Every once in a while, Craig surprises me and acts like a typical guy. I know that I talk about the cake baking, manscaping and general metro-ness, but there really is a “manly” side to Craig which helps to balance out the Girl in him.
For example, he single-handedly remodeled our home in New Hampshire. I’m talking, he replaced toilets, vanities and faucets. He laid tile. He rebuilt our entire front steps and created custom cabinets for our living room.
That’s some serious manliness, right?
Craig has always been into exercise. When I was 32 weeks pregnant with Kate, we traveled 10 hours from Memphis to Austin, TX, so he could ride in Lance Armstrong’s Ride for the Roses. Then less than 2 weeks before she was born, he ran in the St. Jude Half Marathon. Now his latest physical endeavors are adventure races, which last 8 hours and include things like mountain biking, orienteering, canoeing, swimming and riding a zip line.
Again, a whole lotta man in that.
Unfortunately, the flip side to his fitness is the insanely strict healthy eating.
And… weight watching, too.
Craig is known to get a little “fussy” (shall we say?) about his diet, as well as the scale. Over the years, he’s gone through phases and little “kicks” where he focuses on either adding in a new group of foods or eliminating something from his diet entirely. What he deems an acceptable number looking back at him on the scale fluctuates, too.
Right now his latest food craze is The Paleo Diet, a.k.a The Caveman Diet. It’s based on the belief that it’s best to eat like the cavemen did, and avoid all grains, dairy, beans and sweets.
He’s been following it for a week and a half, but only told me a few days ago. He figured I’d roll my eyes and make fun of him.
For the first time, he’s been journaling this new diet, how he feels, and how this change affects his exercise program.
Personally, I think it’s a bit extreme. We care about eating well and eating real food, but I don’t think cavemen were meant to ride 30 miles every morning, ya know? Over the weekend, he called home because he had hit the proverbial wall on his ride, didn’t have it in him to go any further, and needed me and the girls to come pick up him and his bike from the side of some country road.
The funny part of this? He wants to know if anyone would care to read about his new diet. I think his little “Craig Fan Club” has gone to his head.
I told him if any of the 3 fitness addicts who read my blog want to know more, then maybe he can have special Paleo Project Posts from time to time. But if not? This Paleo Project qualifies as possible blog fodder, and all his moaning and groaning about his stomach hurting and excessive stanky gas that has been created as a result of eating 14 lbs of cauliflower every day, is fair game.
Have you tried any alternative diets? Does your spouse have any strict eating or exercise habits?
How would you feel if your spouse weighed less than you…because mine does!?!
Ive never heard of that diet…I’d be interested in hearing more about it, or at least humoring Craig
My husband and I have always weighed similar amounts. Currently he weighs about 10 pounds more (mainly because of his 2-3 beers every night), but he has started to talk about cutting back to lose weight.
Personally, I think men look better having a little meat on their bones (this is a generalization, not a dig against Craig or my husband!).
Hopefully Craig cooks his own meals, and doesn’t just hand you a list of restrictions!
We’ve always weighed pretty close. I weigh more than Wayne, by 10 pounds. Sad. I am 15 pounds or better overweight and Wayne is thing.
But, he’s thin and all muscle. He works hard and it keeps him in really good shape. I don’t work so hard and I am sort of shaped like a pillow! lol
Good for him I hope that his caveman thing works!
I’m kind of curious about this whole cave man diet thing. Not because I would want to give it a go, but I’m interested to see what foods he’s eating to sustain that level of energy.
I have never been one for diets, personally. I became a vegetarian 13 years ago (which, yes, is a diet… but I always think of it as a lifestyle thing) but I could never get behind any others.
He weighs less than you? Dunk that cauli in butter, lard, or vaseline. You gotta stop that insanity.
Does he know that he needs carbs to keep going on long endurance bike rides?
Just wondering.
I’m sure I weigh more than Ben. I’m taller than him too, so I’m pretty much jolly green giant compared to Mr. Fit.
Feels just great
I’d secretly slip in extra fat and calories every chance I got if Mark weighed less than me. Or I’d have to get divorced. One or the other. You are a much stronger woman than I am!!
I’m the nutrition person around here. Mark cares, but at the same time his brain just doesn’t work that way. When we were first married, I would ask what type of vegetable he’d like with dinner and every time he answered, “Beans.” Aaaagh. I go through extreme phases now and then (nothing like this cave man thing, though – yet again, Craig, you amaze me!), but overall we’re pretty middle of the road, eat as clean as we can, organic as much as possible, very healthy, but we aren’t crazy-strict. It’s all about moderation. At least that’s what I tell myself…
Wow. That’s a lot of cauliflower.
I’ve heard of this diet before, and I knew immediately that it would never, in a million years, fly in our household.
I presume you’re not doing the Paleo Diet along with Craig? Is that because it forbids you from eating pretzel M&M’s?
Let me get past the nose-hair-curling gas and tell you that IF my husband weighed less than me, I would have to be committed. Why? He’s 6’4″ I’m 5’2″(and a quarter). Swear if I were heavier than him I’d be on the biggest loser, if I could get a flat bed truck to roll me out of bed.
The Paleo Diet? A feature here at a belle, a bean and a Chicago dog? Not interested. Unless it’s super funny and evokes nothing but laughter. Then I’ll be interested.
Sticking with you on this one, Liz. His Paleo Diet is complete blog fodder as is his moaning, groaning and disgusting gas. lol
Have I mentioned that I love Craig?
OH MY GOSH YOU CRACK ME UP! BLOG FODDER, INDEED!!! HAHA~! LURVE IT!
-CK
Luckily Todd and I have very similar eating/diet and workout regimes. We eat a lot of veggies and love salads, but we do indulge sometimes by having a big juicy cheeseburger with French fries and dessert and then pay for it (dearly) later. We own a treadmill and spin bike that get used often and one of us is usually training for something (not at the moment, however).
I do have to say that cauliflower has never once entered our home. Go Craig!
Your post made laugh out loud! Thank you
I absolutely could not tolerate if my husband weighed less than me. I like to maintain a 50 pound gap if possible! I’ve just started on my Paleo journey and it’s been great so far. A bit restrictive, yet, but the benefits are truly amazing — oh, and helping make that gap more like 60 lbs!!