Being more like a truck

I have friends who eat healthier than anybody, but it takes them all day. And if they don't have their sprouted bread, they go into a seizure. I can eat a Big Mac. I'm not going to love it, but it won't put me into toxic shock. It's like if a car is too high-performance, then it's sensitive to any kind of fuel. I like being more like a truck. If a little diesel gets in there, maybe a little water, it'll cough and burp a bit, but it's gonna get through it and keep running. 

~ Laird Hamilton. Source.

The whole article list is good, but this particular point really stood out to me.  I may lose weight faster on a cleaner diet but when/if I do cheat the repercussions are bad.  When I eat mostly clean and then cheat, I still feel it later but it isn't halting me in my tracks.

I believe cutting out the junk and eating clean to restart your system, curb your cravings and reprogram your psychological need for certain foods is a great thing.  In the long term I think 80/20 is best for me.  If I need to tweak it then I can go up to 90/10.

Keto Weight Loss

This is just a quick little update on my progress thus far.

I started about January 1st at over 272 lbs.  It was during break, so I didn't technically weight myself (I know right) but I did weight myself about 2 weeks before and it was 272.4.  I am pretty confident I did not lose any weight over break, maybe even gained some.

It is now January 20 and I weigh 259.4.  That is some considerable real weight loss.  It is very exciting.

I find it is easier to be strict then to give a little.  For instance, sure I can chips but only X amount to keep me under my carbs for the day.  Instead, I avoid all foods that are based solely on and have a lot of carbs.  No rice, flour, potatoes, sweets or fruits.

This is not a new year's resolution, because those have a bad completion rate and this is happening.  This is a new life resolution.  My goal is to reach 200/190 lean pounds.  Then I would like to do some races and sky dive.

Cheers!

Keto - Paleo

I found a updated version of the paleo diet.  Well, technically it does not have to be in the spirit of paleo, but since I believe in keeping food sources as natural as possible ie local, organic, pasture, grassfed etc, I prefer the paleo spin on keto(genic).  In other words, paleo emphasizes food sources as much as food type.  Whereas keto emphasizes  just food type.

I try not to be preaching or even draw attention to eating keto.  Diet is like any other taboo thing out there, where common table manners tell us not to share unless specifically asked about it.  But I will say it is hard not to, especially if you go out to eat.  If someone wants to go to the new noodle place, not a lot of options for the keto diet there.

Atkins and South Beach are poplar versions of the keto diet.  I attempted these diets with little luck however.  There are subtle differences to following just a keto diet rather than following a branded version of one.

Atkins diet is a phase diet, where the first phase (or induction phase) is very similar to just following a keto diet.  The main difference is that the other various phases gradually increase carbs, where keto tends to promote 100 grams of carbs/day or even less.  Atkins also emphasis a low fat protein approach.  Keto actually encourages fat over protein.

South Beach is oftentimes compared to Atkins and then of course keto.  Although South Beach truly is neither.  South Beach has phases just like Atkins, where the first phase is essentially keto.  After that, various carbs are allowed and increased over time, especially if they are complex or have a low glycemic impact.  However South Beach does not promote itself as low carb, so it really is not keto at all.

Keto is essentially no carb or at least no food that is just a carb.  Traditionally people think of carbs as breads, flours and pastas, so none of those area allowed.  Fruit is barely allowed either, since they are high in sugar.  Keto emphasis fat first, then protein and finally vegetables that are not starchy/carb loaded.

The video below is Dr. Eric Westman of Duke University who does a great job at explain and illustrating the keto diet.

Nutrition: Paleo, Primal and Just Plain Better Eating

I try to eat paleo/primal, organic, local and as natural as possible.  I am not 100% strict about it either.  A diet needs to be sustainable and enjoyable.  While some foods may not be the best for you, it doesn't mean you can never have it.  What primal/paleo eating means to me is that many things I used to eat are not forbidden but moved to a treats category.

For example, I drink beer and wine.  I don't smoke but once in a great while a cigar does come to pass.  Coke or Dr Pepper, cake, ice cream whatever sugary buzz you want, I eat it.  But all these things are treats.  Most people and medicine can agree that in excess tobacco and alcohol are bad and in fact they are poisons to us.  In moderation, some people do enjoy them and there are no large negatives.  Sugar and flour are treated similarly by me.  On occasion or when wanted, but no longer a normal part of my every day routine.

What is paleo or primal?

Here are a two definitions that really break it down in a short easy way:

1. Mark Sisson does a great job at Mark's Daily Apple explain the problem with grains and has a food pyramid to illustrate what is primal.
2. Robb Wolf brings scientific expertise to define paleo and fitness to the lay person.
3. Gary Taubes discusses overall nutrition and how conventional facts are not facts at all.  Most conventional ideas of nutrition are incorrect and the data supports a better way of eating.

There are many more bloggers, authors and authorities out there, but these two have an active blog and give good simple advice while also backing it up with facts and science.

If you care to read more, they have some books too (which I have read both).

                                      

Biochemistry of the Paleo Diet

This is a really good basic overview of some of the biochemistry of nutrition and more specifically describing it in the context of the paleo/primal diet by Dr. Doug McGuff.

Enjoy!

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

A compelling scientific talk by a leading MD on the metabolism of sugar, specifically fructose, and how this is treated as a toxin by the body similarly to ethanol (alcohol).

Ketosis and Fat Loss

Robb Wolf's podcast 125 had a lot of great information about fat loss and fat intake. Here are my two highlights regarding beginning fat loss and further links of my own.  There are a lot of other good stuff in that podcast, but unrelated to my topic here, so check it out.

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor, nurse or any other health care provider licensed or otherwise.  This is my personal plan and research through the power of Google.  Consult with your doctor or nurse before attempting anything I post.

1) Ketosis

Essentially this changes the way your body uses energy from glucose to fat.  [Normally our primary energy source is glucose.]  For those who are fat like us, this is a good thing and results in the body uses our fat stores as fuel, instead of glucose.  It requires a strict diet of limited carbs (mainly veggies, almost no starch), low fat and high protein.  Supplementation is probably best to achieve this.  This wouldn't be the diet to go on forever, but it would be something good to do when one wants to lean out.

2) Supplements

To maintain proper protein, particularly for those who travel a lot or are really busy, whey protein is probably a good thing to get and helps with maintaining protein intake.  Also, BCAA (branch chain amino acids) help with the synthesis of protein.  These two items, whether eaten from food or supplements or both, will help the body maintain muscle or even build muscle, while using fat stores as energy.

These are the two I like: Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard Natural Chocolate or Vanilla .  The BCAAs I'll get are here.

They recommend 1 gram of protein per body weight and 30-40 grams of BCAA daily.

20 in 30 Challenge

Three of my buddies are attempting a 30 day challenge.  The ultimate goal is to lose as much fat as possible in 30 days.  We coined 20 in 30, in hopes to lose 20 lbs, but any safe amount of fat loss we will be happy with.  Over the next month there will be additional posts on what happens and different strategies or equipment we use.

Cheers!

Reflection of 5 day juice fast

I broke my juice fast with some good friends to a meal at Red Lobster.  I felt seafood would be a good protein to start consuming and I knew I could get some vegetables.  Those delicious cheddar biscuits were no longer so delicious.  I remember being able to eat a whole basket and want more.  Now I didn't even eat a whole biscuit.  The coconut shrimp was probably the food I enjoyed the most.  The salad was also very satisfying.  Typically on a juice fast most people say the crave vegetables more, which I believe is more subconscious than anything else.  I have always enjoyed vegetables for the most part, but would say I enjoy them even more now.  Particular the crisp fresh taste of a slice of cucumber, that really made the salad great for me.

The rest of the weekend I had a few servings of juice per day and enjoyed a few things I could not have throughout the week.  I had a burger and some fries (twice actually) and homemade pizza.  The burgers were really good and I truly enjoyed them, but my appetite had definitely changed in terms of quantity.  I am not just talking about capacity (ie shrinking stomach) but satiety too.  Same goes for the fries, I didn't eat them all, where usually I would usually want a second serving or steal some from someone else.

Overall, I would recommend a juice fast to most people.  It resets the taste buds a bit and helps to re-prioritize food.  Of course, there are the other benefits of juicing, as in the increased amount of nutrients to repair and heal the body.

Cheers!

PS. I lost 5 lbs too, which was a nice benefit.

Day 4 of Juice Fast

Still going strong for my week juice fast.  I wouldn't say that I have any cravings, but I definitely have appreciation for some foods I cannot have.  I know a week is not even that long, but long enough I suppose.  Today I made two juices, one for breakfast and another for the work.

Breakfast: 2 oranges, 1 carrot, big handful spinach
Day Juice: few limes, 4 kale, 8 carrots, 4 handfuls of spinach

I plan to break my fast with a fish dinner with some veggies.  Then go to a more paleo approach.  I will also incorporate a cheat or free day.  Some people really have issues with the cheat since in connotes negative or wrong feelings.  Personally, calling it a cheat day is fine by me.  What that means to me is that 6 days a week I will eat lots of high quality meat, vegetables, fruit and dairy.  One day a week I can indulge in some grains and starches that are high quality as well.  I lean towards organic whenever possible and also try to get as much grass fed/free range meats and dairy too.  If people only knew or were aware, those who are anti red meat are really anti corn fed red meat and don't even know it.

Juice Fast

First day of my juice fast.  Originally I had a progression of goals to do a week, then two weeks and then a month; all with the assumption that the previous time period was without too much complication.  I have ratified those goals to simply do a week reboot.  Maybe I'll change again, but probably not.  At the end of the week I will be switching to a slow-carb/paleo approach.

Likewise I have been experimenting with fiber supplements.  Konsyl powder was the first one I tried.  While I feel it works to a point, I never thought it was great.  The taste is not bad, but I did not enjoy it, this can make it hard to drink.  So now I am trying organic chia seed.  I am not sure if organic matters, but the price was not ridiculous, so good quality is always a good thing.  Chia seed has an oatmeal like flavor and quasi-oatmeal like texture, which I find pleasant.  The end results I find improved over the konsyl as well.

*The juice fast and reboot idea came from the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (available on Netflix streaming).  Not necessarily a revolutionary movie it terms of new knowledge, but definitely a great case study on the benefits of increased consumption of fresh produce.  Also, a very excellent success story towards the end of someone who changed their life due to the movie.

**Slow-carb and paleo come from a variety of sources that I have read and watched; some of these medias include: Tim Ferriss' book the 4 Hour Body, the documentary Fathead, Cross Fit, Mark's Daily Apple and a few others.

Eating in Modern Society

My quest is to tweak my diet as new research is published and greater understanding is known.  Over the years I have tried Atkins, South Beach, Testosterone Advantage, Abs Diet, Belly Off Diet and Biggest Loser.  Some worked, some didn't.  I never truly reached my goal weight or sustained the weight loss.

Now I primarily follow an evolutionary style diet people call: primal, paleo, caveman etc etc.   You can view a basic introduction about that here or just google it and you will find tons of blogs, web sites and youtube videos talking about it.

Below is a brief history of how I came to eat how I do and other various resources that you can research for yourself.

Health & Diet

I watched a few documentaries: Super Size Me; Fat Head; Fat,Sick and Nearly Dead.  Which all opened my eyes to processed foods, junk food and carbohydrates.  Later, I began reading about paleo and watch the documentary Forks Over Knives and read the Engine 2 Diet.  The Engine 2 Diet is based on the documentary and the documentary was based on various studies and The China Study.

It is clear from all of them that the Standard American Diet (SAD) is not right. It is also clear that diet plays a much more important role in health, but also disease prevention and possibly even treatment.

This is my quest on attempting optimal nutrition. For now, I am adopting the paleo diet and seeing how it works.

With living a healthier life, I hope to be able to go on more outdoor adventures and have the strength and stamina to do them.  Then, I will further my public service by becoming a police officer and/or the military.

You can read a little more about paleo here.