Paleo Marine

The biggest hit my quality of life has taken since adopting the Paleo Diet has been in the drinks department. I used to love my iced tea with artificial sweetener or coffee with sugar and cream. However, since I no longer use any sweeteners, sugar, or dairy, this greatly limits my drink options to unsweetened. While some are okay, none are just great; at least not to someone who used to really enjoy sweet coffee.

My go-to drinks are now coffee and tea. The coffee I drink is always black (without sweeteners or dairy) and the tea I drink is without any sweetener as well. For coffee, I drink light or medium roast as they are naturally sweeter. I always drank dark roasts, mistakenly thinking they tasted better. I have since learned that the lighter roasts yield a sweeter product, and since I don’t imbibe sweeteners anymore, I can taste the natural sweetness and flavor notes in the coffees better. I now know the difference between a fresh or not-so-fresh bag of coffee grounds, and I am much more sensitive to the flavored coffees (some are better, many are worse).

The same goes for tea. Since I drink it all without sweetener, I can taste much more of the tea itself. Some are naturally sweet and delicious (Very Blueberry; I’m looking at you!), while others that I loved really miss out on not having sweetener added to them (Constant Comment; you disappointed me). However, nothing compares to PG Tips with lemon in it. PG Tips tea is simply the best black tea on the planet, bar none. It’s simply perfect whether you drink it hot or cold. I prefer mine with lemon in it, and we keep pitchers of it in the refrigerator at all times. It’s a favorite in our house; there are riots when we run out of PG Tips.

Coffee and tea contain caffeine, and this is considered okay on both Whole30 and Paleo. That’s a good thing, because I drink quite a bit of coffee and tea throughout the day. Probably more than I should, but I can’t drink plain water.

I will be experimenting with water that has cucumber, lemon, and maybe even some other fruit to give a slight flavor to the water. I will be using natural additives; nothing powdered or commercially packaged. I am hoping that this helps, as I’d like to cut down a bit on the caffeine eventually. But for now, it’s coffee, tea, and me; best buds forever.

I’ve been plateaued again for quite a while. Sure, I lost 3 or 4 lbs back in April and early May, but my weight has been jumping between 166.4 and 168.9 lbs for weeks. Then, Sherry and I started a Whole30, and within 4 days, I was down at least 2 lbs to 164.9 lbs. I also made it through the weekend without gaining any weight, which was a first for me in a long time. My weight cycle is typically weighing the heaviest on Mondays with the lightest on Fridays. Then, through socializing and enjoying the weekend, I typically gain about 1-2 lbs only to start the cycle again on Monday.

I know that the 1-2 lbs is mostly water weight due to the increased sugar or salt intake of the weekend, but the fact remains that my weight yoyo’s about 2 lbs throughout the week. It’s important to note that this is considered normal, btw. However, I have been hoping to make some progress by losing a little more to make my goal, and it wasn’t happening. Until this third Whole30. Now, I’ve reached my goal, and I’m looking for some bonus weight loss over the next few weeks.

That’s what it was like the first time I saw my thin face in the mirror. I know, it didn’t happen overnight, but I guess I hadn’t paid much attention to the changes my face had been going through as I was losing weight. One morning, I looked into the mirror to shave, and it struck me; the face looking back at me was a face from my past. It was my former face; my thin face.

My wife and I were talking the other night, and she was saying that it’s still strange for her every now and then that I am as thin as I am now. When we met, I was nearly 300 lbs, and she’d never known a thin E.J. (me). She’d seen photos of me when I was younger or when I was in the Marines, and she said she’d pause to look at them every now and then, but she said it was like looking at a ghost from the past and not looking at me. Now, she says, I look like I did in the photos she would look at.

Now that I’m back to my pre-fat weight, I feel strange when looking at photos of myself when I was overweight. I remember being that person, of how I felt, of how hard it was, and all the other negative aspects of it. There were very few positives about being that unhealthy and unfit, and I think back to how much pain I was hiding, both physical and emotional. I never want to go back to being that person.

I am pretty happy with where I am with regards to my health and fitness right now, yet I try to keep improving myself all the time. I am working on increasing my speed when I run, and increasing my max push ups. I would like to weight a few lbs less than I do right now, but in the grand scheme of things, I’m at a good weight and I am what people describe as “Thin.” I like seeing my ghost in the mirror. He’s a ruggedly handsome guy.

I, like (I think) everyone else on the planet, love tasty food. It’s built into our brains:

1. If low on energy, acquire tasty food
2. Get nourished
3. Repeat when low on energy

The problem with our modern times is that the vast majority of our food is engineered to be especially tasty and is (for most of us reading this blog) very easily acquired. That means that we don’t expend the same amount of energy we used to acquiring the food we used to fuel ourselves. This is a part of Paleo that also makes a lot of sense to me: we need to expend energy daily to offset the intake of calories.

On the days I don’t run (which right now is every other day), I tend to eat a little less. On the days I run, I eat a little more. What doesn’t change, however, is the food itself; it has to be delicious and filling. Fortunately for me, Sherry has taken on the duties as our chef, and she finds some of the most amazing foods to make and for us to eat.

I never stopped loving food. I still love pasta, pizza, bread (oooooh, sour dough, I’m looking at you!), and chocolate mousse. However, I’ve learned to live without daily, weekly, or even monthly exposure to those foods. I may have each of those once a year or less, and you know what? Somehow, I’m perfectly okay with it. I’ve survived.

How did I learn to live without pizza? I learned to love other foods that are just as delicious but better for me, my body, and my health. I eat a lot more steak now. Brisket, pulled pork, sausage, smoked chicken, and vegetables like asparagus and Brussels sprouts have come into my weekly diet.

You can be a foodie and be on the Paleo Diet. It’s easy! Heck, there are so many amazing recipes and foods available that you’ll exhaust hours finding and pinning them all (I know my wife does!).

Sherry and I attended our second Paleo|f(x) and we had a great time. Once again, we scouted the floor for new Paleo products and sampled many of them. We didn’t stay for any of the panels. We went with friends Kenny and Elaine, and we enjoyed introducing them to some of our favorites from last year and discovering new foods and treats that we will be enjoying in the coming year.

Some of our old favorites (Muffin Else, RX Bars, Bubba’s, Epic, DNX) were there, and we purchased a lot from them and there were also some new products we’re currently in the process of sampling and evaluating.

I recommend Paleo|f(x) for anyone on the Paleo Diet and looking to discover new treats, snacks, drinks, foods, and products that are Paleo certified and good for you. I know our kitchen pantry is now full of good, healthy snacks for those rare times when you just need something to get through to the next meal. My backpack that I carry to work with me also has a sampling of snacks to help me get through in the event I miss a lunch or had too small of a previous meal to make it to the next one comfortably.

Make plans for Paleo|f(x) 2018. I’ll be there with Sherry. We hope to see you there!

Denying carbs are bad for us is like denying climate change. I’m not saying what causes climate change; it’s a fact that the planet we live upon has dealt with since it formed. That’s why we had ice ages, warmer periods, etc. However, the fact remains: carbs are bad for the human body.

Do they taste good? Heck yes! I’d argue that if you list 100 of the best tasting foods you know, at least 80 of them will contain carbs. That’s not by accident. Carbs give us quick energy, and our bodies are designed to use sugar as energy. So then, how can I say that carbs are bad for us?

Well, us humans are not in the same environment we were in when our bodies were designed. We now find ourselves surrounded by easily accessible, endless amounts of food. Our bodies no longer need to scrape every bit of energy from the food we eat, yet it does as designed. Our food is hyper-nutritious as compared to the food of even 50 years ago, and I’m not talking about vitamins and minerals: we’re talking carbs. How did this happen?

Low-fat is what’s making us fat. Crazy, right? Well, here’s why. In the 50’s, a prominent physician decried cigarette smoking (good) and fat (bad) as being the cause of heart disease. He spread his agenda that we need to cut fat out of our diet to reduce cholesterol in our blood. Unfortunately, this was completely wrong, counter to biological science, and just plain ignorant of how the human body processes sugar and fat. This, coupled with the McGovern Report in 1972 sealed our fate to becoming obese.

Food without fat in it tastes bland and horrible. Food makers know this, so they had to turn to something to make food delicious to sell more of it. What did they turn to? Sugar in all forms. Try to find a processed food without sugar in it, even the “Healthy” foods. Some of the “Heart Healthy” foods are the worst offenders, often containing more carbs than their regular counterparts.

There was a scientist who, in 1972, told us that we were getting it wrong and that it was sugar that was killing us, but he was run out of his profession and died in obscurity. Robert Lustig was his name, and I suggest reading about him. I do warn you; the article will make you mad (and it should!). If only we’d have listened.

It’s 2017. We know carbs are bad for us, yet I still see and hear people advocating a low-fat diet with no mention of carbs. When I mention that carbs are bad, I often hear, “But it’s part of a balanced diet,” or “It’s one of the food groups.” Neither of these statements are true, and actually, are very false. Painfully and ridiculously false.

Blood test results don’t lie. When I ate carbs, I had:

• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Rising blood pressure
• Nerve damage in legs (due to Diabetes)
• Circulation problems (due to Diabetes)
• Declining vision (due to Diabetes)
• Increased liver enzymes due to fatty liver disease

I no longer suffer from ANY of the above. None. I have had numerous blood tests that have confirmed that I am now completely back in normal ranges for every measure (and my cholesterol is actually now on the LOW side). How could that be when I eat fat with every meal and I eat red meat? BECAUSE I DON’T EAT CARBS!

It’s not a whacky flavor-of-the-month weight loss diet. The Paleo Diet is something you can do easily for the rest of your life. It does take some thinking, some preparation, and readjusting how you approach your meals, but it’s well worth it. I can’t believe how much better I feel, how much more energy I have, and how much weight I lost without exercise (over 110 lbs!) within a year. 20 months later, I’m at 166 lbs, having started at 312 lbs. I’m keeping it off easily, and while eating until I’m full at every meal.

If you haven’t yet done so, take a look at Whole30 and the Paleo Diet. They are super-simple to follow and while it’s not easy to mentally tackle a sugar addiction, it can be done and you will feel so much better for having done so (and my live a longer, healthier life in the process).

I had a discussion with a friend who asserted that 1000 calories of pasta is the same as 1000 calories of any other food. He said that a person restricting themselves to 1000 calories of anything will lose weight. While this is a very simplistic overview of how our bodies work and it is true that a calorie deficit will result in weight loss, the health of your body, your satiety after eating meals, and your ability to sustain such a diet are all at risk. Not all calories are created the same, nor are their effect on our bodies.

When you eat refined sugar or foods with easily soluble sugars (carbs) like beans, grains, and pasta, the sugar is very easily extracted from the food. It doesn’t require a lot of work, and therefore, not much energy is used (calories) by the body. Thus, the net calories that get dumped into the blood stream is much higher than in natural foods. Then, the liver has to turn this sugar into energy the cells can use. If there is too much sugar in the blood, the liver gets enzymes from the pancreas to convert this sugar into fat. When the rate of fat creation exceeds the ability of the liver to send that fat to parts of the body for storage, a condition called fatty liver can be created. I suffered from fatty liver disease for a long time.

On the contrary, when eating natural sugars, the body has to spend calories to extract the sugar. Not only does this take energy (burning calories) to reduce the net calories taken in, but it also takes time which slows the release of sugar into the body. This allows the liver to keep up with processing the sugar in the blood into useful sugar (glucose) for the body to use. Since it’s a slow-release, the body can use the sugar in the blood as it’s extracted from the food which leads to less storage.

From a satiety standpoint, foods that are harder to digest (meats, vegetables, nuts, fruits) will give a steadier supply of energy and keep you sated, which means you won’t get cravings or get hungry soon after eating. This helps to keep eating down, and from snacking. It is easier to handle fewer calories when those calories are higher quality and take your body longer to digest.

Something I’ve learned through my own journey has been to eat until I’m full. I don’t count calories at all anymore. I eat as much as I need to feel comfortably full. It has made it easy for me to stick with the Paleo Diet because I never feel cravings, and the food I eat is both delicious and filling. I don’t worry about not eating enough or eating too much because I listen to my body. When I eat meat and vegetables, it’s easy to fill up and feel full long after you’ve eaten. It’s very hard to do that with pasta or bread.