Losing 16.4 lbs in 42 Days

Eating by way of the Primal lifestyle is really second nature at this point. Meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables, nuts, butter, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, occassional small amounts of dairy, and my weekly piece of 85% dark chocolate – that’s the name of the game, and from it I’ve made a lot of tasty things.

So as you can see in the graph, my weight loss slowed down over the past 21 days, as expected. Looking at the full 42 days though, the results are very significant, and one day when I post before and after picture from when I was 197, you’ll see the big image change.

  • Total Inches Loss – 14 inches – via Myotape
  • Total Weight Loss – 16.4 lbs – via Digital Scale
  • Total Bodyfat Loss – 5.3% – via Omron

The way I approached these 21 days was exactly the same as I did the previous 21 days. The only thing I noticed, since I post pictures of 90% of what I eat to facebook, is that I consumed a bit more dairy. Regardless, I’m pretty happy with my progression.

I honestly can’t say that I have a very clear goal of where I want to get to. I have a clear goal for how I like to eat healthy, I have a clear goal of losing bodyfat (and I know my weight will drop with it for awhile).

One good side effect of eating Primal is that I’ve been whipping up some cool dishes. So not only have we made infinitely better food choices when eating out, but also choosing grassfed meat when possible and cooking at home when time allows.

Food Porn

Big Tim's Grok Pot Orange-Garlic Chicken

 

Cage free eggs, turkey bacon, and a bigass tomato covered in garlic.

 

Curry chicken, carrots, broccoli, artichoke, beats, and salad - Corbet & Conley.

22 ounce ribeye, mixed veggies, and salad, all smothered in Chipotle Butter

Thoughts

The biggest side effect of eating Primal is having everyone ask about it. On one hand, everyone wants to know how you got your results, on the other hand many people want to argue that meals should be balanced out with grains. There are 10 or so frequently asked questions and arguments that people throw my way.

Most of the time it’s not a problem to show them some scientific research to point them in the right direction. However, sometimes I get challenged, and I really don’t have a good answer, which is probably the best side effect, because it forces me to go out there, ask my own questions, find more research, and be able to give an intelligent answer the next time around.

Again, huge thanks to Mark Sisson, he has been the biggest influence in me learning and doing the Primal Lifestyle, providing amazing research to bring to life all his principles, and for being a genuine non-judgmental person that’s changed countless people’s lives. Big thanks to Tim Ferriss, since he has inspired me to keep better metrics and self-experiment. Also big thanks to Martin Berkhan, for having the most comprehensive articles on intermittent fasting, and spitting out the best research articles on facebook and twitter.

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So what am I working on next? I’m going to continue eating with no grains, no sugar, no alcohol. I want to see how lean I can get by August 26th, the day after my boards, and the day Marina and I leave for our 10 day trip to Paris. I’m also in the process of doing a 6 week 100 pushup challenge – I don’t know if it will get done in 6 weeks, or maybe a couple more, but I’ll post a video of me doing the 100 pushups on here, with a graph of my weekly pushup to show how I did it.

If you’re curious about my results in the next 21 days, or my pushup challenge, and want to see some more things I cook up, then add yourself to the mailing list, and I’ll see you soon.

Comment on this post, I’d like to know what kind of things motivate you to be healthy.

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Posted by in Health | July 6, 2011 | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumble | Print | 18 comments

  • http://www.easygolfsystems.com Jonathon

    Looks like my kind of diet. Fortunately I have the metabolism of a garden worm so at age 61 I’m basically the same size and weight as in my 30s. I eat whatever I like without changing my physique and my only regular exercise is 3-4 rounds of golf every week.

    • http://alexshalman.com/ Alex Shalman

      It’s good that you’re staying lean. However, I would like to propose that there are other factors than bodyfat that contribute to a person’s health. A super-high metabolism, while making someone thin (which is a good thing), also forces your mitochondria to work harder and produce more damaging reactive oxygen species (a bad thing).

      Maybe it’s time to slow it down? :)

      • John T.

         …you could also be the so-called “skinny fat”, where you have underlying health problems caused by grain consumption.  Being skinny does not infer being healthy.  I don’t know ya, so I can’t say, but grains catch up to and surprise many people, skinny or otherwise.

  • Masterbuild

    Great job Alex! You’ve changed your life for the better!!

    • http://alexshalman.com/ Alex Shalman

      Thanks. I feel so much healthier now. My clothes don’t fit, I’m swimming in them, but I welcome the sacrifice. :)

  • Geri

    Losing weight is not personal development. It is bowing to social pressure to be thin at any cost, REGARDLESS of how you approach it. 
    unsubscribed. 

    • http://alexshalman.com/ Alex Shalman

      I don’t think that eating healthy is bowing to social pressure. On the contrary, most people don’t eat healthy, so it’s pretty much going against the grain (pun intended). If me sharing great results and how it’s possible for you and anyone else is too intimidating for you, I understand, and sad to see you go.

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  • Mrsean1999

    Whenever I dabble with primal eating, by the end of day 1  I get light headed, irritible, have problems thinking- basically my blood sugar drops and I bonk. 

    Did that happen to you?  

    • http://alexshalman.com/ Alex Shalman

      No, that doesn’t happen to me. I can remember many times over the past 2 years when I was fueled by coffee, sugar, and bagels, and studying 16 hours a day, that not eating for awhile would give me the symptoms you described.

      I can also see that if you’re instantly trying to cut yourself off from a sugar addiction that you would experience those symptoms. My suggestion would be to take baby steps into the transition.

      I can go 24 hours without a problem and not get light headed, not get irritable, and continue to study. I’ll experience hunger during that time, but it’s not a high-level hunger, not painful, and a cup of water or sipping on some coffee with heavy cream (no sugar) quenches that pretty quickly.

      Like I learned from Mark – it takes your metabolism 2-3 weeks to switch from being a sugar burner to being a fat burner. Once that adjustment is made, missing meals isn’t a problem, because your body will find some excess fat on your body and consume that.

      My friend John Roman (roman fitness) fasts twice a week – I think he’s following the eat stop eat system, and he drinks only water and some green tea / coffee on fast days and says he feels great (even lifts).

      So the main point is, it’s not eating healthy that is giving you the symptoms, it’s the process of breaking your addiction.

      • Mrsean1999

        I have a weird metabolism- I eat 2 times what most other men eat, but am 6’5″ weigh about 200 lbs.   When I was eating mostly carbs I couldn’t last more than a few hours without food, but have gotten better with a meatier diet.

        Thanks for the feedback!

        • http://alexshalman.com/ Alex Shalman

          Consider to adding more fat to your high protein diet. Like half an avacado and a handful of macadamia or almonds into your daily routine. That should quench some of that hunger :-)

          • Mrsean1999

            Trust me, I do eat plenty of fat  :)    Will continue to refine the diet.  Thanks!

          • http://alexshalman.com/ Alex Shalman

            You’re welcome.

            That’s all that matters, is that you consciously look to make improvements. Small changes add up to big wins.

      • phil

        I use coconut milk instead of dairy in my coffee.  I think it adds alot to the coffee and is more primal.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=641437794 Nikola Majcenovic

    What motivates me to be and stay healthy is having more energy and knowing that I’m preparing myself for a good future down the road. the last thing I want is to get a cancer or some other disease and die a slow death (although it can always happen).
    But after defeating my arrhythmia by merely changing my diet, I’m inclined more than ever to stick with this kind of life. You can read my whole story (along with complete medical documentation) here:

    http://www.mcarticles.com/a/how-i-cured-my-arrhythmia-a-personal-story

  • Alex Shaikh

    Nice information but i will stay away from bacon not only is against my religion but the animal is unclean (
    Leviticus, chapter 11, v. 7 ) -Alex (http://www.alexshaikh.com)

  • Angel Higgs

    TippyToeTippy; Hello I do look forward to reading about your success I’ve  always been interested in learning more about different foods and learning more on eating more healthy  as apposed to just eating to feel that hunger pain. I’ve been  struggling  so hard to loose weight in a good  healthy way I love what am learning hear so I will return  to read up on your success.
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