Changing the Routine
During week 3, I began changing my eating habits and exercise routine. My meals contained a lot more protein, very little carbohydrates and a bit more fat (healthy fats) than normal. The screenshot below shows my macronutrients (fat, carbs & protein) for Thursday, as an example. I had 181 grams of protein, 84 grams of fat and 20 grams of carbohydrates. Based on my research for endomorphs (my body type) this is a successful day. However, carbohydrates give you energy and are essential for our day to day activities so I cannot do this everyday. Being consistently low on carbohydrates causes extreme fatigue and higher levels of stress. " Carbohydrates are used as energy by the body; they fuel our workouts, and provide ample fuel over the course of any day." (Wescott, 2015)
During week 3, I began changing my eating habits and exercise routine. My meals contained a lot more protein, very little carbohydrates and a bit more fat (healthy fats) than normal. The screenshot below shows my macronutrients (fat, carbs & protein) for Thursday, as an example. I had 181 grams of protein, 84 grams of fat and 20 grams of carbohydrates. Based on my research for endomorphs (my body type) this is a successful day. However, carbohydrates give you energy and are essential for our day to day activities so I cannot do this everyday. Being consistently low on carbohydrates causes extreme fatigue and higher levels of stress. " Carbohydrates are used as energy by the body; they fuel our workouts, and provide ample fuel over the course of any day." (Wescott, 2015)
Workout Routine
I decided to change my workout routine every two weeks. The first 2 weeks consisted of a workout routine I used a few years ago when I read a book by the celebrity Mario Lopez called Knockout Fitness. I picked up this book a few years ago just because Mario was in really good shape and Mexican, so he understood our struggles with portion control and nutrition as a culture. It's a pretty easy book to follow and it lays out the workout routines with pictures. His workout routines are divided up into phases, a great variety of exercises that target multiple body parts in one day and it also lays out a meal plan. I did not use the meal plan portion of the book, just the workout routine. I highly recommend this workout routine for a beginner. I used it the first 2 weeks just so I can break out of my regular routine and do something different. For the next 2 weeks I will be doing my regular routine where I isolate body parts. For example, on my Monday I will workout my chest, Tuesday arms and shoulders, and Wednesday legs and back.
Nutrition and Carb Cycling
Since my body type is an endomorph, research suggests I should be consuming low carbohydrate meals so I decided to research how to apply this lifestyle without the side effect of fatigue. Introducing carb cycling. Carb cycling "is to have three low carb days, followed by two higher carb days, to aid in recovery, and to replenish glycogen. (Wescott, 2015) I was pretty successful applying this strategy this week, the weekend presented some challenges because it was my wife's birthday on Friday July 10. We of course celebrated by eating some Mexican food followed by a dinner with her family, unlimited slices of pizza. We closed out the night with some birthday cake. Saturday was a bit better but it wasn't the greatest, leftover pizza and cake were on the menu. Sunday was a bit more organized, my breakfast and dinner were mainly protein. However, our lunch consisted of tacos and tortilla chips, in other words tons of carbs but still somewhat balanced because of my high protein breakfast and dinner.
Reflection and the Weight Scale
I feel my body is changing and toning up a lot more with each day. The weight scale fluctuates between 169 lbs and I've dropped as low as 166 lbs so the changes are not drastic in this department (I started at 170) because I'm also lifting weights. "Muscle has a much greater density than fat, meaning it takes up less volume than an equal mass of fat. This explains why it’s possible to get visibly slimmer without a significant drop in weight." (Lockwood, 2015) I definitely do feel the changes in how my clothes fit so the scale doesn't discourage me if there isn't significant drops in weight.
References
Lockwood, Kristine. 2015. Does Muscle Weight More Than Fat? Retrieved July 13, 2015 from http://greatist.com/fitness
/does-muscle-weigh-more-fat
Wescott, Tim. 2015. Carb Cycling for Fat Loss. Retrieved July 13, 2015 from: http://www.bodybuilding.com
I decided to change my workout routine every two weeks. The first 2 weeks consisted of a workout routine I used a few years ago when I read a book by the celebrity Mario Lopez called Knockout Fitness. I picked up this book a few years ago just because Mario was in really good shape and Mexican, so he understood our struggles with portion control and nutrition as a culture. It's a pretty easy book to follow and it lays out the workout routines with pictures. His workout routines are divided up into phases, a great variety of exercises that target multiple body parts in one day and it also lays out a meal plan. I did not use the meal plan portion of the book, just the workout routine. I highly recommend this workout routine for a beginner. I used it the first 2 weeks just so I can break out of my regular routine and do something different. For the next 2 weeks I will be doing my regular routine where I isolate body parts. For example, on my Monday I will workout my chest, Tuesday arms and shoulders, and Wednesday legs and back.
Nutrition and Carb Cycling
Since my body type is an endomorph, research suggests I should be consuming low carbohydrate meals so I decided to research how to apply this lifestyle without the side effect of fatigue. Introducing carb cycling. Carb cycling "is to have three low carb days, followed by two higher carb days, to aid in recovery, and to replenish glycogen. (Wescott, 2015) I was pretty successful applying this strategy this week, the weekend presented some challenges because it was my wife's birthday on Friday July 10. We of course celebrated by eating some Mexican food followed by a dinner with her family, unlimited slices of pizza. We closed out the night with some birthday cake. Saturday was a bit better but it wasn't the greatest, leftover pizza and cake were on the menu. Sunday was a bit more organized, my breakfast and dinner were mainly protein. However, our lunch consisted of tacos and tortilla chips, in other words tons of carbs but still somewhat balanced because of my high protein breakfast and dinner.
Reflection and the Weight Scale
I feel my body is changing and toning up a lot more with each day. The weight scale fluctuates between 169 lbs and I've dropped as low as 166 lbs so the changes are not drastic in this department (I started at 170) because I'm also lifting weights. "Muscle has a much greater density than fat, meaning it takes up less volume than an equal mass of fat. This explains why it’s possible to get visibly slimmer without a significant drop in weight." (Lockwood, 2015) I definitely do feel the changes in how my clothes fit so the scale doesn't discourage me if there isn't significant drops in weight.
References
Lockwood, Kristine. 2015. Does Muscle Weight More Than Fat? Retrieved July 13, 2015 from http://greatist.com/fitness
/does-muscle-weigh-more-fat
Wescott, Tim. 2015. Carb Cycling for Fat Loss. Retrieved July 13, 2015 from: http://www.bodybuilding.com