Paleo Marine

We hear this all the time about doing the right thing in society. Our culture values doing the right thing, because we all know that doing the right thing isn’t always the easy thing. However, this applies not only to morality issues, but to your lifestyle and nutrition. Only in these realms, doing the wrong thing generally only affects you negatively.

When you cheat on your diet by eating something that goes against your eating plan, you are going against your own best interest. To take it a step further, you are actually sabotaging your progress. Cheating is defined as gaining an unfair advantage over a competitor. In adopting a healthy lifestyle, you are your own competitor, yet you don’t gain any advantage over yourself when you eat foods that are not a part of your healthy diet. In fact, in many cases, you are actually hurting your progress, your willpower, and your future ability to stick with your diet when you eat non-diet foods. This, in my opinion, is sabotage.

It’s hard to do the right thing, and it’s hard to say no to treats when you’re used to eating them. It’s hard to slow down your eating, and it’s hard to limit your portion sizes to something reasonable. It’s hard to give up sweet drinks, alcohol, and foods you’ve been used to eating your entire life. I know all this, because I live it. Even today, three years after I gave up eating grains, I still miss them.

But I don’t miss being overweight, bloated, out of shape, and unhealthy. I much prefer how I feel now: fit, healthy, and able to tackle anything both mentally and physically. I can do this now because I eat right and I get exercise. It’s not easy, but it’s worthwhile, it’s satisfying, and most of all, it’s the right thing to do.

Nothing worthwhile is accomplished with little time and little effort. Whether it’s a marble statue, a college degree, or graduating from a military occupational specialty (MOS) school in the military, these things take time and effort. Getting healthy, getting fit, and losing weight also takes time and effort.

First things first: trust the process. Sherry and I adopted the Paleo lifestyle three years ago when we started our first Whole30. Since then, I lost 150 lbs and kept it (mostly) off. I say mostly because I recently gained about 18 lbs that I need to once again get rid of. It’s my fault completely, but I know what to do to fix it: I just need to get back to what worked for me (The Paleo Diet). I know that if I eat the right food with sensible portions, I will lose weight even without exercise. The exercise I’m doing will help get me fit for my upcoming military schools, duty, and will also help me get a little more toned in areas that could use it.

Second is getting healthy and losing the weight. I’m pretty healthy, and that’s in large part to having changed my lifestyle completely three years ago. Now, however, I find myself having to lose weight. I wish that it would go away quickly, but the fact of the matter is that it took some time for me to pack it on. It didn’t happen overnight (although it was very easy to pack it on, and it definitely is easier to gain weight than to lose it). I need to take my time and let the weight loss happen. I can hope for a steady 2.5 lbs/week in weight loss at best, although the first week can yield 5 lbs if I am careful (as a lot of that will be water weight).

Third, getting fit. I started that yesterday by hitting the pavement. My first two miles were sub-9’s, and the last, a sub-10. I’m fine with those numbers as I haven’t run in nearly two weeks. But that all ends today. I’ll be running again this afternoon, although I’ve not yet decided if it will be another 3 mile run, or maybe a shorter and slower one. Either way, I’m looking to run a minimum of 5 times a week starting this week. I want to give my body the best chance to get fit, get strong, and to assist my body in shedding all this extra weight.

I have to be patient. I have to trust the process. I have to stick to the rules. I weighed myself yesterday morning: 183.8 lbs. This morning, I was down to 180.1 lbs. That’s mainly water weight I lost between yesterday and this morning, but I’ll take it. I’m hoping for a good 5 lbs lost this first week, and it looks like I’m well on my way to it.

This past week was one filled with lots of bad nutritional decisions, but it was calculated. It was my wife’s birthday week coupled with a staycation and the Labor Day weekend. That meant it was a perfect storm for lots of non-Paleo foods, lots of alcohol, and throwing caution (and good eating habits, apparently) to the wind. The result? This morning, I weigh 183.8 lbs, and my 32″ waist pants feel a bit tight. Contrast that with my normal/comfortable 165 lbs where 30′ waist trousers feel just right.

This week also coincides with the three-year anniversary of the start of our healthy nutrition journey and our new lifestyle. In that time, I lost 150 lbs, got fit, and became a soldier in the National Guard. Now, I’m back a few steps, but Sherry and I have recommitted ourselves to getting back to our healthy habits. Starting this morning, we both are doing what we call a non-committed Whole30. That means that we will be eating Whole30 compliant foods except for those times when we are with friends and can’t do so. We don’t want our friends to have to conform to our diet. Besides, we’re not in crisis mode. Sure, we both gained weight and we both have a good chunk to lose to meet our goals, but we’ve done this before, we know how to get it done, and we know that it’s just a matter of eating right and trusting the process.

I have 18 lbs to lose. That’s a lot, but I know that I can do that in three months easily. I am also going to restart my running regimen. I skipped a week and a half due to bad weather and excessive heat (coupled with a lazy streak I’ve not felt in years). Today, I’m back in the right mindset. Even more so, in fact: I’m going to up my running from 3 times a week to 5 times a week (or more). I’m also looking at re-starting my Kettlebell regimen to prepare for the new Army CFT (it doesn’t start for another year, but I might as well start preparing for it).

We all slip and fall sometimes. Even me (and I say that, because people seem to think based on comments, messages, and emails that I have some sort of superpower when it comes to sticking to a good eating/fitness plan). Now, I’m doing what needs to be done: getting back to healthy foods, healty portions, and good exercise.

This week marks three years since I first went down this path. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished with my wife, and proud of the fact that we kept the vast majority of the weight off. I am a bit annoyed with myself for the cavalier attitude I’ve had these past few months in regards to my nutrition and coming to a head this past week. But I am optimistic, I am determined, and I will persevere.

I’ve not been as careful as I should be, and my weight’s gone up beyond what I consider to be acceptable. Starting Monday (after the end of my drill weekend), I will be back to very strict Paleo just like I was when I first adopted the diet back in 2015. There will be no desserts, no big portions, and very little eating at restaurants. Absolutely NO alcohol!

That has been my biggest problem: alcohol. I don’t drink often, but these past few weeks have put me into situations where I imbibe far more than I normally do, and the effects have been staggering. The amount of weight I’ve gained due to alcohol consumption has been truly mind-blowing, and I now understand why it’s so hard for people who drink alcohol to lose weight.

I see this as a learning experience. Since adopting the Paleo diet back in 2015, I haven’t ever really allowed myself to consistently drink alcohol except while on vacation (twice in three years). I thought that the weight gain I experienced was due to the non-Paleo food I ate. I think I may have been wrong since I’ve gained as much in the past two weeks as I normally do on a vacation, and yet I’ve had no non-Paleo foods in any quantity.

So, next Monday, it’s back to square one. I have 15 lbs to lose. I will get it done!

This morning, I watched a group of individuals working out at a local church parking lot, and there was a sign posted nearby: “Morning Weight Loss Boot Camp.”

Sigh.

I applaud those individuals for getting up early in the morning and sweating it out (and here in Texas, even at 6 am, they are definitely sweating it out!) and doing the work, but I sincerely hope that their instructor/trainer is telling them to change their diets and nutrition plans. Without that, these people will get strong and fit, but they may not necessarily lose any weight, or their weight loss will be very slow.

I tell people all the time: You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Some people claim that they can do just this, but these people are likely the beneficiaries of TOFI: Thin Outside/Fat Inside. This is a condition where people are thin, but their arteries are clogged with fat and plaque due to bad eating habits and bad nutrition.

Yet, there are people out there who sadly believe, based on years of bad information, that exercise is the key to weighing less and being healthy. While it helps, it’s not the key. It’s more like an ingredient in a recipe. Even the most basic recipes have at least 3-4 ingredients. Good health, fitness, and weighing less have more than just one or two ingredients as well.

Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Fitness happens in the gym and on the road.

It’s a funny thing, weight. We put all our eggs into the weight basket as it pertains to our overall health meter. When we weigh less, we believe we are healthier than when we weigh more, and while there is some correlation between weight and health, weight cannot and should not be used as a sole measure of overall health and fitness. Yet, this thought persists, even within me: when I weigh less, I’m healthier.

When I weighed 165 lbs, I wanted to weigh 160 lbs. When I got to 160 lbs, I was hoping to lose 5 more. Why? Looking back, I think it had to do with wanting to get back to a weight I was at when I was in my 20’s, but there was no other reason. I felt great at 165 lbs, I fit into all my size-small shirts, 30″ trousers, and exercise was super-easy. Now at 175 lbs, my shirts and trousers are all tighter, and I definitely feel the extra 10 lbs when I run.

With all that said, I absolutely, positively will need to get back to 165 lbs. No matter what, that is my goal. It is where my quest for weight loss will end. When I get to 165 lbs, I will try for no more. I will continue to work to maintain 165, but nothing less. Why? Because I realize that I felt great at 165 lbs. I looked good. My clothes fit great. Everything was where it needed to be at that weight.

I don’t feel right at 175 lbs, and that made me recall something about when I weighed 160 lbs: I didn’t feel right there, either. I was having to be super-super-super strict with my diet and exercise to be at 160 lbs. It was too restrictive and limiting. I am not willing to be ultra-strict with my diet for a weight on the scale when just 5 lbs more allows me to have some freedom in my diet and I felt GREAT.

Paleo works. It works wonders when you do it well, and combined with a good fitness plan and control of portion size and no cheating/sabotage will leave you very healthy. I do a firm Paleo: I will allow the occasional restaurant steak fry or waffle fry into my diet, and every now and then, I have some bread pudding at special occasions, and I just don’t want to do without that little bit of freedom. That extra 5 lbs isn’t worth it to me.

I have been off the blog for the past week or so due to my active duty status in the National Guard. I’ve been very busy, and that’s caused me to have to take a break from blogging for a bit. I’m back now, however, and I’m going to make sure to write some posts to not miss days again.

In my previous post, I wrote about my current struggle with my weight. I’m still doing well, and I’m still fit, but I’m just a bit heavier than I would like (and than I’m allowed) and I need to fix that. It’s weighing heavily on me, and I have to admit it’s causing me some mental anguish. I have a weight range that I’m happiest in, and I’m outside of it.

Add to this the fact that my trousers are all a bit tighter. Again, it makes me mad because I let this happen. Yes, I’m beating myself up about it, but that’s what I need to do to fix this. And fix this, I will.

I apologize for the lack of new content. That also is fixed now. Expect more daily updates from me again starting today.

I have a problem. I have learned how to effectively and easily lose weight, and that knowledge has caused me to become more lax in my diet than I should be. As a result, I’m having a hard time getting rid of these last 15 lbs I need to lose. I have yo-yo’d between 169 and 179 lbs for the past month, and I need to stop doing that.

A big reason for the rollercoaster ride on the scale has been alcohol intake. I’ve allowed myself to partake far too often in drinking alcoholic beverages. I’ve also allowed myself to not run three times a week as I like to. I’ve further allowed myself to eat larger portions, and my wife and I ate at restaurants a few times more than we typically do. All these things put together have caused my weight to rise.

The worst part is that I know I can lose the weight, and that’s what I’ve used to justify allowing myself these indulgences. Well, that has to come to an end immediately. I’ve begun by being very strict with my lunches, and I’m sticking to my exercise plan. I’m cutting all alcohol effective immediately, and I’m going to go back to my strict portion sizes.

The interesting thing I’ve noticed is that this all happened because of conscious decisions I made to allow myself indulgences I typically don’t allow myself to partake in. I did this to myself. Therefore, I need to fix the problem within, and then attack the problem on all fronts. You can take the person out of the military, but you can’t take the military out of the person. In my case, the military even takes the person back in. Regardless, I’m going to get back on track immediately, and get back into the 160’s before the fall.

I’m on Active Duty in the National Guard for a few weeks to help with some logistic needs for our unit. That means I work closer to home, but it also means I’m working with a bigger group of people who like to go to lunch. While I bring my own lunch to work at my normal job, and I’ve been bringing my lunches to my work here, I haven’t had the ability to eat them. That will have to change.

My lunches are made for me by my wife, and they are healthy and the right size. The food she makes me allows me to maintain my good eating habits in terms of portion control as well as content. Eating out for lunch every day makes me lose focus, lose control, and ultimately, makes me gain weight.

I am currently just within the DoD height and weight requirements. I don’t want to exceed them; I worked hard to get where I am at now and I don’t want to have to do that work again. So, starting with today’s lunch, I’m back to eating my good food without exception (unless, of course, the MAJ or MSG want me to go eat lunch with them).

I ended up taking another week off from running. This was unintended, but between the weather and being busy, I didn’t have the time I needed to get my runs in. I ran once last week, and although it was a great run, one run a week just doesn’t cut it. If the weather cooperates for me this afternoon, I’ll be running after work.

I will take it easier than normal. I usually tend to go out and run really hard after not running for a while, and the last few times I did that, I was sore. Really sore. So, tonight, I’m going to resist the urge to blaze the roads and I’m going to shoot for a slow and easy pace. I may even dial back the distance a bit and then work more on the speed Wednesday or Friday this week.

The important part of getting back into fitness after any missed periods of time is getting back into things with the knowledge you can’t hit it with the same intensity and expect to just pick up where you left off. You need to dial it back a bit to avoid injury. I will be heeding my own advice this afternoon, and while it’ll be annoying to run so slowly, I need to do so to keep from injuring myself. I want to run pain-free on Wednesday.