Week 21 - A Caloric Insight

Can anyone say plateau??  It may be that we have finally arrived at the station.  I found this week quite interesting on the scales.  I have been crook again....(I thought you were meant to be...well healthy when you were being healthy)...so have only trained twice in the last week.  What was interesting was that I hit a new low on the scales earlier in the week as well as what I would have to say is my lightest 'non training' weight also.  So there are some definite positives.  Taking everything into account, I was 400 grams lighter on average for the week and in searching for positives I will take my lightest day as my spot check for the week as it was the only thing that resembled what a weigh in day would normally.  It put me at 600 grams lighter.  So taking into account the bad result last week, I have at least got back the ground I lost in average terms and was 200 grams on the good side for a spot low.

What is perhaps indicative of a plateau in weight loss, (that is a stalling which will require some sort of change in routine) is just how slow things are really coming along now.  The mirror says that I still have plenty to give, but, obviously the methods may well need a shake up.  I am booked into the dietician in a week or so to have my skinfolds done and will have a chat with her, in conjunction with my food diary, to see what we can do.  Looking forward to seeing how I am tracking on the skinfolds front.  I think I am doing well, but, there's nothing like that element of doubt before you know the truth!

I'm posting another video this week.  Once again, it came across my screen and just struck a chord.  So much so that I must have watched it half a dozen times already.  It gives an excellent explanation of calories.  So often we don't necessarily look past the raw numbers of the calorie content of what we eat.  You may remember a post I did a while back about Calorie Density in food.  I really didn't explain it very well, but, I think this video really nails it so I had to share.  It also gives the perspective that I am always banging on about in that we have to understand the nutrient content (carbohydrate, protein and fat) of our calories.  Anyway, the makers of the video pack more information and a better explanation in 3 minutes of your time than I could in a thousand ill chosen words.  Do yourselves a favour....Watch it!

Week 20 - To Thine Own Self Be True

Well, I didn't get the 200 grams I was looking for to say that I had lost 1 kilo per week for 20 weeks.  In reality, I put on 400 grams both on weigh in day and in average for the week.  Truthfully, after the start to the week I had in relation to my eating, I will walk away happy.  I found a kilo of weight somewhere mid week and even getting close to last week is somewhat of an achievement of sorts.  I'm back on track for next week and my goals now centre around 500 grams per week if possible.  I know that even that modest goal is going to be very difficult even though the mirror test says I have plenty of spare tyre left, in my heart of hearts, I suspect that my body is what it is and that it just wants to be a little more heavy that what I have in mind.  Sounds defeatist?  Well I am not defeated at all.  Just acknowledging the challenge ahead, whilst smaller in actual numbers, will be harder than what I have done to this point.  Perhaps best indicated by my average weight chart for this week below.

Click to make me bigger

 Can I also say that I had a rather ironic giggle this week at the note on the top of the page on the site I use to generate this particular graph.  It provides a note each day on how you are tracking towards the goal you have set.  When I am moving in the right direction, it throws up a little green box, an example of which you see below, telling me that I'm travelling ok and giving an indicative date of when I am likely to reach that goal.  Mid week where the dots were just starting to go back under the average line I get this message

Oh YAY!! The U.S. style date telling me that I'll be done for Christmas 2016!!  Just in time for a big extra serving of Christmas lunch....Like I said, it did raise just a little more than even the smile I am wearing as I think and type about it now.

I'm going to branch out on a slight tangent this week onto a topic that genuinely interests me deeply.  You'll understand why soon.

In my investigative travels searching for information to sponge up about all things MMA, martial arts and competing in the same, frequently have I come accross the concept that much of the competition takes place in one's mind rather than on the mat.  The battle just to set foot in the arena is one that defeats many.  Hence why I am so fond of the 'Man in the Arena' quote from Theodore Roosevelt that I have written about in an earlier post.  With this in mind, I have made it part of my journey to try and understand the mental aspects involved in training to compete.  Part of that is understanding myself and how I think.

Up until last year, I always knew that I was introverted, but, I have never had a full understanding of what that meant.  I knew that in me it meant that I didn't tend to seek out the company of others.  I don't particularly like parties or social gatherings generally and none of that particularly bothered me.  At least in so much as I still had the relative confidence, not to demand social conformity of myself that might have otherwise resulted in me overtly diving into social situations that I knew would make me uncomfortable.  Certainly there are times when we all need to join in with the social circumstances of a situation, but, that is part of the nature of societies more broadly.  Or at least, that is how I see it anyway.  But, the one thing that I didn't fully understand was that being introverted, didn't and doesn't make me shy or socially awkward.  At least not always....  Everyone has those moments from time to time right??  I have actually conceded that I may even be a people person.....of sorts.  Even if I do often seek to be on my own.

So what does being introverted and/or extroverted actually mean?  Whilst I did learn the definitions more properly last year, never have I seen it put so well as in the video that hit my FaceBook stream this week that I have embedded here.

The basics of it that give me great comfort are that I can be introverted and still be normal.  In fact, I very much like the qualities of an introvert and am happy to be one.  Someone that thinks deeply about things, internalises them and really considers them.  That's not to say that extroverts don't think things through of course.  They just tend to do it on the outside.  They externalise their thinking and processing of information.  The advantage there is collaboration and perhaps more group diagnosis of things.  There are qualities and drawbacks of both styles.  Watch the video!  It really nails the definitions, characteristics as well as the science behind it all.  What's going on in the brain!!

What's the relevance?  Well, indirectly, understanding this concept is a real benefit in communicating with other people.  If you can understand how they work in terms of whether they are introverted or extroverted, it is at least easier to tailor your communication style to be as effective as possible.  That might mean talking things through with an extrovert and giving an introvert the time to think things through themselves, before diving into a conversation about the topic with them.

Direct relevance for me in terms of both my training and my general efforts to be healthy is to understand what works for me, how I think, learn and recharge my batteries best.  All very important things to know when trying to maximise the return of the investment of time, effort and energy into the goals I have set myself.  Also in terms of winning the battle of the mind that it will take if I am ever to step into the arena of competition.  I like to think of it as being part of an holistic approach to what I am trying to achieve.  There is more to understanding the aspects of the mind involved, but, I think this is definitely part of the puzzle.

Week 19 - Cardio Is My Weapon

I've stuck in this week's weight trend line again.  I'm tossing up between doing that each week for reference, or just having the past week's trend as an image in the corner of the blog.  Not a big deal either way, just putting it out there.  The blue dot in this week's graph is where I actually forgot to weigh in....doesn't happen often.

A good week with both my weigh in day and weekly average seeing a drop of 800 grams.  This sees me at 101.3 kg on my new scales as of this morning!  With my average for the week at 102.4.  Both are very pleasing numbers.  You may remember a few weeks ago in my Crossing the Line post, I spoke about my average weight trend slipping above the line that marks a 1kg per week weight loss.  I think this week could be the last week where my weigh in day weight sits below that line.  I'm actually pretty proud of the effort I have put in to keep below that line for 19 weeks.  In that time I have lost 19.8 kg in total, which is 70% of the weight that I set as my goal to lose.  With 800 grams between me and that line, who knows, I might actually sneak below it next week as well.  There is a chance!

If you have been following from The Beginning, you'll know that one of the tools I am using to motivate me in getting fit, healthy and losing the weight is the prospect of competing in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).  I cannot express how supported I have felt in my training journey by the people where I train at Synergy.  Whether it be the people sharing the mat in my sweaty mess of effort with a smile and a willingness to engage in this strangely bonding experience of MMA, or the person striving beside me in the Strengthfit classes at stupid o'clock in the morning doing little more than smiling at me as we pass each other for just one more run up the stairs.  Every so often though, someone will come up and have a couple of words with me that start with 'I've been reading your blog'.  The conversations that invariably follow hold real significance in a couple of ways.  Firstly, my apologies if I come off a bit funny, as I tend to be a bit shy in those circumstances.  I know that this forum is public and that is part of the point in terms of accountability, but, there is also some safety in sitting here behind a keyboard not actually knowing if anyone will read it.  That's where these moments in time are also very meaningful.  Both from the perspective of knowing that even one person reads this certainly keeps my head in the game as I don't want to be reporting back about a slack week.  Even more than that though, I get so much encouragement from those conversations.  When someone tells me that they enjoy reading what I write, or even more that they have taken action to improve their own health in part through reading it, it's a massive boost.  So thank you for taking the time and making the effort.  It certainly helps keep me going!

Some of you that do train with me at Synergy may have seen this video - Mt. Taylor Sprint on Facebook earlier this week.  I know I've meandered to the point of this week's post, but, here it comes!  One thing that really appeals to me about the culture of MMA is its openness to use what works.  That is, it doesn't limit the practitioner to a single style or set of techniques and it is an individual journey of discovery as to what works best for you.  I've always been a big guy.  Back row centre of all my school photos.  6 ft 4" (193 cm) from the age of 16 and have not spent much time under 100kg since that time.  Remarkably though, for some reason I have managed to carry a relatively good level of cardiovascular fitness (cardio) through the years.  Probably because of the hours I used to spend on the Rugby training fields.  I was in 4 teams at once in my final year of high school.  Oh to be that rich with time again!

I'm no elite athlete when it comes to physical fitness, strength or anything else.  I have a reasonably solid cardio base that is improving all the time.  The point I see to that is going to be with competition in mind.  When I step onto the mat to compete, I want cardio to be one of the tools in my arsenal.  I may not be the best boxer, kicker or grappler, but, what I don't want is to be limited by fitness in the execution of what skills I do have in those areas.  I want to be measured by them and not beaten by the fact that I have nothing left in the tank to execute what skills I have learned.

That video is of my coach and me on our final hill sprint for the session.  It was at the top of one of the local peaks in Canberra and is a popular walking trail as was evident by the number of people we saw in the foggy 4 degree temperatures.  We had already jogged up the mountain and had come down a little from the top to do some sprints.  When I say we jogged up, I made my usual attempt (I've done it a handful of times now) to jog start to finish that to this point has ultimately ended in a shuffle resembling a bleary eyed man in his slippers emerging outside in search of the morning's newspaper.  While my coach cheerfully stuck at my pace smiling and greeting the fellow souls we passed in either direction on the way, breathing so easy he looked like he could be just as easily strolling out with his dog.  He is of course training for his own upcoming competition and has now given me something to aspire to with regards to my own level of fitness.

I was reasonably satisfied that I kept up in the sprints.  Although I have to admit that the effort left me completely shattered.  It's a great spot for hill sprints.  At least until you finish.  Then you have a 1.5 km trek back down the mountain ahead of you.  Sure it's a great way to get rid of some of the lactic acid as you cool down and I had no leg soreness whatsoever the next day.  But, I almost had to ask my coach to carry me back down.  Mind you, he looked like he had the wherewithal left to do it too!

As the date of whatever my competition ends up being gets closer with each week of weight loss, I have a greater sense of urgency about improving my fitness.  I have plans in place to up the cardio using methods both familiar and new.  I know the effort will pay off and I can taste the fruits of those impending labours.  Win, lose or draw, I will be measured by my skills, not my cardio.

Week 18 - Turning the Tide

Click me for full size.

Like the title says, it was a big turnaround on the scales this week.  Significantly a 1.5 kg loss on weigh in day was bettered by my average weight for the week that dropped a startling 1.9 kg, which is the biggest recorded average loss for a week to date.  I've included here an image of how my average weight looks when graphed.  You can see the daily weigh in dots dragging that average line down each day.  A great looking graph it is too.  Compared to last week where the dots were standing up tall and waving at me from the high side of the line it is a very pleasing result.

The difference this week was being back to near full health, some hard training and a change in mindset.  I am back to recording diligently my food intake in my food diary.  It is that sort of accountability that I find helps me make sensible eating choices and I have been a bit slack.  I can hear the little voice in my head as I reach for something I shouldn't...'You know you have to record that in your food diary right....'.  If you are trying to get healthy, lose weight, or just eat better generally, all I can say is give it a go.  I have found it really works.

Speaking of eating right.  I read an article the last month posted under the guise of being Georges St Pierre's blog.  I say it that way as I doubt he writes it himself and it is linked to his Rushfit product.  I've tried Rushfit and is actually a decent workout and worth a look for those days when you can't get outside for whatever reason.  The article (Complete, Incomplete and Complementary Proteins), which I am going to paraphrase for the purposes of this exercise, is about proteins in your diet and your body generally and the bit that really caught my eye was the concept of complementary proteins.

It seems to me that most people appear to be obsessed with carbohydrates when it comes to eating well to lose weight in so much as they seem to want to go to extreme measures to limit or cut them out of their diets completely.  Way back in February after my first visit to the Dietician I wrote about the importance of keeping those carbs in there as part of the overall balance - Mystery Solved.  What I am probably more interested in at the moment is proteins.  Mainly because I am intent on dropping the weight I still have to lose whilst losing as little muscle mass as possible.  Ideally, I would even like to add a little muscle, even though I know it will make the weight loss process take longer.  But, proteins are even more important to us than that.

To quote from the aforementioned article -

"Protein acts as the building blocks necessary to build muscle tissue after a workout, repair connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments, form digestive enzymes to assist in the breakdown of food once it is in your system, build antibodies to support immune functions and overall health, and maintain healthy skin and hair growth."

Wowsers!  Busy little amino acids aren't they?  I say that because the different kinds of proteins that our bodies use, make and need are made up of smaller component parts called amino acids.  The different kinds of amino acids combine in different configurations to build individual types of protein.  These are called 'chains' of amino acids.  Think of a protein as being like a cake and the amino acids are the ingredients that go into making it.

Pretty aren't they...Complementary enough?

Your body can actually make certain kinds of amino acids.  Eleven of them in fact, which are called non-essential amino acids.  We only need twenty to make all the different kinds of proteins that we need.  Of course that does leave us with a little bit of a gap.  That's where the nutritional content of our diet comes into play.  The nine 'essential' amino acids, that is those that our body cannot make on its own, we need to obtain from the food that we eat that contains them. In turn they are extracted during digestion and rebuilt into those magic protein cakes.

The foods that we eat can be categorized by the types of proteins that are contained in them.  Those that contain all nine of the essential amino acids already in the form of protein are said to contain 'complete proteins'.  They tend to come from animal sources like dairy, meat, and eggs.  'Incomplete proteins' are those generally from plant sources like nuts, seeds, and peas for example, where not all of the essential amino acids are present.  Interesting in a lab coat and safety glasses kind of way, but, what does it all mean to me, you and training to get fit and lose weight.

To me, I take comfort as it is easy enough for me to get the right amount, quality and type of proteins in my diet to help fuel and repair my body for training.  Reason being is that I like all those animal type proteins with all the complete proteins.  Love meat, red and white as well as eggs and oh so yummy dairy.  Key thing there of course is that animal products tend to contain the bad fats that we want to avoid as opposed to the good fats that I need to consume 93 grams of per day!  That's just my figure given to me by the Dietician by the way and not the one for everyone.  The point for people on restricted diets or those who are vegan or vegetarian and the like is to ensure that they eat what are called 'complementary proteins'.  That is, foods that contain proteins that are not made up of all essential amino acids, but when combined have all the bases covered and can be used to form complete proteins.  Eat the right combination of those foods and your body takes care of the rest.  Just think, your body probably knows more about chemistry than you do!  Mine certainly does.

Deep breath....science based nutrition lesson over.  I found the concept quite interesting.  I hope you did too.  If nothing else it may help with any insomnia you may be having trouble with...