16.04.23 – 112.5kg and 32.9
The start of week 3 and it is an early start…3.30am. One of the many things I have noticed over the last couple of weeks is that I am sleeping less but my sleep quality has improved. Like everything psychology and physiology related, nothing happens in isolation and I am sure one no one thing is responsible for it but I haven’t had a beer in a couple of weeks, I dramatically cut down on my caffeine consumption along with pretty much zero carb intake. I am not making a virtue of it…just mentioning it as an observation is all.
I am not sure what to do this week. I am re-feeding today. I don’t really think anything about it…as in I am not ravenous or excited or feeling anything emotional about it. I will enjoy my food today which I will eat slowly and over a prolonged period to be as gentle to my guts as I can. The plan today will be a couple of cups of coffee with milk and cream this morning, then mashed sweet potato and cheese pancake pancake and some LMNT mid morning after I get my work day up and running. This arvo I will introduce some fibre with another omelette type creation made with shredded cabbage, carrot and 5 eggs and cheese along with some tuna and then tonight I am out to dinner with my partners family and I will have a nice juicy steak. I will enjoy that and today I will come up with a plan for this week and next. I am torn between a few options.
Option 1 – Straight back to fasting. Back to water, tea and electrolytes for another week before a re-feed.
As a side note: I am not punishing myself, I am not struggling, I am not hanging in there…I am absolutely fully ‘fat adapted’ and ‘ketone fuelled’ at the moment. I don’t feel tired or lethargic, I am not suffering from any kind of ‘brain fog’ or cognitive issues. I feel good and am good to go. I have plenty of fat for fuel. The caveat is I am not in a ‘weight loss at all costs’ mindset. I don’t know where my weight is going to end up. I am focussed much more on my health and well being. I do have a goal now of being 10-15% body fat. I don’t need to be ‘shredded’ but I do want to only leave myself with a minimal fat reserve. In doing this I want to make sure I provide my body with the nutrients it needs for optimal health. So my re-feeds are really around that…giving my body what it needs for optimal health and ongoing body fat reduction.
Option 2 – Some kind of cyclic fasting as in 48-72hrs fasting periods with re-feeds.
Option 3 – Short fasting periods with re-feeds programmed around physical activity. That is fasting and then feeding only to fuel training. Which will entail fasting on workdays and feeding and training on my days off.
While I am feeling so good I am leaning towards Option 1 for this week and probably next with Option 3 as my strategy for the month of May in the lead up to my time off and the associated exercise/training ramp up. That month of June up on the farm I am definitely thinking will be a case of my intake being based around my training in a smaller early afternoon window. Which will see me consuming my food and fuel between probably 2pm and 4pm. Doing my low intensity cardio and calisthenics mid morning fasted and then eating in that time window and then in the afternoon/early evening doing my higher intensity cardio out in the National Park fire trails riding my mountain bike. Like everything else though…this plan will evolve and change I am sure.
I know these posts seem like the ravings of a lunatic because at one point you are reading one plan and then next minute I am doing something different BUT I am just writing each day…usually in the morning as to my immediate and longer term thoughts and then in the evening to make sure I don’t miss anything important and do so the next day and day after that.
I won’t be keeping as detailed a log of my nutrition and training here but I will still give an overview….I have gone full nerd and have started weighing and detailing my intake and output in built for purpose app now so I couldn’t be bothered doubling that up.
Easy morning workout:
20 16kg KB Swings
15 16kg Rows
10 Push Ups
for 3 sets
Re-fed with zero issues. Feel great. Have 2 days off now…going to really get in some good walks both days and do some more calisthenics and go back to fasting again. Give it another good push for another week. See where the end of Week 3 gets me. I will be super interested to see what I weigh tomorrow all carbed up and fully hydrated in the morning.
17.04.23 – 114.3kg and 33.3%
So, that’s interesting…well…it’s interesting to me…I am up 2kg’s. I was actually expecting more. I consumed 12o% of my daily calorie requirements yesterday. I got 230g of carbs and 170g of protein. I feel really good. The only thing that could make this week exciting for you is the same thing that could make it less than special for me. I am going to add some supplements to the mix. The reason I say that it could go bad is because some of them are not meant to be taken on an empty stomach…I am a rebel though so am willing to roll the dice.
I have today and tomorrow off and then late starts on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I’ve a beautiful creek, nature reserve nearby and I walked from home down one side of the creek and back up the other the other day. It was very relaxing…walked at a good clip. I am going to do it every morning this week. It was 45mins…a perfect dose of low intensity cardio for me. I am also going to do the super basic workout I did yesterday everyday. Some swings, some rows and some push ups. I am so unaccustomed to physical exercise of late that even that little bit of exercise gave me a little DOMS this morning. Not soreness…but I can feel it.
This week will be water fasting, in that I will drink as much tea and as much water as I like.
I am going to start taking some supplements more to form the habit than in the expectation of miracles.
I am going to get in at a minimum that 45minute walk in the morning.
I am going to do at a minimum that small dose of calisthenics/kb work.
As I have probably said multiple times…waking up on the 1st of April I just decided to reset…well after waking up and getting on the scales at 124.5kg…just a smidgeon off being a round 125kg literally and figuratively. To reset I knew based on experience not just with myself and with others that to reset I needed to form some healthy habits. That is what this 4 weeks of April is about for me. Trying different things and seeing how they work and how they feel.
April is the exploration and May will be about consolidation and then June will be about growth…in that I am going to be able to do in June what I won’t be able to do day to day but I really want to push myself physically. July is really where I hope to begin in that by July I will be in better health, shape and condition and that I will be in a place where I have reset and can move forward having established some healthy and more positive habits.
60 minute brisk walk this morning which involved a detour to post office before heading back to do my creek walk.
Easy midday workout:
20 16kg KB Swings
15 16kg Rows
10 Push Ups
for 3 sets
40 minute easy walk with the hounds.
18.04.23 – 113.6kg and 32.8%
Days off but prefer to stay in the same pattern whether working or not so up early. I know that I probably keep repeating myself but this log is mainly for me and only partly for you. When not walking, relaxing or doing my chores yesterday I was researching and reading about 2 things. 1. Kettlebell Swings and 2. Fat infused coffee.
Kettlebell Swings (KB Swings) because doing them as a part of my little training routine this week has put a smile on my dial and immediately made me think about doing a lot more of them in some kind of a structured way. I am thinking about either picking a number of sings…and timing length to completion i.e say 100 swings and just starting and seeing how long it takes me to get 100 good reps in with a 16kg KB. I couldn’t do a 100 rep set at the moment but working up to doing a 100 rep set I think would be a good goal perhaps. The other option is just doing 100 reps in total as a part of the little circuit I am doing now with the swings, rows and push ups. The latter is the plan I am going to go with at the moment as I want to try and get some variables in place for May that I can bed in without alteration. I like the idea of keeping it super simple…a 45 min brisk and the swings, rows and push ups everyday for every day of May.
The bulletproof/keto coffee whatever you want to call it I am looking at just as a way to kickstart my day…to give me a rush and some good healthy fats. I had flaxseed oil this morning and some cinnamon but and going to get some different fats, MCT, organic butter etc etc and just try and use different fats and see what I like/don’t like and have that in the morning and then my one meal a day through May with a walk and circuit as my goal.
100 Day Transformation – I’ve just realised while chatting with some friends/colleagues in the US that April 1 (when I started obviously) and July 10th (the 2nd last day of my leave not no obviously) are 100 days apart…I am doing a 100 day transformation and didn’t even realise it…not only is it a 100 day transformation by accident but I am 100 days away from becoming a health and fitness influencer and didn’t realise it 🙂
60 minute brisk walk with a outdoor gym quick 12 minute circuit toward the end…with 3 sets of 20 Leg Presses, 20 Chest Presses and 20 Pull Downs on a cantilevered set up. I thought my heart rate would of kicked up for this but it actually decreased a little…still I might include it…just for the variety and the change of stressor at the end of the walk.
Easy morning workout:
20 16kg KB Swings
15 16kg Rows
10 Push Ups
for 3 sets
Then had to take some bits and pieces to the mechanic…another 50 minute brisk walk.
I am going to go out on the ledge tomorrow and see how I feel. I have had my last fluid intake for today (1700hrs) and I am going to get up in the morning and have my fat infused coffee, go for my walk and I think that is it and I am going to see how I go not consuming anything until the next day when I wake up and do the same thing…I will have water and electrolytes at hand but I want to see how a 24hour soft dry fast feels again now that I think I am even more ‘fat adapted’ and see how my body responds.
19.04.23 – 112.3kg and 32.3%
Up at 4.30am and wide awake. Fasting’s effect on my sleep has been weird. My sleep quality has improved but my sleep duration has declined.
Up early and start work later. A nice combo…will get some more research and reading done…get out when the sun starts to come up and get a walk and workout in and then off to work.
Have had my fortified coffee…2 double shots, a bit of milk, a little cream and a teaspoon of flax oil and cinnamon (you can google cinnamon + fat loss/fasting/weight loss/health benefits etc etc). I am going to see how I feel doing 24 hours without any further fluid intake and see if I can get back to this spot tomorrow. I want to see how it feels and see what effects it has.
Didn’t train tonight as I actually have a bit of DOMS.
20.04.23 – 109.8kg and 32.9%
32.9%? I don’t get it. No one that knows me doesn’t realise how much weight I have lost and I haven’t lost 15kg’s of muscle mass LOL. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how lean I have to get for the body fat measurement on the scales to move.
In other news, I soft dry fasted for 24 hours hence the 2.5kg weight loss this 24hrs. I feel fine, zero issues…and if they were…I’d have noticed because one of the best things to come out of this month and process is that I have become very ‘in tune’ with my body. I can only explain it as listening more intently to my body. I went 24 hours from my coffee yesterday to taking some water today.
I am not punishing myself or pushing myself or anything like that and in fact I have this process easy and easier as time has gone on. Improving my heath has been my primary goal. Losing all the fat is process in achieving that goal. My health has definitely improved and there are some simple markers to that…my skin has been bad…and that has cleared up. I’ve had issues with heartburn and acid reflux for decades…that has gone. I am going to go get a full blood panel done soon which is something I do every 6 months or so and we’ll see what if any changes appear on that from last time till now.
So, back to normal water fasting. I will walk this morning and have my coffee after before I head off to work.
As the end of April and Phase 1 nears completion I am investing a huge amount of mental energy into planning a training and nutrition strategy to help me reach my short term goal…to get under 20% body fat (calliper and formula derived) by July 10th which is a nice round 100 day after I start on the 1st of April…my short term goal is improved health through body fat reduction.
My longer term goal (at the moment) will be to reach around 15% body fat and to also improve by body composition by increasing my lean muscle mass. What I am super interested in right now is in trying to develop a nutritional strategy to achieve both these goals. I am going to get some callipers and I am going to teach my partner how to take the measurements so I can get an accurate gauge on where I am at the end of April and then be able to calculate what kind of a deficit I have to create to achieve my short term goal and then put that strategy in place to make sure I make it with ease before the first of what will be more than a few finish lines.
So no training today and just tea and water.
21.04.23 – 109.3kg and 32.4%
Starting the day off with a fat infused coffee, 4 shots, 150ml milk, 50 ml thickened cream and a teaspoon of cinnamon and flax oil. Then out for my power walk like I am an old retiree and then off to work.
Another good day. Feel great. Only water and tea.
22.04.23 – 108.7kg and 32.7%
Another week done. Down 15.8kg…and if you believe the body fat measurement…fatter than ever. It only makes me laugh now because I have lost a lot of fat…it is visible for all to see,
Anyway a last day of fasting today and then I have tomorrow and Monday off (back onto nights Monday) and I will have 2 days of re-feeding in a very structured and planned manner and then another week of shifting fat at a rapid rate before I switch in May to another plan as discussed previously.
So far pretty much everything has gone exactly to plan and as expected.
Started my re-feed tonight with Low Carb Haloumi Salad and some tuna cheese and a bit of mayo.
Will Heffernan 