Tag: diet

Quality of Life Transformation: From Whole30 to Paleo Diet and Exercise

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

I never would have thought of myself as being the type of person who could stay on a specific diet for any period of time to allow me to be successful long-term in getting fit and healthy. I thought that I was a slave to food, and that I would forever be doomed to eating too much, eating the wrong foods, and honestly, to die young.

Whole30 changed that for me, and transitioning into the Paleo Diet was super easy. Once my sugar addiction was broken and I learned to eat foods made from whole ingredients and avoiding anything with added sugar, grains, dairy, and legumes really made me feel better and improved my health significantly in measurable ways.

Initially, the incredible improvements in my health fueled my desire to stay strictly on the diet and to avoid sabotabing my process through cheat meals or days. Then, the more weight I lost and the healthier my body was getting, the less I wanted to go back. I saw every temptation as sabotage which made it easy to avoid. Then, once I started exercising and added fitness to my plan, I didn’t want to eat anything that would hinder my progress in getting stronger, faster, and more able to do long-term exercise.

In the end, now I am motivated by how I feel followed by how comfortable I am in doing things like mountain biking, hiking, walking up flights of stairs, wearing clothes that I like, and even getting in and out of my Porsche (which would have been impossible at my heaviest). All these things are quality of life (QoL), and my QoL is so much better with a healthy lifestyle than it ever was before.

Do I miss eating anything and everything with wild abandon? Absolutely! I love eating (still), and one of my biggest behavioral issues is that I have a very hard time with portion control. The more I eat, the happier I am, so it’s a struggle I fight still. But when I’m tempted to eat more, I remind myself that I feel great and I don’t want to sabotage that feeling and all the work I’ve done to get there with short-term satisfaction.

At the end of the day, health and fitness are things that you can’t buy; you have to earn it the old fashioned way: by putting in the work.

Eating Through a Hurricane

Published on by PaleoMarine2 Comments

This week, we experienced one of the worst storms here in a long time; Hurricane Beryl. We were very fortunate that no-one in our family was injured, and further lucky that our property sustained no damage. What we did endure, however, was three days without power in 90+ degree high temperatures. Fortunately, our power was restored yesterday, and we’re not returning back to normal.

During the powerless days, we relied on food we had in our refrigerator and freezer, and using a solar generator system from Jackery, we were able to keep our refrigerated foods safely cool. Our freezer remained closed for the majority of the power outage, and remained cool enough to keep food frozen.

As for what we ate: it was all Paleo. We ate sausage (sugar-free), fish, shrimp, scallops, vegetables, burgers (with lettuce wrapping) and chicken wings. Breakfasts were typically bacon and eggs. Everything we ate contributed to me losing an inch off my waist. I now have regained another belt hole on my belt, comfortably. This is a huge victory for me, and I’m excited.

It’s interesting that we were able to continue eating well during this emergency. It took a little more planning and effort over buying junk food at a local fast food spot, but it was well worth it.

Healthy Living: Embracing the Rewards of Persistence and Self-Determination

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

Nothing feels better than progress, especially when it’s hard earned. Nothing worthwhile in life comes easily unless you are just lucky, and let’s face it; most of us just aren’t. So, to attain anything truly special or amazing takes a lot of preparation and hard work.

Getting healthy is no different. Losing weight is no different. Getting fit is no different. It is the reason why people who are fit and healthy get a respect that nothing else does. It takes discipline, effort, planning, and dedication to execution unlike anything else. And also unlike anything else, it’s not something you can shortcut or buy. A fit body isn’t something you can just go to a store and buy. There’s only one way to do it: put in the work.

That’s what I remind myself every time I get an urge to eat some chocolate or to have a larger portion than I should: put in the work. Be disciplined. The payoff will be worth it.

Yesterday, I was able to put on some clothes that I haven’t worn in a few months, and they fit perfectly. It was one of those moments that reminded me why I was doing the work and why I was sticking so strictly to the plan.

It’s not easy. It’s why 40% of all Americans are considered obese. If it were easy, we wouldn’t have to spend so much time and effort trying to get to a healthier weight or to trim down. But it is 100% worth the effort. Feeling good in one’s own skin is the ultimate payoff, and everyone will know that you put in the work and you stuck with it.

I was asked recently on Reddit in a thread I posted over 7 years ago if I kept the weight off. I replied that I had, and beyond that, I got fit and was able to join the National Guard and I’m still serving today. I continue to do the work and continue to be disciplined. Sure, I had a few back-slides here and there where my weight went up more than I’d like, but ultimately, I know what has to be done and I know how to do it. I know how to get the results I want and need. But it ultimately comes down to one thing: nobody can do this for me. I can get help, but what goes into my mouth and how much I move is all determined by me. And it’s a good feeling when you see the fruits of your labor come in.

Rethinking Health Metrics: Beyond the Scale

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

Too many people put all the emphasis on a single metric for success when adopting a healthier lifestyle: the scale. While a person’s weight is a good, solid, and measurable metric to track, it shouldn’t be not only the sole metric, but even the one with the most emphasis.

I learned almost 8 years ago that health is a collection of different data points that, together, paint the whole picture. Weight, my emotional health, how I feel in my skin, how my clothes fit and feel, how my joints feel; these all put together tell me how I’m doing. The funniest thing about it is that I even mentioned weight first in my little list, and that’s because it’s the easiest data point to acquire. Just step on a scale, and *BOOM* there it is. But how do I feel? How do my clothes fit? My empotional wellbeing? Those are much more subjective, but honestly, they’re more important.

Case in point: this morning, my weight was up. Unexplainebly up by more than I liked, but the crazy part is that my pants haven’t fit so well in months. As for the shirt I put on, it’s another one that was skin-tight just two and a half weeks ago. Today? It fit perfectly. Then, there’s how I feel emotionally. I’m a little tired from not getting enough sleep, but otherwise, I’m doing great. I can feel the progress, and I feel that the sugar addiction is almost all gone. There is a mental clarity that comes with being off sugar, and it makes everything feel hyper-real as compared to a few weeks ago. I love that feeling!

So, the scale may not have been my friend today, but the way my clothes fit, the lack of pain in my joints and my back, and my emotional clarity all told me that I’m well on the right path, and I need to keep going.

First morning without back pain

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

It’s been a weird couple of weeks. I somehow hurt my back without doing anything at all. Yeah, yeah: I know. I’m old. But c’mon! I’m not that old.

In the office and thinking, “I need more coffee.”

But anyway, this morning was the first morning I awoke without any back pain. My right Achilles heel still has pain, and I think it always will. I’m learning to just live with it. But while I can do my exercises and even ride my bike with the Achilles heel pain, I can’t do either of those (and more) with the back pain. That it is now gone is significant.

I’m not sure when exactly I’ll start back up my exercise routine; maybe next Monday. I want to give my back enough time to fully heal and feel better. I want to make sure that I’m not rushing things and getting back into exercise too quickly. At the same time, I really want the benefits of exercise as it pertains to my health. I just feel better after a good bike ride or a good session in the gym. But I also don’t enjoy working with injuries, so I will wait.

Weight-wise, my weight didn’t change from yesterday, but that’s a win. I know that not every day will see a loss. I remember from my very first Whole30 that sometimes, I’d go 3-4 days without losing and then WHOOSH 2-3 lbs would disappear. I don’t know why it works like that, but it does. Now that I know what to expect, I’m good with these mini-plateaus and fluctuations.

As for food, today started with my Keto cereal with blueberries, and my lunch with be a Whole30 chicken parmigiana (without cheese or breading, obviously) with zucchini cut up like spaghetti noodles and a tomato sauce. This is one of our favorites, and I’m looking forward to it. Dinner will likely be the carnitas tacos again (one of my ultimate favorites). I will also have an apple after lunch, and likely a peach after dinner. We picked up some peaches on our way home from Dallas on Saturday, and they are the sweetest peaches I’ve had in years.

End of week 2 and the result is…

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

203.3. That’s nearly 7 lbs in two weeks. It’s keeping me on track for the 10+ I was hoping for this Whole30. Now, here’s the crazy part: Sherry and I are considering this a pre-Whole30 because we have a summer party in two weeks where we will imbibe alcohol and probably eat some things we aren’t supposed to. But the plan is for us to then start our REAL Whole30 the following day which will lead us into a strict Paleo for the rest of the summer and fall going into the holiday season just like we did on our very first Whole30. That first Whole30 led me to lose 110 lbs in a year without exercise and shoehorned me into the Paleo lifestyle which saw me lose another 40 lbs and reverse my Type 2 Diabetes and fatty liver disease.

I’m incredibly excited and motivated to see 203.3 lbs on the scale this morning for another reason: I forgot to weigh myself when I woke up, so that was after eating breakfast and 10 oz of coffee as well as needing to *ehem* go to the bathroom. So… I could have weighed up to half a pound less! But, I’ll put that loss off for tomorrow.

Mushrooms are a great ingredient for Whole30 foods.

Today, Sherry and I are doing meal prep for the week. We are making some Carnitas, Al Pastor, and a deconstructed cheeseburger. All of these are Whole30-compliant, and among some of our favorites. Whole30 is really not that difficult to get through when the foods taste as good if not better than the non-compliant foods. Even my daughter who was staying with us last week commented on how much she liked the food. She was even happier to know that it was all very healthy for her.

My success is only possible because of the teamwork with my wife. Between her being the driving force behind our amazing menu and the cooking, to the portion sizes she’s been helping me with (my biggest problem is over-eating), the nearly 7 lbs I’ve lost is in large part due to her support. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Trusting the Process (Again)

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

This morning at my daily weigh-in, my weight remained the same (yay!), but my pants are already definitely feeling better, and my shirts are fitting better. It seems the inflammation of my body which manifests with swelling has been decreasing enough that my “Puffy” look is going away.

As for my back, it continues to feel a little better but I think there is an underlying issue I will have to see a doctor for. I don’t want to venture guesses publicly, but I think it’s better to be checked out to know for sure.

Food-wise, I started the day with my Catalina Crunch Keto cereal (chocolate) with a handful of blueberries sprinkled on top with the Califia Better Half coconut/almond milk. I really enjoy this quick cereal breakfast and it tastes great and keeps me sated until lunchtime.

Speaking of lunchtime, today I will have a deconstructed chicken with salsa verde bowl with riced cauliflower and grilled pepper, onions, and mushrooms. It’s a new-ish recipe that Sherry started to make recently and I love it!

Dinner will likely be a salisbury steak with mushroom sauce over mashed cauliflower. I had this a few times this week, and it’s really tasty and filling!

Although my weight remained the same, I am happy about how my clothes are feeling. It’s a process, and it takes time. I just have to continue to trust the process and monitor my progress and adjust as necessary. So far, no adjustments have been necessary; I’m eating the right foods, getting enough sleep, and making sure I’m properly hydrated. I look forward to being able to add exercise back after my back (and possible other issue) gets better.

Embrace the Suck

Published on by PaleoMarine5 Comments

Wow. What a great way to start the day. I did my (illegal according to Whole30) weigh-in this morning and found myself to be at 205.4 lbs. I started at 310 lbs on Monday! I know, I know: a lot of that is water weight. Of course it is; I was eating foods containing sugar, grains, and dairy, and on top of that, the portion sizes were, well, a little crazy. All of those things cause me to swell and retain water. BUT!!!! The bottom line is now I’m not carrying that almost 5 lbs of water weight! I can already notice the difference in my gut and face.

How do I feel? Sluggish, a little bit, but it’s to be expected. I won’t really start feeling more energized for another week, and this weekend, the worst of the flu-like symptoms should start to hit.

I was talking to Sherry last night, and I told her that the worse the symptoms get, the more I feel satisfied that the process is working. I’m embracing the discomfort. Anything worthwhile involves discomfort: want a degree? You’re going to spend a lot of time and late nights studying and writing papers. Want to get fit? You’re going to spend a lot of time exercising, whether it’s in a gym or on the pavement. Want to become a Marine? Boot camp isn’t easy and involves a lot of discomfort before you earn the title and the right to wear the eagle, globe, and anchor.

If you want to accomplish anything that’s valuable in life, you have to be okay with sacrifice. In this case, I’m sacrificing my comfort and my apetite to eat ceaselessly and carelessly. In some ways, I’m sacrificing some happiness, but at the same time, the happiness I’ll gain by being healthier, fitter, and lighter will outweigh the happiness I’m giving up. In the Marines, we say, “Embrace the suck.” The more you get used to and embrace things being hard, difficult, and sometimes illogical, the better off you will be emotionally. When it comes to this Whole30, I’m definitely embracing the suck.

As for last night’s dinner, I didn’t eat the planned meal-prepped dinner because my daughter and I had an impromptu father-daughter date for dinner. We went to a Greek restaurant, and I had beef tenerloin on a skewer with vegetables on a skewer with a side salad. I skipped on the Feta, dolmades, the pita, and the tsaziki. The meal was actually Whole30 compliant and very tasty! It’s nice that there are options out there for me to enjoy a dinner outside the house that is healthy enough to not derail my process or progress.

Today, I had my standard two eggs, bacon, and tomato breakfast along with some coffee. For lunch, my plan is to hit the refrigerator for another meal-prepped container of goodness. I haven’t quite yet decided which one I’ll eat, but I’m leaning towards the Picadillo. As for dinner, my wife returns from a one-week business trip tonight, and we plan on going out for a steak that I’ll have with half of a baked sweet potato.

All in all, while the actual end of Week 1 will be Sunday night, I’m already jazzed with my progress. I know that body weight fluctuates naturally, and sometimes I’ll weigh myself and wonder how my weight went up, but if the past is any indicator, those days will be very rare and few and far between.

Found my starting weight

Published on by PaleoMarine2 Comments

So, I decided to weigh myself yesterday: 209.4. Being that the weigh-in was nearly two days after I started, I’ll round it up to 210.

Oh. My. God.

That means I have 35 lbs to lose. I know, I know: it’s not about weight, it’s about health. And yes, I get it, and I sincerely subscribe to that idea. But… I am still in the military, and they care about numbers which means I have to care about numbers.

So, I will trust the process, play the game, and I will reach my goal just like I have every time in the past on Whole30’s prior.

I also broke the rule I said I would follow yesterday; I weighed myself this morning just as I always did on previous Whole30’s. What did I find? 208.5. This is also as I expected after 2 days. The first week is always the best week for pure weight loss as my body recovers from the gluten and sugar overload it was experiencing through all the amazing breads, desserts, and alcohol (we won’t mention all those double espressos with sugar).

Why do I continue to break the “Don’t weigh yourself” rule? Because for my personality type, it fuels my desire to reach my goal. It is an immediate feedback that shows me I’m doing the right thing, or if the scale goes in the other direction, it allows me to more closely analyze what I put into my body and its effect on my overall health.

As for exercise, I was supposed to start that on Monday, but I didn’t. Then, I was supposed to start that on Tuesday and still didn’t. Today is Wednesday, and if I’m being honest, I likely won’t start today either. Why? Well, my heel is still recovering from an injury I sustained about a month ago during a sprint from one building to another avoiding a devastating storm here in Houston in which 7 people lost their lives. I was downtown, the epicenter of the storm, and I sprinted far too hard and ended up injuring my right Achille’s tendon. It didn’t rupture, but it definitely was strained.

I also hurt my back prior to my vacation: a painful spasm that stayed with me for nearly two weeks. That one happened after a workout when I didn’t stretch properly after a personal best for the year in lifting, and I moved suddenly when the spasm appeared.

As for my shoulder injury I’ve been working with for the past year, it is actually the one bright spot. Because of my weightlifting, it actually has healed more and the range of motion has increased. It still hurts, but nowhere near as much as it used to, and I can use my arm and shoulder a lot more today than I have been able to in almost two years.

Today’s breakfast was 1 cup of Catalina Crunch (a keto breakfast cereal that I really enjoy when I don’t want to make my two eggs, bacon, and tomato breakfast that has been a staple for me since my very first Whole30 nearly 8 years ago) with blueberries and Califia Better Half creamer (a mix of almond milk and coconut cream). For lunch, I will have a Picadillo that my wife and I made this weekend (the recipe for it is on her website, and I highly recommend it; it’s one of my favorites!). For dinner tonight, I will likely have either the meatloaf and sweet potatoes she made, or a chicken dish with riced cauliflower. As for drinks, I limit myself to either coffee with the Califia Better Half or LMNT, a drink powder with no sugar but it has salt, potassium, and magnesium which is important when you’re doing heavy exercise when on a diet like Whole30 or Paleo.

But wait, you’re thinking: you said you aren’t exercising right now! That’s right, but I will be starting any day now as soon as my motivation for it returns, and I have to be ready. My body has to be ready. And when it and I am, I won’t have to worry that I don’t have the proper elements in my body.

So. Day 3 on Whole30. I’m starting to feel some of the flu-like symptoms, but that’s to be expected. The worst is yet to come, likely this weekend, and that’s okay. I’m here for it. I actually embrace it, because then I know I’m doing the right things.

Another Whole30

Published on by PaleoMarine1 Comment

Well, it’s time for me to do another Whole30. I need to reset my diet, my health, and take control of my appetite and my health once again. I’ve worked hard these past 7 years to maintain my healthy eating habits and exercise, but the past 4 months have been really hard on me and this led to me eating a lot more foods I normally don’t eat.

As a deployed Soldier to Kosovo, I resisted all the local breads and pastries and as much of the carbs as possible for 8 out of my 9 months there. In the last month, I decided to allow myself to experience the local cuisine, and while it led to weight gain, I don’t regret it. I experienced so much about the Kosovar/Albanian culture through its food, and I will forever treasure those memories. However, it led me to lowering my guard and allowing myself to eat all kinds of foods when I got back to the US. This led to a dramatic weight gain and made me feel generally unhealthy.

Now, it’s time for me to reset again. I’m currently on Day 2 of my Whole30, and my mind is back into it 100% is it was on my very first Whole30 almost eight years ago. My wife and I did meal prep on Sunday, and yesterday and today, I am back at eating only Whole30 foods and avoiding everything else.

The weird part: it feels good. I remember on my first Whole30, I was hesitant and worried about how satiated I’d be after meals and how good they would be. I was worried about feeling hungry or not getting enough food. Now, having done multiple Whole30’s, I not only know what to expect, but I now look forward to them. I know that within the next few days, I’m going to feel like I was hit by a truck. But you know what? I look forward to feeling like crap. Why? Because I know that the process is working. It’ll be a physical reminder that I’m doing the right thing, and the predicted things that are supposed to happen when I’m doing it right are happening.

It helps that my wife has done a great job in identifying the foods we enjoy and love on Whole30, and she’s started us off with a solid selection of amazing and delicious foods. Portion sizes are also set by her, which helps me, because I have a problem with that. I always take more than I should, and I always finish everything on my plate. When she sets the portion sizes, I only eat what it served, and somehow, it is always enough.

So here we go. I forgot to weigh myself before I started, so I’ll do that later today. I will likely not weigh myself through this Whole30, unlike past Whole30’s. I am going all-in, and knowing what’s ahead of me, I’m excited. I can’t wait to be on the other side of this and feeling so much better, healthier, and vibrant.