The Bravohood

So around the beginning of the year, I was meeting up with Bravo for a martial arts seminar we were attending, and I had been mulling over making some changes, and decided that was the weekend I would start.

Since then, I've dropped 70 lbs and been alcohol free for over five months.

It was just time to make a change (I honestly hadn't realized how much I had let myself go until I started getting A LOT of compliments on my new look), and I knew I couldn't reach my fitness goals while also drinking, even if I just "cut back" or drank in moderation. Now, Im not a small guy. About 240 lbs would look good on me (Im at 270 right now). But 340 + was NOT a good look.

In addition to cutting out the drinking, I also adapted a mostly paleo type diet, and was doing a combination of weight lifting and yoga. And to be honest, I was kicking ass.

About a month and a half ago I plateaued. A combination of a BAD case of the flu that took a while to recover from, and a number of big projects (including PX) caused me to put the exercising on hold, and I started eating like crap again, mostly fast food or restaurants and soda. However I didnt gain any of the weight back.

Well, its time to start kicking ass again, and drop another 30-40 lbs . To accomplish this Im going to do the following....

1. Eat healthier - Specifically I will go back to drinking just water, and also adopting a mostly paleo diet. Now, Im not going to insist that EVERY meal of the week is strict, but 95% of them will be pretty good.

Even more specifically, Ill be doing this by taking the time to do meal prep at least once and probably twice a week. When I eat fast food, its not because I like it (in fact I hate it compared to real food) but it is a convenience issue, and due to either being to busy or poor time management. By blocking off time to make eating healthy easier, it will make it much easier to accomplish these goals.

2. Sleep more - I've never been great at getting enough sleep. Especially since Im a social night owl. But almost every thing you read of any merit speaks about how getting the proper amount of sleep is so important to weight loss and health. I'll accomplish this by specifying a certain time at night after which I wont work on any projects, cut down on wasted time winding down in front of the tv or computer before bed (just reading to wind down) and using a sleep mask to cut out ambient light.

3. Exercise - Again with the time issue, I love working out (well, I love the activities that I enjoy) but finding time, especially if I dont have the energy (see items one and two above) make it hard to do them.

I enjoy a hodge-podge of activities, including yoga, acro-yoga, weight lifting, etc. my goal isnt to have a strict schedule of "no pain no gain" workouts, but to find time at least every other day to do some physical activity that I enjoy doing.

So I guess the over-arching theme of what my plan is moving forward is a lot like what I did to get the ball rolling before my plateau (which Im kind of happy for, because it gave me a break, I didnt lose my gains (or losses in this case) and now Im mentally refreshed to get back at it). By having a plan that I can follow 95% of the time with general guidelines, and making changes that will make eating healthy, getting sleep, and working out easier, then I'm sure I will make my progress for another 30-40 lbs.

And then when I reach that level....I can get REALLY serious!!!!!

Awesome Farmer!

Losing 70lbs is a massive achievement and must have taken a lot of effort, so congratulations!

Here's to the next 40lbs!

Farmer,

Congrats on dropping the first 70! I had a few thoughts as I was reading through your post...

Farmer wrote:1. Eat healthier - Specifically I will go back to drinking just water, and also adopting a mostly paleo diet. Now, Im not going to insist that EVERY meal of the week is strict, but 95% of them will be pretty good.

I don't know what the paleo diet is like, but I've got some experience with other restrictive diets. I was vegan for 6 years, and raw vegan for close to 4 of those years. I found that 100% was way easier than 95%. With a 100% rule, it gets rid of the thought tax and any weakness from decision making. You've already made your decision, and you know what it is. 100% might sound harder, but it's the best way, imho.

Farmer wrote:my goal isnt to have a strict schedule of "no pain no gain" workouts, but to find time at least every other day to do some physical activity that I enjoy doing.

Try exercising before breakfast. It's been working really well for me, for a bunch of reasons. It's a habit rather than a decision, so it's easier to stick with it. You also have a full tank of willpower at the beginning of the day, so you're way less likely to make excuses.

The reward for the workout is breakfast, which works well from a sports nutrition standpoint as well as a habit-reward standpoint. Also, workouts early in the day will get the blood flowing and the endorphins going, which will supercharge your entire day. 2 minutes of jumping jacks is all it'd take if you're pressed for time. Otherwise you could do a more lengthy workout like calisthenics or yoga.

Farmer wrote:By having a plan that I can follow 95% of the time with general guidelines, and making changes that will make eating healthy, getting sleep, and working out easier, then I'm sure I will make my progress for another 30-40 lbs.

I agree. I think you can do it, easy. If I could recommend a book for you to read, check out The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Then go for The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. If you want to succeed with this, I highly recommend reading these books. Or listening to the audiobooks. You'll learn things that will help you be better at life. You'd improve as a coach as well, I'd be willing to bet.

Farmer wrote:And then when I reach that level....I can get REALLY serious!!!!!

Not sure what you mean. Could you expand on this?

~Syrrah

Hey Farmer,

Good stuff to read -- is this diet easier than others if you've tried it? Awesome to see you've been kicking ass. If you find any good recipes or meals that stay good after preping make sure to share them.

You looked absolutely fantastic at PX, and I was even more impressed with your willpower and how you managed to stay alcohol-free despite all of the drinking around you on the last night. Keep it up, can't wait to see how fucking sexy you look in September at the Survival Class!

Syrrah wrote:

Farmer wrote:And then when I reach that level....I can get REALLY serious!!!!!

Not sure what you mean. Could you expand on this?

~Syrrah

That means I'll kick it up from 90-95% to 100%

Valmont wrote:Hey Farmer,

Good stuff to read -- is this diet easier than others if you've tried it? Awesome to see you've been kicking ass. If you find any good recipes or meals that stay good after preping make sure to share them.

Eating paleo-esque isnt rocket science.

Eat meat prepared healthy (so no, fried chicken doesnt count) and fresh veggies and some fruits.

Try to keep your carbs smart, so no bread or pasta or potatoes, but some sweet potatoes and mainly veggies.

Drink water and cut out as much sugar as possible, especially refined sugars. Fruits are going to have sugar, but Im not worried about those as much right now.

As far as recipes, Ill share one of my favorites. Its a modification from a chili recipe I got from a book called the Abs Diet, and I took out the beans, doubled the meat, and fit the rest to what was easy for me to do. Makes about 8 servings....

In a pot, with some virgin olive oil, 5-7 minutes on high heat, 4 red onions cubed, 8 jalepeneos sliced, 4-5 cloves of garlic sliced, and if you want to add some other peppers, experiment with haberneros or red fresnos.

Then add 2 lbs of lean ground turkey breast, and cook an additional 5-6 minutes.

Add two cans of diced tomatoes (I use the ones with jalepeneos in them), and sodium free chicken stock that i fill up to the level of the solid food in the pot. Add cinnimon, cumin, and cilantro to taste. Keep on high heat till it starts to boil, then cover and cut the heat to low for 20 minutes.

Thats honestly my go to meal (just ate some) because its already prepped, got them in single serving containers, and just have to pop in the microwave for a couple minutes, and got tons of lean protein and some good carbs, and pretty tasty.

But its just taking the time to make things easier for you throughout the week.

I'm so glad to know that you're keeping this up! It warms my heart because I love you. Continue to rock on to further awesomeness!

Strange that I hit you up on this subject the day after you posted this. Serendipity or psychic connection? I dunno.

For the past 3 months I have been training for Seattle to Portland bicycle ride. It's a 200 mile, 2 day ride that starts in about a month. Just putting in the miles I have has made a big difference in my energy levels and I have dropped about 10 pounds while undoubtedly adding some more muscle mass to my legs. We did a 75 mile training ride last weekend and I realized I could really stand to drop another 10-15 lbs. prior to the ride so it will be more enjoyable and not just a slog.

Add to that I've been dating a really cool chick for the past several weeks. We love to party and she is as much a beer lover as I am. It was she who suggested that together we go beer free for a month in order to help me prepare (more cool points). I eat pretty healthy and don't eat out a lot. It's the beer that is my downfall. We ended the weekend yesterday with a big BBQ here with the kids and some friends so the clock starts today.

Now that I don't have a need to go prowl the bars this should be fairly easy and it's cool that I have someone to do it with. Still I know that beer craving is going to hit me with my birthday, the 4th of July and a few other events coming up. Any tips on this front that you can give me would be appreciated.

And, your recent pics are awesome!

Awesome job, Farmer. Your post was pretty inspiring to read. I was also going to ask about how you stopped drinking. Specifically, was it hard for you to quit? Did you get a lot of cravings? And if so, was there anything you found that helped you keep your mind off drinking when the cravings did hit?