Ben's Fat Loss Diary

[Trusylver]

I think I've listened to every podcast episode Alec Blenis has been a guest on at any point in the last five years. I appreciate the reference, but having time to dig into a textbook probably isn't something I can do right now., though I'll try to when I'm off work for over a week around Christmas. That said, if you have any suggestions for any other experts in the field that may have been podcast guest in the semi-recent past, I'd love to hear those, as that's something I can find and listen to immediately.

I had to search Alec Blenis as I had never heard of him as he does not come up on the radar for strength based sports. I don't listen to podcasts as I prefer a more direct form of learning without the chatter however here is a couple of resources for you.

https://www.sportsmith.co/ Sportsmith is targeted at high performance coaches and exercise scientists, lots of good current info, they do have a podcast but I have not listened to it, read if you have time but it sounds like their podcast may be your preferred option. Multiple high performance coaches and sport scientists on the team.

Greg Nuckols ( https://www.strongerbyscience.com/ ) has a podcast as part of the Stronger by Science site, they dig into the most recent studies, pull them apart and make them more digestible and relatable to training if you are not into reading the studies themselves. he has also had a few peer reviewed studies of his own published.

Matt Casturo (Doctorate in Physical Therapy from The Ohio State University, Bachelors in Exercise Science from The Ohio State University.) https://www.themovementsystem.com/freeresources he runs coaching courses for those wanting to pass their CSCS (A US cert. requires a degree to complete but degree does not need to be sport or fitness related) Will point out differences in information where current studies and info contradict the textbook answers. Has a podcast and a lot of YouTube videos, I have watched some of his videos and he is easy to talk to and will answer questions in his Facebook group.

 

[liza3]

EVERY single one of those miles was done solo. I've never run with a friend. If we're able, though, a buddy of mine from church who has a marathon in five weeks is scheduled for a 20-miler tomorrow, and he reached out to me about running together for the first 18. He is wayyyyyyyyy ahead of me in terms of experience,: he has done numerous marathons and has qualified for and run Boston at least 4 or 5 times. But unless he's sandbagging me, he says his easy pace will work fine with mine. (He's 63, 10 years older than I am.) I'm actually quite nervous about it.

Good for you for facing up to that challenge. i know I only like to run alone so I can imagine the nerves especially running with someone so experienced...But I'm sure you are physically up for the challenge and the nerves piece might be good practice moving into a race. I hope you have a lot of fun with it! Maybe you'll have a permanent running buddy

 

[Ben_In_NC]

So the run was both great and a comedy of errors!

We planned to meet at 5am. Irma was almost out of the area by then. It was just drizzling and breezy (maybe 10-15mph max wind gusts, but mostly just like around 5mph.) I didn't get there by 5, though, because I hit a large downed tree branch that I didn't see, (power was out in that area, so no streetlights,) and it gave me a flat tire. I made it back home with my car and got my wife's. As a result, the run didn't start until a little before 5:30, which was probably a good thing because it gave us less time to run in the pitch dark. Even though we had headlamps, it wasn't easy to see with the drizzle, given that we both wear glasses. We ran on the greenway. I figured that with two adult humans both carrying pepper spray, the level of threat/risk from animal attack was much less. Here's a quick recap of the things that happened beside the flat tire:

—at least half a dozen downed trees on the greenway that we had to go over/around/through
—literally hundreds of twigs and branches on the ground to navigate—and in the dark for the first hour or so. Headlamps helped, but more than a few weren’t seen.
—one hard fall for each of us (Both were in the first half of the run and we were both able to continue and finish, but our 53yo and 63yo bodies might be a wee bit sore later on...)
—I had to stop TWICE for, um, other reasons. Never needed stop a run for that even once before today. Thankful that the tennis center’s bathroom was open, and that Panera has that sneaky back entrance by the bathrooms.

—One hamstring cramp trying to climb over a downed tree around mile 16.
—I didn’t notice it until it was too late, but there’s a distinct possibility I stepped through some poison ivy when trying to go around one of the downed trees.

But now for what it was great.

Great to have my heart rate elevated for almost 3 hours: I mean, booyah, calorie burn ftw!

Great to get 18 miles in: It was my second-longest run ever and increases my confidence that I can do marathon training.

Great to spend the time with Sam: I think he really wasn't sandbagging. He seemed to get out of breath at the same levels that I did on the uphills, we were both able to be "conversational" through the vast majority of the run, and I kept up with him as we did the last four miles of my run (he did his two more afterward to get to 20,) at a signficantly faster pace. He has run 47 marathon races. The one in a few weeks will be 48. He qualified again for Boston for April, and so now he's trying to add one more between now and then to make it his 50th. Outside chance he could do the one I'm eyeing in February. (Which, at this point, I should go ahead and sign up for, right???)

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/9708451690

 

[Llama]

Sounds like quite the adventure! (I am not adventurous person AT ALL, in case you hadn't noticed.) Massive respect for finishing that run despite everything.

 

[Ben_In_NC]

SATURDAY

EXERCISE​

Strength Training: N/A. I have extra time at the gym tomorrow and intend to​

Cardio: Mentioned above. 18 and some change.​

FOOD PLAN.​

Pre-Run (644 calories): strawberries, costco mixed nut butter, collagen peptides, 2 bananas​

Intra-Run (450 calories): 2 costco apple/veggie pouches, 2 gu gels, 1 nutra-grain bar​

Breakfast (299 calories): 1 protein shake, 10oz watermelon (Eating so much pre-run and during the run, I wasn't that hungry.)​

Mid-Morning Snack (0 calories): N/A. Just ate an early lunch​

Lunch (1184 calories): 421g/15oz sirloin steak (a big one, in other words,) sweet potato, broccoli, tomatoes (still harvest from the garden! never had them in October before!)​

Afternoon Snack (766 calories): Homemade Healthy Fake Turtle Cheesecake! Made w/ greek yogurt, vanilla protein powder, jello cheesecake pudding mix, stevia-sweetened dark chocolate chips, roasted pecans, topped w/ triple berry blend...it was sooooooo good!​

Dinner(217 calories): air-fryer ahi tuna seasoned w/ soy sauce, salad w/ 50/50 spring mix/spinach and cukes, onions, and sweet peppers​

Evening Snack(801 calories): 1 kiwi fruit​

​

NUTRIENT NUMBERS​

Today's Calorie Goal -- 3622​

Today's Calorie Plan -- 3623​

Carbs -- 354g (Sun-Thu Daily Goal = 300g+, Fri-Sat Daily Goal = 350g+)​

Protein -- 222g (Daily Goal = 200g+)​

Saturated Fat -- 40.4g (Goal = Weekly Average of 25g or fewer.)​

​

SCALE NUMBERS​

Week Begin Weight: 181.95​

Today's Weight: 181.95​

24-Hr Scale Change: +0.02lbs​

7-Day Scale Change: +1.61bs​

Scale Change Since 7/11 Cut Begin at 204.76: -22.81​

​

COMMENTS​

Not much to add to the stuff above about my run. Great day. I did sign up for a Feb 18 marathon. VERY cool-looking course: https://coastalraceproductions.com/race/run-oak-island-2023/



General Nutrition Reference Post

 

[Trusylver]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6b...-cBIPh-24o0NF84OH_DaAjZJpTVwjpuhWFjFVk9k&nd=1

This podcast just came out from one of the people I mentioned above, specifically on concurrent training.

 

[liza3]

Man that run sounds crazy and fun and kind of scary all at the same time. Good for you guys continuing on through it and not just stopping at the nearest coffee shop and calling it quits as I would have done!
Amazing pace too especially considering all those obstacles!!
Do you two plan to run together more often?
Congrats on signing up for the marathon too--you totally sound up for it!

 

[Ben_In_NC]

SUNDAY

EXERCISE​

Strength Training: "Push" chest/shoulder/triceps workout. Good intensity. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/9714083621​

Cardio: Did the indoor bike. 35 minutes at super-easy recovery pace. Decided to push it for a very short time just for fun. My bike has resistance settings ranging from 1-24. At my current fitness level, I do one minute at 14, then 4 minutes at 13, repeating that cycle to the end, to keep my heart rate in the 115-130 recovery range for me. During the one minute at 14 it rises up into the mid/upper 120s, and during the 4 minutes at 13, it drops down to the mid 110s. After 7 rounds / 35 minutes of that, I decided to increment it upwards every 15 seconds for a bit, then go back down, so it was 15 seconds each at 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 resistance, then back down 19-18-17-16-15-14. I don't think I've ever taken it up past 17, maybe 18, during a ride. Really short time, obviously, but it made for a nice little effort and got my heart rate into the low 150s for a short time. Kinda fun, and maybe whetted my appetite to do more indoor biking after I'm done with the marathon. https://www.strava.com/activities/7900201283​

​

​

FOOD PLAN.​

Pre-Lifting (230 calories): strawberries, collagen peptides, cinnamon keto cereal​

Post-Lifting (0 calories): N/A Straight to eating breakfast and then rode bike maybe 45 minutes after eating.​

Breakfast (1135 calories): the banana/oat/chia seed/cinnamon bake I've mentioned, topped with triple berry blend, eating with greek yogurt/whey protein/walnut mixture. Sooooooo good!​

Mid-Morning Snack (0 calories): N/A. At church mid-morning.​

Lunch (1020 calories): smoked chicken breast, black beans, one avocado, brown rice, all with homemade mexican seasoning​

Afternoon Snack (149 calories): watermelon​

Dinner(481 calories): air-fryer shrimp, steamed broccoli, steamed sweet potato, cherry tomatoes from garden​

Evening Snack(116 calories): 2 kiwi fruit​

​

NUTRIENT NUMBERS​

Today's Calorie Goal -- 3130​

Today's Calorie Plan -- 3131​

Carbs -- 402g (Sun-Thu Daily Goal = 300g+, Fri-Sat Daily Goal = 350g+)​

Protein -- 219g (Daily Goal = 200g+)​

Saturated Fat -- 8.5g (Goal = Weekly Average of 25g or fewer. A little over at 25.4 this week.)​

​

SCALE NUMBERS​

Week Begin Weight: 181.95​

Today's Weight: 179.55​

24-Hr Scale Change: -2.40​

7-Day Scale Change: -2.96​

Scale Change Since 7/11 Cut Begin at 204.76: -25.21​

​

COMMENTS​

• My body feels surprisingly not-sore today after the 18-miler that included a pretty hard fall. Yay!
• The watermelon snack that I just ate was actually grown in the garden, despite my firmly-held belief that growing watermelon just isn't worth the space it takes up. The story is that some of my garlic was ready for harvest early, and I had some free space, so I just threw some watermelon seed out there since it was still early June. I’ve got another one to harvest in a few days, too!
• Given that it's the day after my second-longest run of all time, I'm holding to it loosely, but it was nice to see a scale number under 180 this morning. That's the first time that has happened since January 16th, and only the fifth morning during this journey under 180! (I'd imagine it'll go up some tomorrow, if for no other reason that the glyocen stores getting refilled.)
• More on the indoor bike: I really DO want to cross-train more. In fact, at the beginning of 2022, I set goals to do 1000 miles of running, 1500 miles of biking, 500 miles of walking, and 120 hours of strength training throughout the year. I've ended up really gravitating toward running and lifting, so I've already surpassed those goals by wide margins. (I may actually end up tripling the amount of time I'd set as a strength training goal, and may get to 1500 miles running.) But there's zero chance I'll get anywhere near the cycling goal--I'm at only 351 miles to date--and I just stopped bothering with even tracking my walks as my fitness got beyond where I thought it would be, and even a "power walk" doesn't get my heart rate up into Zone 1 any more. Anyway, obviously the low-pounding indoor biking makes a ton of sense at my age. With chasing the marathon goal, it necessarily has had to take a back seat, but once late February rolls around, I really want to increase time on the bike and reduce running time.
• Circling wayyyyy back to the first post in this thread:

• At any rate, I'm well motivated both internally and externally now: my 35th high school reunion is exactly 12 weeks from this past Friday, so a cut cycle of up to 12 weeks makes sense.

  Well, I ended up not going to my reunion, which was this weekend. The trip there to the stadium dedication just two weeks ago ended up replacing the reunion, and I saw everyone that I *really* wanted to see at that event anyway. That said, tomorrow will be 12 weeks since starting the thread, so I suppose progress pics and updates on all goals mentioned will be in order. I'll take care of as much of that as I can this afternoon/evening, but final weight and pic will be in the morning.
  
  At the time I started this thread, I was thinking I'd probably go into a bit of a maintenance phase after 12 weeks, but given how much I've increased my calorie intake and that I haven't had any feeling of "diet fatigue," I'm thinking I'll just remain in a small calorie deficit for a bit longer and see what happens.

 

[Ben_In_NC]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6b...-cBIPh-24o0NF84OH_DaAjZJpTVwjpuhWFjFVk9k&nd=1

This podcast just came out from one of the people I mentioned above, specifically on concurrent training.

Nice find! I listened to this while spinning this morning. Great info. Thanks!

Man that run sounds crazy and fun and kind of scary all at the same time. Good for you guys continuing on through it and not just stopping at the nearest coffee shop and calling it quits as I would have done!
Amazing pace too especially considering all those obstacles!!
Do you two plan to run together more often?
Congrats on signing up for the marathon too--you totally sound up for it!

There's ZERO chance I would have run on the greenway had it not been for Sam just immediately working to find a way to get past the first downed tree. (It was at like the quarter-mile mark! I was thinking "ok, let's just run on the road. It's 5am the day after a hurricane came through. No one is gonna be driving around!")

On the pace, it was great temperature (mid 50s) and cool drizzle. It certainly made it easier to hold a nice pace.

Yes, we'll almost definitely run together again, though no specific plans were made.

The marathon--as I said upthread, I don't think I want to be "a marathoner"--someone who does them semi-regularly--but I do think the challenge/motivation of doing this is really good for where I am now. I talked a good bit with Sam about where I am now and where I could be in 20 weeks if I remained focused and keep my nutrition dialed in, and he agrees with me that a good stretch goal would be to finish in 3:30...which would likely qualify me for Boston if I hit it. So my ultimate stretch goal would be to run only two marathons: Oak Island in February 2023, and Boston in April 2024.

Speaking of, the Garmin time estimates continue to drop...

	5K	10K	HM	M
9/10/2022​	22:33​	47:41	1:48:29​	4:09:18​
9/20/2022​	22:23​	47:17	1:47:24​	4:03:28​
9/24/2022​	22:15​	47:00	1:46:42​	3:58:10​
10/1/2022​	22:02​	46:31	1:45:27​	3:53:56​

 

[Cate]

You really are amazing! What changes, Ben!

 

[Llama]

Kinda fun, and maybe whetted my appetite to do more indoor biking after I'm done with the marathon.

Because of course it did. That's the best way of exercising though: doing it because it's a joy.

My body feels surprisingly not-sore today after the 18-miler that included a pretty hard fall. Yay!

So my ultimate stretch goal would be to run only two marathons: Oak Island in February 2023, and Boston in April 2024.

That sounds so sensible. So many amateur athletes want to keep going as hard as possible as soon as they manage to do something.

 

[Ben_In_NC]

July 11 to October 3rd…12 weeks, down 24.21 lbs (204.76 to 180.55.)

 

[Llama]

That's yet another huge difference!

 

[liza3]

The watermelon snack that I just ate was actually grown in the garden, despite my firmly-held belief that growing watermelon just isn't worth the space it takes up. The story is that some of my garlic was ready for harvest early, and I had some free space, so I just threw some watermelon seed out there since it was still early June. I’ve got another one to harvest in a few days, too!

Man that's so awesome! Snacking on a watermelon that you grew yourself sounds so great! i like that it wasn't even part of the garden plan but just some -aw may as well just chuck some seed in here...so great!

My body feels surprisingly not-sore today after the 18-miler that included a pretty hard fall. Yay!

That is very good! I liked learning this year that I can fall down and keep running...it's nice when we learn we can get back up

Your diary, your goals, your accomplishments, your adventures are always such a joy to read. You always sound so positive and upbeat!

 

[Cate]

Your diary, your goals, your accomplishments, your adventures are always such a joy to read. You always sound so positive and upbeat!

What more can I say? You definitely can see that change, Ben!

 

[Ben_In_NC]

You really are amazing! What changes, Ben!

That's yet another huge difference!

What more can I say? You definitely can see that change, Ben!

Your diary, your goals, your accomplishments, your adventures are always such a joy to read. You always sound so positive and upbeat!

Y'ALL ARE TOO KIND!!!

I really, really hope I'm in the realm of sustainability. That's one of my big issues. As you've seen these past 12 weeks, when I'm on, I am ON! The problems come when I let something get me "off." Deep down, I'm sure that a part of me deciding to take on races in November and February is to help make sure that I'm "on" for at least a little while longer. But I can't just live from race to race, either. The races should easily take me into full-on maintenance. That's when the even-harder work begins for me. The good news is that I really enjoy the food I'm eating as well as the exercise regimen.

Man that's so awesome! Snacking on a watermelon that you grew yourself sounds so great! i like that it wasn't even part of the garden plan but just some -aw may as well just chuck some seed in here...so great!

Yeah, pretty cool. The seed was from either 2017 or 2018--the last time I actually planted watermelon. When I bought the seeds, I didn't realize that one vine--that takes up like a 6'x6' area--only produces a couple of melons. (There's another out there ready to harvest in a day or two.) I mean, home-grown watermelons taste GREAT and there's of course a huge "cool factor" there, but practically speaking, even though I have a big garden space, that's taking up a LOT of space for just one or two watermelons.

Because of course it did. That's the best way of exercising though: doing it because it's a joy.

Agree wholeheartedly. "The exercise that's best is the one that you will DO!" I really do hope I can get into biking. It seems to make all the sense in the world to get all the cardiovascular benefits with less pounding.

 

[Llama]

Hey, everyone appreciates a good pounding now and then

Maintenance is definitely harder than getting to goal, if only because there's more of it.

 

[Ben_In_NC]

Scale update: 178.4 this morning--lowest since December 14, 2013. (I also haven't had two consecutive days under 180 since December 2013m, so looking forward to that little milestone soon.)

Not a lot of time the last couple of days to do the full daily post, but things are still on target nutritionally. This is a down/recovery week with the running-dropping mileage by around 20% from last week, from 46ish to 37ish. When I am training hard, I like to do cycles of 4 weeks "on" and then one lighter week. This is scheduled to be my last "down" week before the week of the HM race.

5 miles easy yesterday, 4.5 easy today. Both completed as per scheduled. Also knocked out a good leg day yesterday and pull day today in the gym. Tomorrow will be my one harder run for the week, but on the treadmill so it's a bit less impactful.

Hey, everyone appreciates a good pounding now and then

Tsk tsk tsk!

 

[Cate]

Getting to your goal weight is not so hard once you are absolutely determined & committed. I know because I did it back in 2007. Nothing would get in my way. Maintenance is tough, absolutely tough. I have been struggling ever since really & each year my weight creeps up a little. If you can work out some way of keeping your weight down without losing motivation you are one very strong-minded human. I really hope you do!

 

[liza3]

Yeah I found maintenance hard too...and then hard to get back to losing now again to get back to goal weight as I suppose it gets in my head that I know I would have a hard time sustaining it anyways. Maybe our ideas change then of what we want to put into weight management, what our goals are etc and maybe that's not a bad thing either. I know now that I might be accepting that I'm at the 140 range, but maintaining healthy foods, and good activity.

Deep down, I'm sure that a part of me deciding to take on races in November and February is to help make sure that I'm "on" for at least a little while longer.

That seems like not a bad idea in maybe it's good to keep on having some goals to be looking toward to keep the momentum going.

I mean, home-grown watermelons taste GREAT and there's of course a huge "cool factor" there, but practically speaking, even though I have a big garden space, that's taking up a LOT of space for just one or two watermelons.

yes for sure space is such a factor with growing stuff. I was wondering if they could be grown on a trellis to save that space and just googled it and yep they can--maybe something to consider...trellising those vine-y plants can really save space and then keeps them off the ground too which can often be helpful for the produce too!