Holy cats it seems like I’ve been gone from here for forever!
I had my website hardened to keep all of us safe from the bad guys on the web (Danny Dawes at SiteLock rocks!) and when I resumed writing it just wasn’t coming together nicely. Or at all, for that matter. I finally slowed down enough to hear the Muse whispering in my ear; she said I was screwing it up and to start over.
Back in August, after a disastrous expedition into Vegan-ism (I know, I know, there are people who do fine with a Vegan diet…..we are not those people), my son William and his wife Kate began buying real meats, veggies, fruits and fats (as opposed to “un-real” ie; cheezwhiz) and whipping them into some very tasty meals. Grains, dairy and alcohol were generally avoided and of course this was coupled with a cardio & strength exercise program. What has been the result of William and Kate’s adventure with what is commonly called The Paleo Diet?
Kate:
Down approx 20 lbs
17% from 55% body fat
Lost 5-6 inches on waist
Stronger
PRT (military fitness) scores significantly improved
William:
Down approx 30 lbs
17% from 56% body fat
Lost 6-8 inches on waist
Shirt size went from XXL to L.
Stronger
Significant muscle definition
Endurance has improved for both resulting in each of us running three half-marathons last year and William running at least one road race every month in 2012. We sleep better and have more energy for our dogs Chewy and Crown, our friends and each other. We are more aware of where our food comes from and what we are eating.
And what is happening to cholesterol and triglycerides on this eating plan, you ask? Well, dear reader, here are Kate’s lipids; William’s to follow when they are drawn next week.
Cholesterol: 257 (target 199), Triglycerides: 54 (<149), HDL: 86 (40-60), LDL: 160 (target 125), CRP: <0.1 (<1.0), Ratio 3:1 (<5:1). This was Kate’s first lipid panel so there are no numbers to compare. Insert sad face here.
William and Kate introduced Sarah and Jared to Paleo and we all started trading recipes. Rebecca often spends a couple of days with me each week so she was able to sample them and we would make extra to send home with her. I have a couple of favorite websites now; PaleOMG (I pre-ordered her cookbook), and for the science part of this plus more culinary delights; Loren Cordain, PhD and Robb Wolf. Yes, there are even more but I am just getting started so will add to this list as I test drive them. Cooking is fun again!
Society has been on the low fat/no fat band wagon for quite a few years now and the “obesity epidemic” is worse than ever. The cereal aisle is bigger than the produce section in some stores and there are more drugs on the market for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol than there were a few years ago. Plus all these 5 hour energy/monster/high octane drinks so we can say awake to function….really, people?
Somethin’ just ain’t right here.
Rebecca and I are doing decently with exercise. However, I could stand to lose ten pounds and my lunch-lady arms (no offense to lunch ladies but I do not want to channel Mrs. Hofstedder from the third grade) and I would like to finish my eighteen hour days in a less ragged fashion. Rebecca needs to lose some weight, too, and an energy boost for her would be bonus. More about that in the next installment.
Therefore….the Wholam Paleo Diet Clinical Trial with an “n of 2″ commences! We have nothing to lose but weight, inches and fatigue!
