Category: Scoop

Sometimes, you find yourself seemingly doing everything right, yet nothing is happening on the scale. I’ve repeatedly discussed not using the scale as a single source of success or failure when it comes to a diet’s efficacy. However, when one measure of your physical fitness and readiness in the military is your weight, it becomes something one can’t ignore. I am in this situation.

My maximum allowable weight is 176 lbs for my height. For the past few weeks, my weight has been going over this number anywhere from 1-4 lbs. No matter what I was doing, I would get right down to 176 lbs and my weight would rebound and climb again. Regardless of how well I was eating, increasing my exercise, or getting enough sleep, the scale was punishing me. I was seemingly checking all the boxes to success, yet not reaping any of the rewards.

What I did notice is my clothing getting looser. I talked about this in the past as well, how my body seems to either lose weight or lose size, but never at the same time. It’s either one or the other. This past week, my trousers have been getting more comfortable, back to my pre-vacation ease of wear. As of this morning I finally saw movement again on the scale. It was only a pound, but it’s going in the right direction after stalling at 177 lbs for three days in a row (to the tenth!).

I’ve made sure to do everything to the letter. No snacks. No large portions. No going out for lunch or dinner. I’ve been getting enough sleep. I’ve been getting enough exercise (although, as I’m taking my APFT this evening, I didn’t do any exercise since Saturday morning to ensure my legs, arms, and core are ready and rested). Starting after today’s APFT, I’ll be back to increasing my distances and working on speed as well as adding biking to my exercise regimen.

Results will follow solid work. Sometimes, it just takes longer. And that’s okay.

My wife is out of town on business this week, and she left before she normally does our (and in this week’s case, my) food prep, so it was up to me to get it done. I decided to do an experiment and see how much food I could make for $25. It turns out, you can eat for a week.

Now, the bad news is that it’s all chicken. That’s something I try to avoid; eating the same food all week. That leads to palate fatigue, and is one of the main reasons people fall off diets and stop eating healthy. They just get bored of eating the same food over and over again. There are some who have steel will and can eat the same food over and over for weeks, months, and even years on end. I’m not one of those people (except for breakfast; I love my bacon and eggs!). When it comes to lunch and dinner, I need a varied menu.

This week, I still had a few leftovers from last week’s food prep, so I knew I wasn’t going to be stuck eating just chicken all week. With that said, I smoked two whole chickens with nothing more than salt and pepper sprinkled onto the outside, and I put beer into the water container in the smoker instead of water. I smoked the chicken at 250 degrees for just under four hours, and it was incredibly juicy and tasty.

For some veggies, I did two things. First, I got some red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and an onion, and I sliced these all up and put them into a frying pan with some coconut oil and some seasonings. I under-sauteed them so that I could put the veggies into the lunch containers and I figured that the microwave will finish the cooking of the veggies. This will keep them from getting over-soft.

I also made a Hungarian cucumber salad. This is more for dinner use, as I like to have some sort of salad side with my dinners. It’s very easy to make: peel three cucumbers and then with a mandolin, slice them thin into a bowl. Add salt and garlic powder, and let sit in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours. Remove the bowl and wring out the cucumber. This literally takes as much of the water out of the cucumber. After you’ve wrung out as much of the water as you can from the cucumber (discarding that water by placing the wrung out cucumber into a new, smaller bowl), add vinegar, a little water, and either some honey or monk fruit sweetener to taste. I used monk fruit this time, and it came out very well.

I packaged no fewer than 8 packages for lunches and dinners this week coupled with the leftovers from last week. Had I needed a second meat, I could have purchased a roast or some pork for another $10-15 dollars and perhaps 2 or 3 sweet potatoes for another $3. Instead of sweet potatoes, I could have bought some cauliflower or broccoli as well. That brings us to under $50 for a weeks’ worth of food for two people. It’s not exciting, but it’s all easy stuff that can be done in a smoker or a crock pot, which means very low effort food.

Eating right can be done on the cheap. You just have to plan ahead and using the least processed food, even when it comes to meat, helps reduce the cost a lot.

You’ve read me saying it before: find what works for you. When it comes to diets, just like everything from medicine to exercise routines, due to our diverse genetic makeup, one diet does not work best for everyone.

One of the top comments I receive in person is that while they know I do Paleo and it’s done wonders for me, they’ve tried it and they didn’t get the same results. Fair enough; that’s a valid point. But these same people then go back to eating the way they did before trying Paleo. And that’s not good.

One diet that most people seem to have is the, “It’s food, I like it, so it’s going in my mouth” Diet. Let’s call it the IFILISIGIMM Diet. (Read that out loud; it’s kind of funny!) The problem is that this diet is a one size fits all diet, but worse, it increases everyone’s size dramatically. Of course, the main culprit is sugar, but grains and dairy are doing us no favors, either. For those whose ethics are important to them, the vast majority of prepared foods are not ethically sourced, so there’s that nugget, too.

There are a lot healthy, safe alternative diets to the IFILISIGIMM Diet; Mediterranean, Atkins, Whole30, Whole9, Keto, IF, among others. I can almost guarantee that your body and genetic makeup is compatible with one of these diets. The hard part is on you: find it and stick to it. But don’t try it for a week. Give it a good three-four weeks and see how it goes.

This is a reminder: I’m a Marine. I tell it like it is. If you don’t like having your sensibilities challenged or easily become offended, this might not be the blog for you. I am very careful to be tactful, but sometimes, I need to bonk people on the head with some reality. This may be one of those posts for some people.

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If your Facebook feed is anything like mine, you see countless recipes and articles posted by friends or by Facebook itself (targeted marketing) that claim to be healthy. Some of these are, sure enough, pretty darned healthy. Others, however, are healthy in title alone.

As someone who is strict Paleo, I find articles that lump whole grains, corn, or “organic” sugar into a healthy group as dubious, at best. Organic sugar is to sugar what lab produce meth is to street meth; still the same, and still bad for your.

It makes me sad when I see people I know fall prey to these articles and recipes. It further makes me sad when I hear them complain about difficulties with losing weight, health problems exacerbated by weight, or their seeming inability to eat healthy. They try, they say, and yet I see them posting these unhealthy recipes saying things like, “Now here’s a healthy list I can get behind.”

I’m not the Paleo Police. I don’t judge anyone’s eating habits. But when you ask me about eating right, changing your lifestyle, and adopting Paleo and then throw all that advice away only to go back to old habits and then complain to me and others that you can’t achieve the same results that Sherry, I, and countless others have, well, you can see where I may get a little upset. Of course, I keep it all inside (except for on my blog, it seems) because I don’t want to upset or insult anyone.

Do you want to lose weight? Change the food you’re putting into your mouth. Do you want to get fit? Do some exercise. Best yet: do both (within reason and commensurate with your physical abilities and limitations). But talking about it and eating Paleo half the time while eating junk the rest of the time isn’t doing you any favors. I don’t care if it’s Paleo, keto, IF, CICO, Adkins, or whatever diet you’re following is called. Just follow it to the letter. Stop cheating yourself. If it’s not working, then you can adjust and try something else. But not giving any diet a 100% chance and effort is keeping you from achieving the results you’re looking for.

Food holds an incredible power over us. We need it to survive, and we need to refuel often and regularly. Our bodies can only use so much energy, and the rest is typically stored for later use, although our body prefers to use new energy to keep stored energy available in the event a new energy source in unavailable. For this reason, our brains are wired to acquire new sources of energy throughout the day. One of our most basic urges is to eat and drink. We can’t get eliminate this basic need, but we can decide what energy we fuel ourselves with.

When it comes to food I eat, I try to choose foods that were purchased whole, and natural. Meat, vegetables, and fruits. The fuel I put into my body is the best I can put into it. Afterall, we do become what we eat. I want to be the best I can be.

When dealing with our most basic need, it’s impossible to ignore the impulses. Hunger is one of the strongest (if not the strongest) feeling we have aside from fear. What a lot of people don’t realize, however, is that while we can’t get rid of hunger, you have the power to decide how you sate that feeling. The food you eat to make that feeling go away is completely within your power. If you’re craving something specific, it doesn’t matter.

I am a sugar addict. Much like others are addicted to drugs or alcohol, I feel like I’m a recovering sugar addict. It’s why I am so adamant about not cheating/sabotaging my lifestyle. It feels like a very slippery slope. In fact, while on vacation to Ireland and Scotland earlier this year, I allowed myself to eat anything and everything, which was great! But when I got home, it was very hard to get back to eating right. I had the cravings and false appetite for days afterward. It was miserable.

I eventually got over the cravings, but it once again reinforced to me how powerful sugar is, and how easily I can get addicted to it. It also reinforced to me the importance of sticking to my healthy lifestyle, with eating foods made from whole ingredients, and of sticking to/with food prep (and helping Sherry as much as I can when she makes our food).

Don’t let food run your life. Make food the fuel for your life. You decide what you do, when you do it. Don’t let food make those decisions for you. The more you practice restraint and control, the easier it gets. It never stops being a concern, but at least you gain control over your eating habits and can better control your hunger.

A joke I used to make after EVERY SINGLE RUN I finished on Facebook was, “…and I didn’t die.” I made that joke because of a comment I made years earlier that I don’t run because I would probably die.

Yesterday after work, I set out to complete a 4+ mile run. The weather was beautiful: 81 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight, cool breeze from the East. I started with a slow pace, knowing that I’d be running a longer distance than usual. I left myself open to the option of doing 5 miles but figured I’d make that call when I hit mile 3. Well, I hit mile 3, and decided to go for a new distance best (since starting to run again two years ago) and try to complete 5 miles. The crazy part is I did it and I felt good.

I was tired. My legs were tired. But I wasn’t spent. I didn’t feel like I just wanted to sit and not move. I actually felt alright. My pace was still slow, but honestly, it was right at what most training sites say it should be based on my fastest run times right now. The science part of my wanting to run longer distances is that it helps your shorter distance runs by building up the mitochondria in your cells to store more energy. You can then draw on that energy on shorter runs by running faster. Since I have an APFT coming up soon, I’m doing what I can to increase my 2 mile run speed. As far as push ups (and most likely sit ups) are concerned, I’m good. Honestly, I can pass the run, but I want to do the best I can.

As for food, I ate some carnitas Sherry and I made on Sunday along with some caulirice that had some of my home made chipotle in it. It was yummy! I also had an apple to help with my muscle recovery. I then went to sleep a bit early and slept like a log. When I woke up this morning, I felt great, energized, and only slightly sore from yesterday’s efforts. The scale was nice to me, and I dropped about 4 solid lbs from yesterday morning’s weigh in (which was high, I’m sure, due to the sweet potatoes I had at dinner the night before).

Tonight, I’ll be going to a Johnny Marr concert (he was the guitar player and co-writer for The Smiths), so I won’t be doing any normal exercise, but I will be on my feet for a few hours, and I’ll likely be jumping around, so there’s that. I plan on doing a much shorter and faster run tomorrow after work, and then a bike ride on Sunday morning with Sherry.

Remember: I lost 130 lbs before I even began to exercise. Weight is lost in the kitchen; fitness is built in the gym or on the road. You surely can exercise while losing weight; the mental benefits are huge. But you cannot exercise away a poor diet. That five mile run I did last night? It burned 655 calories (roughly). Think about that. That’s a Snicker’s bar worth of calories I spent nearly an hour running for. A much more effective way to build a calorie deficit is to eat less than your body burns during the day.

Monday’s run was terrible. I had high hopes for hitting 5 miles, but set a mental minimum of 4, yet I couldn’t do it. I had to stop at 3. Why? Because my legs were burning so badly, I couldn’t contemplate another mile. I hadn’t actually felt this spent during a run in the past three years, so I had to consider why it was happening, and I had to listen to my body.

To be fair, I had run 4.5 miles the previous Monday, 3 miles fast on Wednesday, and then walked all day at the Texas Renaissance Festival on Saturday. Sunday morning, Sherry and I rode 9.3 miles on our bikes, and then I set out for a long and slow run on Monday. It seems like I was being too aggressive, and my body was screaming at me. I tried to push on. The extreme soreness actually started when I hit mile 2, but I pushed onward to at least complete 3 miles. Then, I stopped.

I took Tuesday off, and today, I feel much better and prepared to hit another four mile run this afternoon. The weather should be nice enough, and my legs feel strong enough. I’m hoping to hit at 10 minute/mile pace or better, but I’m not pushing it. At this point, I’m trying to hit distances, not speed. I work on speed during my 3 mile and less runs.

The lesson in this is while we all set goals and we work hard to meet them, it’s important to listen to your body to avoid hurting  yourself. I probably could have pushed to go to 4 miles, but at what cost? And for what good reason? There were none. Now, I feel rested, ready, and able to hit 4 miles tonight. I’m actually looking forward to it.

This weekend was full of a lot of activities for Sherry and me. Saturday morning, we went to the Texas Renaissance Festival with our son and two close friends. We had a great time, and while I did drink some ciders and ate a few pieces of funnel cake, I was otherwise pretty good and ate all Paleo-friendly foods. Well, that bite or two of a churro I had was definitely not Paleo, but it was delicious.

Sunday morning, Sherry and I started off the day with a 9.3 mile bike ride. We went to a park close to home and hit the trail, which is nice and paved (and how Sherry likes bike trails). Personally, I prefer the dirt trails, but this trail is exceptionally nice with some slight hills and the distance allows for a good workout. Next week, we will shoot for a 10+ mile ride. We were disappointed to find we barely missed making 10 miles this week.

Tonight, I will run again. My goal is to run 5 miles slowly. I won’t be pushing hard for speed; I just want to finish. Last week, my 4.5 mile run was about at my limit, and I’m hoping to be able to complete the 5 mile run. I have two more weeks until my APFT, and I’m still hoping to increase my pace through the work I’m doing this week and next week. Like I said in an earlier post, I already know I can pass the test. I just want to maximize my score (and beat the heck out of younger soldiers in the process!).

Sherry and I prepped my food for the week, and I’m really looking forward to the amazing new recipes she tried. These include Buffalo Chicken Soup, Pork Carnitas made with an orange marinade, and a beef roast.

I have weight to lose. Still. I’m sticking with it, but increasing my exercise. I don’t know what else I could do differently other than to perhaps look at going keto again. I have to consider that I’ve been building so much muscle that there’s a chance I’m just getting heavier with no real chance of being lighter unless I stop exercising (which isn’t going to happen). I have some more things to try (namely increasing exercise), but otherwise, I’m kind of at my wit’s end as to what I could do differently than I’m doing now without going full keto and/or even implementing IF (which I don’t want to do). So, here’s to a fresh week of experimentation and possible (hopeful!) weight loss!

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know it all. I sure as heck don’t take the time and effort to explain all the science behind Whole30, the Paleo Diet, Ketogenic Diet, intermittent fasting, or other methods I’ve experimented with. Think of me as someone who has been to a town or through a country that you are planning to visit, and you’re looking for advice on things to see and do. Perhaps (in keeping with the theme of my site), maybe asking what the best dishes and restaurants are. I have my opinions, and my ideas all based off personal experience, but the fact of the matter remains: your experience is uniquely your own. Just because I love a certain spice or type of food is no guarantee you will adore the same. Conversely, what works for me when losing weight may not be what is most efficacious to your own efforts.

As my Captain in the National Guard says often, “You do you.” I know you’re here for advice, motivation, and perhaps ideas. But ultimately, you decide which parts of what I have to say makes sense to you, which doesn’t, and apply accordingly. I will caution you, however, that much like a person telling you to avoid a certain street or highway due to pot holes and hazards, I try to point out things that can derail your process or take you off the path to success as it pertains to your health. I don’t take this responsibility lightly; it’s why I always offer as many alternatives as I can. It’s why I recommend low-carb diets over any other: because through my own experience and through the experience of those near to me, I see that it works. I know it works.

My way is not the only way. It’s the way I’ve found to be the best for me, but it may not be the best for you. You need to do what I did: experiment. Tweak your eating plan. Always be looking for recipes that are delicious, easy to make, and healthy. Always look for ingredients that are natural and wholesome. You will find your path and you will succeed. It may not happen on the first try, but with a little help from people who have been there (like me!), with a lot of perseverance,  and with a little luck, you’ll be well on your way to success in being a healthier you!

I don’t care if you’re 30, 50, or 80. I don’t care if you have hurt knees, feel muscle pain, or think that giving up certain foods is too hard. There is no valid excuse for being overweight. None. If you try to convince me otherwise, I’m going to shoot it down. Here’s why: I lost 150 lbs with NO EXERCISE by changing my diet to a healthier low-carb Paleo diet.

ANYONE can do this. It takes no additional physical effort. It does take some effort in planning and preparation, and perhaps some discipline, but that’s about it. Sprinkle some perseverance into the mix, and you’re losing weight and well on your way to a normal weight.

I see people on my Facebook feed posting time and time again how they’re too old to lose weight. They feel that they can no longer make an effective change in their lives. Others say they could never give up pizza, pasta, sodas, or other foods. Dismissing the problem doesn’t make it go away. Dismissing even the possibility of making a positive change in one’s health is silly, at best, and dangerous at worst.

We’ve all done something difficult. Whether it’s graduate school, raise children, serve in the military, or work in a profession that requires learning. We have proven to ourselves time and time again that we are capable of doing impressive things. Prove to yourself that you’re worth the time and effort to get healthy. I know you can do it. You just need to believe in yourself.