burner of poptarts; breaker of things

I have some OKRs defined, and it’s time to see how I’m tracking!

I’ve actually been working out and experimenting with diet changes for about 6 weeks now. That said, I have a lot to figure out still.

Time for a first check-in post!

Starting with my OKRs, I feel I’ve started strong.

Weight loss
- I’ve lost right at 20lbs through diet and exercise, since the beginning of July.
Exercise
- Walking highlights
  - 28 miles this past week
  - > 8 miles in one day
- My legs have been aching and building up more from the frequency of my longer walks.
Nutrition
- I’ve stuck with a low carb, whole foods, diet for the past month with 3 small exceptions. Each of those exceptions caused me to have terrible stomach aches…so really great motivation for eating healthier!
- I completed a 24 hour water-only fast. I was able to handle this much more easily than I expected to be able to.
- I’m focusing on adding protein to help my recovery effort. This also helps me stay full and away from snacking.

Podcasts I’m listening to
- My friend Patrick recommended some incredibly helpful podcasts that I’ve listened to over and over again on my longer walks.
  - The worst intermittent fasting mistakes that lead to weight gain
  - Diet Masterclass: What to eat, When to eat & How to eat for longetivity
- NASHNET - NAFLD/NASH Education series
- My friend Bijan recommended Huberman Lab.
  - I haven’t listened to this yet but Bijan’s recommendations are always spot on, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Books I’m reading
- The Liver Cure by Dr. Russell L. Blaylock
  - Our biology continues to amaze me as I learn more about how we’re put together. This book has so far made it very easy to understand how the liver works and what it is capable of.
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
  - This is a great motivational book. Each chapter ends with an exercise to help personalize the material and make progress on your challenges.

I’ve been leaning really heavily on walking throughout the day. This has helped me get started, but going forward I need to shift more heavily into an active morning routine. So far my mornings have been somewhat lax.
We’ve found more restaurants with healthy options. I have found filling salads that I actually like at Jason’s Deli, McAlister’s Deli. At most steak houses, I’ve been able to find a great salad or a large baked or grilled chicken option.
I’ve always been a picky eater, but I’m starting to explore different vegetables and surprising myself from time to time.

Circuit Training
- I still haven’t been to the gym yet. It’s hot in Texas though, so that will happen any day now.
20 miles per week walking/running
- I did it!
cook 5 healthy meals
- we’ve eaten out more than I care to admit, but we have kept it low carb and whole foods based.
blog post per week
- I did it!
discipline of morning/evening routine
- still a little rocky, but getting better.
- Losing an hour to a timezone change (Eastern -> Central) didn’t help things.
- We are getting up early consistently though!
8 hours of sleep
- This is getting better, but it’s not quite consistent enough.
meds/supplements
- I’ve never done well taking meds regularly.
- I switched from a 3-a-day to a 2-a-day metformin, so that’s making it much easier!

Travel day stress
- Our travel this past weekend was incredibly stressful.
- That caused some sleep issues, and my glucose levels were not as stable.
- I did manage to stay on top of a healthy diet though!
- We also got a quick walk in while stopped at a rest area! This is a first for our travel days.
Blood labs round 3
- I had more blood drawn for some labs prior to my 1st hepotologist appointment next week.
- I’m really looking forward to seeing the comparison of these numbers to previous blood labs from a month ago, given all the effort I’ve put into diet and exercise.
Getting back home
- We’re completing our final travel days for this extended (6 months?!) road trip, this weekend.
- We’ll be North of San Antonio and South of Austin, in a smaller town called New Braunfels. We’re looking forward to being around friends and family again!

Last weeks priorities:

P1: < 2 CGM spikes per day
- I did it! This was mostly diet, but a few times I did lean on some exercise after a meal with some carbs.
- This first week has been incredibly informative. I’ve learned to expect a spike after a fast, pretty much no matter what I eat. And also that I can leverage some exercise after a bigger meal to stay on top of spikes.
P1: cover 20 miles of walking
- This was my first week actually keeping track of all the walking I’ve done. It’s great to know that I’m hitting this baseline.
P1: blog post: 1st check-in
- you’re reading it!
P1: blog post: OKR Grid
- tracking my progress via my Health OKR Grid
P2: 1 day water fast
- I’ve completed 2 of these: one last week and the other this week.
- This seems to be easier to do than I remember attempts from the past. I’m sure the diet is helping on this front.
P2: find some podcasts
- Thanks to awesome friends, I have some really great material to get started with.

Rueben Ramirez