A Weight Loss Milestone Reached

I didn't sleep well after suffering through the worst moment in Broncos history yesterday, but this morning brought welcome news. When I stepped on the scale, I saw 190 pounds, on the nose.

This is a major milestone for me. When I set out on the Primal Blueprint, I set goals based on various fat percentage measurements (none of which are perfect). One of the goals was hitting 190 pounds, which represents a "healthy" or "normal" body fat percentage for me. Admittedly, I don't know exactly what my body fat percentage is, and the ranges out there in the medical world are general, but this was obviously a major milestone. I've essentially gone from being obese to being overweight to now being a normal weight. All since August. I'm pretty happy.

It is also the goal weight I wanted to reach before going back to the doctor for a follow-up glucose test. I'll be making that appointment in a week or two.

To get here, I had to deal with the inevitable case of "carb creep." My weight loss stalled for a couple of weeks before I even realized that my carbs had crept up near the 100 gram mark per day. Not every day, but on average it crept up. An extra few beers on the weekend, a little more dark chocolate in the afternoon, a few "unprimal" sauces on meats, and suddenly I was struggling. Nothing huge, but it added up. Once I started counting the carbs again, the weight started going down. It's a good reminder that carbs absolutely count, and the right level for me is still low, probably due to stubborn insulin resistance.

There are still milestones ahead. With another ten pounds, my apnea-hypoapnea index is predicted to start dropping. Essentially, I could potentially cure my sleep apnea if it is in fact the typical apnea linked to body fat percentage.

But today, I'll enjoy this milestone. I'm happy that I'm still losing weight, still eating well, still hitting milestones. It's important to feel good about reaching major goals, especially after feeling horrible about the damn Broncos. Maybe I could teach McDaniels a few things about walking the walk.

Foot Freedom

I finally pulled the trigger on Saturday and bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. A lot of you already have seen or own these little rubber-soled “socks” that simulate barefoot walking or running while adding some level of protection against that broken beer bottle in the weeds.

So far, my toes are a little hesitant. I must admit I’m not sure yet whether the fit on one of my toes is off or if it’s simply that I’m not acclimated yet using the toe. My toes aren’t curling and seem to fit per the Vibram website, so we’ll see if the ring toe on each side starts to loosen up a bit. The shoes are, in fact, very comfortable when I’m not walking. It's going to take a while to get acclimated, but I'm pretty positive. After a couple of days, I'm already feeling some sore muscles in my legs.

I’m excited. I’ll post regular updates about my progress and workouts with these cool little foot coverings.

Primal Places ~ Castlewood Canyon

If you haven’t noticed, Colorado has mountains. Great big mountains. They sort of define the Front Range geographically. They are really, really big. Hard not to notice. But if you live along the Front Range and haven’t noticed them, look west. Yes, those are the mountains I’m talking about.

So when I typically start looking for a hike…well, I look west. And why not? Why not take advantage of the huge dose of nature just an hour away from Denver?

But I haven’t been in the mood to take the trek up to the mountains lately. Maybe it’s the I-70 blues. Maybe it’s the ear-popping. It happens. So April and I took a trip away from the mountains, not too far from Denver, and found a gem of a hike that rivaled any trail I’ve trekked in the high country.

I didn’t know anything about Castlewood Canyon State Park except that it’s located between Castle Rock and Elizabeth, a very easy and scenic drive from Denver. Admission for the day cost us $6.00. The visitor’s center was much nicer than I expected. I picked up from the dioramas that one of the unique features of the park was the diverse amount of ecosystems. The dioramas were correct.

We set out on the longest trail, a 4 mile lollipop. The trail started on rock, marked by the stacked rock method which was generally but not always obvious (it took a few minutes two or three times to get our bearings and find the next rock pile). The rocks were not difficult to navigate, but they certainly gave all the supporting, balancing muscles in the legs a good workout. The trail winds around the top of the canyon, then descends into the canyon, winding through a beautiful meadow and crossing Cherry Creek. Here, incredible rock formations on every side guard this idyllic, isolated meadow and provide a perfect photo opportunity. The trail then climbs back onto rock, out the mouth of the canyon and loops through the grass prairie. It passes through an incredibly diverse amount of scenery.

After the hike, we read a little more about the canyon. It was a popular place for native Americans with it’s ample game, water supply, and cave shelter. We certainly got the sense that it would make a great natural home. For a hike outside of the mountains, this is certainly a worthwhile primal destination. We’ll definitely be going back and exploring more of the park.

Primal Places - Your Patio

You don't have to go far to get to your primal roots. The patio, or porch, is a great place to start a primal lifestyle and a place that can be easily optimized to be a great source of primal foods and workouts.

Want a quick dose of Vitamin D, that fifteen minutes of daily sun prescribed in the Primal Blueprint? You don't always have to walk far to get it, just get thee to your patio. And while you're out there, let's cook.

Before that, though, let me clear something up. Some of my friends, when trying to poke holes in the primal lifestyle, will ask if I need to eat meat raw. After all, isn't that what people did before bread? Isn't a grilled steak "processed?"

Folks, our ancestors have been using fire to cook for a quarter of a million years. Compare that to the ten thousand or so years that we've been cultivating and eating wheat, corn, potatoes. Fire is primal, and cooking with it brings out the primal inside us.

And yes, I love my steak bloody as hell. So let's cook. Fire up that grill.

To take it to the next level, though, a great primal tool is a smoker. They come in the truly primal variety - the charcoal pit with homemade charcoal. I own and prefer the modern convenience of a propane smoker. Also available is the electric smoker. Low and slow is how I imagine Grok cooked his meats. You can put a big slab of ribs, a pork shoulder, trout, homemade jerky, or a grass fed brisket in, enjoy the sunlight and the perfume of wood as it cooks all day, and enjoy a well-earned primal meal (and leftovers). Smoking meats is also a great way to go primal on a budget, as a lot of the "cheaper" cuts turn into meat candy when greeted with low and slow smoke.

While your meat is slowly turning into something amazing, get your primal workout in. All the primal essential movements can be done outside with no equipment, with the exception of pull ups. I'd suggest finding a nearby tree with low branch, but that's not always available (not at my place), so try getting creative (well placed bike hooks?) To up the fun factor of your workouts, the patio is a great place to keep your spear, medicine ball, or other primal workout equipment. Think sports gear, mini basketball hoops, jump ropes...get creative and make the patio a playground. Four square anyone?

And if you can't get to the park for sprints, grab a jump rope and hit the patio.

We all know that one of the best ways to source clean food is to grow it yourself. You may not be able to feed yourself year-round on food grown in planter boxes on the patio, but even a small amount of homegrown food will help you connect to the unbelievable abundance the universe gives us. It doesn't take a great amount of space to grow a tomato tree, some peppers, or even an herb garden. The growing season is largely behind us, but the winter is a great time to start planning that spring garden. I admit I've never grown my own food, but I'm planning on peppers next year.

Finally, I'll mention that the patio is a great place for meditation. I personally believe meditation is an essential part of stress reduction. Grok didn't have the constant information flow we're confronted with. We need that extra, concentrated time to clear the head. The patio is a great place for this.

So go spend some time on your patio while the weather still allows for it. Grok on!

End of Month Reflections

September was the second month on the Primal Blueprint, and it coincided with the 30 day Primal Challenge on marksdailyapple.com. Looking at my weight from a month ago, I've lost 7 1/2 pounds this month, nearly 2 pounds a week. I would say that it's been a successful month. A couple of keys to the success were:

1. Doing some of the challenges on marksdailyapple. Entering the contests (didn't win any) helped keep my excitement up while I adjusted to the new lifestyle.

2. An intermittent fast last week. It helped me break through my first plateau. It was a 19 hour fast, and I'll do another one probably next week. It was tough mentally, but I think it was great physically and also spiritually (what do you know, there is something to meditation while fasting).

3. Continuing to source clean food. I found grass fed beef at Sprouts, Whole Foods, and the CC Farmer's market. I found pastured eggs at Whole Foods. The more places I can "forage," the better chance I've got to stick to the blueprint.

After this second month, I'm proud to report that my craving for Diet Soda has drastically decreased, and I had no problem pawning off a piece of office birthday cake on a coworker. It's getting easier to go without grains, sugars, and sweeteners.

I've got one more month until my follow-up blood glucose test. That'll serve as motivation to continue my quest for real food. I'm aware that historically November and December are my big weight-gaining months, so I want to make sure I not only lose weight in October, but prepare myself for the winter ahead, stock up on good freezer items (beef/veggies/berries) so I have good food on hand, and brainstorm ways to stay active when the temperature drops.

But today, I'll celebrate 7 1/2 pounds of real weight lose this month. Good job me!

Primal Places - Cherry Creek

It's a sad commentary, I think, on the state of our society when obesity is striking lower income families, and one of the most healthy, clean places to buy food is hoity toity Cherry Creek. But that's where we're at, and don't let the art galleries and designer clothing stores disuade you from foraging here on a summer Saturday. Admittedly, I'm happy there's primal eating to be had in Cherry Creek because I work here. Here's the ins and outs:

Cherry Creek Farmer's Market ~

An institution in the parking lot of Bed, Bath, and Beyond, right off Speer and University, this farmers market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays until 1pm from May through October. On my last visit, one of farmers, without any prompting, busted open a tasty purple bell pepper for us to sample. This sort of interaction is what makes farmer's markets so much fun. You can connect with the source of your food. Grass-fed beef, Alaskan Wild Salmon, and so much more is available. If you're a regular in Cherry Creek, you've probably got enough cash to plunk down on a bottle of Black Truffle Olive Oil from the EVOO Marketplace, but for the rest of us, we can enjoy plenty of other affordable olive oils, freshly roasted Hatch green chilis, and a ton of organic produce. One sensible indulgence not to be missed is the raw honey.

www.coloradofreshmarkets.com

Cherry Creek Whole Foods ~

The typical grocery store rule of thumb applies to Whole Foods - stick to the outside of the store and you'll be okay (skipping the bakery, of course...and how is this considered a "healthy" store?). Greatly appreciated, though, are the pastured eggs available from Grant Family Farms. For primal dairy folks (not me), Morning Fresh Farms products are also available. Morning Fresh won't be certified organic for another three years, but this is good, preservative-free, organically-produced milk. The salad bar is expensive but often carries a huge variety of produce. Kale, spinach, watercress, artichoke hearts, chopped asparagus, berries, eggs, and a variety of vinegars are some of my favorite highlights. It's easy here to throw more than twenty ingredients into a box. You pay for it, but for me, its worth the convenience. A word of warning - the chicken at the salad bar is cooked in canola oil, so go for the eggs, tuna, etc. for your protein.

www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Eco-Burger ~

A new restaurant that, unfortunately, is in a goofy space, which is why I think the tapas bar before it failed. Hopefully Eco-Burger will last. Here you can have a 100% grass-fed burger wrapped in lettuce. It's tasty. It's juicy. It's eco-friendly! The side salad has wonderful sprouts, just eat around the corn. It's nice to indulge in a grass fed burger while out and about, and I'm glad that there are places like this popping up.

www.eco-burger.com

Cherry Creek Mall/Cherry Creek Trail ~

Great place for walking or a bike ride, the area along the back side of the Mall is one of my favorite stretches of the Cherry Creek Trail and has plenty of adjacent lawns for sprint workouts.

Relaunch of The Eternal Stew

Years ago (okay, just two years ago), I launched this blog to publish some humor sort of pieces. I quickly gave up on it. Frankly, I didn't have much to say.

Lately, though, I've felt called to talk about my experiences with living a primal lifestyle per Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint. It's been eight weeks, and it's changed me.

It's not just the 17 pounds I've lost so far. It's something more.

Since 2007, when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea, I've studied nutrition. I learned about glycemic loads, Omega 3 fatty acids, micronutrients, inflammation, etc. To what effect? I lost weight, gained it back, tried all sorts of approaches (regular low carb, the Zone, South Beach, Mediterranean, allergy elimination, etc). I've known most the pieces. I've known Conventional Wisdom is wrong. I ate mostly whole foods, hit the gym regularly for strength and cardio.

Where did it get me?

Two months ago, I had my annual physical and had high blood sugar. I weighed the same I did in 2007. A lot of effort. Nothing gained.

That night, I started reading Mark's Daily Apple. I started the Primal Blueprint. It made complete sense as to what I was doing wrong. Two weeks later, my blood sugar was in the acceptable range. My HDL (known by most as the "good" cholesterol) was up a tick.

In a month, I'll go back for another blood sugar test. Already, though, after 17 pounds melting away, I can tell you, this is the right way to eat and exercise.

So that's what this blog is about. I may still throw in some humor pieces here in there, but I'll be spending a lot of time talking about my experiences trying to become more primal, healthier, and happier.