I’ve wanted to participate in the Weekend Engagement initiative hosted by @galenkp since my return to Hive, but something would always come up that prevented me from following through. When I saw the topic for this weekend, I was compelled to lay aside the other posts I’ve been working on and share some of my journey through 2021 and what made it so memorable to me.
There were many changes for me in 2021 and most of the changes were centered around getting more healthy and taking responsibility for my weight and general poor health. So my most memorable moment of 2021 cannot be defined by a single point in time, but by a series of small choices……a small change here and there……a wiser approach to one small aspect of my life and then another. My most memorable moment of 2021 was the culmination of these small choices and life decisions that led to a journey of enlightenment and better health for myself.
I’m working on a much more detailed post about this crazy journey I’ve been on since Feb. 2021 but, in short, I lost 140lbs in 10 months. I’m nowhere near where I need to eventually be, but I’m almost a whole person closer than I was this time last year. In January 2021, I went to my doctor to renew my handful of prescription meds for the multitude of ailments that were directly related to my obesity. They could never get a weight on me due to the capacity of their scales and I would just tell them the weight I “felt” I was at each yearly visit. I knew my weight was out of control, but I was not facing it. That day they had a new scale and it was able to force me to face the reality that I had allowed myself to balloon to 452lbs. I instantly was jolted by the intimately prophetic truth that I would be dead within two year if something didn’t change. So, change I did.
There are a plethora of reasons personally, professionally, emotionally, and mentally that I allowed myself to get to that point, but in reality, in the brutal honesty I like to live in, they are all just excuses. I started a keto eating style the day of the doctor visit because I had lost weight doing that many years before. This time it was slow and seemed to be much less effective and I began looking for something else because I felt I was losing the battle and my grip on my resolve to change. I also started researching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for exercise because I knew it would be the most beneficial to my job and interesting enough to keep me captivated. Through watching some BJJ podcasts, Joe Rogan, and Jordan Peterson clips, the Carnivore Diet kept popping up. It sounded exactly designed for me, a life-long meat eater and had been tried by several people I respected. I started eating a fairly strict Carnivore Diet in the beginning of February 2021 and also started BJJ at the same time.
The weight began to drop off faster than my clothes could keep up with and I dropped several belt sizes to be able to keep my pants attached to me lolol. The weight loss was amazing but there were a multitude of medical problems that were either completely cured by eliminating sugars and carbs or cleared up by 75% (I’ll go into much more detail in my other posts about eating a carnivore lifestyle). I feel better than I did in my 20s and I know I have a new lease on life that I don’t intend to ever squander or take for granted. I am a better husband, father, grandfather, and cop because of these small daily decisions.
I did this a few months after turning 47 years old. I average 3-4 hard bjj sessions a week and at least 2-3 days of lifting heavy in the gym. My goals for the coming year is to continue to get down to my target weight and my only goal for the rest of the year is to keep making positive choices with food and exercise to maintain that target weight. I plan to eat a carnivore lifestyle for the rest of my life as I honestly feel it is the proper human diet (I didn’t say you had to feel this way lolololol). I hope you continue to practice bjj and I hope to earn my second belt level of blue belt before this time next year.
If you read nothing else….read this….it is NEVER too late to seize your dreams and change the path you’re on…..you can climb whatever proverbial wall is staring you in the face every day….you have so much more inside you than you can even imagine! How do I know? Because an old, obsese man like myself found it inside me…and if I can find it in me….I know it lives in your soul too!
All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter,
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
-Tolkien
that is amazing .. 140lbs in 10months.. what a great achievement
Thanks! It has been a crazy journey!
Congratulations @papacrusher. You are an inspiration to those who want to loose weight for some healthy reasons. Stay safe.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment it is greatly appreciated!
You're welcome @papacrusher. ☺️
Great work my bro...But let's address the elephant in the room...That is:
You looking like a sexy beast whilst tumbling on the matts with a little BJJ action.
I had to mention it as no one else did.
Thanks for posting this for my WE81...And just for yourself.
Thanks, brother! I just need to work on a signature facial expression....like The Rock's eyebrow or something.....oh I know I could stare into the camera and purse my lips!!!!!
The duckface pout bro...You should do it.
Not.
Thank you for writing your story. I SO needed to hear this.
Thank you for taking the time to read it, it has been a wonderful journey and much easier than I ever expected after the first week or two!
Wow! What a wonderful story.
Weight is a running battle for me. The current trend is down (about a pound per week for the last 6 months) with at least 6 months to go...
It seems I ate really well during the lockdown phase of the pandemic :) I'm doing moderate carb (less than 100 grams) and IF. Mostly 16-8 with a couple 18-6 per week. It's working for me.
I'm glad you have become active in your youth (jk), my activity level isn't particularly good and at age 70 there is a lot that I'll never get back. That is squarely on my shoulders.
So. Good year for you, and that makes me happy.
Thanks for taking the time read and comment, I really appreciate it. A pound a week is nothing to sneeze at and I always look at it like compounding interest. At the end of the year, that is some serious "gains" (lolol).
IF has been a major factor as well. I usually do 20-4 with some 18-6 in there. I never started out with the intention of IF, if just was kind of on accident. I was so satisfied with eating carnivore that I begin to notice I was going to bed and forgot to eat supper every few days or so and then it became I was never hungry for supper. I then started researching and found all the amazing benefits associated with IF and I plan to keep it in place. One of my goals this year is to do a full fast every Monday as a "reset". I found that sometimes that helps when I hit plateaus.
Thank you again for taking the time to drop by and give some input!
See, I should have been listening to Tom and Jerry this whole time! Between them and Bugs, I learned everything else I needed to be a semi-successful adult!!! lololol
That is an awesome achievement, I m super impressed!
Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to comment! It was a long-overdue necessary step and I'm so very thankful for the journey so far.
You're welcome. I can only imagine what it took to lose those pounds. I wish I'd find a diet that a) works and b) I can stick to. Carnivore is definitely not for me! And even keto 😅
Hi @papacrusher
What a phenomenal post and you are truly inspiring with your consistent efforts, you are so right that making a few small changes can all add up over time and breaking down the big challenges into smaller efforts makes it easier.
I must admit I'm tempted to try the carnivore diet to lose all the baby weight I've put on during this pregnancy - mostly because I love eating meat (I'm a South African boer meisie) but also to shed the extra 15kgs :)
I am so glad that you are feeling healthier, happier and much more alive, that is awesome. Keep up the excellent work and have a wonderful year!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and to stay and comment. I love the interactions of Hive. I now it seems crazy, but after the second week there was no arduous effort at all. All cravings and addictions (for the most part lolol) were just....gone.
January happens to be world carnivore month and it is a way for advocates to get their message out there and for interested people to give it a try for 30 days. There are tons of people who just keep going after the 30 days because of the amazing benefits and how phenomenal they feel.
I working on a much more detailed post about my little adventure, but a few people that really inspired me were Laura Spath and her husband Chris. They are just two regular people who got tired of being sick and tired. They are so transparent about their ups and downs with their journey and they each lost over 100lbs within a year. She has a Youtube channel and they both have an Instagram. My two go to experts are Dr. Ken Berry and Dr. Paul Sualdino. Dr. Berry is very plain spoken and down to Earth and Dr. Sauldino will make your head hurt with scientific data lololol They both have Youtube channels and Dr. Berry does a weekly live streaming Q & A on Monday nights.
Happy New Year to you and I hope that it is exceedingly blessed!
Wow Congrats on that amazing achievement! Hopefully 2022 will be a year full of healthy choices for you!
Thank you! I'm setting more goals for the coming year and I hope to continue on this path for many years to come!
Get that triangle choke ready, and don't forget to shrimp 😄!
Damn!!! 140 lbs, what a stunning transformation, truly incredible and inspiring! Congrats on a life changing year!
lolol I've still got another 20 or 30lbs before I can lock in the triangle but I'm getting close! Shrimping is my jam, sir! lolol Thanks for the comment and support it has been an awesome journey and I'm looking forward to the next year and what it may bring.
No doubt you'll be a blue belt in a few months if you keep rolling 3 times a week, wow!
I did lose some weight but it was over the years, yours was just incredible! I can sense your determination had skyrocketed! What an achievement last year indeed @papacrsuh! Cheers to wellness! 😁
Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement! This has been such a crazy journey so far and I'm looking forward to how it continues!
140lbs is huge! Congrats on the progress so far and the changes younhave implemented. It is funny, I was just listening to The Search on the DailyWire where Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson were sitting down and chatting about various things. Jordan mentioned his carnivore diet and eating 1-3lbs of steak a day. I don't really know anything g about the car ivore diet-sounds like hou jist eat meat?? Anywayx he also mentioned weight loss had been quick for him as well.
I can imagine you feeling so much better after your changes! Again, Thanks for sharing.
Funny how things work. Thank you for your kind words and your support. Joran Peterson's daughter actually had RA so bad she had an ankle and knee(maybe hip) replacement by the time she was 16 and now she is completely symptom free due to eating carnivore.
yep that's basically it. Meat, eggs, butter, and small amounts of cheese and avoid most other dairy except occasionally heavy cream.
I feel better than I did in my 20s!
Doh! Sorry for the typos. I am on my phone and my fingers still can't hit the right keys!
It sounds delicious. Did it take you a while to get over sugar cravings?? My sweet tooth is mighty powerful.
When I was doing keto for the month of January 2021, the cravings were crazy rough(just like always, right!??! lolol) but about a week or two into carnivore they just disappeared. The only "craving" I have now is when I do a longer fast I start craving fatty meat like a ribeye or pork belly. lolol
So far so good on that front!
Amazing! What an accomplishment @papacrusher. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story, you are a true inspiration! And I will go back and read more about your journey because you made me super curious! Have a great weekend!
This is really a great achievement, you have every reason to be very proud of yourself!
Felicidades qué buena labor haces para estar comunidad y lo que haces por ti que excelente de verdad que es admirable lo que haces Dios te bendiga