You can’t succeed until you want to

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Me in 2014 vs 2016: the difference 120 lbs makes.

It seems simple enough, but this fact seems to elude so many people.You can’t succeed at weight loss until you really are willing to commit to it in a serious way. Like anything worth attaining in life, it takes dedication, sacrifice, and work.

I once read an article about motivation and there was a passage that resounded with me: you have to want success as much as you want air when you’re under water for more than 30 seconds. You have to make it not only your top priority, but it has to become your top 5 or more priorities.

Think about successful business people, athletes, or performers. Each of them have sacrificed and worked hard to get where they are. They didn’t just focus on one aspect of their career; they had to cover many aspects spanning different skills and areas. Weight loss is the same. You can’t just focus on one thing: you must focus on an area of things.

You need to learn about self-control, changing your relationship with food, the types of foods you can and can’t eat, how to buy them, how to cook them, how prepare meal plans, how to have a successful prep day, how much to eat, how often to eat, and how to avoid snacking and emotional eating. And then still, there’s even more to learn and dedicate yourself to. Then, within each of these areas are even more sub-skills and things to learn that you can see how it becomes all-encompassing.

The good news is that once you’ve learned a lot of the aforementioned areas, you can scale back your time spent learning those things and let your life get back to normal, but unless you are willing to take the time and do the work, you will not be as successful as you possibly can.

I’ve walked this walk. I know it’s not easy, but I can also say it’s not hard. It just takes a serious commitment. I wanted my weight loss journey to be successful. I accepted no failure, and I did not accept sabotage. I stuck to the plan completely, and the results I got were great. I can’t guarantee anyone results, but I can guarantee that if you commit fully, you will give yourself the best chance for success. Anything less is hampering your ability to fully succeed.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way

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160205I was able to get out and run tonight. After not running this morning and agonizing about it all day, I made the decision to hit the road and get my run in. I’m glad I did. It was a bit cold out, but the rain had ceased for a bit. I took advantage of it and ended up having a great run.

My first mile pace was really good and slowed with the second and third miles, but overall, I finished with a decent pace that I’m happy with. Since I was only able to run once last week and not at all the week before, it felt good all things considered.

Now, my legs feel pretty good. I was expecting them to feel like concrete again, yet it didn’t happen. They actually felt decent. Even my breathing was good. I just wasn’t as fast in the second and third miles, but I didn’t feel like dying, either. Just a good, comfortable run.

I plan on running again Wednesday morning (giving myself the every other day schedule for now) and I have the 5k coming up on Saturday morning, so I’ll likely not run on Friday morning to prepare for the 5k. I’m going to try to go fast on that one to see what I can do. I am sad that I lost two weeks of preparation, but at least I am feeling 100% so I can do the run on Saturday morning.

Categories PT

Not being able to run due to weather

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file_000-52I had every intention of running this morning but the weather had other ideas. It was 49 and raining, and not just a sprinkle. The skies opened up and were dropping as much water on us as physically possible. There was no way I was going to go out into that.

I’m still getting over this bad cold and the last thing I wanted to do was to give my body another shock and prolong what is hopefully the end of this cold. So, I stayed in. It was hard to do, and there were moments I almost suited up and went out anyway, but I listened to my head and not my heart.

It’s hard when I was only able to run once last week and none the week before. Fortunately, I know I will be able to get back out there this week and run. I will surely be a little sore afterward, and my time may drop a bit, but I will be able to complete 3-3.5 miles and I’ll feel better afterward. I just have to wait.

If it’s not raining when I get home from work, I will run today. If it is, I will try again tomorrow morning. Either way, a run is happening soon. Just not this morning.

Categories PT

I’m not the Paleo Police; Don’t apologize for not eating Paleo if you don’t want to

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Yummy blueberry pancakes made by Sherry.

I get this all the time; “I’m sorry I’m eating cookies in front of you.” Don’t be sorry! Eat your food the way you want to! I won’t judge you!

I also get told by people who normally eat Paleo, “I don’t normally eat this, but I am going to just this once.” It’s okay. Eat what you want. It doesn’t offend me, and I won’t think any less of you for eating what you are eating.

I’ve heard, “I feel sorry for you because you can’t have any of this cake or ice cream.” Again, it’s okay for you to eat what you want, and by all means, don’t feel sorry for me. Enjoy your food! I enjoy mine!

One of my favorites: “Well, I’m going to eat this anyway even though you think it’s bad for you.” Don’t let my presence pressure you into not eating something you would otherwise eat. I make my food decisions just as you make your own. Just because I think it’s bad for me doesn’t make it bad for you. That’s a decision for you to make for yourself.

I’m not missing anything by not having regular cake and ice cream. I’m not missing out at all, in fact, because I do have cake and ice cream and cookies and many other goodies. Only, I have them very rarely, and even when I do, they’re Paleo. I will make the occasional exception for a birthday cake or holiday celebration, but normally I’ll just say, “No thanks.”

I am an advocate for Paleo and for Whole30, and it seems I’ve become an advocate for running as well. I am not, however, someone who will guilt or shame anyone else for not eating Paleo or running. Those are very personal decisions and it’s not my place to impose my decisions on anyone else. If I’m asked, however, I will give you my opinion and the best pitch I can for you to eat well and get some exercise. That, I can promise.

No Need to Hurry Weight Loss

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The only kind of racing I do: against the clock.

I was talking with a Marine Vietnam Veteran who lives down the street from me about weight loss. After seeing my success with the Paleo lifestyle, he adopted it about six months ago and has lost about 25 lbs and his A1C levels have dropped 50% for the first time in over 25 years. He feels better, and his mobility is improving.

While talking, he told me that he was initially disappointed that he was’t losing weight as fast as I did, and that he felt disheartened at one point. He then realized that he’s not in any hurry, and that if he could lose 30 lbs a year, he would be at a healthy weight in two years. I told him that that was a great goal, and that he’s not in a race with me or anyone else. He just needs to lose the weight at a pace he’s comfortable with.

He admitted to me that he’s not as strict with his diet as Sherry and I are, but that he does stick to Paleo as much as he can and as often as he can, and that’s the vast majority of the time. I congratulated him on this, and encouraged him to persevere. He seems to be well on his way to hitting his goal of 30 lbs for the year and onto the next 30 lbs.

Don’t think that you need to lose a certain amount of weight within a time frame. I set goals for myself that I was able to meet through very strict adherence to the Paleo diet, but reaching my final goal has been difficult. I’ve been unable to crack the 175 lbs barrier regardless of how well I eat or how much exercise I’ve been doing. I’m making slow progress, but the progress I’m seeing much more of is in the loss of extra skin on my sides. I’m losing size but not weight right now. I expect that will change at some point, but I need to remember that weight loss is just one measure of health and fitness.

Don’t race. Just do.Take it at your own pace, and allow the changes to occur naturally. It’s okay to set goals, but be realistic and accept when you fall short through no lack of effort on your part. The important part is to keep with it and keep making progress. You may not see it or be able to measure it on a scale, but the changes are happening, and one day you will notice in a big way.

It’s not rude to say, “No, Thank you.”

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My holiday sweater for 2016: a disguised deer can’t be shot.

Over this holiday season, my second since going Paleo, I will be faced with an onslaught of treats and goodies that are full of sugar and grains. Last year, I was adamant about not having any of them at all because I was making super progress and I didn’t want to do anything to sabotage that. At the time, it was a new journey for me, and I was nervous about the social interactions that go along with not eating treats at the holidays. I was worried about insulting anyone by not eating. At the center of our cultural gatherings are foods that are prepared through the care and effort of others for the enjoyment of others. To not partake is an insult, right?

Well, not so much. I learned last year that if the people really do care about you and love you, they will not only understand, but actually respect your stance and help you avoid the bad stuff. People who care and love you want you to succeed more than they want you to eat that pastry or cookie. They want you to be healthy more than they want you to eat the candied yams. Someone else will eat it all, anyway. You can guarantee that.

This year, I am remaining steadfast in my commitment to my health and fitness by staying Paleo, running, and avoiding foods that are bad for me. I will continue to refrain from eating foods rich in sugars and grains, and I will eat only those foods that are Paleo. To all the offers for non-Paleo foods I will be receiving this holiday season, I will smile and say, “No, thank you, but I sincerely appreciate the offer and the effort in making this.” In the rare event that someone pushes the issue, I will explain to them that my body is no longer able to process the grains, dairy, and sugar without having a painful reaction, and I chose to avoid that. The bloating and digestion distress just isn’t worth it.

Stick to your guns. If you’re doing Paleo or just getting rid of carbs, it’s okay to say no. What you’re really doing is saying yes to being healthy and making a change in your lifestyle that will bring you more holiday seasons to say no at.

Weight Loss and Fitness with Diet and Exercise

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2014v2016edgeWeight loss and fitness. Most people view these as one and the same, but they are actually two different, albeit  connected things. It is possible to be healthy and unfit. It’s also possible to be unhealthy and physically fit. I’ve known people in both groups.

When I was on active duty in the Marine Corps in the 90’s, it was believed that you could eat pretty much anything you want in any quantity as long as you performed enough exercise. “PT will solve your problems” was pretty much common thought when it came to weight control. As a matter of fact, if a Marine was found to exceed the Marine Corp’s weight standards, they were put into the Remedial PT program. Again, the idea was to exercise away the weight. The problem with this approach is that it rarely worked, and it was common to see overweight Marines in the Remedial PT program for months or even years. For my 11 years in the Corps, there was very little (if any) mention of diet’s role in weight control.

We need to view weight loss and fitness as the two separate (yet connected) things they are. To control our weight, lose weight, or maintain a healthy weight, we need to eat right. For me, that’s the Paleo diet, but everyone varies in their approach to this, and as long as you’re eating whole, natural foods, this should be okay. As for fitness, exercise is the key. Whether you do cardio, strength, or a combination of the two, I can’t recommend it enough. Being healthy and unfit is a weird state to be in. I know; I was there.

Many people I know exercise a lot without eating right. These people have a difficult time losing weight or getting to their goal or ideal weight. Why? Because our weight is controlled more by our food intake and not our physical activity. My friend Matt used to tell me this all the time, and he’s a very physically fit and healthy guy. As a fat guy, I scoffed at the notion. Everyone always advocated working out to lose weight, and here was this slim and fit guy telling me the opposite. Turned out, he was right. I lost 110 lbs without running a step.

Diet and exercise. Those are the keys to losing weight and getting fit. Without one of the two, you will never truly be healthy; just slim and unfit, or fit and heavy.

The Importance of Sleep

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File_000 (6)Don’t underestimate how important sleep is. I have noticed some very detrimental effects of not getting enough sleep, and now, I try to get at least a minimum of 7.5 hours a night.

Weight loss is stymied by a lack of sleep. I can directly correlate a lack of weight loss to a lack of sleep. For whatever reason (and I am certain that there is scientific data to explain why this is, but I didn’t get enough sleep last night and I can’t be bothered with looking it up), the body does a good job of processing everything and losing weight efficiently as long as you have a good night’s rest. Not enough sleep? That doesn’t give the body enough time to process everything and lose weight. Doesn’t sound very scientific, right? That’s because…

Lack of concentration. (I can’t concentrate well enough right now to look up sources and links and stuff). When you don’t get enough sleep, it makes it hard to concentrate. There have been studies that show its actually a bit easier to focus on single tasks when tired because you tend to put more of the available energy as a percentage of the whole to the task being performed, but the downside is that you can only do this for short periods of time and the duration for which you can do these tasks overall is greatly reduced.

Prone to injury when tired. There’s more scientific data that shows that people who exercise without enough sleep tend to get injured more often. The theory is that people aren’t concentrating enough on muscle movement to make sure they are running, lifting, etc properly and injure themselves.

Lack of motivation when tired. This is a big one. Nobody wants to run or work out when they’re tired. They’d rather sleep. I’m in this camp.

Last night, I was up very late. It wasn’t due to anything within my power; we were buying a new car, and the process took much longer than we expected. The result was that I got about 5 hours of sleep which is a solid two and a half to three hours less than I normally get. That’s a big deal to me. I used to be able to function on less sleep, but since I started paying attention to the amount of sleep I get and made an effort to get in more sleep time every night, I’ve noticed I feel much more alert and able to handle the day. Now, when I don’t get enough sleep, I feel the detrimental effects more keenly. The result of not getting enough sleep last night; I didn’t run this morning.

I will run tomorrow morning. I will do everything within my power to get enough sleep tonight and to even try to make up for the lack of sleep last night. I enjoy my running, and I’m committed to making progress and continuing on my fitness journey.

Easy Paleo Rules

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It doesn’t get any simpler than this.

Avoid the following:

  • Sugar
  • Grains
  • Beans
  • Soy
  • Dairy

Eat more of the following:

  • Meat
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit (in moderation)

This public service announcement has been courtesy of PaleoMarine.com.

What foods do you miss out on when you eat Paleo?

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I want to preface this post by saying that many of the foods here have Paleo alternatives that are very good. In many cases, they taste as good, or even in some cases, better than the original. However, there’s just something about the foods on my list below that I miss. I know it’s the sugar or the grains… either way, while I love my Paleo food, there are only a few foods that I no longer eat that I used to enjoy immensely. Fortunately, it’s a short list.

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The best hot dogs in the universe: Portillo’s.

Chicago Style Hot Dogs. There are no alternatives, and nothing to replace this gaping hole in my culinary heart. This has been the hardest pill for me to swallow since going Paleo.

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A spaghetti dish I made from scratch in 2013. It’s steaming hot in this picture.

Real Pasta Spaghetti. This is one of the big ones for me. I love pasta. LOVE it. I am part Italian, and this part of me must be manifested by my love of pasta. I used to eat it at least once or twice a week. At one point in my life, I ate spaghetti as much as five times a week. This was back when I was in the Marines and running daily, so with that coupled with youth, I didn’t gain the weight. Now? My body is very efficient and storing everything from the spaghetti and making me fat. So, I avoid it. I haven’t had spaghetti in over a year. Sherry makes a really great spiralized zucchini that’s very close (or even spaghetti squash), but it’s not pasta.

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Sushi at a dinner in San Francisco in 2012.

Sushi. We can eat the fish, but not the rice. We have made sushi using caulirice, and it’s  a really good approximation and very close, but it’s just not the same. I miss you, sushi rice in all your sticky goodness.

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Me and my beloved In-n-Out Hamburgers in 2012.

Fast food hamburgers. We eat burgers from time to time with either a Paleo bun or with a lettuce wrap, but there’s nothing like an In-n-Out hamburger. Nothing. I love these, and I miss them. Living in Houston has helped me keep from giving into the temptation of eating In-n-Out, but visits to Austin and Dallas have really tested my resolve. So far, I’ve won, but why do I feel like ultimately I’ve lost?

Pizza. I’ve had some Paleo pizzas that are really good, but nothing compares to a real pizza. I’m an equal opportunity pizza lover: thin crust, thick crust, Chicago style, New York style, or even Dominoes style. I just love pizza. I miss the real stuff, but at least there are Paleo versions that come close. Close.

Bread. There are some Paleo breads that are very good (the soda bread Sherry makes is, in my opinion, even tastier and better than the real deal!), but I love French bread. I love the fluffiness of the inside and the crunchiness of the crust. Paleo bread, while delicious, just doesn’t get all the way to perfection the way French bread does. Don’t even get me started on a bread that you cannot make in Paleo at all: Croissants.

Breakfast cereals/oatmeal/cream of wheat (farina). I’ve had some Paleo versions of these, but they have all been a bit of a disappointment. I am one of the rare people who loves oatmeal and absolutely adores cream of wheat, but Paleo versions, for me, don’t even come close. I have had to come to terms with never having these again.

BLT’s (and other sandwiches). I love a good BLT, especially on rye. Now, I can only dream of sandwiches, for the most part. At least I can have bacon. And lettuce. And tomatoes. Just not in a sandwich.

For every other type of food, there’s a very close analogue. So close, in fact, that it’s either hard to tell the difference, or Sherry and I have found the Paleo versions to be superior in flavor.

In the end, it’s about decisions that effect our health. I prefer to make decisions that are based on a long-term view. With the exception of the occasional holiday or special event, I eat only Paleo food, and I feel much better about it. Also, having lost over 110 lbs eating Paleo is a pretty good feeling, too.