Well one to take up some space, two to brag that I’m a social butterfly and three to let you know that a fat bastard like me actually participated. What do I mean by participation?

I mean that I actually had fun at all these events, I got involved. I danced with my wife at the wedding. I beat up my kids, nephews and nieces in the pool while they tried to drown me during my brother in laws barbeque. At the other barbeque, I played football and also played keep away in the pool against some tough high school football players. Side Note: Keep away with high school kids a very physical game. I was up late every night, but I still “played.” I had fun!

Two years ago I would never have done such things, I would of sat there eating and drinking until I fucken exploded. You can see a recent picture of me now on the About John page. You can see I’m a fat fuck. But a fit fat fuck. I have to credit my fitness to my muay thai training at The Phalanx in Toms River, New Jersey.

I’ve always had in my mind that since I am fat, I am therefore not good enough to enjoy things. Yes I am on the weight loss trail and I struggle with it. However, I learned that no matter what, I need to participate in things whether my speedo fit’s right or not.

Now let’s talk about the importance of exercise. We all know that exercise is important. But how much are we supposed to exercise? Here are recommendations from the government:

As Per the CDC Web Site(Ages 18 – 64) states:

For important health benefits they recommend: On a weekly basis you should get, 2 hours and 30 minutes of aerobic activity or, 75 minutes of vigorous activity or, you can mix and match the vigorus activity with the moderate aerobic activity. No matter what option you choose, you need to take 2 days a week for strength training.

They also have another tier for “Greater Health Benefits”. That includes: On a weekly basis you should get, 5 hours of aerobic activity or, 150 minutes of vigorous activity or, you can mix and match the vigor0us activity with the moderate aerobic activity. No matter what option you choose, you need to take 2 days a week for strength training.

If I kept up these recommendations I would be hungry, tired and hurting all the time. No mind you, I did try to do it this way for many years. The bottom line is I fail every time. Also I never have enough time. Now that I work out twice a week I am much less sore and my body heals for the next workout. I think the pay off is good.

Keep in mind I work out very hard and vigorously in kick boxing classed for 75 minutes a session twice a week. It’s the only way I can do it and I stick with it.

I’m not a doctor. So what I say doesn’t mean much. However, I’m getting the idea now that eating right is most important and my workout schedule is paying off.

Let’s see what happens……

- John

Resources:

Two Big Fat Guys Home Page

We’ll deal with the most popular first, which is some variation of:

“But Pat, you aren’t fat anymore!”

There are a few ways for me to approach that.  The first is to remind you that that was the whole reason we started this – to see what would work for actual fat guys living in the real world.  The Primal Blueprint worked a lot better for me than the dietary insanity of timed eating, fruit sucking, blah, blah, blah that John half-heartedly attempted.  He had a tough time sticking to his plan, and my plan was a breeze.  In fact, my attempt was half-hearted too (don’t tell him I said that), yet I was still successful.  Or was I?

And that’s my next point.  Am I really done? And I don’t mean that in the “it’s a lifetime commitment” kind of way.  I mean, am I really thin?  The answer is, no.  I’m certainly thinner, but not thin.  I still can’t do the Special K pinch yet (but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be eating Special K… well, at least not the cereal).  I think our idea of fat has changed over the years.  If you don’t believe me, watch the movie Fatso.

I remember seeing it years ago and thinking, “Dom DeLuise is one fat bastard.”  When I see it now I think, “Dom was lookin’ kinda svelte back then.”  I’m not saying that I’m in Dom’s category (or John’s), but I never took it all the way to “beach body” status.  The best I can say is that I’m “less portly.”

So maybe while I’m putting on the finishing touches, and John’s still figuring out that he’s better off eating some damn meat or eggs in the morning instead of a piece of fruit, we should search for another fat guy.  Somebody out there who’s tired of doing all of the stupid crap that conventional wisdom tells us to do and is ready to join us.  Then another when John gets there, then another, and another until there are no fat guys left in the world!

“Whatever happened to Combat Fitness and/or Crossfit?”

Technically, I’m still using Combat Fitness.  I’m still doing many of the same exercises; I’ve just pared it down and scaled it a bit.  just last night while I was doing myotatic crunches on my Stott ball (I’m too cheap to buy a Bosu Ball), I realized that it’s just a short roll into a back bridge, so I threw those back into the mix as well.  And by “scaled,” I mean that there aren’t too many easier versions of the exercises that I can start off with.

CrossFit was awesome.  I learned a lot while I was there, and made some real progress.  Then I got a job that only allowed me to make the 6AM class.  That meant that I had to get up at around 4:30.  See, if you’re gonna CrossFit, you’d better crap before you go.  For me that means a lot of coffee and moving around..  But I recommend it; if you’re thinking about it, check out this advice on picking a CrossFit gym:  http://www.crossfitatlanta.com/crossfit_atlanta/choosing-a-crossfit-gym.html

The Primal Blueprint Fitness plan is also a little easier for me to scale than the others.  By that I mean that rather than feel like a failure because I can’t do this or that (especially when I can’t do it in front of a bunch of other people), I can do the easier version until I progress to the next step.  Take pushups.  Pushups can be really difficult for many people at first.  With PBF, you can start as easy as doing pushups while standing, and leaning slightly into a wall.  Then progress to “girl” pushups  on your knees when the wall pushups become too easy.  Progress happens a lot quicker when you don’t kid yourself into thinking that scaling is for weaklings.  You can do all of this at home where no one can see you, so be honest with yourself and scale!  I’ve made progress pretty quickly, and so can anyone else.  (I still can’t do a stupid unassisted pull-up though.)

“Why don’t you give more tips?”

I think we do give some tips here and there, but, to be quite honest, there are plenty of better places to get tips out there.  Then again, there are plenty of worse ones too.  I get most of my tips from http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ anyway, so why bother regurgitating them?  As much as we joke about being a fitness and nutrition experts, we’re not.  We’re experts in being fat guys, and that’s something that most of the other gurus can’t say.  We’ve been there, tried that, and can tell you what’s bullshit.  Usually.

“You’ve come so far, and done all of these healthy things, yet you still smoke!”

You’re right.  Fuck it.  Gimme a large calzone and a Coke.

Resources:

Well, today I go back to training after taking off the last month. I’m nervous about all the pain I am bringing on myself. I shouldn’t have taken off for that long. The excuses I have are that I’ve been so busy with work and family issues that I couldn’t get to the gym. STILL… I could have moved my fat ass to work out at least once a week. Which leads me to my next thought.

I’ve decided that since I’ve been very busy these days, that I’ll only be working out once or twice a week.  It’s what I feel is realistic until things calm down, but according to our resident Primal Guru, Pat, once or twice a week should be good enough… as long as I keep up with my diet.  Ok, so I’m not working out as frequently as I think I should. However, I am game. Remember we are just doing our best here. You do what you can do and that’s it!

So since I’ll only be working out twice a week. I’ll need to make it my best effort. In line with The Primal Blueprint (and the Primal Blueprint Fitness ebook, which you can download for free at marksdailyapple.com) moving around a lot at a slow pace, lifting heavy things (myself), and I’ll be sprinting once in a while.  So that should get’er done. That means I will go to kick boxing twice a week. I can’t think of a better way to get all lifting and explosive movements in.

I’m thinking that in the future- when I get more conditioned- that I may start doing P90X in the morning. Hopefully by then I’ll be strong enough to scrape the dust off of the DVDs.

As for my eating plan, I am set up for eating Primal all week. However, I will eat more in a Warrior Diet format where I under eat during the day and have a big meal at night. This will be perfect for me since I will be starving after kickboxing class tonight.

The main thing is stay with the diet.  We’ll see what happens. Until next time…John

John’s got a pretty good plan going on there.  As much as I like busting his chops, I don’t think the not working out part is all that bad.  Though I’m not too familiar with the Warrior Diet (YES!  Found one that’s not on my bookshelf), my understanding is that it’s essentially IFing (intermittent fasting) more or less every day, and that falls right in line with The Primal Blueprint.  As long as that “under eating” isn’t too fruit heavy, and the one large meal is completely Primal.

Here’s what I’m trying to get John to understand:  Follow the eating plan, and the rest will fall into place.  Eat well and clean, don’t be afraid of fat, keep your carbs low, etc… and you won’t believe the things that start happening.

The Taube’s books explained to me why I had the energy to exercise after I nailed down the eating, but you don’t need to know about that to feel it.  Once your body makes the switch from fat storage to fat burning you’ll have the energy to exercise.  You will not burn fat by exercising if your body is in fat storage mode.  At least not for any sustained period of time without being starving and miserable.  Focus on getting that slow pace movement in first.  Park at the furthest parking space, take the dog for an extra trip around the block, pace while you’re on the phone… all the crap you’ve heard a hundred times before.  Eventually you’ll notice that you like it.  That there’s a steady source of fuel that can keep you going for longer than you ever thought possible.  That’s your fat burning.

After the fat starts feeding you, and you’re supercharged with energy, you’ll probably want to lift heavy things.  Maybe even sprint.

You’ll also notice that once you’re off the insulin roller coaster IFing, or Warrior style eating is almost effortless.  You just don’t get hungry until you’re… well, hungry.

I’m doing pretty well so far.   I’ve begun to sprint.  Twice now.  I have to confess, I actually kind of enjoy it.  My whole problem is where I do it.  There’s a hill that goes up to a cemetery in my subdivision.  Perfect hill for hill sprints, except for the fact that it leads to an area that overlooks the whole neighborhood.  Beautiful view, but it also means that I’m on display as I run (okay… waddle) up, and walk down, over and over for ten minutes or so.  I imagine my neighbors saying, “Is that Pat who keeps running up that hill?  Is he chasing something?  Why is he crying?”

I’m told that the comments are once again active.  So what’d’ya think?…..Pat

Alright.  We’re back.  And this time it’s for real.  The stakes are higher now.  John has lost a dear friend.  That friend is his penis.  He can still see him in the mirror, but that’s just not the same.  I decided that it was time to help him find his friend.  It’s time for all of us to help him.  Just make sure you wear gloves.

John:

Yeah. We’re back. I won’t go on the defensive here. But believe me it’s not the belly fat that’s keeping me from seeing it. Pat has lost a lot of weight, but he needs our help too.  You see, now he CAN see his penis.  Naturally, he’s very depressed about it.  Let’s see if we can support him, and cheer him up.  Sometimes you’re better off keeping these things hidden (as I chose to do)!

Pat:

Seriously, though… we’ve been away for far too long.  As you can see, John has been working on the site.  It’s really starting to look good, but it’s taking him some time.  His computer keeps shorting out from all of the Cheetos dust. That’s probably why he still doesn’t have the pictures up.

John:

He’s really going to look like an idiot when people read this and the pictures are up.

Pat:

I’m going to make another proposal.  A challenge to John, right here, in front of all of us.  He posts the pictures now, and we post new ones on the last day of the month, every month.  What do you think, John?

John:

Sure.  Sounds good to me. Ladies you may want to stand back, I can’t be responsible for the effects my good looks and giant belly will have over you! We’ll post when they are up.

Pat:

A quick update from me:  I’m at 193, slightly more muscular, and sticking to The Primal Blueprint more often than not, but probably not enough.  I’m following most of Mark’s fitness plan.  I move around a lot at a slow pace (still use the Omron every day), lift heavy things (myself) a couple of times a week, but still haven’t sprinted with any regularity.  I’ve just started adding a couple of exercises that I picked up from The Four Hour Body.  I’ll review that book in detail later.  For now I’ll just say that it’s worth checking out, but keep in mind that I’m trying to get that bookshelf to eight feet by the end of the year.

Why We Get Fat, and What to Do About It was exactly what I expected.  A more easily digestible version of Good Calories, Bad Calories.  I’d highly recommend picking it up.

John:

I’m at 245. So far haven’t been doing much as far as working out goes. I’ve been very busy expanding my business and dealing with a lot of bullshit. However, one thing I’ve been doing is refining my diet over the last few weeks.

I started out with the Lemonade Diet to detox for a few days, then I started eating right. Lot’s more raw fruits and vegatables and I reduced the processed food. I still fast in the morning (maybe I’ll have a piece of fruit).

Then when 12:00 noon hits, I have a small meal and some coffee after 12:00. Then I have a big meal at night. I’ve been getting all my meal ideas from the Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals: Delicious, Primal-approved meals you can make in under 30 minutes. I’ve lost 10 lbs on the way! But my main point is to be healthy not losing weight that I don’t have to lose.

As I mentioned working out is a different story because of my time limitations. So I need to rethink my standards here. I’m only going to be able to work out twice a week, if that. So when I do get the chance, they need to be quick workouts. More on that on further posts. The main thing is getting myself to participate.

See you next time!

After that it was back to the stresses of work and dealing with the bullshit of losing weight. By October I was all ready pissed about it. I didn’t want to bother with the stresses that are involved with losing weight anymore. Then I had an epiphany. Losing weight shouldn’t be stressful. Sound familiar?

The Epiphany

So I came to the realization that I was back to my old ways of losing weight. By that I mean that I found myself doing things that I hate to do. You know what happens then, right? You wind up hating of all this bullshit and you don’t wanna do it anymore. It becomes a chore. The guilt wears you down.
So I decided that I just want to be healthy. I need a healthy way of eating that I can enjoy and benefit from at the same time. I need to avoid the life styles that promote starvation and depression. That’s what I really want. What’s the point of going from a pre-diabetic to a suicidal maniac?

Let’s not forget… losing weight can be unhealthy. Just take a look at some of these folks that starve themselves. They look miserable. They feel miserable. They look sickly. They feel sickly. And are they any healthier for it? No. They’re miserable and sickly. There’s no reason to lose weight if the end game is not going to be optimal health.

I’ve always been what fighters call a heavy weight (206-265)1, but a fat fuck is something I shouldn’t be. Maybe I can get down to a light heavy weight (186-205)1, but a bantam weight? Doubtful. But who cares?

I’m not going to worry about the numbers anymore. The numbers suck. They’re garbage. It’s a total distraction from what I really need to do, and that’s be healthy. Sometimes it takes 2 weeks of hard work to make that dial on the scale move, but I’m not going to worry about that anymore. I mean, I’ll still be glad to report the numbers to you to keep that “Biggest Loser” feeling on here, but I’m gonna judge myself more by how I feel, than by what the dial says.

So where am I at now?

I’m hovering around the 240 to 245 range. I lost 45 lbs since the beginning of the year. Like I said, the weight loss is a symptom of what I gained. First and foremost, I feel really good. My clothes are starting to feel comfortable again.

I am fitting into my skinny jeans again (size 42 waist)! No more Casual Male for me!

I’m also a participant in life again. I’m active with my kids and I can run around without getting out of breath. I’m feeling good about getting off the couch without some type of small incident happening.

How did I do it? Was it Fit for Life? The Primal Blue Print? Paleo? Muay Thai? I’ll let you know in my next post… if I get around to it.
-John

References:
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Fighting_Championship#Weight_divisions

I never thought that a pedometer could be such an important part of a fitness plan, but now that I know, I’m glad I got this one.

The Omron HJ-303 uses “Smart Sense” technology to accurately measure steps and calories burned at any angle you place it. That means you can hold the pedometer while working out, or use the included clip or just throw it in your pocket, when you’re ready for a walk or a run, or just keep it on you all the time to see how much you’re actually walking in a day. Either way, you’ll get good results.

We all know that pedometers aren’t perfect, but this one has been very good for me, and I am very picky when it comes to technology. I manually counted my steps (yes… I can count and walk at the same time) and it didn’t miss one.  I find this model to be highly accurate and reliable.

Omron HJ 303 Product features

The thing I like most about the HJ-303 model is it’s design. It’s a small rectangle with smoothly rounded edges so it slips easily in and out of your pocket. That’s why I like the included pocket clip. You won’t lose it if it falls out.

Also, the pedometer is easy to set up. All you need to do is measure 10 steps and the pedometer does the rest.  It starts counting your steps, and it keeps track of the distance too.  It seems to keep pretty accurate mileage, but you might want to use ten steps of your running stride if you’re primarily going to use it for running.

There is a daily mode and a trip mode. This way you can keep track of certain workouts, you’re weekly totals… whatever you want. The trip mode is easy to reset.

It also keeps seven days of history.  Pat uses this function to “step up” his steps.  When he first started using a pedometer he made a game of making sure that he always got more steps in a day then he did the last.

I also like the fact that it has a sleep mode. The display shuts off after 5 minutes. This is great for saving battery power.

One minor drawback of the Omron HJ-303 GoSmart Tri-Axis Pocket Pedometer that there is no reset button for the daily mode. If you’re like Pat, and you keep track of every step, it’s not a big deal, but if you want to track just one workout you have to use trip mode.

While I am not a running enthusiast, I do believe walking is a great way to keep in shape. This little device encourages me to keep moving. I work from home during the day, so it’s too easy to stay at my desk, not moving around much. You might say… sedentary.  Not anymore!  I’m big on accountability, and, somehow, this little device holds me accountable.  I put it in my pocket in the morning, and check it periodically during the day.  If my step count looks a little low as the day wears on, it motivates me to get up and move around.

Now I stand while I work.  There are lots of benefits to standing rather than sitting (maybe I’ll get around to talking more about that in a later post), but the most important one is that it’s easy to pace around a bit.  Keeps me on my toes… so to speak.  And those steps add up!

So if you’re an avid walker or runner and would like to measure your steps, this is a great device.  If your not too big on walking or running, the Omron may change your mind!

I highly recommend the Omron HJ-303 GoSmart Tri-Axis Pocket Pedometer. I’ve tried some of the others, and this one is the best yet.  If you care about accuracy of your next pedometer and need something very practical and accurate this pedometer is for you.

If you like to learn more about the pedometer. Please click the link below:

Omron HJ-303 GoSmart Tri-Axis Pocket Pedometer

-       John

I’m still convinced that diet is most of the equation (189!).  The Primal Blueprint makes a pretty convincing case that our ancestors had it right, but for those of you who need a little more convincing, I’d suggest Gary Taubes’s Good Calories, Bad Calories.  I haven’t kept my reading habits a secret from you, and even for a voracious reader like me it was tough.  It took me months to finish. It’s a deeply scientific book.  The good news for those of you who are worried about having science class flashbacks is that Taubes has a more reader friendly book coming out, Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It. 

One of the things that I learned from Good Calories, Bad Calories is that it’s not that we lose weight because we exercise, it’s that we exercise because we’re losing weight.  Once you start metabolizing your own fat instead of burning the carbs you’re eating, you’ll have more energy to exercise.  So forget about everything you’ve been told.  You can’t really rely on the “calories in/calories out” crap that they push on The Biggest Loser to lose weight.  

I do have a lot of extra energy, but I’m still not exercising like I should be.  I mean, I’m doing the most important thing, and that’s moving around a lot at low intensity.  Mark talks a lot about it in The Primal Blueprint, and you can get some more great tips in Move a Little, Lose a Lot.  I still use my Omron HJ-303 pedometer to get my minimum of ten thousand steps a day, but that’s about it. 

I was doing okay with Combat Fitness.  Then, back around March, my wife and I started doing CrossFit (http://www.crossfit.com/).  It’s pretty intense.  If you want to “forge elite fitness,” there probably isn’t a better way to go.  If you’re interested in checking it out, I’d recommend checking out a local CrossFit gym.  Ours is great:  http://www.crossfitatlanta.com/ and I’d check out their website even if you aren’t in the Atlanta area, if only for their advice on finding a good CrossFit gym. 

I started a new job in May, and getting to class got harder and harder for me.  Especially because the job can be fairly physically demanding, and a tough WOD at 6AM would leave me shot by midday at work.  My wife’s job allows her to be a little less physically functional during the day, so she stuck with it, and she’s doing great. 

My wife’s new level of fitness has her feeling stronger than ever (she eats a lot more like I do now too), and much more… adventurous.  That’s why we signed up for The Warrior Dash (http://www.warriordash.com/).  And that leads me to tell you what my current problem is.  Beyond moving around a lot, my training regimen has been… well, let’s call it sporadic.  Bordering on non-existent. 

I’m already far more likely to finish that race (alive) than I was a year ago, but I’d like to make a better showing than I can right now.  I’d rather not have people see me vomit as I try to make it over the wall.  I’d rather they didn’t see me crying as I dangle upside-down from a cargo net.  I’d rather they didn’t smell my flesh burning because I passed out just in time to slide into the fire that I’m supposed to be jumping over. 

How am I going to pull this off?  That’s where the good news comes in.  You know how much I love buying books, but I’ve recently read one that I didn’t even have to buy, and you can get it for free too.  All you have to do is go over to http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ and subscribe to the newsletter. Don’t worry, he won’t flood you with email, but he will give you a code to download The Primal Blueprint Fitness eBook, and that’s what I’ll be following for the next five months to prepare for The Warrior Dash. 

But wait!  There’s more!  You’ll also get a copy of The Primal Blueprint Reader Generated Cookbook, and whoever submitted the recipe that starts on page 29 must surely be very handsome and intelligent! 

Be sure to let Mark know that Allbeef Patty sent you.  The last time he sent me a T-shirt I was moving from 2XL to XL, and now I’m between a large and a medium, so I could use a new one. 

John is losing some weight too.  I guess I was wrong about his Fit for Life, timed juicing, high fiber, food combining, nine meal a day plan.  Oh wait!  I wasn’t wrong!  He started having success when he switched over to my side!  Well… he did for the most part.  He’s still got a ways to go, but I’ll let him tell you all about that. 

Sorry about the long post, but, like I said, it’s been a while.

-Pat

Check out Patty’s delicous recipie for pulled pork. The best part is it’s economical and healthy and fits right in the Primal Blue Print universe! The link is right here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/garlic-pulled-pork/.

For more information on the Primal Blue Print and what it can do for you, go here: The Primal Blue Print.

Congratulations Pat!

The book has helped Pat lose a lot of weight and he’s been effortlessly sticking to the principles outlined in the book.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/march-17-mark-your-calendars-primal-blueprint-freebies

All the best, John.

Last time I told you that I’d talk more about walking, so here it goes. 

Walking is more important to your weight loss– and general well being– than most people realize.  It will have an effect on your digestion, metabolism, state of mind, and…  Wait a minute…  I forgot who I was talking to for a moment.  We aren’t “most people.” Fat guys know all this stuff.  We know that walking a bit will go a long way towards helping us reach our goals, yet we rarely do it.  Why?

Well, because we just don’t.  It can be really hard to develop a walking habit.  Taking the stairs.  Parking at the back of the parking lot.  We’ve heard it all before.  Looks good on paper, but even if we put that effort in, we don’t do it for long enough to really feel the benefit.

I got around that by getting a pedometer. I just wore it for a week while trying not to think about it.  Turns out I was doing five to six thousand steps a day.  That’s probably a little less than average, but not too bad.  Then I made it a game that I had to get more steps than I did the day before.  Now that spot in the back of the parking lot looks a lot better to me if I’m not on pace to make the days quota.  I take dishes out of the dishwasher one at a time to get the extra steps in.  Efficiency be damned.

If you’re interested in learning more about pedometers, I use the Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer. Here’s the page: Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer.

An unintended benefit is that because I try to walk as much as I can, I tend to be more engaged in the things that I’m doing while walking, and only those things. 

There’s a certain intensity, almost like it builds energy, that is especially evident when on the phone.  I feel like I’m actually paying attention to whoever I’m talking to.  Even when it’s my wife.  I’m finely honed in.  Instead of saying, “uh huh” over an over again as I read or check my email while on the phone, I’m actually participating.

But even with all that, I eventually had to hit the streets to hit the numbers.  It’s odd. I never really noticed how many people walk in my neighborhood.  And you know what?  They’re all thin.  But I have to tell you to be prepared if you decide to actually go so far as to take walks just for walking’s sake.  The skinny people will look at you kinda funny.  You can almost hear them wondering, “There’s something different about that walker, but I can’t quite put my finger on it… “

If you want some great tips and info, part of my six feet of knowledge id Move a Little, Lose a Lot, buy James Levine here’s the page if you’re interested: Move a Little, Lose a Lot: New N.E.A.T. Science Reveals How to Be Thinner, Happier, and Smarter.  It’s a great book, but only one piece of the puzzle.