This is a follow-up to my post :
http://www.fit-and-fitter.com/2014/06/more-cardio-more-protein-and-less-carbs.html
So what happened after more cardio, more protein and less carbs ?? I am at 139 lbs, size 6 now. I have lost about 10 lbs since I started this journey. The weight loss has been extremely gradual. But most importantly it was not entirely because of just more cardio, more protein and less carbs. I learned a lot of interesting lessons on the way. Allow me to fill you in with the details.
I just got back from 2 week vacation to Alaska. One week cruise and a one week road trip. I don't know how many of you have been on a cruise. But OMG it is a food lovers paradise. Truly a culinary extravaganza !!! The meals are included in the cruise ticket. The food options are unlimited. You can choose from fine dining or buffet. Every meal is an culinary bonanza. Here are a sample of the desserts that were just served on just one meal. And for every meal for all the 7 days there were different kind of desserts. You can pick whatever you want, how many ever times you want. It is all included in the ticket price.
Oh boy, oh boy it was a feast !! I was drooling. This was 2nd cruise and I knew what to expect. I was dreaming about good food even before the start of my vacation. I anticipated a weight gain so for two weeks before my cruise I also skipped my dinner. When I was on the cruise for the first three days I sampled all the deserts I could. But then gradually I got sick of it. I started noticing the effect it was having on my body and my mood. Refined foods definitely cause an insulin spike. It made me feel dull and drowsy. Some of the ingredients in the desserts especially the sugar free ones were triggering migraines. Slowly the desserts started to sicken me. End of day three, I was cured of my craving for desserts !! I did not even take a second look at them for the rest of the cruise. On day four, I started to crave my home cooked food and salads. I learned a very good lesson on the cruise. I realized how refined sugar sets inflammation, sugar spikes and migraines in the body. Now I don't even take a second look at desserts !!!
After the cruise I gingerly checked my weight. Thankfully I did not gain any weight from my vacation. I got sick of desserts and came down with a very bad cold and sinusitis. I exercised on the ship when I could. When possible I used the gym in the ship. It had the most beautiful view !! Imagine jogging on a treadmill looking at spectacular scenery through panoramic windows and catching the evening sunset as it fades in the horizon. Truly blissful experience !! Sadly very few people took advantage of it. While everybody was soaking in the top deck trying to gain a view of the glaciers. I was able to view the glaciers while jogging on the treadmill in the gym. The gym room was totally empty !! Here is the view of the glaciers from the treadmills in the gym.
To loss weight there is only one simple formula - you need to burn more calories then you consume. But when you workout a lot you get very hungry and eating the wrong choice of foods will completely reverse the effects. This is how I went from 140 lbs to 125 lbs and then back to 150 lbs. So how do you go about boosting your metabolic rate and lowering your calorific input. It is a tough balance.
In my experience nothing boosts metabolic rate like strength training. During cardio you burn calories only during the cardio session but when you do strength training you burn calories even after the session. During the strength training routine your muscles develop micro tears. Your body needs a lot of calories to heal the injured muscles. This is what causes the metabolic boost. The process also makes the muscles much stronger and leaner. Muscles are metabolically more active. So the more lean muscle you build the higher your metabolic rate shoots up. Women often fear that they would bulk up or gain muscular definition if they do strength training. Trust me that is not going to happen for a long time. It is not easy to bulk up. Some of my gym instructors are incredibly strong and lean. Start with a program like Less Mills Body Pump. If you don't want to start with a program like Less Mills. Try to develop your own routine. Make it a full body workout. There are lots of cheap apps that will instruct you on good strength training routines. Don't keep doing the same strength training routine over and over again. Keep modifying the routines. There are lot of good exercises you can do with just your own body weight. The more muscles you recruit during your workout the more effective will be the boost you see in the metabolic rate. As soon as I stop strength training for a few weeks, I have seen my metabolic rate also drop down. I feel less hungry. But the moment I restart the program it comes back with a vengeance.
On the nutrition front I tried to reduce my carbs as much as I could. But I failed. On a few days my sugar level dipped down and it made me feel tired and fatigued. Having fruit juice or carbohydrate instantly made me feel better. I am not a dedicated meat eater. Eating meat at every meal made me feel sick. I am an Indian and for Indians meat has always been a luxury food item. I started filling my stomach with salads before I ate my main meal. That helped me reduce the serving of my main meal. I was careful about the salad dressings I would use. I would usually make a simple salad with sprouts. I also started added whey protein, nuts and flax seed to my fruit smoothies. Whey protein is a milk based protein powder. So perfectly fine for vegetarians to use. I switched more to complex carbohydrates like sweet potato. I started adding sweet potatoes and tofu to my stir fry. Adding a small quantity of sweet potato to my stir fry made me feel fuller. Sweet potato is a complex carbohydrate, very rich in vitamin A and beta carotene. I would always have protein for my breakfast. And the days I did not workout in the evening I ate a very light dinner, mostly a broth based soup like Indian beetroot rasam or vegetable soup. I try to have smaller frequently meals then larger, less frequent meals. I realized that this approach keeps my hunger in better control. I also always carry a protein bar in my handbag. Whenever I am hungry I try to snack on my protein bar.
Coming to the cardio part....I still do cardio. I would love to be a good runner. But unfortunately running always triggers migraines for me. I have noticed that when I start running my heart rate really shoots up. I measured it with a chest strapped heart rate monitor. Continually working out at a higher heart sets off a migraine for me. So I do the elliptical in the gym. But more than cardio in the gym, I really love hiking, swimming and cycling outdoors. Swimming is an excellent, non impact, full body cardio. It feels so refreshing to take an early morning swim. I love to hike. Walking among the tall trees, taking in fresh mountain air and sometimes listening to the sound of falling water is so soothing. The giant trees have been silent witness to the world for many decades. Walking in their tall presence, listening to the sound of water dwarfs my life problems. I have found hiking to be a very humbling experience. During the hiking trail I realize that there are so many myriad life forms in this world and we are merely a speck in the giant universe. I try to use every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with my family. Biking in Anchorage, hiking in Denali after gluttony on the cruise ship !!1 Here are some pictures of my adventures from Alaska.
I have been losing weight slowly and steadily. It has not been an easy journey. A lot of fine tuning and planning has been needed. I lost a lot of weight but I ruined all my gains with bad food choices. I have evolved and matured. I am consciously making good dietary choices and trying to make it life style choice rather than a binge diet.
http://www.fit-and-fitter.com/2014/06/more-cardio-more-protein-and-less-carbs.html
So what happened after more cardio, more protein and less carbs ?? I am at 139 lbs, size 6 now. I have lost about 10 lbs since I started this journey. The weight loss has been extremely gradual. But most importantly it was not entirely because of just more cardio, more protein and less carbs. I learned a lot of interesting lessons on the way. Allow me to fill you in with the details.
I just got back from 2 week vacation to Alaska. One week cruise and a one week road trip. I don't know how many of you have been on a cruise. But OMG it is a food lovers paradise. Truly a culinary extravaganza !!! The meals are included in the cruise ticket. The food options are unlimited. You can choose from fine dining or buffet. Every meal is an culinary bonanza. Here are a sample of the desserts that were just served on just one meal. And for every meal for all the 7 days there were different kind of desserts. You can pick whatever you want, how many ever times you want. It is all included in the ticket price.
After the cruise I gingerly checked my weight. Thankfully I did not gain any weight from my vacation. I got sick of desserts and came down with a very bad cold and sinusitis. I exercised on the ship when I could. When possible I used the gym in the ship. It had the most beautiful view !! Imagine jogging on a treadmill looking at spectacular scenery through panoramic windows and catching the evening sunset as it fades in the horizon. Truly blissful experience !! Sadly very few people took advantage of it. While everybody was soaking in the top deck trying to gain a view of the glaciers. I was able to view the glaciers while jogging on the treadmill in the gym. The gym room was totally empty !! Here is the view of the glaciers from the treadmills in the gym.
 |
| Hudson glacier, Alaska |
To loss weight there is only one simple formula - you need to burn more calories then you consume. But when you workout a lot you get very hungry and eating the wrong choice of foods will completely reverse the effects. This is how I went from 140 lbs to 125 lbs and then back to 150 lbs. So how do you go about boosting your metabolic rate and lowering your calorific input. It is a tough balance.
In my experience nothing boosts metabolic rate like strength training. During cardio you burn calories only during the cardio session but when you do strength training you burn calories even after the session. During the strength training routine your muscles develop micro tears. Your body needs a lot of calories to heal the injured muscles. This is what causes the metabolic boost. The process also makes the muscles much stronger and leaner. Muscles are metabolically more active. So the more lean muscle you build the higher your metabolic rate shoots up. Women often fear that they would bulk up or gain muscular definition if they do strength training. Trust me that is not going to happen for a long time. It is not easy to bulk up. Some of my gym instructors are incredibly strong and lean. Start with a program like Less Mills Body Pump. If you don't want to start with a program like Less Mills. Try to develop your own routine. Make it a full body workout. There are lots of cheap apps that will instruct you on good strength training routines. Don't keep doing the same strength training routine over and over again. Keep modifying the routines. There are lot of good exercises you can do with just your own body weight. The more muscles you recruit during your workout the more effective will be the boost you see in the metabolic rate. As soon as I stop strength training for a few weeks, I have seen my metabolic rate also drop down. I feel less hungry. But the moment I restart the program it comes back with a vengeance.
On the nutrition front I tried to reduce my carbs as much as I could. But I failed. On a few days my sugar level dipped down and it made me feel tired and fatigued. Having fruit juice or carbohydrate instantly made me feel better. I am not a dedicated meat eater. Eating meat at every meal made me feel sick. I am an Indian and for Indians meat has always been a luxury food item. I started filling my stomach with salads before I ate my main meal. That helped me reduce the serving of my main meal. I was careful about the salad dressings I would use. I would usually make a simple salad with sprouts. I also started added whey protein, nuts and flax seed to my fruit smoothies. Whey protein is a milk based protein powder. So perfectly fine for vegetarians to use. I switched more to complex carbohydrates like sweet potato. I started adding sweet potatoes and tofu to my stir fry. Adding a small quantity of sweet potato to my stir fry made me feel fuller. Sweet potato is a complex carbohydrate, very rich in vitamin A and beta carotene. I would always have protein for my breakfast. And the days I did not workout in the evening I ate a very light dinner, mostly a broth based soup like Indian beetroot rasam or vegetable soup. I try to have smaller frequently meals then larger, less frequent meals. I realized that this approach keeps my hunger in better control. I also always carry a protein bar in my handbag. Whenever I am hungry I try to snack on my protein bar.
Coming to the cardio part....I still do cardio. I would love to be a good runner. But unfortunately running always triggers migraines for me. I have noticed that when I start running my heart rate really shoots up. I measured it with a chest strapped heart rate monitor. Continually working out at a higher heart sets off a migraine for me. So I do the elliptical in the gym. But more than cardio in the gym, I really love hiking, swimming and cycling outdoors. Swimming is an excellent, non impact, full body cardio. It feels so refreshing to take an early morning swim. I love to hike. Walking among the tall trees, taking in fresh mountain air and sometimes listening to the sound of falling water is so soothing. The giant trees have been silent witness to the world for many decades. Walking in their tall presence, listening to the sound of water dwarfs my life problems. I have found hiking to be a very humbling experience. During the hiking trail I realize that there are so many myriad life forms in this world and we are merely a speck in the giant universe. I try to use every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with my family. Biking in Anchorage, hiking in Denali after gluttony on the cruise ship !!1 Here are some pictures of my adventures from Alaska.
 |
| Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Anchorage, AK. |
I have been losing weight slowly and steadily. It has not been an easy journey. A lot of fine tuning and planning has been needed. I lost a lot of weight but I ruined all my gains with bad food choices. I have evolved and matured. I am consciously making good dietary choices and trying to make it life style choice rather than a binge diet.
