The Path of a Weight Loss Journey

It’s seems only yesterday that I started my weight loss journey. When I reminisce back to when I first started and everything I have done since then, I begin to feel just how long it has been. Aside from when my actual journey started some six years ago, my more current journey began when I started this blog on January 30th. I am just beginning to realize that this post is starting out a lot like my last one did. I feel like I left something out in the last post though – a realization about the Path of a Weight Loss Journey. If one is aware of the steps taken down the path of a Weight Loss (or Weight Gain) Journey, it can help them to be successful at reaching their goals and maintaining progress.

1. Build up of desire, passion, drive, sadness, opportunity and eagerness to TURN THINGS AROUND
2. Planning goals, building of interest in method to obtain goals, general excitement.
3. About 3-4 months of consistent progress – goals may change, method  may change, passion & drive still present
4. Reaching goal or reaching halfway point – clothes fit, weight is reached, etc – CONFIDENCE & COMFORT begin to set in
5. Routine sets in – unchanging workouts, lessening interest in method, less AWARENESS of goals, objectives, etc.
6. Trigger point – 1) Life changing event that takes precedence over routine exercise/ diet, 2) Or small life changing event (college finals, extended vacation, etc) that throws routine off
7. Make or Break of Weight Loss Journey: Breaks: Step #6 trigger point causes lengthy gap in routine. Makes: Fully aware of Step #6 trigger point and extra effort is made to hedge potential weight gain from a gap in original routine.
8. Steps #1, 2 & 3 are repeated and either further weight is lost and goal is reached or – for those who had reached their goal in Step #4 – goal is maintained.
9. Passion for exercising and being healthy in general. Person is content/okay/fine/interested/happy about the realization that one must constantly exercise and diet their entire lives in order to maintain weight loss for years.

Where am I right now? I am at the very beginning of Step #8. Step #7 took about three months, but I was able to maintain my weight loss and hedge weight gain by switching my diet up constantly and exercising once in awhile. Over th course of Step #7, I was FULLY AWARE of my Step #6 trigger point (graduating college, moving to a new city and starting a new job).

What is one secret (I hate saying those words when it comes to weight loss. It sounds like an advertisement!) to progressing down these steps? Step # 1 is VERY important. The BUILD UP of passion, drive and desire to turn things around becomes a memory that is constantly referred back to. I have many times where, I know I need to lose more weight, but the deep feeling from within to get me exercising and dieting is not present. I then reflect on my Step #1 memory and it comes back. In Step #1, you have to truly FEEL that desire to turn things around. It is like an an uber-fed-up-ness. If that makes any sense.

Up NEXT: Dieting and exercising in an Urban Apartment way of life.

Surviving Potential Pitfalls

In January of 2009, roughly seven months ago, I started a weightloss journey that felt very different fromt he last ones I had embarked on. I felt, as if this time, it was for keeps. By this I mean I just couldn’t imagine myself forgetting about my goals. Did I have some obviously bumpy times? Indeed. I graduated college and the festivities ensued. Not only that, I sit typing this post midway through my summer break before starting my full time job. My weightloss journey before January 2009 ended with me gaining all the weight back and more during this exact period of time (August 2008.) Unfortunately, I haven’t reached my goal yet. I went from 205 lbs to 185 with a goal of 175. I had planned to reach 175 months ago. Earlier this morning I thought about this, shaking my head in disappointment. But then I realized that, through college graduation, multiple vacations and summer break with mom and dad’s cooking, I have held my weight steady in the mid 180’s. I believe this is an accomplishment in and of itself. It hasn’t been easy though. Holding weight steady usually means one is going on a regimen, off a regimen, on, off, and so on. I have always prepared myself for the moment of lapse.  As eager as I am to get back on the wagon, there are still hurdles ahead. I have another small vacation and I am moving to a new city. I am already thinking of new diet and exercise strategies for when I’m in super busy mode and may not have certain food groups or exercise options available. I plan to practice an overall high reduction in calories and hope my busy mind is too busy to think of the desire for more food.

For the most part, this post is about documenting the survival of a potential pitfall and a reminder to those who know all too well of the diet lapse.

Covering all the bases of burning fat

Upon picking up weight training, I have been endlessly toying around with new workout regimens and schedules, never settling on just one. At the same time, I’ve been doing a ton of research. One article that lead me to this post was T-Nation’s “The Hierarchy of Fat Loss” by Alwyn Cosgrove. The article really reinforced everything that I have been reading lately and the basics that have stuck with me since I was young. Basically, the article states that there is a hierarchy of importance for fat loss: (1) diet, (2) strength trianing (lifting weights,) (3) high intensity interval training (HIIT,) (4) steady state cardio and (5) light exercise I recall from when I was much younger and heavier when I signed up with my very first personal trainer. They said that the best exercise program combines anaerobic and aerobic workouts. In other words, one must incorporate weight lifting and cardio to see the best results. From there, I believe that intensity is what makes all the difference. So, for my updated physical fitness regimen (always a work in progress, just like me) I am going to cover all the bases: dieting, weight lifting, high intensity intervals and steady state cardio.

Here is my list of bases to cover and how I will do it:

1. Diet: Consume 1800 calories daily
2. Strength training: Lift free weights
3. High intensity interval training: Cardio 1 min sprint, 1 min rest, 1 min sprint, 1 min rest, and so on
4. Steady state cardio: Cardio for 20 minutes
5. Light exercise: Easy going, conversational cardio 

Now, here it is applied to my workout environment:

1. Morning walk around my neighborhood for ~20 minutes (#5 base)
2. MWF: Upper body free weight lifting, TThSu: Lower body free weight lifting, ~ 30 mins (#2 base)
3.  Stationary cycle or elliptical, 1 min sprint pace, 1 min easy pace, back and forth for 10 minutes (#3 base)
4. Stationary cycle or elliptical, medium intensity for 20 mins (#4 base)
5. Consume 1800 calories daily  (#1 base) 

Total time: ~80 minutes

My current regimen has been fairly similar to this, yet I haven’t been strict about intensity. Adding the HIIT is the most significant addition. 

The goal of this workout regimen is to lose weight, yet have most to all of that weight loss come from fat. It has been shown in numerous studies that doing moderate weight lifting maintains or improves muscle mass while dieting and performing cardio workouts. 

This study really reenforces the basis of my regimen:

Kramer, Volek et al.

Influence of exercise training on physiological and performance changes with weight loss in men.

Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 31, No. 9, pp. 1320-1329, 1999.

Overweight subjects were assigned to three groups: diet-only, diet plus aerobics, diet plus aerobics plus weights. The diet group lost 14.6 pounds of fat in 12 weeks. The aerobic group lost only one more pound (15.6 pounds) than the diet group (training was three times a week starting at 30 minutes and progressing to 50 minutes over the 12 weeks).

The weight training group lost 21.1 pounds of fat (44% and 35% more than diet and aerobic only groups respectively). Basically, the addition of aerobic training didn’t result in any real world significant fat loss over dieting alone.

Thirty-six sessions of up to 50 minutes is a lot of work for one additional pound of fat loss. However, the addition of resistance training greatly accelerated fat loss results.

Free Weights

If you aren’t using free weights at the gym, you’re totally missing out. Plain and simple. I know, I know, the machines do all the balancing and positioning work for you and all you have to do is lift. But really, using free weights isn’t as hard as you think. At first, I was skittish about walking into the free weight section of the gym, but once you walk through it a bit and see where people place themselves and what they do, just go for it.

What are the extra benefits of using free weights? First off, it’s a lot more fun. The machines start to get monotonous. Second, lifting free weights actually improves strength a great deal more than using fixed form machines. This study states that “FX [fixed form] group increased strength 57% from baseline while the FF [free form] group increased strength 115% from baseline” (Spennewyn). 

Here is a list of some of the more fun free weight exercises I do:

Dumbbell Hang Clean and Press: This exercise is an explosive exercise in that you basically push off a bit and throw weights up (without letting go of course.) It works your shoulders, arms and legs. This exercise can also be done with a barbell.

Dumbbell Squat: My legs are actually still in pain from having done it two days ago. The Nautilus machines having nothing on this exercise. It works your thighs to the max.

Dumbbell Bench Press: Don’t have a spotter? Afraid to use a real bench press? No worries. Use dumbbells. Start with light weights so you can get a feel for it. It requires a bit more balance than the others. Also, getting up after finishing a set a bit tricky if you don’t practice. 

Dumbbell Curls: This is a great exercis for your biceps.

Lat pull-down machine: This is one machine that is very effective, as it is hard to work the back muscles with dumbbells. Yet, it is somewhat difficult to know if you are using correct form. This video will explain it.

 

There are so many more free weight exercises to do, but this list is a good start to building a beautiful relationship with weight lifting.

Motivating Scientific Studies

Westcott, W., Fitness Management. Nov., 1991.

The website www.exrx.net has a ton of valuable information on it. The most interesting parts of the site are the studies posted. 

One such study found that one can lose weight, burn fat and still gain lean mass (muscle) while dieting and lifting weights.

Yet, this study, is my favorite. It was a study done with 72 overweight individuals placed in two groups. One group did 30 minutes of cardio on a stationary cycle while the other group did 15 minutes on the cycle plus 15 minutes weight lifting. The group that did weight lifting lost a great deal of more weight than the other group. Not only that, the weight lifting group burned more fat and gained more muscle. 

I enjoy these studies because they are a reminder that fat loss and muscle gain (mainly fat loss) are what people who are embarking on a weight loss journey are really looking for. Your weight is just a measurement, fat loss and muscle gain are the real results. It is important to not just have a program that focuses on a dropping scale weight, but also one that will burn fat and keep muscle stabilized or increasing.

The beauty of smoothies

 

image credit: acaiberryproducts.org

Since the beginning of my relationship with smoothies, my days have been much better. That may be exagerating a bit, but smoothies really are a great meal/ snack that can provide a good serving of fruit and protein. I generally have my smoothies after my workouts since that’s the best time to consume protein. Here is a typical smoothie that I have been making lately:

 

1 packet of  Sambazon frozen acai puree: 75 calories
1 banana: ~120 calories
1 cup of light Silk soy milk: ~70 calories
1 serving of vanilla protein powder: ~115 calories
3-4 strawberries (optional): ~25 calories

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree. Serves one. Total calories: ~405

 

Since this smoothie is relatively high in calories, you may want to treat it as a meal. This is just one of many ways to make smoothies.

For some, you may not be able to find the Sambazon frozen smoothie packet. Just simply replace the Sambazon with some kind of frozen fruit. These days, Dole makes antioxidant blends that taste great.

EDIT: Here is another recipe that i just made this morning that tasted good:

1 cup Light Soy Milk: 70 calories
1 scoop Vanilla protein powder: 115 cals
1 scoop Sambazon Power Scoop (freeze dried acai powder): 20 cals
5 frozen berries: 20 cals
4 ounces of Natural Direction’s grape+acai juice: 60 cals (easy with this stuff, it’s fairly high in calories)
1/2 banana: 60 cals
Total calories: ~345 cals

Exercise regimen ideas

As the weather seems to be getting better outside, I have been thinking of a new exercise regimen that can combine the best of both worlds – running and lifting. Yet, when creating an exercise regimen, there is always a balance that must be hit. It is a balance between efficiency and effectiveness. Yet, who is to say what the best program is? You could research all day and end up being more confused than when you started. The trick is to try new things and not necessarily stick with just one routine. Feel free to stick with something for a week, switch it up daily or switch it up monthly. The point is to just keep on going with it. Yet, most of the time, I pick a regimen that I feel excited about starting. I hardly ever choose a regimen that just doesn’t sit well in my stomach. For example, I honestly can’t do an elliptical or stationary bike for more than 20 minutes. I get terribly bored. Yet, with running outside, I can do it for much longer without getting bored. I get tired, sure, but not clock-watching-bored. 

With my new schedule, I still want to emphasize weight lifting, but not completely cut out running. Afterall, I spent three months training for a half marathon. I don’t want that to go to waste over a little temporary windy weather (I hate running in the wind.) So, here are my thoughts:

Six days a week:
Before gym: Run outside for 2 miles at a vigorous pace.
Gym regimen:
Start: Upperbody (lowerbody on days following upperbody) Nautilus machines 3 sets of 13 repititions
Cardio break: 10 mins on stationary bike or elliptical at a vigorous pace 
Repeat lifting: Repeat the same lifting for the same amount of sets and repititions 
Cardio cool-down: 10 mins on stationary bike or elliptical at an easy pace

Total workout time should be about 70 mins. 

This schedule combines weight lifting, running and cycling for short bursts of efforts with short breaks in between. During the breaks, my heart rate should stay elevated, so I’m not worried about that.

New Blog Title!

I decided to change the title of my blog from “Running With Strength” to “Matt’s Fitness Transformation.” There are a few reasons. First and foremost, running is not really my primary means of exercise anymore (see “Training Plan” tab.) Second, even when running was my primary means of exercise, it wasn’t my primary goal. My primary goal has always been to reach a level of fitness that is healthy. Running was the vehicle that I chose to get me to that goal. Also, I would like to attract readers who are interested in fitness journeys and not just running. Having a title called “Running With Strength” makes the blog seem like a hard core running blog. Which, for the most part, it has been. So, I would like to open up the possibility of writing about my physical and mental transformation.

End of 1st Training Schedule Review

My first half marathon schedule started January 19th, 2009 and went until today, March 29th, 2009. Over the course of this time, I have lost 10 lbs and have built my weekly mileage up to 26 miles. I started at 205lbs and now find weigh in at 195. My very first training week was  just 15 miles and my highest training week was 26 miles. Now, sitting with stiff and painful legs after having complete my first marathon, I ponder my plan of attack for the coming months. Honestly, I am not sure if I see another race in the near future. Perhaps I have to wait a little while. Though I do know that many people finish the first one and get “bitten” by the “marathon bug” and can’t stop. I know that I definitely don’t want to try for a full marathon. This is because I honestly do not enjoy running for more than 2 hours. It starts to become a journey that takes up the entire day. Plus, with my new job starting after graduation, I know that I will not have time to train for a marathon in the future.

Weight loss and fitness have really been my true goals throughout my entire training plan. Running is the vehicle I use to get me from start to finish. The half marathon race was very motivating and has made me a very strong runner, but now it is time to really maximize my effort to lose fat.

During my training, I hit up the gym at least once a week. Generally twice though. At first I was hesitant because weights bore me, but now I do not mind them as much. Also, I have read, heard and been told so many times that the key to burning fat is to build muscle. With limited time during the week with college and so forth, I am going to emphasize weights more than running for the next few months. My main goal is to graduate with a healthy BMI, which means I need to reach 174 lbs. That’s 21 lbs to go! AND my graduation is June 15th, 2009! So, I’m fairly skeptical that I’ll reach that number exactly, but perhaps! With all that said, I will be scaling my running back significantly by cutting out long runs and doubling my gym time. Here is the new schedule:

March 30, 2009 – June 15, 2009 **(See BELOW for Update)**

Weekly:
Runs: 6, 6, 6 (miles)
Gym: 60, 60, 60 (in minutes)

My gym trip will comprise of ~20 min cardio on elliptical or bike followed by 40 mins of weight machines.

With the level of running I’ll be doing (18 miles/ week,) I should be able to easily shift into a long distance race running plan should I ever feel the  desire to. Also, 5k and 10k races will be open to me if I ever feel like it.

Overall, my training schedule calls for exercise 6 days/ week. I think that’s pretty good!

***UPDATE***

I did this new training for about two weeks, though with only 4 mile runs, and decided that I am going to pursue lifting as my complete form of exercise. This may come as a shocker to those following my blog since, after all, it is called “Running with Strength.” Yet, the real purpose behind this blog is a tracking of one individual’s quest for strength and fitness. Following my half marathon, my runs were less than perfect. My knees still ached a bit even when weeks had passed from the race. I didn’t really feel as strong as I was before the race. Perhaps I was still healing. In any case, my interest in lifting has grown and I think it will help me burn more fat. I am fairly certain I will pick running back up after the next three months, as the weather will be getting much more pleasant to run in.

In any case, here is my newfound lifting schedule (and diet):

Monday-Friday + Sunday at my local gym (total time is ~60-70 mins):
Warm up: 10 mins cardio (bike, elliptical or jogging)
Lifting: All upper body machines, 3 sets of 10 reps on each (back, arms, chest, shoulders)
Cardio break: 10 mins, medium intensity (bike, elliptical or  jogging)
Lfiting: Repeat routines on all machines
Finishing Cardio: 10 mins, medium intensity

Diet
Calories: 1800 calories/day
Food details: Protein emphasis. I will be cutting my grain carbs in half and replacing them with protein, vegis or fruit. For example, in the morning, instead of cereal, I have yogurt. Instead of two slices of bread, I have one. Instead of my usual two cups of rice with my stir-fries, I have one. With pasta, I have one cup of noodles and just have more turkey-meat sauce yet make sure to add some type of vegetable to the sauce such as zucchini. I also will be using a lot of protein powder for shakes and such. The reason for so much protein is that it is commonly know that in order to increase muscle mass, one must eat at least 1g of protein per lb of lean mass. This is Weight-Fat=Lean mass. Fat is calculated by taking Fat% of total weight (I have a scale that can roughly estimate this.) For the most part, that’s a ton of protein So, in order to hit that number or get near it, I just need to eat meals with a lot of protein, haha.

Suppliments: Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Fish Oil, L-Glutamine and the standard BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids.)

I am looking forward to seeing the progress that lifting makes in comparison to running.

First Half Marathon COMPLETE!

I just got back from completing my first half marathon race ever. It took place in Paso Robles and was called the Wine Country Half Marathon. It was a very tough race, but I got in faster than I thought I would. Here is my official finishing profile:

Time:	2:18:58.580
Pace (Min/Mi):	10:36
Overall Rank:	334
Male Rank:	153
Male 20-24 Rank:	11

The race was very hilly in the beginning and end. Throughout the race their were gradual inclines and declines. The best part of the race was the stunning scenery of Paso Robles wine country. Lots of vines and rolling green hills. The worst part was a very steep .15 mile incline RIGHT before the finish. I mean, this hill was almost 100% vertical. Most people stopped to walk it right away, but I kept going – I was hardly running though haha. There were hundreds of people in the race so there was always someone near by. Most of the race I felt fine, but the last 3 miles were the hardest. With about 2 miles left, my hips, knees and feet we’re terribly achey. Yet, I never stopped to walk during the entire race (a personal goal of mine.) Many people stopped to walk around me throughout the race and ended up beating me, so its doesn’t really matter if you walk race-wise. I just had a personal goal of never stopping. There were plenty of aid stations with water and gatorade.

Here is me crossing the finish line!

2:19:30

Here are some things that I learned from my first half marathon:
1) Wake up early. I gave myself two hours to wake my body up, flush my system out (I ate more than usual the night before, so I recommend eating the amount you normally do,) hydrate, eat some breakfast, stretch a bit, shower and get dressed.

2) Make a checklist the night before. I made a checklist of all the things to bring with me and put on: NipGuards, GU packets (one for every 45 mins of running), iPod + headset, Garmin Forerunner, Gatorade, Duct tape (for my feet), sunscreen, sunglasses and ibuprofen. It gets to be a lot and it kept me from forgetting anything

3) Arrive to the race EARLY. There are two main reasons for this: One is parking and the other is using the bathroom. Parking took me awhile, but I still got there about 20 mins before the race started. Yet, 20 mins wasn’t enough to use one of the portapotties and there were about 15 of them there. Chances are you will have been drinking water at home before leaving in order to hydrate and that plus pre-race jitters will leave you with the need to relieve yourself. Arrive early so you can use the bathroom and not have to stop a long the way!

4) I always read that people give themselves a day to recuperate after their race. I now understand why. If you give the race your all, you will be sore as hell immediately after the race and even worse the following day. Bring your advil and a friend to drive you home & pick food up for you =)

5) I was, at first, afraid of using the aid stations but they worked perfectly. Just make sure (if you are new) to slow to a shuffle when you grab the cup and start chugging. It will take you less than 10 seconds to chug the cup so don’t worry. Just speed up once you’re done.

6) Don’t go too fast in the beginning or else you will have a really hard time at the end.

7) Crossing the finish line is a great feeling.