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Given that I’ve haven’t blogged in quite some time, it might come as news to you that I’m back to pretending to get into shape. In early June, I started improving my diet and a few weeks later, began physical exercise with a vengeance.
What I’m doing
Diet
On June 5, I started following the South Beach diet very strictly. Unfortunately, I neglected to weigh myself before beginning, so the first weight measurement I have is from two days into the diet…which was 235 pounds (for comparison, I was 239 pounds on March 6). I stuck with Phase 1 of the diet for about three weeks, and then started “Phase 1.5″, where I mostly stayed on Phase 1, but moved in a couple Phase 2 foods into it. I’m still pretty scared of carbs, so I consume them very lightly. I did “slip up” a bit last weekend when we were Up North, but even with that, I didn’t gain any additional weight over the weekend…which is a plus.
Exercise
About a week into my diet, I added some workouts. I had good success last summer with the Couch to 5K program (although I never completed it), so I resumed that, with runs on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. On Monday/Wednesday/Friday I began a combination of 100 Pushups and 200 Crunches.
I’ve kept up with the Couch to 5K (tomorrow will be Day one of Week 5), but I have fallen behind on the pushups/crunches. But that’s okay, since I’ve replaced them with gym weight workouts. I’ll resume the pushups and crunches next week, I think. But I’ve been going to the gym fairly consistently on MWF and doing some weight machine workouts…and I can definitely tell a difference in my upper body’s definition.
Tools I’m using
It should come as no surprise that I’m a total geek while working out. I haven’t been doing calorie tracking, so I don’t have any measurements/apps for my food intake. But for my running, I am using the awesome iPhone app RunKeeper. It’s a GPS-based app that tracks all of my runs, and uploads them to my RunKeeper profile. For the 100 Pushups and 200 Crunches, I am using the 100 Pushups and CrunchFu iPhone apps, respectively. For my gym workouts, I’ve been trying to find a great iPhone app for that tracking, but coming up short. So I actually just use the Notes app on my iPhone to list out the exercises I’m going to do. I measure my heart rate with my old Polar M32 HRM, and pretty much just keep track of my average heart rate in RunKeeper.
Results so far
As of today, I weigh 224 pounds. If we assume a starting weight of 235 pounds on June 7, that means I have lost 11 pounds in 35 days. Not too shabby…plus I figure a portion of this is muscle gain. I am down two notches on my belt, and wearing jeans that I haven’t been able to wear for over a year. And even better, I am now able to tuck in my polo shirts when going to work…which makes me look even trimmer.
Going forward
Obviously, I have a ways to go. I have a few plans in place, but I also have some follow-up questions to you, my readers, to get your input and advice (since I’m sure everyone has a lot of opinions!)
New workouts
Starting this week (yesterday), I am switching to an every-day gym regimen. I will maintain my three times a week morning runs, but will go to the gym every evening (after the boys go to bed). On non-run days I will start my workout with 30 minutes of cardio (elliptical machine), and on every day, I will do a rotating training workout. I have three main workouts – Back & Abs, Legs, and Chest & Arms. This means I won’t do the exact same thing on each day of the week…it will rotate though all three. For example, this week:
Sunday – Cardio + Back & Abs
Monday – Cardio + Legs
Tuesday – C25K run in morning, Chest & Arms in evening
Wednesday – Cardio + Back & Abs
Thursday – C25K run in morning, Legs in evening
Friday – Cardio + Chest & Arms
Saturday – C25K run in morning, Back & Abs in evening
I know this sounds like a lot, but I’m only intending to hit it this way for three weeks. After three weeks, I will be switching things up a bit and taking advantage of a gift certificate that Carrie got for me for Fitness Together (a private trainer place in Wheaton). That will go for three weeks (during which I will continue Couch to 5K), and then I will re-evaluate.
Need some input
With all this additional exercise, going super low carb doesn’t seem to be the right choice. I know I need to consume some more carbs in order to have energy for my workouts. My biggest challenge right now is no longer WHAT to eat (while I’m a little scared of carbs, I know the “good carbs” to eat, so I am not worried about pigging out on white bread), but WHEN to eat. What do you guys think? From your experience, when is the best time to eat (especially knowing what you know about my workouts and the timing of them). Any other advice you might have would be totally appreciated.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
First off, congrats! Nice job. Second, the deal with carbs as the Doc tells it, for diabetics and pre-diabetics, is balance the good carbs throughout the day. Works for weight loss too. My husband lost 30 lbs! And remember net carbs, fiber reduces grams of carbs. (30 carbs with 8g fiber = 22 carbs) Your body needs the carbs to function, especially with all the exercise. Good luck!
Two thoughts:
Make sure your gym work is targeted to toning and not so much to muscle growth. That means lower weights, more reps. Otherwise you'll get all big and muscled and bulky instead of trim and toned. Focus on fast lifting and quick reps instead of pure strength training.
Second, I follow my old very successful diet plan religiously when it comes to meal times. Breakfast within 30 mins of waking up, lunch anytime before 1, dinner before 8.
Yay for being back! :) Okay so. I went along the same path as you kind of. I have been at the gym monday through friday for a solid three months. the one things that really scared me in the beginning was how HUNGRY i was ALL THE TIME. seriously. it seemed counter intuitive to eat MORE while working out, but it really has helped.
I usually eat a banana and a greek yogurt (14g of protein in one little cup!) for breakfast (or a slimfast / ensure type drink if i'm running behind which happens often. they are packed with vitamins and stuff. it works.).
Lunch is usually a salad loaded with veggies, chicken, sunflower seeds and chia seeds (ask me about chia. seriously.) and a piece of fruit. Sometimes I cheat and eat half of a 6 inch chicken cheesesteak and a handful of chips or something, but that's like… once a month. All throughout the day, i pound water like it's my job. I am to fill my camelbak bottle (which holds 32 ounces) five times through my 8 hour work day.
I get done work at 5p and it's a half hour drive home. I make myself a fresh turkey (roast a turkey breast in the oven at the beginning of the week. bone in, skin on. Cut it off the bone, remove the skin and store it in the fridge for the week. Cut thinish slices off as you need it. don't buy that horrible, processed lunch meat crap.) sandwich on a whole wheat thin bun, which has 100 calories per bun and they are so very yummy and soft and just perfect.
After I eat that, I head to the gym and run 5 or 6 miles, then I do a complete body work out. I know some people frown upon doing that. I know it's bad to work so many different muscle groups so often and all at once, but it's what works for me. I mean, the highest weight that I lift is 30 pounds. I am not trying to bulk up, i'm trying to just tone and besides, it's fun for me. If I don't have fun, odds are, i'll stop going. After I lift, I row 500m as fast as I can. I've gotten down in time from 2:46 to around 2:05, which is awesome for me. I'll usually walk a mile or so on the treadmill or bike two or three miles to cool down. All in all, i'm probably at the gym for 2 1/2 hours total. Which is a long ass time.
For dinner (usually at about 8:30-9p), we usually make grilled chicken sandwiches on a whole wheat ciabatta with grilled corn / veggies of whatever. I marinate EVERYTHING in Kraft Free Zesty Italian Dressing. No joke. It adds SO MUCH FLAVOR for no fat. Steak & shrimp for my husband, chicken for me, it all goes well with that stuff. Sometimes we'll eat bagel bites, peanut butter and jelly or another turkey sandwich… so i'm not 100% perfect.
During the day, I snack on animal crackers, whole grain honey pretzels, carrots and apples with pb. I aim to eat something every 3ish hours. if i don't, my blood sugar drops and i am not a happy camper.
The biggest thing i've noticed / realized is that going to the gym is something that you have to make a priority if it means something to you, which means giving up time with friends, pushing things back to the weekend, less time at home… whatever. it's a huge commitment, but it's so worth it.
I have no idea how much weight i've lost because I don't weigh myself. I started going to the gym so religiously to help out a very overweight friend and a very overweight cousin of mine, not to lose weight. I love being there for something that isn't about me. It's motivating to see them get excited over being able to run for a solid minute or moving up in weights or whatever the case may be. It helps me push myself.
Anyway. This is the longest comment EVER and i'm sorry. This stuff just sort of consumes my life right now. :) I hope I helped!!
Yup. I'm well familiar with the “net carbs” concept (it's hammered into you in South Beach), so I'm always thinking about adding fiber to my carbs, when I do eat them. Whenever I get those personal trainer people to call me back, the main thing I want to get clear with them is WHAT to eat and WHEN to eat it!
But what if I *want* to get all big and muscled and bulky? :)
I'm kidding, mostly. Although I don't mind bulking up a little in the upper body. Not ridiculously, but just enough to look slightly bad-ass.
I know this is like the longest comment ever (it's possibly longer than the actual blog post itself) but it's so ripe and juicy and filled with great info that WHO CARES HOW LONG IT IS, right?
I'm going to try the Kraft Free Zesty Italian dressing idea. And I love Greek yogurt, so thanks for the reminder. I am leery of bananas since they don't have much fiber, but I'll see about working them in. I just had such great early success with South Beach that I'm afraid of messing with it too much…
hola Matt! I hear you about being hungry all the time when you are working out. Still working on that myself but here are a few suggestions i've learned along the way-
- eat lean protein within 1/2 hour of your workout. Little low fat chocolate milks or some turkey or something.
- have fruits/vegs or nuts to snack on during the day because I don't know about you but I will eat just about anything when I'm famished so try to plan ahead!
- Plan out your meals for the week so you get the groceries you need. Makes it so much easier once you are in the middle of a crazy week.
- Eat whole grain or whole wheat (pasta, bread, rice etc), first ingredient on bread should be whole wheat flour
- Oil/vinegar type dressings are good for dressings, the fat in the oil helps your body absorb nutrients from veggies
- Try different types of grains- quinoa or bulgar are good.
Don't be afraid of carbs, you are realistically not going to stop eating them for the rest of your life so approach this from that aspect and try to make the necessary changes to be healthy.
And if you ever want to run a 5k with me that would be awesome! The fall is always a good time for a race.
Oh wait I just read your question again- when to eat? Protein righ tafter working out, low fat healthy snacks pre-planned, and always eat a good breakfast (I eat half breakfast before working out and the other half after).
My simple advice here is that I think you are doing too much too fast. A good way to think about health is to establish it as a lifestyle, not a program. Think to yourself, will I be doing what I am doing now for the next 30 years. Will you be doing all these fitness things and the south beach diet for the next 30 years? Maybe… but a more realistic approach would be to go much slower… just walk more… be outside more… follow the simple food rules of eat more plants and fruits regularly… and less four-legged meat… don't eat after 9pm… etc etc. It isn't going to get you to drop all the weight in 30 days… but over the course of your life it creates a lifestyle.
Trapp – I agree, that what I'm doing now is NOT sustainable…nor is it intended to be. For example, Phase 1 of the South Beach diet is NOT a long term, sustainable lifestyle…but it's a “jump start” phase that is intended to be short term and not maintained. That same approach is what I'm focusing on with my exercise.
My plan is to hit it hard for the next three months – concentrated effort to push through and get a good baseline. I'm substantially overweight and out of shape, and this requires special effort to remove that issue…but that special effort is not the long term plan. The long term plan, when it's time to “maintain” the changes is to do exactly what you've described – eat more plants, eat less meat, and be active as heck.
A big part of why I'm doing this is to be in a position to be able to be active with the boys. I need a baseline of fitness to get there, and right now is when I have time and energy for concentrated activity towards that goal. You're exactly right to look for the long term…but that doesn't mean that sometimes it's not okay to be short-term focused as well :)
Oh you will look badass, no doubt. But if you're only doing like 10-20 reps with a large amount of weight your muscles will grow substantially but you'll be slower, bulkier, and you'll gain weight. What you want is like half the weight and 30-40 reps, your muscles will still get tired and they'll still look awesome but instead of growing to accommodate larger weight loads and bulking you up they will grow to accommodate faster response and give you a better shape without getting all big and gross.
When I was in karate and doing a lot of training I found that basic strength training only made me slower and bigger even though I was getting stronger. I had to shift my training to doing a lot of really fast reps at lower weights and the results were immediate. I moved around faster and I slimmed down while still retaining strength and a decent figure.
I think I'm actually on the page you are…I assume you don't mean 30-40 reps *per set*…or do you? Generally speaking, I'm doing 4 sets of 12 reps each…although I do sometimes do “pyramid” sets where I increase the weight with each set but decrease the reps…but it still ends up being about 30 reps total.