Wheat, Oats, and Brown Rice

Published on by PaleoMarine3 Comments

My entire life has been filled with advice from experts saying that whole wheat, oats, and brown rice are good for you. These “whole” grains are supposed to be better for you than their “bad” counterparts like enriched wheat and white rice. Some of this is based on a study in 2010 that found that eating brown rice instead of white rice may reduce the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes:

Qi Sun, MD, now an instructor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues at Harvard estimate that replacing 50 grams daily of white rice (uncooked, equivalent to a one-third serving) with the same amount of brown rice would lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 16%. Read more at WebMD

Continue reading “Wheat, Oats, and Brown Rice” →

From Marine to Civ to Citizen Soldier

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

As a young Marine, I was at the pinnacle of my physical fitness. I weighed 134 lbs and was in amazing shape. I could run miles without getting out of breath (really!) and maxed my pull-ups and sit-ups at 20 and 80 in two minutes. This is my boot camp photo:

15132_1145953938137_3972700_n

Fast forward 28 years and this is what I morphed into:

_H116295

It’s hard to believe that both of those are the same person. In the second photo, I weigh over 300 lbs and can barely tie my own shoes or climb a single flight of stairs without getting out of breath and light-headed. That was frightening. That had to change.

Continue reading “From Marine to Civ to Citizen Soldier” →

You’re Fat

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

I said it. It’s harsh, ugly, and something none of us wants to hear, but if it’s the truth, then it needs to be said.

You’re fat.

Now that I’ve said it, let it sink in. This didn’t happen over night. It didn’t happen through mere breathing. Nobody is “Big-boned.” The plan truth is that  you’ve eaten more calories than you expend. Your body, being made up of DNA that, through the ages, has made improvements to how we store calories for those lean times, has taken the excess calories and turned it into an energy storage medium that our bodies use when we don’t get enough calories. It’s called lipid, aka FAT. The bigger problem is that you never allowed your body to receive fewer calories than its taken in which leads to more and more storing of these fats. After a long time, the internal structure of your body is that of a hoarder; full of junk (fat) that’s difficult to get rid of without professional help.

The first step in getting rid of a hoarder’s stash is for the hoarder to accept that they have a problem and that they need to make a drastic change in their life to change. I have seen first-hand a friend of the family go through this. She’s recovering from being a hoarder, and there are times it’s tough for her, but she’s doing great with a lot of support from her family. Getting rid of the fat is the exact same thing.

Continue reading “You’re Fat” →

Last Day on Whole30

Published on by PaleoMarine2 Comments

First things first; my wife and I both started a Whole 30 29 days ago. One more day and we complete our first one! Although we’re not really supposed to weigh ourselves on a Whole30, I have, and I’ve lost 19 lbs so far! I’m also past the sugar cravings, and I have more energy than ever and I’m not hungry throughout the day. I suspect that I may have put myself into ketosis, but that’s okay; it’s a good way to get healthy and make the body use fat instead of glycogen to fuel the body.

After our Whole30 is complete tomorrow, we are going to continue on a Paleo-type diet. More Primal than Paleo for my wife, and more Keto for me. I love the feeling I have now, and for the first time since I can remember (and I have a long memory), I’m not hungry or having cravings throughout the day. Sure, the first week or two were hard, but after that, pure bliss. I never believed the hype and was very dismissive of the results people had on their own Whole30’s, but after my own results and with how great I feel, all I can say is that I am actually looking forward to the future and my new body! I already feel different, as if I’m living in an alternate reality; one where I’m not always hungry, tired, cranky, and looking for a snack. It’s amazing!

Next up: exercise. Not crazy strength or cardio, but some bike riding. I know, that’s cardio, but I’m not going to go all-out like a spinner. I’m going to ride around my neighborhood, explore, go to the store on bike, etc. I’m hoping that by adding 30 minutes to an hour a day on a bike helps with my weight loss. At least it’ll help with some leg strength and stamina.

I’ve learned a lot about myself in this Whole30. I’m not weak when it comes to sticking with a new plan for eating. I’ve accepted that I won’t ever be able to eat high-carb food again without consequences. I’ve accepted that I can have a slice of pizza at a party or a hot dog at the ball game, but that’s just a treat. Every great once in a while. Not even once a week. Not ever scheduled, and there are no such things as cheat days. Just eating good, quality whole foods (and fat for me on Keto). The results in my body and the way I feel don’t lie. This is the way for me.

The future looks good. I will look great in it. I can’t wait!