Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Current plan

Today's Weigh-In: 207.8
PhysicsDiet.com Average: 208.8

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. I've kind of been treading water, to be honest. It's the same thing that's happened so many times in the past: get some momentum, start doing really well, start building good habits, and then get derailed a few times due to life stuff. But I'm past that now, and I'm ready to get another good streak of fat loss going.

I've been consistent with my exercise, so that's not an issue at all. To be honest, that's the easiest part of fitness for me. I love going to the gym, and I love hitting new PRs and tackling workouts that I've never done before. Eating/drinking is the problem area, as always. A few weeks ago a bunch of the members of the gym went up to Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite national park for a camping trip, which was amazing, but when you're camping it's really easy to let your diet slip. And slip it did. Lots of beer, marshmallows, cookies, etc. We were super active (I even did downhill mountain-biking down Mammoth mountain) so I didn't gain anything, but it did take me off the rails on the mental side a little bit, and it's taken me a few weeks to get my bearings and get rid of any left-over garbage food that was in my house.

So heres my current regimen. 16 hour daily fasts on the weekdays, which gives me an 8 hour eating window, between 1PM and 9PM. I usually work out around 6:30PM so that allows me 2 meals prior to working out, and 1 big meal after. Then, I just stop eating at 9. This helps me in that it prevents me from consuming calories not because I'm hungry but because I'm bored or just used to having a little something extra in the evening. It prevents me from having that extra glass or two of wine, or those couple extra handfuls of nuts that I really just don't need. There are also other physiological benefits to fasting, such as improved nutrient partitioning and increased insulin sensitivity, but for me the main thing is calorie restriction. I'm also still sticking to mostly Paleo foods, with a little dairy added in. This ensures I'm not hungry, and that I'm also getting good nutrition for the amount of calories I am taking in. I'm not counting calories, but I'll probably be getting around 2000/day, which is perfect. I'll update my goals in a later post.