A few readers and Instagram friends have expressed interest in what I'm doing, as well as what I'm eating, so in this article I'm giving a quick rundown of what has happened with me since January 1st 2021.
Old 3X shirt vs the XL I can now fit into
To date, I have lost 36 pounds and have dropped two pant sizes. I am now wearing a size XL shirt when not too long ago I had to wear a 3X. I'm at the point now where my clothes are making me look heavier than I am. Fitting into shirts and pants I've not worn for close to ten years, has been very motivating, and I'm still not close to being finished.
Why the Change?
Basically, quality of life was what originally set me on this path. A year ago, inflammation in my joints led to an injury on a knee that had been operated on a long time ago. In the end, I was laid up for two weeks. I learned that enough weight loss could help with my knee problem.. You see, every pound of weight lost, equates to roughly four pounds of pressure relieved from the knee joint. Losing two weeks out of my life being hobbled, not to mention the immense pain, was enough to get me to start making changes.
A ticking time bomb
After losing 20 pounds, pressure from my knee was definitely relieved, but I felt no better physically in any other way. I couldn't sleep well, my blood pressure was high, and my weight loss stalled. I learned I had 'Metabolic Syndrome' or.. Insulin Resistance, which made me super high risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, dementia, and heart disease. My body was basically a fat storing machine, making it very hard to lose weight. I knew I had to do more than eat less and move around more.
After losing 20 pounds, pressure from my knee was definitely relieved, but I felt no better physically in any other way. I couldn't sleep well, my blood pressure was high, and my weight loss stalled. I learned I had 'Metabolic Syndrome' or.. Insulin Resistance, which made me super high risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, dementia, and heart disease. My body was basically a fat storing machine, making it very hard to lose weight. I knew I had to do more than eat less and move around more.
I THOUGHT I was eating healthy
Over the years, physicians always told me to lose weight and get more active, but what did that even mean? I cut calories, became more active, would have one cheat day a week, and the scale definitely moved. However, my blood pressure was still dangerously high. How could that be? Basically, I was eating too many carbs and too much processed food.
Basically, I learned that processed packaged food usually contains lots of salt, inflammatory oils, and high fructose corn syrup. Not to mention coloring, dyes, fillers, chemicals and lots of ingredients that aren't even food. Many of these ingredients are even outlawed in other countries.
Once I really started doing research and taking the time to study exactly what I was putting into my body, I was shocked, disgusted and felt ashamed that I had been doing it for so long. I began to understand that the 'Standard American Diet' or SAD Diet as its often referred to, was responsible for most of societies health problems. It sure had me heading toward an early grave.
A shift in thinking
About 3/4 of the way through 2021, I decided it was no longer about weight loss for me, but simply my health. I wanted to adopt a permanent lifestyle change that was sustainable, so I could improve my overall health and reverse existing risks. I am real data driven, so I started doing research and reading anything I could on how to reverse metabolic syndrome. As I learned for the first time how the human body really functioned, it became crystal clear how I was sabotaging, no.. slowly killing myself.
About 3/4 of the way through 2021, I decided it was no longer about weight loss for me, but simply my health. I wanted to adopt a permanent lifestyle change that was sustainable, so I could improve my overall health and reverse existing risks. I am real data driven, so I started doing research and reading anything I could on how to reverse metabolic syndrome. As I learned for the first time how the human body really functioned, it became crystal clear how I was sabotaging, no.. slowly killing myself.
Long story short, even after losing 20 pounds, I was still eating way too many foods with added sugar, salt, refined grains, and inflammatory oils. The massive amounts of processed and fast food that I was regularly eating, included all of these ingredients and more that were slowly damaging my body.
The book that changed my life..
I originally bought this book, because I heard it had great tips on how to drop your blood pressure with diet. Once I started reading the book, everything I thought I knew about diet and metabolism was blown out of the water! Once I understood how my body worked, and how something as simple as cooking with vegetable oil or eating boxed crackers was destroying my health, I changed my eating habits and haven't looked back. Because of this book, my blood pressure and weight are steadily dropping, and I'm reversing damage I've done to my body from years of eating unhealthy.
Now mostly plant based.. but not for the reasons you may think.
I'm currently about 80% plant based in regards to what I eat. I had ZERO intentions of doing this when I first started eating healthier. I initially cut down on meat, so I would have to eat more fruit and vegetables. Once I started eating more plant based, I kept feeling better, the weight loss picked up once again, and after a couple of weeks I realized I didn't miss meat at all. I inadvertently fell into the habit of not eating meat. I must stress I'm not a vegan or vegetarian however, and if I do eat meat, it's very much a garnish rather than the main course of my meal.
For years, I ate eat tons of chicken and turkey because I believed it was healthier than eating red meat. Unbeknownst to me, with my specific health conditions it was not. Processing plants inject chicken with sodium, which increases its water retention and weight by 25%, which in turn equates to more money per pound. Eating poultry most nights of the week was actually contributing to my high blood pressure. I credit the drastic reduction in poultry consumption with helping my blood pressure normalize.
What didn't work for me..
- DIETS
I hate the concept of going on a 'diet', and it's not because the first three letters of the word spell DIE. I always went on diets with the goal of getting off of them at some point. I believe that anything too extreme is not always a good thing, especially with ones diet. You should never feel starved, hungry, or sick because of a diet. If you are, then you are doing it wrong. - CHEAT DAYS
Cheat days derailed my weight loss plans for years. It was one of the many reasons I never got lasting results. I can personally attest that a cheat day can easily turn into a 'cheat weekend' or 'cheat week' while on vacation. - EATING SIX MEALS A DAY
I don't know who came up with this one. Maybe it works for athletes and body builders, but for someone who is unhealthy and overweight, it's a God awful thing to do. Every time you eat, your insulin rises. If you eat every two hours, your insulin levels will never drop, which will put you on the fast track for diabetes.
What is working for me..
- Not eating after 6:00 p.m.
- Intermittent fasting from 6pm to noon or 1:00pm the next day
- No junk food, fast food, soda, juice, high fructose corn syrup, vegetable oils
- Plenty of fiber from all natural sources
- Sleep schedule
- Minimum of 10,000 steps a day
- No alcohol (for the time being)
- Keeping no junk food in the house
So that's it in a nutshell. It took a lot of trial and error to formulate a plan that works for me personally. I'm sure I will be tweaking it even more as my body changes, and I learn more about health during this journey. The hardest part lately, was figuring out exactly what I could eat without feeling like I was depriving myself. Fortunately I am by no means a picky eater. I love fruit and vegetables, and have an open mind when it comes to food, so the transition hasn't been too bad.
I could write about food for hours (and probably will very soon). The next article I write, will discuss some of the things I now eat in regards to meals and snacks. Hopefully it will give you some ideas if you too are seeking to start eating healthier and have no clue where to start.