Category: Phase 8

There was a fire in Stanley Park. Thank goodness it wasn’t a couple of weeks ago.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 6
Yesterday had some odd things. I was super tired by the time my Friday evening chores were underway. I had done the right thing and eaten before shopping, but both my son and I got hungry so we grabbed a slice of pizza. I ate nuts later along with wine. I was not in pain so much as weary.

Even with the wine, the calorie count was under the 2500 limit. This morning despite a little more rest, I am a grumpy bear. I went to a different gym to try to do a light workout but the place was busy and organized differently. I couldn’t tell whether my negative feelings were justified or simply the result of the stress of change to a routine.

It’s rainy, my head is foggy and I’m sore all over.

Ain’t diet/fitness grand?

Windsor Ontario is near the US Border.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 5
This is interesting. I went back strictly on the diet plan the day following the 2000 calorie whoopsie and it feels like I never deviated at all. This is most odd. It’s hard to tell what’s affecting my system more. Is it the stricter cut off of eating in the evening? Is the exercise – I upped the weights at the gym – causing (finally) a more efficient metabolism?

Or, am I hallucinating small kittens?

Ucluelet might be a good place to recover.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 4
Wipeout!

It was interesting trying to estimate calories when you blow up. The situation? I held a parent advisory council meeting in a bar. I brought chips and brownies. I think I ate more of them than anyone else at the meeting. It’s not like I didn’t know the risks. I was planning on one beer.

I’m thinking the tallying of the calories was punishment enough.

But, it’s back in the saddle today. Good news when you have done lots of fitness the calorie blowout does not change the fact you worked out. In my case 12.1 km on the bike and a yoga class. I’m still sore in that good way.

The real trick is to maintain a decent attitude and return to the process.

Hulk, Rhino, Spider-man and Captain America. I’d like to visit the inner harbour of Victoria.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 3
OK. Day 2 sucked not because of being too bad but being miserable. I was right that Day 1 was a freebie – a day where you are thrilled because you actually kept to your plan. Each day in a fence post to be dug, where the reward is another damn fence post the next day.

Despite the chocolate almonds, I was under the 2500 calorie limit.

Attitude has to be managed or there will be some sort of hostage taking where the ransom has to be paid in gourmet cookies.

The personal trainer pushed my limits yesterday on the weights and I have to develop more shoulder flexibility. But the old body likes growing muscle. I can feel things changing. She weighed and measured me but I haven’t looked. I’m going to measure every month and report the results in November or December.

Yes, I want to see a Hulk/Spider-man movie scene. Send calming thoughts to Toronto.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 2
I am glad that Day 1 didn’t have a major mistake. The wine was the minor mistake. But the calorie count, which I was pretty anal about counting, came in well below the 2500 limit.

It’s strange that my body feels the changes so fast. I don’t know anyone else whose system reacts as quickly. The good part about such a strange feeling is that you know you’re doing the diet correctly right away.

The cravings weren’t too bad but, yesterday might have been a freebie. The level of concentration to stay on track and document was intense. Can it be maintained?

I see the trainer today for the blind weigh-in and to see where we can take the strength training.

Mark Ruffalo suggested a Hulk/Wolverine movie. Check out a very nuts-and-granola market in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 1
I tried to prep last week for this week. The food was a disaster but the gym was OK until Friday when I was doing the high intensity workout. I was just about to start the second set of walk-out-planks when my mind said, “you are kind of done.” I negotiated and said to myself “one more set of walk-out-planks and kettle bell swings”. Well, on the way back from the first walk out plank my back on the right side tweaked.

It’s back to normal now, but I have to be careful. Lesson learned: I know which voice to listen to. There’s a whiny “I don’t wanna” voice and there’s a more adult tone that knows the truth.

What’s different in this phase?

• Better food weighing; I bought a food scale
• Planning for an 8 PM to 8 AM “fast” or break from eating
• Workouts with muscle building in mind. Can I trick out the metabolism to grab more fat to build more muscle?

Here’s what the new diet sheet looks like.

If I’m lucky, I’ll be more green by the end of this phase. I wonder if this museum in Toronto could find shoes for The Hulk.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Pre Show
So, I ate a lot this summer and that sucks. Now there is lost ground to make up. Oh well. Most of it tasted good.

I also thought about the next phase. Here’s a contradictory set of feelings. I was visiting a farm and a giant truck load of straw arrived that had to be loaded into the barn. I had no problem slinging bales of straw off the truck. I had slight muscle ache on the right side.

However, there was a photograph of me doing the work and I really hate the look of me. Still too big around the middle. That’s the polite way of expressing it. Frankly it put me in a funk. How the hell could I have made the progress I’ve made and still look like something that should be on the end of a harpoon?

Phase 8 will have a modified approach. My body does not like to lose weight, but it’s happy to build muscle. It occurred to me that if I have a lot more muscle, I’ll feel better and it might trick my metabolism to kick itself up a notch. These two articles contradict each other a bit so I keep open the fact that it might not work.

www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/get-more-burn-from-your-workout#1

www.self.com/story/how-much-does-strength-training-really-increase-metabolism

I had my trainer change up my routine to include work that would be intense strength building. This includes deadlifts, chest press and shoulder press. There’s nothing odd here except that I am to do four sets each to exhaustion each time. My first run at this showed me that my shoulders seriously lack flexibility and my traps, pecs and lats really reacted aggressively. They were sore but you could feel the muscle building.

As to diet, the plan is to do the 2500 calories based on meat and vegetables, but with the added discipline of intermittent fasting. This notion scared me until the idea was that fasting could occur while you are asleep. The popular articles want a 16-hour fast window, but I don’t think that will work for me. My trainer suggests 12 hours from 8 PM to 8 AM. This might be do-able for me. I’m never that hungry in the morning anyway, so deferring breakfast a little works.

However, ironically, an MD who’s specializing in obesity tweeted that intermittent fasting is another fad that doesn’t replace watching the calorie counts. I see the no-eating period more as a way to give ones’ innards a rest.

Phase 8 starts on Monday, Sep 10 2018 and goes to Friday, Dec 7 2018. 89 Days.