What's Your Secret?

There was a period of about 2 years where I was asked regularly, often in confidence, "So, really, tell me, what's your secret?"

Aug 2011 to Aug 201

I'm one for playing jokes, but the desperation exposed in the question is a sign of a truly desperate person.  To deceive them for my own amusement wouldn't be a joke at all, it would be a level of cruelty that I'm certain must be outlawed by the Geneva Convention.

I could have easily said, "Kale ... I mix kale in everything ... oh, and I avoid anything with carbon."

Or, perhaps, "I only eat laying on my back with my legs propped up on the couch.  Sounds weird, I know, but it forces more blood flow to the stomach, which quickens digestion and promotes nutrient uptake."

But when I said, "Diet and exercise," people looked at me as though I was insulting their intelligence.  They'd have written down, word for word, "Don't, EVER,  eat anything with the letter R in its name, and avoid any food that requires a spoon. And cooking things for more than 185 seconds promotes fat accumulation on your butt!"

When pressed to expound on my method I'd say, "Do more, eat less," to which I'd often be left watching the other person flip around and walk away without as much as a thank you.

I see how so many diet books sell, why fads are so exciting.  People really want to lose weight and will be willing to devote great focus and attention over a short period of time.  But weight loss takes change.

Coming out of the gas chamber in basic training 1992

I'm around 200 pounds, or was when I got hurt a few weeks ago, and for someone built like I am and my age, that's a healthy weight.  Of course, not on the BMI scale, but body fat and general health tell me, I'm pretty thin.  This is the weight I was in the military and could run 2 miles in 11:30, and the weight I'd work to maintain if I wasn't a cyclist.  Two hundred pounds is a lot, on paper, for a dude about 5' 9", but at 200 I'm pretty fit.  

But 200 pounds, as a cyclist, is a lot of weight to push around, regardless of how much of it is muscle.  And since I live in a very hilly area, and like to ride hills, the weight is a limiter!  I want to drop to 175 with the idea that I can still keep my power at that weight, that I can lose only fat to be there.  In fact, I'll go ahead and throw this out there, I want to have more power at 175 than I did at 200 pounds.  I think that's possible in my situation because I'm not anywhere near my potential on the bike, I only trained for about 6 months before all this fell apart for me.  I was still experiencing big gains, no where neat a plateau.  

I'm writing to share with you, in detail, "my secret."  You know, the one people asked me about in the past.  The secret I'll be pressed for in the future, if I'm successful.  But, I'm writing ahead of time, so you can read in all glorious detail what led to my success or failure in this endeavor.

This time it's different though.  I've never done a "diet" before.  I've always done practical, long term changes.  But now I want to drop some weight for racing, hold that weight through the season. 

Here we go:

I shared my nutrition plan in my previous post.  There's a pretty strict menu from which I will eat.  It basically follows the idea to fuel the day's activities.  So carbs in the morning, smart lunch, and minimal dinner (since sleep needs little fuel).  If I'm in a situation where I'm out and it's dinner time, I'll have to try my best to pick something appropriate.

In the mornings I'll be going to the gym three times a week doing StrongLifts 5x5 program (usually takes about 30 minutes).  Then in the afternoons I'll be doing trunk exercises (pushups, pull ups and such), my physical therapy routine for my back, all followed by an hour workout Tuesday through Friday, following Sweet Spot Base, High Volume in TrainerRoad.

For those that don't know, TrainerRoad is great.  Select a program, do an FTP test (or select your own FTP manually), and start a program.  The software will walk you through each workout and the program, day by day, and track your progress.  An idiot like me can use it, so I know it's easy!

If possible I'd like to start running again, but that possibility will take a back-seat for now (but I do have permission from my back surgeon to run.)

For tracking caloric intake and weight loss I'll be using MyFitnessPal's app.  I'll use their software to come up with a deficit of 1,500 calories a day, which should lead me to around 3 pounds a week.  I'll give it a few weeks to see if it's accurate enough and adjust where needed.

For those that don't know what I mean, here's how it works.  The app will calculate how many calories you need to lose a certain number of pounds a week based on questions you answer (age, activity, gender and so on).  You enter your activities and food consumed, it estimates the caloric demands and values and it tells you if you've hit your target, eaten too little, or eaten too much for the day.  So, if I'm on target, and the software works, I should average 3 pounds a week, at least at the beginning of the 12 weeks.

That's a lot of calories a day, a big negative hole.  But, because I have a fairly high FTP, each of those hour workouts will burn about 850 calories.  Add to those calories burned the strength training and high level of activity I wish to maintain on a daily basis (walking around all day), I think 1,500 is a number I can hit regularly.  (One key will be to eat satiating foods!)

I cannot start the program yet, I have a lot of healing to do still.  Heck, I've not even returned to work yet.  Well, I did, but just one day.  My concussion is still making me dizzy, though I don't think the confusion is there anymore.  Ribs still hurt, especially when laying down and I fear my right hand may be broken.  I return to the doctor Tuesday for a check-up.

So I cannot say exactly when I will begin this 12 week program, but I've got it fleshed out in detail.  If it works, feel free to steal my ideas.  If it fails, use it as a counter-example.  Either way, I hope this has been informative and perhaps entertaining.