Month: November 2017

This is one of the most-asked questions I receive: what do you eat in a regular day? Here’s a list of the things I eat in a regular day with links to the recipe.

Breakfast

Pulled pork casserole. Sherry makes this on Sundays and lasts me an entire week. This makes breakfast super-easy and quick.

Lunch

Bacon-Chorizo Meat Loaf. This is one of my all-time favorite meals. It stores well, and reheats very well. Again, Sherry does meal-prep on Sundays and can make about 6-8 meals out of it which helps us for lunches/dinners throughout the week.

Dinner

We usually make a dinner after work, but on the days we are exceptionally tired, we will take one of the meal-prep meals out of the refrigerator and heat it up. A typical dinner could be anything from a couple of lobster tails grilled and served with asparagus or fajita beef that has been marinaded overnight and grilled. Sometimes, Sherry will put something in a slow cooker in the morning when she goes to work and then we will eat it for dinner.

I’ve been asked a few times this weekend about motivating spouses to get healthy. That’s a tough question to answer, because everyone is different, and they have different motivations. I can only talk about what helped me convince my wife to join me in my journey to get healthy.

First, I told her that my health was at jeopardy, and that I needed her help to get healthy. I could not do it alone. Without her being in on this with me, I was doomed to fail, and ultimately, doomed to a shorter life.

Second, I was able to show her the many recipes for Whole30 and Paleo there were that looked absolutely amazing and delicious. That was a huge thing for her; she was’t going to suffer through another chicken breast and salad diet. The food she was going to eat had to be varied, satisfying, and delicious.

Third, I told her that I wanted her to be healthy with me. I wanted us to be able to do fun things together, to enjoy life to the fullest, to have new and varied adventures together! Without her being able to do the fun stuff, there was no reason for me to do it.

Finally, I told her that if she didn’t do it, then I would surely die sooner, and that would mean she would live long after I was gone. I know that was playing dirty, but I pulled out all the stops.

It worked. Over two years later, we are still keeping the weight off, still eating healthy, and still loving our lives. We are more fulfilled and happier, not because we’re thinner, but because we feel fewer physical limitations on us. That alone made it all worthwhile.

Oh yeah; and we’re far healthier now. Bonus.

This is the time of year when we gather with friends and family from near and afar to celebrate. Whether it’s for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or any other holiday, this time of year brings us together over meals that are traditional and in many cases, filled with sugar and or starches. For me, as someone who has adopted the Paleo Diet, this makes things challenging for me.

I️ am pretty strict about my diet, but I️ am pretty adamant about two things.

First, I️ aim to enjoy life to the fullest. Sometimes, that means eating foods that aren’t Paleo. If someone special makes a special food or dish, I️ will eat it. Also, it’s tradition. Some foods are foods that are only made for holiday festivities, and the great memories that come back when eating certain foods are warm and filled with love and a pleasure to experience.

Second, I️ aim to refrain from negatively impact anyone else’s enjoyment of the holidays and their meals. I️ am not the Paleo Police, and I️ will never make anyone feel guilty about their food choices, especially at the holidays.

To mitigate the impact on my diet, I️ do eat lighter or smaller portions, but I️ will never flat-out skip something. I️ want to enjoy the holidays, and I️ want to make sure my friends and family do the same.

You don’t know me. You may have found my blog through Yahoo!, or from Google. You may have seen a post I made on LinkedIn or on Twitter. Something caught your attention and brought you here, but what makes me trustworthy?

All I can say to that is that I’m an open book, and I share everything here, both good and bad, through my weight loss journey. When my weight is up, I write about it. When it’s back down, I write about it. I even blog about my running, and I blog when I skip runs. I try to be as transparent as I can, because I don’t want anyone to think that getting healthy and losing weight is simple for me. I don’t want to misrepresent my journey, or give anyone any false hopes or expectations about what to expect when they take on a project like getting healthy or losing weight.

I have posted many pictures in the past. Pictures of me before I got obese, while I was obese, and then all the way back down to where I am today. I went from 312 lbs to 165 lbs, on average (I’ve been as low as 160 lbs, but I just can’t seem to break into the 150’s. Yet). I will continue to post photos, not because I particularly like having photos of me online, but because I believe it is my proof, the evidence that I am who I say I am, and I’m doing what I say I’m doing.

I’ve seen some folks say that they believe Paleo is the latest fad. I’ve heard the same said about Whole30. Well, the truth is that The Paleo Diet has been around for decades, and Whole30, while newer, is based on a lot of science and is gaining a lot of followers because of its no-nonsense approach and efficacy in resetting a person’s body to determine if they have food allergies and to kick sugar.

That the Paleo Diet is gaining more and more attention is a testament to its efficacy as a diet. Now, I don’t mean diet in the way many people use the term; a way to eat for a while to lose some weight before returning to their old habits. I am using diet in the strict sense: a way of eating. For me, I’ve adopted the Paleo Diet and I intend to stay on it indefinitely. Fortunately, it’s very easy to do once you get used to it, and I don’t feel deprived in any way. In fact, I feel better today than ever!

Many people I know (okay, nearly EVERYONE I know) has adopted a Paleo Diet or something very close to it. Why? Because they saw through my wife and me that it works! They also ate the food we prepared for them and found that it was not only delicious, but every bit as delicious as non-Paleo foods with one catch: it was far healthier. Does that make it a fad? Not if they’re sticking with it for over a year!

The media is making a bit deal out of it, and from time to time, I see stories about the Paleo Diet on social media sites or the big news sites. The science is still catching up with why the Paleo Diet is as effective and healthy as it is, but I can only speak from my own experience that it’s changed my life for the better.

I went from being a Marine to an obese civilian and back to being a fit, healthy, fifty year-old National Guard soldier. I got to where I am today because of Whole30 and the Paleo Diet. I feel more energetic, I’m healthier, and I’m actually thinner than I was in my 20’s!

Before you dismiss Whole30 or the Paleo Diet, take a look at the practical sides. I don’t advocate necessarily living like Paleo man or woman, and there are some elements of Paleo I don’t necessarily adhere to, but as a diet, I’ve been very happy and have realized a lot of success and weight loss that has been easy to keep off for over 2 years. That’s something pretty amazing, right there.

I don’t know what it is about being a veteran and being overweight. The vast majority of veterans I know personally are overweight, and many are obese. I’ve been watching with great sadness as the number of veterans I see facing serious weight-related health issues rises. The number of veterans I know who have passed away at an early age due to weight-related health issues is entirely too high.

We need to stop this. Now.

First, let’s dispel one bad piece of information the military taught us: PT will keep you thin and fit. PT will keep you fit, but it will not necessarily keep you thin. Diet does that.

Second, we need to tackle an area that the military did a poor job of teaching us: diet. We were given a very rudimentary nutritional education and we were told things like oatmeal and whole grains are good for us. Go to any chow hall, DFAC, or mess hall and you will find it filled with whole grain options. The military, with all it’s high-tech weaponry and computer equipment is stuck in the 50’s as it pertains to nutrition.

When I left the Marines, I very quickly gained a lot of weight. So did many of my brothers and sisters from the service. We found the lack of PT coupled with jobs that had us sitting all day contributed to a rapid weight gain. Before we knew it, our weight was out of control, and the prospect of doing enough PT to make it all go away seemed unappealing, at best. Had someone told me about the Paleo Diet back in 1997, I’d have surely adopted it.

But I didn’t. And I continued to gain weight until I weighed nearly 312 lbs, and like many veterans in my predicament, I began to exhibit some symptoms of Type-2 Diabetes. I began having some nerve issues in my feet and legs, circulation issues, and even enzyme levels consistent with Fatty Liver Disease. I was unable to bend over to tie my own shoes without holding my breath. Something had to change.

While I was experiencing these health issues myself, I began watching veterans I served with coming down with all sorts of health issues related primarily to their weight. Then, even more frighteningly, I began watching them die.

We rightfully place a lot of emphasis on the mental health of our veterans and fortunately, society is coming around on how we view PTSD, how we recognize it, and how we treat it. Suicide prevention among active duty and veterans is finally getting the attention it deserves, and I hope that anyone who ever feels like they are slipping into the abyss reaches out for some help.

But something I feel strongly about is that we’re allowing our veterans to fade away and die too young due to poor health due to a lack of proper diet and fitness. Many veterans have bodies too broken to do a regular PT program that would be sufficient enough to keep their weight down. These same veterans don’t know about how effective diet is to control weight without starvation, without having to skip meals or eat tiny meals, and in a way that is healthy and sustainable in the long-term.

I believe firmly that our veterans deserve better in regards to nutrition and fitness after they separate from our armed forces. I am working behind-the-scenes to do something about it, and in the coming weeks, I hope to be able to announce what I’m working on. It will be exciting!

Until then, if you’re an overweight veteran, I am asking nicely that you look into some diet and fitness options and improve your health. The next time I write about it, I won’t be so nice.

I hear it often enough that I’ve decided to blog about it.

First, I want to reiterate that I’m not the Paleo Police. I don’t care what you eat or how much you eat. That’s your business. But if you come to me for advice, help, or assistance, don’t be upset when I tell you what I believe is the best way to get healthy and lose weight, especially when it comes to bread.

Second, I know that The Paleo Diet is not the only way to get healthy and lose weight. It is, however, the method I’m most familiar with because it is the diet through which I’ve achieved a remarkable weight loss, and it’s helped me keep the weight off for over two years (and counting!).

So, when I say, you have to get rid of bread from your diet, I say it from experience and not because I’m trying to deny you something you love. I love bread too! Very much, in fact! However, the effects of grains on my body range from slight water retention and swelling to full-on digestive issues and weight gain. The fastest way to derail any progress I’ve made in weight loss is to eat some bread.

So, when I say that you have to decide what’s more important to you: bread or health, it’s not a rhetorical question. It’s one only you can answer, and until you’re ready to give up bread, you aren’t ready for Paleo.

Like I said; Paleo isn’t the only way to go, but it’s been the easiest and most efficacious I’ve found.

It’s been a long time since I’ve lost any real weight. I’ve hovered between 165 and 170 lbs for the past few months after reaching a low of 160 lbs earlier this past summer. I’d like to get back to the 160-165 lbs range, but it just hasn’t been happening. My eating habits have been good, but I’ve also had more opportunities for social drinking and some of my planned runs have been cancelled due to injuries and other events. The result is that my weight is up. After the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, it’s up especially high: 172 lbs!

OUCH!

To combat this, I’m re-dedicating myself to strict portion control on a strict Paleo diet coupled with adding bicycle days to my non-running days. It seems to me that the only real difference between me maintaining and being able to drop a few more lbs past 160 lbs is to do a little more exercise. I may throw in a kettlebell routine once or twice a week in place of the bicycle riding, but either way, I’m going to try for at least 5-6 days a week of some sort of physical activity.

Diet will get you 90% there. That last 10%? It looks like I’m going to have to sweat it off.

I was asked this question today, and it really made me think. Usually, I get questions that are pretty easy to answer, but this one was pretty deep. I thought about it for a while, and I think that if I were to answer honestly, I really wish more people knew that the weight loss I experienced is possible for anyone with perseverance.

When I tell people I lost 150 lbs, they act as if I performed some sort of miracle, or that the results I had are not typical. Well, they can be. The problem is that people aren’t willing to sacrifice or feel discomfort. I’m not talking about the discomfort of exercise or post-exercise, and I’m not talking about sacrifice meaning starvation. The discomfort and sacrifice is in saying goodbye to foods that are bad for us, and substituting them with safer, healthier alternatives. The discomfort is in having to turn-over your life to learn a new paradigm in eating, health, and yes, fitness.

None of this is impossible. As a matter of fact, it’s pretty simple, really. But it does take effort, it does take motivation, discipline, and yes, it takes perseverance and some sacrifice. I have said goodbye to some of my favorite foods: pizza, breads, and croissants. There are Paleo alternatives for pizza that are okay, some Paleo bread that is actually pretty darned tasty and amazing, but there’s no substitute for croissants. They are dead to me. And it hurts.

I’ve also given up any sweet drinks, for the most part. Unless I’m imbibing spirits in a social setting, my drinks never contain any sweetener. And that stinks, because I used to really like my sugar with coffee and cream! I also used to really enjoy iced tea with sweetener (preferred the pink or blue packets; the yellow never tasted quite right to me). But, giving up these bad foods and drinks has been totally worth it for me, and honestly, I’ve not looked back. Getting rid of them from my life has become easier and easier with time.

Anyone can do what I’ve done. It’s not impossible. It’s not too hard. It’s not atypical. It just requires getting out of your comfort zone and doing it.

It’s been a strange trip these past 20 years, but without having done a Whole30 and adopting the Paleo Diet, there’s no way I would be where I am today. Heck, there’s a chance I wouldn’t be HERE today.

After leaving the Marines, I quickly became overweight by the USMC height and weight regulations. While I was always on the heavier side of the regulations, I rarely was over the standard for long. I did struggle with my weight due to poor eating habits, long hours, and not enough PT, but as I look back, had I known about the Paleo Diet back then, weight would not have been a concern. The past is what it is; the past. I can’t change that, but I can change my future.

As a civilian, I let myself go. My weight ballooned, my health was in a steady decline, and the most mundane things were starting to become difficult. Doctor after doctor told me that my health was a result of having borrowed time. I was in such good health earlier in life that I had credit, so to speak. However, the bill would soon come, and my credit would run out. When I started experiencing health issues related to Type-2 Diabetes, I knew it was time to do something about it. Surrender was not an option.

I did a Whole30 and adopted the Paleo Diet. A year after starting my first Whole30, I began running. Five months later, I enlisted into the National Guard. Today, I am well within the Army height and weight regulations (which are the same as the Marine Corps), and I score in the top 10% of my unit for our physical fitness tests.

I am 50 years old, and I’m healthier today than I have been since I was a teenager. That’s no accident. It’s not genes, it’s not luck, and it’s certainly not something that happened by accident. Like anything valuable in life, good health is something you have to work at. Wishing or hoping to stay healthy and eating without regard for nutrition and a lack of exercise will work out for a very small percentage of people. For the rest of us, it results in obesity and poor health. I didn’t accept that, and neither should you. You don’t have to have been a Marine or be a soldier to get healthy and lose weight. All it takes is motivation, determination, and perseverance.