I have blogged for about 7 months about my freakishly successful experience on a Paleo diet and a high-intensity training (H.I.T.) protocol. There are a few dozen posts in here. My intention has been to be succinct, clear, honest.
And so, summing up,...
Soon after I turned 40, my doctor offered me "metabolic syndrome" literature. There was a visible amount of hopelessness in his demeanor. I was, after all, just one more patient with a long list of incipient maladies (e.g., fatty liver).
I myself did not know what I wanted. The honest truth is that I could not even formulate it properly. I simply felt aged, slow, fragile, heavy, unhealthy.
For these and other reasons, I finally decided to start learning about nutrition and fitness. And so, during two and a half years, I ate a Japanese-style pescetarian diet and labored on high-volume low-intensity fitness routine. It didn't work. Medical exams showed my health continued to worsen while, adding insult to injury, I was getting fatter more consistently than ever before.
The problem was not that I did not "try hard enough".
The problem was that I was still ignorant.
Earlier this year, my research got me around to evolutionary anthropology. I made the necessary changes and, in a matter of days, I was feeling better. Within a few months, I was actually fit. Consider this. Not only I am able to run again for the first time in decades. Nowadays, I can sprint.
This journey, as most worthwhile journeys do, quickly surpassed and superseded original expectations. Today, I think about how trim I want to remain and how strong I want to become. The transformation still shocks me. Results from this year's medical exam could well be those of an altogether different person, a younger person, a fitter person, a healthier person.
That's it. Blog over.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Measurements IV
Results from the annual medical exam arrived last week. I wanted to make sure anything and everything showed up so I requested additional blood work. My doctor and I went over the information a few days ago.
According to the data, my health has become impossibly good. I asked the doctor if I needed to do anything (exercise, supplements, diet, etc) and the answer was: "Nothing. Keep doing whatever you are doing. You've never been healthier since we have records of you and there were times in the past when your numbers had us worried." OK, can do.
More than two months have passed since my previous measurement. I wanted to have the exam results before posting because this will be the last time I do so.
All measurements have been made at the widest point (where it applies) of cold, relaxed muscles. It should be said that, in my opinion, these measurements can be deceiving. They do show that a substantial change has taken place, of course. This is easy to see.
However, the very specifics can be misleading. For instance, my thigh muscles have developed the most yet the data in the tables show a continue drop in size. This is because I was packing a large amount of fat in that area. Strangely, this was never apparent. My now-gone gut attracted all the attention.
It still surprises me that the weight continues to drop. I do have a little of fat left, but very, very little. I think I could lose perhaps two more kilos (approx. 5 pounds) but this would start to become a bit extreme. I could be 3.5 kilos from paper thin skin. If one factors in that I am putting on weight in the form of muscle, the transformation is even more striking.
Progress over the last half a year is shown in the table above. It is a remarkable achievement. At my age, I would have never expected to be able to change my physique to this extent and in this short period of time. I weigh less today than I did at 18 years of age while appearing (and being) stronger.
According to the data, my health has become impossibly good. I asked the doctor if I needed to do anything (exercise, supplements, diet, etc) and the answer was: "Nothing. Keep doing whatever you are doing. You've never been healthier since we have records of you and there were times in the past when your numbers had us worried." OK, can do.
More than two months have passed since my previous measurement. I wanted to have the exam results before posting because this will be the last time I do so.
| Height | 181 cm | ||
| 12-12-11 | 9-30-11 | Diff. | |
| Weight | 78.2 kg | 80.3 kg | -2.1 kg |
| Chest | 103.5 cm | 103 cm | +0.5 cm |
| Arm | 34 cm | 33 cm | +1 cm |
| Waist | 84 cm | 86 cm | -2 cm |
| Hips | 93 cm | 94 cm | -1 cm |
| Thigh | 58.5 cm | 59 cm | -0.5 cm |
All measurements have been made at the widest point (where it applies) of cold, relaxed muscles. It should be said that, in my opinion, these measurements can be deceiving. They do show that a substantial change has taken place, of course. This is easy to see.
However, the very specifics can be misleading. For instance, my thigh muscles have developed the most yet the data in the tables show a continue drop in size. This is because I was packing a large amount of fat in that area. Strangely, this was never apparent. My now-gone gut attracted all the attention.
It still surprises me that the weight continues to drop. I do have a little of fat left, but very, very little. I think I could lose perhaps two more kilos (approx. 5 pounds) but this would start to become a bit extreme. I could be 3.5 kilos from paper thin skin. If one factors in that I am putting on weight in the form of muscle, the transformation is even more striking.
| Height | 181 cm | ||
| 12-12-11 | 5-31-11 | Diff. | |
| Weight | 78.2 kg | 86.9 kg | -8.7 kg |
| Chest | 103.5 cm | 100 cm | +3.5 cm |
| Arm | 34 cm | 32 cm | +2 cm |
| Waist | 84 cm | 91 cm | -7 cm |
| Hips | 93 cm | 102 cm | -9 cm |
| Thigh | 58.5 cm | 64 cm | -5.5 cm |
Progress over the last half a year is shown in the table above. It is a remarkable achievement. At my age, I would have never expected to be able to change my physique to this extent and in this short period of time. I weigh less today than I did at 18 years of age while appearing (and being) stronger.
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