My monthly fatloss report November 2018....Today's post: 

Tuesday, 11-20-2018

Here's the key news:

Short term results are finally better! I’ve lost 3.5 pounds in the past two months.

Fat Loss Report as measured on Saturday, 11-17-2018

I lost 1.6 pounds since last month to 168.8 from 170.4 pounds.

My goal weight is 161 pounds so I went from 9.4 pounds over to 7.8 pounds over.  This is finally a bit better!

It looks like my desired long term gains will take a lot more work still; but I’m encouraged that they now look possible.

I. Since last month, I lost 1.6 pounds.

Cutting out all the few added sugars in my diet and cutting my wine intake in half and eating the same otherwise did help.

But this past month I also took a week where I ate only low carb meals each day.  On top of that I skipped lunch a few times as a fast between breakfast and dinner.

Chest was about 39 -- about a half inch less.

Waist was about 42 & a half-- about a half inch less.

Hips were 38 & a half-- about a half inch less.

My strength seemed to say the same.  So the losses in my chest and hips are likely of fat.  For sure the half inch loss in my waist was.

II. Initially, I was pleased to be able to do without wine on the days I set to do that.  It’s no routine.

The same is true of the sugars I was eating and only eating at meal time. That too is now routine.

I’ve also gotten used to only eating at meal times.

Even at first no longer using molasses or the bit of dark chocolate was easiest. They weren’t that good tasting and were messy & time consuming to eat. 

Not buying any more organic raisins removed them; but I liked them enough to be sorry to see them go!  Logistically, it was easy. I stopped buying them and my wife ate the few left in the container.

Now I no longer feel their loss as I initially did. Again, I’ve gotten used to the new routine.

Eating only at meal times was a small adjustment but has been quite doable.

III. According to an article I once read, the wine I was drinking each week was supporting 12 pounds of fat.  So removing half that may eventually take off half of 12 pounds or six pounds. 

Since I’ve lost 3.5 pounds, that suggests that staying with the wine cut back may eventually cause at least another 2.5 pounds of fat loss and on the scale.

That has not been my experience with other things I've tried.  But this more long term change may be different.

IV. Then too, I have been drinking bottled water from plastic containers for both chilled water & for making coffee & tea.

The BPA in that water may have been locking down my fat.  So, I finally got the FIXT system & began using it Saturday, 10-20.

That may remove a block to fatloss from other things and increase the fatloss from my belly when I lose more fat from other things.  It may also improve my health protection of my heart and liver and brain.  So, I’m pleased I got it done!

There is still a bit of use left in the initial FIXT filter.  But it looks like I may need to get a filter each month instead of every other month.  At $83 each every month, that’s not yet affordable safely.  And, I’m concerned about generating the solid waste of the filter once a month on top of that.  So I’m back with the bottled water for now.

V.  The VIBE turned out to have an extra 20 minute set up and put away time and take extra time to do the exercises on it as well -- to the point it was taking an extra hour on Saturday and one on Sunday to use it. 

We had some extra time pressure on our weekends recently that prevented its use and I have decided to simply discontinue it for now. When logistics improvements and more space in our home free up the hour and remove the excess set up time, I do hope to resume using it.

VI. My strength training has been progressing without using the VIBE and I may have found a first solution to my left calf and foot weakness.  If it works, it takes 6 to 10 weeks and I've only been using it a bit over one month.  By my report in December or January I may have good news.

VII. A month ago I did 180 pushups and 55 more after a brief rest for a total of 235.

This is a bit less than I did the month before: 194 and 47 more after a brief rest for a total of 241.

But I did 205 + 54 = 259 on another Saturday in October or September.

Because of stress & the particulates from the fires, I’ve switched to doing fewer and slower pushups for strength and at least temporarily discontinued doing them fast as I was doing before.  I did 83 & 9 = 92 Monday morning.

This was inside with the windows closed; but some of the health effect was from walking to our car and for short errands to put some particulates in my lungs.

This past month, I did zero at work short exercise walks.  The readings of our outside air were far higher than was safe to do so.  Maybe by next month that will be better.

VIII. Fixes likely to work that I cannot yet put in place:

Clearly I need to cut back someplace on calories and sugars IN the foods I’ve been eating and reduce their volume a bit and get back to the gym to do heavier weight exercises with barbells and the leg press machine. 

Eating grass fed beef and lamb or Greek yogurt from grass fed cows instead of grass fed yogurt with lactose and which takes up more room in my stomach would help for my breakfast and some breakfasts and dinners.

During my cut down week one week out of four, it might help to have my whey with water and Bullet Proof collagen protein instead of milk.  This would provide less support for building muscle that week.  But it might help my fat loss and to shrink my waist.

AND I need a logistics upgrade to free up the time to go to the gym --

AND to sleep about an hour a day more.

(Sleeping more is known to cut belly fat and to increase muscle and bone building if you exercise which cuts overall fat!)

I recently discovered that a very successful bodybuilder, Ben Pakulski, takes 3 grams a day of a Lion’s mane supplement.  I learned from him that part of increasing strength is increasing the motor nerve control of your muscular contractions while doing exercises.  And working that hard in your workouts tends to de-energize you mentally. 

It seems that research backs up that when taking Lion’s mane you become less depressed and you act less depressed and your blood results back this up.  Unlike the BDNF from exercise you generate more of that can build lasting nerve improvements, research shows that while Lion’s mane works, the nerves it regrows fade when and if you stop taking it.  The better news is that the increased muscle size and strength may remain!

Each of these changes would help; but many of them take more money or space where I live or both than I currently have available. 

So, once again, to lose more fat, in my case, I need to increase my income.

VIII. My past month stressing skipping lunch as a fast several times and eating fewer lentils plus being out of town a week ago where I took less triphala and magnesium caused me to get constipated.

I restored the magnesium and triphala went to 3 tablespoons of lentils every day from two ever other day or no days during that one week.  My wife also served me extra steamed vegetables.

My constipation did clear up.  My hope is that my progress will continue now that I’m eating more lentils; back taking the triphala; and magnesium; but am continuing everything else.  The upset stomach comes and goes during the day but is sticking around so far.

Conclusion:

I expect with my recent permanent upgrades to keep off the fat I’ve lost.  My hope is that I’ll lose down to my 161 goal weight and at least another inch off my waist.