Month: December 2017

As I was getting ready for my 5k run last Saturday, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror wearing my skin-tight running gear designed to keep me warm in the 30-degree weather. It made me pause, and I am not ashamed to admit that I almost wanted to cry.

I was a different man. I was a healthy, trim, and fit man. I was the man I always wanted to be but never thought I could be.

The moment passed quickly as we needed to get to the run on-time, but my mind lingered on it for a few days. Heck, I’m still thinking about it. I can’t believe what I’ve accomplished.

It wasn’t easy, but then again, it wasn’t all that hard. The weight loss part was the easiest. No, I’m serious: it felt like I was cheating at life. Sure, I had to give up grains like bread, pasta, oatmeal, pizza, pastries, and many other things I loved like rice, beans, and more. No more sweet drinks, even with artificial sweeteners. I had to give up foods I grew up with and had emotional attachments to. But I did so knowing that there was hope for me, and that the future would hold better health and possibly better fitness. The foods I was allowed to eat were delicious, filling, and somehow were on lists of foods to avoid (bacon, butter, eggs, red meat). I felt like I had used a cheat code to life to be able to eat such “Sinful” foods and to be losing weight as quickly as I was. When my blood work confirmed I was healthier and no longer Diabetic, I knew I was on the right path. I never expected it to be as effective and easy long-term.

Today, I don’t miss the non-Paleo foods. Walking through a bakery doesn’t tempt me. Being in a checkout aisle with candy surrounding me doesn’t make me feel sad anymore. Honestly. It’s the best, most liberated I’ve ever felt in regards to food cravings. Do I miss a good chocolate cake, brownies, or mousse? Sure! But there are Paleo alternatives I can have from time to time that sate those desires, so it’s not as bleak as some would think.

I still can’t believe sometimes that I’m back to being a fit, healthy person. Seeing myself in the mirror was a special moment that will live with me forever. I have succeeded where I never thought I could. I have been maintaining this healthy lifestyle for over two years, and it’s only getting easier and better all the time.

Short answer: yes.

Now for the long answer: I lost 110 lbs in my first year of Paleo (starting it all with a Whole30) without doing any form of exercise at all. And when I say no exercise, I mean I didn’t even go for walks. I only walked where I needed to; not a step further.

But that didn’t last.

On my one year anniversary of starting our Whole30, I found myself 110 lbs lighter, and an idea popped into my head: what if I got healthy enough to be able to get back into the military? Either the Reserve or the National Guard, and then I could finish my 20 years and get some sort of retirement benefits. Besides, I loved serving in the Marines, and I missed the camaraderie and the culture. But, to be able to get back in, I’d have to meet not only height and weight requirements and pass a stringent physical (even more stringent being over 40), but I’d need to be able to pass a physical fitness test which consisted of push ups, sit ups, and a run. So, I began with walking and push ups.

I the beginning, I was only able to do 7 push ups. I was dejected. That was pitiful. But I decided that I would persevere and keep going, making gains naturally and slowly. I never pushed my arms to the point of pain or failure. I would do the push ups only as long as they were easy, and when I felt like I had to start struggling, I would stop. I would then rest my arms for a day, and do them again. I kept at it until 4 months later, I was doing 120 push ups in two minutes.

My walking went the same way. I walked 30 minutes each day until I felt like walking wasn’t doing anything, so I started doing a slow shuffle jog. I would shuffle/jog one day, and then take the next day off. I worked on increasing the distances I could jog each day until one day, I felt that my jogging was too easy, so I extended my pace into a run. I felt like Forrest Gump kicking the leg braces off to run. It felt great! My legs were free, and it actually felt good to extend my legs and to run. On that first run, I was able to go the entire 30 minutes without stopping. That was my first official run. My pace was 11+ minutes per mile, but it was a run.

Fast-forward a year. I just completed my second 5k, I’ve been accepted into and have been serving in the National Guard, and I passed my first APFT in the top 10% of my unit. My average run pace is ~8:30/mile, and I’m working on getting that to sub-8’s hopefully next year.

Did I need to exercise to keep the weight off? No. I kept eating healthy, and that is what kept the weight off. The running and push ups only help keep me fit which is important for my National Guard service, but also allows me to take part in activities I couldn’t dream of just two years ago.

Do you need exercise to lose weight? No. Will adding exercise to your routine benefit you in other ways? Absolutely! I highly recommend doing something. Anything.

After three days of drinking alcohol nightly and two dinners with non-Paleo foods coupled with no more than 4 hours of sleep three nights in a row, I gained a solid 7 lbs. You read that right; three days of non-Paleo stuff caused me to gain 7 lbs. Did I actually gain 7 lbs of body mass? No, of course not. The vast majority of that weight was caused by two things: inflammation and water retention.

The good part about this type of weight gain is that it goes away pretty quickly with some solid rules following. That’s what happened to me this week, and as of this morning, I’m down 6 lbs. One more to go, and I’m down to pre-weekend levels! Then, I can work on losing just a few more before my trip to NYC next week.

Weight fluctuates daily, and sometimes as much as a few lbs in a single day. That’s why it’s not a good idea to use weight as a sole indicator of your progress in getting healthy. Sure, we all want to lose weight, and weight is the easiest measure of our overall health, but it’s only one data point among many.

While I had gained 7 lbs, I didn’t really feel all that bloated nor did my clothes get tight. It’s weird; everything I know about weight and mass says my clothes should have felt tighter, yet they did not. I did notice a loss of definition on my muscles due to the excess water, but it wasn’t more than just visible. This morning, my abs were showing much better, and the veins in my arms popped out more.

Lessons re-learned:

1. No alcohol!
2. Eat Paleo foods!
3. Get enough sleep (7+ hours)!

As for totals? I’m back down to my pre-Hurricane Harvey weight at 167.5 lbs! That makes me VERY happy, and validates eating a strict Paleo diet and getting enough sleep as a viable method of losing weight on-demand for me.

Do you know what really hard is? Battling cancer. Being disfigured in a traffic accident and having to go through physical therapy to learn to walk again. Losing a limb in combat and learning to use a prosthetic. Having a stroke and being unable to walk or run. Being born with a condition that keeps you from walking or running. Heck, there are people born with all kinds of limiting afflictions. But these people don’t complain. They take their lot, they fight, and they persevere. Some may lost the battle, but not for lack of effort or for not having heart.

When people tell me that giving up grains is hard, I smile. I smile, because I think it would be incredibly rude of me to tell them to their face what I’m thinking, which is: “ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?! YOU THINK THAT’S HARD?!?!?!”

Whenever I am running and I need to motivate myself or if I find I’m no running hard enough, I pick up the pace and think about all the people I know who can’t run like I am. People who would give anything to be able to hit the pavement and run. When I first started my Whole30, I used the same thoughts to motivate me. I told myself, “This isn’t hard. All I have to do is NOT eat something. What’s hard would be wanting to eat and having no option. What’s hard is fighting cancer and having nausea so terrible that I can’t keep any food down. What’s hard is going through months or years of physical therapy. This is easy!” And you know what? It became easy. In time, it became a non-issue.

Just last night, my wife and I were checking out at a local grocery store, and I gazed upon the plethora of candies and chocolates on display. I felt nothing. I wasn’t tempted, and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. And it struck me; it was glorious.

Avoiding grains is not hard. It may be now, but when you put it into perspective and after you’ve done it for a while, it gets easier. Trust me; I’ve been there.

I have been asked a few times about drinking coffee and/or tea because these things are not Whole30 compliant. This is true. When I did my first Whole30, I cut out the coffee, but as soon as we were done and decided on adopting the Paleo Diet, I reintroduced coffee and tea with good success.

There are many studies that show the efficacy of coffee and tea to reduce the risk of digestive tract cancer, as well as caffeine being something that can help get through minor cravings as well as perk you up when you’re tired. I personally enjoy both coffee and tea for the flavor and find the caffeine is a fringe benefit. I can go without drinking coffee and not suffer ill-effects, so I’m guessing I’m not very addicted to the caffeine.

Personally, I can’t just drink water all the time. I need SOMETHING to flavor my water. I refuse to use any sugar or artificial sweeteners, and I will not drink fruit juices. So, that leaves me tea and coffee.

Yes. I drink them straight and without anything else in them. Not even butter or coconut oil.

It took some time to get used to.

I could drink bone broth, but I haven’t gone down that path yet. I will try it this week and see how it goes, and I’ll report back after I have had it a few times. I have, on occasion, tried bone broth and really liked it, but I like the ultra-low calorie impact of coffee and tea and I’m not convinced that bone broth would be the same.

So, if the lack of coffee or tea is getting in the way of you doing a Whole30 or going Paleo, don’t let it stop you. It hasn’t stopped me, and I lost 150 lbs on Paleo with coffee and tea.

It happens. You go to a party or three, drink some wine, maybe even some mulled spiced wine, and eat a cheesecake or two. Then, you step on the scale and OMG WHAT THE HECK!?!?!?!!! I know. I’ve been there. I am there.

JUST RELAX.

Take a breath.

Exhale.

It’s going to be okay. You aren’t going to balloon up 10-20 lbs in a week. It takes time to put on weight, and it takes work to make that a permanent gain. If you don’t want to make it permanent, get back to your original diet and your weight will get back down to where you want it to be. It won’t happen over night, but put in the work, take the time, and you will be rewarded.

It’s nothing to lose sleep over or to get upset about. You lived a little. You enjoyed those holiday parties, and the good times with family and friends. So now, you have to “Pay the Piper,” as they say. It is what it is, and you can’t change that.

So relax. Everything’s okay. If you don’t like your weight, you know what to do and how to do it. Just get it done.

We are well within the Holiday Season now, and that means lots of parties, gatherings, and get-togethers filled with food and drink. Many, if not the vast majority of those foods and drinks are non-Paleo compliant, so what’s a Paleo guy like me to do? There’s only one thing I can do: mitigate the damage.

How do I do that successfully? It begins with the knowledge that I will gain some weight and I will be eating and drinking foods that aren’t as good for me as I normally allow. It’s the first key to being able to repair all this damage later. I need to know that it’s going to happen so that I can formulate a plan to counter the effects later.

Next, it’s directly mitigating the amount of these non-Paleo foods I will imbibe. From the foods to the drinks, I need to remember to keep the portions reasonable, and to focus on filling myself with as many Paleo compliant or Paleo-ish foods as I can and minimize the serving sizes of the non-Paleo foods. Sometimes this can’t be avoided, but where possible, minimize.

Finally, while not at a party, gathering, or get-together, I stick to a very strict Paleo diet. I eat only Paleo foods, and I drink only water, coffee, or tea. Maybe a bone broth, too, but that’s it. I’m also making sure I hit my 3-5 days of physical activity to help burn calories and strengthen my cardio ability. I know that the exercise is a drop in the bucket as it pertains to weight loss, but when it comes to mitigating weight gain from excess calories, it’s surprisingly good. That’s why a good fitness plan is good for maintaining weight while it’s not nearly as good as a primary source for losing it.

So, I’m heading into this season knowing the scale will be ugly to me. My muscles will lose some definition from the additional bloat I’m going to be experiencing, but this is all well and good, because I have a plan to drop it all after the holidays, and this is not my first rodeo. I’ve done this twice already, and I am certain that this will be an annual occurrence. With some planning and preparation, I can mitigate the damage and win the war against permanently gaining weight.

The foods I’m eating this week are some of my favorites, and from what Sherry told me, they are not too difficult to make. All of these recipes are available on her site, Our Daily Bacon.

Beef and Chorizo Meatloaf. This is one of my very favorite recipes. I like meatloaf, but this one is very special, indeed. It marries beef and chorizo and is topped with bacon and a chipotle sauce that really makes for a flavorful and filling dish. If I could get Sherry to make this one every week, I would. Fortunately, she knows what’s best, and only makes this for me about once a month.

Chicken Tikka Masala. This is a slow-cooker recipe, and one with amazing depth of flavor and such delicious flavor. Served with cauli-rice, it’s also one of my favorites. It’s filling but feels light, and is very satisfying. This dish tastes exotic, and the aromas from it while heating it up fill the room and make my co-workers envious.

Egg Roll Bowl. This one is an interesting dish, and among my favorites. It’s basically like the insides of an egg roll but served in a bowl and without the deep fried rice wrapping. Sherry uses a Paleo friendly coconut amino teriyaki sauce in it to give it a really nice zip, and with the cabbage, is a great source of fiber which is something I sometimes struggle with in my diet as I am a heavy meat eater.

Greek Meat Balls. Oh my goodness are these delicious! Sherry makes it with lamb, and along with a Paleo tzaziki sauce, is a great light lunch that is paradoxically filling. These make great appetizers for gatherings and parties, but eaten as a meal is really filling and delicious.

Of the four dishes I’ll be eating for lunch this week, none of these require any crazy amount of time or effort to make, but it should be noted that Sherry did spend a good portion of her time on Sunday prepping these meals. If I were in the kitchen with her, it would have definitely reduced the amount of time required, so I definitely recommend some teamwork on prep days. With that said, the slow cooker meals are among the easier ones, and Sherry noted that the Egg Roll Bowl was super-simple and quick to make.

The easiest way for you to stick with a new and different diet is to eat foods that taste good and that keep you filled up. I tried many other diets that were conducive to weight loss but didn’t leave me satisfied or didn’t taste great. On top of that, the food wasn’t varied, and I quickly developed palate fatigue. Palate fatigue is when you get tired of eating the same food over and over again. This often happens to people who stick to a baked chicken breast diet. Palate fatigue is one of the reasons my wife was reluctant to try Whole30.

To her surprise, the number of amazing and delicious Whole30 compliant recipes was massive, and many of them were very quick and easy to make. One of the complaints people tell me is that they’d try a healthy diet, but that the recipes are either too difficult or take too long to make. While this can be true of some recipes, this is not always the case and should not be a barrier to adopting a healthy lifestyle. Thankfully, my wife persevered through finding delicious recipes for us to make some really amazing foods for us that allowed us to be wildly successful on our first and subsequent Whole30’s.

One strategy we use to keep our meals fresh and exciting is to find new things to make every week. While we have repeat recipes we enjoy from time to time, Sherry tries to incorporate new recipes once or twice per week depending on what we decide to eat. This introduces us to new foods, and also teaches her new techniques and combinations which allows her to come up with new recipes of her own. More importantly, it keeps us from getting bored with the foods we eat.

When you transition from a Whole30 to Paleo, things can get pretty complicated if you begin making foods that are analogues for non-Paleo foods like breads, muffins, and other foods typically made with grains. This is where Paleo gets a bad rap. Admittedly, Sherry will say that these foods can take up to 5x the time time make. Some of these are worth the effort while others sometimes fall short. The bottom line is that there are plenty of foods that can be made easily and with common ingredients to eat healthy.

Enjoy what you eat. Search out for foods you already enjoy that are easily adapted to Paleo or Whole30. Chances are if you stick with meats, vegetables, and fruits with spices devoid of sugar and artificial sweeteners, you are likely able to easily keep eating foods you already enjoy which will go a long way to aid your success in eating well.