Fitness Log

Q: “What’s incorrect about saying that eating fewer calories will lead to weight loss?”

I got asked this question tonight on the way home from work and the answer I gave was this: “Technically, nothing. If you reduce calories, you will likely lose weight. The issue has more to do with what kind of weight you’ll lose.”

Had I thought about it for another moment, I probably would’ve been a bit more clear and said something more like this:

“Technically living in calorie deficit will result in weight loss. Simply reducing calories won’t necessarily lead to weight loss. If you reduce your activity level in accordance with your calorie reduction, you may not lose any weight. Similarly, if you increase your activity level substantially while maintaining your current level of caloric intake, you’ll also move your body into calorie deficit.

That said, if your goal is improving health, your goal is not weight loss—it’s fat loss. Culturally, we’ve conflated the two in a way that has been fantastic for the gimmick fitness and diet industries but has been horrible for fat people.”

It turns out that losing fat while retaining lean body mass is a) feasible and b) much better for you. It’s not particularly complicated, either, but I find a lot of people are incredibly skeptical and resistant.

Speaking from personal experience, in the last 6 months I’ve watched three women lose at least 100 lbs of fat, combined. And each of them lost the bulk of that fat in the first three months. They did it by eating real food—primarily meat, veggies, nuts and some fruit. No gimmicks. No nasty shakes.

The past month I’ve seen plenty of posts on Facebook or around the blogosphere about the various faux-food solutions people are using to try to lose weight. And, honestly, my heart breaks for them. I’ve been there. I tried Weight Watchers. I tried Dr. Phil. I tried Body For Life. I’ve seen some short-term success with all of them, but the weight always comes back. Today I’m 50 lbs lighter than I was 2 years ago and over 90% of the weight I’ve lost was fat. It isn’t easy, but it is simple.

Personal Records

Here’s a post which I’ll continue to update with PRs as I get them. For benchmark workouts, I’m only going to track the ones I can do as prescribed.

Lifts

• Deadlift: 315# (5 RM) [2009-06-18]
• Deadlift: 345# (3 RM) [2009-03-11]
• Deadlift: 375# (1 RM) [2009-??-??]
• Front Squat: 235# (1 RM) [2009-01-19]
• Front Squat: 230# (3 RM) [2009-10-05]
• Front Squat: 185# (5 RM) [2009-01-05]
• Back Squat: 310# (1 RM) [2009-04-11]
• Thruster: 145# (5 RM) [2008-11-05]
• Overhead Squat: 155# (3 RM) [2008-12-11]
• Overhead Squat: 165# (5 RM) [2009-06-30]
• Clean: 205# (1 RM) [2009-02-16]
• Strict Press: 145# (1RM) [2009-01-24]
• Push Press: 155# (5 RM) [2009-06-??]
• Push Press: 165# (3 RM) [2008-11-12]
• Push Press: 175# (2 RM) {2009-06-??]
• Push Jerk: 185# (3 RM) [2009-01-24]
• Split Jerk: 205# (5RM) [2010-01-30]
• Split Jerk: 215# (1RM) [2009-02-12]
• Bench Press: 225# [2009-??-??]
• CrossFit Total: 820# (320#/145#/365#) [2010-05-22]

WODs

• Fight Gone Bad!: 348 [2009-09-18] {Rx}
• The Chief: 16 [2008-09-15] {Rx}
• “Filthy Fifty”: 27:08 [2009-10-09] {Rx}
• Nancy: 12:40 [2009-04-20] {Rx}
• Grace: 4:00 [2009-09-??] {Rx}
• Helen: 9:45 [2010-02-09] {Rx}
• Fran: 5:38 [2009-12-08] {Rx}
• Murph: 53:50 [2009-06-15] {Rx}
• Annie: 7:30 [2009-09-??] {Rx}
• Kelly: 27:49 [2009-06-24] {Rx}
• Jackie: 9:23 [2009-10-15] {Rx}
• DT: 14:57 [2009-04-18] {Rx}
• Angie: 29:58 [2010-05-21] {Rx}

Run/Row/Etc

• Half-marathon run: 2:09:41 [2008-09-28]
• Half-mile run: 3:10 [2008-11-21]
• Mile run: 6:11 [2008-04-16]
• 400m run: 1:24 [2009-01-24]
• 500m row: 1:28 [2009-01-21]
• 2000m row: 6:53.6 [2009-12-30]
• L-sit (rings): 30+ sec [2009-03-04]

November Monthly Update

So, it’s been another month and it’s time for an update. A few highlights:

• New food plan cut about 600 calories per day out of my diet and my performance has suffered for it. No times/weights of note, other than that I’ve felt depleted compared to July thru September.
• I’ll be fixing the food mess and doing a bit of back tracking in order to bring my metcon numbers back up AND to provide enough of a nutritional base to add some weight to my heavy lifts.
• Added some extra heavy lifting and extra work on my weaknesses (pullups, dips, handstand pushups, long rows, etc) along with 12 or so other folks from Jogo

Progress Update

So, I got pinched again this morning and I’m down to 10.87% bodyfat. This is NOT what I was hoping for. Trying to get down to single digits before the decimal! Dropped 11 lbs, but only 5.25 lbs of fat—the rest was lean mass. Alas. On the plus side, though, I’m below 12% bodyfat for the first time, which was once a goal, so that’s another PR (of sorts) that I can cross off the list. Also, it’ll take less than 3 lbs of net fat loss to hit single digits. I’m thinking right around 220 while maintaining my current LBM will be just right.

Here’s hoping my continued low-carb ways keep the fat off. I’ll be adding back in a pile of protein and healthy fats to add to my overall calories to feed to newly expanded workload.

It’s been a while since I’ve updated my progress photos as well, and I thought I’d do that this past weekend. In case there’s any confusion about the dates, the pics from January 2008 are indistinguishable from what I looked like on May 12, 2008 when I did my first CrossFit workout. Here are the latest progress photos:

January 2008 vs. November 2009 (Front)

January 2008 vs. November 2009 (Profile)

Some additional info:

• Since starting at Jogo, I’ve lost 49 lbs, including 42 lbs of fat.
• At my heaviest (in 2005), I was 282 lbs.
• I haven’t weighed less than 225 since, at least, Feb/Mar 1997. More probably, it’s been since Spring 1994, my freshman year of high school. And wasn’t strong or fit at either time.

October Monthly Update

So, I’m still on my monthly update schedule. Here’s what’s been up for the last month in my fitness and nutrition world:

• Bodyfat 7-location pinch test says 12.6% body fat. That’s the same thing it said before the hydrostatic test last month.
• On October 12th, Betsy and I started a fairly strict paleo zone diet. We’ll be sticking with it at least until Thanksgiving.
• First “Jackie” as Rx’d @ 9:23
• A new “Filthy Fifty” PR @ 27:08 (down from 30:00)

Monthly Updates? Sheesh!

So, I’ve kinda fallen off the wagon in terms of food and exercise tracking. The good news is that it’s not because I’ve gone off the deep end and started eating for crap and skipping workouts.

A few highlights:

• Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing Says I’m 16% body fat. That’s +3% compared to 7-point pinch
• New Grace PR: 4:00 (down from 4:51)
• New Annie PR: 7:30 (down from 8:53)
• New FGB PR: 348 (up from 324 in March)
• New “400m” PR: 1:09 (down from 1:1?; this is the around the block 400m, which is really about 380m)

Also, Betsy has started working out with me and it’s been a lot of fun to have her at the gym.

Catching Up + Progress Update

Catching Up

So, I haven’t posted anything in a week. Frankly, posting here daily was a lot more critical to my success early on. Now that I’ve been CrossFitting for just over 15 months, daily posting isn’t quite as critical to my success. I’m still tracking my numbers, but I’m just not posting them all quite as religiously.

• 8/14: Max Effort Deadlift — 365lb, 1 rep. 10 lbs below PR of 375. This feels really low for a guy my size and I’m really read to see this number go up dramatically.
• 8/17: An untimed snatch technique building workout & a “400m” run around the block. New “400m” (it’s really more like 380m) PR of 1:09.
• 8/18: Jogo Lab Stuff: Walking OHD KB Press [16kg], Walking lunges w/ KB in rack position [2x16kg], Split Jumps, Romanian Deadlifts
• 8/19: Mojo: More snatch technique. Then, attempted 45 consecutive 1/2 bodyweight thrusters (got 23).
• 8/20: More Jogo Lab: Lateral lunges w/ press, kb swings, suitcase deadlifts, etc.
• 8/21: Fight Gone Bad prep workout:everything scaled down one level.65#/14#/18in — 366 reps

Progress Update

Got body composition tested again on Wednesday and I’m now down to 12.6% bodyfat (7 point caliper test). Getting hydrostatic tested tomorrow morning.

FGB Prep Workout

Fight Gone Bad, Unbroken Reps Only

Similar to fight gone bad, except that you only work for 30 seconds per station (resting the other 30 seconds) and you can only count your longest unbroken set of reps (so if you do 10 wall balls, stop, then pick up the ball again and do 11, only the 11 count).

Score: 240 (WB: 42, SDHP: 53, Box: 39, PP: 65, Row: 41)

Notes

She set targets of 60 reps per non-rowing movement and 30 calories on the rower. I’m not really sure how I could’ve gotten more wallball shots. I can’t make the ball come down any faster and I cycled at the bottom as fast as I could (which is reasonably fast). That leaves the box and the SDHP, both of which are opportunities for serious improvement.

Lab In The Rain

Lab Workout

AMRAP in 12 minutes of:

• 10 lunge w/ KB press R/L [16 kg]
• 10 rotating recline pull/row R
• 10 squat jumps (w/ TRX)
• 10 rotating recline pull/row L

Score: 2+4

then, AMRAP in 10 minutes of:

• 10 lateral lunge (suitcase style) R [16 kg]
• 15 american KB swings
• 10 lateral lunge (suitcase style) L [16 kg]
• 15 american KB swings

Score: 4+2

Notes

It was pouring down rain at 6am this morning and there were leaks a plenty in the roof. It was fantastic.

Back Squat + “Triple Nine”

first:

• 5-3-1-1-1-1-1 back squat

Score: 305#

then, AMRAP in 15 min, of:

• push press [95#]
• pullups
• burpees

Score: 5+1

Notes

Also walked up to the top of the Arboretum at a pretty good clip at lunch time. Took about 45 min round trip.

Lab + CrossFit = Soreness

Jogo Lab

I haven’t previously posted a lab workout, so it’s probably worthwhile to provide some additional info.

Warmup

The lab’s warmup goes like this, as best as I can remember:

Outside: * Jog forward 10-15 yards/backpedal 10-15 yards (repeat) * skip w/ big arm swings 10-15 yards (repeat?) * side shuffle 10-15 yards/sideshuffle opposite direction 10-15 yards (repeat?) * carioca 10-15 yards/carioca opposite direction 10-15 yards (repeat?) * walking lunge w/ torso rotation and “scary arms” 10 yards forward/backwards * a kind of squat side shuffle movement (Em calls it something else; basically stay as low as you can into a squat while shuffling sideways) 10 yards each direction.

Inside:

• while standing on one leg, bending at the hip with one leg back, move your arms in a “Y” then a “T” then a “W” and then an “L” (which doesn’t actually look like an “L”, but whatever). Thumbs should be pointed to the sky for the “Y” and the “T” and toward one another for the “W” and the “L”, I think. Do this 5 times on each side.
• Using a 24 or 16 Kg kettlebell, repeat the following circuit for two minutes:
  • 5 russian swings (eye level)
  • 5 right-arm swings (eye level)
  • 5 left-arm swings (eye level)
  • 5 high-pull swings
• butterfly sampson stretch 12 right/left (or, that’s how many I do, anyway)
• 10 squat + pull on the TRX (or t-rex, if you prefer).

So that’s the warmup as best as I can remember it. We do that every time.

Workout

The lab is usually broken into two time-oriented workouts (AMRAP in 12-15 minutes) with a bonus following.

First workout:

10-9-8-7…2-1-2-3-4…8-9-10 pyramid, with a 15 minute cutoff, of:

• russian kb swings
• recline pulls on the TRX
• burpees

Second workout:

AMRAP in 12 min of:

• 10 leg (hamstring) curls w/ heels in the TRX (on your back, in a bridge, hips in the air)
• 5 walking L sits w/ heels in the TRX (walking on your hands)
• 10 squat jumps (this is just like jumping from a full squat, using the TRX to help control the movement a bit)
• 10 knee tucks (from a plank w/ toes in the TRX)

Score (Lab): 6 burpees short of completing “9” on the way back up (99 swings, 99 pulls, 93 burpees in 15 min); 3+1

CrossFit

So, because there is only a 6 am class a the lab, and I was feeling a bit sore after 4 consecutive days, including two lab days (which always makes my glutes sore), following a week off, I thought I’d stop by Jogo on Grand to hit the foam roller and do some stretching while the 7 am class did the WOD. Instead, with a bit of encouragement, I decided to do the WOD.

15-12-9, for time, of:

• double unders
• abmat situps
• handstand push ups (or pike pushups for most, myself included)
• ring dips (3 days this week)
• pushups

Score: 13:3? or 13:5?

Notes

Needless to say, my shoulders and triceps were toast after doing ring dips Monday, a fair bit of shoulder stuff at the lab on Tuesday, doing some extra ring dips on Wednesday after FGB and having done 93 burpees and 15 L-sit walks at the lab earlier that morning.

It’s been a good week, though. I’ve felt good, and I’m really enjoying the Jogo Lab workouts. They’re something a bit different and they’ve exposed some imbalances, etc, when doing unilateral movements (i.e. the fact that I want to fall over any time we do anything on one leg.)