Halfway...250 days

I can still taste the Jack Daniels coffee I drank at 23:59 on the 31st of December 2022. I remember thinking that 500 days are maybe a few too many, and the trailer filled with temptations it is towing along, is maybe too heavy to get over all the hills awaiting me over the horizon. Yet, this then overweight, semi-alcoholic, is already halfway to the finish line! Hahaha! 

Which of the rules have I broken that I've set right in the beginning? None!

- no sugar

- no starch

- no sweeteners

- no alcohol

- no cool drinks / juice

- no processed food

- no seed oils 

- no tap water

- no soaps

- no deodorants 

- no medication

What has changed in my body and health?

- lost 21kg / 46lbs

- now eat only meat, cheese, butter and eggs

- off all my chronic meds: blood pressure and lungs

- no more abdominal pain

- no more head aches 

- no more depression or feeling down

- no more pimples 

- no more insomnia 

- no more dry skin

- gout totally healed

- much less sunburn 

- body odours disappeared 

- no more muscle cramps

- teeth white again

All this by just choosing natural living. 

My fitness journey has been one of my best experiences ever. I have now trained for 250 consecutive days, a personal record by far!

I have followed the MAF training method to the letter, and my improvement has been very consistent and noticeable. This week I will end my highest running week of around 90km! Injury free. I am planning some excited races to enter in 2025, big comeback year for me!! 

Here are my Strava stats year to date:

Thanks for reading. May your decisions change your life for the better. 

Be strong, live hard!

150 Days bagged

The speed of time is just a ridiculous thing. Here we are, almost half way through the year, and New Year's was just yesterday. This year has by far been the biggest improvement I have ever experienced in my life to date. And also the easiest. If someone told me last year that only 3 things are needed for absolute health, total healing, mental resurgence, and happiness, I would have scoffed over such a suggestion and made an inappropriate joke, beer in hand. Yet, here we are. And you want to know the magic 3:

Meat 

Sun

Water

Thats it. 

My diet consists of beef, butter, and eggs. Yup, just that.  I will eat other meats, but beef just feels better for longer. For 150 days I have not touched a fruit, a veggie, a carb, a sweet, a cooldrink or anything alcoholic. And the longer I go without it, the more I realise just how I was fooled to believe by all those robot like advocates of the fake food industry, that those were necessities of life, when in reality they only plunder our health, time and happiness. I feel so EXTREMELY good, I won't trade this for any one minute feel good moment on my tongue. 

The above book was an excellent read. I suggest everyone should at least get a different opinion to the one currently sold to us by main stream puppets. So many great things have been made out to be bad for us: the sun, red meat, eggs, cholesterol, etc. Those are all things that gives us life. My opinion has made a 180 degree about turn. If I am not sick once a year and I feel great 360 and a quarter days per year, there will still be some saying I am living a high risk life. Ridiculous. Start feeling good today, it is so easy. 

But, diet wasn't the only change. I have not used otc pills, chronic medication,  shampoo, body lotion, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, or sunscreen. The smell of it now is totally overpowering and, to be honest, a little bit nauseating. My body odour has basically disappeared since only eating meat, and I don't burn in the sun as easily as I've always done before. Sound rediculous? Well, its true. 

I basically use bicarbonate of soda for everything with few extra natural ingredients. I have a 25kg bag of it, just to give you an idea!!! I dont need medication, as I am totally healed. 

I have trained everyday so far. In the pic are my stats for 2023. I am still very slow, but I have set some long term goals and I want to stay injury free. The MAF training is working wonders for me, and I am improving every month. I do all my training fasted and I drink nothing. I have completed my first 21.1km (verrrrry pedestrian) without eating or drinking before or during the session. I was energetic and felt strong all the way. Being fat addapted is such a powerful state to be in. I will drink water and salt only for sessions longer than 150 minutes. In a few months, I will be able to run non-stop again. In June I will start introducing rucking, and I am excited to see what difference it will bring to my overall strength. 

The end of June will be 6 months, and I will be making a very exciting announcement. Can't wait to share it with you. 

Thank you for running through this short update, I appreciate your time. Remember to eat meat! 

Be strong. Live hard. 

 

100 Days of zero toxins

 

What a journey it has been so far. I truly feel like Benjamin Button. Not only have I shed a lot of body fat, but I have turned back time at least 10 years. This dude in the picture has to pinch himself daily just to check that this is not a dream he is going to wake up from. If anyone tried to convince me last year December that something as small as a change in diet could have such a colossal effect on a person's health, I would have nodded, smiled, and left that crazy person to mingle further with his imaginary friends. And here I am!

I have never committed to anything as focused and dedicated as I did with this 500-day challenge. What I see amongst the people I share life with, is that we have stunning dreams of endless possibilities, we present beautiful plans carefully tailored through years of passion and thorough thought and we also desire honest and lasting relationships, whether they are rock-solid friendships or romantic ones straight from a Hollywood winning script. Although these dreams, plans, and relationships are absolutely possible, we more often than not erase them from our stars ourselves, ripping the asphalt from our own paths and ending up frustrating our days by plonking along on unnecessary self-inflicted pothole-ridden gravel roads. This, in turn, invites depression, unhappiness and anxiety to the table, feeding us with feelings of failure, disappointment, inadequacy and worthlessness. This all drives us straight to the nearest drugstore for a little something to help us cope and get through our days whilst resembling someone still in possession of almost all their marbles! To make things even worse, we stuff our faces with everything our bodies hate and can't cope with, making it absolutely impossible for these stunning bodies we were born into and in which we travel around Earth, to pick ourselves up and start conquering again. We withhold its high-quality fuel, we poison our muscles and brains, we sink our dreams and eventually, we just don't give a shit anymore. I was there. Almost everyone is there. This was me just a few months ago. Not anymore. I am not the same, my whole being has transformed. 

Change does not take years. Weight loss does not take years. Turning back the clock does not take years. Getting fit again does not take years. All it takes is ONE decision. 

You do not need to be sick. You do not need a bag of medication every month. You do not need to be depressed. You do not have to live alone. You do not have to be tired every single day. All it takes is ONE decision. 

No change will ever come by continually making the exact same choices as yesterday. You have to change something, and TOTALLY remove another in order for permanent change happen. Bad habits can not be harboured and then still think the change you hunger for will stick. It SHALL return in a time of weakness and, like an evil Deja Vu, you will again walk the same disappointing roads you were trying to escape from for so long. 

I had to change 3 things in my life: zero alcohol, zero carbs, daily exercise, and daily sun. Zero alcohol because it makes me take stupid decisions, it is unhealthy, it makes me sick for days, it turns me into an asshole which was bad for my relationships with my wife, kids, family and friends and it stole decades of joy from my life, destroyed my businesses and wasted so much of my money and time. Zero carbs because my body was getting sicker and sicker, I was getting weak, I was mentally not in a good place, and carbs were busy destroying me. Fitness was absolutely critical, I was losing muscle mass, couldn't play with the kids anymore, and my joints were giving in...things had to change and change fast. After another few years of living like this and the damage I would've done to myself would have been irreversible. 

That one day in December 2022, I made a decision that was different from any I have ever taken. It was a no-turning-back point in my life. And here I am. Just back from my 8km run/walk. I haven't been sick in almost a year. I have not had any physical ailments in 100 days. I have not skipped training even once. I have still not put any sugar or carbs in my mouth since January the 1st and zero alcohol entered my body. 

It has been so easy, to be honest. The only thing standing between anyone and a life-changing choice is addiction. Thats all. Feeling great forever is as close as next week. Choose against the addiction and everything will fall into place. Full stop. 

I chose addiction over health and happiness for too long. 

This is my training for the journey so far. I am almost averaging 50km running per week. I incorporate some core training, knee exercises, and pushups. I am still very strict on my MAF training, religiously keeping my heart rate between 119-129bpm. I am improving my speed very slowly, yet it improves weekly. The lovely thing about MAF is the almost zero risk of injury and overtraining. Looking forward to the next three months. 

Meal wise I am still only eating meat, eggs and butter. My high energy levels and the change in my skin are absolutely astounding. I miss no other food. Stop worrying about cholesterol, the above book was a great read. 

I don't cheat with:

- food: strictly unprocessed meat, eggs, and butter only

- training every day: minimum of 30min runs/walks per day and pushups

- sun exposure: every sunny day I do 50 minutes in shorts, 25min front, 25min back

- no soaps, deodorant, detergent, etc

- no alcohol, soft drinks, juices, etc

Now my next target is day 150. 

Be strong, and live hard! Thanks for reading 🥩🥩

50 Days done, 10% raced by...

Seeing how easy it actually is to get oneself into shape, it pisses me off when realizing that I have squandered away a whole decade of my life. One can never bring about change as long as you cherish your bad habits more than yourself. 

Here is a summery of my first 50 days:

- 50 consecutive training days

- zero food cheating

- zero alcohol

- blood pressure normal

- diet clean carnivore (meat, dairy, fat)

- weight los: 16.7kg / 37.5lbs

- zero medication

- 300+ km walked

- energy levels extraordinary 

- no headaches, nausea, etc. 

It was the first time in around 14 years that the scale has shown 78kg! Quite an emotional achievement for me! Edging closer to my old racing weight 💪🏻

I have committed to a new sport challenge, but I will ssy more about this in my month-end post. 

Thanks for the support, it is very much appreciated. 

Be strong, live hard. 

The first month gets the checkered flag

 

I am a happy man. I have not had a headache since my hangover on the 1st, my joint pains have left, I am super positive and energetic. In fact, I feel so good that it almost feels as if I am on something. I would not have given being a carnivore for only 30 days so much credit, but it is absolutely insane. I've been functioning on ketones this month and it is a super fuel! What I have been noticing the last week was how clear my mind has become, zero brain fog, and also how my eye sight is improving. 

I have not eaten any sugar or simple carbs nor did any alcohol pass my lips. I have consumed no medical product. I have not skipped training once. I did not use any soap products on myself, not on any of my clothing or linen. I have been 100% toxin free for 30 days as far as it was possible for me to regulate. 

I would say that month one was a great success. 

Just look at that blood pressure!!!!! There is no way that can be true on beef, liver, butter and salt? NO MEDICATION!!! It drops steadily week by week. The right food heals!

In four weeks, I have lost 11.8kg or 26.5lbs. I would never have guessed that on the first of January. I have not been hungry as I eat myself until I am 100% full, and the high-fat content keeps me from getting hungry. I have moved my meal from late afternoon to after my training in the mornings. I find I sleep better then. 

This month I will end with 163km walked. I am taking it slow as I am nursing an old rugby knee and old foot discomfort. I have also introduced some weight training which I will increase slowly over the next two weeks. 

I've had so much sun this week, it was around 180 minutes of beautiful vitamin D harvesting. 

470 days left, and I am intrigued by what it holds in for me...

My diet for the week was:

Day 22: 11:15 had pork belly leftovers, braaid a pork chop with my dad with lovely crackling. Two fried eggs. Mozzarella cheese. 

Day 23: 2 x eggs with deactivated yeast and cheese. Bacon crackling. Ox liver fried in animal fat with onion garlic ginger paprika. Double cream plain yogurt. 

Day 24: 9 am warmed up leftover curry chicken with a lot of butter. Had two eggs with double cream plain yogurt. Some of yesterday's leftover ox liver until I was full. 250g steak.

Day 25: 2 x eggs in butter. Bacon in butter. Ox liver  in butter. With salt. 

Day 26: 12am leftover ox liver in butter with 2 eggs. 500g beef mince with onion and butter. 

Day 27: 500g chicken livers fried with butter, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, masala, 3 eggs. 

Day 28: 4pm leftover chicken livers 400g, beef Biltong, 6 eggs

Day 29: 6 eggs. Bacon. Beef liver and onion. 

Day 30: 8 am: 6 eggs fried with bacon. Ox liver fried in coconut oil with onions, garlic, and jalapenos. 

21 one days of melting fat away

 We are almost through January and it feels like the corks popped yesterday. The good thing about speeding time is the fact that goals are reached in the wink of an eye too. I finished off my third week of 500 days without poison, and if anyone told me before the start that I would be feeling this good after only three weeks I would have rather believed that the Bulls could beat the Stormers!! 

I sleep great, I haven't been nauseous in over two weeks, absolutely zero headaches and I am extremely energetic. What is most astounding is that all the gout in my hands and thumbs have totally hit the road. 

My training is going great. I have not skipped any session. My total for the week was just over 45km and the month so far is almost 112km. I am not tired at all and I am still holding back for the first three months. I am slowly adding weight training and core workouts to my sessions. 

My blood pressure was a great concern. It was super high at the start and I am so relieved with this week's results. It is dropping fast and remember I have not touched any medication of any sort since 2022. It is still high at the diastolic side. It will hopefully hit the correct level. Within the next few weeks. 

I am super chuffed with my progress regarding my weight. In three weeks I have dropped an astounding 10.8kg or 24lbs!!! I am eating plenty of animal fats, meat and little bit of veggies. I must admit to this: the less veggies I eat the better I feel! I will post the 7 meals I've had at the bottom. What is interesting is that I am rarely hungry.

I have broken through the 85kg barrier for the first time many years!

I've had plenty of vitamin D reload in the sun, totalling out at 150 minutes!! Bring on the health!!

My diet for week three:

15 Jan: 17:00 spinach flash fried with onions tomato garlic and coconut oil. Tacos: shells made with melted cheddar cheese. Filling beef mince with garlic ginger onions, salsa tomatoes onion basil, sauce double cream plain yogurt with lemon juice paprika. 

16 Jan: 18:00 baby marrows fried in coconut oil with onion tomato garlic ginger and dressed in double cream plain yogurt. Chicken breast fried with coconut oil and onions. 

17 Jan: 1 pm (ate earlier to have a longer fast tomorrow)bacon, 2 x eggs fried in bacon fat, spinach quick fried in onions tomato garlic ginger and bacon fat/butter dressed in double cream plain yogurt. Leftover mince and chicken heated up. 

18 Jan: 15:30 two fried eggs in salted butter. Spinach flash fried with onions tomatoes garlic ginger in leftover fat from yesterday's beef mince dressed in double cream plain yogurt. I love this and will eat it every day! Ox liver fried in coconut oil with onions garlic and ginger with lemon juice and vinegar. 

19 Jan: egg on avo with cheese, fried chicken livers in onions paprika garlic ginger. Fried cabbage in coconut oil and salt. Leftover beef liver from yesterday. Blue cheese.

20 Jan: 14:30 ate two eggs in coconut oil. Made chicken butter curry in onion garlic turmeric paprika ginger cinnamon fried in butter. Double cream yogurt.

21 Jan: 16:30 pork belly on bbq with salt pepper and lemon juice. Green beans in full cream underneath the pork to catch and cook in the dripping delicious fat. Some Greek salad. 

Finding the rhythm - week two

During the second week of my 500 days journey, everything settled into normal mode. I was feeling stronger and stronger, I am extremely positive and I was starting to look better. My nausea and insomnia disappeared and I was looking forward to the future. 

After week one I lost 6.3kg which was obviously more than I have anticipated. I guess if I can keep on dropping around 1.5kg per week I will be very happy. 

The guy in the picture is slowly melting away. What I hated most about being overweight, was not the always being hot part, not the getting sick often part, not the constant feeling shit part, but the absolute below-par quality of life I was living. I was never a dude who could just sit still and watch others play, yet there I was sitting like an old man constantly observing and not participating. If I did it was only for a few moments. Also during this time, my knees went bad, my shoulders deteriorated and I began getting pain in my thumb joints. No more. 

I wanted more. I was better. Hence the 500 days!

This was a great week. I woke up early each day. I did all my training, which totaled almost 39km of walking! See pic below. My knees already feel better and so does my shoulder. I will slowly start introducing weight training during week three. 

I am eating like a champ, and I am still 100% clean on my food. I will post my 7 meals at the bottom. 

I am overflowing with vitamin D and I guess it also contributes heavily towards my positive attitude. 

I was very concerned regarding my very high blood pressure. When I took it this week it is slowly starting to drop. I am taking absolutely no medication. 

 

 As you can see it has dropped quite a bit and I am much more positive about it!!

Looking at the before/after pics, I am so pleased at my progress over just 14 days! I am on the right track and I am slowly starting to feel 17 again!

My weight has been dropping steadily too:

During week 1: 95.4 - 89.1= 6.3kg. 

During week 2: 89.1 - 86.8= 2.3kg

Total: 8.6kg in two weeks. 

My training for the week. It can be viewed in more detail on Strava under Jacques Redelinghuys. 

My diet was as follows:

Day 8: 3 pm braaid a pork chop with thick fat, homegrown green beans slightly fried in fat with salt, garlic, and lemon juice. 2 fried eggs with garlic, cucumber tomato salad with double cream yogurt, and apple cider vinegar as dressing. 

Day 9: 6 pm green beans lightly fried in fat with onions and garlic. Ox liver marinated in double cream yogurt milk and vinegar, fried with onions and garlic. Cabbage salad with little bit of carrot, raw onion vinegar garlic salt and spices.

Day 10: Food: 3 pm grilled 3/4 chicken, creamed spinach at Padstal pub with my brother during sparkling mineral water. 

Day 11: 7 pm beef mince fried in beef fat with onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Homegrown green beans and a cucumber/tomato salad. 

Day 12: 18:00 ox liver fried in coconut oil with onion, two eggs, spinach, cucumber, and tomato salad with Apple cider vinegar. 

Day 13: dried wors and full-fat cottage cheese. Beef mince fried in coconut oil garlic and onions with paprika and.  Baby marrow fried in coconut oil with onions garlic tomatoes and double cream yogurt. Cucumber tomato salad with Apple cider vinegar. 

Day 14:14:30 lamb on spit, lots of fat. Greek salad with heaps of olives and feta cheese! It was divine. 

My total time in the sun was more than 3 hours. 

Looking forward to the third week and thank you for following my journey. 

Be strong, live hard. 

Tri