Sweet Baby Jesus, THANK YOU!!!

As recently as early May, my weight was still climbing. I peaked at 475. Previously, my peak was 440, back in 2013 / 14, back before I started my first Whole 30. When I was 440, I was freaked out due to being exactly twice the man I was when I got off active duty at 220lbs. Needless to say, I was upset to see I'd recently exceeded that record by 35lbs. I was heavy enough that I could only weigh myself at the Dr's office. Regular scales max out 125lbs below my weight. So, not only am I upset about my record weight, I have to have it witnessed by a Physician's Assistant.

Ugh.

10-ish days ago, I got a new scale - one with a max rating at nearly twice my weight! It was a 'dumb' scale, with no Bluetooth, and no integration with anything. I was pleased that my initial weight on it was roughly 10lbs lower than the Dr's office, but I knew that could merely be a difference in calibration.

So, seeing my weight down AGAIN today? This was a definite victory! This was validation that what I'm doing is WORKING.

Thank goodness. It's just too exhausting to keep trying SO hard & having no results.

Onward!

Marty Kendall’s got it figured

If you haven't heard of Marty, you should check out his site, https://optimisingnutrition.com

He's agnostically looking at nutrition, based on the premise that if we give our bodies the optimal nutrients they need, the cravings will subside.

Interesting thought, and it'd certainly be a HUGE win for me!

He says, "Hunger increases exponentially as more of our energy comes from fat+starch.

(Let that sink in for a moment)

When we look at the foods that have more of their energy from fat+starch we can start to see why this is the case. Regardless of willpower and dedicated weighing and measure these people will likely struggle to maintain a sustained calorie deficit. It's the "comfort foods" like crackers, doughnuts, cookies and lasagna that you will go back to for seconds and not stop until they're all gone.
It's the added fats and flours that have increased the most in parallel
with the growing obesity epidemic.

(I feel like he's speaking directly to me!)

If weight loss is a goal, you should reduce the foods and meals that contain both starch (e.g. wheat flour, corn starch etc) and added fats (e.g. canola, soy oil, rapeseed oil etc) together."

Looking at his data, it's astounding. Where was all this knowledge several decades ago, when I could have turned it around more easily???

Onward...

Nutrient Optimizer

The primary goal of the Nutrient Optimiser algorithm is to
help you get more of the nutrients you need without excess energy.
Various micronutrients interact with each other and compete for
absorption, so balancing these nutrients is also beneficial.
Rather than emphasising nutrients based on your nutrient ratios,
the Nutrient Optimiser uses the nutrient ratios as a safety check
to make sure that you're not being recommended any food that will
push micronutrient imbalances and to maximise the benefit of your diet.


1. Your omega-6:omega-3 ratio is elevated, so you should
consider reducing foods that contain significant amounts
of vegetable oils and prioritise wild-caught seafood.

2. Generally, it's not advisable to supplement with zinc
or copper. But instead you should make sure your diet has
adequate amounts of whole foods that contain these nutrients,
ideally in a reasonable balance. Your body will absorb what
it needs and excrete the rest. Focus on Liver, other organ
meats, and Oysters.


3. The potassium:sodium ratio is possibly the most important
of all the nutrient ratios. If you focus on getting enough potassium,
you likely don't need to worry so much about sodium. There's nothing
wrong with salting your food to taste. But if you are thinking of
supplementing, you most likely need more potassium rather than sodium.
Focus on Avocado, Sweet Potato, and Spinach.


4. Calcium and magnesium also compete with one other and interfere
with the other's functions if they are out of balance. Your ratio is good,
but is due to supplememtaion. Focus on Almonds, Spinach, and Avocado.

5. Higher calcium:phosphorus ratios tend to be associated with
reduced risk of obesity. Supplementing calcium does not appear to be
beneficial. Whole foods are best. Focus on Almonds, Kale, and Broccoli.

While the Nutrient Optimiser will highlight some supplements to help
you meet the Daily Recommended Intake levels for important nutrients,
supplements don't absorb into our system the same way and don't appear in the right ratios and combinations. Whole foods are always going to be optimal.

Ugh

Yup! See it? Friday is stickin' up like a sore thumb, and my #1 biggest carb for the week is directly because of it. I just can't be around pizza. Seriously!

A Winning Weekend

Over the weekend, we had some GREAT food, some skipped meals, and a great deal of food-prep success!

...and one moment where the 'old me' came out & four slices of cold pizza got hoovered, but we won't dwell on that...

A winning Thursday

Came in 105 calories below goal, and only 88 carbs - 35 of which were from vegetables! So, yeah, I'll take that as a win! Steps were only 6200, but that 6k is getting a LOT easier!

Friday is off to a patchy start, but that's a story for another day ...

Onward!

Hump Day

Marines Understand!!!

Yesterday wasn’t my best day, but in the end (with some close examination), it wasn’t a total loss. First, looking at the calorie breakdown - 45% came at dinner. Lesson? Don’t get that damn hungry! Also? A dinner salad with 100 carbs *might* not be the best health choice!!! The silver lining? I was THAT hungry, and I had a damn salad!!! Lastly, a lesson to hold onto as we move forward, FIBER. I’ve been adding 4 tabs at breakfast, and 4 tabs at night. While I’m still under on my daily tracking, the difference in gut health is ASTONISHING. Fiber is the one true superfood, and I need more, and it needs to come from food, not pills. But damn, in the meantime? That shit is working! LITERALLY!!!

Tools for success

It's amazing what a difference in my mental outlook can be achieved by simply having gear that actually WORKS reliably! This isn't fancy bluetooth or App-connected stuff - just some old-school, very affordable gear that simply does it's job with no fuss or fanfare.

Tenacious Tuesday

So, onion rings & a burger on a pretzel roll *may* have not been exactly *on plan* - but - the day as a whole wasn't a total wash. I was only 300 calories over budget, and I only hit 120 net carbs. I've certainly had worse numbers when totally on-plan!

...and that's a good point, right? One off-plan meal doesn't have to knock you totally off track. Enjoy the treat, savor it, and remember that you're never more than one meal away from being back on-plan.

Don't loose your shit. Own it & move on...

We manage what we measure

This old adage keeps popping up in my life, year after year, proving itself to be true, time & time again!

So - I've been 'Drilling Down & Ramping Up' for two weeks - and I feel damn good. Things are shaping up & clicking into place!

Food - I've been focusing on low carb, leaning towards a Paleo 'whole food' approach, trying to break the grip of soda, processed food, and fast-food. I'm pleased, and feeling ready to kick it over to a Low Carb Whole 30.

Health - I've made great progress with daily steps, and minimizing my sciatica pain. I have a new blood pressure monitor and a new scale - each is simple, accurate, and reliable. Neither has Bluetooth or any sort of tracking App (what is this, the 1800's?), but I'm just thrilled to have stuff that WORKS!

Stay tuned as things continue to develop!

So, the Weekend didn’t suck

Now we’re getting there!

So, yeah, Thursday went well!

Wednesday’s Report

Heart Rate & Rhythm: Good!
Daily Steps: Getting There
Food Intake: Good Progress
Sleep Tracking: Need to Start

I'm so pleased that my heart is still in good sync! What a gift!!! I know the Doc wants to check me in for a few days & load me up on a new medication - but managing my health & fitness is still the end-goal. Right now I feel pretty good, and I'm progressing - so I'm pretty happy.

My daily steps are improving. As I near the end of Week Two at the New Job, the daily walk is getting easier. Starting this walk with two weekends of soccer tournament attendance with a wheelchair-bound wife had me feeling bruised, beaten, and needing more than just ibuprofen! I'm reviewing which good shoes help & hurt. The collection needs some heartless curation! In short, the round-trip office-walk seems to be netting me between 6 & 7,000 steps per day, and this is a significant increase for the first time in several years. I figure if I add one daily puppy-walk around the block, I'm good-to-go, and will be in the 10k zone. Trying to progress slow enough to not injure myself, but pushing it enough each day to feel my lungs hitting that 'steel band' that feels like is holding them back. Everyday my lung capacity increases just a bit, and feels like it stretches that band incrementally, allowing more volume. In a few weeks we can talk about adding back Aqua Fit.

My food intake is, as it's always been, my one big, core issue. Low Carb is tough - I am absolutely addicted to highly refined carbs, and my brain's reward circuits NEVER forget, and they NEVER relent. I feel like a guerrilla fighter, trying to outsmart & outmaneuver my own brain. It's exhausting. However, I keep trying to remember how great I felt in 2015 / 2016, and I keep reassuring myself that it'll feel SO awesome to get back there.

My sleep progress? Blackout curtains are a marvel. White noise is a joy. I need to find ways to make these more permanent! My overall hours are too low, and I end up falling asleep on the train, both morning & night. This is Not Good! I need a better bedtime, and I need to figure out how to reduce (or mitigate) evening blue light from the TV & various screens. My nightly Natural Calm (magnesium citrate) is good, and I want to back off my nightly 5mg of Melatonin.

Anyway ... that's it for now. Progress, not perfection! ;-)

Tenacious Tuesday

A case of the Mondays?

Considering it was a Monday, with no food prep, no grocery shopping, and nearly overwhelming exhaustion (after a 'force-march' of a weekend), things went surprisingly well. Breakfast was on-track, lunch was a good salad (gotta stop the San Pelligrino), and my afternoon was busy enough to keep me away from the vending machines. An unpictured after-school-snack of two polish sausages was totally on-plan, and having dinner delivered from Outback was an on-plan treat! Late evening TV snack was a handful of grapes, and my only real slip-up was one sourdough roll while cleaning up dinner. I'm fighting through the battle of having off-plan food in the house (kids, wife, and life), but it's still too easy to tempt me to the dark side when it's left out on the counters. I'll see it & think about it half a dozen times, but I have to realize that at the end of the night I have 'decision fatigue' (no gas left in the willpower tank). I need to be more proactive about putting that shit away & out of sight as soon as I see it, to help out my future self a few hours (or even minutes) down the road.

Onward!

Notes on The Weekend

The weekend did not go very well. The Kiddos had Soccer Tournament stuff. ALL. DAMN. WEEKEND.

The Data

Yesterday's Macros clearly show too many carbs, but also too high on protein. Gotta swing that see-saw from protein over to fat ...

Notes on yesterday

According to MyFitnessPal, yesterday's intake was only 163 calories over - but I hit 139 carbs! My personal analysis is that I did GREAT through lunch, to the point of under-eating and going a bit sideways. My snack of San Pelligrino & two RxBars was 'clean', but came in at 81 carbs! That was ridiculous. The 23 carbs for my lunch salad I'll totally take - those are 'real food', nothing made in a factory. McDonald's bunless burger w/ no catsup is a good 'on-the-go' option, but maybe 3 of them was a bit of overkill because I was getting hangry. Eating a piece of Lou's Sausage Crust pizza later - only 2 carbs - was still just a symptom of getting too hungry in the afternoon. I think I need to plan a '4th Meal' (to use a Taco Bell marketing term) around 3 or 4pm, allowing me to stay 'on the rails' and have a sensible dinner. Not to get crazy or overcomplicated, but it'd be good to keep my 'feeding window' at 10 hours, or under. Good news? I'm loving the Dunkin Sausage Bowl breakfast, and I found a GREAT salad place for lunch. These are big wins, and worth celebrating!

Progress, and redux

So, the good news is that Dunkin has a new Sausage Scramble bowl with just 11 carbs! Bad news? I'd already had a Starbucks sausage, egg, & cheddar at 34 carbs. Good news? I previously thought those were 90 carbs! Brisket with vinegar sauce, pickles, and roasted brussels sprouts for lunch. One bag of peanuts (not pictured), and later a snack of Epic brand jerky & pork rinds. Dinner was a Taco Bell taco salad, with no crunchy shell or strips. 44 carbs. Total for the day? 98 carbs. That's not exactly low-carb, but with a few less than optimal choices, it ain't half bad, either. Tomorrow beckons!