Paleo Marine

The last time Sherry and I went to a college football game was in the fall of 2013. We were both at or near our heaviest. I weighed well over 300 lbs (closer to 310, if I remember correctly) and I was miserable whenever I had to walk long distances. Worse was having to fit into seats made for normal sized people. I was always embarrassed when I sat in a seat and didn’t quite fit into it, spilling over into the seat of the person next to me. I was humiliated by my large size anytime I went to a movie or sporting event. It’s a big part of why I didn’t like doing those things unless Sherry wanted us to go. For her, I’ll do anything.

At that game in 2013, I had a hard time getting around. Since we got there late in the day, we had a long way to walk, a long time to wait for a shuttle, and then I had to stand on the bus all the way to the field. More walking once at the field, and of course around the area close to the stadium. Sherry wanted to show me more, but I just couldn’t do it. Physically, I was spent just getting there, and she knew it. It’s a big part of why we went back again last weekend; to finish seeing things she wanted to show me the first time.

This time, I weighed a solid 130 lbs less and I’ve been running for seven weeks now, so my fitness level, while not excellent, is in the very good range. My legs were up for the task, and all told, we walked in excess of 9 miles that day. We got to see everything that Sherry wanted me to see, and we even had a chance to walk to some great BBQ for dinner. I would say that 90% of this trip would have been impossible before I lost the weight and started running.

Losing the weight has allowed me to experience so much more that otherwise would have been impossible before. We are now limited by our willingness to spend money or time instead of my physical abilities. The life I live now is amazing compared to just a year ago.

If you’re overweight, give Whole30 and Paleo a try. You have nothing to lose but pounds, and a whole life of adventure and freedom to gain. You don’t have to do lots of exercise to lose the weight; I didn’t! I only started running to increase my fitness level, not to lose weight. Need help? Need someone to answer some questions? Leave a comment or message me here, on Facebook, or on Twitter. I promise I will help.

This past Saturday, my wife and I took a day trip to her alma mater, Texas A&M University. It was a beautiful day, and I was finally able to walk the grounds and listen to Sherry tell me the history of the school, the campus, and individual buildings there. She also interjected interesting tidbits from her time there and told me how she loved being there until she got a taste of being an “Adult” and then all she wanted was to leave and start her life.

What this trip meant for us was walking, walking, and then walking some more (with more walking in between all that aforementioned walking!). The last time I was at Texas A&M, I weighed around 300 lbs. It was difficult for me to get around, and after just an hour or so of walking, I was exhausted. I tried to be as positive and happy as I could, but I was in a lot of pain and my knees in particular were giving me trouble. Not that I would ever admit this before: I was a happy fat person with no problems. Fortunately, we didn’t have to climb too many stairs as our seats were right on the 50 yard line about 20 rows up from the field.

This time, it was a much different experience. It was much better. Light years better, even. I was able to walk all over, to explore everywhere Sherry wanted to go, and my legs didn’t hurt, weren’t sore, and actually felt really good. Not only did I not have any problems with getting around, but Sherry and I even added a one mile walk to CJ’s Barbecue for dinner before the game. We started at South Gate and headed over (and then took an Uber back to the campus to get there on time).

The game was a good one for Texas Aggie fans, and our walk back to the car after the game was very pleasant in the cool evening air. The night lighting of the campus is beautiful, and it was a very nice way to end a great day together.

Sometimes when you take on a new lifestyle to become healthy, people who you would have expected to support you will be initially excited for you, but then their excitement fades or they withdraw their support completely once you start making visible progress. The reasons for this are many, but the fact remains that it’s harder to go alone than it is with support. Sure, some of you out there have a steel will, but not all of us do.

If you find that family or friends who were initially enthusiastic about your new lifestyle are now ambivalent or even critical of the changes you’ve made, find like-minded people to lean on. I had my cousin Sarah for Whole30 and Paleo and my sister for exercise. These two were a huge inspiration to me, and I drew my strength from their examples in those times when I needed an extra kick to keep doing the right thing. My friend Matt was a huge influence too; he’s been super-supportive and always has something smart to say when we talk about nutrition and exercise (and he’s a helluva D&D player!).

I’m fortunate that many of the people who mean the most to me have converted to the Paleo lifestyle. It makes it easy for us to share meals together, to plan events, and to go places together. Some are less strict than others, but at least they speak our language. They are also able to lean on Sherry and me when they need help, advice, or motivation and vice-versa. It’s a community effort, and we all want to help each other succeed!

If you need someone to talk to, to ask questions or to get some motivation, please feel free to contact me. I would love to help (and it’s free and I’m not selling anything!).

Seeing more plus-size models makes sense to me. More Americans are plus-size than ever, so for the companies that make clothing and accessories to ignore this huge revenue source is not good business. I also think it’s perfectly okay for people to be overweight, fat, obese, etc. It’s their choice, their life, and their decision to make. That decision is not mine, the government’s, or anyone else’s to make.

What I don’t think is okay is to teach that being overweight or obese is healthy. It is not. Our bodies were not designed to be fat, and our bodies break down and fail sooner when fat. It is inconvenient to eat right, and it takes discipline and work to not get fat in today’s age with all the horribly fattening foods that our culture has adopted as normal. We need to get back to eating basic foods. We need to stop eating fast food and sugar. We need to get more exercise.

I have said it time and time again that I don’t judge people who are overweight. I do not look down on them nor do I think it’s acceptable to make fun of them in any way. What I do feel is sad for them because I have been there. I know what it feels like in every way. I know they are smiling through pain. Even those who most adamantly state they are fine with being fat (I was one of those) secretly wish they were not. “Life would be so much easier not being fat,” is what I would think when I saw myself in the mirror, had to squeeze between seats in a restaurant, or had to tell a server that I couldn’t sit in a booth and we needed a table (because I was too large to fit between the seat back and the table).

Our culture is fat yet we still market to the thin people (the minority). Plus size models make sense. But maybe, just maybe, the clothing industry is trying to tell us something. Maybe they want us to have a goal of fitting into the fashionable clothing, so they keep showing us how good these people look in the clothes, how much fun they are having hiking, sailing, or on a beach playing volleyball. I can attest to the fact that these things are a lot of fun. They are things that were difficult  if not impossible before I lost my weight. Now? I can do anything. Literally.

Don’t accept being overweight as a life sentence. You can change your future and lose the weight. I even did it without exercise, and you can too!

This year was my first Halloween weighing less than 200 lbs since I was on active duty. My wife and I have been hosting Halloween parties for our friends for 14 years, and I was looking through some pictures the other day and found a few that really highlighted how far I’d let my weight soar.

Two years ago, my wife and I were characters from the video game Diablo III. We took a photo in which I thought we both looked pretty good (except for my skull cap: Sherry wouldn’t let me shave my head for the party). I still think we looked great! But then this year, as vampires, I think Sherry and I really hit it out of the park!

We always have fun at our Halloween parties, and I don’t regret any of the costumes or looks we put together. I am happy that I can now do more, and I think I look better now, too.

I find I eat and drink a lot less at the parties now for a few reasons. First, as hosts, it’s important for us to be able to perform our duties such as greeting, introducing, and feeding. Second, even though the majority of the food we serve is Paleo-friendly, neither of us wants to over-eat. It makes us feel physically bad to eat too much now.

Paleo has changed a lot of things in our lives for the better. Who knew Halloween could be one of those things?

Last night, Sherry called me and said that we have a lot of sides pre-prepared in the refrigerator, but no main dishes. She asked me for suggestions on what she could pick up to make that we could eat and I suggested picking up some chicken at El Pollo Loco. She said, “Hey, that’s not a bad idea. We haven’t had that in a while.” When she got home, she told me that it was the first time she had gone through a drive through since we started our Whole30 last September. She said she almost didn’t remember what to do, where to go, and her driving skills inside the thin lane were out of practice.

I didn’t realize it, but it’s been over a year since I myself have gone through a drive-through. Everything we’ve eaten has either been prepared by us or at a sit-down restaurant and Paleo-compliant. I guess that’s why today I was called a “Skinny guy” but a group of gentlemen. I felt proud and happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve been called that.