Tag: diet

End of week 2 and the result is…

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Back from Deployment and Back to Living Healthy

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Well, it’s been a while.

I was deployed to Kosovo for nearly a year as a member of the NATO peace keeping mission and while I was there, I did everything I could to eat well but for the final month, I decided to eat the bread, the pizza, and the local food without much thought for my health. The result was about 15 lbs of weight gain!

Now, that’s not acceptable to me, and I’ve gotten back down to brass tacks to get back to being healthy. That includes not only going full Paleo (with a bit of a Whole30 tinge to it), but also back to my 5-day a week fitness plan. The diet is easy: I can eat Paleo or W30 easily and I know what to expect. Heck, I actually prefer Paleo. But the fitness part is more complicated.

I sustained not only a back and shoulder injury on deployment, but I also found out I have bursitis and degerative joint disease in my shoulder. This complicated my fitness plan while I was deployed. I did purchase a mountain bike in Kosovo and rode it quite regularly, but once winter came in and the temperatures dropped, I stopped riding. This also coincided with the back injury and a worsening of the shoulder pain.

Now that I’m back home, I decided to just go for it and start back with my StrongLifts 5×5, my bike riding, and I’ve introduced HIIT. My weight yesterday morning was a soul-shattering 202.7 lbs. This is a full 25 lbs more than what I like, and what my new goal is. 175-180 lbs is where I’m most comfortable, so that’s what I’m working towards. I don’t have a timeframe; I’m going to let the process work in the time it takes.

PaleoMarine’s Total Fitness Plan

I will do my StrongLifts 5×5 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday. I will do HIIT on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I plan on riding my bike typically on Saturdays or Sundays and possibly another day of the week (when I feel like it, most likely after the StrongLifts days after lifting).

MON – STRONGLIFTS
TUE – HIIT
WED – STRONGLIFTS
THU – HIIT
FRI – STRONGLIFTS
SAT – ACTIVE RECOVERY*
SUN – ACTIVE RECOVERY*

*BIKING, WALKING, HIKING, KAYAKING, ETC

HIIT PLAN
(X3 W/2 MINUTE REST)

THRUSTERS                                              10
BICYCLE CRUNCH                                    10
TWO ARM DUMBELL CURLS                    10
PUSH UPS                                                  10
KNEES TO ELBOWS (STANDING)            10

Conclusion

I’ve been able to stay healthy and to keep my weight off for almost eight years now. That I’ve only gained back a small portion in the past two months is really a testiment to how well the Paleo diet works. Until January, I was still within 10 lbs of the original low weight I reached back in 2017. Now, I’m back with a new-found desire to lose some weight, to raise my fitness level, and to feel better again by living healthier. Was all the amazing food in Kosovo worth the weight gain? I think so. While I hate having to go through the process of losing weight again, the food in Kosovo is incredible and tasty, and I’m glad I had a chance at the end of my deployment to try so much of it.

Also, I will be updating again more frequently as I’m once again back on this journey. I’ve helped countless people on their own health jounrey, and I hope to continue to motivate and inspire people to regain control of their health.