Category: Scoop

So many people tell me they wish they had my motivation, dedication, strength, or determination. My wife says she thinks it’s my military training that allows me to set goals for myself and single-mindedly accomplish them. However, I don’t think that is the reason why (although my military training has definitely helped me in the goal-achieving department). What it comes down to was realigning my priorities.

I used to place a large priority on sating my appetite and cravings. Whatever I craved, I had to have. If I wanted pizza, I’d order a large one. If I wanted bread sticks, I’d order two or three bags of them. If I wanted chocolate, I’d get a big bag of Dove chocolate and eat them. Regardless of the craving, I satisfied it in big ways, because that was my priority.

Health and fitness weren’t even on my radar. Ultimately, when my health started to fade and my fitness became so laughable that I had to hold my breath to tie my own shoes, I realized something had to happen. I took that long, hard look into my soul and had a conversation with myself that helped me re-align my priorities. I had primed the pump, so to speak, to get healthy. All I had to do was find the way. Weeks later, through the help of my cousin, I found Whole30 and Paleo.

I had to make my health my top priority. I didn’t add fitness to my priority list until an entire year after I started (almost to the day). But once I made my health my top priority, a strange thing happened: it became easier to let go of the things that were ruining and impacting my health in negative ways. Foods that to me before were comforting were now troubling. I changed the paradigm of what good food was to me, and also the paradigm of what food was for. I changed it from entertainment and comfort to fuel.

If there’s any single hack I used on my brain, it was this: changing my priorities and changing the paradigm of what food is for. Those two are the foundation upon which everything else sits: motivation, determination, discipline, perseverance: all of them mean nothing until you’ve made health your top priority. It becomes easy to resist temptation and to stay on the diet or lifestyle when it is your top priority.

But it has to be real, and not just lip service. Once you truly commit, the rest will fall into place easily.

My wife and I did Whole30, adopted the Paleo Diet, did a few Whole30’s here and there, and recently did Keto for a little over a month. After all this, we decided that a modified Keto/Paleo Plan was probably best for us. We figured we’d try it out and see how we felt and how our bodies responded.

I am happy to report that it seems to be going well. We’ve learned that our bodies are very sensitive to sugars, even natural ones like honey, agave, and maple syrup, so we’ve eliminated those and started using erythritol instead. We’ve learned through the keto resources that erythritol doesn’t spike blood sugar, and is very low on the glycemic index. Judging by how much better we feel without the sugars, this makes sense.

We have also strictly limited the amount of fruits we eat, and have even cut down on root vegetables due to their high carb content. We eat a lot more leafy greens, cauliflower, asparagus, and squashes.

As for meat, this remains the same: beef, pork, chicken, and fish of all sorts. We just make sure that the ingredients used in things like sausage leave out sugar and are reduced sodium with no or few nitrates.

One area that we’ve added to our previous Paleo Diet is dairy. We allow ourselves lactose free dairy like cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese, but we do so in moderation. We have found that our bodies are okay with dairy, but it’s the lactose we have issues with.

Otherwise, I feel like the food I’ve been eating has been enough to keep me satisfied and fueled, and I’m not gaining weight (although at this point, I’m not really losing any, either). So, solid maintenance on the Keto/Paleo Plan.

This is just a short little entry that marks something significant for me. For the first time in over two and a half years, I didn’t gain weight after a holiday!

Yes, I ate a lot; much more than I should have, or much more than I normally do. How did I avoid the weight gain? Well, I decided I’d try something different. I ate a very small breakfast, and then just ate what was offered during our holiday lunch meal. I felt so full for the rest of the day that not only did I never got hungry, I ended up not having to eat dinner that night.

Something I did to make sure I felt full the rest of the day was I drank coffee or iced tea, and I made sure to engage my brain and do some maintenance around the house and then when I was done with those tasks, I occupied my mind with a video game. The net result was not even a tenth of a pound gain! I’ll take it!

That used to be me. I remember walking in an attempt to lose weight. I thought that activity was what I needed, and that coupled with watching how many calories I ate, I would lose weight and get healthy. What I didn’t realize back then was that the type of calories I ate mattered, and the food I ate had a direct effect on things like my appetite, cravings, and directly impacted my chances for success.

I don’t know anything about the guy I see other than he’s out there every day, and it makes me smile. I haven’t talked to him, and I likely won’t unless he engages me first, but I doubt he will. He’s out there every day, walking at a brisk pace, and improving his heart health. As for his weight, I’ve seen it drop a bit over the past few years. He’s making progress.

The point is, it is heartwarming to see someone tackle their health issues. Often, when we are overweight or sorely out of shape, we are embarrassed to be out and about among the more healthy and fit people. We feel shy about the condition our bodies are in, and we’d rather not be among those who are trim and fit. What we fail to realize is that not all those people have been trim and fit their entire lives; many started where we started, only they’re farther down the path of their own weight loss and health journey than we are. That’s how I see myself when I see the big guy walking in the park; I’m just farther down the path than he is.

I always give him a thumbs-up, a wave, and a smile when I pass him. He always smiles and waves back. I don’t know if he realizes that I’m hoping to motivate him and let him know that it’s great that he’s out there with me, and that I’m happy for him that he’s tackling his health and weight. There is nothing at all for him to be shy and/or embarrassed about, and you should be neither shy nor embarrassed about your own weight, size, or fitness level. Just get out there and do your thing. Anyone who would criticize you or ridicule you is a horrible person; the overwhelming majority of people who are exercising would bend over backwards to help you, motivate you, and give you advice.

Here’s to you, big guy walking in the park. I wish you the best of luck, much success, and great health!

I have met many dejected people who are upset or reeling from a recent failure at trying a healthy lifestyle. They don’t understand why they were unable to succeed where they had seen me or others succeed at getting healthy and losing weight.

I ask these people about what they ate. I ask them to consider their portion sizes. I ask them to look at the types of foods they ate, and how often they allowed themselves to stray from the letter of the law, so to speak. I don’t ask for them to tell me the answers, but for them to think about them because it’s likely that the answer lies among those issues.

We all fail at things. When it comes to diet and fitness, I have failed many times in my life. I failed so often at losing weight that I was close to giving up entirely. I finally got honest with myself and found that I wasn’t ever doing enough. On top of that, the information I was working with was flawed, and led me further and further from actually being healthy. Once I found LCHF, things clicked and I was able to apply myself. But how did I get to LCHF? From multiple failures.

Through those failures, I learned that I needed to control my appetite, I needed to reduce cravings, I needed to feel full between meals, and the meals themselves had to be tasty. I also needed to find something that didn’t require routine trips to the gym because that was something I certainly wouldn’t do. I was able to build a list of things I knew I had to have to be successful based on all the things that led me to failure in the past. Once I had this list, things got easier. So much easier, in fact, that it actually worried me that perhaps there was something wrong with me physically, and that the weight loss was a coincidence. Someone even told me that it was possible. I had two physicals my first year of LCHF, and they confirmed what I had hoped: I was healthier than when I started my first Whole30, and my health was improving in leaps and bounds.

Failure stinks, and we try to avoid it, but when you do fail, take a long, hard, and honest look at why you failed, and without assigning blame, note those items and vow to yourself to not repeat those mistakes. Then, you will learn, and you will lead yourself to the success you desire.

I had given up so many times that by the time I started my first Whole30, I really was doing so out of desperation. I figured, “What the heck. Let’s give it one more shot to see if it works.” But, you see, the big issue was that Whole30 isn’t designed for weight loss as much as it is for a detox from sugar and processed foods/chemicals. Weight loss typically happens to many people who do a Whole30 if they are careful about limiting sugar, even natural ones. So, having read all about the people who lost no weight after a Whole30, I went ahead and tried anyway.

I lost 20 lbs in that 30 days.

I was stunned, shocked, amazed, and incredibly thankful. It also reiterated to me the fact that my previous diet was incredibly bad for me. Just by changing the food I ate had allowed my body to begin healing and returning to a normal weight.

I remained skeptical even after I continued to lose weight at a rate of 10 lbs per month after my wife and I adopted the Paleo Diet. I was eating amazing and delicious food that kept me filled up and left me without cravings, and yet I was continuing to lose weight at a rate of about 10 lbs per month. I felt as if I’d found a cheat code to life.

When I hit 110 lbs lost in one year, I couldn’t believe it. I was under 200 lbs for the first time in over two decades, and I remember the day clearly. I stepped on the scale and saw a “1” in the first digit of my weight. I cried. I had done it. I still had more work to do, but I literally dropped over 100 lbs. And I did it just by changing what I ate.

When I eventually got down to the weight I’m at now, I plateaued. I wish I could get past the weight I’m at now, but my body isn’t having it. For me to get lower, I’d have to eat less and actually feel hunger again, or I’d have to greatly increase my physical activity which is something I’m not certain I want to do. So, I am where I am, and I’m learning to be happy with that. Numbers are just numbers anyway: it’s how I feel and how I look that matters.

I had all but given up, but I gave it one last solid try. I gave it all I had, and I made sure I followed the rules not only to the letter, but I was super-strict and never allowed myself any opportunities to sabotage my progress. It was hard-earned, and I wasn’t about to give any of it back for any reason. The craziest part to me was that it worked and it continues to work for me over two and a half years later.

Never give up. Every failure is another lesson in what not to do. Eventually, you’ll get it right.

I was once told that the scariest conversation you can ever have is one you have with yourself. A truly deep, honest, and frank conversation with yourself in the mirror. I tried it a few times, and yes, it can get scary. I even avoided them for a long time until one day I had a conversation with myself in the bathroom after I got out of the shower and got a glimpse of my body in all its morbidly obese glory.

“Oh my God, man. You’ve really got to do something about this.”

“Yeah, but what?” I replied.

“Something. Anything. What you’re doing now isn’t working. What you’ve allowed to happen to your body is going to kill you. Don’t you want to see your kids grow up to be parents? Don’t you want to meet your grandchildren? Don’t you want to be around longer to annoy your wife?”

“Sure. I want all those things. But I don’t have the willpower anymore to exercise and work out and to do the hard work it takes. I give up. I’m going to die obese, and probably soon.”

“And you accept that? You think that’s okay?”

“I don’t know what else to do.”

I stood there for probably a few minutes. It felt like hours. I was at the end of my rop. I didn’t know what else to do. What else I could undertake to drop the weight. What the conversation did do, however, was spark my interest in seeking out methods to lose weight.

I stumbled across /r/progresspics on Reddit.com. I looked at all these people who had lost weight, and I read their posts. I started seeing a trend: either they used CICO or LCHF. I tried CICO and it didn’t work for me, so I figured LCHF might be the way to go. The rest is history I’ve related many times on this blog, and here I am.

Be honest with yourself. If what you’re doing isn’t working, there might be something else going on that’s keeping you from succeeding. Whether it’s something you’re doing or something medical or genetic, there is a reason for lack of success on an LCHF diet. But be honest. Being anything less does a disservice to you and won’t help anything.

Being in the field was fun. I enjoyed my time, and while there were very long days with a lot of work that left me exhausted, I feel like it was worthwhile, and I learned a lot. I also ate pretty well in terms of healthiness, and aside from a few sugar-free zero calorie energy drinks I had, I ate good food. What I didn’t get to do was run, however, and now I have to get back into it.

Returning Sunday evening, the last thing I thought about was running. The next day, when I got home from work, all I wanted to do was rest. My muscles were still aching, and I was still tired both mentally and physically. Tuesday? Wednesday? Rain. So, I am going to run as soon as I can, which will likely be Thursday or Friday. I’m no DJ Jazzy Jeff about it, but I know I have to get back to it because my heart needs it, my muscles need it, and I need to work on my speed for the next APFT we are having in May.

I like running. Sometimes I love running. But sometimes, I just want to be lazy. This week is one of those “Want to be lazy” weeks. But I can’t. I have to get back up on that horse and ride it. I owe it to myself, my family, my friends, and to my Soldiers.

Motivation is a funny thing. I am motivated by many things, but sometimes, you have to dig down deep to find something to get you going. It’s easy to talk yourself out of doing stuff, and it takes real strength to get past it all and just go. I find that if I allow myself to get into a post-work routine that involves running, it’s somehow easier for me to mentally check out and just go through the paces. On the days I’m not exceptionally motivated, I tend to run a little slower, perhaps, but when I notice I’m running slow, I pick up the pace and push it.

I’m pretty sure tonight’s run will be like that; just go through the paces and have a slow run. I’m expecting it to be a bit difficult as my last run was last Monday, but with all the running around/fast walking/lifting I did this weekend, hopefully I didn’t lose too much.

What’s the point of all this rambling? It’s motivation. Motivation is what you use to get you past your own naysaying and negativity. Once you realize that motivation is that power you have over your own negativity, it gets easier to become motivated. I’m not fighting against someone not allowing me to run or against anything other than my own laziness. And I have no room for laziness in my life.

I just got back from a weekend drill in the field, and it went very well. Aside from the good training, I had a chance to eat the food I typically take with me, and once again, it proved to be not only enough to fuel me during the high-intensity periods, but it also tasted good and felt filling.

I ate Epic Bars as my main protein source and I supplemented that with an RXBar and sometimes, with some almonds or perhaps a protein chocolate bar. All in all, I felt like I was able to eat my food quickly, though I did tend to savor it a bit, and it was a lot less trouble than the MRE’s.

The meals that were served to us were 180 degrees from the food we were served at our last annual training (AT). This time, there were actually options I could partake in, including bacon and eggs, ham, and/or fruit for breakfast and baked chicken wings for dinner. There were a few other meals that were served that I skipped, like pasta and chicken, but that was okay; my own stash of healthy foods kept me going.

I enjoy my drills, and even though they can be very demanding both physically and mentally, the sense of accomplishment afterwards is great, and the memories made with fellow soldiers are golden. I really feel fortunate to be able to serve at my age, and I work hard to ensure that I am worthwhile and worthy of being there. The day I can no longer hack it is the day I hang up my boots. Until then, it’s GO GO GO (with healthy foods)!