Good Day Everyone,
I’m a 50 year old retired USAF MSgt (E-7) who has taken up the challenge to change his lifestyle with regards to dietary practices. With this challenge we will be utilizing the KETO way of eating in order to manage weight loss as effectively as possible (without surgery). As you guys probably know, I’m a big guy. I know, I know, it’s a shock to us all.
But seriously.
TL:DR – This overweight meat and potatoes guy will be starting on the Keto Diet and attempting to live a healthier lifestyle. Stay tuned to social media for images, recipes, exercises, reactions and results as I chronicle this journey.
I have been overweight for quite awhile now. And I’ve finally decided for myself that it’s time to make a change. Not only for my own health but in the hopes that I can alleviate a lot of the pain I endure daily, as well as aide in reducing the effects of my insomnia.
For those that don’t know, I have a number of medical issues that keep me from being as active as I used to be.
The major affected areas are:
- Feet – Chronic Bilateral Plantar Faciitis
- Back – Arthritis in and around the vertebrea
- Right knee – Major OsteoArthritis (identified as a replacement candidate at age 33)
- Right ankle – OsteoArthritis
- Right wrist – Boxer Break issues near pinky w/ OsteoArthritis in wrist.
All of these issues affect how much and how long I can do any physical activity.
Now let’s couple that with the Chronic Pain that exists daily and requires medication as part of the management routine.
Which leads me to my last big issue – Insomnia. This has been around since 2005 and diagnosed finally in 2006 as such. This causes a number of issues with health especially with regard to activity/exercise. The insomnia would only allow me to get between 2-4 solid hours of sleep 2-4 times a night (and those were the good days). The medication prescriptions used to alleviate a lot of pain, aide in sleep and reduce inflamation all combined were able to produce a sleep regime of about 3.5 – 5.5 hrs of sleep 2 times per night.
I also have Sleep Apnea (which actually started in the military when I weighed 70+ pounds lighter) that had caused severe Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). The RLS had been the major basis of treatment for my insomnia from 2006-2014 at which time a doctor finally said “Let’s get you a sleep study and check for sleep apnea. After the sleep study was completed I received a prescription for a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). Which thankfully with medication helped eliminate the RLS as a factor to my insomnia.
Once the RLS subsided and the CPAP was in use on a daily basis, my sleep cycle improved again. I am currently getting between 5 – 6.5 hrs of sleep per night on my good nights.
That’s right on my “good nights”. See even though all the medications and medical machines have helped to increase the length of sleep on those good nights – I still have about half of my nights where I only get 4 – 5 hrs per night. And I have gone 30 – 36 hrs between actual sleeping cycles more than I care to admit. Yeah, that’s right I wake from sleep perform my daily functions for a full 30-36 hours and then finally sleep again.
As you can see medically I’m a hot mess. But I’m not without function for most things. This means I can do certain things and do them well and often. I simply have to manage the pain based on duration, exertion and which part of my body takes the brunt of it all.
Now let’s talk about the dreaded diet. I am and have always loved meat and potatoes. From french fries and hash browns to baked potatoes and chips. I also love those big juicy hamburgers and full racks of baby back ribs. Vegetable and Fruits – I don’t think so; just pass me a cake or some cookies and I’m golden.
So yeah, this is going to be a drastic change for me. But it’s going to be a change for the better. I am going to do my best to chronicle my adventure and lifestyle changes. I’ll provide some insight into what I’ve learned about the Keto diet as well as trying out a large number of recipes that I would normally never have eaten. And most importantly, just how good or bad the food tastes / satisfies along the way.
We will talk about the kitchen items we will/have purchased. And we will talk about some of the odd ingredients that are part of our recipes.
So sit back and enjoy the ride, it should be an interesting one.