Measurements III

It has been two months since my last measurement. I will use tables from now on since they are easier to figure out at a glance. For instance, it is clear (and remarkable) that my height has not changed a bit.

Height	181 cm
	9-30-11	7-27-11	Diff.
Weight	80.3 kg	83.4 kg	-3.1 kg
Chest	103 cm	101 cm	+2 cm
Arm	33 cm	32.5 cm	+0.5 cm
Waist	86 cm	86.5 cm	-0.5 cm
Hips	94 cm	94 cm	n/c
Thigh	59 cm	61 cm	-2 cm

As before, the fat loss is likely to be larger than the weight loss since I have put on a certain amount of muscle. I find interesting, even surprising, the lack of change in hips and waist size (these two months) considering the drop in weight. Where did the loss come from? I guess it is an overall issue. I do look thinner. In fact, it is odd that, based on simple BMI calculations, I am supposed to be borderline obese.

Height	181 cm
	9-30-11	5-31-11	Diff.
Weight	80.3 kg	86.9 kg	-6.6 kg
Chest	103 cm	100 cm	+3 cm
Arm	33 cm	32 cm	+1 cm
Waist	86 cm	91 cm	-5 cm
Hips	94 cm	102 cm	-8 cm
Thigh	59 cm	64 cm	-5 cm

The table format is much better. No surprises here. For convenience, the numbers over the last 4 months are shown above.

A 36 hour fast

I have just completed a 36 hour fast. It was neither intended nor motivated by a physical or psychological malady. I fell into it by chance. It happened. The experience has been interesting so I thought I would add it to the blog.

First off, though, I have been doing intermittent fasting since June (I think). It was surprisingly easy to get into and maintain. In fact, I can only say positive things about it. I don't foresee any reason why I should abandon this meal schedule. It is effortless and rewarding.

I should also add that, in my opinion, the reason why IF has come easy to me is because I am doing a Paleo diet. This is not to say that only a Paleo diet works (for this), it simply means that it works (for this). I know that I would have not been able to do IF with my near-vegan or any of my other previous diets. It would have required an amount of determination and will-power that I know I cannot sustain. I know this because, over the years, there have always been occasions when, as in anyone's life, I have been forced to skip meals. It was never easy for me.

Which brings me to the 36 hour fast. Like I said, it wasn't planned. I was distracted, busy, otherwise engaged. There was no stress or hurry. It was simply that by the time I remember it was time to eat, I realized that I was not hungry. So I decided to skip a meal. Skipping a meal lead to skipping another and, before I knew it, I had not eaten during the entire day. I went to bed last night thinking about this. Why am I not feeling hunger pangs? Why did I not feel tired and without energy at any time during the day?

These are important questions because as I said before, we have all been in this kind of situations at one point and another. And, yes, I have had abdominal pain due to insufficient food intake. And, yes, I have experienced lack of energy when I have skipped a meal or meals in the past. In fact, I can remember situations when I "survived" from energy bar to energy bar.

So, again, why did I not have any of these symptoms yesterday?

I can only say that it appears that the Paleo diet allows me to manage my metabolism (food-wise) with more freedom than the previous diets that I have had over the years.

Template menu 0.4

I have come to the conclusion that the cocoa at night could be upsetting my sleep. A few days ago, I decided to switch breakfast with dinner. There are no other changes to the template menu.

Breakfast:

• 2 boiled eggs with 3 teaspoons of homemade mayonnaise.
• ~200 grams of plain yogurt with a spoon of cocoa powder.

Lunch:

• ~200 grams of beef or pork.
• Salad: Lettuce, 1 medium tomato, 1 cucumber, 1 medium onion (sautéed with a tablespoon of butter), and 3 tablespoons of homemade mayonnaise as dressing.

Dinner:

• 1 egg omelet.
• ~200 grams of fish (pan-fried butter).

I am no longer engaged in the social event that brought about the somewhat insane weekly meal. This means that in a few weeks I should be completely off non-paleo foodstuffs.

On a different subject, I prefer not to throw away food and, well, I have a little dilemma. I have just found 9 liters of juice that will go bad in a few weeks. This is a special juice made from 18 different vegetables and fruits, purportedly 100% natural. During my years-long near-vegan diet, I thought this juice was great because it includes a handful of unusual veggies and fruits (e.g. purple carrots) that I would never be able to purchase fresh.

In any case, the juice is going bad so I have decided to drink it up rather than pitch it. After considering the options, I have finally settled on the following approach. I am going to do an all-day fruit-juice-athon tomorrow. I will, of course, respect the intermittent fasting window. If I survive the fructose overload, I will do this twice more, once a week, over the next two weeks. That should take care of all the juice. We will see what effects this "sugar trauma" will have on my weight as well as strength and stamina levels.

VIII H.I.T. report

Yesterday I completed my 5th workout in a gym. It has become clear that high intensity training demands specialized equipment. This was not apparent to me before. In fact, it is the case that my home gym was perfectly adequate for my perfectly inadequate old routine.

The gym. Let's see. It is relatively well equipped, relatively uncrowded, relatively inexpensive, relatively nearby. In short, it is not perfect but it will do.

My progress has been impressive. I can now perform all big five exercises properly. My form has improved and so has my confidence regarding injury-free performance. This is crucial because I am already lifting poundage that sometimes frightens me. My leg press is over 300 pounds. There are times I think I am dreaming when I see a huge stack of weights going up and down.

Delusional as it sounds, I can realistically say that there will be a time in the not-too-distant future when I will max out some of the machines.

I am now working on disposition as I feel it is my weakest point. Motivationally, I am solid. However, I know that a change in attitude would improve my physical performance. This is fine tuning, of course. Still, when you are working at the edge of your capacity from the very first rep and when you are going all the way to momentary muscle failure, you need every asset you can muster.