Category: Scoop

I think one of the reasons Sherry and I are as successful as we are with the Paleo lifestyle is because we have turned it into sort of a game. We try to find new foods all the time, and we experiment with recipes and flavors we wouldn’t have otherwise tried. It makes meal time interesting, and it also makes failures a little easier to take. If something turns out less than expected, then we chalk it up as a failed experiment and move on to the next meal.

So far, it’s really helped us. We are always challenging ourselves to find new things, or to come up with new recipes on our own. Sherry, traditionally a holiday baker extraordinaire, has been experimenting with and coming up with some really great cookie recipes that are 100% Paleo compliant. She’s begun the second part of the process: verifying her recipes. Once she’s finished, she will be publishing her recipes online for all to use! The cookies really taste great, and are a wonderful alternative for those of us who don’t want over-sweetened cookies for the Holidays that happen to be made with good ingredients.

Three months ago, I incorporated running into my lifestyle change, and it’s added an element of fun I never expected. I look forward to my runs now, and I’m now looking to add something on my off-days from running to do as exercise. Maybe some Yoga may be the answer. I am not into weight lifting and I don’t want to bulk up (heck, I want the exact opposite, frankly!). I just want to let my muscles get leaner and maybe increase my flexibility. I also don’t want to do physical activity that leaves me sore afterward from over-exertion. I’ll continue to research this. Oh, and it has to be FUN!

We’ve also been taking part in a lot of activities that we couldn’t do when we were heavier, and it’s helped fuel our desire to continue on the path of our lifestyle. We want to continue being able to do these fun things and we know that we couldn’t do them if we went back to being heavy again. Hang gliding, indoor skydiving, zip lining, hiking, and running are among some of the things we enjoy doing now that we couldn’t do even a year ago.

Make it fun. I believe in, “Fake it ’til you make it,” and it’s served me well throughout my life. If adopting a healthier lifestyle doesn’t appeal to you, make it fun. Make a game out of it. If that doesn’t work, then just fake being happy and excited about it until you are. It hasn’t failed me yet, and it can work for you, too!

I’ve noticed people getting discouraged in their own weight loss journey because they find themselves unable to keep up with the rate of weight loss someone else has achieved. STOP! Don’t be this person! We all start at different weights with different body types, conditions, and amounts to lose. I started at over 290 lbs and my ideal weight is over 130 lbs less. My body was more than happy to let go of the weight at a fast rate because I was so far overweight. For someone who is only 50 lbs overweight, it’s going to be  harder to lose the big numbers fast than for someone 150 lbs overweight.

If you have less to lose, your number of pounds lost per week or month will be less than mine was in the beginning. However, it’s the rate as a percentage of the whole you should be looking at. When I weighed 290 lbs, I lost 20 lbs in my first month. Sherry was nearly 100 lbs less and lost 10 lbs. Who lost more? Actually, she did, because she weighed less and her loss percentage was higher than mine.

Don’t try to match my numbers or anyone else’s numbers. Don’t try to match any numbers. Just stick with your plan and you will see results. Sure, they almost always never live up to your expectations or goals, but success is success, and when we’re talking about health, we need to take any and all successes we can. It all adds up, and in the end, these little losses accumulate and add up to big losses. At fifteen months later and 113 lbs lighter, I still can’t believe that I’ve lost as much as I have. It’s a great feeling and I am proud of the accomplishment. Most of all, I’m happy that my body is no longer at war with itself trying to keep all systems operating properly.

It’s a funny thing. I started my weight loss journey with a goal of losing over 100 lbs and getting healthy again. I’ve accomplished those goals, and it feels great! Yet the strange part is that once I got there, I didn’t feel done. I felt as if I’ve only just gotten started. Sure, I met the weight loss goal, and yes, I’m healthier, but now that I’m at this point, I realize that this is just the beginning of a new, healthier life.

It’s been a fun ride, and fortunately, fifteen months after I started, I’m still enjoying the food and the exercise. Yes, the exercise is a new thing in the journey having started only on September 10th, but it’s something I still enjoy and I look forward to every time.

The point is that our health and fitness isn’t a destination. It’s why I refer to my weight loss as a journey. It’s a journey to stay fit and to stay healthy. Fortunately, the journey doesn’t have to be without good food and without having fun. Sherry has done a superb job with making wonderful and delicious foods, and I’m never hungry or craving snacks.

Now that I’ve added exercise to my plan, I also feel much better. I can’t imagine not running every other day now, and as I look back on my journey so far, I feel fortunate to have lost enough weight to be able to run safely now. It makes it that much better.

Don’t look at weight loss or fitness as something you will get to. There is no destination. It’s a journey that you are in charge of. You get to decide the twists and turns and where the detours are. It doesn’t have to be drudgery. It can be a lot of fun! Mine has been!

So many people diet to get to a certain weight and once they reach it, they think they can go back to eating the way they used to before. It’s such a real phenomenon that there’s a name for it: “Yoyo Dieting.” This type of dieting is very bad for you, and actually most people gain back even more weight than they lost, going up to a higher weight. I did this a few times, and I know many others who have as well. It’s because our education in diet and healthy lifestyles has been flawed for so many years.

If you add 2 + 2, you will always get 4. If you want to get to 3, you have to replace one of the 2’s. The same applies to our weight and health. If you eat with abandon, your weight will soar. If you cut back and eat better quality foods, you will lose weight. If you get to a weight goal and return to eating anything and everything, your weight will go back up.Seems kind of logical, yet so many people somehow don’t understand this.

Making a change to lose weight is good, but it will be meaningless unless you make the change in your lifestyle long-term and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Losing weight through diet and then going back to pre-diet eating habits is madness.

I was recently asked for tips for someone who is new to Paleo, and I thought about it for a few days. Here are some things I wish I knew more about when we started our Paleo lifestyle.

• There are lots of foods that we are used to eating and that is available at restaurants that is already Paleo. These include:
  • Steak
  • Grilled chicken
  • BBQ chicken (ask about sugar content in the rub, spices, and sauce)
  • Ribs (same as with BBQ chicken)
  • Brisket
  • Sausage (check for sugar content)
  • Lobster
  • Crab
  • Fish (grilled, broiled)
  • Steamed or grilled vegetables
• Prep days can be made easy with crock pots, smokers, and slow cookers.
• You don’t have to eat a lot of salad and grilled chicken; there are LOTS of recipes available to make amazingly delicious foods that are Paleo compliant.
• Ease into the Paleo recipes an ingredient a week. It takes time to learn them and some of them can be costly (though this is getting better as Paleo is getting more mainstream and even Costco and Sam’s is carrying Paleo ingredients).
• Plan your prep days by shopping ahead and making a plan for the week’s lunches and dinners.
• Prep days. Make your week’s worth of lunches and some dinners so you can enjoy the little time you have after work by just warming up some good food. It’s easy to go off-diet when you are tired and don’t want to take the time to make a Paleo meal in the middle of the week.

Some things to avoid when going Paleo:

• Too much fruit. Lots of sugar, even if natural, isn’t good for you.
• Snacking. Try to limit this as much as possible.
• Desserts. These should really be treats and not part of normal meals.
• Eating salad and grilled chicken every day for lunch and dinner. You’ll go nuts and quit and want a burger.
• Artificial sweeteners. Stevia may be natural, but you need to break away from sweeteners as well as sugar. The effect on your brain is the same with artificial sweeteners as it is with sugar.

This list isn’t all-inclusive, but it covers some of the things I wish we knew in the beginning. I hope it helps!