I'm writing this on my phone, so forgive any typos.
Also, I've slacked writing, sorry.
I'm coming off a plateau, weight wise. Psychologically, plateaus suck. You step on the scale and you've gained a pound or two, or just not lost. It can make you want to quit, but if you've done right, plateaus aren't bad things. Here's why:
I experienced more of a body composition change during the past two weeks than and period of pure weight loss I've ever had. So while my weight has gone up and back down 5 pounds, I've lost fat and added some muscle. My pants are falling off, shirts are hanging a bit more freely. And I have a little more loose skin in the belly. I'm 33, it's not going to tighten up instantly. But it will.
Now, the conflicting goals.
My primary goal here is physical activity in order to burn more glucose out. This, seemingly, requires very regular physical activity.
I'm also trying to cut fat and build muscle. I'm not trying to be Arnold, but I'm working on a 1200 lb three lift combo by the end of the year. That's a damned lofty goal, and one made more difficult by not having insulin spikes due to my diet. Insulin has good anabolic properties.
Now, why do these goals conflict? Because to lift big, you need recovery. Recovery is rest. Rest is the lack of activity.
Here's how they don't: On Friday, I did deadlifts. Previously, I'd failed at 405. Friday, I pulled 415 lbs. Good growth, and I did it after a week of recovery from that lift.
Last night, I squatted. I upped my high weight set to 245lbs. I repped it 5 times and had more in me, but my shoulder was too tight, so I finished out with weighted calf raises, leg presses, etc. Again, about a week of rest between sessions.
Today, I did a mix of chest, back, and arms. No huge progress, but I'm upping my reps on the previous weight, so it's still progress.
I could divide today up into three days easily. That gives me 5 different gym days a week. Which makes the 2 goals not conflict. That's a win.
An aside on my goals for lifting. My rough, and damned ambitious goals are simple.
Bench max, 1 rep max: body weight.
Squat 1rm: 2x body weight.
Dead 1rm: 2.5x body weight.
At a goal weight, of 240lbs, that's a bench of 240, a squat of 480 and a dead lift of 600
That would be 1320 lbs, and I'll need it as weak as my bench is lol.
Right now, I'm benching 115, squatting 245, and deadlifting 415, for a total 775. Can I add over 400lbs to my lifts in ten months, while cutting 50 lbs of body weight? Watch me.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Rowing sucks. And I love it.
I'd love to just be able to lift, eat right, and make my muscles get huge. Not gonna happen right now.
While muscles are essential for insulin response, fat is a hindrance. Ain't nobody got time fo dat.
So I've spent about a week at a plateau. I'm sitting within a 2-3 pound window and not losing. Bad juju. I am however, upping my insulin response to basically normal levels. After lunch sunday, I ate a couple of protein bars. I forgot I ate them and took my glucose and got a 305. Obviously bad. But as a diabetic, I know, and you should if you are, that you shouldn't take your glucose until two hours after a meal, and that your target is 140 or lower.
I was maybe 15 minutes out on eating them. I admit, I panicked a bit, but I was at work and didn't have meds, or anything else with me. I was just going to have to ride it out. 15 minutes later, I took it again and got a 102. So I took it again and got a 98.
I expected a hypoglycemic event shortly there after and began looking for a place to get a muscle milk or V8. Both are fairly low carb, but they do have carbs and some other good things.
It didn't happen. On it's own, with no meds, my body reacted to high glucose and it fixed it. Good body, you get a treat....
So that's progress.
Later that night at the gym, I did arms. Damn I'm pathetic, but we knew this.
Bench press,
OHP on a Smith machine. 50x10x2, 70x6x2
Barbell press. 30x10x3
Bar x10, 95x10, 95x6.
Tricep rope push down 50x10, 70x10, 50x10
I dicked around on the deltoid machine thing for a bit, then went looking for something else to do. I can only do so much with that shoulder as it's still healing (i hope). My gym has a kind of playroom type deal, with every thing from medicine balls to kettle bells to platforms for jumping, bars for power lifting and a rack set up that can be used for anything from dips, to monkey bars, to a squat rack, etc. I usually just do squats and deadlifts in there, and sometimes a kettlebell workout. But they have two rowing machines. Screw it, why not. I've heard it's a kick ass workout. So I get to pulling.
HO LEE SHIT.
It was a wonderful hell. I 'rowed' 1800 meters according to the machine. I had muscles on fire that I barely knew I had. The Tibalus Anterior muscle sits on your shin on the upper half. The majority of the world will never know they have them because they're pretty hard to develop. Two things, driving a truck means I left the front of my feet a lot, which helps, annnnnnnd I'm fat. So I have pretty muscled up legs. Consider the weight they carry. Most importantly, It completely smoked me. Which is a good thing. I needed that. My sugar levels need that.
My sugar readings, with that one exception are in the 100 to 120 range. I have dipped to the mid 70s twice, and I don't know why, but for a 'normal' reading, I start feeling like hell. I'm no fan of that at all. I get shaky and weak. And frankly, it's a bit scary. But both times it was when I took meds
I guess I'm to the point of not needing them as long as I eat right.
Tomorrow, as long as my shoulder is healed, Squats and deadlifts. And some rowing. I'll go for 2000 meters this time.
Oh, and I skipped the gym today. But I spent 4 hours on various emergency scenes. No fun at all. But a damn good way to burn some energy.
While muscles are essential for insulin response, fat is a hindrance. Ain't nobody got time fo dat.
So I've spent about a week at a plateau. I'm sitting within a 2-3 pound window and not losing. Bad juju. I am however, upping my insulin response to basically normal levels. After lunch sunday, I ate a couple of protein bars. I forgot I ate them and took my glucose and got a 305. Obviously bad. But as a diabetic, I know, and you should if you are, that you shouldn't take your glucose until two hours after a meal, and that your target is 140 or lower.
I was maybe 15 minutes out on eating them. I admit, I panicked a bit, but I was at work and didn't have meds, or anything else with me. I was just going to have to ride it out. 15 minutes later, I took it again and got a 102. So I took it again and got a 98.
I expected a hypoglycemic event shortly there after and began looking for a place to get a muscle milk or V8. Both are fairly low carb, but they do have carbs and some other good things.
It didn't happen. On it's own, with no meds, my body reacted to high glucose and it fixed it. Good body, you get a treat....
So that's progress.
Later that night at the gym, I did arms. Damn I'm pathetic, but we knew this.
Bench press,
OHP on a Smith machine. 50x10x2, 70x6x2
Barbell press. 30x10x3
Bar x10, 95x10, 95x6.
Tricep rope push down 50x10, 70x10, 50x10
I dicked around on the deltoid machine thing for a bit, then went looking for something else to do. I can only do so much with that shoulder as it's still healing (i hope). My gym has a kind of playroom type deal, with every thing from medicine balls to kettle bells to platforms for jumping, bars for power lifting and a rack set up that can be used for anything from dips, to monkey bars, to a squat rack, etc. I usually just do squats and deadlifts in there, and sometimes a kettlebell workout. But they have two rowing machines. Screw it, why not. I've heard it's a kick ass workout. So I get to pulling.
HO LEE SHIT.
It was a wonderful hell. I 'rowed' 1800 meters according to the machine. I had muscles on fire that I barely knew I had. The Tibalus Anterior muscle sits on your shin on the upper half. The majority of the world will never know they have them because they're pretty hard to develop. Two things, driving a truck means I left the front of my feet a lot, which helps, annnnnnnd I'm fat. So I have pretty muscled up legs. Consider the weight they carry. Most importantly, It completely smoked me. Which is a good thing. I needed that. My sugar levels need that.
My sugar readings, with that one exception are in the 100 to 120 range. I have dipped to the mid 70s twice, and I don't know why, but for a 'normal' reading, I start feeling like hell. I'm no fan of that at all. I get shaky and weak. And frankly, it's a bit scary. But both times it was when I took meds
I guess I'm to the point of not needing them as long as I eat right.
Tomorrow, as long as my shoulder is healed, Squats and deadlifts. And some rowing. I'll go for 2000 meters this time.
Oh, and I skipped the gym today. But I spent 4 hours on various emergency scenes. No fun at all. But a damn good way to burn some energy.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Deadlift socks!
To quote Hank, the best deadlift socks are made, not worn.
I've been out of the gym all week, and apparently, the rest I got was a tribute to....rest.
We've established that I have no pecs. And again, I was unable to get a bench. I did get a smith machine for a bit. Kill me now.
OHP, 10x70, 10x90
I got a flat bench for a bit as well, 2x10x30 dumbbell press.
Squats. 5xbar, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275. Beating my previous squat by not only 30lbs, but doing 3 reps instead of one.
Deadlifts. 5x135, 5x225, 5x315, 5x365
On deads, I had more in me, but my shoulder didn't. I'm not going to push it too hard. And I had people looking at me funny for bleeding in the gym. And I still need to build up the callouses on my hands. I ripped 5 off tonight. Weight will do that y0.
Sugars, I added some Whey Protein before and after my workouts. My glucose is misbehaving a bit. It only lists 3 carbs a serving, but one serving has now twice brought my sugar up 80 points. Once pre workout, once post. So something in it is triggering a response. Guess I'll be changing brands. But before I do, I'll make sure I eliminate in other causes, and if that's it, I'll post the brand.
Other than that, things are going well. I basically ate the same thing every day for the last 5 days and that shit got boring. I'll continue to look for more recipes to expand that. Boring is bad.
I hope each of y'all are doing well, and that some of you are able to do better thanks to this info.
Keep up the work, keep spreading the word. I have several hundred views, and I have my doubts as to whether or not that's directly from posting here. I do appreciate it.
Dusty
I've been out of the gym all week, and apparently, the rest I got was a tribute to....rest.
We've established that I have no pecs. And again, I was unable to get a bench. I did get a smith machine for a bit. Kill me now.
OHP, 10x70, 10x90
I got a flat bench for a bit as well, 2x10x30 dumbbell press.
Squats. 5xbar, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275. Beating my previous squat by not only 30lbs, but doing 3 reps instead of one.
Deadlifts. 5x135, 5x225, 5x315, 5x365
On deads, I had more in me, but my shoulder didn't. I'm not going to push it too hard. And I had people looking at me funny for bleeding in the gym. And I still need to build up the callouses on my hands. I ripped 5 off tonight. Weight will do that y0.
Sugars, I added some Whey Protein before and after my workouts. My glucose is misbehaving a bit. It only lists 3 carbs a serving, but one serving has now twice brought my sugar up 80 points. Once pre workout, once post. So something in it is triggering a response. Guess I'll be changing brands. But before I do, I'll make sure I eliminate in other causes, and if that's it, I'll post the brand.
Other than that, things are going well. I basically ate the same thing every day for the last 5 days and that shit got boring. I'll continue to look for more recipes to expand that. Boring is bad.
I hope each of y'all are doing well, and that some of you are able to do better thanks to this info.
Keep up the work, keep spreading the word. I have several hundred views, and I have my doubts as to whether or not that's directly from posting here. I do appreciate it.
Dusty
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Numbers, and a trip up
Apparently, baked chicken and slaw from KFC is pretty damn sugar filled. I should have checked. Mistake#1
Mistake #2 came when I didn't trust my body to take care of the glucose reading of 180. My normal dose of glyburide and metformin and 2 hours later I got the shakes, glucose was a bit low. Mistake #3. I didn't have any jolly ranchers or starburst to take care of such things. So I grabbed some taco bell as it was right there.
Ho Lee Shit. After awhile of eating mostly really clean, lemme tell ya. That shit was nasty and I paid for it today. My glucose is normal now, hovering around 100.
Nobody is perfect, I screwed up.
Now, some numbers of another kind. Measurements.
In 3 weeks, I've lost an inch off each upper arm, a quarter inch off each forearm, 3/4ths off my right thigh, an inch off my left. A quarter down on my right calf and a half off my left, and an inch off my waist.
I'm away from my scale, so I'll step on it tomorrow if I get home tonight.
Mistake #2 came when I didn't trust my body to take care of the glucose reading of 180. My normal dose of glyburide and metformin and 2 hours later I got the shakes, glucose was a bit low. Mistake #3. I didn't have any jolly ranchers or starburst to take care of such things. So I grabbed some taco bell as it was right there.
Ho Lee Shit. After awhile of eating mostly really clean, lemme tell ya. That shit was nasty and I paid for it today. My glucose is normal now, hovering around 100.
Nobody is perfect, I screwed up.
Now, some numbers of another kind. Measurements.
In 3 weeks, I've lost an inch off each upper arm, a quarter inch off each forearm, 3/4ths off my right thigh, an inch off my left. A quarter down on my right calf and a half off my left, and an inch off my waist.
I'm away from my scale, so I'll step on it tomorrow if I get home tonight.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
The downside of a job.
Sunday and Yesterday I was able to skip the gym since I knocked out hours of wood work each day. Today, Tomorrow and probably Friday I'll be stuck at work, so no gym. So tonight, kettle bell time.
Yeah, I can hear people bitching. But again, while I would love to go to the gym and crank out some pathetic little bench presses, It's not possible. What I can do, is throw that little ball of hate for a few minutes. It doesn't take much at all. Especially since I still weigh over 290.
The point is simply to get some strenuous physical activity in. Wake your body up and burn some sugar. Do it.
Numbers, I woke up to a 122. 91 and 84x2 since with a couple of metformin and 40oz of coffee, 1 piece of low carb pizza, and 6oz of chicken breast. Another benefit of low carb, it's an appetite killer. The 70oz of water so far today helps too.
Yeah, I can hear people bitching. But again, while I would love to go to the gym and crank out some pathetic little bench presses, It's not possible. What I can do, is throw that little ball of hate for a few minutes. It doesn't take much at all. Especially since I still weigh over 290.
The point is simply to get some strenuous physical activity in. Wake your body up and burn some sugar. Do it.
Numbers, I woke up to a 122. 91 and 84x2 since with a couple of metformin and 40oz of coffee, 1 piece of low carb pizza, and 6oz of chicken breast. Another benefit of low carb, it's an appetite killer. The 70oz of water so far today helps too.
Monday, February 10, 2014
watuh
You're dehydrated. Stop that shit.
At one time, it was suggested that each of us drink 6 cups of water a day. 64 ounces. Drink that by the end of breakfast.
Water is the most important thing you put in your mouth.
Being properly hydrated means you can effectively carry toxins out of your body. Including ketones and other byproducts of metabolism. That's a good thing. It means properly lubricated joints, useful for making working out easier and decreasing the chance of injury.
In the summer it helps ward off heat related illnesses. Heat stroke sucks.
I could list reasons all night long but no need. You know many of them. But with diabetes it's much more important. If you go on a strict low carbohydrate diet like me, your body won't hold water very well. One of the only downsides. No cake and ice cream being the other.
If you have yellow urine, you're dehydrated. Drink. Caffeine can have a diuretic effect, so after you drink coffee, take in some water.
You'll feel better and have more endurance as well.
Now, the numbers.
No meds today. 2 hours of splitting and stacking firewood.
3 glucose tests, morning was 94, then a pair of 101s a few hours apart later on.
Breakfast was 8oz sirloin, 1 egg fried in olive oil, 4oz of mushrooms and 2 tablespoons of Hollandaise sauce.
Late lunch/early dinner, 1 piece of pizza from last night's recipe, and 3 gas station chicken strips. 1 hour later, glucose is 141. Damn breading. But that's not exactly terrible.
Life ain't bad.
At one time, it was suggested that each of us drink 6 cups of water a day. 64 ounces. Drink that by the end of breakfast.
Water is the most important thing you put in your mouth.
Being properly hydrated means you can effectively carry toxins out of your body. Including ketones and other byproducts of metabolism. That's a good thing. It means properly lubricated joints, useful for making working out easier and decreasing the chance of injury.
In the summer it helps ward off heat related illnesses. Heat stroke sucks.
I could list reasons all night long but no need. You know many of them. But with diabetes it's much more important. If you go on a strict low carbohydrate diet like me, your body won't hold water very well. One of the only downsides. No cake and ice cream being the other.
If you have yellow urine, you're dehydrated. Drink. Caffeine can have a diuretic effect, so after you drink coffee, take in some water.
You'll feel better and have more endurance as well.
Now, the numbers.
No meds today. 2 hours of splitting and stacking firewood.
3 glucose tests, morning was 94, then a pair of 101s a few hours apart later on.
Breakfast was 8oz sirloin, 1 egg fried in olive oil, 4oz of mushrooms and 2 tablespoons of Hollandaise sauce.
Late lunch/early dinner, 1 piece of pizza from last night's recipe, and 3 gas station chicken strips. 1 hour later, glucose is 141. Damn breading. But that's not exactly terrible.
Life ain't bad.
Lets talk about excuses. And why they're bullshit.
I constantly hear excuses about why dieting is hard. About why someone can't/won't work out. About all kinds of shit.
Shut up. Just shut the hell up. The number one thing you have to do to overcome any issue, is the knowledge that you can overcome it. Do not think, do not wonder, do not question, KNOW that you can.
You can't work out today because you hurt your arm? Ok, do squats. Do some cardio. Hurt your ankle? I bet you can do some knee push ups. You can probably lay flat on your back and do leg raises.
Ronnie Coleman, 8 time Mr Olympia, put it simply. "Everybody wants to be a body builder, don't nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weight". Let's break it down. The goal. The path. You don't get the goal with taking the path. Run the path, walk the path, crawl the path. In the end, the only thing blocking that path is YOU.
You want to eat a piece of cake, you want to drink a coke, both require you to lift that fork or that cup to your mouth. You can just as easily walk to the trash can or sink and throw that shit away. And yes, I know what it feels like. I know it can be painful to say no. But, you have to overcome it.
Let me give you a new way of looking at it, and this is what did it for me. You should know before hand, that I'm a student of Ayn Rand, and view money very differently than most people. Google "D'Anconia money speech" to understand. Anyway, money is a commodity we use to exchange one value for another. When money voluntarily leaves your hand, you're buying something. It may be the good feeling you have from giving money to the needy, but you're buying something. Loosening up our definition of money for a minute, look at it this way: Every minute of time you put in a gym, every bad food you put down, every good food you pick up, is a business exchange. You're buying something with those actions.
What you're buying is one thing that nobody else can give you. Time. Time with your children, time with your grandchildren, time with your spouse. Time watching birds. Time hunting. Time for whatever you want to do. It doesn't matter what you decided to do with that time. It's yours.
Conversely, every day you spend continuing to be an uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetic, every day you spend being a fat ass, you're buying time from yourself. You are taking time away from your life, you're taking time from your kids, your grand kids, your wife or husband, your friends.
Is sitting on your ass eating pizza watching Jerry Springer really worth it? No. It's not. If you think it is, I can't help you. Do those around you a favor and pre pay for your funeral. And if you're diabetic, go ahead and set aside a bank account to fund the issues from your blindness and your wheelchair that you're going to need when they amputate a foot. Don't worry about saving for a prosthetic, you won't need it. They require work and dedication to learn to use. If you eat yourself into that point, you don't stand a chance. You'll stink, You'll be using a bed pan. You'll be stuck watching tv all damn day. Bottom line, your quality of life will be absolute shit.
Stop the bullshit. Stop telling yourself lies. Stop making excuses! You know why the idea of hiking the grand canyon scares you? Because it's work. You know why you're scared to go enjoy the beach? Because you're fat. Guess what, if you get in shape, you won't have those worries any more. The knowledge in this blog and in so many other sources is intended to lay a path out. It's not the only path, but it's a path. It's taking me to where I want to go. It can take you to where you want to go.
Keep in mind, I'm only about 4 weeks out of a an A1C of 12.8. Which is damn near as suicidal as cutting my own throat. Today, a mere 4 weeks later, I'm med free. My morning sugars are averaging about 100, and have been as low as the high 70s. My resting heart rate is down over 20 points. My blood pressure is down. I feel amazing. I feel like an absolutely new person. I've even changed my contact/glasses prescription. Could I stop now? No. Why? Because I'd end up like I was before, and that person was a fat lazy slob.
I like the person I was scared to be. I'm a guy that goes inside burning buildings whenever the opportunity arises. Yet I was scared to make these changes. I made excuses. I'm telling you, it takes very little time to notice a change and to start enjoying it. I'm still a big dude, but not as big. People in the supermarket didn't see me 30 lbs ago. They didn't see me last week at 3 lbs heavier. They won't see me next week at 2 lbs lighter. They don't matter. I see me. I matter.
Shut up. Just shut the hell up. The number one thing you have to do to overcome any issue, is the knowledge that you can overcome it. Do not think, do not wonder, do not question, KNOW that you can.
You can't work out today because you hurt your arm? Ok, do squats. Do some cardio. Hurt your ankle? I bet you can do some knee push ups. You can probably lay flat on your back and do leg raises.
Ronnie Coleman, 8 time Mr Olympia, put it simply. "Everybody wants to be a body builder, don't nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weight". Let's break it down. The goal. The path. You don't get the goal with taking the path. Run the path, walk the path, crawl the path. In the end, the only thing blocking that path is YOU.
You want to eat a piece of cake, you want to drink a coke, both require you to lift that fork or that cup to your mouth. You can just as easily walk to the trash can or sink and throw that shit away. And yes, I know what it feels like. I know it can be painful to say no. But, you have to overcome it.
Let me give you a new way of looking at it, and this is what did it for me. You should know before hand, that I'm a student of Ayn Rand, and view money very differently than most people. Google "D'Anconia money speech" to understand. Anyway, money is a commodity we use to exchange one value for another. When money voluntarily leaves your hand, you're buying something. It may be the good feeling you have from giving money to the needy, but you're buying something. Loosening up our definition of money for a minute, look at it this way: Every minute of time you put in a gym, every bad food you put down, every good food you pick up, is a business exchange. You're buying something with those actions.
What you're buying is one thing that nobody else can give you. Time. Time with your children, time with your grandchildren, time with your spouse. Time watching birds. Time hunting. Time for whatever you want to do. It doesn't matter what you decided to do with that time. It's yours.
Conversely, every day you spend continuing to be an uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetic, every day you spend being a fat ass, you're buying time from yourself. You are taking time away from your life, you're taking time from your kids, your grand kids, your wife or husband, your friends.
Is sitting on your ass eating pizza watching Jerry Springer really worth it? No. It's not. If you think it is, I can't help you. Do those around you a favor and pre pay for your funeral. And if you're diabetic, go ahead and set aside a bank account to fund the issues from your blindness and your wheelchair that you're going to need when they amputate a foot. Don't worry about saving for a prosthetic, you won't need it. They require work and dedication to learn to use. If you eat yourself into that point, you don't stand a chance. You'll stink, You'll be using a bed pan. You'll be stuck watching tv all damn day. Bottom line, your quality of life will be absolute shit.
Stop the bullshit. Stop telling yourself lies. Stop making excuses! You know why the idea of hiking the grand canyon scares you? Because it's work. You know why you're scared to go enjoy the beach? Because you're fat. Guess what, if you get in shape, you won't have those worries any more. The knowledge in this blog and in so many other sources is intended to lay a path out. It's not the only path, but it's a path. It's taking me to where I want to go. It can take you to where you want to go.
Keep in mind, I'm only about 4 weeks out of a an A1C of 12.8. Which is damn near as suicidal as cutting my own throat. Today, a mere 4 weeks later, I'm med free. My morning sugars are averaging about 100, and have been as low as the high 70s. My resting heart rate is down over 20 points. My blood pressure is down. I feel amazing. I feel like an absolutely new person. I've even changed my contact/glasses prescription. Could I stop now? No. Why? Because I'd end up like I was before, and that person was a fat lazy slob.
I like the person I was scared to be. I'm a guy that goes inside burning buildings whenever the opportunity arises. Yet I was scared to make these changes. I made excuses. I'm telling you, it takes very little time to notice a change and to start enjoying it. I'm still a big dude, but not as big. People in the supermarket didn't see me 30 lbs ago. They didn't see me last week at 3 lbs heavier. They won't see me next week at 2 lbs lighter. They don't matter. I see me. I matter.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Let's talk food, after some numbers
I split and stacked firewood this morning, so no gym time.
Last night, I hit it though.
Dead lifts:
5x135, 5x225, 5x315, Failed twice at 405, 1x365
Squats:
5xbar, 5x135, 5x225, 1x245
I couldn't get a bench or OH rack in the time I had, so I squeezed some dumbbell presses. We've established that I have moobs, not pecs, so I did what I could. 10x25, 10x30, 10x35. I had more left, I just didn't have time, so I'll increase each of those weights 5lbs from now on. My first real growth. That's a good thing.
Yesterday's morning sugar was 78.
I forgot to get a morning sugar today, but morning weight was 291.8. I'm guessing that it's a low point in the up and down cycle that forms the downward trend. Still, it's puts the 280s within reach, and psychologically, that's huge.
Now, food. I'm all about increasing a knowledge base, so I asked on a forum I'm on what keto dieters are eating. I got some great responses.
Here are my staples:
Thin breakfast steaks.
Chicken breasts, seasoned different ways.
Celery with cream cheese. Sometimes the cream cheese will be mixed up with dried onion soup mix and left to sit for a few hours.
Lettuce wraps. Surprisingly versatile. Chicken, lettuce, onions and/or shallots with some ceaser dressing and Romano is excellent. You can also do traditional taco filling for a burrito type deal.
Salsa with romas, an avocado, some garlic and lots of cilantro. Supposedly cilantro is a hell of a toxin cleanser. You can add in some parsley as well, as it's supposed to pull even more toxins out and doesn't have an overwhelming taste.
Mushrooms, lots of mushrooms. Sauteed in some real butter with salt, heaven.
Sausage cut up and sauteed with sauerkraut and onions.
Eggs obviously, we have our own laying hens. I usually eat two a day.
And Kroger carbmaster "yogurt", though I'm working them and other artificially sweetened stuff out of my diet.
Pickles, Olives, Pickled okra.
Broccoli with ranch.
Tonight, I made this pizza. Now, I've tried low carb pizzas before, and they sucked. Not this time. It was pretty damn good.
On the forum, I was given links to a few ideas, in addition to the above pizza, Pancakes (use sugar free syrup)
Bacon Muffins That's from Caveman Keto. You'll find lots of other recipes there.
The bottom line is that eating this way doesn't have to be boring. I'd love to just tell you to get the mentality that food is fuel, and taste doesn't matter. But reality isn't that easy. I know. I have tried and failed at this before. As I'm sure many of you have. Variety will make it a tad easier.
Now, go lift something.
Last night, I hit it though.
Dead lifts:
5x135, 5x225, 5x315, Failed twice at 405, 1x365
Squats:
5xbar, 5x135, 5x225, 1x245
I couldn't get a bench or OH rack in the time I had, so I squeezed some dumbbell presses. We've established that I have moobs, not pecs, so I did what I could. 10x25, 10x30, 10x35. I had more left, I just didn't have time, so I'll increase each of those weights 5lbs from now on. My first real growth. That's a good thing.
Yesterday's morning sugar was 78.
I forgot to get a morning sugar today, but morning weight was 291.8. I'm guessing that it's a low point in the up and down cycle that forms the downward trend. Still, it's puts the 280s within reach, and psychologically, that's huge.
Now, food. I'm all about increasing a knowledge base, so I asked on a forum I'm on what keto dieters are eating. I got some great responses.
Here are my staples:
Thin breakfast steaks.
Chicken breasts, seasoned different ways.
Celery with cream cheese. Sometimes the cream cheese will be mixed up with dried onion soup mix and left to sit for a few hours.
Lettuce wraps. Surprisingly versatile. Chicken, lettuce, onions and/or shallots with some ceaser dressing and Romano is excellent. You can also do traditional taco filling for a burrito type deal.
Salsa with romas, an avocado, some garlic and lots of cilantro. Supposedly cilantro is a hell of a toxin cleanser. You can add in some parsley as well, as it's supposed to pull even more toxins out and doesn't have an overwhelming taste.
Mushrooms, lots of mushrooms. Sauteed in some real butter with salt, heaven.
Sausage cut up and sauteed with sauerkraut and onions.
Eggs obviously, we have our own laying hens. I usually eat two a day.
And Kroger carbmaster "yogurt", though I'm working them and other artificially sweetened stuff out of my diet.
Pickles, Olives, Pickled okra.
Broccoli with ranch.
Tonight, I made this pizza. Now, I've tried low carb pizzas before, and they sucked. Not this time. It was pretty damn good.
On the forum, I was given links to a few ideas, in addition to the above pizza, Pancakes (use sugar free syrup)
Bacon Muffins That's from Caveman Keto. You'll find lots of other recipes there.
The bottom line is that eating this way doesn't have to be boring. I'd love to just tell you to get the mentality that food is fuel, and taste doesn't matter. But reality isn't that easy. I know. I have tried and failed at this before. As I'm sure many of you have. Variety will make it a tad easier.
Now, go lift something.
Friday, February 7, 2014
It's beautiful.
A few quick things.
Cinnamon. Don't ask why, because I have no clue. A great deal of people seem to react well to cinnamon. It's supposed to help metabolize sugar out of your system. It helps me. I take two capsules a day, and add it to my coffee. Try it, It can't hurt.
Also, I've posted about being sore after my work outs, I've fixed that. Thanks to my friend Hans. He offered some advice that has helped immensely. The aforementioned increases in protein and BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acid). Unlike cinnamon, I can fully explain how BCAAs work.
Magic. They work by magic.
Other suggestions from him, foam rollers and tennis (or similar) balls to massage the soreness. And stretching. It all works.
Now, for the guys that want simple and highly effective gym time. My friend Nathan posted this article from Mark Rippetoe. A guy that knows a lot about lifting. The only exercise you need.
The numbers: I've been in the high normal range all day, as usual. 94 to 134. yeah, a tad high. Here's the deal. Ill make it simple. Sugar is sticky. It sticks to things. It hangs out. A portion of your blood glucose reading obviously, will get some red blood cells. Red blood cells are one thing that sugar is stuck to.
This brings us to the A1C reading we all know about. A1C is a 3 to 4 month snapshot of your glucose levels. It works by looking at glucose stuck to your red blood cells. Red blood cells live for about 110 to 115 days. Which is why you can do a double blood donation every 112 days incidentally. But it also means that an A1C interval of 120 days should result a 100% new blood sample, not "contaminated" with old blood cells.
So, if you're coming off a high A1C test, while your glucose tests will be accurate, they will not quite accurately demonstrate your efforts. This SLIGHT distortion effect will be lessened as the A1C interval passes, but by the time 90 days has passed, the effect will likely be gone.
Go lift something
Cinnamon. Don't ask why, because I have no clue. A great deal of people seem to react well to cinnamon. It's supposed to help metabolize sugar out of your system. It helps me. I take two capsules a day, and add it to my coffee. Try it, It can't hurt.
Also, I've posted about being sore after my work outs, I've fixed that. Thanks to my friend Hans. He offered some advice that has helped immensely. The aforementioned increases in protein and BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acid). Unlike cinnamon, I can fully explain how BCAAs work.
Magic. They work by magic.
Other suggestions from him, foam rollers and tennis (or similar) balls to massage the soreness. And stretching. It all works.
Now, for the guys that want simple and highly effective gym time. My friend Nathan posted this article from Mark Rippetoe. A guy that knows a lot about lifting. The only exercise you need.
The numbers: I've been in the high normal range all day, as usual. 94 to 134. yeah, a tad high. Here's the deal. Ill make it simple. Sugar is sticky. It sticks to things. It hangs out. A portion of your blood glucose reading obviously, will get some red blood cells. Red blood cells are one thing that sugar is stuck to.
This brings us to the A1C reading we all know about. A1C is a 3 to 4 month snapshot of your glucose levels. It works by looking at glucose stuck to your red blood cells. Red blood cells live for about 110 to 115 days. Which is why you can do a double blood donation every 112 days incidentally. But it also means that an A1C interval of 120 days should result a 100% new blood sample, not "contaminated" with old blood cells.
So, if you're coming off a high A1C test, while your glucose tests will be accurate, they will not quite accurately demonstrate your efforts. This SLIGHT distortion effect will be lessened as the A1C interval passes, but by the time 90 days has passed, the effect will likely be gone.
Go lift something
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Insert boring name here.... or.....numbers.
No huge news, something odd though, and I just really don't understand it.
Yesterday I did a bunch of running around before I hit the gym. Including donating blood. I did a "double", meaning they took out red blood cells and platelets, and put the plasma back in. This of course decreased my ability to carry as much oxygen, and weakened my gym performance. No biggie.
Diet wise, keep in mind, I'm basically doing the induction phase of Atkins, meaning very low carbs a day. I keep it to under 15 most days. Now, yesterday, for lunch, I had two gyros, no bread. Which equaled about one total. Not a huge meal, lots of protein maybe 8 carbs between the onions, tomatoes and sauce. My sugars had been perfect all day. I left there and headed for the gym. 8oz bcaa shake, 12oz protein shake, a total of 6 carbs. Nothing should have really spiked my glucose. A solid hour of arms with a little shoulder and back work mixed in.
15 minutes after a work out, my glucose was 185. That seemed stupid, so I took it again, 140, to verify, I took it again. 155. Literally, all 3 tests in under a minute. Logically, I'd assume my meter went stupid, as a few point variation is normal, even out of the same drop of blood, but 45 points is not normal.
An hour or so later I took it again, after my reward coffee (with lots of cinnamon on top, with some sweet and low and cream) I drove up to my wife's work, took it again, 105. Right where it should have been. Now, I didn't take any pills at all, so my body did the work to pull the glucose reading down. When I got home, I verified my meter against another one and they were within a few points. So this falls under the heading of "hell, I don't know". Though my hunch is that the 185 was a freak reading.
Now, the good news. I'm seeing new numbers on the scale. 293 as of a few minutes ago. Yeah, 40-50 more pounds need to come off, but I'll happily take it.
While we're on the subject of numbers, a couple of observations. And keep in mind I've only been back to working out for less than 3 weeks.
My resting pulse used to be 98 to 104. Now, it's 64 to 72. No, I didn't magically get amazing cardio capability resulting in a lower pulse. I got the damn sugar out of my system. My entire body is relaxed more because I have my disease under control. That means a longer life. On that same subject, my resting BP is still high, but down as well. My normal resting bp has been around 154/98 for many years. Now, it's 140/88 on average. Which incidentally is the new target guideline for diabetics (actually 140/90)
I DO have a prescription for blood pressure medication. I do NOT take it. Why? it makes me sick. And, it didn't lower my bp as much as controlling my diabetes meds does. If it doesn't come down much more, I'll get the doc to change my meds.
Now, here's the rest of my numbers. These were drawn 1/15, and will be redrawn near 4/15. 1/16 is when I started Atkins and working out. These are baseline numbers. I'll update when I get the new results back.
Glucose, 247
Creatinine .63 (this is a kidney function check. .76-1.27 is target. Kind of expected with the diabetes)
Total Cholesterol, 145. Dead in the middle of normal.
Triglycerides 264. Should be under 149
HDL cholesterol. 39, should be under 39.
VLDL Cholesterol 53. Should be under 40.
LDL is also 53, should be under 99.
A1C, 12.8
Vitamin D 10.3. Should be at least 30.
Now, many, if not most, MDs, dieticians, and nutritionists will tell you that Atkins will send my Cholesterol numbers through the roof. After all, I eat steak and eggs pretty much daily, and sausage every other day. My MD however, knows better. I refer to MDs that believe it as flat earthers. They were taught something in medical school and don't believe that anything else can be true. In ten weeks, I'll prove them wrong.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
Learning...
The last two days, I've just been absolutely too sore to hit the gym. Keep in mind that I said I'm also looking to increase strength, not just control my disease, so don't think you have to workout to the point of being sore.
I on the other hand, am pushing myself very hard. I'm at a week with no cokes of any kind. Tea, Coffee, and water are it. And I'm slacking on everything but the water.
Saturday at the gym, I hit arms really hard, then finished up doing kettlebell cleans, just to shock my arms a bit with some compounded movements. What happened was, the squat portion of it cleaned my clock. Then a few hours later, I worked a structure fire for 3 and a half hours. So it was a recovery day yesterday. I'd probably go do a light back and shoulder workout today, but I have to go to work. So I'll play with the kettlebell a bit tonight after I get to where I'm going. Then tomorrow night, I'm heading up to the gym.
I'm down to 294, still feeling great, sugars are all still at the high end of normal. I really believe that they'd be middle normal if I A. weren't coming off several months of WAY too high glucose readings, and B. finished cutting out artificial sweeteners. But hell, black coffee and bitter tea SUCK. Something to work on...
So yeah, lessons for me. Learn to stop. Learn when not to stop. My legs are smoked, my arms aren't. My recovery sucks, but it's improving, so I'm going to look for a supplement to help with that. I obviously hit my legs too hard, and left something on the floor with my arms. Not good, my arms and chest are my weak point anyway.
So yeah, lessons for me. Learn to stop. Learn when not to stop. My legs are smoked, my arms aren't. My recovery sucks, but it's improving, so I'm going to look for a supplement to help with that. I obviously hit my legs too hard, and left something on the floor with my arms. Not good, my arms and chest are my weak point anyway.
Also, I'm taking steps to increase my readership now. I'm posting this on a few public sites that I've never mentioned it on before. So if you have any questions at all, send me an email, and I'll try to answer it here, or privately if you'd prefer. Writing all this out helps me, but making it public can help others. So if you know any diabetic people that are struggling, send them the link.
Now, just in case you've bought into the bullshit about diabetics not being able to grow muscle here's some inspiration. http://diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/09/22/5079/scrawny-boy-with-type-1-diabetes-becomes-mr--universe/ What's your excuse?
Saturday, February 1, 2014
You're supposed to fail.
And you probably already have. And you will again.
What matters most is how you react to it. When life punches you in the face, you hit it back. If it knocks you down, you get up, and you hit it back.
If you trip, you get up.
Winners, Champions, the best of the best, they all fail. They all screw up. They all fall.
What makes them winners and champions is that they ALWAYS get back up.
You're not going to beat diabetes in a day. You're not going to beat it in a week. You're not going to beat it in a year.
You're going to beat it for the rest of your life. Because the alternative is that it beats you for the rest of your soon to be short ass life. That means dying blind. But it'll be ok that you're blind, because you won't be able to walk anywhere after they cut your feet off. But it's not like you'll need them, you'll get to get up to go to the bathroom via dialysis after your kidneys fail. That's if you survive the heart disease. That's what you're facing. If you don't believe me, you're in denial. Period.
Stop making excuses. The only time it's ok to start improving on Monday, is if today is Monday.
I can't flip your motivation switch on. But I can tell you what will happen if you don't make the choice. You're going to die, and you're going to die badly. That kind of failure is the kind of failure you can't get up from.
Will you get up before it's too late?
What matters most is how you react to it. When life punches you in the face, you hit it back. If it knocks you down, you get up, and you hit it back.
If you trip, you get up.
Winners, Champions, the best of the best, they all fail. They all screw up. They all fall.
What makes them winners and champions is that they ALWAYS get back up.
You're not going to beat diabetes in a day. You're not going to beat it in a week. You're not going to beat it in a year.
You're going to beat it for the rest of your life. Because the alternative is that it beats you for the rest of your soon to be short ass life. That means dying blind. But it'll be ok that you're blind, because you won't be able to walk anywhere after they cut your feet off. But it's not like you'll need them, you'll get to get up to go to the bathroom via dialysis after your kidneys fail. That's if you survive the heart disease. That's what you're facing. If you don't believe me, you're in denial. Period.
Stop making excuses. The only time it's ok to start improving on Monday, is if today is Monday.
I can't flip your motivation switch on. But I can tell you what will happen if you don't make the choice. You're going to die, and you're going to die badly. That kind of failure is the kind of failure you can't get up from.
Will you get up before it's too late?
Basic Kettlebell Swing, Part I, Jeff Martone
A few days ago I posted about Kettlebells and Jeff Martone. This is the basic explanation from the man himself, along with a small drill to correct the main form mistake people make.
You should know now, that I'm not a crossfit fan at all. Let me correct that, crossfitters piss me off. They see it as a religion and they have the attitude that everything else is wrong. That's a blood stupid attitude to have.
The key to working out, especially for diabetes control is to find something that works for you. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, you simply won't do it. Pretty simple concept. No workout does any good if you're not doing it.
Aside from crossfitters themselves, I do have a problem with a few things they do. The "pull ups" they do, simply aren't pull ups. They're a work out, but they aren't pull ups. They should call them swings or something. But hey, it's better than nothing.
About that caffeine thing. . .
Don't take it too seriously, coffee keeps the world safe. I have a cup in me, it's all good.
Last night was my first session of lifting free weights in over a decade. So my numbers sucked and sucked hard. I managed a whole 9 reps on a bench at a whopping 115lbs. Excuse me while I kill myself.
2x10 leg press at 270 and 10 at 180
1x10 squat 90, 1x6 at 180
Yes they suck. But you've got to start somewhere. Ill only go up from there.
I closed out with some cardio. I was wobbly heading into the locker room. Took a shower and got dressed. Headed to get my coffee and realized that I felt great. I immediately started feeling like hell. I felt like I'd wasted effort and had'nt left it all on the floor.
I mentally best myself up all night. Not this morning. I'm not sore at all, but I know I worked out. That's enough.
Now here's the real big deal. At the gym I took blood glucose and it was 136. Not too high, and entirely expected. As I said before, working out can boost your sugar up a bit. I then went and had two venti coffees with cream and sweet n low. No meds. As type 2 diabetics you probably all realize that my morning glucose should have been elevated.
126.
Again, a tad elevated, but the point is that my glucose went down overnight. That's a beautiful thing. And world's better than 300s and 400s that I used to have and some of you do as well.
296lbs this morning. 299 last night at the gym in shorts, shirt and five fingers. (Minimalist shoes are wonderful for lifting).
A few thoughts on weighing.
Don't do it everyday. Our body weight fluctuates slightly everyday. You can very well be steadily dropping weight but weigh 3 or 4 more pounds one day than the day before.
You're looking for an overall trend. So every 3 to 4 days at most. Also, try to be wearing the same thing, preferably nothing, every time. The same time of day, preferably morning, is a good idea too. And use the same scale.
Also, have a friend measure you. You can't do it yourself. Tracking losses and gains that way helps too.
Stop reading, go eat a steak and lift.
Last night was my first session of lifting free weights in over a decade. So my numbers sucked and sucked hard. I managed a whole 9 reps on a bench at a whopping 115lbs. Excuse me while I kill myself.
2x10 leg press at 270 and 10 at 180
1x10 squat 90, 1x6 at 180
Yes they suck. But you've got to start somewhere. Ill only go up from there.
I closed out with some cardio. I was wobbly heading into the locker room. Took a shower and got dressed. Headed to get my coffee and realized that I felt great. I immediately started feeling like hell. I felt like I'd wasted effort and had'nt left it all on the floor.
I mentally best myself up all night. Not this morning. I'm not sore at all, but I know I worked out. That's enough.
Now here's the real big deal. At the gym I took blood glucose and it was 136. Not too high, and entirely expected. As I said before, working out can boost your sugar up a bit. I then went and had two venti coffees with cream and sweet n low. No meds. As type 2 diabetics you probably all realize that my morning glucose should have been elevated.
126.
Again, a tad elevated, but the point is that my glucose went down overnight. That's a beautiful thing. And world's better than 300s and 400s that I used to have and some of you do as well.
296lbs this morning. 299 last night at the gym in shorts, shirt and five fingers. (Minimalist shoes are wonderful for lifting).
A few thoughts on weighing.
Don't do it everyday. Our body weight fluctuates slightly everyday. You can very well be steadily dropping weight but weigh 3 or 4 more pounds one day than the day before.
You're looking for an overall trend. So every 3 to 4 days at most. Also, try to be wearing the same thing, preferably nothing, every time. The same time of day, preferably morning, is a good idea too. And use the same scale.
Also, have a friend measure you. You can't do it yourself. Tracking losses and gains that way helps too.
Stop reading, go eat a steak and lift.
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