeit rather steady pace. I lost about 6-10 lbs/month on average which, while it seems very vast, in the grand scheme of things, is considered a healthy and safe rate of loss. As a result, my body has done a decent job of shrinking the skin around my reduced frame. Is it perfect? Of course not; I have lost over 140 lbs so far, and it’s hard for the body to shrink the skin that much within a year and a half. However, the amount of extra skin I have is pretty negligible, and I can see it continue to shrink monthly. I am not sure if my running is helping, or if it’s just a natural process taking place, but there is more and more of my muscles showing and less and less skin surrounding it.
WARNING: The following is a photo of me without clothing on. It is definitely not safe for work, and I recommend not opening it anyplace where nudity is frowned upon. I am covered from showing anything graphic, but I am otherwise not wearing any clothing. I am posting this photo only to demonstrate that you can lose 140 lbs in 18 months and not have a lot of skin hanging off your body.
You have been warned!
My wife surprised me with a dinner at one of the top-3 rated restaurants for romantic dates and anniversaries in the Houston area: Chez Nous. It is located in Humble, and is in an unassuming residential area. While the outside appears to be a re-purposed residential dwelling, the inside is lavishly French. The staff are outstanding, and the food was beyond delicious. However, there were some non-Paleo choices made, and we’re okay with that.
First, it began with the bread. They served a sour dough roll that had just come out of the oven and was made from scratch. I had a roll with some butter on it; it was simply heavenly. I’ve always loved sour dough, but their was divine. Next was a plate of fois gras with toast cut into triangles. The toast was very light and crunch, and the fois gras was delicious. The main course was a Chateaubriand that Sherry and I shared, prepared medium-rare and served with spiralized squash, mashed potatoes, and carrots. This meal was also amazing and full of flavor. For dessert, Sherry decided we had to have the Grand Marnier Souffle, which she ordered. When it was brought to us, we were told that another was coming as well, as the chef wanted us to have a special one. We ate the first souffle and awaited the second. When it arrived, we knew why the chef wanted us to have this one; in chocolate, it was written (in French), “Happy Anniversary.” Souffles are very light, and we easily ate the second one. We finished the evening with complimentary bubbly wine.
The experience was stellar and memorable. We ate some delicious fare we otherwise stay away from, but this time, we ate them without fear, guilt, or regret. The next morning, my weight was right where it normally is, and I felt fine without any major bloating or swelling.
Every now and then, it’s okay to eat non-Paleo foods. Sherry and I were as careful as we could be, but in the end, our decisions were as Paleo as they could be without limiting our ability to enjoy ourselves with a little bit of naughtiness. It was well worth it!
There’s something I’ve been forgetting to mention when I talk about the positive changes in my life since doing my first Whole30 and adopting the Paleo Diet: sleep apnea. When I was heavy, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve suffered from sleep apnea. As I got older and heavier, it got worse. It had reached a point where my wife and kids were concerned, so I talked to my doctor about it. He recommended a sleep study which confirmed it: I had sleep apnea. The prescription was a CPAP which I used every night to keep me from the long pauses in breathing caused by sleep apnea.
After my Whole30, I decided to try to sleep without the CPAP. I found I was not only able to do so, but I was no longer snoring. I don’t know if it was the weight loss or the change in diet that made the difference, but either way, eating healthier has made my sleep apnea a thing of the past.
Add that to the list of health issues that living healthy has reversed. This includes:
I also find that I catch colds less often, and when I do, I seem to recover more quickly.
If you’re over 100 lbs overweight and want to lose weight, CHANGE YOUR DIET. Don’t try to get out there and walk for 30 minutes or go to the gym three times a week and sweat for an hour expecting weight loss without changing your diet. You will be doing a whole lot of work with very little results!
I just got done talking to a lady who worked with a personal trainer for a year, and she mentioned that she stopped exercising which meant she wouldn’t be losing any more weight. I told her this was wrong, and it was difficult for her to understand that diet accounts for 90% of weight loss with exercise making your heart stronger and your muscles stronger. Sure, you will likely lose extra weight as a result of exercise, but it’s not the main factor. DIET IS.
It’s amazing how little people know about nutrition and exercise and the role they play in our weight management and health. I use this to fuel my desire to get the word out, to teach people how important it is to eat right FIRST and exercise SECOND. If you’re 100+ lbs overweight, it’s important to eat right BEFORE exercising. I waited until I lost 110 lbs before I began running, and now seven months later, I am running sub-8 minute miles and I got here without injury.
Do yourself a favor. Check out Whole30. Check out Paleo. They will get you where you want to be without hurting yourself, without starving yourself, and in a way that your body is built for: eating good, natural, whole foods.
Wow.
This morning’s weigh-in was pretty spectacular: 168.0 lbs. That’s a new low for me, and just three pounds away from hitting my final goal! I’m thinking that I should be able to get there by the end of this month.
What got my weight loss started again? Sleep, I think. Now that I get at least 8 hours a night, the weight loss has started back up. I also cut out desserts for a while and I haven’t had a whole sweet potato in a few weeks, but I think that it has more to do with sleep than anything else. Sherry made an amazing chocolate orange tort that I had after dinner this week almost every night, and I still lost weight. So… sleep, it is!
Since cutting out the sweet potato, desserts, and getting more sleep each night, I’ve lost a good 7 lbs within the past month or so. When I look back on my 10 lbs/month weight loss rate and compare it against the months I didn’t lose any weight, the only real difference was the lack of sleep. If I keep this up, I should be below my goal soon.
Three more pounds. Three more. It’s so close…
There are lots of reasons. I’ve talked about it before, but it’s something I still get asked pretty often, so I’ll talk about it again.
In the beginning, it had to do with the fact that I had so much to say, and I wanted to talk to people all the time about the amazing changes going on in my life due to me doing a Whole30 and adopting the Paleo Diet. I wanted everyone to know that they could be eating better food and helping themselves get healthy just through their diet. I was losing more weight without exercise than many people I know who were working their tails off! Instead of annoying everyone around me, I started this blog.
Then, my mission quickly changed as I started hearing from people who were inspired or motivated by my example. I was interviewed by a few websites, and even a featured runner on Reddit. As word of this website spread, more and more people were giving me feedback about how I was helping them lose weight.
Then, there’s feedback like this which totally and completely humbed me:
The irony is that Tracy is one of the people who inspired me the most when I first started running. Whenever I got tired during a run, or my legs were aching, or all I wanted to do was quit, I thought of Tracy and how she was training for a half-marathon. She completed it, too, and once again, was an inspiration to me. She’s always upbeat and never lets any setback get her down for the count. She brushes herself off and gets right back into the swing of things. If that’s not motivating, I don’t know what is!
Then there’s this incredibly nice post on the blog My Pants are too tight. This is what gives me inspiration now to keep blogging and keep posting information, ideas, and tricks I use to keep losing weight, getting healthier, and getting fitter.
I’m not perfect, and I have setbacks, too. I document these to show people that everyone has setbacks, everyone struggles, and everyone has a hard time now and then with staying on-track. It’s okay; we’re all human, and we’re all going to make mistakes. What separates us from those who stay overweight is that we continue to get back on the right path after we’ve strayed. What separates us runners from those who are out of shape is that we continue to get out there and get the job done even when we don’t really feel like it.
I know you can do this. It’s not easy, but it is simple. It takes work, but you’re worth it. Your health is worth it. Your life is worth it.
I made a boo-boo today. It was unintentional, of course, but I think I could have and should have handled it better. Someone showed me a photo that their granddaughter sent them of a meal they were having for lunch: whole wheat bread with peanut butter with avocados. As she was showing it to me, she said, “How’s that for healthy?” She was beaming. I became the joy thief when I said, “Nope. There are two out of the three things there I won’t touch.” She said, “Really? Which ones?” “Peanut butter and the bread. Both of those are off-limits to me.”
She was a bit deflated, and as I walked away, I wondered if I could have handled that better. Why yes; yes I could have. I followed up with her by saying, “You know, that may be fine for some people, and it’s a far cry better than a hamburger or a sub. It’s just not part of my current diet.” She seemed much happier with that, and I was hopefully able to restore some of the points I lost for being a joy thief earlier.
I’m not the Paleo Police, and sometimes unintentionally, I say something that can be perceived as judging. I don’t judge what others eat, but when presented with something that is allegedly healthy when I know it’s not, sometimes, it’s hard to just smile and accept it. I am not a liar, and I won’t just nod and smile when someone shows me that they think is healthy but is, in fact, filled with sugar, grains, or dairy. It’s this false information that has gotten our culture into the health trouble it is currently in.
Someone asked me this today when they saw photos of me from before I lost all the weight. I think it’s interesting how they would never have asked me that if I was still obese, but the fact that I’m no longer fat somehow gives people the courage to ask me things like that. It’s as if now that we’re in the “Skinny club,” we can talk about “Those fatties.” I ignore the fact that it’s kind of rude only because I look past these little social faux pas’ because I really and truly want to help people and I’m not so thin-skinned. Not everyone who loses a great amount of weight has my lack of modesty, however, which is why I mention it at all.
As a young man, I was very thin. I never had a problem with weight regardless of what I ate. I could eat anything, anytime, anywhere, and I would stick at 162 lbs. Sure, I was a little soft in the middle once I hit my 20’s, but it wasn’t until right at 30 when I started putting on weight.
From that point forward, keeping my weight within the Marine Corps height/weight regulations became a struggle. The maximum weight for my height was 175 lbs, and I was always right up on that number. There were many times I went over it and had to do some severe dieting and exercise to get below 175 lbs. It was not fun and I hated it. This is part of the reason I had such a negative outlook on exercise for such a long time: it was because I struggled with my weight and erroneously believed that exercise was the preferred method to control weight. Nobody told me that I could control my weight better with a low-carb diet. That was not a “Thing” yet. Had I known about Paleo back then, I likely never would have struggled with my weight at all.
A year before I got out of the Marines, I had a surgical procedure that left me on light duty for the rest of my time on active duty until I got out. This left me unable to exercise, and worse, allowed me to gain weight. I fattened up like a well-fed pig and left the Marines about 15 lbs overweight at 190 lbs.
From the Marines, I went to a desk job answering server support calls at Compaq. I went from a fairly active lifestyle (even on light duty, I was on my feet most of the day) to one where I sat at a desk all day. What didn’t change was my eating habits, and I gained a lot of weight very quickly. So fast, in fact, that I had stretch marks exactly like women get when they get pregnant. I ballooned up past 215 lbs within six months. A year later, I was over 240 lbs.
Over the course of the next few years, I struggled with different diets to try to get my weight under control. One time, in late 1998, I succeeded in getting my weight down to 189 lbs. I felt pretty good, but I was subsisting on a diet that was unsustainable. I felt tired, worn out, and had no energy. I was doing a lot of working out in gyms as I was traveling extensively at the time, but I caught pneumonia and was sidelined for a few weeks. Once I recovered, I had gained 15 lbs and along with the weight, I lost my will to continue on the diet or to get back into exercise. I gained all the weight back – and then some.
I tried time and time again to lose weight unsuccessfully. Regardless of how much walking I did or how much “Diet food” I ate (low-fat, no-sugar), I couldn’t get past about a 20 lbs loss. What’s worse is every time I failed, I would gain all the weight back plus another 10-15 lbs. At my heaviest, I got up to 312 lbs. I thought I was going to die at any moment.
The only thing that seemed to work for me was cutting out all sodas. Even though I switched to artificially sweetened, just getting rid of the full-sugar Coke I used to drink daily allowed me to lose about 2 lbs a month. This was steady, sustained weight loss over the course of about two years. When I started my Whole30, I only weighed 290 lbs. Only. It took me two years to go from 312 to 290. At that rate, I’d be dead before I ever saw 170 lbs again. I had made the decision that I needed to do something that gave me faster results. Or else.
A year and a half later, here I am. I weigh 169 lbs and I’m within a stone’s throw from my final goal of 165 lbs. I am no longer obese, but while according to BMI I’m still overweight, my body fat is very low and I’m comfortable with the weight I’m at. If I go lower than 165 lbs, it’ll be because my body wants to be there, not me. I’m finally at a place in my life in terms of health and fitness that I’m happy with.
Whole30 and Paleo are both free and there are lots of resources available online. I am here to answer questions via email, PM, or messaging. Let me know if you need any pointers, tips, motivation, or just an ear to listen to. I’d love to help you (and there are no strings attached, no fees, and I’m not selling anything).
Paleo Marine 