Ask A Guy Who Lost 40 Pounds Eating "Primal" Anything!

[Mad Scientist]

Woke up this morning and the scale said I'd lost 40 lbs since May.

Before: 226lbs and a 42 inch waistline:

OMG what a disgusting blob! But you what? I'm no longer ashamed of how I used to look because this is how I look now:

Today: 186lbs and a 35.5 inch waistline.

After an initial 1 pound gain I dropped a steady 1-2 pounds (and sometimes 3-5 pounds) every week! With little or no exercise! I shit you not! The only exercise I've done is Mark Rippetoes starting strength 2 or 3 times a week for 30 or 40 minutes and the 100 Pushup Challenge 3 times a week. I can now bang out 30-40 pushups pretty easy and 50-60 if I really push it.
None of that jogging 5 or 10 miles or "chronic cardio" P90X shit I used to do either. It wasn't needed.

Not to bad for guy a few days short of his 48th birthday huh?
I went from having to wear XL T-shirts to L. I went from a size 38 jeans to a 34 and they're loose!

Here's how I did it:

The Primal Blueprint | Mark's Daily Apple

Instead of following the FDA's Food Pyramid I followed this one instead:

Can you see what's missing? Grains! Why are grains unhealthy for you?
Why Grains Are Unhealthy | Mark's Daily Apple

Now I know what yer thinkin':

All that meat and eggs will clog yer arteries and you'll have a massive heart attack! Idiot!

As part of my job I have to pass a physical every year and that includes blood work. Last year my cholesterol was 246, this year it's 222.
Last year my triglycerides were a whopping 461. Now they're 102. That's while eating 2 or 3 eggs for breakfast every day!
These numbers were brought under control by diet alone because I refuse to take statins because of the side effects.

I think I can lose another 10 maybe 15 more pounds by next summer and really thin out.

 

[Sallow]

Grats dude.

Hope you are feeling better too.

 

[William Joyce]

Do you have a take on why grains are bad?

 

[masquerade]

Congratulations Mad Scientist! That is something to be damn proud of!

I haven't had any grains in over a month. I've cut out sugar and carbs while focusing on fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. I'm down 11 lbs. in a month.

 

[waltky]

Yea, but losin' weight can be embarassin' too...

... I once lost some weight after dey took my gizzard out atta hospital...

... den after dat I was at the mall one day...

... an' my boxer shorts fell down around my knees inside my trousers...

... so I has to take lil' bitty steps to get to the bathroom to pull `em back up...

... people was lookin' at me funny an' lil' kids was pointin' an' laughin'...

... I'm a-tellin' ya, it was embarassin'...

... den when I got to the bathroom I didn't have a quarter for the stall!...

... It was embarassin'.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Do you have a take on why grains are bad?

Lectins, Glutens and Phytates. A good article about it here:
Why Grains Are Unhealthy | Mark's Daily Apple
From what I've read the worst grain would be corn. And it's the #1 ingredient in almost all processed and fried food. Think about it: What do farmers use to fatten up their cows and chickens? Corn. Gotta' do the same thing to us right?

Well, I quit the grain, breads and corn and look what happened! It was pretty easy too!
Corn Is Not a Vegetable | Mark's Daily Apple

 

[eots]

Woke up this morning and the scale said I'd lost 40 lbs since May.

Before: 226lbs and a 42 inch waistline:

OMG what a disgusting blob! But you what? I'm no longer ashamed of how I used to look because this is how I look now:

Today: 186lbs and a 35.5 inch waistline.

After an initial 1 pound gain I dropped a steady 1-2 pounds (and sometimes 3-5 pounds) every week! With little or no exercise! I shit you not! The only exercise I've done is Mark Rippetoes starting strength 2 or 3 times a week for 30 or 40 minutes and the 100 Pushup Challenge 3 times a week. I can now bang out 30-40 pushups pretty easy and 50-60 if I really push it.
None of that jogging 5 or 10 miles or "chronic cardio" P90X shit I used to do either. It wasn't needed.

Not to bad for guy a few days short of his 48th birthday huh?
I went from having to wear XL T-shirts to L. I went from a size 38 jeans to a 34 and they're loose!

Here's how I did it:

The Primal Blueprint | Mark's Daily Apple

Instead of following the FDA's Food Pyramid I followed this one instead:

Can you see what's missing? Grains! Why are grains unhealthy for you?
Why Grains Are Unhealthy | Mark's Daily Apple

Now I know what yer thinkin':

All that meat and eggs will clog yer arteries and you'll have a massive heart attack! Idiot!

As part of my job I have to pass a physical every year and that includes blood work. Last year my cholesterol was 246, this year it's 222.
Last year my triglycerides were a whopping 461. Now they're 102. That's while eating 2 or 3 eggs for breakfast every day!
These numbers were brought under control by diet alone because I refuse to take statins because of the side effects.

I think I can lose another 10 maybe 15 more pounds by next summer and really thin out.

lookin good...in the before picture you where getting ready for the ol manzier

 

[auditor0007]

Woke up this morning and the scale said I'd lost 40 lbs since May.

Before: 226lbs and a 42 inch waistline:

OMG what a disgusting blob! But you what? I'm no longer ashamed of how I used to look because this is how I look now:

Today: 186lbs and a 35.5 inch waistline.

After an initial 1 pound gain I dropped a steady 1-2 pounds (and sometimes 3-5 pounds) every week! With little or no exercise! I shit you not! The only exercise I've done is Mark Rippetoes starting strength 2 or 3 times a week for 30 or 40 minutes and the 100 Pushup Challenge 3 times a week. I can now bang out 30-40 pushups pretty easy and 50-60 if I really push it.
None of that jogging 5 or 10 miles or "chronic cardio" P90X shit I used to do either. It wasn't needed.

Not to bad for guy a few days short of his 48th birthday huh?
I went from having to wear XL T-shirts to L. I went from a size 38 jeans to a 34 and they're loose!

Here's how I did it:

The Primal Blueprint | Mark's Daily Apple

Instead of following the FDA's Food Pyramid I followed this one instead:

Can you see what's missing? Grains! Why are grains unhealthy for you?
Why Grains Are Unhealthy | Mark's Daily Apple

Now I know what yer thinkin':

All that meat and eggs will clog yer arteries and you'll have a massive heart attack! Idiot!

As part of my job I have to pass a physical every year and that includes blood work. Last year my cholesterol was 246, this year it's 222.
Last year my triglycerides were a whopping 461. Now they're 102. That's while eating 2 or 3 eggs for breakfast every day!
These numbers were brought under control by diet alone because I refuse to take statins because of the side effects.

I think I can lose another 10 maybe 15 more pounds by next summer and really thin out.

Too many grains are bad. Too many carbs are bad. Too much fat is bad. Too much alcohol is bad. Too much of just about anything is bad. Eat a moderate diet with a little from every food group, but eat more meat, fish, poultry, veggies and fruits, and you will do fine. Exercise does help.

I quit smoking four months ago, after 32 years. Since then I started going to the gym and working out. My latest labs:

Cholesterol Total: 189
Tryglycerides: 84
HDL Cholesterol: 49
LDL Cholesterol: 123 (high, but this is before I started working out.)

Glucose: 89

A couple other numbers and these are since I started working out.

Blood Pressure: 109/61
Resting Heart Rate: 51

Weight: 147 Height: 5'7"

Yea, I'm happy with those numbers. BTW, nice job and keep it up. It isn't as hard to stay in decent shape as many people think. My doc couldn't believe my resting heart rate; had to take it over three times.

 

[editec]

I also eat eggs, use butter, lots of meat and cheese.

My cholesteol is also low.

I also don't eat a whole lot of bread and grains. I note that the less grains I eat, the less grain I crave.

My secret?

I don't eat too much.

That's "the secret" to not gaiing weight, folks.

Stop shoving food in your mouth when you're not really hungry

 

[Mad Scientist]

I also eat eggs, use butter, lots of meat and cheese.

My cholesteol is also low.

I also don't eat a whole lot of bread and grains. I note that the less grains I eat, the less grain I crave.

My secret?

I don't eat too much.

That's "the secret" to not gaiing weight, folks.

Stop shoving food in your mouth when you're not really hungry

But like you said, the more grains you eat, the more you crave. So if people ate less of these things they would see a weight loss.

Unfortunately they're probably following the FDA Food Pyramid.

 

[strollingbones]

A mother * shirt would be nice

 

[Mad Scientist]

A mother * shirt would be nice

The whole point of losing weight is so you look good without a shirt!

I do need to visit the tanning salon though don't I? Not enough sun here in PA, even in the Summer.

 

[BoSoxGal]

Have you maintained the weight loss?

 

[Mad Scientist]

Have you maintained the weight loss?

Im 194 now so I've gained 8 pounds in 5 years! I've been as low as 171 but I didn't really feel healthy.

 

[BoSoxGal]

That's excellent! I destroyed my body over the past decade while I was working 80 hour weeks and under incredible stress that raised my cortisol and compelled me to eat lots of crap - plus I almost never had time to cook but had plenty of $, so was eating way too much ridiculous restaurant and take-out food.

Anyway, now I'm 46 and need to lose a lot of weight and one of the things I've been really down about is all the articles and studies I read that show how most people gain it all back plus some. So, I'm inspired both to see a story of middle age weight loss AND long-term maintenance.

I'm trying to follow a primal type diet as much as possible, with the occasional cheat to keep me from losing my mind. I just started a few weeks ago and have been losing @ 3lbs/week - coming off fast at first, lots of water weight since I've cut out almost all sugar and so am retaining less. I'm super motivated because my body hurts all over from carrying half again my ideal weight. But I'm giving myself a year to get to where I want to be, so I will be more likely to really change my lifestyle entirely in the process and thus not backslide after reaching goal.

Anyway, glad you posted the link to your story, it's inspiring. Congrats on your maintenance!

 

[MarathonMike]

Do you have a take on why grains are bad?

Lectins, Glutens and Phytates. A good article about it here:
Why Grains Are Unhealthy | Mark's Daily Apple
From what I've read the worst grain would be corn. And it's the #1 ingredient in almost all processed and fried food. Think about it: What do farmers use to fatten up their cows and chickens? Corn. Gotta' do the same thing to us right?

Well, I quit the grain, breads and corn and look what happened! It was pretty easy too!
Corn Is Not a Vegetable | Mark's Daily Apple

Congrats on droppin 40! I tried the Paleo diet and had a REAL hard time not eating grains. And sugar is in everything. But I may give it another try. I can run for hours, but I'm getting older and need to carry less weight. I'm at 210 and would love to get to 190.

 

[gipper]

Do you have a take on why grains are bad?

Lectins, Glutens and Phytates. A good article about it here:
Why Grains Are Unhealthy | Mark's Daily Apple
From what I've read the worst grain would be corn. And it's the #1 ingredient in almost all processed and fried food. Think about it: What do farmers use to fatten up their cows and chickens? Corn. Gotta' do the same thing to us right?

Well, I quit the grain, breads and corn and look what happened! It was pretty easy too!
Corn Is Not a Vegetable | Mark's Daily Apple

Congrats on droppin 40! I tried the Paleo diet and had a REAL hard time not eating grains. And sugar is in everything. But I may give it another try. I can run for hours, but I'm getting older and need to carry less weight. I'm at 210 and would love to get to 190.

You should drastically curtail consuming grains and sugar.

I quit grains years ago. When I did, I immediately felt better. Slept better. Had more energy. I have never been overweight but as I aged eating grains, I got the infamous wheat belly and a lot exercise did nothing to eliminate it. When I stopped consuming grains, the belly disappeared. I am 6-3 and 190.

I have seldom eaten sweets all my life for no reason other than I never really liked them. However I stopped eating sugar exclusively. If a product has sugar in it, I don't buy it.

Some experts think consumption of grains and sugar can cause dementia/Alzheimer and heart disease. I tend to think this is true.

 

[MarathonMike]

Do you have a take on why grains are bad?

Lectins, Glutens and Phytates. A good article about it here:
Why Grains Are Unhealthy | Mark's Daily Apple
From what I've read the worst grain would be corn. And it's the #1 ingredient in almost all processed and fried food. Think about it: What do farmers use to fatten up their cows and chickens? Corn. Gotta' do the same thing to us right?

Well, I quit the grain, breads and corn and look what happened! It was pretty easy too!
Corn Is Not a Vegetable | Mark's Daily Apple

Congrats on droppin 40! I tried the Paleo diet and had a REAL hard time not eating grains. And sugar is in everything. But I may give it another try. I can run for hours, but I'm getting older and need to carry less weight. I'm at 210 and would love to get to 190.

You should drastically curtail consuming grains and sugar.

I quit grains years ago. When I did, I immediately felt better. Slept better. Had more energy. I have never been overweight but as I aged eating grains, I got the infamous wheat belly and a lot exercise did nothing to eliminate it. When I stopped consuming grains, the belly disappeared. I am 6-3 and 190.

I have seldom eaten sweets all my life for no reason other than I never really liked them. However I stopped eating sugar exclusively. If a product has sugar in it, I don't buy it.

Some experts think consumption of grains and sugar can cause dementia/Alzheimer and heart disease. I tend to think this is true.

So you really don't eat any grains? No sandwiches, no pizza, no pie, no bread? I have cut down a lot but grains would be really hard to totally give up. Sugar is the same way because it is in everything.

 

[Rambunctious]

It's the sugar. Stay away from sugar except for the natural sweetness of fruit. The problem is sugar is in beer...... Whole grain is needed for the south end, don't cut it from your diet. IMO

 

[TomParks]

You cant give up everything....I read eating 100 carbs per day will work for weight loss......I am going to see if it works