Category: Whole30

First morning without back pain

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It’s been a weird couple of weeks. I somehow hurt my back without doing anything at all. Yeah, yeah: I know. I’m old. But c’mon! I’m not that old.

In the office and thinking, “I need more coffee.”

But anyway, this morning was the first morning I awoke without any back pain. My right Achilles heel still has pain, and I think it always will. I’m learning to just live with it. But while I can do my exercises and even ride my bike with the Achilles heel pain, I can’t do either of those (and more) with the back pain. That it is now gone is significant.

I’m not sure when exactly I’ll start back up my exercise routine; maybe next Monday. I want to give my back enough time to fully heal and feel better. I want to make sure that I’m not rushing things and getting back into exercise too quickly. At the same time, I really want the benefits of exercise as it pertains to my health. I just feel better after a good bike ride or a good session in the gym. But I also don’t enjoy working with injuries, so I will wait.

Weight-wise, my weight didn’t change from yesterday, but that’s a win. I know that not every day will see a loss. I remember from my very first Whole30 that sometimes, I’d go 3-4 days without losing and then WHOOSH 2-3 lbs would disappear. I don’t know why it works like that, but it does. Now that I know what to expect, I’m good with these mini-plateaus and fluctuations.

As for food, today started with my Keto cereal with blueberries, and my lunch with be a Whole30 chicken parmigiana (without cheese or breading, obviously) with zucchini cut up like spaghetti noodles and a tomato sauce. This is one of our favorites, and I’m looking forward to it. Dinner will likely be the carnitas tacos again (one of my ultimate favorites). I will also have an apple after lunch, and likely a peach after dinner. We picked up some peaches on our way home from Dallas on Saturday, and they are the sweetest peaches I’ve had in years.

End of week 2 and the result is…

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203.3. That’s nearly 7 lbs in two weeks. It’s keeping me on track for the 10+ I was hoping for this Whole30. Now, here’s the crazy part: Sherry and I are considering this a pre-Whole30 because we have a summer party in two weeks where we will imbibe alcohol and probably eat some things we aren’t supposed to. But the plan is for us to then start our REAL Whole30 the following day which will lead us into a strict Paleo for the rest of the summer and fall going into the holiday season just like we did on our very first Whole30. That first Whole30 led me to lose 110 lbs in a year without exercise and shoehorned me into the Paleo lifestyle which saw me lose another 40 lbs and reverse my Type 2 Diabetes and fatty liver disease.

I’m incredibly excited and motivated to see 203.3 lbs on the scale this morning for another reason: I forgot to weigh myself when I woke up, so that was after eating breakfast and 10 oz of coffee as well as needing to *ehem* go to the bathroom. So… I could have weighed up to half a pound less! But, I’ll put that loss off for tomorrow.

Mushrooms are a great ingredient for Whole30 foods.

Today, Sherry and I are doing meal prep for the week. We are making some Carnitas, Al Pastor, and a deconstructed cheeseburger. All of these are Whole30-compliant, and among some of our favorites. Whole30 is really not that difficult to get through when the foods taste as good if not better than the non-compliant foods. Even my daughter who was staying with us last week commented on how much she liked the food. She was even happier to know that it was all very healthy for her.

My success is only possible because of the teamwork with my wife. Between her being the driving force behind our amazing menu and the cooking, to the portion sizes she’s been helping me with (my biggest problem is over-eating), the nearly 7 lbs I’ve lost is in large part due to her support. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Trusting the Process (Again)

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This morning at my daily weigh-in, my weight remained the same (yay!), but my pants are already definitely feeling better, and my shirts are fitting better. It seems the inflammation of my body which manifests with swelling has been decreasing enough that my “Puffy” look is going away.

As for my back, it continues to feel a little better but I think there is an underlying issue I will have to see a doctor for. I don’t want to venture guesses publicly, but I think it’s better to be checked out to know for sure.

Food-wise, I started the day with my Catalina Crunch Keto cereal (chocolate) with a handful of blueberries sprinkled on top with the Califia Better Half coconut/almond milk. I really enjoy this quick cereal breakfast and it tastes great and keeps me sated until lunchtime.

Speaking of lunchtime, today I will have a deconstructed chicken with salsa verde bowl with riced cauliflower and grilled pepper, onions, and mushrooms. It’s a new-ish recipe that Sherry started to make recently and I love it!

Dinner will likely be a salisbury steak with mushroom sauce over mashed cauliflower. I had this a few times this week, and it’s really tasty and filling!

Although my weight remained the same, I am happy about how my clothes are feeling. It’s a process, and it takes time. I just have to continue to trust the process and monitor my progress and adjust as necessary. So far, no adjustments have been necessary; I’m eating the right foods, getting enough sleep, and making sure I’m properly hydrated. I look forward to being able to add exercise back after my back (and possible other issue) gets better.

Two steps forward…

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So, the progress with my weight loss is going back in the right direction with a new low; 204.9. That’s over 5 lbs now in just over a week. That’s what I expected. I’d hoped for more, but in the first month, if I can get 10+, that’s a victory, and I’m well on my way to that number.

This is me right now in my office at work.

As for how my pants feel, they’re much looser. Things are fitting better already. I look forward to being able to wear all my clothes again soon. It’s ridiculous how quickly I was able to pack on weight with just a few months of being marginally careful. I guess I need to remain eternally vigilant and really stick to the Paleo Diet. It has done well for me for nearly eight years. Just two months off of it and my weight soared and my health declined quicker than anything I’d ever experienced. There’s no better endorsement for the no added sugar/low-carb diet than what I’ve just been through over the past two months.

The one step backward is my back pain. This morning, my back pain was pretty bad when driving into the office. Now as I sit in my chair (very upright with good posture, I might add), it doesn’t hurt, but as soon as I try to move or get up, it will be sore again.

I think the spasm is, once again, tightening up. I did some stretching exercises in my bed before getting up, and it may not have had the effect I was hoping for. I will continue to be careful and move slowly and deliberately, but if this persists, a visit to a doctor or a chiropractor may be in order.

Weekend and back pain

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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.

Day Four

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First, a quick recap of yesterday (Day 3). Dinner was a rather generous portion of the Chicken Tikka Masala that my wife and I made on Sunday. It was yummy, but it seemed like a pretty big portion. Either that, or I’m being very hard on myself and being very thoughtful about portion sizes. But I was not only sated, but it was delicious. This week, my wife made all our favorites; okay, she made all MY favorites, and it makes rolling into this Whole30 a lot easier when the foods are delicious.

This morning, I skipped weighing myself. Not because of any particular reason other than I woke up about 30 minutes later than I like, and I got dressed quickly before I realized I hadn’t weighed myself. Oh well; I’ll do it tomorrow morning.

Today’s breakfast was the Catalina Crunch (keto cereal) with blueberries. I know: cereal is SWYPO according to W30, but I NEVER eat real cereal. Heck, it’s been nearly eight years since I had real cereal, so I’m not replacing anything from the “Pre-Paleo Diet” days. I do stick to the rules on ingredients, portion size, and 99% of the SWYPO rules, but I can’t give up the one quick breakfast I have that sates my appetite until lunchtime with almost no prep.

Lunch will be chili. I freaking love chili. I have since I was a kid. I loved it so much that my grandmother used to tease me about it. Whenever I spent the weekends with my grandparents, most times we’d go out camping if the weather was nice. On those trips, they’d always stop somewhere; usually a diner or some non-fast food place. I was kind of picky about food; I didn’t like hamburgers or cheeseburgers, and not many places had hot dogs, so my go-to was chili. It was almost always great, and I grew to really love it. I remember going somewhere and my grandmother saying, “This time, try to pick anything other than chili.” I went through the menu and explained to her why each of the other items didn’t meet my culinary expectations or needs. She sighed and relented; “Fine. Get your chili.” She loved telling that story. I honestly think of her every time I eat chili.

Dinner will likely be the meatloaf and sweet potato hash. It’s another one of my absolute favorites, and a food I didn’t really grow to appreciate until my mid-20’s. My mother cooked almost exclusively Hungarian cuisine for my family, with the occasional exception of French or Italian food. I loved all kinds of food, but when it came to hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and meatloaf, I had an aversion. They seemed so pedestrian compared to the amazing meals I was accustomed to from my mother. School lunches were a challenge; there were days I didn’t eat the main portion if it was one of those three food items and I’d just eat the sides. I’d trade away my burgers for chips or fruit.

But then something crazy happened. When I was 13 or 14, I used to ride my bike a lot. Like 30-40 miles a day. I would ride my little 12-speed to neighboring towns, and most days, I’d find myself far from home and hungry. I started asking my mother for lunch money on those days I rode far, and since it was summertime, she was glad to give me the money to make me disappear for the day so she could focus on her housework. One day, I was riding and got very hungry, and as I was riding past a McDonald’s, I could smell the fries. I loved fries. So I went inside and as I was about to order fries, the person in front of me ordered a Quarter Pounder with no cheese. I thought that was a good option, and I’d work my way through it with the fries and a Coke. So, I got the Quarter Pounder, fries, and a Coke and I sat down. I took a bite of the burger expecting to be repulsed, but it was amazing. I don’t know if it was because I was so hungry, so tired, or both, but it just hit different. From that point on, burgers were on the table.

Meatloaf took a little longer. I was in the Marines and as an MP, we were not allowed to eat at the chow hall (dining facility) due to our work schedule and because we were paid a stipend for food in lieu of dining privileges. So, the other Marines and I would search out the best places to eat that fit within our budgets. One was Bob’s Big Boy, and the other was Norm’s, a diner in Santa Ana, California. One day at Norm’s, I asked what the daily special was (these were always very generous portions for an incredibly reasonable price), and on that day, it was meatloaf. I didn’t have much cash on me, but I had enough for the special and the tip, so I went for it, and it was amazing. Once again, I marveled at having missed out on meatloaf for so long (at the time lol) in my life. Like hamburgers before it, meatloaf was now on the table.

Cheeseburgers never quite made it. I can abide a swiss burger, but I prefer my burgers without cheese. I don’t know what it is. My wife thinks it’s because I respect cheese too much, and maybe she’s right. I do like cheese; just not on burgers. I love nachos, Mexican food, French food, and even Hungarian foods with cheese on it. Just leave it off my burgers.

Anyway, that’s a stupid long explanation of why the meatloaf tonight is going to be a treat, and I’m looking forward to it. Fortunately, my wife sets the portions, so I wont’ over-eat. But I will eat slowly and savor it.

I have a slight headache today that I recognize as the Whole30 haze. But on the positive side, the cravings were much lower yesterday than the day before, and I expect them to be even less today. I also feel less bloated; I measure this with what I call the “Ring test.” I check to see how easy it is for me to take my wedding ring off. If it comes off easily, then I’m not bloated. But if it is hard to remove or doesn’t come off at all… well, then I know I’m bloating, and it’s usually from grains, dairy, or sugar (of which I had all of while in the Balkans).

I’m excited. The more I get into this Whole30, the more motivated I am becoming. I don’t look at the foods I can’t eat; I actually prefer the Whole30 foods because I know they’re healthy for me, and I know that in between meals, I will feel so much better in a few weeks. There’s no replacing that with bread or a dessert.

Found my starting weight

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So, I decided to weigh myself yesterday: 209.4. Being that the weigh-in was nearly two days after I started, I’ll round it up to 210.

Oh. My. God.

That means I have 35 lbs to lose. I know, I know: it’s not about weight, it’s about health. And yes, I get it, and I sincerely subscribe to that idea. But… I am still in the military, and they care about numbers which means I have to care about numbers.

So, I will trust the process, play the game, and I will reach my goal just like I have every time in the past on Whole30’s prior.

I also broke the rule I said I would follow yesterday; I weighed myself this morning just as I always did on previous Whole30’s. What did I find? 208.5. This is also as I expected after 2 days. The first week is always the best week for pure weight loss as my body recovers from the gluten and sugar overload it was experiencing through all the amazing breads, desserts, and alcohol (we won’t mention all those double espressos with sugar).

Why do I continue to break the “Don’t weigh yourself” rule? Because for my personality type, it fuels my desire to reach my goal. It is an immediate feedback that shows me I’m doing the right thing, or if the scale goes in the other direction, it allows me to more closely analyze what I put into my body and its effect on my overall health.

As for exercise, I was supposed to start that on Monday, but I didn’t. Then, I was supposed to start that on Tuesday and still didn’t. Today is Wednesday, and if I’m being honest, I likely won’t start today either. Why? Well, my heel is still recovering from an injury I sustained about a month ago during a sprint from one building to another avoiding a devastating storm here in Houston in which 7 people lost their lives. I was downtown, the epicenter of the storm, and I sprinted far too hard and ended up injuring my right Achille’s tendon. It didn’t rupture, but it definitely was strained.

I also hurt my back prior to my vacation: a painful spasm that stayed with me for nearly two weeks. That one happened after a workout when I didn’t stretch properly after a personal best for the year in lifting, and I moved suddenly when the spasm appeared.

As for my shoulder injury I’ve been working with for the past year, it is actually the one bright spot. Because of my weightlifting, it actually has healed more and the range of motion has increased. It still hurts, but nowhere near as much as it used to, and I can use my arm and shoulder a lot more today than I have been able to in almost two years.

Today’s breakfast was 1 cup of Catalina Crunch (a keto breakfast cereal that I really enjoy when I don’t want to make my two eggs, bacon, and tomato breakfast that has been a staple for me since my very first Whole30 nearly 8 years ago) with blueberries and Califia Better Half creamer (a mix of almond milk and coconut cream). For lunch, I will have a Picadillo that my wife and I made this weekend (the recipe for it is on her website, and I highly recommend it; it’s one of my favorites!). For dinner tonight, I will likely have either the meatloaf and sweet potatoes she made, or a chicken dish with riced cauliflower. As for drinks, I limit myself to either coffee with the Califia Better Half or LMNT, a drink powder with no sugar but it has salt, potassium, and magnesium which is important when you’re doing heavy exercise when on a diet like Whole30 or Paleo.

But wait, you’re thinking: you said you aren’t exercising right now! That’s right, but I will be starting any day now as soon as my motivation for it returns, and I have to be ready. My body has to be ready. And when it and I am, I won’t have to worry that I don’t have the proper elements in my body.

So. Day 3 on Whole30. I’m starting to feel some of the flu-like symptoms, but that’s to be expected. The worst is yet to come, likely this weekend, and that’s okay. I’m here for it. I actually embrace it, because then I know I’m doing the right things.

Another Whole30

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Well, it’s time for me to do another Whole30. I need to reset my diet, my health, and take control of my appetite and my health once again. I’ve worked hard these past 7 years to maintain my healthy eating habits and exercise, but the past 4 months have been really hard on me and this led to me eating a lot more foods I normally don’t eat.

As a deployed Soldier to Kosovo, I resisted all the local breads and pastries and as much of the carbs as possible for 8 out of my 9 months there. In the last month, I decided to allow myself to experience the local cuisine, and while it led to weight gain, I don’t regret it. I experienced so much about the Kosovar/Albanian culture through its food, and I will forever treasure those memories. However, it led me to lowering my guard and allowing myself to eat all kinds of foods when I got back to the US. This led to a dramatic weight gain and made me feel generally unhealthy.

Now, it’s time for me to reset again. I’m currently on Day 2 of my Whole30, and my mind is back into it 100% is it was on my very first Whole30 almost eight years ago. My wife and I did meal prep on Sunday, and yesterday and today, I am back at eating only Whole30 foods and avoiding everything else.

The weird part: it feels good. I remember on my first Whole30, I was hesitant and worried about how satiated I’d be after meals and how good they would be. I was worried about feeling hungry or not getting enough food. Now, having done multiple Whole30’s, I not only know what to expect, but I now look forward to them. I know that within the next few days, I’m going to feel like I was hit by a truck. But you know what? I look forward to feeling like crap. Why? Because I know that the process is working. It’ll be a physical reminder that I’m doing the right thing, and the predicted things that are supposed to happen when I’m doing it right are happening.

It helps that my wife has done a great job in identifying the foods we enjoy and love on Whole30, and she’s started us off with a solid selection of amazing and delicious foods. Portion sizes are also set by her, which helps me, because I have a problem with that. I always take more than I should, and I always finish everything on my plate. When she sets the portion sizes, I only eat what it served, and somehow, it is always enough.

So here we go. I forgot to weigh myself before I started, so I’ll do that later today. I will likely not weigh myself through this Whole30, unlike past Whole30’s. I am going all-in, and knowing what’s ahead of me, I’m excited. I can’t wait to be on the other side of this and feeling so much better, healthier, and vibrant.

The Obstacle Is The Way

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This is the way.

I saw this quote this morning, and it really hit home for me.

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

Marcus Aurelius

I wanted to be healthy, but to me, there were obstacles I thought I could never get past. These were:

  • Healthy diet
  • Exercise
  • Healthy lifestyle

I reached a point where I had to either tackle the obstacles, one by one, or I would not live much longer. I had tried, in the past, to get healthy, to eat right, and to exercise, but each time, the attempts crashed and failed. I was working with bad information, or misinformation, and no matter how hard I tried, I always ended up worse off than if I’d never tried. I had almost given up until a perfect storm of advice and life events brought me to making the decision to change my life.

2016 vs 2021.

Tackling diet and exercise at the same time, for me, was unthinkable. I decided that the best thing to do was to first change my diet. The first obstacle we tackled was our unhealthy diet. Sherry and I did our first Whole30 and went all-in on healthy eating. We transitioned into Paleo and never looked back. Within the first month (on Whole30), I lost 20 lbs, and for the following 11 months on Paleo, I lost an additional 110 lbs. What was more striking to me was that the entire time I was on Paleo and losing weight, I was never hungry, I didn’t starve, and I didn’t crave sweets or snacks. This “New” way of eating for me became the norm, and I actually enjoyed and preferred it. Not only because of how I felt, or because I was losing weight (and getting much healthier!), but because I even preferred the way the food tasted. This was our first example of the obstacle becoming the way. Over five years later, we are still Paleo, still doing the occasional Whole30, and now, it’s just the way we eat.

Hiking up a small mountain for ziplining.

That brings me to the next obstacle: exercise. When I did my first Whole30, and admittedly, throughout my entire first year of Paleo, I was vehemently and militantly against exercise. I didn’t want anything to do with fitness or exercise, and I thought I could go on forever without it. But something funny happened. I realized that being lighter wasn’t enough; that I needed exercise to complete my healthy lifestyle. I also decided that I wanted to try to get back into the military, and fitness is a big part of that. I dove head-first into fitness and found, once again, that the obstacle became the way. I began doing push-ups, then walking which turned into jogging which turned into running. I even started weightlifting. Now, I feel anxious when I can’t get my exercise, and my legs feel like they’re fully charged and ready for action unless I can run at least every other day (as I write this, I’m looking forward to my weightlifting and running later today!).

Today, in 2021, I find myself living a healthy lifestyle, something I could have never imagined 6 years ago. Looking back, there’s very little I miss from my life back then: health problems, decreased self esteem, moodiness, and a lack of mobility. Today, I get to mountain bike, kayak, hike, zip-line, go camping, and I get to do cool stuff in the National Guard.

I have a road march (with a 48 lbs pack) coming up very soon, and every time I do one of these “Ruck” marches, at some point, I always smile when I realize that I’m still doing this crazy stuff at my age. I smile because six years ago, being on a trail with a heavy ruck on my back, walking for 4 or 6 miles, was something unthinkable. It was such a surmountable obstacle that I couldn’t even fathom a walk that long, let alone within a 16:30 minute/mile pace with a heavy ruck on my back. And yet, here I am: the obstacle has become the way.

I am very fortunate to be able to do cool stuff like this at my age.

What seems impossible today can become the norm for you, but it’s not an easy path to follow. It will take hard work, persistence, and sacrifice. It takes time. Sometimes, a lot of time. But it’s a journey without a destination; it just becomes The Way.

Playing the Pendulum Game (Losing Size vs Losing Weight)

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On this Whole30, just like every other one before it, my weight loss is not linear; It’s like steps on stairs. I can go for a few days without losing any weight and all, and then all of the sudden, 2-3 lbs are gone. It’s been like this for me every time I’ve done a Whole30, and it was this way for an entire year when I lost my first 130 lbs on the Paleo Diet.

This past weekend, I did EVERYTHING perfect: portion sizes, Whole30 compliant food, got enough sleep, and even exercise. How much weight did I drop? 0.0 lbs. BUT, and this is the most important part: I had to pull my belt in an inch. A FULL INCH. I am certain that there are scientists or physicians who can tell me the science behind this, but it seems to me that I’m either losing size or weight. My guess is that you don’t actually lose fat cells; they just “Deflate” for a while until the body decides that they aren’t needed anymore and THEN gets rid of them. The result is the weight or size pendulum.

I can already see a difference in my face and in my abdomen. I look less bloated and I’m beginning to see more definition in my abs (which is something, because I have A LOT of spare skin there). I’m starting to feel much better now that the first week is over. The first week on Whole30 is always pretty rough, and this one was no exception. I had the headache, the soreness, the lack of energy, and feeling otherwise not well. Today, I awoke feeling much better than even yesterday which, I thought, was my best morning yet.

I always say, and firmly believe, that weight should not be the sole measure of success for a healthy diet. It is, however, a data point to be considered in a holistic approach to one’s health. By holistic, I am refering to the textbook definition: “Characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.” So, when we say that we’re improving our health, we are talking about many different areas that are interconnected and are part of the whole. One part in and of itself does not define the whole. I have known plenty of people who were considered, “Thin” and appropriate weight and still had heart disease, fatty liver disease, Type-2 Diabetes, and high cholesterol while I’ve known people who are considered overweight to have none of these issues other than high weight. Which of these individuals would be considered healthier?

What are some other metrics I use to gauge my health?

  • How do I feel? Do I feel more alert? Did I get better sleep? Is it easier to concentrate on things? I always see improvements in my general mood and alertness as my health improves.
  • How well do my clothes fit? Do I need to wear a size M or size L t-shirt? As I lose weight and size, I feel more comfortable in my clothes.
  • How do my joints feel? Do I have any soreness? As I get healthier, and lose weight, there’s less stress on my joints, ligaments, and tendons.
  • How is my skin? Any rashes, dryness, or other issues? The healthier I eat, the better my skin seems to get.
  • How are my bowel movements? Normal? I have written about this at length in the past, and while I won’t get too much into it here, let’s just say that things are MUCH better when I’m eating healthy.
  • How easy is it to run 3 miles? The less I weigh, the easier the runs are (and yes, I can feel the difference 5 lbs makes!).
  • How flexible am I? The less bulk I have, the more flexible I seem to get.

So, while weight is not the primary measure of health, it is one of the easiest to comprehend. We like numbers, and it’s easy for us to equate lower numbers with high quality of health, although this is not always true. I want to dispel one thing, however, before I end this post: being obese and fit is a myth. I know there are people out there who are obese and can run 5k’s, 10k’s, and even a few who run marathons, but being obese is most definitely not healthy and is taxing the body’s systems at a much higher rate than if they weighed less. It’s not about being thin, but it’s about not carrying so much extra weight that your body is working overtime.

I am happy with my results so far, and I’m looking forward to the end of this month and the end of this Whole30. I asked Sherry about Paleo Pizza, and she reminded me that it’s not Whole30 compliant. I love Paleo Pizza… mmmmm… Pizza….