Category: Scoop

This blog started as sort of a public journal because I was learning so much, experiencing so much, and I had a need to get it all off my chest. I wanted to tell everyone about my successes, difficulties, trials, and tricks I’d learned. However, I try to spare my immediate friends and family the daily details, as incessant discussion about diet and eating can be tiresome to those who don’t have a vested interest. I found this blog to be the perfect outlet for my thoughts, successes, and challenges. PaleoMarine has allowed me to speak my mind, to get the word out, and most importantly, to help people who were in the position I found myself in back in August 2015: looking for a way to get healthy and lose weight without trickery, surgery, or large financial outlay. I also didn’t think it was remotely possible for me to experience as much success as I have. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be nearing 100 lbs lost in ten months after starting by merely eating well.

I keep two journals; this blog and a private journal on my iPad that I type into every few days or weeks depending on what I feel like saying or getting off my chest. The public blog is updated daily. I find it to be a good way to focus, an excellent way to help others, and generally a good way for me to continue learning about nutrition and motivation. The private journal has been nice when I feel the need to get something off my chest and to share things and ideas that are more personal in nature.

I understand that weight is a very personal subject. My own weight has been a very personal topic for me. I used to be embarrassed by any discussion of my weight, health, or fitness (or lack thereof). I didn’t feel comfortable discussing my weight and health publicly until January of 2016, four months later and 50 lbs lighter than when I began my journey. It was only then that I gained the confidence to write my innermost thoughts in public, to allow friends and strangers alike into my head, and to know my thoughts and emotions while on this journey.

What I didn’t count on was how much this blog and my journal have helped me gather my thoughts, push me to learn more, and to be a record of progress that I can use to motivate myself. When I need some pick-me-up, I read my old journal entries where I am motivated, excited, and feeling optimistic. When I feel lost or distanced from my progress, I read old blog entries. Sometimes, when I’m feeling nostalgic or even when I feel unlike myself, I read from the beginning in chronological order to retrace the path I’ve taken thus far. To see how my thoughts and ideas progress and evolve throughout the journey has been a special treat.

I think that keeping a journal, whether on paper, in a blog, or even if it’s just a text file on a computer is really beneficial and can help you with your goals, your nutritional knowledge, and it can be a really effective motivation tool. Starting a journal can be free; just open Note on your computer and start typing or pick up a journal or notebook and begin writing. Either way, I think it is very beneficial and can help you immensely.

My wife says that I’m the master of the mind hacks when it comes to sticking to Paleo. She says she has a harder time of it than I do (I don’t really think that’s so true; especially not anymore), and that I have some Jedi Mind Tricks to keep me at it.

I don’t know how true that is; I just don’t allow myself any room to slip. With the exception of the occasional holiday or special event, I will admit that I’m very disciplined when it comes to eating right. I have pretty good willpower the vast majority of the time.

Am I tempted? Sure, typically with something that is a special treat. For example, bread pudding is a food I have a hard time saying no to, especially if I’ve been making good progress and I haven’t had any in a long time. I will allow myself a little treat every now and then, and fortunately, it hasn’t dramatically affected my progress. Do I slow the weight loss rate down whenever I eat off-plan? Sure, but the effect is typically short-term, and I am very disciplined for months on end before I allow myself any treats.

Some things I tell myself to stay on-track:

• There is no cheating; it’s sabotage (this has been mentioned on the blog a few times before).
• Short-term gratification never outweighs the guilt and disgust in myself I feel after going off-plan.
• The goal is more important than any non-special event or non-holiday.
• I am stronger than any craving or moment of weakness.
• I concentrate on all the things I can eat, and not on what I cannot. There are so many good foods that are Paleo or Whole30 compliant. Concentrating on the positives really makes a Whole30 or going Paleo so much easier. I’ve also discovered many foods I wouldn’t have otherwise tried or eaten that I find utterly delicious.

Some things I do to help me stay on track:

• I eat protein and fat with vegetables and very little fruit. This helps fill me up and when I cut down on the fruits, my body seems to be able to lose weight more easily.
• I have nuts around at all times in case I need to eat a handful between meals if a previous meal wasn’t as filling as expected.
• I keep myself busy at all times. I find I get hungry sooner when I’m bored.
• Pre-made meals. My wife and I (mostly my wife, though) make food on Sundays to prepare for the week. This makes it easy to eat on-plan and to stick with it even when we’re tired. If we are too tired to cook dinner, we have the pre-made meals sitting in the refrigerator for us to eat within just a few minutes with very little effort.
• I drink water or iced tea without sweeteners. This is a good way to keep the stomach full and hydration is important, too.

It’s a balancing act sometimes. Keeping myself motivated, dedicated, and honest with myself can be tough at times, and while I sometimes feel tested, in the end, I’m happy to say that I’ve done a good job of sticking to the plan. On the rare occasions I haven’t, it’s because it was either a special event or a holiday. Otherwise, as my grandfather would say, “Patience, patience, patience. Worthy goals aren’t reached quickly. Hard work and persistence.”

Whole30 recommends not weighing yourself while on the entire Whole30. They recommend weighing yourself before and afterward, but not during. I broke that rule because weighing myself daily helped motivate me further to make sure I followed the plan precisely while also giving me some immediate feedback on what happened to my body after I ate certain foods.

I’m asked all the time, “How often should I weigh myself?” I tell everyone it really depends on how you look at your weight loss. If you gain weight, even a few pounds, does it make you upset, angry, or sad? If so, how do you channel that energy? Does seeing a gain make you more resolute in sticking to your eating plan, or does it make you want to say, “Screw it!?” If you are the former, then weigh yourself daily and use that feedback to guide your progress. That’s what I did and it really did help me. If you’re the latter, then maybe you might not want to weigh yourself daily because it will only make you upset and jeopardize your ability to stay on the plan.

Your weight will fluctuate even when you’re steadily losing weight. There will be days when your body holds onto water or you just have more “stuff” in you that your body hasn’t gotten rid of yet. Either way, weight loss is a bumpy ride, and there will always be days when you either don’t lose any weight at all, or when you even gain a little bit. It’s normal and natural.

So, the answer is a very personal one based on your own personality. I can’t tell you which route to take: to weigh or not to weigh. Only you can decide that for yourself based on how you deal with negative feedback.

I always say that you don’t need to wait for a certain date or day to start eating right, but some people need some time to gear up and mentally prepare for the change in lifestyle. My wife was one of those people. She needed time to eat some foods she knew would be off-limits later, to use up ingredients that were not Whole30 compliant, and to grieve for the loss of the ability to eat anything, anytime, in any amount. For me, it wasn’t quite as difficult, but I will admit that having that two and a half week period of eating all kinds of bad foods was kind of nice. In retrospect, it was probably not the best thing to put my body through, but it was fun.

Starting at a set date has its advantages.

• It allows you to get rid of ingredients that are not compliant with your diet. It’s wasteful to just throw away food that you paid good money for. An alternate plan could be to give or donate those items to a food shelter, kitchen, or friends.
• It gives you time to mentally prepare for the change. Use the time to learn what is on-plan, and what is no longer allowed. Do research. Read books, blogs, and websites.
• You can plan ahead for a week’s worth of meals. Make an eating plan, compile a shopping list of ingredients, and ensure you have everything you need for the week to eat well.
• You can take the time for grieving. Eating is an emotional thing for people, and let’s face it, you’ll be giving up certain foods for a while that you’ve been used to eating all your life. It takes some time to say goodbye to old favorites.

So, waiting has advantages that are hard to argue against. What are the advantages of starting today? I’m glad you asked.

• You are taking your health back right now. Your body starts its transformation right away and without delay. You begin to wean your body from sugar and carbs and your body starts healing and recovering immediately.
• You don’t have time to talk yourself out of it or to agonize over the things you will no longer be able to do. I know people who have been putting off their start date for months because the more they think about it, the more difficult it begins to start.
• Some people do well with making a decision and “hitting the ground running,” as we say in the Marines. In combat, indecision kills. When it comes to your health, depending on your level of health, indecision can kill you, too.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. Either way, whether you start today or set a day or date to start, make a plan to take back your health and then execute that plan. There are many resources available to you both online and in print to help you reach your goal. Don’t delay for too long, though. The sooner you start, the sooner you will find yourself healthier and living a life you didn’t know possible.

Sometimes, after working hard for months and months, and after reaching numerous goals and making great progress, there comes a time when you are presented with an opportunity to let your hair down and to live a little. You know, eat some foods you normally don’t eat, or eat a lot more food than you would normally eat. Well, today, I attended a BBQ at my good friend’s home, and I allowed myself to eat a little more than I would have normally. I didn’t eat anything with lots of sugar in it; no desserts, and only a single baby back rib that was prepared using a rub with sugar in it. However, I ate a second half-helping, and while it made me feel really full, it felt good

But here’s the thing; even though I ate more in volume, the quality of the food I ate was still good. I stuck to the Paleo-friendly foods that my amazing friends made, and I stayed away from those foods that weren’t Paleo and that I knew would be trouble for me. It totally felt like I was breaking some rule even though honestly, I wasn’t. Well, other than eating a lot.

Could I have eaten the Smores everyone was eating? Perhaps, but I really didn’t want to. I’m very hard on myself, and the amount of guilt and regret I would have felt far outweighed any short-term satisfaction I would have experienced in eating a Smore. Sometimes, you gotta live a little, but even in doing so, as long as you are smart about it, you won’t really sabotage yourself. You will have allowed yourself to enjoy a little bit more food, and if you’re not in maintenance mode, perhaps you may slow progress for a day or two, but in the end, no real damage will be done.

It’s okay to live a little from time to time, but try to limit yourself.You will be happier in the end.

I was visiting someone in the hospital yesterday, and we were speaking with a doctor of internal medicine. When the doctor mentioned that a test result revealed higher than normal cholesterol, the patient asked does that mean cutting down on carbs or fat. The doctor answered, “Oh, that’s fat.”

-sigh-

Eating fat doesn’t make you fat; eating sugar does. Let me repeat that:

EATING FAT DOESN’T MAKE YOU FAT. EATING SUGAR MAKES YOU FAT.

I was appalled at what the doctor said because they should know better. They should understand how the body works. ESPECIALLY an internal specialist. The advice she gave was dangerous, and contrary to what really happens in the body. Now, the patient will eat low-fat/non-fat and continue to eat grains and carbs and not fix anything. In fact, it’s only going to make matters worse.

If you search Google with the phrase, “Does eating fat make you fat,” this is what comes up:

Despite fat having more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates, diets that are high in fat do not make peoplefat. This depends completely on the context. A diet that is high in carbs AND fat will make you fat, but it’s NOT because of the fat.

So, why do doctors believe that eating fat makes you fat? It comes from the flawed Seven Countries Study from the 50’s by Dr. Key. From Dr. Hyman’s excellent website, he states the following about Dr. Keys and his Seven Countries Study:

He found that in the countries where people ate more fat—especially saturated fat—there were more cases of heart disease, and he concluded that the fat caused the disease.  But here’s the problem with this study: correlation is not causation.  Just because both fat intake and heart disease were higher among the same population doesn’t mean the heart disease was caused by the fat consumption.

Dr. Hyman goes on to explain what is really happening when people eat less fat and continue to eat carbs (which is exactly what I was afraid of when I heard that internal medicine doctor talk about how the patient should cut the fat intake and not the carbs):

When people eat less fat, they tend to eat more starch or sugar instead, and this actually increases their levels of dangerous cholesterol, the small, dense cholesterol that causes heart attacks. In fact, studies show that 75% of people who end up in the emergency room with a heart attack have normal overall cholesterol levels.  What they do have is pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.

I started my Paleo diet in 2015, but Dr. Hyman posted this information in 2013. Back then, the US Government flat-out denied that sugar was the culprit in our obesity epidemic. Today, they acknowledge that sugar “may be a factor,” while still not going all-in and being honest with the American people. Why? Food lobbies. Like my dad used to say, if you want to know the motivation behind anything, follow the money.

Dr. Hyman has a good list made of foods you should eat for good sources of fat. I’m borrowing his list here because I don’t want to paraphrase what is already an excellent list:

• Avocados
• Nuts—walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, but not peanuts (one recent study showed a handful of nuts a day reduced death from all causes by 20 percent)
• Seeds—pumpkin, sesame, chia, hemp
• Fatty fish, including sardines, mackerel, herring, and wild salmon that are rich in omega-3 fats
• Extra virgin olive oil (a large study showed that those who consumed 1 liter a week reduced heart attacks by 30 percent)
• Enjoy grass-fed or sustainably raised animal products (I recommend the Environmental Working Group’s Meat Eater’s Guide to eating good quality animal products that are good for you and good for the planet).
• You can even eat saturated fat like extra virgin coconut butter, which is a great plant-based source of saturated fat that has many benefits.  It fuels your mitochondria, is anti-inflammatory, and it doesn’t cause problems with your cholesterol.  In fact, it may help resolve them.  I have many diabetic patients whose health improves when I get them on diet that’s higher in fat.

My brother-in-law and I were talking this morning about my weight loss and the mindset that goes into evangelizing Paleo and getting off sugar when he brought up an interesting point: it’s okay to do so, but not to fat shame. I thought about it a lot, and I thought about the posts I’ve made here. I even re-read a few just to make sure, and I found that I haven’t fat shamed on this site with the exception of calling myself fat. This, in and of itself, is not shaming: it was a fact.

When I talk about being overweight, being fat, or being obese, I’m not doing so at the expense of anyone, nor am I judging anyone for being overweight. I’m certainly not shaming anyone for it. If someone decides that they are happy being heavy, then more power to them. My only concern is that when I was fat, other fat people confided in me how they really felt versus what they told thin people. They told me that they had no hope for ever being skinny, that giving up delicious foods was out of the question, and that they were miserable with their lack of mobility. They would tell me how hard it was to climb stairs, to play with their kids or grandchildren, and how they hated the stares and looks when eating at restaurants. Of course, when a thin person would ask (and they ask more often than you’d imagine) whether someone was okay with being large or if they would change, most answer they are perfectly fine and okay with it.

Because I used to be fat, I have a unique perspective on what it feels like to be fat, and how it feels to finally lose the weight. I remember very well how I felt in public, or when I tried to do simple tasks that any normal sized person would find effortless was for me difficult or impossible. I wouldn’t ever admit this to a non-fat person, though. They didn’t need to know. People who have been thin their entire lives will never know what it was like (and it’s not all jolly as some people would think).

I think a lot of the misperceptions thin people have about fat people comes from this deception. Us fat people don’t feel like part of normal society. Clothing stores don’t cater to us, models don’t look like us, and advertising certainly isn’t geared at us unless it’s food. People look and stare or point and whisper. I’ve seen more than a few people shake their head while looking at me when I was at my heaviest. Us fatties stick together and find solace in having other fatties around us. We take joy in giving each other food, drink, and laugh about the lack of exercise we get. It’s a point of pride, even, among us heavyset.

Now, as a not-so-fat person, for those who don’t know me well or never knew me as a fat person, I’m an outsider. I stay away from the topic of weight and health unless I’m asked. I don’t ask. I never ask. I only tell them how I felt when I was fat and how much better I feel now if they ask me first. Then, they usually volunteer to me that they are perfectly fine at the weight they are, how they can’t give up certain foods, and how they are just as healthy at their heavy weight as they would be if they were lighter. I don’t say a word; I let them talk and I don’t judge. I have no right to say anything, but I do feel empathy for them, because I know that it’s hard being fat, and that as a fat person, you feel like saying anything to a thin person about being fat would bring about insults, derision, and judgment.

If you’re fat, I don’t judge you. I don’t condemn you. I will never fat shame you. But I will help you if you want to lose weight and get your health back. I will always listen to your questions and your concerns. I will give you the best information I have and point you in the direction of finding out anything I don’t know.

This post is written for those who may have fallen off the wagon, or who may have stopped eating good quality whole foods with no grains, beans, or added-sugar.

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So, you slipped and started eating pretty much whatever you wanted. Maybe you are still trying the moderation thing because you couldn’t deal with the reduced carb intake. Beans, rice, pasta, bread, tortillas… all these foods are so important that you would risk everything for them. I don’t know about you, but there is no food on the earth worth my life. That’s just me, though.

Some people just have to drink sweet drinks. I used to be one of those people, and one of the biggest hits to my quality of life after starting my first Whole30 was drinking coffee with no cream and sweetener. “I like my sugar with coffee and cream!” was my go-to joke about how I preferred my coffee. My coffees typically tasted like liquid coffee cake with vanilla creamer and lots of sweetener (Splenda). Going from the sweetest, most delicious coffee to the dark-colored bitter liquid that was coffee without all the good tasting (and bad for me!) stuff in it was a kick in the gut. It took me nine months to finally be able to drink black coffee and really enjoy it. I still miss the sweet coffee, but now that I drink black coffee and iced tea with only lemon in it, I’m used to drinks without sweeteners, and I have found that I drink because I am thirsty, not because I want something sweet. I also drink a lot more water now, and it’s a lot more refreshing than I remember it being.

Pasta. Holy cow, did I love pasta. Even better; garlic bread with pasta. Or… pizza with garlic bread and pasta. I could go one. These were meals I’d actually eat. I regularly went to Little Caesar’s and bought two large pizzas: one for me that I would eat all at once, and one for the rest of the family. I could eat pizza every day and be happy.

I could go on and on about the foods that I no longer eat, how delicious they are, and how I could go hog wild eating them. I could also start making the case for how bad that stuff is for us, how all those carbs and sugar gets converted into fat by our livers and how it works against any effort we make in losing weight or getting healthy. If you want to read more about this stuff, go back to my previous posts, mostly in the beginning (January/February 2016). I won’t go into that again here.

The bottom line is this: get back on the wagon. Don’t look back, don’t beat yourself up, and don’t lament lost time. Just start over. It’s no big deal. The sugar dragon is a hard bastard to kick, and sugar addiction is powerful. Nobody blames you for relapsing. The only thing you can be blamed for is if you stop trying.

How do you get back on? I recommend Whole30 first. It will reset your body, it will take you off sugar and carbs cold turkey, and it will teach you how your body responds to certain foods. Going cold turkey is hard, and the first two-three days to a week will be the hardest you will have to endure on this entire journey. There are times when you are faced with temptations, but they are nothing compared to the first week. I know this. It’s hard. It’s normal for people to fail at their first attempt to kick any addiction. Make no mistake: kicking sugar is just as hard as kicking any drug. That’s why we have to keep trying.

After you are able to complete a Whole30, I recommend Paleo. It’s a lifestyle that has worked for my wife, for me, and for many of my family and friends. It continues to work for us because the food is delicious, fills us up, and is good for our bodies. It’s sustainable long-term because so much of the food is the same food we ate before. Some need to be modified to remove the grains or beans, some replace sugar with honey or maple syrup, while many others can be eaten as we ate them before. There are links to the right that should get you going for more info on Paleo. My wife’s blog has many recipes we’ve tried that are utterly delicious and while they may take some planning and preparation, they are well worth it.

What are some things you can do to be successful at completing a Whole30 and then going Paleo? First, follow the plan perfectly. No sabotage, no skirting the rules. No sweeteners means no sweeteners. Even if it’s Stevia, Splenda, or Sweet ‘N Low. Just say no! To be successful, you have to give them up for 30 days. Afterward, when you go to Paleo, you can add back some natural sweeteners, but even then, only in very small amounts, and only as treats. Treats are every few weeks or a number of days; not a treat a day. That’s far too many.

Second, find some activities to do when you would otherwise have downtime. Boredom is a huge factor in overeating and cravings. For me, when I get bored, I tend to get hungry.

Third, when you feel weak and want to eat something you shouldn’t, eat something you can. Nuts or a small serving of strawberries or blueberries or some fruit you like. Be careful; many fruits contain a lot of sugar. I stayed away from fruit on my Whole30 because even natural sugars fed the dragon and gave me cravings. I literally went cold turkey for those 30 days, and I am certain it helped me succeed.

Fourth, talk to someone who has walked the path you are on. Seek advice. Read about nutrition, Whole30, and Paleo. Keep reading and learning. The more you know, the easier it gets to recognize good foods and bad. Knowledge is power.

As for me, I avoid putting anything in my coffee now; not even coconut milk or almond milk. I also don’t use any artificial or natural sweeteners in my coffee or tea. My personal belief and what I think is a contributing factor to my success in losing weight has been my no added sugar policy for my drinks as well as most of my foods. I do allow myself to have some added natural sweetener foods that Sherry makes from time to time, but those are treats, and not foods we eat often.

If this is something you want, just stop eating the bad food and get back to it. You don’t have to wait until tomorrow morning. You don’t have to wait until next Monday. Start now. There’s no time like the present. Just make it happen. It’s well within your power. Yes, sugar addiction is tough, but you are tougher.

Problem: Sugar addiction. Solution: Whole30/Paleo. I did it and lost 95 lbs in nine and a half months. You can do it, too. Just don’t give up.

If you’re one of people who read PaleoMarine because you need some extra motivation to stay Paleo, cool, but this post probably isn’t for you; You can go back to Reddit now. For the rest of you, read on.

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Chances are, if you’re overweight, you are either in denial and think you are at a good weight, or you already know it. You no longer are able to fit into the pants you wore five years ago, the size of your clothing having increased at a steady rate. You find yourself winded when going up a flight or two of stairs, or you find it more difficult each year to bend over and tie your own shoes. Things that used to be easy are now more difficult; sitting up in bed, mowing the lawn, or even long walks at the mall.

This didn’t happen overnight which is what makes it so insidious. It happened slowly, over the course of a long period of time, and the weight packed on silently while you looked the other way. Like a ninja in the night, that extra weight attacked without notice, but instead of killing you quickly and leaving, this ninja is killing you slowly and is sticking around until either it kills you or you do something about it.

If you’re like me, you don’t want to have to give up everything to lose weight. I know; even when confronted with the prospect of bad health and even mortality, being comfortable with the food we eat and not feeling hungry all the time are really important. I also am not a huge fan of exercise, and although I do it now, I couldn’t when I began my weight loss journey. I was too heavy and it was actually risky to my health long-term.

There are all kinds of programs to turn to; so many, in fact, that I won’t list them all. These programs range from exercise, diet, nutrition, supplements, drugs, and even surgeries. I considered them all, and spent a long time researching a large number of programs and procedures. Something about them never resonated with me, however, and coupled with my lack of desire to give up delicious and filling foods, I floundered in a sea of indecision and inaction.

What finally made me change course and make a decision to take back my health and to lose weight was a number of things, but perhaps it was learning that weight loss is 90% diet and only 10% exercise. This seemed incredibly appealing to me as a person who neither could nor wanted to exercise heavily, and yet I was incredulous. I was well over 125 lbs overweight. I was obese. It seemed too good to be true, but my cousin Sarah had done it, and my friend Matt’s nutrition science added up, and it’s as if a light bulb went off in the room in my head that is reserved for motivation and enlightenment. I could eat good, healthy, delicious, and filling foods and lose weight. I could eat this way forever and be happy. Best of all? I didn’t have to spend hours working out.

My path and journey is well documented on this site. To read about it, just go to the very first post and you can read from there. I’ll paraphrase the past nine months: Whole30 followed by Paleo. Some ups and downs here and there, but the trend has been steady, comfortable, and sustainable.

I encourage you to find your path. I don’t care what it is or how you do it as long as you make a meaningful change in your life and commit to making that change permanent. There are no temporary fixes to a problem that lasts as long as we draw breath. There are no shortcuts or effortless ways to go about getting healthy. If you’re overweight now, chances are you will be overweight your entire life unless you change what you eat, how you eat, and how much  you eat. Getting some exercise will help, but it won’t solve  your weight problem. Make a change and stick to it. If you need help, seek it out from someone you know who is healthy, or who has become healthy. Trust me; they will be willing to help you with advice, motivation, and a shoulder to cry on when needed.

I’m always here to answer questions via social media, personal messages, email, or comments. Feel free to contact me. I keep all interactions personal and private. I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist; just someone who has lost a lot of weight naturally and without going crazy with hunger or going nuts in the gym.