Oh well well, I have returned, my beloved Gunz Crew. The days have been so run/gun busy that I haven’t had the chance to think clearly without some random wrench being thrown in my equations. Thankfully, with a slight change in rhythm, I’ve been able to do so & in the process, revamp and reassess the things I’ve wanted to achieve w/my body & health.
Some of you already know that I managed to turn around from 295 in 2017 to a current 244 as of this writing, along w/a transition from 33% body fat to 15.5%. Additionally, since February 2018 under guidance from Remson of Tribe By Noire, I have been on a plant-based diet. Then there are those you that know that back in 2008, I used to be a walking mass of 390-395 pounds w/likely near 40% body fat. Now, while I may not be at the goal weight of 235 again, I am within striking distance & not a hard thing to accomplish.
However…seeing my age of 34 & despite finally being at a weight I am comfortable with, with reading more on BMI (something trainers & fitness community folk love to occasionally dodge because you know, “gains”) & the health risks associated w/being quite above recommended BMI of 22-24.9 (considered a healthy range, linked to news link down below), I sat down to re-assess. I have decided, therefore, to pursue dropping down to at least 202. Sure, it may be slightly above recommended BMI, but it’s a start.
The roadblock I’ve sometimes seen my friends or past few clients run into when it comes to dropping weight usually would wire down to eating too much, eating the wrong kinds of foods or inconsistency w/training. In my case, however, it has been boiling down to not eating enough. Normally w/labor-intensive work in a 2 floor building 5 days/week, which consists of being on-the-go 20 miles/day of walking 4 of those days, 10-12 on the 5th day. When dialing that in w/my usual 3 day training split, while my body, just to cut, may need slightly below 2,000, my body instead has been needing over 3,000. If you use Cronometer or MyFitnessPal to input your activity or if you sync up the Fitbit app, you’ll know exactly how this works.
Thankfully, w/a current change of pace, I’ll only be hitting 80 miles a week instead of almost 95. Additionally, I have split my training to 4 days in order to avoid that extra wear. My previous training consisted of Pull/Legs/Push or Pull/Push/Legs but currently I’ve adopted Push/Pull/Legs/Shoulder routine, where the Push/Pull exercises that have shoulder-dominant exercise have been put into a separate day. In addition to that, instead of a uniform rep/set format for all exercises, I’ve made it intentional to undulate — where some exercises will be for hypertrophy, some for maximal strength & others for muscular endurance. I do, however, maintain a progressive intensity increase for 3 weeks & deload on the 4th as a means for the body to recover & recalibrate.
Due to the extra rest that I’ll be seeing with my new schedule arrangement, my eat for my caloric & nutritional goals won’t be as severe either, which is a welcome change, thus making everything I want to accomplish simpler without being neurologically taxed in the process.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-identifies-ideal-body-mass-index
