Update: Progress! (not enough, but progress none the less)

Weight 184.5
Waist 37
Bicep 13.25

Man, my diet is out of control. I hit around 2000 calories today, but dinner on the go meant Long John Silver's. Between that and me not getting my sorry butt out of bed before 6AM means I'm failing miserably.

Tomorrow is picture day. We'll see how it's going, but I'm not optimistic.

Why Fat Loss is Good and Muscle Loss is Bad

To my knowledge, there has not been a study showing that having good muscle tone is bad for you. We know that excess fat is bad for you. Therefore, the goal of any fitness/weight reduction program should be geared toward fat reduction and muscle retention.

Our bodies burn calories just to stay alive and muscle burns more calories per day than fat. If you were to go on a reduced calorie diet without taking the time to protect your muscle, some of your weight loss will be from a reduction in muscle. Once you start eating at a maintenance level, the loss in muscle means that your body does not need as many calories as it once did. Therefore this “normal” level is in fact an excess calorie diet and your weight balloons back up.

So how do you protect your muscle mass from the ravages of a reduced calorie diet? More on this later.

Thanksgiving is no time to start a reduced calorie diet. Even though I pursued activities that promoted good health, I also maintained a “healthy” appetite. But I’m back on track.

Monday (11/27) Calories were in the 2300 range although peanuts (in mass quantities) are the devil. I’m being lazy on the morning cardio, but the weight training is still in place. Tomorrow will be an indication of how well or badly I’ve been doing.

This blog is keeping me accountable, but I am wondering if I need another accountability partner.

Things I am Thankful For...

Grace, mercy, salvation, forgiveness, my wife, my children, my family, my friends, my church, my ministry, my life (it could be worse), my nation, my health, my home...

The list goes on and on. Count your blessing. Name them one-by-one. (Hey, that's catchy. Someone should write a song.)

Happy Thanksgiving.

I've eaten way too much, but I did go for an hour long bike ride today before the festivities began. C'est la vie.

More On The Plan

I ran this morning, which is in accordance with my defined plan. Most of us understand that adopting the habits of proper diet and exercise are key to leading a healthy life. Let me explain my specific reasoning in choosing early morning cardio.

This time of year, I get up run in my church’s gym at 5:00 AM on an empty stomach maintaining a heart rate between 65-75% of my calculated maximum heart rate. This is known as low-intensity, steady-state (LISS) cardio in a fasted state. Translation: On an empty stomach, I jog slowly and steadily keeping my heart beating about 135 beat per minute (this is my number).

The idea is that the body burns any stored energy from carbohydrates in about 20 minutes. It will then start burning the next available source which is either energy from fat or protein. Studies have shown at the lower intensity, the body most easily uses fat energy, i.e. you’re burning fat. You are also strengthening your heart.

BUT BEN! Isn’t it true that high-intensity intervals (HIIT) will both burn more calories and boost metabolism longer in less time?
Yes, but at the higher intensity more protein (stored in muscle) is used and muscle loss is possible. Not good. I’ve done both types and both types work, but I’ve found that HIIT is harder on my joints and I personally am more apt to blow it off when I just don’t feel like getting up. I can turn on my MP3 player and stay steady for a long time.

This discussion merits a lot of back ground information especially on why muscle loss is BAD and which is a common problem that fad diets fail. That will be my next post…

Stats

Weight 182.5

Waist 37.25 in

Bicep 13.25in

Photo next Wednesday

11/21/2006

I stayed up late last night to watch Puppet Up on TBS. This pretty much means unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view, I didn’t do my morning cardio. The great thing about my plan is the flexibility. I have five more opportunities to meet my remaining three cardio sessions. Sure, my results may come faster if the plan was more demanding but then it becomes so difficult to stick to that you experience a few small failures here, one there and soon you are so disgusted that you quit. There is a balancing act to all of this. Too flexible, no results; too strict, impossible to maintain.

I did do my weight training today and plan to outline my routine soon. I am making everything as simple and straight forward as possible.

Update: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I wound up eating on the road. My calorie intake was a little higher than desired at 2400, but the real mistake was coupled with a 40:35:25 ratio of fats:carbs:protein. Definitely unintentional, but not the end of the world.

A Little More About My Goal
I set my goal as a 2.5” reduction around my waist. Most people will set weight a weight goal of 10 lbs lost or a target weight of 175. My experience has been that weight will fluctuate greatly with hydration levels, sodium levels and carb levels. I have seen my weight vary 10lbs within a 24 hour period. Even the time of day will affect your weight.

My goal is fat loss. Since I store fat across my mid-section, monitoring my waist measurement across my bellybutton will give feedback as to positive or negative progress. I chose 2.5 inches because I assume the change in diet and maintaining proper hydration will account for a 0.5” (almost instantaneous) drop. The other two inches seemed “do-able” in the time frame. It may or may not be realistic, but based on the way my body responds to diet and exercise, it will be an underestimate of my ability if I am wrong.

It Starts With A Goal

My goal is to lose 2.5 inches around my waist by Christmas Eve which is 35 days away (as I am constantly reminded by my children).

Okay, there should be some questions as to why “2.5 inches around my waist” and not a defined “weight” goal and I will get into that discourse over the next few days. Let’s now deal with my plan.

The Plan
Early morning fasted cardio (running or cycling) four or more days per week
Weight training four days per week
1800-2300 calories consumed per day with a 30:30:40 ratio of fats: carbs: protein
Drink lots of H2O ( a gallon a day)
Progress pictures/measurements made on Wednesday

Of course I will explain these decisions as time rolls on. But for now I have the goal and I have some beginning stats. This day is off and running (literally); approximately 2.5 miles in 25 minutes and upper body weight training.

Final calorie count for the day: ~2000 36:24:40 f:c:p ratio. Pretty good start.

Starting Stats
186 lbs.
37.75 in waist
13.25 in bicep flexed