Another Example of Why the DoD is a Big Fat Liar!

If you don't know what the DoD is then check out this post.

Since February I have lost 13 pounds. Not too bad, but not too impressive either. Now here is where the DoD can make great progress seem not so great.

At my lowest weight of recent years I was 185 in 2005 and had JUST gotten into a 16W. This 16W was not the most comfortable in the world but it fit and I was happy! I hadn't been in a 16W since before my oldest son was born. It was a great milestone! Just 5 pounds earlier, at 190, I was in a comfortable 18W. I went to the gym; I did a lot of yoga, pilates, elliptical and machines. I was a gym rat. I was there everyday for at least an hour but usually closer to 2 hours. I loved the gym and all was well and good.

Then life struck and my 2 hour a day gym habit and obsessive Weight Watchers point counting went out the window. I gained back 50 of the 70 pounds I had lost.

Fast forward to today. I am currently in a snug but comfortable 18 Misses (and if you don't know, 18W and 18Misses are totally different sizes, misses are less hip-y). I workout 3 to 4 days a week doing heavy lifting and kettlebell work. The closest thing I get to cardio work (other then my kettlebells) is walking the dog each night. I spend 30 - 40 minutes on each workout session, sometimes splitting the session into two 15 - 20 minute workouts if scheduling is an issue. Now I count carb grams instead of points, far less math involved!

So it would appear that I am in a similar position as I was in 2005, almost in a 16W. One might assume that my weight is similar also. That is where the real deception of the DoD becomes apparent. Today I stepped on the scale and it read 221.8. Almost 32 pounds heavier than the last time I wore the same size clothes. Thirty-two pounds is no slight discrepancy; it is huge!

I came to this realization after pulling out all of my old clothes. In there were the first shirts we had made for our business. (The beginning of my past downfall.) I can almost wear these shirts! I am getting back into the wardrobe that I was snuggly in when I was more than 30 pounds lighter. So the less than friendly numbers on the scale do not show the true measure of the progress I have made in the short 6 months since restarting my journey towards a healthy life.

If you want to see just how much progress 12 pounds can make take a look at my most recent progress pictures. I have a hard time seeing my own progress sometimes but even I saw the difference!

I think this is an excellent example of why no one should measure their progress with the scale alone.

It is also a great example of what weight lifting and kettlebells can do for a person!

The many faces of Intermittent Fasting

I recently posted a review of Eat Stop Eat. It basically was a 24 hr fast twice a week. That, however, is not the only fasting train in town!

There is alternate day fasting, where you fast on every....you guessed it....alternate day.

There is Fast 5 where you fast until 5pm and then have an unlimited eating window for 5 hours.

The Warrior Diet is similar. (I haven't read the book yet so I don't know the differences off hand.)

Then there is LeanGains. From what I can gather it is 16 hours fasting and 8 hours eating window but it is accompanied by very specific macro ratios. (I have heard he is writing a book. I can't wait.)

And then there are those who wing it!

I have become one of those people.

I was doing the Eat Stop Eat plan but I have not been able to fast for 24 hours since I switched to a ketogenic diet. So I have been experimenting with various lengths of daily fasts. A 16/8 split seems to be the magical ratio for me. I fast until 12:30 or so and then have lunch. My eating window is 8 hours from the time I start eating, usually until 8:30. It has been working so far. My macros and calories have been far easier to maintain.

No witty title today

Weight 223.0

Wednesday's workout

Incline single arm KB press, 25lbs, 4 sets of 8 reps each side
3pt. KB rows, 25lbs, 4 sets of 8 reps each side

Circuit of 2 handed swings and TGU for 10 minutes

Thursday was a rest day

Friday's workout

Deadlift, 112lbs, 4 sets of 6 reps

Circuit of Clean/ Squat/ Press combo and high pulls with 20lb. KB for 10 minutes

I have started keeping track of my food on Daily Plate. This food tracking thing never lasts long for me but my weight loss is non existent so I am trying to make sure I am on track. I need to take my measurements again as well. I know I have lost size on my chest so I have probably lost elsewhere as well.

Daily Plate is really easy to use and I love the pie charts. It makes it really easy to see macro ratios throughout the day.

Monday and Tuesday's Workouts

I am taking a cue from WSFL this week. I am structuring my kettlebell workout in a similar fashion.

Monday

Single Arm KB Squats with 25lb KB - 4 set of 8 reps (4 reps on each side)

Circuit 1 for 10 minutes - 12 two-handed swings and 12 push-ups

Circuit 2 for 10 minutes - 6 snatch/squat combo on each side and 6 windmill on each side

Tuesday

250 two handed swing for time - 9:37

Why a Keto Diet is good for women...

I found this list online so I can't substantiate the validity of any of the studies quoted but it is great food for thought.


For instance, newborn babies are now getting rickets from lack of Vitamin D. While sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, most people living in Northern latitudes don't get nearly enough. The best food sources are things like oily fish, egg yolks and nuts. Irish experts say that we are not getting enough Vitamin D to sustain a healthy pregnany and breastfeeding, because of our low fat diet.

They've also discovered that two or more serving a day of low fat dairy can cause anovular infertility. Women trying to conceive should eat full fat dairy instead.

Women who are deficent in B6 find it harder to get pregnant, and are much more likely to miscarry. B6 is found in meat, oily fish, nuts and green vegetables.

There is a very weak link between blood cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease in men, but none at all in women. In two very large scale studies of older women, the women who ate the most saturated fat and had the highest cholesterol levels also had the longest life expectancy. The women who ate the least saturated fat were most likely to die.

Calcium and Vitamin K are both essential for strong bones. While you can get both in low fat foods, the body can't utilise them properly unless there is fat, ideally saturated fat, present. Supplementing bread or breakfast cereal with added calcium does absolutely nothing to improve bone density. The women who eat the most saturated fat tend to have the strongest bones.

Vitamin D, found in egg yolk, oily fish, meat, nuts etc, lowers the risk of breast cancer. Diets high in sugar and refined carbs hugely increases the rates for breast cancer.

A 12 month study of a group of overweight middle-aged women who were put on one of four different diets found that the group doing Atkins lost twice as much weight as the next best (LEARN) and three times as much as the worst (Zone). The Atkins women also improved their markers for heart disease more than the others.

Magnesium is necessary for strong bones, also for maintaining a regular heart rhythm and blood pressure, and working muscles. Breastfeeding places a huge demand on the magnesium supplies of the mother. Since it is found mostly in nuts, seeds, oily fish and cocoa, a woman on a low fat diet will have trouble meeting those demands.

PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) affects 5-10% of women and is the leading cause of infertility. Best treatment it to reduce insulin resistance on a keto type diet.

Keto "Rice"

1 head of cauliflower
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil

Sauté the garlic and onions in the oil until soft. You can add any seasonings that you want. I used a little kosher salt.

Grate the head of cauliflower on the large side of a box grater or large cheese grater.

Add the cauliflower to the pan and sauté until tender. This doesn't really take long.

Hubby is a cauliflower hater but loved this and didn't even know it was cauliflower until I told him.

Low Carb Eggy Coconut Bread

Recipe by [unknown from Internet]
6 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 Tbsp Splenda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sifted coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder

Mix well, pour into buttered loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

This is similar to cornbread, though not sweet. I can't vouch for the nutritional info so double check if you track things closely.

This was a bit dry but great with a little butter. Hubby had his with honey and really liked it. It doesn't taste a thing like coconut.

8 servings

Calories: 739 total, 93 per slice
Fat: 48 total, 6 per slice
Fiber: 54 total, 6.75 per slice
Carbs: 66 total, 8.25 per slice
Net carbs: 1.5g per slice
Protein: 61 total, 7.5 per slice