Ok, I did see some fat guys, but they where all huffing and puffing at the trail head. Trust me, there are no fat guys in the back country or half way up Mt. Moran in Wyoming!

How I got here

2009 was a great year for me. I got completely debt free and traveled the better half of the country with some great friends. I learned to get outside my comfort zone and experience new things. That year I also got engaged and married to my wife, JorDanee. It was the year I launched my business, MK3Y.  Lastly it was the year in which my healthy lifestyle took a dramatic turn for the worse.

My business involves the internet, and that means sitting on my butt in front of my computer. (I know, a standing desk right? Did that, lasted 4 months before I went back to sitting.)  When you are trying to get any business off the ground it requires a lot of work and plenty of late nights.

To help fuel my creativity and stay focused during all those hours, I relied on my favorite beverage: MOUNTAIN DEW, and when that wasn’t enough, I turned to the brand’s engery product, AMP! I even put a mini-fridge in my office right next to my  desk and then proceeded to load it with soda and beer. Hey, there was some water in there sometimes!

Let me show you what one year of sitting on your butt and drinking tons of soda while eating junk food does to you. On the left you have me at the start of my awesome 2009 road trip with some of my good friends. I’m thin and handsome! Oh yeah! By the time I went on vacation in 2010 to celebrate 1 yr of successful marriage, well… just call me porky. Oink Oink Oink.

My wife has been working hard too. She’s finishing up her Masters in Middle East Politics, Terrorism and Homeland Defense (I married up folks, she’s uber smart). As you can already imagine, being a student and staying up late writing papers into the wee hours of the morning while working part-time hasn’t been good for her health either. Especially when you have a husband who brings home stashes of Red Bull, Mountain Dew and other sugary beverages of goodness!

Not to mention my idea to the end of a romantic evening is always ICE CREAM!

Where I am today

It’s been a year now since I’ve done anything remotely wild or adventurous. I’ve been itching to get out on the road again. With my wife about to finish up that Masters in May,  I decided that we’d take an epic road trip this summer out West, which brings me back to the problem at hand. If we’re going to go on an awesome adventure, we’re going to need to get into better shape. Especially since parts of our trip will involve sleeping on Mt. Moran in the Grand Tetons, backpacking Yellowstone, climbing in Glacier National Park, backpacking in the Grand Canyon and and bicycling Zion National Park. I can tell you, if nothing changes between then and now, I won’t be doing any of those things.

So a week ago, after I announced our trip, my wife challenged me to a bet to see who could lose the most weight by Feb 15th. Neither one of us had a game plan or any action steps.

It was kind of a silly bet, but it got me thinking a lot about my life motto which is to live life intentionally. I am intentionally making myself fat every time I eat crap or drink 4 Mountain Dews in one sitting. It’s time to get intentional about my weight and fitness.

While poking around the internet looking for ideas for weight loss and workouts, I came across Nerd Fitness. In particular one article stood out to me: “The Beginner’s Guide to the Paleo Diet“. Now this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this diet. I first heard about it a few years back, and again last year on Tim Ferris blog after I read his book the Four Hour Work Week.

I hate counting calories! And this seemed like just the type of lifestyle change I was looking for. Something to push me.

So I showed the article to my wife hoping that she would join me in this, and we made the decision to make our fitness a priority in our lives. We sat down and started game planning.

Enter The Paleo Diet

You’re probably thinking, what the hell is the Paleo diet?

Our ancient ancestors where hunter gathers until a few thousand years ago, when humans discovered farming. We changed from hunter-gathers into farmers.  We settled down, built roads and cities and eventually the double quarter pounder with cheese.

( *Note, if you’re a christian just note these interesting tid-bits. Adam and Eve lived in God’s produce isle before being kicked out. Then they had to gather food, and they weren’t allowed to eat meat till much later in the bible. )

The problem is our bodies weren’t designed for all the grains and processed foods we are consuming. Instead of only eating lean meats, vegetables and seasonal fruits, we’ve become a species “dependent” upon grains – bread, pasta, rice, corn, and so on.  The FDA continues to recommend 6-11 servings of grains a day, and the folks are still getting fatter.

Just think about how much food is made from corn based products, or how many things have flour in them.

Ok, so how does the diet work then?

We’ll it’s pretty straight forward, and I’ll explain it briefly. I’m paraphrasing some sources here, and I plan on posting an in-depth article about the diet after my 28 days are over.

Here’s the basic premise of the diet we’re following.

Back in the day we ate what we could hunt or find – meats, fish, nuts, leafy greens, regional veggies, some tubers and roots, occasional berries or seasonal fruits, and seeds.

So that’s what you eat. Plain and simple.

No grains, no dairy, and NO PROCESSED FOODS

Okay, so if we cut out the grains, almost all processed foods, and dairy, you’re left with only things that occur naturally:

• Meat
• Fowl
• Fish
• Eggs
• Vegetables
• Oils
• Fruits
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Tubers

Salmon and asparagus, grilled chicken with steamed broccoli, scrambled eggs and bacon with a few slices of apple in the morning and so on. Pick anything off the list and eat it.

Technically the challenge starts tomorrow, but we started today already. Look what I had for breakfast, 2 scramble organic eggs, two slices of bacon and 1/3 cup of craisins.

YUM! And yes I eat at my desk.

Our Plan of Attack

• We emptied out our refrigerator and our pantry of everything else and went shopping for healthier foods that fall in those categories.
• We also set for ourselves some serious fitness goals for the next 28 days. I purchased a cheapo calendar to put up and labeled each day with a fitness goal to be completed.
• We’ll both be doing some serious cardio and strength training during the next 28 days. I chose to do cardio and strength 6 days a week. My competitive wife chose to do cardio all 28 days and strength training 6 days a week, alternating upper and lower body every day.
• JorDanee and I also signed up to MyFitnessPal.com to keep track of what we are eating and our weight loss progress.
• I wrote this blog, and the world knows my challenge.
• I plan to post publicly our progress at the end of each week.
• I’ll write one final article about the diet, what we did, and how much progress we made at the end of the 28 days.
• And most importantly, I emptied out my fridge of soda.

Your Turn

Have you tried the Paleo diet? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

I’d also like to issue a challenge. Join my wife and I on this 28 day fitness challenge! Just post below to let us know your intentions.

Comment away!

I’ve been packing on the pounds, and I’m ashamed to admit I went from 150lbs to 175lbs, almost pushing 180lbs. I’ve been jamming all this junk into my veins thinking it’s keeping me sharp and on my game. With trying to start a new business, launch my personal brand and blog, and taking on consulting gigs all at the same time I need the CAFFEINE. In reality, this crap isn’t helping my game any. I’ve noticed a complete dwindling supply of creativity. Just look at my blog, my posts are getting less and less frequent.

To top it all off, this crap has some serious side effects to your health such as tooth decay, bone demineralization and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Constant sugar rushes from energy drinks are a major factor in the development of Type II diabetes. Evidence is starting to come out that high levels of sugar can even cause some neurological disorders.

As a entrepreneur, one should be conscience of their health and their body. When you feel your best, you’ll often give your best. A couple of years ago after a breakup with a long-term girlfriend I did a major detox. I unplugged for a whole month. No internet, no TV. I also gave up all the junk food and soda and started eating healthy and began jogging every day. All the TV and Internet time I replaced with reading up on all kinds of different things on self help and success. My mind was so sharp, and I was able to think clearer than ever.

Why did I stop? Well I got distracted by another girl. Go figure.

So being a fat fatty isn’t helping my business, and it isn’t helping my personal brand either. Ninja’s are not round. They are stealthy, agile and dangerous. And well, for the adventure seeker part, like I said, I am pretty sure there haven’t been any fat guys able to climb to the top of Everest.

Are you neglecting your health? What bad habits do you need to change right now to improve your life?

I’m declaring right here, publicly: I’m going to kick the caffeine starting today. I’m going to cut back on the unhealthy foods and start a work out program.

I’ll keep you all posted so you can keep me accountable.