Resolution Revolution (or something like that)

Have you ever decided to do something that you weren’t really sure how to do, but you got positive results so you just kept doing it even though it might not be the proper way? It’s like cooking a steak; if it’s isn’t medium rare, it’s trash. Who makes these rules???

Why do I lead with this? Simple. I’m shooting for that New Years Resolution that most have already forgotten about.

I have friends who have jumped on the fitness bandwagon. Some have followed the Keto way and lost a load of weight. Some did Beach Body and Insanity and got similar results with a log of sweat equity. I myself a few years back got into running and eating less (quit finishing my kids’ plates for them) and lost a good chunk of flab. Unfortunately, that flab found me again and brought friends. I’m not all that interested to put myself through an hour workout, and my poor knees can’t handle the additional weight I’ve put on to allow me to run much. So what about diet? I’m too cheap to spend $22 on almond flour and I like bread too much. So I asked questions of a certified coach, did a lot of research, and came up with something that worked for me. I am in week three of my new way of doing things, and I’m seeing results (which is the only thing that will keep me going).

So you have Keto, right? Essentially a version of Adkins, in my humble opinion. I’ve seen people get results, but also heard a lot of complaints that they couldn’t have bread. Did I mention I love bread? Macro; too complicated for me. Even after researching, it’s still too cumbersome and complicated for my simple brain. Fasting; yeah, right…like I can go without eating. Carb cycling; I can see this as an option. Exercise; it’s winter and I don’t have a gym membership. Yeah, I hear the excuses too.

So here’s I devised.

I looked at what I like to do and can do on a daily basis. Then I looked at my eating habits and what my biggest issues were. Then I listed proteins (chicken, beef, eggs), carbs (good and not so good, e.g. bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice), and fats (almost every food has some level of it right? But not veggies!). Armed with this info, I found a website where you enter your age, weight, activity level, and goal (weight loss, weight gain), and let it figure out my Macro. From what I gather, a Macro is simply the amount of calories you can consume and still reach your goals. And it’s not as simple as eating whatever you want. You have to pay attention to carbs, protein, and fats. Here’s where I relied on technology. I found an app called LifeSum. There are others, but I found this one easier to use than the others, and if it’s a lot of brain effort just to enter in a food item or exercise, I’ll get sick of it and quit using it. I’ve filled out the info mentioned above and it calculated my macro for me, including the breakdown of carbs, proteins, and fats. As I enter food eaten, it breaks those items down and lets me know how much more wiggle room I have. To me, this is awesome because it means I can still eat what I want, but I know when enough is enough, and don’t rely on the distance of my protruding belly and added notches on my belt.

So I know that all sounds complicated, but it’s really not. The app is pretty much a ‘don’t eat too much, fatty’ guide to help you stay in check. The app also lets you add in how much water you drink daily. I hate water by itself, but it pushes me to click on that little ‘+’ sign to add another glass. Same with exercise – it’s awesome to look back at the end of the day and see all I have done from walking at lunch to doing pushups, crunches, band work, or something like planks. I can honestly say my lifestyle in the past three weeks has gone from sit on the couch with an adult beverage(s) and the remote to lots of being up and around. I run up stairs at home. I take the stairs at work. I even run the stairs at work as long as it’s not before a meeting and I don’t have to speak because I’m breathing too hard.

So let’s now move into the more interesting part of this lifestyle.

Carb Cycling: I’m still trying to understand this fully, but all in all, I see it as some days I don’t eat bread, some days I eat some bread, and other days I can eat a little more. Again, nothing goes away. It just shifts in quantity. I also did some reading to find there are good carbs, like sweet potatoes and brown rice. You don’t realize all you can do with just those two things and actually enjoy the taste. For example, the other night, I butterflied chicken breasts, added salt and pepper only, and cut up a few potatoes. Shoved them in the oven and had dinner thirty minutes later, and lunch the next day. It moved the carbs, proteins, and fat needles on my macro, but I was still well within limits. And the fats were unsaturated, which was a bonus. I also found out, through my coach friend, that the body burns dietary fat before body fat, so eating good carbs helps that process of burning body fat…did I say that right?

Intermittent fasting: This is where I was questionable. How is fasting good? Well, it’s how you look at it. First off, it’s not NOT eating. It’s just keeping calories during the fasting period below 200. With the app, it’s easy to track. I read about the 16/8 fasting. Fast 16 hours and eat only during the remaining 8 hours of each day. Think about it. If you eat dinner at 6:00pm and don’t eat anything after, you go to bed, wake up at 7:00am the next day, you’ve already fasted thirteen hours. Don’t eat breakfast, or eat something below 200 calories (an apple, for example, and that’s a good calorie food), go to work and get your day going, and have breakfast or a snack around 10:00am. Before you know it, you’ve done it…you’ve fasted sixteen of twenty four hours and slept for most of it! I personally try to do this at least twice per week, and plan to do more. I even made it nineteen hours the other day without blinking an eye. My understanding is that intermittent fasting tricks your body into burning fat for energy. A glass or two of water and maybe an apple or some other ‘natural healthy food’ during your fast, and you honestly won’t be hungry. Get busy in your day, and before you know it, twenty four hours are up.

Long story short (I say that but always drag on), I’ve been doing this since right around Christmas Eve. Not sure why I chose that time, but I think it has something to do with seeing myself in the mirror from the side and not liking what I saw. I’ve lost just under 7 lbs in that time. I’ve changed how I eat just to a point where I’m not gorging myself and I’m not stopping at the pantry every time I go to the kitchen and grab a handful of wheat thins. I’m paying a little more attention to making sure I’m eating protein, like on the days I want toast, I have one piece and use peanut butter instead of regular butter. No bananas or bacon on there, I’m not Elvis, But yes, I still eat bacon too! Fun fact, brown and serve sausage is vice. I can eat three links and still be well under the fat and carbs, while gaining protein. Crazy! I walk more. I take the stairs. I park farther away to add more steps to my day. I don’t stop at McDonald’s for a breakfast burrito (but I could and would still be fine!). I’m coming up with new dinner ideas. See my previous comment about listing out proteins, carbs, and fats, then pick one or more things from each list and you have a meal.

All this being said, the bottom line is that I’ve taken what I’ve learned, applied it to my life, and I’m seeing results. Nothing I am doing really requires any real effort. You pick up your phone a hundred times a day, right? Enter in your food, water, and exercise a few of those times. Just a couple of clicks. That’s all. Get off the couch and don’t head to the kitchen. If you do head that route, avoid the urge to grab a handful of wheat thins (nothing against Wheat Thins). You’ve heard all of this before. It’s nothing new. It’s just a matter of you deciding to try it. If you need quick results, there’s the scale. Just don’t get on it daily. Just get moving, don’t graze, and try some new stuff at meal time. You don’ t have to go vegan or even try tofu. Just give it a go. What do you have to lose besides your waistl