Paleo Marine

I wanted to laugh out loud, but I didn’t. I wanted to be polite. The proprietor of the bed and breakfast we stayed at called Sherry and I “Health nuts” this past weekend, and it tickled me. That’s something I have never been accused of, ever. But it made me think: “Are we health nuts?”

By definition, health nuts are people who exercise, eat right, and watch their health at a higher level than the average person. I never thought that I’d be able to call myself a health nut, but the evidence is staggering.

Sherry and I watch what we eat very closely. We read every label of anything prepared before we buy it (sausage and bacon are prime examples) without exception. There is sugar, wheat, and soy hiding in many foods, most of which you would never expect to see them in. Sherry is very vigilant about ensuring we eat right and that the ingredients in our foods are Paleo safe.

We both exercise regularly now. I’m no athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but I do run now three-four times a week, and I’m going to likely be upping that to at least five times a week soon. I know most people don’t do regular exercise, so this is just another charge we are both guilty of.

We also both watch our health at a higher level than most. We weigh ourselves daily, we’ve both had more than one health screening this year, and we both are very in-tune with our bodies and any changes taking place.

I never thought I would be a “Health nut.” I used to scoff at people who were picky about the ingredients in their foods, or who would exclude eating certain foods due to the ingredients in them not being a part of their lifestyle. Now, I’m the one being scoffed at. I almost feel guilty. Almost. Because I’m healthier than I’ve ever been, I’m eating right, and I feel great. It makes the silly comments and funny looks all worth it.

That’s right; for those of you who are Redditors, there is now a subreddit for PaleoMarine!

PaleoMarine Subreddit

I’ll be posting some info there as well as making interactions easier between people and me.

For those of you who don’t know what Reddit is, it’s known as “The Front Page of the Internet.” Lots of stories you see on Facebook, print media, and even TV news comes from Reddit. This is the clearinghouse where lots of people post news, information, memes, stories, and other stuff worth (and sometimes not worth) looking at. If you haven’t been to Reddit before, you will find it both a blessing and a curse. It’s quite addictive (in a good way).

Sometimes, it’s impossible to eat Paleo. One of those times is when you’re a guest for someone who either doesn’t know that you’re eating Paleo, a host who doesn’t know you well, or perhaps the host doesn’t understand why anyone would eat anything other than “Normal food.”

This past weekend, Sherry and I were at a small bed and breakfast in Nacogdoches, and we were faced with the situation of being presented with non-Paleo food for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. Admittedly, we made no mention of our dietary requirements when making the reservation, and we probably could have done that, but we didn’t want to complicate matters. Besides, how much harm can a breakfast do?

On Saturday, we had bacon (cured with sugar) and eggs (perfectly good) and homemade biscuits and gravy. These were both obviously non-Paleo, but I decided I would go ahead and eat one biscuit as a gesture of thanks. The proprietor went through the trouble of making the breakfast, and I have to say it was very delicious! I didn’t have as adverse a reaction as I thought I might; just some gassiness during our walk later that morning.

The next day, the proprietor made us blueberry pancakes from scratch with eggs and sausages. The sausages had sugar in them (it’s funny how I can taste it now!) but the pancakes were utterly amazing. I’m glad I ate them; they were a nice treat.

Of course, my stomach wasn’t so happy with me afterward, but within an hour or so, I was back to feeling mostly normal. Neither Sherry nor I will be slacking off on our Paleo diet at all, but we realize that sometimes, it’s the polite thing to do and just eat what you’re given. One or two meals aren’t going to derail our progress, our health, or our determination to stick with the Paleo lifestyle. We recognize the two breakfasts for what they were; treats made by someone who made the food for us out of friendship. To turn that food down would have been rude and wasteful. Besides, who can turn down homemade pancakes and biscuits after not having either for a year!

Yesterday, I had intended to run in Nacogdoches, TX, the oldest town in Texas. My wife and I had a weekend getaway at a bed and breakfast there, and we decided it’s pretty neat to run in the places we spend the weekend, if only to break up the monotony of running at home. As they say, the plans of men are but a joke to God.

On Saturday, we walked. A lot. We hiked a trail in Nacogdoches which took us all around the old city center and through some really nice parks and even Stephen F. Austin University. After finishing the walk, we went to the local airport where I flew (yes, I piloted!) a WWII vintage PT-17 Stearman bi-plane. It was truly one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and as a pilot, a truly unique and special flight.

After flying, we went back to the town and took some old-timey photos and walked up and down the street visiting the small shops. All told, by the end of the day, we’d walked 8 miles. That doesn’t seem like much when a single run of mine is now 3 miles,  but those 8 miles definitely took a toll on me.

We also went zip-lining at Zip Nac. I can’t recommend this enough! We had such a good time, and the staff there are really a fun group of people. Prices are more than fair (incredibly fair, actually!) and it’s something we will be doing again soon!

I awoke Sunday morning at around 3 am with severe nausea. I don’t know why; everything I ate was pretty much okay with the exception of the breakfast at the bed and breakfast we were staying at: I ate eggs, bacon (that was cured with sugar) and a biscuit with gravy. The lady who runs the B&B went to the trouble of making the biscuits and gravy from scratch; I couldn’t let it sit there. It was delicious, anyway. But I digress.

The nausea lasted until around 7:30 a.m., and we had planned on breakfast at 8 a.m., so Sherry and I decided to forego the run and postpone it to Monday. She had mentioned that her legs were in no shape to run anyway from all the walking the day prior. We had breakfast (again, a non-Paleo breakfast made by the B&B proprietor) of blueberry pancakes that were delicious, and also made from scratch. We then departed for home.

We decided that we will run on Monday morning. This week we’ll run Monday-Wednesday-Friday and likely Sunday morning as well. I may do some light jogging after work on Tuesday-Thursday, but we’ll see how that goes. I’m wanting to up my run frequency since my legs really feel uneasy on the off-days (like they want activity).

So, it was a great weekend with lots of walking, but no running.

There is a growing trend of restaurants offering Paleo menu options, and in some cases, even entire alternate menus. Last week, we were spending a weekend in San Antonio and Sherry made a mission of finding Paleo-friendly restaurants for us to eat at.

Our lunch on Saturday was at an old-fashioned BBQ stand in Waelder, Texas called Martinez BBQ. It had a full five-star rating on Yelp, and after eating there, we understand why. They earned it. Sherry and I both had ribs and brisket, and after talking to the owner and barbecue master, we learned he used no sugar in the preparation of any of his meats. The food was extremely delicious, and I can’t recommend stopping at this gem enough.

For dinner on Saturday night, she found a Mexican restaurant called Paloma Blanca that had alternative menus for gluten-free and Paleo. We decided to eat there, and we were glad that we did. For our appetizer, we had a guacamole that was made at the table and served with plantain chips. For my main course, I had a chipotle pork with ranchero sauce served with grilled vegetables (and beans that I didn’t eat). Sherry had fajitas with beef, shrimp, and chicken which she said was delicious. They didn’t have any dessert options, but that was fine as we were actually quite full after dinner.

On Sunday morning, we went to Cappy’s for breakfast and I had an omelette with beef with potato and onions on the side and served with a slice of watermelon and some strawberries. It was a delicious start to our day!

On our drive back to Houston, we stopped at Robert’s Steak House near Weimar, Texas, and while it was okay, I can’t say it was a very good steak. It was lunch, and it filled us up, so I guess mission accomplished. Eating there made me appreciate the great cuts of meat we get at restaurants in the city. We expected more from a steak place “Out in the country,” but it was not to be. It was, however, Paleo, so it was a win.

Not every restaurant will have a Paleo menu, nor will they likely have Paleo options spelled out, but with some slight customization, it’s easy to get Paleo-friendly meals at restaurants. Depending on where you go, it can be a little limiting, but it’s possible to eat well on the road.

Why do people do things contrary to what they are trying to accomplish? Case in point: people who exercise and spend an hour or more at the gym every morning only to eat bread, cereal, or donuts and kolaches. I don’t get it.

I had the rare gift of walking behind a lady in the grocery store one day who I recognized as someone who runs every single day in our subdivision. She doesn’t dottle either: she really runs hard. I figured her grocery basket would be the picture of health. I was so wrong. Everything in her basket was junk, pre-processed, and full of sugar. It’s stuff like this that makes me want to break my rule about telling people about Paleo and Whole30, but I kept it together and just smiled and walked on.

It’s not judgment; it’s sadness.

It’s anger at our bad nutritional science.

It’s empathy: I’ve been there.

I used to be a sucker to the cult of exercise and low-fat. I used to think that if I ate my oatmeal and baked chicken breast and salad greens with some exercise, I’d lose all the weight my heart desired. The opposite happened, and I got sick every single time. EVERY TIME! Since starting Paleo? I haven’t been sick yet.

I won’t say Paleo is the only way, because it’s not. It is how I lost 110 lbs in a year without exercise, so I know it works for me, but there are many ways to eat well without going Paleo. However, it’s a no-brainer that this idea of a “Balanced diet” is all bullshit. Just because we can eat anything doesn’t mean we should. Grains, dairy, pre-processed foods, and sugar are the enemy. Vegetable oils are inflammatory. Soy isn’t that great for us. Science is bearing all this out, yet people ignore it and stick with the bad pseudoscience of fat being the enemy.

Until people open their eyes, they will continue to be like a swimmer competing against Olympians while doing the doggy paddle. You will make some progress, but very slowly, and in the end, you’ll be very tired for very little result.

For those who have been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that I’m not a big fan of exercise. I lost 110 lbs without it, and I only started doing so because I wanted to increase my fitness level and stamina (and maybe a little strength). Toning is a good thing, but I see it as an additional benefit versus the primary reason for me exercising. With that said, what I’m going to say next will come as quite the shock.

I’m starting to enjoy this exercise stuff.

I know. People told me it would happen, and I denied it. People told me they enjoy it, and I remember saying that I wish I could be one of those people. Well, I can’t say exercise is at the top of the list of things I want to do to have fun, but it’s no longer the least favorite activity I partake in. For that matter, I was actually looking forward to it this morning. So much so, in fact, that I contemplated running last night instead of this morning. My legs felt like they needed to run. Weird.

I think part of what has made it possible for me to get into the exercise is that I’m not pushing myself beyond my abilities, nor am I pushing myself into pain. This morning’s run was actually quite nice. I started with push ups and hit my highest number to-date (don’t laugh: 25). I then started my run. The first half-mile pace wasn’t my fastest, but overall, the average pace was probably my best. I also ran the farthest since doing the 5k in San Antonio, and I did so within 31 minutes, so that’s nice, too. The best part: after the first mile and a half, I felt good. Really good. Heck, for the last half mile, I was settled into a nice pace, good breathing, and I actually didn’t want to stop. I only stopped because I needed to get ready for work.

I might start waking up a little earlier on run days so I can run longer if I want to.

I think there is something wrong with me. E.J. likes running? Now that’s just crazy talk!

I’ve registered for my first official organized 5k run in December to help raise money to find a cure for arthritis! I’d be honored if you could sponsor me or donate just a little bit to help find a cure. Many in my family have had arthritis, and I fear that it’s in my future as well. It’d be nice if we could help find a cure for it before I get to the age where I have to worry about it!

Here is the link to follow to sponsor me.