Welcome to Pay the Farmer!
So what is the mission of this website/network?
I’m a 5’10” male who is 47 years old. In May of 2017 I was weighing in at 223 lbs. Had an estimated 28-30% body fat index, was drinking around 2 liters of vodka per week, smoking about a pack and a half of cigarettes per day, was stressed to the gills, had a resting blood pressure of around 170/100, commanded an A1C that was destined for diabetes and was eating total processed crap and fast food nearly every day.
We were getting ready to go on vacation and knowing I had to make a change, I stumbled onto the ketogenic diet YouTube scene. My wife, who was a bit pudgy but not by much, was very supportive and we decided when we returned home we would take massive action to make a diet and health change.
A couple of weeks before vacation (cruise), I quit smoking and started vaping as I knew it would be a pain to go out on deck every 20 minutes and have a cigarette. Two days after returning from our vacation we started our new lifestyle.
Our new ketogenic diet lead to what I believe is the best diet for so many of us struggling to get a hold of our health. And that diet is the Low Carb High Fat diet otherwise known as LCHF.
Keto and LCHF are so often misrepresented as “Eat a bunch of bacon and hamburger and just toss out the bun.” This could not be further from the truth.
Since starting Keto, I have eaten more spinach and broccoli than I had in 5 years. We consume a minimal amount of animal protein and animal fat and get most of our fat and protein from vegetable sources.
We eat a very moderate amount of protein and currently burn mostly our body fat instead of fat on our plate.
We drink plenty of water, train with weights and walk twice per day. Our diet is mostly made up of above ground organic vegetables, nuts and seeds. We are both still in ketosis but will transfer over to LCHF as we get nearer to our goal weight.
Forty-three days after starting the ketogenic diet I lost 23 lbs. My wife lost 18 lbs. We are amazed (and hardly ever hungry). I will write about our experiences later but one thing I have found in this short journey is everyone is different.
So why Pay the Farmer?
While on my YouTube binge I came across a few references of “You can pay the farmer now or you can pay the doctor later…”
And all of this hit me. It doesn’t matter if you are Vegan, Keto or LCHF or just attempting a healthy non-acronym diet and lifestyle.
What matters is that processed food is killing us all. Table sugar, high fructose corn syrup and white refined flour are the devil (and there are plenty of other demons, as well).
Almost anything that is taken from the farmer and refined and manufactured becomes enemy #1.
Pop tarts and Hot Pockets don’t come directly from the farmer.
I’ll keep this short as I have plenty of ranting to come in future articles. The point is if we all ban together and help fuel the energy of the Real Food Movement we can help each other and all of those other carbohydrate-intolerant souls out there.
Folks that have been told their disease is genetic. That they need to continue making bread and pasta the staple of their diet and just have sugar in moderation.
So it is now my ambition to research and make available peer-reviewed science, healthy diet alternatives, exercise and recipe articles and create a community of like-minded wellness-oriented people.
If I can help one sick, diabetic, obese, hypothyroid parent spend more time enjoying their family, spouse, kids and life it will all be worth it.
Come and join us.
