Month: February 2018

I get asked by people who knew me when I was overweight about my method for losing weight. They first assume that I lost the weight through a lot of exercise and they are always astonished when I tell them that I lost the weight through diet alone. Then, invariably, they ask what diet I did, and when I tell them I did a Whole30 followed by going Paleo, they either nod their heads and say something like, “Oh, I’ve heard of that. It’s like Atkins, right” or they shake their heads and say, “Well, those diets don’t really work long-term and aren’t good for you. You should eat low-fat.”

Well.

First, I’ve kept my weight off for over two and a half years. Second, as more data comes in from repeatable studies, it is becoming clearer all the time that a low-carb/high-fat diet is better for us. From my own experiences with my improved health to the countless millions of others who have also “Stumbled” upon the LCHF life. But that’s not what I want to write about.

There are lots of ways to lose weight including counting calories (also known as Calories In/Calories Out, or CICO), portion control, and others I don’t even know about. But people have been known to have success with them. So they can’t be all bad, right? Well, I’m not going to talk to that, either, because my opinion is that LCHF is better for us, but what I’m really getting at is the secret ingredient to success in ALL diets, whether they involve LCHF or not: adherence. Strict adherence to the diet and NO CHEATING/SABOTAGE.

I read study after study today regarding many different types of diets, and every one of them claimed to work. They pointed to success stories and proved that if you were to adopt their way of eating and stuck to it, you would lose weight. So, how can so many different diets yield the same results: lost weight? It comes down to being strict.

If you are strict with calories in/calories out (CICO), then it’ll work. Scientifically, this is very solid, and to be honest, there’s nothing more basic. Eat 20% fewer calories than your body needs in a day, and if you keep that up for a long time, you will lose weight. What I advocate in LCHF is that it is easier to maintain than a diet that has a lot of sugar and carbs in it due to the decrease in cravings and no sugar crashes after meals. But aside from that, sticking with a diet is probably the most important thing you can do.

I personally prefer the LCHF diets, but I don’t have a problem with anyone using any other non-invasive method to lose weight. No surgeries, pills, powders, shakes, or crazy fitness regimens are necessary to get healthy and lose weight. Just find a diet that works for you and stick to it!

So, for whatever known reasons, my weight has crept back up. While I feel great and my clothes fit well, my weight is up; enough to have me worried about any official weigh-ins with the National Guard. While my body fat percentage is very low and I can easily pass the “Tape” test, I would prefer to just weigh less than the maximum allowable weight for my height. So, I’m having to go through some extraordinary efforts to drop 10-15 lbs.

I know that there are a few factors that have led to my weight gain:

1. No running for two weeks due to the flu. This will change this week as I hope to be able to run as early as Tuesday this week.
2. Drinking A LOT of alcohol on Saturday. Like, so much alcohol.
3. Eating A LOT of carbs on Saturday night. Sushi was tasty, but not so good for my weight.
4. I ate too much at our Super Bowl party. It was all Paleo, but I ate WAY TOO MUCH.

So, you’re probably thinking, “Just eat less, run more, and the weight will come off naturally,” and your thinking is correct. The problem is that I don’t have a lot of time for this: I have two weeks to lose the weight. So, Keto it is. This won’t be my first experience with Keto, but I’m hoping it’s my best.

I bought some exogenous ketones in the form of Perfect Keto Chocolate Sea Salt supplement that I will use in my coffee. This will help with getting into ketosis quickly and will help my body adapt to using fat instead of glucose as energy. It will also reduce the effects of “Keto Flu” and will help with energy levels as my body transitions into ketosis.

Paleo is great for eating healthy, staying healthy, and for me, it helped me lose 150 lbs. Now, I find myself needing to do something a little more drastic than Whole30 to get my weight back to where I need it to be. This isn’t something I just want to do for vanity’s sake; it’s literally a requirement of my current military service.

Fortunately, Keto and Paleo are very similar except I will be dramatically limiting my carb intake and I can eat more fatty foods to include cheeses (lactose free for me, though). I will have to monitor my macro levels closely, and I will begin utilizing keto strips I purchased for my wife a few months ago. I will document my experience with it.

I am not going to be the Keto Marine long-term. I know people who do Keto as a permanent diet, and that’s great for them, but I don’t want to have to track my keto levels and macros that closely. One of the things I love so much about Paleo is that it’s a common-sense diet that is easy to follow. I just let myself have too much of a good thing coupled with the flu, lack of exercise, and one crazy weekend of over-indulging in everything.

So, Keto, here we come! Let’s hope it goes well!

This is something I have found I do without really trying to, or without thinking about it; I’ve made a game out of tweaking my healthy lifestyle. I really enjoy finding efficiencies with my body as it relates to food and fitness.

I’ve learned some things about how my body reacts to specific foods. While some people have no problems eating certain foods, my body reacts by retaining water. Foods that are high in sugar, in particular, have always had a negative effect on my body. The same goes for anything with lactose: my body does not like it, and my gastrointestinal tract really wants to get rid of anything containing lactose post-haste.

When it comes to running, if I run every other day, my body can sustain a pretty good pace, and I can make steady improvements without too much discomfort or pain. The same goes with push ups; doing them every other day has yielded me some quite good results. Of course, not being able to do anything for two weeks will be a setback, but I also know from experience that the setback will not be nearly as bad as what I used to think it would be. It will take some work to get back to where I was, but it can be done.

I like to use my Garmin GPS watch for tracking my runs, daily steps, and other fitness related information (like I used my Fitbit and Jawbones before it). I enjoy having data points to look at to track my progress and to help motivate me. It really becomes a game of stats.

We all have different motivations for getting healthy and fit, and we also use different methods to be successful at them. I like to have fun with it, and I like to use science and data when tweaking my health. Find what works for you and what makes it interesting and you’ll have an easier time sticking with it. You may learn something along the way, too!

As I wait for my body to start using ketosis to fuel itself, I was thinking about how I had to wait for a year before I lost enough weight that I became unrecognizable to people I’d known for years. The type of weight loss I was hoping for, or even dreaming about, took a long time. Even as I was losing 10 lbs a month, it still felt like it was taking forever.

Until it didn’t.

Now, when I look back, it feels like it went by in a flash. I forget how it felt during those many months of waiting for something to happen, all the while I was losing weight faster than I had ever thought possible. How is it that while I was losing weight, it felt like it was taking forever, and then after it happened, it feels like it happened overnight? I honestly don’t know why this is. I have ideas, but nothing that makes sense enough to write.

The point I’m trying to make is that anything worthwhile takes time. The things we cherish and appreciate the most are typically those that were the most difficult or lengthy to attain. Degrees, certifications, solid relationships, or completing a collection, attaining an item, or buying a house. These are big things that we accept will take a long time. Why don’t we see weight loss the same way?

There’s a multi-billion dollar industry around trying to lose weight fast. People are always looking for not only the easiest way to lose weight (read: without any effort, pain, or discomfort) and the fastest. Well, when you have 100+ lbs to lose, nothing will be fast enough. But, I learned to be patient, and through my weight loss journey, I learned some things about myself.

Being patient is a skill that I’ve possessed and utilized, but I seemed to have forgotten. Once I embraced the long game mindset, I became both happier and focused. It made making decisions about my food easier.

I also learned that thinking long-term allowed me to make better decisions.  If something was presented to me that didn’t fit into my Paleo eating plan, it was easy to turn it down because I knew that progress was hard-earned, and I didn’t want to sabotage it.

Finally, I also learned that I can stick with a plan and see it to completion. I’ve done this before: boot camp, a career in the Marines, and a college degree. Getting healthy, getting fit, and losing weight is no different. I saw it through, and I continue to work at it every day.

I never lose track of where I am, I never forget where I came from, and I am always looking forward to where I am going in regards to my health and fitness. I may stumble or make a conscious decision to go off-plan for a special event or a holiday, but otherwise, I’m always 100% committed to my health, my fitness, and helping motivate those who want the same. I have to remind myself sometimes that this is a long game, and I need to be patient, even when trying to get rid of just a few pounds.

I received a great question from a friend recently:

How “active” were you in the beginning? Surely you had to get places by walking (even if just from home to car, car to office, office to car, and car to home).

I’ve done just about everything right, so why do I weigh so much? I’ve said this myself many times, and honestly, I’m suffering right now from a bout of the “Ugly Scale” disease. Before I start thinking it can’t be anything I’ve done wrong, I have to really look at everything I’ve done in the past two weeks to get to where I am today.

1. I’ve been eating portions that are too large. Plain and simple. Even if you eat the right foods, in the wrong amounts, it will pack on.
2. I haven’t been running. This one has been out of my control, but it exacerbates item #1. I want to run so badly, but as I’m still under the weather, I have to postpone any workout plans until my body is physically able to do the exercise. Above all, I have to be safe.
3. I haven’t been sleeping enough. I have been getting between 6 to 6.5 hours of sleep a night when my body prefers 7+. I need to change this ASAP.
4. I had a weekend full of alcohol and graze eating. This doesn’t happen often, thankfully, but it did happen recently and the scale is showing it.
5. Having the flu has caused some weird stuff to happen with my body as I’ve been taking medicine. It’s possible that my attempts at remaining hydrated at all times coupled with medication has caused some water retention.

There’s always an explanation for weight gain. Always. Our bodies don’t just gain weight without reason. The first thing to look at is what has went through the lips. Second, is what has changed in activity, sleep, or wellness? Taken together, it paints a pretty bleak picture for me.

The good news is, as I’ve stated on this blog before, I know how to fix this, and I know how quickly I can and will see results. However, I’m going to take things a step further starting next week. I will have a blog post detailing that very soon.

LCHF covers a group of diets that cut sugar in large amounts and rely on fat to fuel the body. Extreme versions of these diets are Keto which forces the body to change from using sugar to turn into energy to using fat. This is known to induce fast weight loss, but it is difficult to get into ketosis, and can be difficult to maintain. Atkins, Whole30, and the Paleo Diet are also in the LCHF realm of diets, but are easier to maintain.

I have done four Whole30’s, and I am currently (as I have been for the past two and a half years) on the Paleo Diet. When I say I’m on a diet, I mean it in the truest definition of the word: it’s the food I eat on a day-to-day basis. I am not on a diet to lose weight. I am on a diet to stay healthy.

I lost weight on every Whole30 I’ve done, but it’s not the reason I did my last one. I did it to reset my cravings, my portion sizes, and to just get back to basics. Going back to my normal Paleo Diet has been a very underwhelming experience; it’s just the same food, except now, Sherry can add some honey to some recipes, or she can make a Paleo bread with nut flours.

My personal LCHF successes are the following:

• I am no longer diabetic. I was on Metformin prior to adopting an LCHF diet. Now, I’m completely normal.
• I lost 150 lbs in two years, 110 of it without exercise in the first year.
• I no longer have circulation issues in my legs/feet.
• I no longer have nerve tingling in my legs.
• I no longer have fatty liver disease.
• My vision (which was being negatively impacted by Diabetes) has improved two years in a row.
• My gums, which have long suffered from chronic gingivitis, are healthy. I have had no new cavities in two years.

LCHF is something you will likely see more about in the news as time goes by. It’s being proven anecdotally daily, and there are scientific studies underway that, from early indications, show that it is a much better and healthier way for humans to eat.

I suggest you read as much as you can about it, and I am certain you will reach the same conclusion that I have: LCHF is a better way for humans to eat, and will lead to better health and even weight loss. Fat is not the devil it’s been made out to be, and sugar isn’t nearly as innocent as it’s been made out to be.

This is a phrase I wish I’d have learned sooner. I saw someone post this on Reddit, and I like it. It’s a simple way to say what I’ve been trying to tell people for the past two and a half years: you can’t exercise away a bad diet. You lose weight as the result of the choices you make in food.

I was literally just reading a post written by someone locally who is rather well-known, and she was lamenting the lack of weight loss progress despite the amount of physical effort she’s put into losing weight. I was going to post the title phrase, but she continued in her post that she was adopting a diet to help her lose weight. Good steps, I thought, until I saw what she was going to do: limit calories, limit carbs (yay) and fat (boo), and eat chicken and salad.

UGH

Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing someone say that. What it is going to do is make her continually hungry. When adopting a diet, it’s important to adopt one that allows you to eat as much food as your body needs based on daily conditions. Some days we are more active; your body will want you to eat a little more. On more sedentary days, you are satisfied more easily. As your weight declines, so do your caloric needs. That’s why I never counted calories; it’s too fluid and your body will do a fantastic job of letting you know when you need more or less.

Have people been successful at losing weight by counting calories? Certainly, but the difficulty factor is raised quite a bit as compared to how I lost weight: comfortably, without cravings, and without feeling miserable. To the contrary, I felt great, energetic, and free from cravings.

Have people been successful at losing weight by going low-fat? They claim to have done so, but I think it has more to do with other factors. I know many vegetarians and even some vegans who are obese. They are 100% non-fat, yet they are unhealthy and at risk of diabetes. I don’t know nearly as many obese people who have cut out sugar and grains.

Please, if you take ANYTHING away from this blog, I would hope it is this:

• Diet change = weight loss
• Exercise = fitness

That’s the simple truth when it comes to health and fitness. Anything to the contrary is a lie.

Do you want to give yourself the best chance to succeed with weight loss, fitness, and better health? Then do what I did: read a lot. Seriously. The more research you can do, the better chance you have for success because you give yourself as much information as necessary to get past any stumbling or roadblocks you may encounter.

Many times, when people I know who have adopted the Paleo diet and failed tell me it’s because they couldn’t quite follow the plan or had really bad cravings. They didn’t know how to proceed. That’s where the reading comes in. Often times, it’s the rules that get you. What rules do I mean? Well, specifically the types of food you can and cannot eat.

Before we did our first Whole30, Sherry and I did a lot of reading. We try to find out as much information as we could, and to make ourselves as familiar as possible with what we could and could not eat. We found a bunch of recipes, and we learned which foods we already ate that we could continue eating and continue to be Whole30 compliant. We also read about what to expect, including things like the first week flu-like symptoms. This allowed us to know what to expect, so that when we encountered or experienced these things, they didn’t come as a surprise. We had a strategy, and we knew how to overcome these difficulties.

People mistakenly think that the results that Sherry and I experienced are not normal, and that somehow, we got lucky. Nothing could be further from the truth. What we did, anyone can do. All it takes is following the rules, and sticking to the plan. No cheating, no sabotage, and no taking a break from eating right. It’s important to note, that my weight loss for the first year, 110 pounds, all came without exercise. Anyone can do what we did, regardless of physical ability. As long as you have the power to put things into your mouth and feed yourself, then you have everything you need to eat right.

Give yourself the best chance for success in losing weight and reaching better health. Do the research. There is a lot of free information available to you on the web, libraries, or for purchase at your local bookstores. The more information you arm yourself with prior to taking on a new lifestyle through a new diet, the better chance you have for success.