My monthly fatloss report....

Today's Post:  Monday, 10-19-2015

[This month’s report is a mixed review with some positive and some negative events to report. I both gained some leverage and lost some. That status seems like AND IS where I’ve been stuck for some time!

My hope of course, is that I’ll gradually make progress by relentlessly continuing the things that have lost and kept off the fat I no longer have;

Having the things I’ve added get traction and gradually help lose some more fat;--

AND find things with more leverage that work well when I try them -- and then keep doing them also!]

Here’s the key news. 

1.  Last month, I gained back the 1.2 pounds I lost the month before!

My waist didn’t go down for the measurement that was slightly tensed. 

But the more relaxed one went down a half inch.  My posture exercise during my half mile weekday walks may have tightened up the muscles; but the fat is likely the same. 

My chest was the same; and my hips went up about half an inch.  (That might be muscle as I’ve added an exercise twice a week, holding a 50 pound dumbbell while I do 7 super slow full squats  -- about 10 seconds down and 10 seconds up.  Those are called goblet squats.)

This time I gained back more than the 1.2 pounds the first week. And, I gradually lost down to the 1.2 pound gain by the end of the month.

The bad news is that there is basically no progress.  (Since two months ago, I weigh exactly the same.) The good news is that what I’m doing is consistent enough that I’m not losing ground either.

That leaves the promise that if I can upgrade my efforts effectively, I’ll be able to keep the progress I get.

2.  The foods and supplements that I had hoped would help with increasing my muscle and strength may be working.  I did get slightly stronger since last month and I kept my other gains and did so despite some real stress and slightly too hot workout conditions. 

3.  I also continued the two things that may have been as important, or more so, than the foods and supplements. 

The Perfect Workout information was that optimum progress came with slow repetitions of 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down.  I had been doing much faster although slow reps; but when I re-read that 10 seconds each way is best, in one of my two weekly strength training sessions I have been doing just that.  It does seem to be working.

And, I read a study that people doing strength training who were given a placebo they thought was anabolic steroids increased the weight they used right away to levels the people not given anything were doing!

So, I thought, what if I just boosted the weight in a comparable way?  I did so.  And it seems to be working!

I’m doing more reps with the now heavier weight on dumbbell triceps extensions; and in one exercise, the one arm dumbbell curl, I may be able to add 5 pounds soon from 35 to 40 pounds.

There is also better news.  I’ve discovered that when I can get to a gym with heavy barbells and resume doing the deadlifts I did when I was last lean at my goal weight and increase the weight to what I did then or close to it, there is strong evidence I’ll gain enough muscle in my lower back, buttocks, and legs to remove at least half and maybe a good bit more of my excess fat!

And, at a gym in the two exercises where I can do more weight easily than I have at home, the dumbbell row with one hand braced on the bench and the shoulder shrug, I’ll be able to use more weight.

*And, there may be a gym I can get to often enough to do this before the end of the year.

(My recovery from my Achilles tendon injury on my left leg is 100%; and the repair of the stress fracture in my lower left leg seems to be standing up still to the very slow building back program I’ve been on.  And, I’m getting close to a level where I may be able to speed my progress a bit.)

So I wrote last time; but the progress has stalled due to how weak the muscle got.  And, it’s not responding as well as I’d hoped – at least not yet.

* Since last time, my efforts to restart doing jump rope are improving slightly.  (Even tiny amounts build fitness extremely well.)

I was able to reduce the length of the jump rope in a way that makes it more normal to hold instead of having to hold bunched up sections to make it short enough.

And, even though I’m not quite fit enough or skilled enough to do consistent sections of 10 or more, I am getting sections of 5 to 9 without having to throw my right shoulder into a injury to do it!

I also got coaching as to holding my elbows in a bit once I have the rope moving which has helped.

Despite the low rep start, it now looks like persistence will get the job done!   Hopefully by a month or two from now, I’ll be able to report even more progress.

(Jumping as if I am doing the jump rope while just holding the rope was irritating my Achilles tendons.  And I’m beginning to total enough real jumps that don’t do that to get a fitness effect. 

So instead of starting with 28 of these “as if” jumps and ending with 28 and doing more each time, I now do just 21 easy ones to warm up and only do the real jump rope after that for each session.)

My best set without a glitch now is just 9; but yesterday the total was 47 over my several attempts.

My goal is to do 70 and rest and 70 and rest and 70 more.  The elapsed time is just 90 seconds of jumping because I jump fast enough that 70 only takes 30 seconds. I know because I did 70 of the as if jumps without the rope in 30 seconds with my temporary jump rope coach.

When I can do that, I’ll be quite fit for sprint type of exercises and this may cause some fat loss from calories burned for a few hours afterwards according to what I’ve read.)

4.  My blood pressure medication is working decently now.  I’ve not been able to improve the readings with any significant fat loss yet.  But when the hot weather leaves I may be able to double the diuretic dose safely which was giving me good results before.

I thought that initially; but the drug may have some negative heart risk effects as measured by actual tests I took.  So I may add a relaxation session and cut the dose in half instead.

If the extra turmeric with black pepper I added measures as reversing the heart risk effects, I’ll keep the diuretic the same and expect my blood pressure to go down a bit from the relaxation session I’m about to add.

5.  I got the Thync device; but discovered I have to also get a smart phone to use it.  I’ve delayed getting one; but will do so if only to use the Thync device on it.

It looks likely that the 10 minute session of the calm setting that I can do other chores while I wear it will de-stress me enough that I’ll sleep better and likely will have slightly lower blood pressure AND that may cut my cortisol enough to cause a bit of belly fat loss too.

In addition, I may be able to make just a bit more strength progress by using it on its energy boosting setting before my one heaviest strength training session each week.

6.  My hopes for the cooling packs to lose fat are much lower than they were when I first wrote of them.

I was able to get the directions.  So when the current spell of horribly hot weather leaves I may be able to make some progress with them.

The reason for the lowered expectation is threefold. 

They only burn 300 calories an hour, not 500. 

And where I’d hoped to wear them 10 hours a week, 10 hours a month may be more doable. 

(Between the two things, 20,000 calories a month is a great deal less than 3,000!)

Lastly, if I do more, I recently read that just like eating less, there may be a rebound effect from losing fat from cold exposure.

Soon with the directions and better weather, I’ll be able to see how effective it is in practice and will report on that here.    

7.  Because I have cut back on salt and no longer use the iodized and processed salt at all, my only iodine supplement has been the 150 mcg in my multi.  I read it may boost my thyroid enough to give me a bit more energy and maybe burn more fat, to get closer to 500 mcg a day of iodine.  I found a kelp supplement that has 400 mcg.  So by adding that I’ll get 550 mcg a day.  So I’ll try it.

Since I’m only 6.2 pounds fatter than my weight on the scale goal, if this removes 2 to 6 pounds that could help!

And, there are times during the day having even 5% more energy would help!