Words I Like:
“We’re spending, on average, 27 minutes a day cooking and about four minutes cleaning up… the main excuse people give for not cooking is they don’t have time to cook, but somehow they’re finding time to watch other people cook or eat on TV,”
-Michael Pollan
Message From Me:
Every time a trainer says, “It’s just calories in vs calories out,” I picture them as SpongeBob in the meme where he’s mocking the viewer.
It’s like wearing jeans that on the butt say, “I was taught to make money by not only recommending people eat stuff that makes them sick, but to starve themselves on top of it,” in bright bedazzled letters.
While I’d love to have my own patented diet that rules all diets- I don’t. I’m too old a trainer to believe this garbage I learned back in college.
Here’s my ick.
Saying that someone struggling with obesity is eating and storing more calories than they burn is redundant. Imagine you walk into an AA meeting and say, “Well, ya know, y’all only have alcoholism because y’all drink too much alcohol.”
My goodness, Sherlock. You’ve solved it!
But this does nothing to answer the question “WHY does one drink too much?”
So,
We already know HOW obesity and type 2 diabetes happen. But, WHY does someone crave, consume, and store more energy than they burn?
I’ve been doing the MetFix Protocol of High fat, moderate protein, low carbs while eating real food. Which is nothing special considering that Paleo, Whole 30, Zone, Keto, Carnivore, and (insert the latest health-centered diet) are essentially high fat, moderate protein, and low carbs, while eating real food.
The beauty of eating whole foods, like Meat, veggies, nuts and seeds, some starch, little fruit, no sugar, and no seed oils?
I don’t track and obsess over anything.
These are simple rules. With a little effort and asking Chat GPT, “where/how can I eat in {my town} while eating {insert rules above},” you learn that there’s quite a lot you can eat.
I’m tallying my numbers up each night and adding them to my blog for you. No fluffing it up, no omitting treats, just a true view of what this looks like.
Some stats to catch you up:
8/9/25
Weight: 186
Meals/snacks per day: 5+
Hunger/mood swings: often.
8/21/25
Weight: 179
Meals/snacks per day: 3 (today only- I had some yogurt before bed, so 4)
Hunger/mood swings: Never, I only eat when I’m truly hungry.
If you include the first days of sugar withdrawal, it’s going well. If you don’t count those- It’s going incredibly well.
The last time I ate this way was 2016. And well, I’m feeling a lot closer to 2016 Jeff than I have in a long time. And that’s a good thing.
Have fun,
J
Jeff’s Diet:
08212025
Breakfast
2 orders Bacon & Gruyere Egg Bites (Starbucks), Black Coffee
Subtotal: 300 Cals | 19g P | 9g C | 22g F | 0g Fiber
Lunch
7 oz pre-cooked chicken breast (Trader Joe’s), 8 sweet peppers, 2 single servings avocado guacamole (Trader Joe’s)
Subtotal: 610 Cals | 53g P | 20g C | 36g F | 13g Fiber
Dinner (Pizza toppings only, no crust)
Chicken (~5 oz), spinach, tomato, onions, tomato sauce, low-fat cheese (~½–¾ cup)
Subtotal: 420 Cals | 45g P | 14g C | 15g F | 3g Fiber
Snack
270 g Trader Joe’s Whole Milk Vanilla Greek Yogurt + 80 g Raw Almond Butter
Subtotal: 790 Cals | 37g P | 43g C | 50g F | 9g Fiber
Daily Total
2,120 Cals | 154g P | 86g C | 123g F | 25g Fiber
