Written by: Dan
I wanted to take a moment to share my story and the transformation I have undergone in the last 5 months. A transformation that is truly changed my life.
Prior to going paleo I had tried just about every fad diet and exercise program known to man. I had tried many of the magic pill fat loss supplements. Problem was, I would see results for a few weeks, plateau then fall off the wagon and gain more weight than I started with. After graduating high school (weighed 215 pounds) I went on to 6 years of college where I received my doctorate in pharmacotherapy and followed that up with a year of residency. Sadly these years did not lend themselves to eating well or getting an appropriate amount of exercise. As with most college students, the temptation to eat bad/fast and drink copious amounts of beer were around every turn and sadly I cracked to the pressure frequently. The freshman 15 came and went quickly and turning into the freshmen 30, then 50, then by the time I knew it I was up about 90 pounds from my high school weight. After college my residency did me no favors either. 70-80 hour weeks once again left me with comfort foods and fast food at the ready. My weight further ballooned and I quickly found myself a whopping 100 pounds more than my high school weight (2011 weight- 320 pounds, BMI 37%). I was addicted to fast food. Lots of fast food. At least 3x a week on average. Looking back at those habits now I don’t know how I haven’t died from the destruction I put my body through. In 2012, I was able to add more exercise in and was able to lose about 20 pounds, but again plateaued at 300 pounds. I was stuck, my triglycerides were over 300 and my HbA1C was creeping into the low 6’s. As a healthcare professional I knew how troubling these numbers really were, but never had the will power to stick with a diet that took out all of the foods that I was addicted too and that were slowly killing me.
Beginning in March of this year my wife spoke with me about trying a new eating lifestyle she heard about from a friend, it was called paleo. My wife is in incredible shape fitness-wise and is actually training for a marathon, but was looking for a cleaner way of eating to improve our health together. From my previous failures with diets I was skeptical about starting a new one, but I said I think we should give it a try anyway. We started as hardcore as possible, doing the 30 day challenge to cleanse our bodies and our bad eating habits. I saw pretty good weight loss results in the first 30 days. I was feeling better, less aches and pains after working out and for the first time in about 10 years went 30 days without fast food. My wife and I just kept going. I was dropping weight and body fat like crazy. We rewarded ourselves with 1 or 2 cheat meals a month after the first 30 days and began to even question the need for cheat meals at all (we tend to feel terrible after them). The beginning of August marked 5 months with a paleo lifestyle. I am proud to say that I am now down 70 pounds in that 5 month period and only about 10 pounds from my weight in high school. I will say that again, SEVENTY pounds in FIVE months from simply eating paleo. My exercise habits have only seen a few added workouts. I still can’t believe the difference a paleo lifestyle has made in my life. My BMI is now down to 26%. None of my clothes fit any longer (March was XXL, August I am medium to large size). I feel great and am hopeful that my next round of labs will show that a paleo lifestyle truly is the key to health. I still have goals to meet and I know the paleo lifestyle will not only allow me to meet them, but blow them out of the water. At this point in my life I plan on continuing the paleo lifestyle for the rest of my life. I’ve added high intensity strength training and am now working on building my body appropriately now that I am fueling it the right way. I am eager to find ways to help others see the light and conform their eating habits to that of a primal one. The paleo lifestyle has saved my life.
The Stats
Age: 28
High Mark Weight: 320lb (2011)
2012 A1c: 6.2%, Triglycerides: 300, HDL: 28, LDL: 108 EEEK!
Start of Primal Lifestyle Weight: 297lb BMI 35% (Feb 23rd, 2013)
Current Weight: 225lb; BMI 26%(Aug 5th)
Follow up labs: to be drawn soon!
via Get Fit Bookmark http://ift.tt/JppItG
via Tumblr http://stacylen213.tumblr.com/post/71636458583
No comments:
Post a Comment