Category: Motivation

Revitalizing my life with Whole30

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

There was a time when everything I did to try to become healthy was wrong. The wrong diets. The wrong exercise. The wrong plans. Even the motivation was wrong. I looked for shortcuts, for tricks: I looked for anything that would help me get healthy. None of it worked.

My granddaughter and I playing. She is an additional motivator in my health journey.

I never had the money for fancy pills, powders, products, or plans that promised the miracle of losing weight and getting healthy. If there was a diet or plan that promised substantial benefits towards getting healthy and losing weight, I tried them. And they all failed.

That’s why when my cousin, a Physician Assistant, recommended I try Whole30, I was incredulous. I thought, “Great. Here goes another plan that is doomed to fail,” but out of respect for her and with a healthy dose of fear that she gifted me through a heart-to-heart conversation about where my poor health and heavy weight were leading me, I was able to convince my wife to give it a try. I had high hopes, but no real expectations for success. What ended up happening was far beyond what I could have even hoped for.

That first month, I lost 20 lbs. Then, for the following 12 months, I lost roughly 10 lbs for a total of 130 lbs lost in one year. I had physicals throughout the year because I wanted to monitor my health as my body was undergoing such a rapid transformation. Each time test results came back, they were better than the last. Heck, the first physical I had just 2 months after starting Whole30, my Type 2 Diabetes was nowhere to be found. It was so confusing to my primary care physician that they ordered a second set of tests; they thought they made an error and received someone else’s results in place of mine. They couldn’t believe the Diabetes was gone. Neither could I.

Fast-forward 12 years. I’ve kept the weight off, the Diabetes is still gone, cholesterol is healthy, and I’m still leaning heavily on Whole30 from time to time. Normally, my wife and I eat Paleo, but as we are human and prone to slipping into bad habits, we need the refresh that Whole30 gives us. What is funny to us is how, once we’ve decided to do another one, we don’t dread it. We actually look forward to the many benefits we know it will provide:

  • Mental clarity
  • Fitting better into clothes
  • Improved energy levels
  • Improved self-image (I like what I see in the mirror or those selfies much more)
  • Last but not least, the smaller number on the scale

I don’t frame Whole30 as a restrictive diet (I never did, actually) although I did have fears that it would be on my first round. Now, I see it as revisiting an old friend, one who feeds me with delicious and healthy foods I don’t have to feel guilty about. Foods that nourish my body without artificial chemicals or ingredients that also taste great. I see it as a rebirth of a good habit: eating better food.

My wife had to remind me one night at dinner after she asked me if I was full (and I responded that I wasn’t really) that I was allowed to eat more. Whole30 doesn’t restrict your serving sizes, although one should still be mindful of over-eating (which is my biggest problem). I ate an additional half serving and then it hit me; I was full and felt sated.

Some things I have to remember and re-teach myself every Whole30:

  • Sleep is important. For me, 7 hours or more a night is key for actual weight loss
  • Serving size is important but not set in stone. Eat until full (or just about full) and stop
  • Fiber is important as I tend to be protein-heavy on Whole30’s
  • Fruit is okay, but be mindful of the amount of sugar (which is why I prefer blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries over bananas)
  • Trust the process

That last one is also key, but it’s become more than a slogan for me. It’s a reassurance. Every single time I’ve done a Whole30, I’ve been successful. The length of time after a Whole30 that I can go without doing another one seems to be 9-12 months, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go on without doing another one (because I have those life-long bad habits and psychological issues around eating), but I no longer dread them. To the contrary, I welcome them and look forward to the positive changes that Whole30 give me and brings to my life.

Seeing the results in the mirror

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

It’s one thing to see a number getting smaller and smaller, but it’s another thing entirely when you can see the results in the mirror and feel them in your skin. Another morning with not only appreciable weight loss (another pound, down to 189.4 lbs) but also finally seeing it in my face. Today as I was shaving, I could see it, and it felt great. I haven’t looked at this face in a few years, actually.

I have more crows feet around the eyes when my weight drops, but I’m okay with that.

Right after I went on my deployment, I injured my shoulder. That kept me out of the gym which in the past really helped me stay slim while eating right, and the resulting sadness over losing that outlet made me a little less diligent with my food choices. I didn’t go crazy, as I never got past 200 lbs, but I hovered in the high 190’s for the past two years.

Fast forward to January 2026. The shoulder still has pain (I’m seeing the specialist tomorrow, actually), but I finally decided enough was enough. The weight gain wasn’t due to lack of exercise, but a lack of restraint in what I was eating. Whole30 was needed in more ways than one.

Usually when I’m on my Paleo diet, I tend to be a little loose on the weekends. This causes a yo-yo with my weight: I gain about 2-2.5 lbs on the weekend and then lose it by the next weekend, only to start the process all over again.

While on Whole30, however, that doesn’t happen. As I stick to the plan, I don’t allow myself even the slightest wiggle room. In the long run, this is far better for me not only physically, but psychologically. It allows me to stay in the right mindset and honestly, it makes everything related to eating and my health easier.

I have drill later this month, and the only difficulty will be in finding Whole30 compatible foods. I know I can probably find some Mexican places for Fajitas, some steak places for steak and sweet potato, and all breakfast places will have bacon and eggs, but the bacon will be suspect as the vast majority of places use bacon with sugar. I might do some research and try to find some Whole30 compatible frozen meals I can buy when I’m in Austin and just have in my hotel room as necessary.

But this I know: I will feel great in my uniform, I already feel better in my civilian clothing, and when I look in the mirror, I get a jolt of motivation because the face looking back at me is no longer bloated from excess water weight or wearing the extra weight which was the result in a lack of discipline.

10 Years of Healthy Living

Published on by PaleoMarine2 Comments

When I first started my new lifestyle with a Whole30, I happened to have an annual physical scheduled about 45 days later which I went to. They drew blood, took vitals, and after the doctor admonishing me for partaking in a “Fad diet,” I went home. Three days later, I was called by the doctor’s office telling me that they had made a mistake and I needed to re-do my bloodwork. They said my blood was somehow changed with someone else’s, and the tests had to be re-done. I went in and they drew blood again, but this time, the results were the same as before, so the doctor called me in to talk about them.

These photos were taken exactly 1 year apart at an annual event.

He told me that he’d never seen someone go from being Type-2 Diabetic to not having elevated blood sugar at all. My blood pressure was normal, and with the exception of one of my lipid counts being a bit elevated, everything else looked normal. This was not the case for me before which is why they initially thought that my blood had somehow been exchanged with someone else’s.

After a year and 110 lbs lost, the doctor told me that he had also done a Whole30 and transitioned to Paleo and that he was advising all his patients to do the same. He said he’d never seen as successful of a transformation as mine and I was the inspiration for him to change his life and the lives of his patients struggling with weight and weight-related health issues.

We often hear that most people who diet to lose weight gain the weight back and then some within a year or two. First, Whole30 and the Paleo Diet are not fad diets. Second, I adopted a healthy lifestyle, not just a new diet. After my initial year of weight loss, I incorporated a lot of exercise and activities that are physical (mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, and re-joining the military). Eating sensibly and being cognizant of portion size coupled with limiting non-compliant foods as much as possible, I’ve maintained my weight loss for over 10 years now.

There are times when my weight fluctuates; typically when my wife and I go on a vacation and we sample local foods that are non-compliant. We mitigate the impact by sharing meals and limiting portion size, yet the weight still sticks to us. The butcher’s bill is usually between 6-10 lbs for a two-week trip. Fortunately, a lot of that is from water weight, and the vast majority is lost within a week of returning home and eating compliant foods again. But for the most part, I’ve stuck around the 185 lbs mark for over 10 years now.

I would prefer to be 170 lbs or less, but my body has other ideas. For whatever reason, it seems like this weight, because no matter how much I exercise or how closely I follow my diet, the weight seems to stick between 188 and 183 lbs.

Has it been hard? Not really. I still get to sneak the occasional dark chocolate or croissant without any significant impact on my health and weight, but otherwise, the Paleo Diet has become not only my new normal, but the new normal for my entire family and even close friends. There are many Paleo recipes we even prefer now over their non-Paleo counterparts as we find them even more delicious.

I don’t miss being winded walking up a flight of stairs. I don’t miss having pain in my legs when I wake up in the morning. I don’t miss not being able to tie my shoes because my stomach was so large it got in the way of me bending forward. I don’t miss the feeling of always being tired, and of always being over-heated even in air-conditioned spaces. For all those reasons, I stick to my diet happily and continue to be physically active as much as possible.

Ten Years

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment
Ten years (to the day) difference in these photos.

I remember when I started my first Whole30. People were only mildly encouraging. Most told me, “You know, most people gain all the weight back and then some after doing fad diets.” I persisted despite the negativity and embraced not a fad diet, but a change in lifestyle. I knew that the key to success long-term was not the mindset of losing weight but of changing my lifestyle to get healthy. I wanted to make changes that were permanent and, most importantly, sustainable forever.

Whole30 led me to Paleo which has been my diet for eight years now. While injuries have led me to not be as active for the past 6 months, I’ve still managed to keep the weight off and to remain healthy.

The key to keeping the weight off is to embrace the lifestyle change and to have the mindset that there is no turning back. There is no being unhealthy. There is no accepting sabotage. There is only success.

I am so much better off today than I was 10 years ago. Heck, if I hadn’t made the changes, I might not even be here today. I had fatty liver disease, Type-2 diabetes, and circulation problems in my legs and feet. Even my vision was declining due to the diabetes. All these things were reversed within the first year of doing my first Whole30 just due to diet change alone.

Set your mind to it. Stop putting it off. Commit to being healthy and do the work to make it happen. Once you embrace the lifestyle, it gets easier.

Small Victories

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

I did something on Friday that has been one of the most difficult things for me to do: I stopped eating a meal when I felt full instead of when all the food was gone.

Part of the problem I have with eating healthy is not that I eat the wrong things; I very rarely do. The problem I have is that I derive pleasure from not only how delicious the food is, but also in finishing my meals. This comes from my childhood, as it does from many other peoples’ where our parents admonished us if we didn’t “Clean the plate.”

Change little things where you can. Then keep doing it and change another little thing. This morning, I chose something that wasn’t my first choice, but was a much healthier choice for breakfast than what I actually initially wanted.

Never give up, don’t allow yourself to fall on that slippery slope of, “Just this once.” That “Once” turns into another and another and before you know it, you’re having to start all over again.

Quality of Life Transformation: From Whole30 to Paleo Diet and Exercise

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

I never would have thought of myself as being the type of person who could stay on a specific diet for any period of time to allow me to be successful long-term in getting fit and healthy. I thought that I was a slave to food, and that I would forever be doomed to eating too much, eating the wrong foods, and honestly, to die young.

Whole30 changed that for me, and transitioning into the Paleo Diet was super easy. Once my sugar addiction was broken and I learned to eat foods made from whole ingredients and avoiding anything with added sugar, grains, dairy, and legumes really made me feel better and improved my health significantly in measurable ways.

Initially, the incredible improvements in my health fueled my desire to stay strictly on the diet and to avoid sabotabing my process through cheat meals or days. Then, the more weight I lost and the healthier my body was getting, the less I wanted to go back. I saw every temptation as sabotage which made it easy to avoid. Then, once I started exercising and added fitness to my plan, I didn’t want to eat anything that would hinder my progress in getting stronger, faster, and more able to do long-term exercise.

In the end, now I am motivated by how I feel followed by how comfortable I am in doing things like mountain biking, hiking, walking up flights of stairs, wearing clothes that I like, and even getting in and out of my Porsche (which would have been impossible at my heaviest). All these things are quality of life (QoL), and my QoL is so much better with a healthy lifestyle than it ever was before.

Do I miss eating anything and everything with wild abandon? Absolutely! I love eating (still), and one of my biggest behavioral issues is that I have a very hard time with portion control. The more I eat, the happier I am, so it’s a struggle I fight still. But when I’m tempted to eat more, I remind myself that I feel great and I don’t want to sabotage that feeling and all the work I’ve done to get there with short-term satisfaction.

At the end of the day, health and fitness are things that you can’t buy; you have to earn it the old fashioned way: by putting in the work.

Healthy Living: Embracing the Rewards of Persistence and Self-Determination

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

Nothing feels better than progress, especially when it’s hard earned. Nothing worthwhile in life comes easily unless you are just lucky, and let’s face it; most of us just aren’t. So, to attain anything truly special or amazing takes a lot of preparation and hard work.

Getting healthy is no different. Losing weight is no different. Getting fit is no different. It is the reason why people who are fit and healthy get a respect that nothing else does. It takes discipline, effort, planning, and dedication to execution unlike anything else. And also unlike anything else, it’s not something you can shortcut or buy. A fit body isn’t something you can just go to a store and buy. There’s only one way to do it: put in the work.

That’s what I remind myself every time I get an urge to eat some chocolate or to have a larger portion than I should: put in the work. Be disciplined. The payoff will be worth it.

Yesterday, I was able to put on some clothes that I haven’t worn in a few months, and they fit perfectly. It was one of those moments that reminded me why I was doing the work and why I was sticking so strictly to the plan.

It’s not easy. It’s why 40% of all Americans are considered obese. If it were easy, we wouldn’t have to spend so much time and effort trying to get to a healthier weight or to trim down. But it is 100% worth the effort. Feeling good in one’s own skin is the ultimate payoff, and everyone will know that you put in the work and you stuck with it.

I was asked recently on Reddit in a thread I posted over 7 years ago if I kept the weight off. I replied that I had, and beyond that, I got fit and was able to join the National Guard and I’m still serving today. I continue to do the work and continue to be disciplined. Sure, I had a few back-slides here and there where my weight went up more than I’d like, but ultimately, I know what has to be done and I know how to do it. I know how to get the results I want and need. But it ultimately comes down to one thing: nobody can do this for me. I can get help, but what goes into my mouth and how much I move is all determined by me. And it’s a good feeling when you see the fruits of your labor come in.

Rethinking Health Metrics: Beyond the Scale

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

Too many people put all the emphasis on a single metric for success when adopting a healthier lifestyle: the scale. While a person’s weight is a good, solid, and measurable metric to track, it shouldn’t be not only the sole metric, but even the one with the most emphasis.

I learned almost 8 years ago that health is a collection of different data points that, together, paint the whole picture. Weight, my emotional health, how I feel in my skin, how my clothes fit and feel, how my joints feel; these all put together tell me how I’m doing. The funniest thing about it is that I even mentioned weight first in my little list, and that’s because it’s the easiest data point to acquire. Just step on a scale, and *BOOM* there it is. But how do I feel? How do my clothes fit? My empotional wellbeing? Those are much more subjective, but honestly, they’re more important.

Case in point: this morning, my weight was up. Unexplainebly up by more than I liked, but the crazy part is that my pants haven’t fit so well in months. As for the shirt I put on, it’s another one that was skin-tight just two and a half weeks ago. Today? It fit perfectly. Then, there’s how I feel emotionally. I’m a little tired from not getting enough sleep, but otherwise, I’m doing great. I can feel the progress, and I feel that the sugar addiction is almost all gone. There is a mental clarity that comes with being off sugar, and it makes everything feel hyper-real as compared to a few weeks ago. I love that feeling!

So, the scale may not have been my friend today, but the way my clothes fit, the lack of pain in my joints and my back, and my emotional clarity all told me that I’m well on the right path, and I need to keep going.

Weekend and back pain

Published on by PaleoMarine2 Comments

This weekend was supposed to be full of me doing some chores and tasks I’ve been putting off for a while and ended with me in bed taking muscle relaxers.

Ugh.

So, how did I get into this predicament? The best I can guess is that I was using poor posture at my desk on the first half of Friday. At noon, it was sore, and by Friday evening, I was in excruciating pain. I then spent the next two days either on a couch propped up with pillows or in bed laying down.

The good news is that today I feel a lot better, although there is still pain.

As for my Whole30, it has been progressing as planned. I’ve been eating only compliant foods, and I feel my body being less swollen or inflamed. As for my weight, the last time I checked on Monday morning, my weight was up a little to 206.9, but this is why they tell you on Whole30 to not weigh daily; your weight fluctuates naturally, and some people can get discouraged or demotivated by weight gains. I do not. I use them as fuel to further motivate me, and to take a very close look back on why my body is reacting the way it did to not only what I ate, but what I drank and what activities I did. It makes sense that my weight was up a little on Monday; I was sedentary all weekend.

I’m still not 100%, so I’m still taking it easy, but I’m looking forward to this weekend to do some more activities. I am really looking forward to getting back on my bike and getting back to lifting, but this back spasm really threw a monkey wrench into those plans. However, I know Whol30 works without exercise, and I lost 110 lbs without any exercise at all doing Whole30 and Paleo, so I’m not discouraged. If anything, I’m looking forward to getting started again at a lower weight. Running/biking are so much easier when you’re lighter, anyway.

Here we go; we’re at it again!

Published on by PaleoMarine2 Comments

It has been quite a while since I’ve written on this blog, because my journey to being fit and healthier had hit a point of maintenance. I no longer felt I had much to say that hadn’t already been said, and I didn’t want to start sounding like a broken record player. But, here we are at the end of 2022, and I’m about to hit it hard again. Why? Because I’ve not worked out in three months due to injury, training, vacation, injury, and another vacation. Life was conspiring against me staying fit, and now, I need to get back into the swing of things.

Who knows what my sweater is?

I will start today by doing my weightlifting: StrongLifts 5×5. I’m starting almost from scratch, so I’m not expecting to lift any heavy weights. I also believe strongly in starting light and ramping up gradually to avoid injury, as it takes much longer for me to overcome injuries at my age.

I will likely finish up with some cardio. While I would love to go out for a run, it’s raining outside, and it’s also cold: a combination I HATE running in. So, I will likely torture myself on the treadmill (which I despise because it bores me to death).

I’ve been eating well for the past week. Prior to that, I was on vacation in Hungary where I dropped all Paleo rules to enjoy the food of my culture and my childhood. That led me to a rapid weight gain, but thankfully, it’s already started to come off thanks to eating healthy. The hardest part was coming off the sugar. It was like a Whole30 experience earlier this week.

My trip to Budapest this year.

So, if you’re new to this site, or if you’ve been following for years, you’re going to start seeing more consistent content again because I’m at it again. I need to hold myself accountable, and I need to get back in shape. As I’m in the Army National Guard, I have an ACFT (Army Combat Fitness Test) coming up in March, and I need to be able to pass that. I’ve never failed a PFT/APFT/ACFT, and I’m not going to.