28 days no chocolate challenge - the results are in

The end of my 28 days without dark chocolate and why I don't really care for it anymore

Its been 28 days now, or just over and I have to say that all said and done, it has been a good 4 weeks. To reiterate the challenge; no chocolate (dark or otherwise) for 28 days, and journal what happens. During the time, my exercise routine has stayed roughly the same and I haven't been eating very differently than the norm. For full disclosure, a few times my blood sugar was slightly low I caved and grabbed some cheesecake (another weakness to stomp out in due course). I wanted to give an idea of what has changed, or not changed this past 4 weeks, and a few of my observations from my journalling.

The key stats

Before                                                      After
Weight - 156.25 lbs                                  Weight - 148.5 lbs
Body fat - 17.1%                                      Body Fat - 15%

So, a loss of 7.75 pounds and 2.1% body fat, almost exclusively from dropping dark chocolate from my diet as a regular indulgence. Not a bad result if I do say so myself. And a further testament to the importance of diet in body composition over exercise alone.

Not me, but you get the idea. And my trousers are definitely baggier now than before

Other observations

Carbohydrate intake was the single best predictor of body-fat gain or loss the subsequent day, above fat intake (which was relatively stable anyway) and almost completely independent of exercise. But lets backtrack slightly, I work on a 4 day wave of exercise (see Scott Sonnon's work) running through; no intensity mobility work, low intensity compensatory yoga, medium intensity interval training (focussed on practicing the skill and increasing good form), and high intensity interval training (focused on maintaining the form, while increasing exertion). 90% of the time after a medium or high intensity TACFIT session, I will take two scoops of protein powder for the boost to recovery. Back to the last month. Here is an example from one of my high intensity days. First thing in the AM, I did joint mobility exercises, then I rode my bike 8 miles to an epilepsy awareness training session for work, and the 8 miles home; I then had my high-intensity 30 minutes running 6 exercises in tabata intervals. I'm sure i added in a few brief jogs and mobility drills throughout the day as well. Now, with all that exercise you might expect I would loose some weight, but you would be wrong, so very wrong. You see, while I ate healthily, I was snacking constantly throughout the day on a big box of strawberries I had bought on route to the training. Also, my post workout berries, honey and natural yoghurt (mostly paleo/primal, at least far better than conventional deserts) added to the carb load. The next day I had gained about 2 pounds, and 0.5% body fat. The weight doesn't bother me, when I begin weight training, or heavy club swinging, I will be looking to add mass, but increasing body fat while I ate so 'healthily' was disappointing. Again, the importance of moderation, and the carb load was stressed to me.

Overall, I feel more vibrant and active. Considering this has been a hectic and stressful month, and the next few weeks will be worse. But, I know now from first-hand experience that sitting to relax with a bar (or two) of dark chocolate and some TV/Xbox or whatever was only hindering me from working to maximum capacity. The more my breaks from work involve walking, mobility, or my actual workouts, the more productive I am overall. Also, the fewer carb loads I have, the less insulin I have which helps a great deal to avoid the fatigue of dropping blood sugars.

Journaling can be an extremely useful tool, if done right. Sadly I have been too busy to journal the past week (by which I mean if I have not been at Uni, on the way to Uni. working, testing participants in the lab, or some other kind of work, I had been allowed some sleep). But the little things, like how being ill affected my diet and vice versa, and how my energy improved the more I moved. Also recovery rates, and progression in workouts in terms of increased form, lower discomfort and higher reps makes progress quantifiable.

The Primal Blueprint N=1 journal

This thing was awesome, and it helped me log nearly everything pretty well. I only have two minor issues. First, it isn't designed to have specific sections for blood glucose testing, which would have been helpful. I wouldn't expect it to have, but it still doesnt make it 100% perfect for my purposes. Second, its a bit too big, so you kind of have to leave it at home and fill it in at the end of the day, which becomes a bit of a chore. I would prefer a smaller and more manageable sized journal. I'm aiming for say a5 size, and pretty thin. I'm going to devise my own, based on my own routines; including but not limited to; blood sugar testing, food diary, workout recordings (including not only reps, but perceived: technique, excursion, and discomfort). I'll maybe make it to fit into the 28 day 7x4 cycle I run, which would be pretty cool.

What's next?

To be honest, I'm not sure. But as soon as I find a new challenge, I'll post it and share the experience.
What's your challenge? What should be my next one? comment and lets see together.

Anyway, here's some minions for the T1D perspective.

Respectfully,
Sam

Weight loss - an outdated and dangerous term

Weight loss - an outdated and dangerous term

I'm mid way through writing a post relating to living by the ten laws of the primal blueprint specifically for type 1 diabetics. After all, it is one of my missions with this blog to find even one person who might benefit from the information and maybe even make the transition towards better health, blood glucose control and overall life satisfaction. I've taken a break from what will likely be my longest post yet, as I have tried to include as many references and external sources as possible. I have taken a break because a recurring annoyance has once again surfaced and I want to vent my opinions on this important issue. The issue is one that we have all heard of, "weight loss" and it's supposed importance. Why does it annoy me? Well, firstly because it is based on bad premises and ignorant viewpoints, but more importantly, because in writing my latest post I found myself slipping into using this awful phrase. I hate the misinformation the notion of weight loss has caused, and feel the need to vent, so here we go.

Apart from being an excellent anti-advertisement for fast food, this picture may raise a key question. Without thinking, does this child need to loose weight? I bet 90% or more people immediately answer yes; but I will argue here that you are dead wrong. This kid needs to loose excess body fat, that's it. Yes, weight loss will likely follow (unless he builds muscle mass, to be discussed later) from a reduction in this "little" boy's body fat, but weight reduction should not be the goal.

Not me sadly, one day though

Question 2: is this man (Scott Sonnon - awesome dude btw) borderline obese. If you said no then you are dead right. However, if you looked at the scales alone, or read his BMI you would get a 'borderline obese' result. Can you see where I am going with this - weight alone is not a measure of health or body composition. 

You really are, truely

Human beings are more than the weight we see when standing on our scales in the bathroom.
We are complex organisms that amount to more that a mere number of pounds or kilos on a set of bathroom scales. Yes you have fat, we all do, some more than others. But YOU are not fat. Weight and BMI do not equate to health. In no study has lower BMI/weight (as they are essentially the same thing, just in proportion to size) been associated with better health. However, lower body fat has. There is a difference. Which reminds me, I watched a TV special where two doctors tried a no-fat, or a no-carb diet which while interesting held the following statement "Your BMI is 24.6 (roughly, I forget the actual numbers), so you are 25% fat". No, no, no no no no no. For doctors these two were surprisingly misinformed and these things annoy me. BMI does not equate to body fat. Therefore BMI is not a worthwhile measure of good health (alongside weight).

Body fat and excess fat. 
I agree that too much excess body fat is bad for us, and I don't think anyone would disagree that shouldn't be sectioned under the mental health act. But, we should not be viewing weight as a measure of fat lost or gained. Especially if you are not rigorous in your testing (Yesterday I overheard a woman state that she weighed herself at home the day before and the scales at the doctors said she had lost 3 pounds - she sounded pretty happy, and I simply sighed internally).

Please please revise your thinking.
I don't claim to be an expert in health. I know what is good in general, and my research and education has provided me with some additional insight, as well as dealing with type 1 diabetes. What I do know is that over-reliance on meeting weight goals, and loosing that last 5 pounds is just plain unhealthy; mentally and physically. I am certain that a number of people with mental health issues surrounding their body image are focusing on weight far too much. I know that I am a guy, and to be honest, I want to put on some muscle mass which will likely increase my weight. But that does not mean that I don't understand that harm that can come from looking at a set of scales and allowing the number staring up at you to define your worth. After all, pre-diagnosis I was pretty happy that I had lost some 20 pounds and was getting skinny (another pet peeve, skinny is bad, lean is good - redefine this thought too). I am glad that I am no longer so stupid to view weight loss as a good thing, though I do relish the fact that my excess body fat is melting away with a combination of Primal dining, and Tacfit training.

I hope this makes my point clear, same weight (and BMI), healthier, fitter body

The above picture is from an article on paleo zone nutrition regarding bmi, weight and body image. Check it out for another article driving my point home.

Moan over, I needed that vent. Apologies that I have likely missed out some important key points, and couldn't find some of the literature I wanted to link.

Respectfully,
Sam