Paleo Marine

So, for whatever known reasons, my weight has crept back up. While I feel great and my clothes fit well, my weight is up; enough to have me worried about any official weigh-ins with the National Guard. While my body fat percentage is very low and I can easily pass the “Tape” test, I would prefer to just weigh less than the maximum allowable weight for my height. So, I’m having to go through some extraordinary efforts to drop 10-15 lbs.

I know that there are a few factors that have led to my weight gain:

1. No running for two weeks due to the flu. This will change this week as I hope to be able to run as early as Tuesday this week.
2. Drinking A LOT of alcohol on Saturday. Like, so much alcohol.
3. Eating A LOT of carbs on Saturday night. Sushi was tasty, but not so good for my weight.
4. I ate too much at our Super Bowl party. It was all Paleo, but I ate WAY TOO MUCH.

So, you’re probably thinking, “Just eat less, run more, and the weight will come off naturally,” and your thinking is correct. The problem is that I don’t have a lot of time for this: I have two weeks to lose the weight. So, Keto it is. This won’t be my first experience with Keto, but I’m hoping it’s my best.

I bought some exogenous ketones in the form of Perfect Keto Chocolate Sea Salt supplement that I will use in my coffee. This will help with getting into ketosis quickly and will help my body adapt to using fat instead of glucose as energy. It will also reduce the effects of “Keto Flu” and will help with energy levels as my body transitions into ketosis.

Paleo is great for eating healthy, staying healthy, and for me, it helped me lose 150 lbs. Now, I find myself needing to do something a little more drastic than Whole30 to get my weight back to where I need it to be. This isn’t something I just want to do for vanity’s sake; it’s literally a requirement of my current military service.

Fortunately, Keto and Paleo are very similar except I will be dramatically limiting my carb intake and I can eat more fatty foods to include cheeses (lactose free for me, though). I will have to monitor my macro levels closely, and I will begin utilizing keto strips I purchased for my wife a few months ago. I will document my experience with it.

I am not going to be the Keto Marine long-term. I know people who do Keto as a permanent diet, and that’s great for them, but I don’t want to have to track my keto levels and macros that closely. One of the things I love so much about Paleo is that it’s a common-sense diet that is easy to follow. I just let myself have too much of a good thing coupled with the flu, lack of exercise, and one crazy weekend of over-indulging in everything.

So, Keto, here we come! Let’s hope it goes well!

This is something I have found I do without really trying to, or without thinking about it; I’ve made a game out of tweaking my healthy lifestyle. I really enjoy finding efficiencies with my body as it relates to food and fitness.

I’ve learned some things about how my body reacts to specific foods. While some people have no problems eating certain foods, my body reacts by retaining water. Foods that are high in sugar, in particular, have always had a negative effect on my body. The same goes for anything with lactose: my body does not like it, and my gastrointestinal tract really wants to get rid of anything containing lactose post-haste.

When it comes to running, if I run every other day, my body can sustain a pretty good pace, and I can make steady improvements without too much discomfort or pain. The same goes with push ups; doing them every other day has yielded me some quite good results. Of course, not being able to do anything for two weeks will be a setback, but I also know from experience that the setback will not be nearly as bad as what I used to think it would be. It will take some work to get back to where I was, but it can be done.

I like to use my Garmin GPS watch for tracking my runs, daily steps, and other fitness related information (like I used my Fitbit and Jawbones before it). I enjoy having data points to look at to track my progress and to help motivate me. It really becomes a game of stats.

We all have different motivations for getting healthy and fit, and we also use different methods to be successful at them. I like to have fun with it, and I like to use science and data when tweaking my health. Find what works for you and what makes it interesting and you’ll have an easier time sticking with it. You may learn something along the way, too!

As I wait for my body to start using ketosis to fuel itself, I was thinking about how I had to wait for a year before I lost enough weight that I became unrecognizable to people I’d known for years. The type of weight loss I was hoping for, or even dreaming about, took a long time. Even as I was losing 10 lbs a month, it still felt like it was taking forever.

Until it didn’t.

Now, when I look back, it feels like it went by in a flash. I forget how it felt during those many months of waiting for something to happen, all the while I was losing weight faster than I had ever thought possible. How is it that while I was losing weight, it felt like it was taking forever, and then after it happened, it feels like it happened overnight? I honestly don’t know why this is. I have ideas, but nothing that makes sense enough to write.

The point I’m trying to make is that anything worthwhile takes time. The things we cherish and appreciate the most are typically those that were the most difficult or lengthy to attain. Degrees, certifications, solid relationships, or completing a collection, attaining an item, or buying a house. These are big things that we accept will take a long time. Why don’t we see weight loss the same way?

There’s a multi-billion dollar industry around trying to lose weight fast. People are always looking for not only the easiest way to lose weight (read: without any effort, pain, or discomfort) and the fastest. Well, when you have 100+ lbs to lose, nothing will be fast enough. But, I learned to be patient, and through my weight loss journey, I learned some things about myself.

Being patient is a skill that I’ve possessed and utilized, but I seemed to have forgotten. Once I embraced the long game mindset, I became both happier and focused. It made making decisions about my food easier.

I also learned that thinking long-term allowed me to make better decisions.  If something was presented to me that didn’t fit into my Paleo eating plan, it was easy to turn it down because I knew that progress was hard-earned, and I didn’t want to sabotage it.

Finally, I also learned that I can stick with a plan and see it to completion. I’ve done this before: boot camp, a career in the Marines, and a college degree. Getting healthy, getting fit, and losing weight is no different. I saw it through, and I continue to work at it every day.

I never lose track of where I am, I never forget where I came from, and I am always looking forward to where I am going in regards to my health and fitness. I may stumble or make a conscious decision to go off-plan for a special event or a holiday, but otherwise, I’m always 100% committed to my health, my fitness, and helping motivate those who want the same. I have to remind myself sometimes that this is a long game, and I need to be patient, even when trying to get rid of just a few pounds.

I received a great question from a friend recently:

How “active” were you in the beginning? Surely you had to get places by walking (even if just from home to car, car to office, office to car, and car to home).

I’ve done just about everything right, so why do I weigh so much? I’ve said this myself many times, and honestly, I’m suffering right now from a bout of the “Ugly Scale” disease. Before I start thinking it can’t be anything I’ve done wrong, I have to really look at everything I’ve done in the past two weeks to get to where I am today.

1. I’ve been eating portions that are too large. Plain and simple. Even if you eat the right foods, in the wrong amounts, it will pack on.
2. I haven’t been running. This one has been out of my control, but it exacerbates item #1. I want to run so badly, but as I’m still under the weather, I have to postpone any workout plans until my body is physically able to do the exercise. Above all, I have to be safe.
3. I haven’t been sleeping enough. I have been getting between 6 to 6.5 hours of sleep a night when my body prefers 7+. I need to change this ASAP.
4. I had a weekend full of alcohol and graze eating. This doesn’t happen often, thankfully, but it did happen recently and the scale is showing it.
5. Having the flu has caused some weird stuff to happen with my body as I’ve been taking medicine. It’s possible that my attempts at remaining hydrated at all times coupled with medication has caused some water retention.

There’s always an explanation for weight gain. Always. Our bodies don’t just gain weight without reason. The first thing to look at is what has went through the lips. Second, is what has changed in activity, sleep, or wellness? Taken together, it paints a pretty bleak picture for me.

The good news is, as I’ve stated on this blog before, I know how to fix this, and I know how quickly I can and will see results. However, I’m going to take things a step further starting next week. I will have a blog post detailing that very soon.

LCHF covers a group of diets that cut sugar in large amounts and rely on fat to fuel the body. Extreme versions of these diets are Keto which forces the body to change from using sugar to turn into energy to using fat. This is known to induce fast weight loss, but it is difficult to get into ketosis, and can be difficult to maintain. Atkins, Whole30, and the Paleo Diet are also in the LCHF realm of diets, but are easier to maintain.

I have done four Whole30’s, and I am currently (as I have been for the past two and a half years) on the Paleo Diet. When I say I’m on a diet, I mean it in the truest definition of the word: it’s the food I eat on a day-to-day basis. I am not on a diet to lose weight. I am on a diet to stay healthy.

I lost weight on every Whole30 I’ve done, but it’s not the reason I did my last one. I did it to reset my cravings, my portion sizes, and to just get back to basics. Going back to my normal Paleo Diet has been a very underwhelming experience; it’s just the same food, except now, Sherry can add some honey to some recipes, or she can make a Paleo bread with nut flours.

My personal LCHF successes are the following:

• I am no longer diabetic. I was on Metformin prior to adopting an LCHF diet. Now, I’m completely normal.
• I lost 150 lbs in two years, 110 of it without exercise in the first year.
• I no longer have circulation issues in my legs/feet.
• I no longer have nerve tingling in my legs.
• I no longer have fatty liver disease.
• My vision (which was being negatively impacted by Diabetes) has improved two years in a row.
• My gums, which have long suffered from chronic gingivitis, are healthy. I have had no new cavities in two years.

LCHF is something you will likely see more about in the news as time goes by. It’s being proven anecdotally daily, and there are scientific studies underway that, from early indications, show that it is a much better and healthier way for humans to eat.

I suggest you read as much as you can about it, and I am certain you will reach the same conclusion that I have: LCHF is a better way for humans to eat, and will lead to better health and even weight loss. Fat is not the devil it’s been made out to be, and sugar isn’t nearly as innocent as it’s been made out to be.

This is a phrase I wish I’d have learned sooner. I saw someone post this on Reddit, and I like it. It’s a simple way to say what I’ve been trying to tell people for the past two and a half years: you can’t exercise away a bad diet. You lose weight as the result of the choices you make in food.

I was literally just reading a post written by someone locally who is rather well-known, and she was lamenting the lack of weight loss progress despite the amount of physical effort she’s put into losing weight. I was going to post the title phrase, but she continued in her post that she was adopting a diet to help her lose weight. Good steps, I thought, until I saw what she was going to do: limit calories, limit carbs (yay) and fat (boo), and eat chicken and salad.

UGH

Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing someone say that. What it is going to do is make her continually hungry. When adopting a diet, it’s important to adopt one that allows you to eat as much food as your body needs based on daily conditions. Some days we are more active; your body will want you to eat a little more. On more sedentary days, you are satisfied more easily. As your weight declines, so do your caloric needs. That’s why I never counted calories; it’s too fluid and your body will do a fantastic job of letting you know when you need more or less.

Have people been successful at losing weight by counting calories? Certainly, but the difficulty factor is raised quite a bit as compared to how I lost weight: comfortably, without cravings, and without feeling miserable. To the contrary, I felt great, energetic, and free from cravings.

Have people been successful at losing weight by going low-fat? They claim to have done so, but I think it has more to do with other factors. I know many vegetarians and even some vegans who are obese. They are 100% non-fat, yet they are unhealthy and at risk of diabetes. I don’t know nearly as many obese people who have cut out sugar and grains.

Please, if you take ANYTHING away from this blog, I would hope it is this:

• Diet change = weight loss
• Exercise = fitness

That’s the simple truth when it comes to health and fitness. Anything to the contrary is a lie.

Do you want to give yourself the best chance to succeed with weight loss, fitness, and better health? Then do what I did: read a lot. Seriously. The more research you can do, the better chance you have for success because you give yourself as much information as necessary to get past any stumbling or roadblocks you may encounter.

Many times, when people I know who have adopted the Paleo diet and failed tell me it’s because they couldn’t quite follow the plan or had really bad cravings. They didn’t know how to proceed. That’s where the reading comes in. Often times, it’s the rules that get you. What rules do I mean? Well, specifically the types of food you can and cannot eat.

Before we did our first Whole30, Sherry and I did a lot of reading. We try to find out as much information as we could, and to make ourselves as familiar as possible with what we could and could not eat. We found a bunch of recipes, and we learned which foods we already ate that we could continue eating and continue to be Whole30 compliant. We also read about what to expect, including things like the first week flu-like symptoms. This allowed us to know what to expect, so that when we encountered or experienced these things, they didn’t come as a surprise. We had a strategy, and we knew how to overcome these difficulties.

People mistakenly think that the results that Sherry and I experienced are not normal, and that somehow, we got lucky. Nothing could be further from the truth. What we did, anyone can do. All it takes is following the rules, and sticking to the plan. No cheating, no sabotage, and no taking a break from eating right. It’s important to note, that my weight loss for the first year, 110 pounds, all came without exercise. Anyone can do what we did, regardless of physical ability. As long as you have the power to put things into your mouth and feed yourself, then you have everything you need to eat right.

Give yourself the best chance for success in losing weight and reaching better health. Do the research. There is a lot of free information available to you on the web, libraries, or for purchase at your local bookstores. The more information you arm yourself with prior to taking on a new lifestyle through a new diet, the better chance you have for success.

Why did I go Paleo when there are so many other low-carb/high-fat diets out there? For Sherry and I, it seemed like the natural progression from Whole30. Once we completed our first Whole30, we felt like we had learned a lot about food and how our bodies react to them, and we felt so much better than before, that we wanted to adopt a diet that was similar to Whole30 but a little less restrictive.

Where Whole30 asks you to avoid foods I call analogues, or those that are made with grain but can be made with other foods to make them Paleo-compliant, Sherry and I wanted to have a little more flexibility in eating the occasional Paleo dessert, or perhaps eat a pizza or some bread (both Paleo, of course).

What makes food Paleo? If you can make a bread without grain flour, for instance, and use almond flour, casava flour, coconut flour, etc, that makes it Paleo. Sherry has made many different foods for us like pizza, waffles, pancakes, breads, and even fudge that are all Paleo-compliant.

While Paleo-compliant doesn’t always mean we can just go nuts and eat dessert every night, it does give us peace of mind that we’re eating foods made from whole, natural ingredients that are good for us. We try not to overdo it, and limit our consumption of things like Paleo chocolate chip cookies (which are, in my honest opinion, at least as good if not better than the real thing!).

I also have found that it’s been easy to find food that is Paleo compliant at restaurants when we go out, and friends have had an easy time making foods that are Paleo compliant for us when necessary.

Finally, it just feels right. It makes sense, and it has helped Sherry and I stay thin and healthy. It allows us to feel good in the mornings, to get good sleep, and to maintain our weight. Oh, and there are literally millions of amazing recipes available online for delicious and filling healthy foods.

I no longer drink anything sweetened. Not even artificially. I have heard people say it’s okay to use honey or stevia in drinks, but from everything I’ve read, sweetened drinks affect the brain regardless of whether the sweetener is sugar or artificial. That means while it’s better to imbibe drinks without sugar, imbibing sweet drinks will still cause cravings.

That’s horrible to me, and I don’t even want to risk it.

I cut out sweet drinks back in September of 2015 with my first Whole30. Aside from the rare alcoholic beverage or hot cocoa in Spain while on vacation, I’ve stuck with unsweetened tea, coffee, and plain ol’ water. I have been known to drink my tea with lemon, and I have also put sliced cucumber in my water in the summertime, but that’s it. Nothing more.

I will admit that coffee still doesn’t taste nearly as awesome to me as it did when I used creamer and sugar, but I’m learning to appreciate the light and medium blends. They are quite flavorful, and some have a natural sweetness to them that is really quite amazing.

As for teas, there are many that are delicious, and I have had an easier time adopting unsweetened tea. I have it at lunch and dinner, and sometimes before bed.

Sweetened drinks are something I definitely miss, but I will not allow myself to have due to the negative impact it has on the brain and the cravings they bring about. It’s just not worth it to me.