MEET THE OLD BRETT
Well I've been athletic since childhood. I've also been injuring myself since childhood: accident prone a bit, engaging in high risk sports, adventure seeking (often under the influence of alcohol or drugs or both). But I was always athletic as I said, into "healthy eating", organics, yoga, massage & I was a fast healer & always bounced back from my injuries.
That all changed in Oct 2000, when I was hit by a drunk dump truck driver in N.Thailand, near the Lao/Burmese border. The area well known as the Golden Triangle. We had just come out of Burma, back into Thailand & were about to cross into Lao on our motorbikes, when I basically got run over on the highway by this drunk Thai guy... 9 surgeries over a 10 month span, most of the surgeries aiming to save & rebuild my left leg which was crushed & destroyed from the knee to the ankle. Plus 5 ruptured discs, broken bones top to bottom, bone, muscle, vein, & skin grafts.
It was approximately 18 months until I could work again & even then it was P/T in the beginning. I basically rehabilitated myself because the insurance company route sucked. They were holding me back from getting well quickly and fully. And my main surgeon agreed I ought to do it myself. So I did, to my own betterment but at considerable out-of-pocket expense, as insurance in the USA mostly doesn't cover a lot of the therapies & organic foods & herbs/supplements I was prescribing myself.
Like a lot of people with serious, permanent injuries (the ruptured discs) I restricted myself in a lot of ways, or else I hurt myself & caused even more pain than my "normal" daily levels of pain. Chronic pain, inflammation & caused me to severely restrict my recreation, fun & weight-bearing habits (like carrying my son on my shoulders). So my life was a LOT less fun, & I stopped doing yoga because it hurt my back & I felt it was probably injuring my spine further, instead of helping to heal it. Inflammation was the enemy, restricting my physical activities & exercise options became the norm & I gained a fair amount of weight, especially in the winters.
Along the way, I discovered Paleo then Primal lifestyle & embraced it. At my highest weight, last year, I was @ 165 lbs. Now I hover between 148 & 150-ish. This morning I weighed 148. I'm able to lift weights again, I swim & ride my bike, I walk a lot. I'm putting on muscle & my back hurts very little or not at all some days. That's a huge change for me! I feel like Primal/Paleo lifestyle, not just the diet, has given me my life back. And that in the future, I can resume a lot more of the fun activities I missed out on over the years. And that I can age gracefully, stay fit, happy & healthy & ideally, not become a "handicapped" person someday.
That all changed in Oct 2000, when I was hit by a drunk dump truck driver in N.Thailand, near the Lao/Burmese border. The area well known as the Golden Triangle. We had just come out of Burma, back into Thailand & were about to cross into Lao on our motorbikes, when I basically got run over on the highway by this drunk Thai guy... 9 surgeries over a 10 month span, most of the surgeries aiming to save & rebuild my left leg which was crushed & destroyed from the knee to the ankle. Plus 5 ruptured discs, broken bones top to bottom, bone, muscle, vein, & skin grafts.
It was approximately 18 months until I could work again & even then it was P/T in the beginning. I basically rehabilitated myself because the insurance company route sucked. They were holding me back from getting well quickly and fully. And my main surgeon agreed I ought to do it myself. So I did, to my own betterment but at considerable out-of-pocket expense, as insurance in the USA mostly doesn't cover a lot of the therapies & organic foods & herbs/supplements I was prescribing myself.
Like a lot of people with serious, permanent injuries (the ruptured discs) I restricted myself in a lot of ways, or else I hurt myself & caused even more pain than my "normal" daily levels of pain. Chronic pain, inflammation & caused me to severely restrict my recreation, fun & weight-bearing habits (like carrying my son on my shoulders). So my life was a LOT less fun, & I stopped doing yoga because it hurt my back & I felt it was probably injuring my spine further, instead of helping to heal it. Inflammation was the enemy, restricting my physical activities & exercise options became the norm & I gained a fair amount of weight, especially in the winters.
Along the way, I discovered Paleo then Primal lifestyle & embraced it. At my highest weight, last year, I was @ 165 lbs. Now I hover between 148 & 150-ish. This morning I weighed 148. I'm able to lift weights again, I swim & ride my bike, I walk a lot. I'm putting on muscle & my back hurts very little or not at all some days. That's a huge change for me! I feel like Primal/Paleo lifestyle, not just the diet, has given me my life back. And that in the future, I can resume a lot more of the fun activities I missed out on over the years. And that I can age gracefully, stay fit, happy & healthy & ideally, not become a "handicapped" person someday.
MEET BRETT TODAY
What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
Snacking, especially after dinner. Not using food when bored. Not overeating. Pooping is an issue at times.
What advice (if any) would you give to someone interested in trying a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet? Were there any obstacles that you overcame that could help future dieters?
Get control of your cravings & become fat adapted so that you are no longer a sugar burner & subject to your blood sugar dropping out on you. Practice some I.F.(intermittent fasting) when you are ready. Slowly build up to 18-24 hr weekly fasting. Join a forum where people can/will help you, as you most likely will experience bumps along the way.
Snacking, especially after dinner. Not using food when bored. Not overeating. Pooping is an issue at times.
What advice (if any) would you give to someone interested in trying a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet? Were there any obstacles that you overcame that could help future dieters?
Get control of your cravings & become fat adapted so that you are no longer a sugar burner & subject to your blood sugar dropping out on you. Practice some I.F.(intermittent fasting) when you are ready. Slowly build up to 18-24 hr weekly fasting. Join a forum where people can/will help you, as you most likely will experience bumps along the way.
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Tried a paleo or low carb diet? Join Today and contribute to a better understanding of this way of eating!
Tried a paleo or low carb diet? Join Today and contribute to a better understanding of this way of eating!
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