As we sit on our veranda  less than 25 feet from the Caribbean Sea, the constant calming sound of the sea as background music to our ears, we remember when  we were no different  from  average baby boomers; content to stay home, cook  great meals, visit  with family and friends, and  spend  our requisite lounging time in front of the TV.

We left it all.  On January 3, 2013, we boarded the Celebrity Century in San Diego  on our way through the Panama Canal, to begin a five to ten year long journey we’ll continue  until we don’t want to travel any more, until we tire of hauling our luggage, or until we feel a compelling desire to stay put.

Retired Minnesota Couple’s “Living SANE, traveling the world”

Nineteen months ago,  we began another journey of drastically changing our diet.We no longer eat wheat or other grain,  processed gluten free foods,  starch (  corn or corn based products, no beans)   soy or soy based products, no sugar (  agave or other purported safe sugars all of which raise blood glucose levels),  or  fruit other than a few berries .  We now eat grass fed meat,  wild caught fish  free range chicken and eggs,  non-starchy vegetables, coconut, almond and hazelnut flour, raw nuts, hard cheeses, cream cheese, unsweetened coconut milk, real butter and coconut oil.

Here’s my story.  From the time I was a teenager, my life revolved around limited portions, denying myself favorite foods and constantly being on a diet.  With a family history of severe diabetes, morbid obesity, debilitating  joint and spine disease, and rampant heart disease,  I began my adult life on a mission to stay slim, frequently going up and down in weight, often as much as 50 pounds, to eventually lose it all on some radical “diet of the month.” I exercised rigorously most of my life.   I tried it all.  I was determined.

I was always hungry, always looking at other people’s plates wondering why I couldn’t eat that burger, those fries, that triple-decker sandwich on toasted white bread or that lofty piece of gooey chocolate cake topped with a large dollop of ice cream

Was I eating more “calories” than I needed,  consuming  recommended amounts of carb-laden foods?  What I had perceived to be “healthy” foods packed on the weight;  whole grain breads and pasta,  lentils, brown rice, oatmeal, dried fruit, beans, whole wheat pitas and bagels, yogurt with fruit,  corn on the cob, winter squash and sweet potatoes.   Wasn’t I eating exactly what the medical profession described as a healthy diet?

Over the past 20 years, no manner how hard I tried to be healthy and escape the ravages of my “genes” I suffered with high blood sugar, high blood pressure, chronic debilitating pain and had already had one heart surgery.  I was told a total spinal fusion, from C1 to L5, was the only way to reduce the pain.  My life was going downhill fast.  A wheelchair was imminent.

I refused the surgery instead going on a mission to save my life.  I started with Dr. William Davis’s book, Wheat Belly, 19 months ago, beginning the radical changes in diet  After three months on the diet, I awoke one morning, for the first time in over 20 years, pain free.  I thought it was a fluke.

Then Jonathan Bailor’s book, The Smarter Science of Slim hit the market.  I devoured every word from cover to cover in one day and sent the Amazon link to no less than 10 of my family members and friends.

Living SANE, traveling the world

Prior to reading the book, I worked out six times a week at a local health club, an hour and a half a day, comparable to a gerbil  running on a wheel, running into oblivion, performing the same mundane protocol and seeing little results.

After reading Jonathan’s book we changed  our diet to include more protein, from 60 grams a day to around 125 grams, upping our non-starchy vegetable consumption four fold.  The day after reading the book, I couldn’t wait to go to the health club to try my new protocol, instructions on my smart phone in hand, learning high intensity interval training.

It was hard to believe that two  ten- minute  sessions a week plus an active lifestyle of about 10,000 steps per day would dramatically change my health,  body composition, strength and endurance.

The eight pounds I was carrying around my mid-section literally fell away.  I am full for the first time in my life!  So satisfied that I  forget to eat.  So satisfied that I don’t  go rummaging around the kitchen at night craving something sweet. So satisfied that my waistline has shrunk by 3 inches and I don’t have to lay on the bed to zip my otherwise well-fitting jeans.

The pain is gone, the sleepless nights are a thing of the past, my muscles have grown  into noticeable definition, my strength has increased and I have more energy.   .

Why, if calories do count, can I now consume 1800 calories a day, 400 more than in the past while desperately trying to maintain my weight?  If calories do count, by now, I should have gained 66 pounds!  Instead, I’ve lost 8!

But most of all, the pain is gone.  Yes, gone.  After the first year, my lipids are normal for the first time in my adult life!  My blood sugar is normal.

My dear husband Tom has lost 45 pounds since we read Jonathan’s book, 45 pounds of pure and simple toxic belly fat.  Also, months ago, he was able to quit taking seven prescription pills a day, no longer has irritable bowel disease, acid reflux and constant abdominal bloating and pain.  Months ago, he quit smoking and hasn’t gained back a single pound!

Combined, we are a team to be reckoned with!

Twice a week, we walk to a resort next door that has a little health club where I spend 10 minutes, lifting weight, the HIIT way, surprised that I can do it, invigorated by the results and still in awe as to how little time it actually takes.

Currently, we’re living in Placenica Belize, departing soon after a 2 1/2 month stay in a villa on the Caribbean Sea.  The cows here are skinny. Yes skinny.  They eat grass and wild vegetation, not grain. They use no pesticides or chemicals here to grow their produce or livestock.  Chicken, the main protein source,  roam free in the farms. Their eggs are all organic, brown and $2 a dozen.  This has been a heavenly experience.

Every few days early in the morning, we walk to the adjoining town to buy fresh organic at the outdoor vegetable stand.  The cauliflower is not perfectly shaped, the broccoli is sparse in places, the carrots are uneven shapes and the cabbage,  not as dense as I recall.  Why?  No chemicals.  The produce grows unencumbered, a product of clean non chlorinated spring water, a soil free from “Round-Up Ready” modified seeds and merely subject to varying weather conditions and the loving hands of the local people who  pick it.

Now as we travel to our next adventures–  Dubai this spring;  Tuscany, Italy this summer; Kenya in the fall;  South Africa in the winter;  Morocco the next spring and on and on, we’ll continue to seek out the simple foods we choose to eat, a safe place to walk, a little corner to exercise and we’re home free…albeit, we don’t have a home…but, in any case, we are free.

For more about our story, please visit us at:

www.WorldWideWaftage.com

A SANE Success Story by Ryan Mangipano

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending a few days in New Orleans with my family for my awesome brother’s wedding. The drive from Dallas to New Orleans takes me about 10 hours (or 8 if my wife is driving!). However, past road trips have often resulted in me gaining a lot of non-muscular weight. In the weeks leading up to the trip, I started planning ways to try to increase the SANEity of my trip. I have a large family and we enjoy eating on the rare occasions that we are all able to get together. Therefore, I figured that I would eat out several times during the trip. However, I suspected that with a bit of planning, I might be able to improve the ratio of SANE vs. inSANE foods consumed.

I purchased an ice chest and filled it full of SANE foods. I bought plastic cups, spoons, and paper towels. I ordered several healthy snack selections online and had them shipped to my door. I filled up 2 thermoses with black coffee, bought a case of bottled water, and 4 jugs of unsweetened tea. I booked a hotel that had a full kitchen with a refrigerator, a workout machine that had a heavy weight stack, and a pool in case the weather was nice. Along the way, me and Justin recorded a short video showing all the SANE foods we brought along.

Day 1: We left on Wednesday. Before the road trip, I consumed all SANE meals at home and at work. I left in the evening. It was about a ten hour drive from Dallas to New Orleans. I was able to avoid eating out during the entire day. Every 3 hours, we snacked on the veggies and healthy fats in the ice chest. To get my 30 grams of protein each meal, I consumed whey, Greek yogurt, Quest Bars, and Nicks Sticks (grass fed beef jerky sticks). At night when we arrived we made a meal that contained only SANE foods. However, after preparing the plates (see the attached picture), I realized that I didn’t include any veggies in this meal (don’t tell Jonathan!). SANITY grade for the day: A+

Want To Stay SANE On The Road?

Day 2: I woke up and ate some celery and kale. I headed downstairs for the hotel breakfast. I wasn’t sure how well this would work out since the selection of SANE foods is often limited at hotel buffets. I ate a hard boiled egg, a cheese omelet, an orange, ½ an apple, and a black coffee. I’m not sure if the omelet had any insane oil (or even flour) in it. After this, we swam in the pool for a while. I ate a SANE lunch full of lots of Kale, broccoli, natural peanut butter, whey protein, flax, etc. My brother had a rehearsal dinner that night at a very nice restaurant. I figured this would be my first inSANE meal of the trip. When the menu arrived, I felt like it was a quiz asking me to select the SANEst option. The menu is pictured below. Can you guess what I ordered?

 

I had the Filet. Unfortunately, I did eat each course including the bread pudding desert and the Parmesan Risotto. I also drank half a beer and a very small glass of Wine. Those crab cakes were so good! That night, I used the hotel fitness center to lift some heavy weights. I followed this up with one last SANE meal post-workout meal. SANITY grade for the day: B- (since I went pretty inSANE during one meal and all other meals were sane)

Day3: I skipped the hotel breakfast buffet (actually overslept through it!) and ate a SANE breakfast from the foods I brought along.

 

The hotel puts oranges out so I supplemented my meals with an orange at times. We had plans to meet for lunch at a seafood restaurant. I went totally inSANE and had a fried shrimp and oyster 12” po-boy.

This was due to the fact that I grew up in New Orleans and that was one of my favorite foods. And now that I live in Texas, you simply cannot get the same type of sandwich where I live. For a side, I got the steamed veggies. I also had an unsweetened tea. All of my other meals were SANE for this day. We also spent a lot of time at the hotel pool. Justin gave me a C- SANE grade for the day: (due to the po-boy and breaded/fried seafood being so inSANE)

Day4: After a SANE breakfast (made up of more of the foods that were in the ice chest video), I decided to return to the seafood restaurant again for lunch. However, this time I ordered a dozen raw oysters, an unsweetened tea, and a side of steamed veggies. This helped me to stay SANE.

 

This was also the day of the wedding. My brother must have been thinking of me when planning the menu. There was brisket, pork, and an assortment of raw vegetables. I had 1 beer on this day also. After the wedding, we ate at waffle house. I got my usual inSANE order of a 3 egg greasy cheesesteak omelet, grits, and a side of wheat toast, coffee, 2% milk. What do you think my SANEity grade should be for this day? I gave myself a D+; Justin gives me a B+.

Day5: I showed up at a my parents’ house with a bouquet of Kale.

 

My mom wasn’t sure what I had, so I took a bit of it. She wasn’t sure what to make of me eating a bunch of strange greens. I tried to give some tiny pieces of kale to my brother’s young children, but they complained that it was too bitter (and then ran for the cookies). My mom still makes fun of me walking around with a bouquet of kale. Mom, I took this picture just for you! We had plans to eat out with my Uncle that night at a restaurant. I was able to get a Steak, salad without dressing, and cabbage. They agreed to hold the sauce and butter off any meals. So, I stayed SANE during this meal. I worked out again and snacked on foods from my SANE stash back at the hotel. A+ for a totally SANE day.

Day6: We travelled back on Monday. I ate SANE all day except for when we stopped at a gas station. The best option was to get a small link of sausage and then snack on some blueberries and other sane foods in the truck. Almost every meal this day had quest bars, raw nuts, and nick’s beef sticks. Chewing kale and celery often takes a long time, but when driving, you can eat a lot of it. SANE Grade A-

Overall, I feel the trip was a success. I ate out several times; however, only three occasions were very inSANE. Considering that I eat every 3 hours whenever possible, this is a large percentage of the meals. I consumed very little alcohol, visited the hotel weight room, and ate a fair amount of veggies. Most meals had 30+ grams of protein. I ate frequently; I avoided fast food. I feel that this was worth the effort. We are in the process of planning a family vacation. I will try this stategy again for that trip. However, I will be taking a flight tomorrow to Washington for a few days of training. This will surely be more difficult and I have yet to do any planning!