How I Manage My Weight Without Working Out
Day 35 - March 18, 2018
There are a lot of trendy diets that lure people into eating one way of another in hopes of losing weight fast, and then there are diets that also teach you how to change the way you eat so you don't gain the weight that you lose. I've been eating paleo since 1999, since before it was considered a trendy diet, and I couldn't be happier with the way I feel and look.
I'm talking about this today because there are a lot of guys in the LGBT community that are unhappy with the way they look and there's a lot of body shaming. We wouldn't need the #ThirstTrapChallenge if it weren't for the unhappiness and body shaming. At the same time there's an entire Bear Community who is happy with what they look like.
I chose to switch to the paleo diet because I was gaining weight and I was afraid of the health problems that I saw in my older family as a result of being overweight their entire lives.
What is the paleo diet? It's based on the idea that humans are not supposed to eat processed food that we can't find in nature. The basic concept is that you should not eat anything if it will make you sick when eaten raw, and in large quantities. Sick, as in a tummy ache.
Opponents of the paleo diet will tell you that this way of eating is screwed up because humans have continued to evolve and over the last 100,000 years our bodies have changed enough to digest the processed foods. That's a valid point. Opponents also claim that the paleo diet causes Vitamin D deficiency. They might be right about this one because I am Vitamin D deficient and take those supplements daily. They also argue that there is no scientific study to prove the validity of the paleo lifestyle. But that's only because no one wants to bother commissioning one.
Therefore, I'm presenting myself as a one-off subject that's been paleo for 19 years.
First off, my life insurance company does a more in depth health study of me than my doctor does. For many years they have told me that I always come back with a health rating of someone at least 10 years younger, and they ask why.
Second, I have not been able to maintain a real workout schedule in about 10 years. I don't have a hyper metabolism that helps keep my weight off, I just eat whatever I want that's on the paleo menu.
Third, I have learned that it's better for me to eat large meals in the morning and smaller meals in the afternoon or evening. I've also learned how to count calories as well as discover which foods are more filling and have fewer calories. A full plate of food that knocks me into a food coma might only be 1000 calories. Eating that earlier in the day will sustain me for most of the day (assuming I can make it through the food coma).
Eating normal size portions of paleo doesn't leave me feeling sluggish or result in a sugar crash an hour later like many other foods will. Ever eat ice cream and then feel tired within an hour? That's the sugar crash I'm talking about.
One of the claims of the paleo diet is that you can eat as much as you want without gaining weight. Paleo foods are not supposed to trigger fat cell production. I was never an over-eater, but I did feel this was mostly true. Although, over the years I noticed that there were times when I would suddenly gain 5 to 7 pounds of weight and then struggle to shed it again. On a small frame like mine that 5 to 7 pounds is easily noticeable.
DNA analysis is another trendy thing to do now. Want to know your true genetic lineage, get a test and find out. There's a bit of controversy over privacy and DNA testing, but there's also some pretty cool health reasons to know your origins, and it has to do with why you might also gain 5 to 7 pounds even though you might be eating healthy.
About 3 years ago I learned of another new food study of "reactive foods." This study looked at many common foods and if they triggered water retention (aka bloating), or fat cell production. What it discovered was that not everyone reacts the same to different foods, and what's considered a health food for some is a seriously bad food for others.
According to the study, 90% of the people tested would retain water if they ate these things: (1) farm raised fish, (2) deli meats, (3) most sushi, (4) hot dogs, (5) bagels, (6) corn.
Consider how common those items are in an American diet, and now consider how often everyone eats fish as a health food. I won't pretend to understand what's wrong with farm raised fish, perhaps they are fed corn? Sushi is also considered healthy, but not when made with the farm raised fish. Additionally, wasabi, ginger, and soy can be reactive for many people.
Turkey, salmon, and pineapples are all considered healthy foods, but every time I ate them I would gain weight. It turns out that 85% of people are reactive to turkey and salmon while 70% of people are reactive to pineapples. Cross referencing this reactive food list helped me identify what was causing my sudden spikes in weight gain, but it also opened up more possibilities for me.
By studying the list of foods in the 50% and lower category I found some items that are not on the paleo diet that I might be able to enjoy again, most notably, potatoes. I went more than 10 years without fries, potato chips, or baked potatoes, but now I will occasionally enjoy them.
So what do reactive foods have to do with DNA? Well, it turns out that the reaction is an allergic reaction to your body trying to process food it doesn't handle well. Two things happen when the body can't properly process food, first, it can trigger water retention to help filter the food out, and second, it converts it to fat.
With regard to turkey and salmon, both animals are native to North America. Therefore, anyone without DNA from Native Americans will probably react badly to eating them. My DNA is purely from Europe, which explains my reaction to them. Pineapple is originally a native food of South America, so unless your DNA includes Brazilian and Paraguayan then you might be reacting to the delicious fruit like I am.
I've shared this information today because of the #ThirstTrapChallenge that's happening over the past few weeks. I'm not a doctor, dietitian, or nutritionist, I'm just a pup who has spent 19 years thinking about everything he eats and how I will feel after I eat it. Perhaps this information can help someone who isn't happy in their own skin and wants to look differently.
For more information you can do a Google search for "Paleo Diet" and "List of Reactive Foods."
One last meal recommendation... use a dog bowl!
Kabous Pup
