Featured

December 31, 2019

Alright, let’s do this…

As per the home page description, this blog is intended to journal my journey through 2020, with a focus on my running, fitness and diet.

The intent is to track weight and activity daily, done via a set of Garmin Index Smart scales which automatically log my weight to Garmin Connect. I use two Garmin devices, a Garmin Fenix 5S Plus, and a Garmin Vivosmart HR+ (I swap between the two as needed) to track activity levels and heart rate.

I’ll also use MyFitnessPal to track calories, plus protein, fat and carb intake. This talks directly to Garmin Connect so I’m able to track calories in and out to get an idea of how my weight loss should be going.

My two goals right now:

  • get my weight under 70 kilograms by March 31
  • run the Brisbane Road Runners‘ half marathon championship event on May 3

I’ll go into more detail about those goals, how I intend to achieve them and what challenges I face in further posts.

Weigh in – Feb 9

Date Jan 1
(Start) 		Feb 9
(Today)		7 Day
Ave		Target 1Target 2Target 3Target 4Target 5Target 6
Weight81.7 kg 73.4 kg73.9 kg79.2 kg76.0 kg75.0 kg72.8 kg70.0 kg69.3 kg
BMI25.8 23.223.325.024.023.723.022.121.9
@ 1 kg a weekJan 19Feb 10Feb 17Mar 3Mar 23Mar 28
@ 1.5 kg a weekJan 13Jan 28Feb 2Feb 12Feb 25Feb 28
Current rate – 1.91 kg p/wDone Jan 5 Done Jan 18Done Jan 25
Weight Tracking Chart

The mid to low 73 kg range continues to consolidate with a 0.1 kg gain to 73.4 kg. 7 Day Average eases to 73.9 kg.

According to Garmin Connect and MyFitnessPal, for Saturday Feb 8:

  • Calories Burned – 3,119 (1,952 resting, 1,167 active, with a 10 km run and 20,344 total steps for the day driving the total over 3,000)
  • Calories Consumed – 1,282
  • Net Deficit – 1,837

Macros were:

  • Carbs – 26 grams (8% of calories)
  • Fat – 100 grams (71% of calories)
  • Protein – 67 grams (21% of calories)

A good result on the deficit front, and continuing to meet keto macro targets. The carbs number was higher than I was looking for and picking through my food 6 grams came from a burger patty, but the rest just seemed to come from bits and pieces here and there. Sugars were only 6 grams, so there’s some solace there.

Sleep wasn’t great, taking a while to settle in increasingly humid conditions.

I felt fairly fatigued through the day, working in warm conditions but made sure I got my step count sorted early. We’ll see hpw things work out tomorrow.

Didn’t it Rain? Actually, it Didn’t…

In the face of a poor overnight rain forecast, my riding buddy and I called off riding Friday afternoon and decided to meet at his gym at 6 am or so. I’m working on Sunday so decided to turn up a bit after 5 am, run 10 km or so, and meet him after that.

Of course, the rain threatened but never quite eventuated. It was humid (23.4 degrees C and 89% humidity) with a drizzle so fine it could be argued it wasn’t really there. I guess we could have ridden, but I suspect a few of the roads would have been wet just because conditions wouldn’t have allowed them to dry. We’re okay with the decision.

The run was fine, although I was very hungry and aware I was depleted from about 5 km onwards. I was managing heart rate in the 150’s or so until around 6 km as it edged into the 160’s and the usual fat burning process started. I held pace okayish, around 4:50 or so except for the climb under the Go Between Bridge. Ended up with 10.13 km in 50:56, which is fine with the first three kilometres run in 15:42, so once warmed up and rolling pace is okay.

I don’t seem to be quite as beaten up as from previous runs where I’ve tapped fat resources, so hopefully there’s some adaptation happening. The next stage is to shorten time between runs to every other day, and ease out the longer runs to an hour and then beyond.

After finishing the run, I met my mate at his gym, and after cooling down I got changed and did a little 20 minute core session, which was 3 x Swiss Ball Roll-Out, 3 x Bicycle Crunch (using the Swiss Ball), 3 x Russian Twist, 3 x Hyperextension, 3 x Crunch (on Balance Disc).

So, mid Saturday morning and that lot’s done. I’ll see how the day pans out weather-wise (it’s very lightly raining right now) to see if I do anything else.

…and now the song the title was referencing….

Weigh in – Feb 8

Date Jan 1
(Start) 		Feb 8
(Today)		7 Day
Ave		Target 1Target 2Target 3Target 4Target 5Target 6
Weight81.7 kg 73.3 kg74.0 kg79.2 kg76.0 kg75.0 kg72.8 kg70.0 kg69.3 kg
BMI25.8 23.123.325.024.023.723.022.121.9
@ 1 kg a weekJan 19Feb 10Feb 17Mar 3Mar 23Mar 28
@ 1.5 kg a weekJan 13Jan 28Feb 2Feb 12Feb 25Feb 28
Current rate – 1.91 kg p/wDone Jan 5 Done Jan 18Done Jan 25
Weight Tracking Chart

As expected, a mild bounce back today, but less than expected, 0.2 kg increase to 73.3. 7 Day Average drops to 74.0 kg reflecting the drop into the low 73 kg range.

According to Garmin Connect and MyFitnessPal, for Friday Feb 7:

  • Calories Burned – 2,631 (1,949 resting, 682 active)
  • Calories Consumed – 1,562
  • Net Deficit – 1,069

Macros were:

  • Carbs – 15 grams (4% of calories)
  • Fat – 126 grams (75% of calories)
  • Protein – 82 grams (21% of calories)

I was on track for 1,300 calories but my wife offered a keto friendly chocolate treat and I had a “well, it’s Friday, macros are good, will stay good and really I’M okay with 1,500 calories” moment. The deficit was still over 1,000 so it’s been a solid week so far.

A Swim and a Walk

Friday morning saw a a sewer pipe in a bridge under the Western Freeway inbound lanes burst.

It seems unrelated to talk of keto, calories and exercise but the suburb and surrounds I live were gridlocked by traffic, to the extent that our drive to the pool for our erratically regular Friday night swim ended up at a different pool and still took half an hour to cover 4 km.

We hit the water at about 4 pm, and I got through a relaxed and comfortable kilometre in 27:34, a little better than last time. I never really pushed, just had a nice rhythm going.

I had been at a desk in an office during the bulk of the day so was desperately behind on steps, so my wife drove home (via the back streets, so unhindered by traffic) and I elected to walk so as to ensure I made my 12,000 steps, maintaining my streak since January 1

Sleep felt better – I felt I was unsettled initially but was surprised to see 1 am on the clock when I roused to the point of deciding to get up and toileting. I went straight back to bed and fell immediately asleep, repeating the process again at 3 before waking at about 04:50, 10 minutes before my alarm. The 90 minute cycle theory seems to work well for me and I felt I slept well.

It would be nice to feel I’m getting better value from that initial 2 hours but there has definitely been improved which is feeding through to wanting to exercise and general well being.

It’s Friday night now and I haven’t felt like a drink, so I won’t. I’ve gone a touch over the 1,500 calorie target with a stevia sweetened chocolate treat, but carbs are comfortably under 20 grams and macros are spot on, so I’m cool with it.

I’m expecting a slight weight rebound tomorrow, as it’s gone from 75.0 kg on Monday’s weigh in to 73.1 kg this morning, but honestly anything in the mid 73’s is fine as it would confirm the big drop is real.. It’s good to be within half a kilogram of my next target, 72.8 kg, which would put my BMI into the 22’s.

From there, the next target is 70.0 kg, which is going to be a bit of a haul. It would also represent the lightest I’ve ever been as an adult, as the lightest I can recall is mid 71’s before starting my carb load for the 2006 Gold Coast Marathon.

Weigh in – Feb 7

Date Jan 1
(Start) 		Feb 7
(Today)		7 Day
Ave		Target 1Target 2Target 3Target 4Target 5Target 6
Weight 81.7 kg 73.1 kg74.2 kg79.2 kg76.0 kg75.0 kg72.8 kg70.0 kg69.3 kg
BMI 25.8 23.123.425.024.023.723.022.121.9
@ 1 kg a weekJan 19Feb 10Feb 17Mar 3Mar 23Mar 28
@ 1.5 kg a weekJan 13Jan 28Feb 2Feb 12Feb 25Feb 28
Current rate – 1.91 kg p/wDone Jan 5 Done Jan 18Done Jan 25
Weight Tracking Chart

The breakthrough continues with a 0.4 kg drop to 73.1 kg , confirming the 73.5 kg result from Feb 6. 7 Day Average drops to 74.2 kg.

According to Garmin Connect and MyFitnessPal, for Thursday Feb 6:

  • Calories Burned – 2,654 (1,954 resting, 700 active)
  • Calories Consumed – 1,304
  • Net Deficit – 1,350

Macros were:

  • Carbs – 23 grams (7% of calories) (two helpings of cauli rice was probably the culprit here, as I only had 3 grams of sugar)
  • Fat – 106 grams (73% of calories)
  • Protein – 66 grams (20% of calories)

I seem to zeroing in on the 1,300 calories consumed marker, which combined with good macros is a solid result. Activity levels are coming back up, so we’re getting 1,000+ calorie deficits again.

I suspect there’ll be a rebound in weight in the next day or two, as that’s a 1.9 kg drop in 4 days.

Resuming Weights

I managed a reasonable night’s sleep, although I’m a bit over this pattern of a restless hour and a half, get up for half an hour, and then settle in for two good blocks of around 2 to 2 1/2 hours each. I feel rested, but it would be good to hit the sack and just go to sleep. Resuming exercise may be key here, as with other adjustments sleep quality has improved.

Getting a good result on the scales put a bit of a spring in the step and I felt motivated to hit the gym this afternoon. My Garmin Smart Index Scales and my elderly Tanita scales are starting to line up, with the Tanita showing 74.0 kg @ 15% body fat (measured via electrical impedence) before going to bed, and the Garmin showing 73.5 kg @ 14.9% (“measured” via algorithm). My appearance seems to roughly line up with what you’d expect at that body fat percentage.

Hit the gym mid to late afternoon and got through my core, arms and back workout, which includes chest and a little shoulder. I still have a bit of work refining that routine, so I’ll have a think about that in the coming days.

Activities in the coming days are going to be weather dependent. After an eternity of drought, we’ve had about 80 mm of rain since 9 am (it’s current 8:45 pm) and solid rain forecast for the next week.

Weigh in – Feb 6

Date Jan 1
(Start) 		Feb 6
(Today)		7 Day
Ave		Target 1Target 2Target 3Target 4Target 5Target 6
Weight 81.7 kg 73.5 kg74.5 kg79.2 kg76.0 kg75.0 kg72.8 kg70.0 kg69.3 kg
BMI 25.8 23.223.525.024.023.723.022.121.9
@ 1 kg a weekJan 19Feb 10Feb 17Mar 3Mar 23Mar 28
@ 1.5 kg a weekJan 13Jan 28Feb 2Feb 12Feb 25Feb 28
Current rate – 1.91 kg p/wDone Jan 5 Done Jan 18Done Jan 25
Weight Tracking Chart

A breakthrough today with a 0.7 kg drop to 73.5 kg, a new best low since my journey started July, and likely the lightest I’ve been since just before the Brisbane Marathon in August 2012. 7 Day Average eases slightly to 74.5 kg.

According to Garmin Connect and MyFitnessPal, for Wednesday Feb 5:

  • Calories Burned – 2,706 (1,962 resting, 744 active)
  • Calories Consumed – 1,244
  • Net Deficit – 1,462

Macros were:

  • Carbs – 18 grams (6% of calories)
  • Fat – 98 grams (71% of calories)
  • Protein – 71 grams (23% of calories)

Another slight reduction is, funnily enough, seeing me ease back down to 1,200 calories. As I suggested earlier, I find it is much easier to keep to a number when following a fasting regime as I feel I’m working “up” to a number rather than trying to restrict myself, which makes matching macros easier.

Rolling Back into it

Yesterday was the best I’d felt in over a week. Possibly the combination of coming out of Sunday’s hangover, some decent sleep and resetting the macros to get them right.

Sleep’s still a little disjointed with the need to get up every couple of hours still there, but I feel I’m getting good quality sleep between those breaks so it’s a positive change. I made some changes to the evening routine, making sure I shower before dinner, taking a sleep focused magnesium supplement an hour or so before going to bed, giving the PC away an hour before bed, and getting some stretching in as well.

The scales seem to show that we’re back on tracking, weighing in at an equal lowest of 74.2 kg this morning. Fat loss is becoming more and more evident (guess we’re at the back end of the Paper Towel Analogy) with my neck showing muscle tone and some signs of vertebra appearing in my lower back. I wore a sleeveless shirt to pilates on Monday night and was feeling pretty good about arm tone!

I resumed running this afternoon, and in much cooler conditions managed to roll out a bit over 8 km in 40 minutes with the pace increasing as I went. It felt pretty decent, so hopefully I haven’t lost too much ground on my fitness. I finished with a little arm soreness indicating I did manage to dip into fat reserves, so that’s pleasing.

Looking at the graph I’d say we’ve cashed in the week spare for making the February 29. It depends on how the next week or so goes weight-wise, but I am feeling better and more inclined to get some exercise done. I’m in a better place diet-wise, resuming fasting and getting macros right for keto.

Weigh in – Feb 5

Date Jan 1
(Start) 		Feb 5
(Today)		7 Day
Ave		Target 1Target 2Target 3Target 4Target 5Target 6
Weight 81.7 kg 74.2 kg74.6 kg79.2 kg76.0 kg75.0 kg72.8 kg70.0 kg69.3 kg
BMI 25.8 23.423.625.024.023.723.022.121.9
@ 1 kg a weekJan 19Feb 10Feb 17Mar 3Mar 23Mar 28
@ 1.5 kg a weekJan 13Jan 28Feb 2Feb 12Feb 25Feb 28
Current rate – 1.91 kg p/wDone Jan 5 Done Jan 18Done Jan 25
Weight Tracking Chart

0.3 kg drop to 74.2 kg, matching our previous lowest weight. . 7 Day Average is steady at 74.6 kg.

According to Garmin Connect and MyFitnessPal, for Tuesday Feb 4:

  • Calories Burned – 2,246 (1,966 resting, 280 active)
  • Calories Consumed – 1,301
  • Net Deficit – 945

Macros were:

  • Carbs – 16 grams (5% of calories)
  • Fat – 103 grams (72% of calories)
  • Protein – 72 grams (23% of calories)

Very similar numbers to Monday, and again I was able to maintain a 16/8 hour eating pattern.

Weigh in – Feb 4

Date Jan 1
(Start) 		Feb 4
(Today)		7 Day
Ave		Target 1Target 2Target 3Target 4Target 5Target 6
Weight 81.7 kg 74.5 kg74.6 kg79.2 kg76.0 kg75.0 kg72.8 kg70.0 kg69.3 kg
BMI 25.8 23.523.625.024.023.723.022.121.9
@ 1 kg a weekJan 19Feb 10Feb 17Mar 3Mar 23Mar 28
@ 1.5 kg a weekJan 13Jan 28Feb 2Feb 12Feb 25Feb 28
Current rate – 1.91 kg p/wDone Jan 5 Done Jan 18Done Jan 25
Weight Tracking Chart

0.5 kg drop to 74.5 kg. Looks like processing of the weekend is moving ahead. 7 Day Average is steady at 74.6 kg.

According to Garmin Connect and MyFitnessPal, for Monday Feb 3:

  • Calories Burned – 2,786 (1,971 resting, 814 active)
  • Calories Consumed – 1,388
  • Net Deficit – 1,398

Macros were:

  • Carbs – 16 grams (5% of calories)
  • Fat – 107 grams (72% of calories)
  • Protein – 79 grams (23% of calories)

Gradual reduction of calories from Saturday by trimming fat back a bit. I was able to maintain a 16/8 hour eating pattern, which made getting under the 1,500 calorie target easy and allowing a little headroom to bring fats up to achieve macros.

I feel like I’m back on track today so fingers crossed we can get rolling on weight loss again after being in the mid 74’s for 11 days.

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started