Hot Diggity's Primal Journey

Discussion in 'Survival of the Fittest' started by hot diggity, Sep 26, 2015.


  1. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    I'll start this thread today as a journal for myself as much as a place to share my experiences.

    A little history might be a good place to start.

    I've been maintaining my weight on a somewhat Primal diet for more than a decade as a way to avoid the the discomfort of hypoglycemia. From a peak of 235, and fast food meals large enough to feed a family, I tried Atkins first and dropped to the mid 170 pound range before I started easing carbs back into my diet. I even wrote a diet plan called The Old Fat Guy's Diet. I learned how to eat fast food and maintain my weight. (no bread, no dressing, no sugar) This kept me around 200

    This summer I tightened up on my carb intake, and had dropped to 188 when I started the second big change, which was simply cutting my very boring and consistent fast food diet by 50%. Even at home I cut down to half servings, and saved the left-overs for the next meal. This got me to 178 in about two weeks. No exercise, other than some stairs.

    I can't officially start my Primal Journey until I have the book in hand, but I am off to a good start, having dug up Meblo's original post on his 90 day Primal Journey to health. I started with more stairs, sit-ups, leg lifts, push-ups and pull-ups. All pretty standard stuff for an old retired Marine.
    Old. That was what I felt like when I started. Took me a couple days to realize that there was no shame in getting a boost up on the last few pull-ups from a stool, or doing lots of push-ups with one knee touching the deck. I'm not leading a platoon of Marines, and there's no good reason why I should hurt myself trying to do too much too fast.

    So lots of reps of many different exercises, all using my own weight, including the dreaded planks.
    About a week in now, haven't even done my first round of sprints, and I already see the difference in the mirror. I'm not sucking in my gut, what's left of it, it's just tightened up. That is motivating.

    Book is on order. I will continue to read the journeys of others here, and keep working on my diet.

    I am happy.

    HD
     
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  2. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Congratulations @hot diggity. You sound like you are moving in the right direction and have the proper mindset. I think success will be yours.
     
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  3. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Another way to get off the fast foods, that worked for me, is to prep good meals in advance. It is a lot easier the night before to have the food cooked & containerized so you can just grab it and go in the AM. There are a lot of great cookbooks for the Primal/Paleo lifestyle.... make sure to add some of them to your reading materials. :)

    I leave the house early everyday and do not have the time to sit around having breakfast or making my lunch. So I was always susceptible to eating FF on the run, for breakfast & lunch, which are my two major points of the day that I always ate bad. Dinner around here has always been of the Paleo variety, with the exception of potatoes which I loved to have often (I do miss my potatoes). Once I started pre-planning meals, I was able to shed weight quite easily with little effort per se. I also changed my office snacks to almonds, jerky and fruits....vs the normal office crap that floats around. At my office they like to have donuts & cake often available for everyone....now days I just walk on by.

    Good luck on your Primal journey, I look forward to hearing how it goes!!

    P.S. I have to go cook two lbs. of bacon now..... pre-planning at it's best. :D
     
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  4. UncleMorgan

    UncleMorgan I like peeling bananas and (occasionally) people.

    Way to go, hot!

    It's important to have a plan, and to follow it as closely as possible.

    Few people realize that lack of exercise is not the cause of America's obesity epidemic. The cause is overeating--and to a lesser extent, eating the wrong foods. Exercise has nothing to do with it.

    Stop eating entirely, and you will endure a personal famine. Before you starve to death, you will become very slim.

    I don't recommend the Voluntary Famine Diet because it has serious health consequences, such as loss of critical heart muscle. And brain tissue. A starving body tries to eat itself.

    But the principle is sound: eat less, and eat better, and the weight will come off.

    And don't over-exercise as a compensation for continued over-eating. That's just wrong. And impossibly inefficient.

    I have read about guys that bicycled themselves to death at the age of 40 trying to lose weight. Herxhiemer's Disease: kidney failure from the accumulation too many dead cell debris. When you exercise, you kill muscle cells. When you overexercise, they kill you right back.

    Always listen to your body when you exercise. Don't use other peoples standards: use your own.
    It's not how many push-ups you can do, it's how many you can do (and how you can do them) without harming your body.
     
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  5. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Good show HD!

    I never went full primal but after reading the Melbo chronicals, ditched the Wheat Thins, rice, potatoes. Kept the morning oatmeal.
    Even with that I managed to drop from 184 to 172 in the space of four to six weeks or so. That was awhile back and managed to maintain 168-172 until recently, when some surgery put the brakes on physical activity. Don't know what I weigh at present, but if it's more, it isn't much more. I can probably resume my walks this coming week.

    After blood tests this summer, my doctor pulled 2 blood pressure meds and my cholesterol med. Down to one blood pressure med and that's it.

    In the mornings I had been doing 50 situps, followed by 50 pushups, followed by a 2 mile walk, 5 days a week. Once healed, I plan to be back at it. If I can do it at age 61, almost anyone should be able unless they maybe they have injuries, arthritis, or neurological problems.
     
  6. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    I made a couple discoveries today. First was a diagnosis of an odd feeling I hadn't felt in years. I had missed running up and down the stairs for two days in a row and found I was in a mild funk because of it. Same feeling I used to get when I was running 5-6 miles three times a week. I didn't feel right if I broke the routine.

    Second and more important discovery was that I can make a better breakfast burrito than McDonald's or Sonic, for a lot less money, and in very little time in the evening. That's saying a lot for a guy who would likely have starved to death if it hadn't been for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I'm eating the same small meals six times a day, but have now started eating more meat, eggs and cheese, along with some almonds as snacks. Using low carb. tortillas, and when I do use butter, it's yogurt butter. The bag of almonds says it's 8 servings, but the portions I allow myself should work out to 16-20 servings.

    I've also been looking at ways to stay on the diet while I can't get anything but what's at Walmart. I found the almonds, ready to eat hard boiled eggs and bananas could make a decent meal in a pinch. I have traveled cross country on the fast food and Walmart deli diet for years. It can be done with reasonably low carbs, if that's all you can get.

    I'm looking forward to running those stairs tonight, and even to my plank routine. I've got a 25 year old son who is a total gym rat, so he is giving me advice on how to make everything more challenging if it starts to get too easy. I may be giving him a run for his money in some areas soon, but I'll never try to lift the sort of weight he does at the gym. Too old and smart for that, and I've got nothing to prove to anybody. This is all about me.

    HD
     
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  7. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    Now I'm realizing the need for my own mini fridge at work. If I have my own healthy snacks I'll never be tempted by anything else.

    Today I watched a guy at work pouring sugar in his coffee. I mentioned that it'd make him fat...too late! I recommended he try eating less. He tells me he barely eats anything now. "For breakfast I have a power bar, and a big (sugary) coffee, at lunch I have some nabs and a honey bun, then a couple energy drinks in the afternoon and a slice of pizza for dinner."

    In one sentence he unraveled a mystery that has been bothering me for a few years. Now I understand why I have attended so many funerals of folks who are younger than I am.

    I'll try to help this guy, but he's got a long way to go from where he's starting.

    Life is good.

    HD
     
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  8. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    I got The Primal Blueprint yesterday afternoon and have had some big smiles reading it. Many of the things Mark talks about I have already seen, so reading why they have happened was profound.

    Today was another morning when I noticed things about my body that I hadn't been paying attention to. Shaving is different. There's a distinct jaw bone there, and I have to shave around it, rather than just dragging the razor along. I had noticed different smile lines for the past few days, but this was the first time I'd noticed more angular facial features while shaving.

    I also noticed that I'm not sore. Although I'm still doing the pull-ups (on everything that will support my weight) push-ups and planks, and even with the added squats, I'm not sore on my sides, or abs. My old Marine Corps brain is telling me it's because I'm not doing enough, but I know I'm actually doing more. Movement is easier. Getting down on the floor and getting up again is effortless. It's all beginning to click.

    I'm reading, and thinking about highlighting those lines that have made me smile and chuckle. It's definitely an interesting read.

    HD
     
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  9. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    I broke out the leather punch and made a new hole in my belt this morning. The end of the belt is now way over in the 3 O'clock position on my left hip and I've considered cutting it off a bit.

    After reading about carbs and relationship to insulin production, I have a better understanding of my terrible highs and lows, and why I have been happy on a low carb diet for so many years. I was a little slow getting out of the house this morning, so I had to get breakfast on the way to work. What would have been a breakfast burrito last week was eggs and sausage this week. I am learning.

    This is my first full week without Celebrex, after going every other day for two weeks. I seem to have a little discomfort in one hip, but it feels like a good soreness from doing squats properly, rather than a real ache.

    Life is good.

    HD
     
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  10. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    Second week off the Celebrex and I am finding that most of my hip pain is from doing repeated movements that cause great strain on the joint. (lifting 35" truck tires with the right knee, just for one.) I think if I try to avoid those stresses, I will be completely pain free.

    177.4 pounds this morning, and I've seen the biggest changes in my shoulders and legs. Holy Cow! Whose legs are those!! I have gotten so lean that I barely recognize my own body. My thighs don't even touch any more. If that wasn't motivation enough, my wife is enjoying these changes too. ;-)

    Now if we can just stay above water, we'll be doing great.

    HD
     
  11. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    I don't want you good folks to think I'm not paying attention to the likes of my fellow Primal travelers. I really appreciate the support, and hope I can inspire others to stick with the Primal Blueprint, as you have inspired me.

    I have very little time to spend online lately, so forgive me if I am not able to read and like each of your posts.

    I will try to do better, and will likely gain much from doing so. Don't know if I can top ditch witch, with three likes in a minute. :)

    HD
     
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  12. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    lol I don't think it's a "like" competition. Besides, I missed 3 days of your posts so that's where I was coming from. ;)
     
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  13. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    Somebody had mentioned bursitis in the hips, I'm thinking it was ditch witch, but I was reading quite a bit last night.

    I was wondering if continued reasonable exercise finally brought any relief to the problem. I am still battling this without pain meds.

    It's certainly a repetitive motion injury. Trouble is that it's so awkward to do with the opposite leg that I'm having to relearn 35 years of muscle memory. Tires aren't getting any smaller, so lifting heavy things is certainly something that I'm getting plenty of.

    I was surprised to find that doing the lift with the opposite leg actually seems to help more with the pain than doing nothing. That leads me to believe that spending my lunch walking up and down the stairs may be a good idea. I'd forgotten that it's been three days since I have climbed stairs.

    HD
     
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  14. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    It was me and it's never healed up. The drs are at odds as to what it actually is, bursitis or arthritis. Either way it's apparently not going away. Some days are better than others. Standard pain meds didn't even put a dent in it so I quit taking them. I've learned not to sleep on my side. One pain clinic put me on a short run of methylprednisolone as a last shot before trying cortisone shots, and it made a HUGE difference, but after a few months the pain came back. And then I messed up my patellar tendon in the knee on that leg and got 6 months of rehab for that. Stairs are taken a step at a time right now, keeping that knee from flexing a lot. I had to quit MMA. I can take a lot of pain but I was winding up chewing my lip off halfway through class to keep from screaming.

    A beek I know swears by apitherapy, so I'm about to start sticking my hip with a bee and see if that helps. Can't hurt as much as it does now.
     
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  15. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    Bees? I was thinking maybe fire cupping. I'll continue my stairs routine and lay off the squats, since they seem to coincide with the start of this pain.

    For now I can live with the pain, but always in the back of my mine is this memory of a priest praying over me in the hospital in 2001 when I figured I could just "tough it out" through a little abdominal pain. If we hadn't been slow at work I would have gone home and died in my sleep, since the pain had vanished after the appendix ruptured.

    HD
     
  16. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    Apparently bee venom has a very desirable effect on arthritis and bursitis. He called it Peas 'n Bees. Put a bag of frozen peas on your hip until it's numb. Then put your bees in a Mason jar and into the fridge just enough to cool 'em down and make them sluggish. Grab one, and tap the stinger on your hip just enough to release venom but not enough to stick in the skin, and do that a few times around the general area.
     
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  17. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    I'll keep the bees in mind, but the frozen peas is pure genius! I had an old country doctor who could ice my elbow using an ice cube, but when I tried it on someone else it was a fumble-fest, with ice all over the floor.

    Thanks for the tip!

    HD
     
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  18. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    177.0 pounds this morning. It's been a long time, but that's 58 pounds from where I started twelve or so years ago, and 33 pounds lighter than what I had considered my "normal" weight. Only down side is that I can't shove things around like I used to. There's just not that much of me left to shove with. :)

    Running the stairs definitely helps with the hip pain, and I am making a habit of going up and down the stairs a couple more times a day, just to keep me going. It looks a little silly, since the sixteen steep industrial stairs just go up to a small landing with junk stored on it, but it's the only stairs I have available. I'm a happy flat-lander.

    HD
     
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  19. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Great inspirational thread @hot diggity. I applaud your success & can do attitude.
     
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  20. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    I get a lot of motivation from sharing my success. Everything is really starting to click for me, and my diet is becoming contagious at work now that the changes in my body are really obvious.

    I did my planks, pull-ups and push-ups last night, and find I'm still working through a lot of old injuries, so there are some exercises that I have to just do as many as I can correctly and then move on to something else. That something else last night was completely Marine Corps inspired. Laying there on my back after my set of planks I felt that my abs could use a more well rounded workout, so I did 20 each of Flutter Kicks and Hello Dollies. Even as an old Marine I could wear out youngsters with endless leg lifts and related exercises. I did these as four-count exercises, and felt that 20 was probably more than enough. Not feeling any strain at all today.

    I have noticed one really odd effect of the weight loss and tightening of core muscles. Looking in the mirror at my back I was surprised to see what looks like a series of large chevrons, or arrows running all the way up my spine. What in the world is this all about? Is this muscle pulling the slack out of my skin?

    I need to go shopping for running shoes that can have a prescription build-up added to one sole...or find 50 yards of grassy, gently sloped road shoulder to compensate for the leg length disparity. I haven't walked barefoot...or shirtless on the beach in years, so I have to see how it feels to run in sand again. :)

    The sun is out today, and life is very good.
    .
     
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