2021 Fitness & Weight Loss Challenge

[0ddl0t]

Week 23: average daily caloric deficit of 502

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1883
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2489
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2384
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184
JUN 04-10: 203.6__22.5%__19.4%__16.4%__165.5_38.0__3547

[CSW]

I don't have a scale here at the house, but if I reference pant sizes, I started in 38's, and now old 36's are loose. Had to purchase a new belt. Jelly roll is gone, and my abdomen is reaching a 'flat' status. I'd say that I am a 34 waist now. It's actually easy to AIWB. The foamies are getting smaller, and with some pants, I don't need them.
Love handles/spare tire is just about gone. I see it drastically in my neck and face.
The physical wellness that I can actually feel is a good thing, the sluggish tired afternoons are all but gone.

Guess I'll have to get a scale.

[0ddl0t]

Week 24: average daily caloric deficit of ~400:

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1883
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2489
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2384
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184
JUN 04-10: 203.6__22.5%__19.4%__16.4%__165.5_38.0__3547
JUN 11-17: 202.6__22.5%__19.4%__15.9%__165.4_37.3__3750ish

The main progress this week was losing about 3/4" from my waist - enough to reliably drop me into the healthy waist/height ratio range (e.g. waist under 50% of my 5'7" height). Visually it seems like disproportionate share of my remaining excess fat is on my upper thighs, butt, & hips (i.e. pear-shaped) which is why I think the scale's bio-impedance body fat averages remained unchanged while Navy body fat continued downward.

My Garmin VO2 max is now reliably 47 for both cycling and running and I'm now able to sustain a swimming pace of less than 2:00 per 100yd for 1.2 miles. My first triathlon, a half ironman distance tri, is less than 1 month away...

[Joe in PNG]

Back to my normal weekly weigh ins, and we're still at 202.

Confession time- we had a rare trip to town Wednesday, with lunch at one of the hotels. So, I ate a lot of stuff not allowed, such as rice and a big piece of cheese cake.
The results speak for themselves- 205 this morning.

I'll get seriously back on it after tonight.

[0ddl0t]

Week 25: average daily caloric deficit of ~590:

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1883
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2489
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2384
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184
JUN 04-10: 203.6__22.5%__19.4%__16.4%__165.5_38.0__3547
JUN 11-17: 202.6__22.5%__19.4%__15.9%__165.4_37.3__3789
JUN 18-24: 201.8__22.5%__19.5%__15.7%__164.8_37.0__3650ish

I am starting to taper my training for the half iron distance triathlon and am enjoying the extra rest & recovery time. Hopefully it won't be too hard to lower my calories commensurately and I think I'll be alright if I cut out all the refined carbs I've added during peak training. I'm tempted to use this newfound time & energy to increase weight training in hopes of regaining some of my declining lean mass. It will probably affect my time in the triathlon, but I'm not really competing as much as looking to finish strong...

I also scored a 20 year old time trial bike that had been languishing on craigslist for the last two months for $250. It feels uncomfortable & unstable and I can't put down quite as much power with it as I can with my old road bike, but I'm still significantly faster on it and I haven't even started using my power meter pedals to optimize my aero position.

[Joe in PNG]

Confession time- we had a rare trip to town Wednesday, with lunch at one of the hotels. So, I ate a lot of stuff not allowed, such as rice and a big piece of cheese cake.
The results speak for themselves- 205 this morning.

I'll get seriously back on it after tonight.

203 this morning. Heading in the right direction.

[RJ]

See ya in another six weeks.

As of 7/2/21:

Weight: 178.4 (was 181.4; loss of 3 lbs)
WTHR: 53.1% (was 53.4%; reduction of 0.3%)



I seem to have finally gotten through the plateau I was stuck on last three months with a solid reduction. Finally. In the middle of this sprint, I refactored a few things:

Starts included: Regular Intermittent fasting (I know, that sounds odd), using my own 3/2/1/2/3 plan I decided to try (3 meals a day, then 2 meals, 1 meal, 2 meals, then back to 3 meals a day, etc.); Targeted resistance and cardio workout, daily; significant protein boost (e.g. two cheeseburger patties, protein powder supplement); fiber boost; started tracking blood pressure.

Stops included: No more added fat, i.e. no added MCT oil, no butter in coffee, no additional Brie or Cream Cheese; No more SteviaClear sweetener (this may or may not be psycosomatic but I think needed to do this to get over the need to have something sweet). On the fat, I read or saw a video where your body reacts to added fat in ketosis by consuming that, vs. consuming your body fat. So adding fat may not have been a good thing, "for me". After 8 months of bulletproof coffee whipped up with sweetener, having coffee black, and black only, has been a bit of an adjustment.

Continues included: Potassium, Magnesium, Turmeric, Omega-3 supplements, daily; macros at 35% protein, 55% fat, 10% carb; total calories 1,700 daily.

BP this morning was 128/73, pulse 69.

The end of this sprint/quarter also corresponds with the one-year anniversary of me deciding to go healthy keto. On 6/28/20, I weight 210 lbs; I've achieved a net loss of 31.6 lbs over 12 months. I've been able to start carrying AIWB, and am about to swap out of a single stack to a double stack. After years of behind the hip carry, this is huge for me.


Going into the next six week sprint, I'm going to continue as above; it seems to be working. For sure my middle is smaller, but I still have fat that needs to come off. My fitness (endurance) and especially core strength is much, much stronger. Planks are 90 seconds now. At 62 I can do pretty much all the daily chores I need to do without too much issue. My wife continues to be pleased I'm not as irritable as I was, pre-keto, if I miss a meal.

I wasn't sure the weight training routine could be done here at the hotel (we're still here; closing on the house is mid-July) but I've worked out a dumbbell-focused regime and do that, plus a targeted core exercise set, finishing with 30" of cardio on the elliptical machine, at least 6 days a week. I've added pushups to failure; over the last three weeks I've gone from doing 8 (max) to being able to knock out 18 in a row yesterday. This may not seem like much to younger guys but it's progress for me.

I need to figure out a more repeatable way of measuring my waistline; the whole "stretch out some paracord around my middle and mark it off" is hard to do.

Back in six weeks.

[0ddl0t]

Halfway through the year with an average daily caloric deficit of 893 for week 26:

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1883
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2489
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2384
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184
JUN 04-10: 203.6__22.5%__19.4%__16.4%__165.5_38.0__3547
JUN 11-17: 202.6__22.5%__19.4%__15.9%__165.4_37.3__3789
JUN 18-24: 201.8__22.5%__19.5%__15.7%__164.8_37.0__3637
JUN 25-J1: 200.0__21.8%__18.4%__14.5%__165.4_34.6__2977


I am pleased to now be consistently under 15% body fat based on the US Navy method - though my 49% waist-height ratio is supposed to be more like 20-23%. I do have a dexa scan scheduled Thursday, but the Navy method has been pretty close in the past so it looks like I'll ultimately be aiming to land around 175-180 lb at ~10% body fat in another 6-7 months. It's been a long road:

[0ddl0t]

Week 27, average daily calorie deficit of ~500:

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1883
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2489
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2384
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2713
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_ Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184
JUN 04-10: 203.6__22.5%__19.4%__16.4%__165.5_38.0__3547
JUN 11-17: 202.6__22.5%__19.4%__15.9%__165.4_37.3__3789
JUN 18-24: 201.8__22.5%__19.5%__15.7%__164.8_37.0__3637
JUN 25-J1: 200.0__21.8%__18.4%__14.5%__165.4_34.6__2977
JUL 02-08: 199.8__20.3%__17.1%__14.4%__166.7_33.1__3100ish
-- JUL 08 Dexa scan: 15.0% body fat --


Today's dexa scan was again in line with the Navy Body fat estimate. I may stop recording bio-impedance since it is so far off, but it may still have some value since the dexa scan did show that my legs were ~17% body fat vs ~12% for my arms and 14% for my trunk. I'd like to lose another 10 lb of fat and hope that it comes primarily from my hips & thighs:



As I expected, I did lose a few pounds of lean mass though only 1 lb of it was muscle:


I am now on the cusp of being in the healthy range for the NHANES fat mass index. If I lose another 10 lb of fat as planned I'll be well inside the green window:



My absolute VO2 max declined minutely (from 4.32 to 4.24 L/min), with my weight loss more than making up for it on the relative scale (from 43.4 to 46.3 mL/kg/min):


Power zones were pretty much unchanged, but my heart rate was down considerably (5-7 beats per minute) at the same power levels. Of note, this time I used my time trial bike instead of their more upright trainer so I was in the full aero position which does limit my power/breathing somewhat. I also wore my garmin 735xt which estimated my VO2 max at 48 (vs 46.3 actual) during the test - a new high. It estimated my functional threshold power at 267 (vs 270 actual).

[RJ]

...

JUL 02-08: 199.8

...

Under 200.0!!! That's awesome!!! Great work, keep it up.