In case you haven’t been following along, my December was a bit too relaxing. “This month (December) has been full of wonderful people and new experiences, but it’s been abscent of any routine outside of sleeping at least once per day and eating too much food. I have no regrets, but it’s time to get back on the wheel.” (Happy New Year!)
So, I returned to Santa Barbara in early January and got back on the wheel. Here are the results:
01/08/2011
Age: 24
Height: 6’3″
BMI: 24.0
FAT%: 11.6%
Weight: 192.0 lbs
Fat Mass: 22.2 lbs
FFM (muscle): 169.8 lbs
01/16/2011
Age: 25
Height: 6’3″
BMI: 23.5
FAT%: 8.8%
Weight: 188.2 lbs
Fat Mass : 16.5 lbs
FFM (muscle): 171.7 lbs
How did I lose 6 pounds of body fat and gain 2 pounds of muscle in 8 days?
1.) Diet is more important than exercise. Stop thinking so much about food and what you eat; this is easy. Just eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants. At home, I have only vegetables, eggs, peanut butter, beans, and protein powder; mostly Paleo. When I’m out, I don’t eat fried or super-sized more than twice a week. Just relax, eat something fun when you feel like it; but enjoy it fully and don’t gorge. More ideas for eating here: How should I eat?
2.) Exercise. I’ve exercised 5 times in 8 days, but here’s the catch: it’s fun. Three of those 5 “workouts” were dancing with friends, one was Yoga (Vinyasa Flow, not Bikram), and I only went to the gym once. Note: if you’re going to the gym, leave the weights alone; do bodyweight exercises: (push ups, pull ups, sit ups, variations and light cardio.
3.) Be patient; give it time. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m comfortable making sacrifices and exercising self control over laziness and hunger. Don’t be discouraged if your results don’t come as quickly; be proud that you’re making progress! Don’t be discouraged if you relapse; ask me sometime about my December of 2010.
Good luck to you all in keeping your New Year’s resolutions and leaving the Holidays behind!
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