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!