When I suggested the $3 Diet to Kerryn back at the end of 2013, I didn't expect the experience to change my life. But the adventure that started in January of 2014 has been life changing. I'd been lucky most of my life leading up to that point - I'd never had a serious illness, it was easy for me to eat whatever I wanted and exercise when I wanted, and my body could take anything I shoved into it. Unfortunately around the time I met Kerryn, I had arrived at a point where my body could no longer compensate for my behaviors. I'd gained a lot of weight, I was having knee and foot pain when I would run, and my basic labs indicated I was well on my way towards heart disease and diabetes. The discipline of the $3 Diet and Kerryn's coaching got me well on my way toward a healthier lifestyle.
Over the past year I've been able to lose (and keep off) more than 20 pounds, I improved my fitness level dramatically (though I have been dealing with injury that has slowed me down - that is not lifestyle related), and my labs are very good, especially given I'm 45.
Following the $3 Diet, I also did a 30 day vegan challenge, as well as trying the Whole 30 challenge (a strict Paleo diet). I've spent a lot of time thinking about food and fitness this year - far more than I ever have before. I've been working to make many of the changes I've made permanent, and it seems to be working. At least some of the time.
In the course of all this experimentation, Kerryn told me about this idea of "Food Deserts" (which we talked about here). Pondering what I might do next, I proposed to Kerryn that we try to simulate a food desert by having me only eat what I could buy at gas stations. To make things a little easier on me, I've decided to broaden the restriction to all convenience stores, not just those with gas. My goal is to try to eat as healthily as possible under this constraint. The implication of the food desert theory is that it is not possible to eat healthily under these constraints. One of the things I want to experience first hand is just how hard it is. Shopping in a convenience store is clearly not the same as shopping in a Whole Foods, but can you find a reasonably healthy diet there, with enough attention and care? We're going to find out. I'll also be interested to compare the differences in prices between convenience stores and regular grocery stores. So we'll be doing some comparisons there.
I have just had a new set of labs drawn and will share the results as soon as they are available so that we have a baseline at the beginning of this experiment. I'll get a second set drawn at the end of the experiment to document how the change in diet effects me physiologically.
Now if you followed the $3 Diet, you will remember that my Achilles heal, the thing that was really causing me most of my dietary harm, was my addiction to convenience store food and fast food. When Kerryn first met me, I was eating a couple of Little Debbie oatmeal pies and a big coffee with cream and sugar. So this diet will put me face to face with my food nemesis. I will be facing off with my dietary demons, going head to head with the food that was killing me. I think I'm ready. And I'll have Kerryn to help me stay on the straight and narrow.
Let's hope that's enough.
Over the past year I've been able to lose (and keep off) more than 20 pounds, I improved my fitness level dramatically (though I have been dealing with injury that has slowed me down - that is not lifestyle related), and my labs are very good, especially given I'm 45.
Following the $3 Diet, I also did a 30 day vegan challenge, as well as trying the Whole 30 challenge (a strict Paleo diet). I've spent a lot of time thinking about food and fitness this year - far more than I ever have before. I've been working to make many of the changes I've made permanent, and it seems to be working. At least some of the time.
In the course of all this experimentation, Kerryn told me about this idea of "Food Deserts" (which we talked about here). Pondering what I might do next, I proposed to Kerryn that we try to simulate a food desert by having me only eat what I could buy at gas stations. To make things a little easier on me, I've decided to broaden the restriction to all convenience stores, not just those with gas. My goal is to try to eat as healthily as possible under this constraint. The implication of the food desert theory is that it is not possible to eat healthily under these constraints. One of the things I want to experience first hand is just how hard it is. Shopping in a convenience store is clearly not the same as shopping in a Whole Foods, but can you find a reasonably healthy diet there, with enough attention and care? We're going to find out. I'll also be interested to compare the differences in prices between convenience stores and regular grocery stores. So we'll be doing some comparisons there.
I have just had a new set of labs drawn and will share the results as soon as they are available so that we have a baseline at the beginning of this experiment. I'll get a second set drawn at the end of the experiment to document how the change in diet effects me physiologically.
Now if you followed the $3 Diet, you will remember that my Achilles heal, the thing that was really causing me most of my dietary harm, was my addiction to convenience store food and fast food. When Kerryn first met me, I was eating a couple of Little Debbie oatmeal pies and a big coffee with cream and sugar. So this diet will put me face to face with my food nemesis. I will be facing off with my dietary demons, going head to head with the food that was killing me. I think I'm ready. And I'll have Kerryn to help me stay on the straight and narrow.
Let's hope that's enough.
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