aramis gets back to basics

[aramis]

For too long I have coasted on my already established habits. It's great when good stuff works on it's own, but "challenge" isn't about this. I have gone astray towards "facebooking"... and now I'm sick and tired of fake-ish challenges filled with my whining, playing drama queen, pitying over my mental struggles. God fuckin' dammit, everybody has their demons! I need to suck it up here and leave this for therapy. This place is primarily fitness forum and I can't forget or ignore that. 

 

This round, I want to reset my mindset about The Rebellion, to get back to basics of being fit, namely, nutrition, exercise and rest. For now, it's just a draft. I'll elaborate on these bit later, explaining and writing down goals. 

 

Nutrition:

- eating keto

- finding why I'm out of ketosis

- planning and following BHB and glucose test schedule

 

Exercise:

- S&S routine - current level, long term planning

- when to exercise (after work before dinner or later, before supper)

- how to get bigger while getting stronger (on keto!)

 

Rest:

- sleep

- relax

- time management (family time vs relax vs house chores)

[fearless 2.0]

There are some us keto sites where they have changed up the macros especially for bulking. damn I forgot where I saw that.... but basically they do more protein than fat. Have a great challenge Aramis, glad you're here!

[aramis]

16 hours ago, fearless 2.0 said:

more protein than fat

😕

But that's basically ain't keto anymore... Besides, it would be damn hard on ones kidneys...

Not for me anyway, because said kidneys. With all of the other markers/ultrasound/whatever being good, I have still increased level of creatinine, so I need to be careful with going into protein frenzy.

[Salinger]

Have a good challenge Aramis x

[fearless 2.0]

3 minutes ago, aramis said:

😕

But that's basically ain't keto anymore... Besides, it would be damn hard on ones kidneys...

Not for me anyway, because said kidneys. With all of the other markers/ultrasound/whatever being good, I have still increased level of creatinine, so I need to be careful with going into protein frenzy.

I understand! Good luck finding your macros !!! ❤️

 

[aramis]

Part one: Nutrition.

 

- eating keto

Spoiler

 

I follow keto way of eating (I hate the word "diet") for about four months already. I love eating keto, I don't miss carbs and sugar. No problem here.

The only thing I don't quite grasp yet is my body reactions - weight is stable for pretty much all the time since start. I was eating 2400lcal, now I'm at 2850kcal, and - guess what? - weight doesn't go up 

I wonder if it is because fat from food is really hard to store as bodyfat (the surplus will be most likely discarded... pooped away). Or maybe I'm still slightly below my maintenance? 

My current macros are 250g fat, 40g carbs and 110g protein, with 75kg bodyweight. This gives me 1.5g protein per kg of BW. One might point I'm eating too few protein, but I follow advice of a guy who breaks nutrition down to cellular, biochemical level - and his points sound pretty solid.

 

 

- finding why (if) I'm out of ketosis

Spoiler

 

Some time ago (two weeks?) I was fighting off the sinuses infection, and while feeling super bad I checked my blood ketones and glucose levels. I was surprised, because it showed I'm out of ketosis (the state when body and brain are fully fueled by fats and their byproducts), despite eating the right way. Starting this weekend I will monitor both BHB ("blood ketones") and glucose levels to see if it was due to illness, or there is something wrong elsewhere (issues with insulin levels etc). 

 

Another thing is I don't feel the "keto euphoria" or "mind lucidness" being the effect of ketone bodies fueling the brain. I felt it when going through my keto adaptation, but had lost is somewhere along the way. I want it back!

 

 

- planning and following BHB and glucose test schedule

Spoiler

 

As a tool to check, measure and monitor my ketosis I will create a schedule of testing my blood glucose and BHB levels. I take into consideration there might be something wrong with actual glucose management in my body, as my Mom is diabetic and Sis has insulin resistance (among other issues) - and those things go with the genes.

Because of the above, I will measure my glucose level multiple times a day, namely, around the meal time to measure my system's insulin response in function of time. This should answer the question if my glucose management is working properly or not.

BHB will be measured once, in the evening (when BHB level should be highest) before supper - to give my body time to deal with dinner  

 

Sounds like lots of testing, so I will do those only once a week, on a non-training day. At the length of the challenge I will get five data sets, which should be enough for som estimations. 

Additional tests may be done randomly, if/when I feel I need them. I have 10 ketone strips (damn, those are expensive) and ~50 glucose strips for my glucometer and I plan not to exceed those amounts. 

 

 

Goals for Nutrition part:

- eat the right way, find the real maintenance level and macro ratios that fit me and my training plan

- investigate being or not in state of ketosis, if not - find and address the problem

- get lots of data on glucose and BHB levels, make fancy charts, learn from that

 

 

on the next episode: Exercise

 

[EDIT]: put walls of text into spoilers

[aramis]

Part two: Exercise.

 

- S&S routine - current level, long term planning

Spoiler

 

The routine is a program by Pavel Tsatsouline, called "Simple & Sinister". It is based on kettlebell swings and Turkish get-ups. Only those two exercises make the program simple, yet hard weight progression (8 kg steps) makes for sinister part  Why so big increments? It's (officially) increment in pre-soviet Russian kettlebells. Those were measured in "poods", traditional (dating back to 12th cent.) mass unit equaling roughly 16 kg. Kettlebells were made in half-pood increments, hence the program. 

 

Actual routine consists of:

- ten sets of ten one arm swings, done interchangeably left and right. This has to be done in five minutes (right set plus left set per minute). 

- one minute of rest

- ten Turkish get-ups (5 right and 5 left) in ten minutes.

 

The name of routine also connects to "levels" in program's advancement. 

Doing full routine in time, with 32 kg kettlebell is considered "Simple goal".

Doing the above, but with three pood (48 kg) beast is considered "Sinister goal".

 

I'm currently a tad from Simple goal - I'm able to do full routine with 32 kg 'bell, yet I need extra minute of rest in the middle. If I try to keep the time limit, my form is terrible and I have issues with balance/stabilization. 

 

As for long term goals, on Sept. 4th I decided to get (from 24 kg) to 40kg by the May next year (in 36 weeks) - for my 40th B-day.

To do so, I wanted to transition to 32 kg in the first 16 weeks, leaving 20 weeks for next transition - to 40 kg. Surprisingly, I (almost) hit the 32kg level way faster - I'm 7 weeks in. I think week or two and I need to get heavier kettlebell. Considering this, I think I may change the goal to 48kg. But this is quite a long shot, will decide later.

 

- when to exercise (after work before dinner or later, before supper)

Spoiler

This one is quite self-explanatory. I have two opportunities for training - after 6pm, when kids watch their share of cartoons, or earlier, just as I come back home from work. 

Right now I exercise after 6pm, yet often I struggle with motivation to just start. After dinner I tend to suffer from "afternoon crash", which makes it even harder. 

 

On the other hand, I'm used to eating dinner right after coming home. When I don't, I get hangry (hungry+angry). Training while hangry isn't fun. 

 

This may sound miniscule, but time management is a big thing for me (more about this later). Right now I often waste half an hour or more just pondering how much I should start exercising instead actually start. Exercising earlier might help with this, IF I can deal with hanger.

 

- how to get bigger while getting stronger (on keto!)

Spoiler

Yes... growing muscle on keto. Some say it's impossible, others say it's doable, but hard. But there are people who grew on keto and proved gains on keto are a thing. 

I want  to put on some muscle (same thing as for the last year...), this time using keto. I progress through my training strength wise, but not so much in terms of esthetics.  

According to what I know "building mass" (nutrition wise) is quite different on keto, so most "universal truths" about growing doesn't go plug&play for me. On the other hand progressive overload is constant no matter what food one decides to eat. 

For start, I will try to gather as much info as I can, systematize it and confront it with carb-based methods of bulking. 

And actually try to incorporate this knowledge in my nutrition/exercise plan.

 

Goals for Exercise part:

- continue progressing through Simple&Sinister program by shortening rest time until tile limit is met (in two weeks' time or so), then start transitioning for 40 kg kettlebell

- experiment with different times of day for training, note my body response and mental approach

- investigate bulking methods (both nutrition and exercise wise) on keto, do research, implement results. Hopefully - put on some meat  

 

Up next: Rest

[aramis]

Part three: Rest.

 

- time management

I'm changing the order of topics from my initial post, as I see this one most important of them all. 

Spoiler

 

I'm a busy man (no surprise nowadays, everyone is), so I need to carefully spend my most valuable nonrenewable resource which is time. Work eats a huge part of it (I leave at 6am and come back around 4pm IF I don't have any stuff to do on my way home) leaving me with maybe four hours of activity at home. 

I want to be actively present in my family life - to play with kids, help with house chores, have time for idle chat etc. The problem is I also want to exercise, I need some time to unwind after work, relax from daily stress etc. I lack quality time with my wife which is bad, because I feel like we move away from each other. There is always something that needs to be done, like dripping tap, car battery needing charging, something wrong with parents' computer/phone/TV. And all of these things requires time to deal with. 

 

To wrap my mind around this I need some coarse schedule. Of course it will change from day to day accordingly to the needs, but some fixed points should help me navigate. This is also strongly relies on proper prioritizing, which is another thing I need to learn. And assertiveness, to be able to say "sorry, not now - I'll do it later" to more than kids. 

 

The daily "must have" will consist time with kids, some relax and some quality time with wife. The latter two may be merged in one in the evening. On training days, there will also be fitness time. 

 

Weekends will be treated similar way. Time when I'm not at work I will use for prepping work lunch, catching up with house chores and leaking taps etc. 

 

Flexibility and prioritizing are the bottom line here.

 

 

- sleep

Spoiler

 

Getting enough sleep is crucial to one's well being and overall performance - everybody knows that. Sadly, there is no way to get more sleep in advance, yet sleep debt is perfectly cumulative. Because of this every night counts. 

But when I have way too much stuff to do I cut on sleep time to get more done every day. That's not good nor healthy, but I do it all the time. I need to force myself to get enough sleep. 

 

Good amount of sleep is 5 cycles - roughly 7.5 hour. Once or twice a week (not in a row) I can get down to four cycles - 6 hours.

To measure the progress here I will monitor some sleep deprivation symptoms I show now - afternoon crash, sleepiness after meals, in warm places, getting drowsy while driving or in the meetings and such, falling asleep pretty much instantly after going to bed. 

I may consider getting some fitness band to track sleep patterns, but I'm not sure if I want to spend money on this one.

 

 

- relax

Spoiler

 

This one isn't about day-to-day unwinding, which is needed anyway, on a daily basis - I somehow cover it in the time management part.

What this part is about is some fun activities that let me clear my mind and think about something completely different for some time. Namely tinkering with my bike (thread) and gaming. For the latter, I have an urge to replay TES III:Morrowind. 

I want to find time for two "sessions" a week when I can stop dealing with reality, stop being a responsible adult and just dive into what gives me joy. 

 

 

Goals for Rest part:

- create and follow basic daily schedule, but be flexible with it, prioritize tasks and learn to refuse less important (at the moment) ones

- get 7.5 hours of sleep every night, with up to two possible 6-hour exceptions a week, track existing sleep deprivation symptoms

- find time for two "sessions" a week to just connect with my inner child and do what is fun - playing Morrowind or tinkering with my bike

[fearless 2.0]

I hear you on the sleep goal. Since I don't work full time and have enough time to sleep enough, my wellbeing has been so much better! Wishing you enough space to get more sleep in!

[aramis]

As Challenge officially started, so did I.

 

As goals consist much research and planning, I will focus on measurable stuff for now, leaving research and planning reports for weekly summaries.

 

N1. Set the caloric target to 3000kcal daily. If after a week there will be no weight gain, I'll be adding another 200-250 every week until some weight change will occur.

 

N2 + N3.

Blood testing: done on Sunday, turns out I'm in ketosis, but not quite stable. Here's the data:

 

Glucose response looks good, with after-meal peak much lower than "norms" on carb-based diet and faster recovery. 

Ketones on the other hand were strange. 

In the morning, I had 80mg/Dl glucose and 1.4 mmol/L ketones, which gives me GKI index of 3.17 (medium depth ketosis). Sweet!

But in the evening, two hours after dinner, ketones dropped to 0.5 mmol/L, giving me GKI of 8.44 - technically still in ketosis, but at the bring of falling out - GKI of 9 is considered the threshold.

This gives me food for thought why ketones were so low in the evening, when it should be the other way around. Maybe I tested too early after the meal? I didn't do any strenuous activity, so using all ketones from bloodstream shouldn't be a thing here. Next time last test will be done three hours after eating.

 

E1. This week I'll keep additional rest time during the routine and cut it to extra 30sec on Sat training.

 

E2. Will try to exercise right after getting home. Will post results later.

 

E3. I found two keto dieticians on Polish youtube. Will hear what they have to say over next few days.

 

R1. No plan so far.

 

R2. Sleep - 7.5-8 hours, but I woke up two times during the night.

 

R3. I think I will tie my "fun sessions" to evenings when wife is at work. This way I won't sacrifice any quality time for fun time. 

[aramis]

Speaking of goals - it may be handy to put all of them in one post, for future reference.

 

Goals for Nutrition part:

1. eat the right way, find the real maintenance level and macro ratios that fit me and my training plan

2. investigate being or not in state of ketosis, if not - find and address the problem

3. get lots of data on glucose and BHB levels, make fancy charts, learn from that

 

Goals for Exercise part:

1. continue progressing through Simple&Sinister program by shortening rest time until tile limit is met (in two weeks' time or so), then start transitioning for 40 kg kettlebell

2. experiment with different times of day for training, note my body response and mental approach

3. investigate bulking methods (both nutrition and exercise wise) on keto, do research, implement results. Hopefully - put on some meat  

 

Goals for Rest part:

1. create and follow basic daily schedule, but be flexible with it, prioritize tasks and learn to refuse less important (at the moment) ones

2. get 7.5 hours of sleep every night, with up to two possible 6-hour exceptions a week, track existing sleep deprivation symptoms

3. find time for two "sessions" a week to just connect with my inner child and Let myself do what is fun - playing Morrowind or tinkering with my bike - without remorse

 

[edit]: updated nov. 2nd

[fearless 2.0]

Have a great challenge, dude!  

[Mr_Willes]

On 10/23/2020 at 6:17 PM, aramis said:

For too long I have coasted on my already established habits. It's great when good stuff works on it's own, but "challenge" isn't about this. I have gone astray towards "facebooking"... and now I'm sick and tired of fake-ish challenges filled with my whining, playing drama queen, pitying over my mental struggles. God fuckin' dammit, everybody has their demons! I need to suck it up here and leave this for therapy. This place is primarily fitness forum and I can't forget or ignore that. 

 

This round, I want to reset my mindset about The Rebellion, to get back to basics of being fit, namely, nutrition, exercise and rest. For now, it's just a draft. I'll elaborate on these bit later, explaining and writing down goals.

 

Agree and Disagree!

 

Agree: Trying to become a better you!

Disagree: You make it seem like you can only primarily be here to work on physical stuff. Being a bit of an introvert is my only mental problem, so i consider myself very lucky in that way. But working on your mental state is also something you can definitely bring into your challenge here!

 

I have agreed with you on several posts where you are basically saying, "quit whining get going" (even though i'm not sure if i ever put that in an actual relpy) and i get where you come from.

 

Still being a better you could mean doing more than just physical stuff.

 

For now if you want to focus on getting stuff done i'm there for your man!

 

 

Just keep in mind you are welcome to work on the other stuff too!

 

I have actually just decided to start some lifting again, i've turned it all around, cause i know if i don't like it i'm gonna find some excuse. So i just programmed 4 exercise i enjoy doing, that do not interfere (much) with my running-hype i've been on for some months now!

 

[aramis]

39 minutes ago, Mr_Willes said:

working on your mental state is also something you can definitely bring into your challenge

I know the community is super helpful, but I decided to cut the mental part away because I need some time off this swamp, at least here. I tried couple times address the issues, but I found how differently I feel discussing the same problems here and on actual therapy.

 

I know it may sound like repression or denial, but I'd say I want to leave my fuck-up-ness to a professional   and focus on more somatic stuff.

 

1 hour ago, Mr_Willes said:

I have actually just decided to start some lifting again

Have fun! What will you gonna do?

[aramis]

 

 

Yesterday I did my training (E1 win) just after getting home (E2 win). Fighting off the urge to eat dinner right away was hard, but as I started exercising, the hunger went away. This way I was able to watch cartoons with kids in the evening (R1:family time WIN).

Read a bit about bulking on keto, have some food for thought considering protein amount (N1 win) and timing (some contradicting theories). I learned about the leucine threshold, which I wasn't probably reaching in my post-training supper, thus hindering muscle growth overnight (E3 win).

Slept ~8 hours, woke up once (R2 somewhat win). Browsing through smartbands on classifieds' portal to monitor my sleep quality right now  

[Mr_Willes]

20 hours ago, aramis said:

Have fun! What will you gonna do?

 

The exercise i like! Skipping out on Squats and Deadlifts cause i don't want to interfere with my running-streak (and the last time i did those had the most terrible DOMS)

 

Benchpress - Barbell Curls - Overheadpress - Concentration curls

 

Just doing fun stuff to get back into the swing of things. Doing something (fun) is better than doing nothing. And it's my homegym, i don't care

 

Felt good slinging some weights, think about starting this way, and slowly transitioning to exercises that are a better fit. But just gonna start with something fun! The couch-monster almost got me yesterday, so pretty pleased i did it!

[Mr_Willes]

8 minutes ago, aramis said:

 

 

Yesterday I did my training (E1 win) just after getting home (E2 win). Fighting off the urge to eat dinner right away was hard, but as I started exercising, the hunger went away. This way I was able to watch cartoons with kids in the evening (R1:family time WIN).

Read a bit about bulking on keto, have some food for thought considering protein amount (N1 win) and timing (some contradicting theories). I learned about the leucine threshold, which I wasn't probably reaching in my post-training supper, thus hindering muscle growth overnight (E3 win).

Slept ~8 hours, woke up once (R2 somewhat win). Browsing through smartbands on classifieds' portal to monitor my sleep quality right now  

 

That's a lot of wins!

 

Congrats! Keep going now!

[aramis]

I bought used Xiaomi MiBand4 from local classifieds. Almost perfect condition. I was lucky to find gadget-lover who got MiBand5 and was getting rid of previous model  

 

Today morning It said I slept 7:26, which is R2 WIN!. One issue here is it didn't recognized I woke around 4am and went to bathroom. I mean - it registered the steps, but on a sleep readout there is no "wake up" phase. Maybe it was short enough to register...? 

I might go to Xiaomi reseller to discuss this - I have one on my way home from work. Or I will just get used to this? It's not a competition after all. 

 

In the evening I planned to work on my bike (wife working night shift), but kids were annoying and didn't want to go to bed, so I lost my opportunity. When I finally put them to sleep it was after 9pm, so no point in even starting anything given I need to be in bed at 10pm to get my 7.5h of sleep... So sadly, R3 fail.

[aramis]

Yesterday's training done before dinner (E1&E2). I still needed to fight off the habitual urge to eat. On top of that I found my body is so used to unwinding after coming home, it was almost painful to start exercising. But after couple moves I felt okay, so I thing it is just a matter of time to change my conscious and subconscious habits. 

 

After that, I wanted to spend time with family, but Dad asked me for help. I spent all the afternoon fixing and tuning his chainsaws. I only managed to assist with putting boys to sleep. After that I needed to prep chicken liver A. bought lately. On weekend I plan making pâté, but raw liver wouldn't hold that long. 

 

I could count all this either as family time/relax fail, or flexibility win...

[Salinger]

Flexibility win. DEFO xx

[Rurik Harrgath]

On 10/26/2020 at 8:35 AM, aramis said:

I know the community is super helpful, but I decided to cut the mental part away because I need some time off this swamp, at least here. I tried couple times address the issues, but I found how differently I feel discussing the same problems here and on actual therapy.

 

I know it may sound like repression or denial, but I'd say I want to leave my fuck-up-ness to a professional   and focus on more somatic stuff.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that you don't need to seek a cure to the whole affliction today.

 

A personal (or challenge) goal could just be to practice mindfulness, or gratitude, or find one thing every darn day to make you smile.  That's been a very powerful spell in my Nerd Fitness spell-book to help me with daily tweaks to my mental health woes.  I don't know if you've ever played an MMORPG, but when you're fighting a big boss dragon or something, the battles are usually split into phases... sometimes you have to eliminate a legion of minions or baby dragons first, or you defeat a claw, then an arm, and then its wings, before you can finally go in for the kill.

 

So more days than not are simply hacking away at those claws to keep ourselves focused and the dragon distracted.

 

Or, if you will, it's simply a matter of killing boars to level up 

 

 

9 hours ago, aramis said:

Yesterday's training done before dinner (E1&E2). I still needed to fight off the habitual urge to eat. On top of that I found my body is so used to unwinding after coming home, it was almost painful to start exercising. But after couple moves I felt okay, so I thing it is just a matter of time to change my conscious and subconscious habits.

 

This too.

 

Even after 5 years of more or less 'serious' exercising and a decade prior of casual gym-going, I still wake up dreading my exercise routine more often than not.  That isn't uncommon, or even wrong for that matter.  But discipline is what carries us through, my friend.  Our bodies crave that endorphin rush like an Energy Potion though!  Yet every day I struggle to exercise first thing and would rather flop after a long day on the road for work than climb on my spin bike.

 

Great job on the accomplishment win though!. That's the makings of greatness in ya!

[aramis]

Today my flexibility in planning goes through some serious test. 

I thought I have my weekend set up. But in the morning, wife randomly told me "There are two pumpkins for boys to carve. Help them out and manage the leftovers" while leaving to work...

 

Yes, it really was a nice feeling when I had my weekend set up. I guess car will have to wait another week before I fix it. 

 

But on the other hand, boys did these

 

and I'm doing this

 

(plus there is some pumpkin puree left to make soup and a bowl full of already dried seeds).

[Salinger]

They look GREAT

 

xx

[aramis]

Thanks! And the pumpkin cake turned out even better than I suspected  

[fearless 2.0]

that looks soooooooo good!