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

[yiostheoy]

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.

Looks like you have lost about 3/4th inch of fat off your skin everywhere. That explains the 40 lbs. That's like 40 beefsteaks or 40 packages of bacon.

Good job.

The most I have ever lost is about 25 lbs when sick for 2 weeks with the flu. No appetite and could not keep food down. Ok for drinking water but not eating.

Now I look more like your "before" photo at 225 lbs and 40 inch waist. But I am good with it. If there is a war and/or famine I don't want to be one of the first to starve. I prefer to be one of the ones still standing so that I can eat the others instead.

There are strategic drawbacks to losing weight and getting skinny again.

 

[yiostheoy]

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

100 calories per day ??

That's about the same food value of 1 egg.

Good luck.

You'll starve yourself half to death in 3 weeks that way if you can stick to it.

 

[MarathonMike]

I usually stop drinking for a few weeks before a marathon but I like it too much to give it up totally. I'm going for lower grains, dairy and sugar but I know I couldn't cut it all out.

 

[yiostheoy]

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

There is no sugar in beer.

Read:

The Main Ingredients of Beer - dummies

 

[yiostheoy]

I usually stop drinking for a few weeks before a marathon but I like it too much to give it up totally. I'm going for lower grains, dairy and sugar but I know I couldn't cut it all out.

Well the Greeks did not stop drinking wine before a Marathon so you should not need to stop either.

Pro'lly not a good idea to smoke or vape though.

 

[yiostheoy]

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.

There is no sugar in meat.

There is no sugar in rice or potatoes or pasta. There is starch but not sugar.

There is fructose in fruit but that is not sucrose which we normally call "sugar".

Vegies have no sugar either.

So just stick with the 4 food groups and you should be fine.

Go easy on the gravy because it has fat (lipid) in it.

Q.E.D.

 

[gipper]

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

You do not need whole grains to empty your bowel. This is a fallacy.

 

[Moonglow]

I usually stop drinking for a few weeks before a marathon but I like it too much to give it up totally. I'm going for lower grains, dairy and sugar but I know I couldn't cut it all out.

Well the Greeks did not stop drinking wine before a Marathon so you should not need to stop either.

Pro'lly not a good idea to smoke or vape though.

I know they didn't at the battle of Marathon...

 

[Moonglow]

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.

There is no sugar in meat.

There is no sugar in rice or potatoes or pasta. There is starch but not sugar.

There is fructose in fruit but that is not sucrose which we normally call "sugar".

Vegies have no sugar either.

So just stick with the 4 food groups and you should be fine.

Go easy on the gravy because it has fat (lipid) in it.

Q.E.D.

You can make gravy without lard, or fats..

 

[ChrisL]

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.

I was going to say congratulations until I realized that this thread is from 2011 (6 years old now!). You could have gained it all back by now, for all I know!

Well, I will say congratulations anyways because it's the right thing to do, so congratulations!

 

[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.

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.

That's right. I have eaten maybe five slices of bread in the past 10 years. True sugar is difficult to get away from, but not impossible. Drastically reducing sugar consumption will improve your health.

 

[ChrisL]

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.

That's right. I have eaten maybe five slices of bread in the past 10 years. True sugar is difficult to get away from, but not impossible. Drastically reducing sugar consumption will improve your health.

You don't eat sandwiches? I love rolls. I don't think I could live without them.

 

[ChrisL]

I love bread. Ciabatta bread? Yummy! I like artisan breads. Delicious!

 

[gipper]

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.

That's right. I have eaten maybe five slices of bread in the past 10 years. True sugar is difficult to get away from, but not impossible. Drastically reducing sugar consumption will improve your health.

You don't eat sandwiches? I love rolls. I don't think I could live without them.

I love bread. Ciabatta bread? Yummy! I like artisan breads. Delicious!

It was very easy for me. I stopped consuming all grains and felt so good, slept well, more energy....and more, that it was easy. Try it for two weeks and see for yourself.

All grains turn to sugar in the body. You might as well eat a cup of sugar every day. Grain consumption is linked to heart disease and dementia. This is to say nothing of the unknown potential for harm from the GMOs, now in all grains.

 

[ChrisL]

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.

That's right. I have eaten maybe five slices of bread in the past 10 years. True sugar is difficult to get away from, but not impossible. Drastically reducing sugar consumption will improve your health.

You don't eat sandwiches? I love rolls. I don't think I could live without them.

I love bread. Ciabatta bread? Yummy! I like artisan breads. Delicious!

It was very easy for me. I stopped consuming all grains and felt so good, slept well, more energy....and more, that it was easy. Try it for two weeks and see for yourself.

All grains turn to sugar in the body. You might as well eat a cup of sugar every day. Grain consumption is linked to heart disease and dementia. This is to say nothing of the unknown potential for harm from the GMOs, now in all grains.

I probably do eat a cup of sugar a day not even counting the bread. You would die if you saw how much sugar I put in my coffee! My grandmother used to be like "Oh Christine! You are going to get diabetes!"

Ahem. Let's not talk about candy then.

 

[MarathonMike]

I usually stop drinking for a few weeks before a marathon but I like it too much to give it up totally. I'm going for lower grains, dairy and sugar but I know I couldn't cut it all out.

Well the Greeks did not stop drinking wine before a Marathon so you should not need to stop either.

Pro'lly not a good idea to smoke or vape though.

I know they didn't at the battle of Marathon...

I've read accounts that Phidippides was hitting the wine while running from Marathon to Athens to report the news of victory over the Persians. But I've also read that the whole story of him running all the way, and then dying is totally made up.

I usually stop drinking for a few weeks before a marathon but I like it too much to give it up totally. I'm going for lower grains, dairy and sugar but I know I couldn't cut it all out.

Well the Greeks did not stop drinking wine before a Marathon so you should not need to stop either.

Pro'lly not a good idea to smoke or vape though.

I know they didn't at the battle of Marathon...

The question is did Phidippides drink wine before the original marathon run from Marathon to Athens? I've read that he did. I've also read that his famous run never happened, so who knows ?

 

[gipper]

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.

That's right. I have eaten maybe five slices of bread in the past 10 years. True sugar is difficult to get away from, but not impossible. Drastically reducing sugar consumption will improve your health.

You don't eat sandwiches? I love rolls. I don't think I could live without them.

I love bread. Ciabatta bread? Yummy! I like artisan breads. Delicious!

It was very easy for me. I stopped consuming all grains and felt so good, slept well, more energy....and more, that it was easy. Try it for two weeks and see for yourself.

All grains turn to sugar in the body. You might as well eat a cup of sugar every day. Grain consumption is linked to heart disease and dementia. This is to say nothing of the unknown potential for harm from the GMOs, now in all grains.

I probably do eat a cup of sugar a day not even counting the bread. You would die if you saw how much sugar I put in my coffee! My grandmother used to be like "Oh Christine! You are going to get diabetes!"

Ahem. Let's not talk about candy then.

Well then...you have a lot of work to do.

Eliminate sugar and grains for two weeks. Can you do it?

 

[ChrisL]

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.

That's right. I have eaten maybe five slices of bread in the past 10 years. True sugar is difficult to get away from, but not impossible. Drastically reducing sugar consumption will improve your health.

You don't eat sandwiches? I love rolls. I don't think I could live without them.

I love bread. Ciabatta bread? Yummy! I like artisan breads. Delicious!

It was very easy for me. I stopped consuming all grains and felt so good, slept well, more energy....and more, that it was easy. Try it for two weeks and see for yourself.

All grains turn to sugar in the body. You might as well eat a cup of sugar every day. Grain consumption is linked to heart disease and dementia. This is to say nothing of the unknown potential for harm from the GMOs, now in all grains.

I probably do eat a cup of sugar a day not even counting the bread. You would die if you saw how much sugar I put in my coffee! My grandmother used to be like "Oh Christine! You are going to get diabetes!"

Ahem. Let's not talk about candy then.

Well then...you have a lot of work to do.

Eliminate sugar and grains for two weeks. Can you do it?

No, and do I want to? No. I feel fine actually. While I do probably overdo it with sugar, I eat most food in moderation, and I stop eating when I'm no longer hungry.

I do notice that at restaurants, the bread really fills me up though. If I eat the bread before my meal, I can't eat my meal because I'm just not hungry anymore.

I have heard of other people who do not feel fine and gain a lot of weight from breads and stuff. I wonder if they have a negative reaction to something in it for some reason? I mean, there are people who eat whatever they want (that includes bread and other things) and are healthy and live long lives.

 

[Iceweasel]

I did the paleo diet for a while but the no grains thing was difficult. I love bread, what can I say? I don't have a weight issue though and humans have lived a long time on it. Lots of 90+ folks out there that have eaten plenty of it.

 

[gipper]

That's right. I have eaten maybe five slices of bread in the past 10 years. True sugar is difficult to get away from, but not impossible. Drastically reducing sugar consumption will improve your health.

You don't eat sandwiches? I love rolls. I don't think I could live without them.

I love bread. Ciabatta bread? Yummy! I like artisan breads. Delicious!

It was very easy for me. I stopped consuming all grains and felt so good, slept well, more energy....and more, that it was easy. Try it for two weeks and see for yourself.

All grains turn to sugar in the body. You might as well eat a cup of sugar every day. Grain consumption is linked to heart disease and dementia. This is to say nothing of the unknown potential for harm from the GMOs, now in all grains.

I probably do eat a cup of sugar a day not even counting the bread. You would die if you saw how much sugar I put in my coffee! My grandmother used to be like "Oh Christine! You are going to get diabetes!"

Ahem. Let's not talk about candy then.

Well then...you have a lot of work to do.

Eliminate sugar and grains for two weeks. Can you do it?

No, and do I want to? No. I feel fine actually. While I do probably overdo it with sugar, I eat most food in moderation, and I stop eating when I'm no longer hungry.

I do notice that at restaurants, the bread really fills me up though. If I eat the bread before my meal, I can't eat my meal because I'm just not hungry anymore.

I have heard of other people who do not feel fine and gain a lot of weight from breads and stuff. I wonder if they have a negative reaction to something in it for some reason? I mean, there are people who eat whatever they want (that includes bread and other things) and are healthy and live long lives.

Well...I am not willing to take a chance on my health.

If these two doctors are just half right, you will WANT to stop sugar and grain consumption today.