More Calories, Less Fat

If there’s one thing I learned from my participation in the Bodybuilding.com 2013 Transformation Challenge Sponsored by Dymatize that stands out from the rest it’s that when one eats is sometimes as important as what one eats.

In an effort to find an eating plan — I’m not even sure “plan” is the right word, it’s more of a lifestyle thing — that works for me, I’ve been steadily upping my calories since the Challenge ended. Whereas, the 3,040 calories I consumed on Feb. 28 was my highest total during the seven-week Challenge, lately I’ve been averaging more calories than that.

Yet, I’ve gained a grand total of 0.1 pounds since I took my Final pictures two weeks ago.

Frankly, my goal after the Challenge was to gain weight by “bulking” a bit, as I thought that might be a great way to allow me some extra calories. Now, I’m not sure what I should do. I’m OK at the calorie level I’m at — not hungry and, in fact, often full — but I want to have some goals in the gym besides working hard… and I’m still very, very nervous about quitting my cardio program altogether.

My thinking is: Why “bulk up” with fat? Right now, I’m maintaining my present weight and losing fat; that strikes me as a whole lot better than gaining weight and having to trim a ton of fat later on (been there, done that, didn’t care for it).

All things considered, it’s a good problem to have (it sure beats the alternative). I’m thinking that maybe I should set some strength goals since I go back and forth between strength- and size-building exercises anyway.

In the meantime, I think I’ll get something to eat.

The Secret to Weight Loss

I have found the secret to weight loss (at least for me)… and it's not eating/avoiding certain types of foods, snacking incessantly or any of the other stuff one typically hears.

It all boils down to ramping up one's metabolism. How that is achieved is up to the individual. For me, the combination of a good fat burner and slightly more intense (than I would like) cardio has done the trick.

When I started the Bodybuilding.com 2013 Transformation Challenge, I had a simple, tried-and-true diet in place. I would eat 6-8 times a day, mixing protein and complex carbs into my meals and snacks and I would lose weight and gain/retain muscle…

It didn’t work. My weight stayed more or less the same.

Undeterred, I decided that, perhaps, I was taking in too many calories and fat each day. So I revamped my diet and starting tracking everything I ate. I thought 2,000-2,300 calories per day would do the trick — beach body here I come!

It didn’t work. Sure, I lost more weight than before, but it was coming off very slowly.

Next, I decided to cut my daily calorie intake. Instead of 2,000-2,300 calories per day, I opted for 1,800-2,000 (mind you, my twin brother, who is naturally 30 pounds lighter than me, was losing weight with a much less stringent diet). But, hey, if fewer calories is what it took to get mean and lean, so be it.

It didn’t work. Again, I was losing weight, just at a glacial pace.

Then came my breakthrough. I noticed that, when I was walking on the treadmill (I’d maintain a pace of about 3.4-3.6 MPH at an 8-9 percent incline), my heart rate was generally in the 116-123 beats-per-minute range. Although I’ve heard that 60-70 percent of one’s maximum heart rate — crudely determined by subtracting one’s age from 220 — is ideal, I wondered if my body was resistant to that theory.

I decided to work in some interval training and quicken the pace of my workouts to get my heart rate up.

It worked. Now, when I get on the treadmill, my heart rate is immediately in the 130-135 beats-per-minute range and I’ve started losing weight — and, more importantly, fat — at a greatly accelerated rate.

So much for theories. I guess it's true: Practice makes perfect.

Patience, Patience, Patience

I have to admit: For the first couple of weeks, I was a little disappointed that all my hard work in the gym wasn’t showing more. Specifically, I was annoyed that my 30-40 minutes on the treadmill each day had resulted in about a 3-pound weight loss and virtually no reduction in my waist size.

Yeah, I thought my arms looked a little more defined and I definitely added some muscle to my legs over the course of those 14 days, but, frankly, I wasn’t looking to add muscle. I was — and am — trying to lose fat, while retaining as much muscle as possible.

However, I kept telling myself that exercise and healthy eating doesn’t occur in a vacuum — they simply must have an effect… somehow, somewhere.

Well, now, three weeks in, I’m starting to see that effect. I thought I looked much better today, even though my weight is hovering between 202 and 203 pounds (my goal is 190-195 lbs.).

It just goes to show that, as I tell my wife (who, like a lot of people, is ruled by the scale), exercising and eating right works. One just has to be patient.

And have faith that all the hard work will eventually pay off.

Let the Challenge Begin!

Tomorrow I start the Bodybuilding.com 2013 Transformation Challenge, so today I met with a personal trainer.

I wanted to discuss my diet and get some suggestions as to how I should structure my workouts. Even though I’ve lifted weights off and on since high school, I personally believe that it never hurts to get a second opinion from someone who knows what they’re doing and the guy I consulted has worked with competitive bodybuilders.

On the plus side, I learned that my current diet is not horrible. On the negative side, I’m going to have to be much more careful with portion control and, even worse (although I suspected as much), I need to add more cardio to my workout routines.

Still, as we talked, I found myself getting more and more excited about the next three months. The plan is to get together every week and assess my progress, tweak my diet, exercise program, etc.

On a related note, my brother, who is also taking the Challenge, and I took our “before” photos yesterday and we both agreed that we nailed them!

While I wasn’t exactly seeking to look good in these pictures — it is after all the Transformation Challenge — I truly didn’t expect to look as bad as I did. Naturally, I will post the egregious images at some point, but I’m afraid they will need to be accompanied by a warning — I’d hate to be responsible for some poor soul gouging their own eyeballs out.
 
Anyway, I’d better end this post now… I’ve got some rice and broccoli to eat.