Resurrecting my Fitness Blog...again. From Fatz to Fitz 12/3/18

HOLY CRAP!!!!

Totally the heaviest I've ever been. Considering at my lightest in my adult life I was about 178lbs. I've been unable to sustain any level of good fitness and nutrition because of my brain. It has more to do with my battles with depression and self-loathing than any kind of "I can't give up cake" situation. I quickly returned to daily alcohol consumption after I lost the last batch of weight, because I was not happy with myself in just about every aspect of my life. So, I self-medicated and that lead to bad decisions across the board.

FROM FATZ to FITZ...again.
This morning. 12/3/18 I got up at 3:30am. I had it in my mind that I was going to have my coffee and water, then hit the treadmill and start the day off right. Well, my body knew what kind of subterfuge I was up to and it told me, "OH HELL NO!"

After MULTIPLE visits to the commode, I then got into a sneezing fit that lasted at least 25 minutes. These were the kind of sneezes that made my entire body hurt.

I finally got on the dreadmill and after about 1 minute of a slow to moderate walk, my body decided that I needed to make another trip to the bathroom. It was truly annoying, but I decided that I wasn't going to worry about it.

Another sneezing fit lead me to abandon the dreadmill and instead I meditated on the couch while listening to Isao Tomita.




I know A LOT about nutrition. You'd not know it by looking at me, but if you go back into this blog you will see that I've researched and tested just about every dogmatic approach to nutrition you can think of:

Paelo (Bulletproof, Wild Diet, Keto, Warrior, Gironda)

Furman Plant-based

Moderation (1:1:1)

Rapid Fat Loss Protocol (Never do this)

Nutrimost (Never do this)

I know what works for me in the short term and I know what is sustainable in the long term. I've always wanted to lose the fat fast and then regroup and jump on a sustainable regimen. The problem has always been my own depression and mental issues that talked me out of the good habits and back into the destructive. NO MORE...


Here's my plan and I will keep you informed along the way. (It's mostly for me, but you are welcome to join me for the ride.)

About 22 Days of Extremely low carb eating. Along with that I will drink buttloads of water. I will not consume anything with artificial sweeteners because they trick your body into releasing cortisol and that leads to fat storing.

I will not worry about Christmas, but I will be mindful to not go crazy.

Lifting 3x per week and walking 4x per week. I am starting slow and light and will work my way up. I recognize the reality that I am not in my 30's anymore and I am terribly out of shape, so I don't want to risk an injury. Not only would that be bad for me physically - mentally it would be way worse.

After my keto phase I will go to a clean regimen, hitting these macros: 40% Protein / 40% carbs / 20% fat. While a keto high fat diet is definitely more fun, it is not sustainable for me. My body is not carb sensitive and I can do fine on the right carbs. Once I start getting processed crap into my diet, that's when I go pear-shaped.

Once I get to my sustainable regimen, I will most likely adjust my daily calorie intake based on my lifting and muscle-building goals.

So that's what I am doing. This blog will be my journal and I will write in it each day (as best as I can).

Challenge accepted, Steve Miller.

What I did and so can YOU!

It is a simple equation really. Wanting+doing=results. What used to happen went like, Wanting+thinking+procrastinating+excuses=no change or worse. I am not an author, I am not anything special. I am a 35 year old guy who, since I can remember, has always had man-boobs and love handles. 

My family has a history of less than perfect hearts and cancer. So, do I stay overweight and risk leaving my kids fatherless before they themselves are parents? The answer was simple, the actions taken were not as easy. Like most of us who are overweight, I had a lot of advice from a lot of people. Some told me about the calorie deficit. Some about the Carb Demons, some about the Atkins, the graprefruit, the cabbage soup. blaa blaa blaa. Do you know what works - universally? Whether you are morbidly obese, slightly overweight or skinny fat - your progression to your perfect body is generally the same.

Getting healthy means that first you must throw out the habits that got you here in the first place. No more pleasure eating, crutch eating, or boredome eating. Unless these three events take place at the right time and consist of the right foods. Now, this isn't to say that for the rest of your life this will be the case, at least at first it will be. Here are my three rules to getting healthy:

1. Eat clean. Nothing processed - no nitrates - refined sugars - white flour, etc. Eat only whole grains, lean meats and lots of vegetables. Fruits are good too. I say vegetables first because of the fiber and filling potential. They fill you up but have little to no sugars (as compared to fruits). No more Diet Colas, no more sugary drinks with a sweetener. Think! This is common sense. Do you think there were fat cavemen? Granted they had to run and walk everywhere and were far more active, but the body works the same. You need protein and fat and carbohydrates. You need vitamins and minerals. You need water. Lots of water. Water water WATER! I just gulped a bunch after writing that sentence. These are the basics. You needs will vary depending on your goals, and the research is yours to do if you are serious. Most importantly - don't starve yourself. Eat 5-6 smart meals per day and not to soon before bed. If you consume too few calories your body will burn muscle and store the fat for later. Eating three hours apart will boost your metabolism. Oh, I almost forgot, this will not happen overnight. Nothing does! Be patient and you'll get there.
2. Become active. Slow to start and increase it progressively. Cardio and weight training. Building muscle is good for your health. Muscle burns fat - fat just sits there on YOUR ass waiting to get burned. The more muscle built, the more fat burned - at rest. That is why trainers tell you it is harder to get rid of the spare tire than it is to keep it gone. Explore whatever suits you, but get active. It is good for your heart and therefore good for everything else. Remember, I am just a guy - see a doctor before you try anything.
3. Get enough sleep. The majority of us are up early and in bed late. Get 8 hours of sleep if you can. If that means missing Letterman, buy a DVR or something. Nothing is free, especially a nice physique.

So that is all I am going to write. The most important part is that YOU have to WANT to do this and then DO. Follow through, don't let anyone or anything stop you from realizing your dream.

Thanks,

Scott