Organic & Thrifty

My original inspiration for becoming Organic & Thrifty was and remains my husband (he especially appreciates the thrifty part). The health issues that he encountered about 7 years ago set me on the journey to health and nutrition that led me to where I am today.  The past several years he hasn’t always bought in hook, line, and sinker to everything, but I remained steadfast in my convictions and always had a healthy meal for him to eat at home. 

I was listening to a caller on Dr. Laura today who was trying to figure out how to get her husband to lose weight. Dr. Laura said in no uncertain terms do not tell him he needs to lose weight. You have all the power. Cook nutritious meals, get the junk out of the house, and make time to allow him to exercise in ways that he wants to that are enjoyable for him.

I thought to myself “Yep. That’s it”. Dr. Laura gave some sort of conventional wisdom advice about lots of veggies and low calories, which isn’t exactly what I believe is most effective, but whatever.  The spirit of the advice was right on.  It’s a start anyway. 

Well, here it is, in my beloved’s own words, an update on how his health and weight loss journey has gone. I wanted to share it with my readers to inspire them that change is possible, and while it may take a lot of time, it can happen with patience and perseverence:

This summer has proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that getting back into the Primal Lifestyle was long overdue. Here is my three month progress report, with a few observations at this landmark juncture:

June 1st: 208 lbs
July 1st: 199 lbs
August 1st: 193 lbs
September 1st: 183 lbs

Observations:

Bottom line: 25 pounds of almost pure BF loss in three months. No radical swings either; just a steady 2lbs/wk transition from glucose to ketones as the body’s primary energy source. I’ve lost about 6 inches off my waist and can wear clothes I haven’t been able to wear for years. (I still have about 10-15 lbs of excess BF to go).

The benefits of eating Real Food are numerous and greatly empowering. For example, it is liberating to reject the stupidity of conventional wisdom and just eat what makes sense. Most of what is peddled about food/nutrition these days is recycled PR from AgriBiz & Big Pharma and just simply not true. In many cases this advice is criminally & intentionally false (e.g. “whole grains & vegetable oils are healthy, saturated fat causes heart disease, you need 10+ servings of carbs per day, etc, etc”). Why do we assume that what Big Business & Big Government say is in our best interest? You wouldn’t get into a space craft designed by chefs and built in a kitchen, so why do you eat food designed by scientists and created in labs?

I only exercise 4 hours per week, total. Goodbye, 2 hour-long jogs on the treadmill. Seriously, if you use your body the way God made it, you don’t need to torture it to get results. My basic routine is 5x45min sessions/wk — HIIT 2-3/wk @ 5-8x of 15-45-sec intervals + power walking and some very minimal light jogging). Oh, and I haven’t even started weight lifting yet which means I haven’t even gotten started in seeing really stunning results. Once I add a primal weight training regiment to the repertoire, I should see further gains in muscle mass & definition, endurance, and further fat loss. And only with 20-30mins per session, max.

I usually only eat 2-3 times per day and am never hungry. Seriously, no cravings. And no calorie counting or deprivation. I eat primal when I’m hungry and move on. If I miss a meal/want to fast, no problem as I have no drop in energy or mental acuity. Ridiculously simple. And it makes total sense from an evolutionary and spiritual perspective.

My energy levels are significantly improved. I can wrestle and run with the kids and not get winded after 5 minutes like I used to earlier this year. I can come home from sprint intervals and still clean up the house. I can stay up late and not be fatigued the next morning. Best of all, I’m coming back from the brink of what was almost a major adrenal collapse.

Some habits die hard: I’m still trying to kick the coffee addiction. Still not sleeping as much or as well as I need to. Lunches are still a little less than ideal at times. I still need to add weight lifting. My flexibility isn’t where I need it to be. All good goals to work on!

Conclusion: I promised myself that, this time around, I wasn’t looking back. So far, so good!