Chaps,
I got on the fitness bandwagon sometime in July. I'd been off and on for various reasons but I've been back on it the past 3-4 weeks. It's working because it's very simple but initially difficult.
1. 80% is diet - I've had great success on low-carb diets previously, so much so I'd lost 15 kgs and 6-7 inches off my waist in 3 months. I will disabuse some myths:-low carb is not low calorie, in fact I never count calories, I go though 2-3 packets of butter a week. Just like you don't count your vitamin IUs, you don't need to count calories. Just eat the right food and stop eating when you feel satiated.
2. Eat only fresh foods, if it's in a packet, throw it out, no processed food - fresh meat, fresh vegetables and fruits, butter, ghee, animal fats, olive oil, unrefined coconut oil, etc. Qunoa is the only grain that's tolerated if you need massive amount of carbs, most people don't.
3. Avoid only a few things - sugar, grains, ALL vegetable oils, refined oils, fizzy drinks - Coke was my biggest weakness, I'd drink 3-4 cans a day....completely gone now.
4. Your body will tell you how much carbs you need - what works for someone else will not work for you. For me, I can't do ultra-low carbs (less than 50gm per day), I'm happiest between 50-100 am per day. If you are an endurance athlete (scoring 400 runs every day), perhaps over 100gm is justified.
5. Dark chocolate in moderation - above 70% but I tend to cheat with this
6. 2 days of HIIT - I got myself a trainer to keep motivation levels up, we do 2 hours a week - one day we incorporate shuttle sprints, another day, it's pushing weights on a box to simulate mountain climbing which I find the most difficult - circuit weight training on other days. I'm trying to incorporate an additional day of sprints or HIIT and I net 3 hours a week in addition, plenty of exercise.
7. Sleep
Result: I've dropped 2-3 inches around my waist, face is more chisled, 4 seconds off my shuttle sprint time from 3 months ago - 34 secs dropped to 30 secs
I've still got 5-6 inches to lose around the waist, not worried about weight, just inches - and want to continue improving sprint times and also slowly begin incorporating endurance training - simulating quick singles. Also want to do more squats and shoulder presses with higher weights to just get more explosive.
Want to incorporate intermittent fasting as well. When I did this 5 years ago, I would eat all I wanted between 11 am to 6 pm, usually 3,000 calories or more and then nothing for 17 hours. Never had more energy.
The first 3-4 weeks is most difficult. The key is to get the body to metabolize ketones which are derived from fats rather than burning sugar. So if you cut out ready carbs, the body must convert body fat to ketones.
Warning: low carb flu, massive headaches, extreme irritation possible in the first 2-3 weeks though not for everyone...first time I did it in 2012, I was convinced I had a brain tumour and I was going to die and a doctor tried to dissuade me, thankfully I didn't listen.
Great resource and inspirational stories: Mark's Daily Apple -
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/One thing Paleo people advise and I agree - short, explosive is better than long, repetitive - both for fitness gains and for body management - I used to run 5Ks regularly but won't be doing those....I'd rather run 100 20 yard dashes at top speed...hopefully with pads on...and if I want to get fitter, I will just sprint 150...right now, I'm probably at 15-20 sprints at top speed, so a ways to go
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Topic: FitClub (Read 42970 times)