Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The first 100

I can't believe I hit 101 pounds lost on November 5th; it was a great day! I started this journey on April 8th. I didn't think seven months ago that I would be sitting in the beginning of November down 10l pounds - it is crazy!

I have had a great team motivating me: my Crossfit family, my kids and my number one fan and supporter in this journey, my beautiful wife, Kazia. She has lost 58 pounds herself, a combined loss of 159 pounds between the two of us. It has been tough, but great! I ran my first 5k race with my Wisconsin friends, ran the Warrior Dash 5k obstacle course with my good friend Brian, and I am very excited to do more; I have some in the works already!

It all got started in April when we decided to do something about our weight. We had family members that died with their weight being a factor. It was a huge motivation to get started, so finally we did. I have talked about making the change and my motivation in the past. As you know, I started my journey with the Advocare 24 day challenge and eating within the guidelines of that program. Then, after awhile my progress slowed down a lot so I had to figure out what was going on and switch things up for a few months. Researching online, I learned about a man named Jimmy Moore. He has a blog and podcasts about Ketones and Ketosis. Ketosis is a term that means the body is burning fat rather than the sugar you are eating. It also has a lot to do with your cholesterol. He recommends measuring the level of ketones in your body, the more ketones, the more the body burns fat. Ketosis is engaged by cutting out more of the bad sugars, like in carbs (bread), eating less fruit or no fruit, and eating healthy fats. Portion control of meat is also important because they have proven that eating more than 6 oz. per meal can turn into sugar and not be good for your fat burning capabilities, and eventually overall health.

To engage my Ketosis, this is what I am eating now: I don't do dairy unless its in raw type form (raw cheese or Kefir), instead I have more coconut milk and use a lot of organic coconut oils. Also, when I am plateauing, I make sure I am drinking a ton of water and eating a lot of veggies - it really does help a lot.  I discovered that my current issue was that I was not getting enough good fats in my body. I did not buy a blood ketosis tester yet because the strips cost a lot of money, but I have cut down on my fruit intake. I learned it can be hard for the body to process the sugars to get your body in the right burning state as well. Here is one of his videos that goes over the basics. http://vimeo.com/77302989

A list of things I do not eat:
  • Pork - because of how badly it is processed (pork is not good for you no matter how it's processed though some may disagree)
  • Regular milk - again it is generally over-processed and often has a lot of bad things added
  • White carbs like breads and rice - makes your body burn the sugar in them instead of the fat you should be burning 
I have been in to see my doctors and they have loved the results that the program has brought me. It has worked for me and you can find what works for you, working with your doctor. Know that it takes between 40 hours to a week to engage the state of ketosis. If you want to try it, do it for about a week and then add some good carbs (like sweet potatoes) in for a couple of days, then take them out.

The main point is: do your research. If you do something and it stops working, keep tinkering, don't stop all together, as Jimmy would say. Make some simple changes and keep track of what you are doing, so you can monitor the changes. It works! Look at me - and check out Jimmy Moore at his blog and Facebook page. Do your research and find what works for you! DO FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT. 

Results and Measurements: 
In less than 7 months, I am down 101 pounds and 30 inches all over combined, my waist is down 9 inches alone.


Don't forget to follow my bogs on http://losingthefatman.blogspot.com and on http://info.minnesotatopteam.com/blog
I love to read your comments here or by email: Djuell30@gmail.com
And you can order ADVOCARE at https://www.advocare.com/130446300