Month: August 2017

We are examples. We are leaders. Someone, somewhere looks up to us. As a parent, this is especially true of my kids. When I was a Marine leader, it was true of the troops I lead. We are always told to be a good example, but we typically think that it means only in deed and action. We assume that it means for us to be honest, kind, humble, and giving. What we don’t think about, however, are things like eating habits, physical fitness patterns, and activity levels.

I grew up eating all kinds of good foods. My mom, grandparents, and just about everyone in my family cooked foods that were made with natural ingredients: meat and vegetables. Sure, we had the occasional pasta dish, and bread was a part of every meal, but they were never the center of the meals. That was typically meat and vegetables with bread as a side. This gave me some pretty good examples for how to eat. I was encouraged to be physically active, and I spent the majority of my childhood on a bicycle, or in the swimming pool. These habits of eating good food and staying active kept me very fit and thin until I was around 27. Then, due to a surgery that kept me sidelined for over six months, my health and fitness declined rapidly, and it no longer was a priority.

For the following 20 years, I was morbidly obese and unable to get control of my eating. I ate everything, and I ate for fun. It was entertainment to me. I was not setting a good example for my kids, and as a result, my son became overweight as well. My daughter, fortunately, wasn’t affected as much, although her eating habits were not the healthiest.

My sister and my cousin were both someone I looked up to in terms of their physical fitness and health. They both took their health seriously and worked out regularly. It wasn’t until my cousin talked to me about Whole30 and Paleo did I consider even getting healthy. Then, one thing led to another, and after nearly two years of the Paleo Diet, I’m down 150 lbs from my max of 312 lbs and I run every other day and I do 120 push ups before each run.

My son, who learned his eating and health habits from me, struggles with his weight. He picked up horrible eating habits from years of watching me gorge, but fortunately, he has been inspired by my own journey to eat right and exercise. In three months, he’s already lost over 40 lbs and he continues to make progress weekly. I have numerous friends who all, once again based on my example, have taken to eating right and losing weight.

When I set out to lose weight, I was doing it for me, my wife, and my kids. I didn’t want to die young. Now, I realize that I’ve always been an example to others. Initially, I was an example of what happens when you eat without limits and don’t take fitness seriously. Now, I am the opposite example: one of health and fitness. It’s a responsibility I take seriously, and I endeavor to live up to the important role in my family and friends’ life that has been thrust upon me. I do this with enthusiasm and I’m happy to do it.

Be the best you can be, not only for yourself, but those little eyes that are watching you at the dinner table and on the weekends. Those little eyes will watch your every move, every morsel you put into your mouth, and every activity you partake. Make these examples the best you can for their sake.

On the days that I run, especially if it’s been a really tough or hard run, I allow myself to have a Paleo dessert. Today, after a really hot and tough run, I had a piece of blueberry and chocolate brownies that Sherry made. One part of me feels that twinge of guilt for eating something sweet and decadent while the other part of me says, “Dude. Chill out. It’s just a Paleo brownie, and you ran a lot of calories. Your body needs the carbs to help the muscles heal up anyway.” And so it is; I actually need the carbs after a run.

One of the things I struggle with as a Paleo athlete is the lack of carbs in my diet. Well, I shouldn’t say lack of carbs. It’s more like the lack of a lot of carbs in my diet. I do have carbs, but not in large amounts. That’s because I only run three times a week. If I were to up that to five times a week, I could likely get away with a lot more, but I don’t think my joints, tendons, and ligaments could put up with that kind of abuse. At least, not yet.

So, I enjoyed the heck out of that brownie. The blueberries were thick and flavorful, and the brownies moist and delicious. I’m glad I ran today; it gave me a reason to have a little treat after dinner without all the guilt (just a little bit, and I’m working on that).

Ugh. I hate Monday mornings after weekends full of celebrations and non-Paleo food. My weight is up to 171 lbs. Wow. Back in the 170’s. Now, I know: it’s mostly water weight again. I also haven’t had a bowel movement since Friday, so there’s that. But still, psychologically, it’s tough to deal with. It’s literally a weight on my conscience that I can’t shake.

I know that after I run tonight, 2-3 lbs of it will go away. By the end of the week, the other 2-3 lbs should be gone, as I will be eating perfect portions and foods. Except Friday night, which is my son’s birthday. And then there’s my National Guard Annual Training the very next day which will last two weeks.

Our weight fluctuates. It will go up and down naturally. The trick is to keep it within a certain range. Right now, I’m out of what I consider to be a comfortable range, and my range has been creeping up since doing the Whole30. I know why this is: Sherry made sweets that I’ve been eating. I also eat a lot more sweet potato again. I need to cut these out; they always cause my weight to go up.

Don’t get disheartened when the scale goes up. Use it as a guide to remind you to keep at it, keep working, keep paying attention, and stay vigilant. I see it as a challenge, and CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

I read this article today, and I have mixed feelings about it. I was the fat person on the plane who used to get looked at, ridiculed, and made to feel embarrassed. I lived this for nearly 20 years. It was tough. But I did it to myself. I never felt anyone had any responsibility to accept my fatness and the inconvenience I would cause them when I had to sit next to them. I would apologize and I would do everything I could to make them comfortable to the point of making myself uncomfortable instead. It is, after all, what gentlemen do.

Then, at the end of that article, the author writes the following:

Society’s body standards and ways in which they body shame individuals needs to come to an end – everyone is different and every body is different. Discriminating someone based on their weight or looks is something that is both disgusting and uncalled for.

I do agree that we should not body shame anyone. We should not discriminate against anyone for their weight. But weight is something that is within the control of nearly everyone on the planet. To state to the contrary is disingenuous, uninformed, and contributing to the obesity epidemic. By being so accepting of obesity is to make it okay, which in turn leads to people not wanting to change to a healthier lifestyle. Failure to do so results in increased health care costs, decreased quality of life, and early mortality.

I accept everyone as they are, but I don't accept that they are stuck being fat. Nobody is. I further reject forcing people to accept being inconvenienced for anyone else's comfort. That is just not right. We do not have the right to do as we please if we inconvenience others. I don't have the right to free speech by placing a sign in my neighbor's yard just as I had no right for my fat to encroach on a fellow passenger's seat.

I know this is a sticky subject, and when you're fat, it's very personal. I was that fat person, but I never felt the world owed me anything. There wasn't any expectation that I was "Normal" because I wasn't. I was morbidly obese, and that's not a natural state for humans to be in.

I will never call anyone else out for their weight. I don't do it, and I won't do it. I will help anyone who needs it, though, to lose weight, get healthy, and get fit. Everyone can do it; I'm living proof. I lost 110 lbs in one year without exercise; I just changed my diet. There are no excuses. Just make it happen.

I’ve been using a Weight Gurus scale for about 6 years, and it’s been really helpful during my weight loss journey. It’s been accurate, reliable, and easy to use. This past week, there was a sale on Amazon for a Eufy scale that syncs via Bluetooth for a great price, so I figured why not upgrade from the Weight Gurus to the Eufy. It arrived yesterday and I eagerly setup the scale and the app, and when I weighed myself, I was shocked to find that it was measuring my body fat at 24.9%. That couldn’t be right, I figured, so I measured my neck and my waist and used the Army app on my iPhone to calculate my body fat (which is what my National Guard unit would do if they needed to know it). The result: 9.7%.

Here’s the kicker: when I stepped on my old Weight Gurus scale, it gave me 9.7% BF. Back on the Eufy? 25%. I guess I’m going to stick with the old Weight Gurus for a while unless I can figure out how to calibrate the Eufy. It’s too bad, because the new scale really is very nice, and I like not only how it looks, but the app is very nice as well.

My cousin Sara told me once that these scales can be very misleading in their body fat readings. She was concerned that it would read too low and give me a false sense of success or security. Oddly enough, it turned out that my old scale was pretty accurate while my new one, with newer technology, is reading so far off.

I’ve emailed the EufyHome company about this, and I’m looking forward to hearing what they have to say about it. I’m hoping that it’s a calibration issue that I can resolve. If not, I may end up giving the scale to my son (since he’s not as concerned with body fat as I am) and I will continue to use old faithful Weight Gurus.

I love pizza. And hot dogs. And pierogis. Being born and raised in Chicagoland, there are certain foods that are central to our existence. Mine are:

• Pizza
• Chicago Dogs
• Pierogis

Some may say that Italian Beef belongs on that list, but personally, pierogis are a much bigger deal. But I digress.

What is notable about that list is that all three contain lots of carbs in the form of dough (pasta/bread). As someone who has adopted the Paleo Diet, grains are off-limits for me. This is a conundrum, because many of my favorite foods contain grains. What is a Paleo guy to do?

Well, first of all, there are the analogues. Sherry has done a good job of finding recipes to make pizza that is pretty darned close to the real thing. Is it a 1:1 copy? No, and I don't think it's possible. But it's close enough that it scratches the itch. The same goes for hot dog buns.

Second, there's the special occasion exemption. Every now and then, like a birthday or other holiday, I allow myself to eat non-Paleo foods in small amounts. I have only had pizza once in the last two years and hot dogs once as well (for my birthday this year), and honestly, it's been enough for me.

Third, it just comes down to priorities and mind over matter. My priority is my health. Eating non-Paleo foods results in short-term gratification that is harmful to my long-term goal of attaining good health. Why would I willfully sabotage a long-term goal for short-term gratification? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Life without pizza, hot dogs, and pierogis is actually pretty amazing. Do I miss those foods? Certainly. But I don't miss how I felt when I used to wantonly eat those foods. I never want to feel that way again!

You can do it. There are plenty of foods out there you can continue to eat; some of them are most likely among your favorite foods. I don't suffer on Paleo, and neither will you.

There’s an old saying: “The simplest solutions are often the best solutions.” This is very true when it comes to diet and exercise.

There is a multi-billion dollar industry around diet and nutrition because most people get it so wrong and look for an easy way to lose weight. They will gladly pay good money for solutions that are only mildly successful, at best. There are patches, powders, pills, shakes, microwaveable meals, mail-order meal programs, and other products all sold with the promise of improving your health and assisting with weight loss. Unfortunately, these are all largely for-profit schemes to make people money. Surgery? Not needed. Even for the most obese, the simplest solution would work as well, but it takes a lot of discipline and perseverance. How can I say with such certainty? Because I was morbidly obese as a 5’7” man of 48 who weighed over 312 lbs. 12 months later, I weighed 202 lbs (that’s a 110 lb loss), and nearly 20 months later, I weigh 165 lbs. My lowest weight at one point within the past month was 161.8 lbs. How did I do it? With the simple solution: diet.

I’m not talking about a low-calorie or low-fat diet, either. I’m not talking WeightWatchers or any other commercial diet plan. What I did was a Whole30 followed by adopting The Paleo Diet. These are both free, and although you can buy books about them, it’s not necessary. Whole30, Paleo, and Keto are all free and science-based diets that have demonstrated ability to help people get healthy and lose weight. The best part: you don’t need to pay anything to anyone to do it.

The basics: eat meat and vegetables and avoid pre-processed foods, food with added sugar, anything with grains, soy, or dairy. It’s simple.

I didn’t say it was easy, because for the majority of us, the sugar addiction we have and are likely unaware of is very hard to kick. Physically, getting away from sugar manifests withdrawal symptoms similar to any drug withdrawal. It’s hard to get past, and many fail in the beginning because of the flu-like symptoms. These typically last less than a week, though, and once past them, people report an increase in energy levels and a much clearer head, free of cravings and non-stop hunger.

If someone has to explain to you why their product is needed, to give you reasons why their product is necessary for you to get healthy or to lose weight, they fail the simple test. If they try to tell you that their product will do what other products can’t do, they are again failing the simple test. If they promise results that require the use of their product, they fail the simple test.

Eat meat and vegetables. Cut the sugar, grains, soy, and dairy. Simple.

This past weekend, I was engaged by someone online who said they were, “Worried for me and my health.” Being that it was someone I’ve known for a long time, I humored them and listened to their concern. “The diet you are eating is not good. You need to eat grains. It’s one of the major food groups! You can’t be healthy and not eat from all the food groups. Also, you eat so much bacon! It’s going to kill you! You should be eating low-fat turkey bacon if you can’t stop eating bacon.” I’ve discussed in previous articles why this is all such bad information, but I’ll hit the main points now.

“You need to eat grains.” No I don’t. They are super-dense in carbohydrates and anti-nutrients.

“It’s one of the major food groups!” The entire food groups concept has been disproven time and time again. We don’t need to eat from every food group to be healthy.

“You eat so much bacon! You should be eating low-fat turkey bacon…” I do eat a lot of bacon, but I do it because it’s good for me. Low-fat is one of the worst ideas presented to us in the history of nutritional science and is regularly being disproven as a concept. Even saturated fats are being seen as not being harmful in many studies. Soon, you will see a turn-around in what is considered healthy and what is considered unhealthy.

I asked the person, who is obese, what they have done to lose weight. They told me that they’ve lost over 100 lbs eating low-fat and counting calories, but were it not for a few setbacks, they’d have kept it off. I asked what these setbacks were, but my questions were left unanswered. I countered with this: “I am going to say something with the utmost respect, and I mean nothing by it, but my diet has allowed me to lose 110 lbs in 12 months and 150 lbs overall within 20 months. I’ve kept my weight off for over a year after losing 100 lbs. I did that through cutting added sugars, grains, soy, and dairy. It works. I did all that without exercise and without starving myself. On the other hand, you’ve been on countless diets, using countless diet products, have done exercise plan after exercise plan, and yet you are still the same weight after how many years?” Fortunately, they weren’t insulted and answered with this: “I just don’t think the way you lost weight is healthy. You lost weight too fast. You probably have a bunch of skin hanging off your body which is a sign you lost weight too fast.” I sent them this photo:

No real skin hanging off me there: just some extra skin on my sides, but nothing alarming. As far as I’m concerned, this is a great improvement over the belly I used to have when I weighed 312 lbs, and considering the amount of skin it took to cover that big belly, this looks GREAT.

They said that I’m just lucky, and that my genetics allow me to lose weight quickly and easily while everyone else has to struggle and work at it. They further told me it’s impossible to lose any weight without exercise. Again, I reminded them that I did no exercise for the first 12 months of my weight loss, but was met with, “Yeah, you’re not normal, though. Us normal people can’t do what you did.”

Sigh.

Everyone can do what I did. What I did is what happens when a normal person eats clean, whole, healthy foods. Cut out the added sugar. Cut out the grains. Cut out the soy. Cut out the dairy. You WILL lose weight, and you will do it without hunger, cravings, or having to exercise like a madman or madwoman.

My point here is not to make anyone feel bad or to make myself appear superior. To the contrary: I’m just a regular guy who lost a lot of weight through a very simple plan. I’m not implying it’s easy, because it took a lot of determination, motivation, and perseverance to get it done. But anyone can do what I did and get the same results. It just takes discipline. Respect yourself and get it done without cheating. The results are SO worth it!

I reached an important decision this morning; I no longer care what the scale says. My body fat is typically around ~10% which is pretty darned good. There is no visible fat on me anywhere; just skin, and even that is getting thinner as time goes by. I am very fit by anyone’s standards, and my weight at this point is holding steady between 165 lbs and 167 lbs consistently. Even if I eat a bit too much, or non-Paleo foods, it stays right between 165 lbs and 167 lbs.

What I have also found is that my trousers fit great. Whether my weight goes up a little or not, they fit perfectly. And honestly, I don’t want to get thinner. If I do, I’ll have to start shopping for clothing in the Young Men’s departments because I would have shrunk myself out of men’s clothing.

On top of that, I am both healthy and fit now. My doctors, the National Guard, and everyone who knows me and has seen me in my Speedos has told me that I don’t need to lose anymore weight. I didn’t listen, and I didn’t agree with them before, but like I said, I had that, “A-ha!” moment this morning. As I looked at my abs in the mirror and I could see the muscles working under my skin, I realized that I am trim. There’s no fat for me to lose. At this point, I’m nearly all muscle with a healthy amount of fat to get me through the day. To lose any more would be unhealthy.

I will continue to weigh myself every morning, and after every run. It’s a data point I will continue to use to gauge my overall health, but it is no longer near the top of the list of importance. It has fallen right down to the bottom of the list and is now nothing more than a barometer. If I see a trend of increasing weight, I will analyze why and adjust, but only if.

You know what? It feels good to wave goodbye to the scale.

Since getting healthy and fit, it feels like the excuses I used to make for not exercising and eating right have fallen like dominoes. I had a lot of excuses. Here are among some of my most-used and favorites from days gone by.

Why eat healthy if you can’t enjoy life? I used to believe that the only way I could enjoy life was through food. This is laughably dumb on many levels. I was looking at life through the eyes of an obese man who couldn’t enjoy many other activities requiring mobility and fitness, so its easy to see how my view was so myopic.

A life without delicious food is a life not worth living. This is a good one, too. I mistakenly thought that healthy food was not delicious or filling. I’ve learned so much in the past 20 months, and the main thing is that most of the foods I find to be the most delicious are actually pretty healthy. Sure, pizza, hot dogs, and cake aren’t among the healthiest of foods, but there are often Paleo analogues that are close to being as tasty (or in the case of cake and chocolate chip cookies, even better than the originals!). I eat lots of tasty food, and honestly, the stuff I can’t eat isn’t missed.

I can’t exercise because I’m too heavy. This one was actually true. My doctor was very adamant about the fact that my joints, muscles, and more importantly, my heart was not up to the task of exercising. That leads me to an important point: not all excuses are fake. In this case, I was too heavy to exercise. The only way I was able to start exercising was to lose 100 lbs. When I lost 110 lbs, I started running. I’ve lost 40 lbs more since then, but the weight loss was due to me sticking to my diet. What I’ve gained through running and push ups is strength, stamina, and better heart health.

I could never give up foods with sugar. I remember a good friend of mine and his wife did a sugar detox. I remember when he told me, I told him, “I’m glad my wife isn’t making me do anything that stupid.” Less than a year later, I asked Sherry to do a Whole30 with me. Adapting to a life without sugar has been one of the most liberating experiences of my life, and I don’t ever want to go back to eating foods with added-sugar in them. I feel so much more energetic, I’m free of cravings, and I’m much healthier because of it. Besides, foods with fats are just as tasty, if not tastier than foods with added-sugar.

I hate exercise. I won’t do it. This was a very true statement, but I used this as a crutch to keep from even trying. Sure, I had doctor’s orders to not exercise when I was at my heaviest, but even as I lost 100 lbs, I would tell people that I wasn’t going to do any exercise. Once I decided to join the National Guard, it became apparent to me that I needed exercise to make my plan a reality. After running for a few days, I decided that I needed to start enjoying my runs and to like exercise or I was in for many years of drudgery. I am fortunate that my mind hack worked, and I can honestly say that I enjoy exercise now. Sure, there are still days when I don’t feel up to it, but typically, once I get started things just fall into place. I always feel better after every session, and sometimes, I cling to that when I don’t want to get started.

And the list could go on, but I think you get the message. We all have excuses. All it takes is to tip one of them and the rest will come crashing down behind them.