Now that I’m gaining momentum in my sobriety and self control, I am realizing new lower lows across all of my Health ROS (Return on Sobriety) metrics. I broke through 28 BMI and am on the cusp of breaking below 21 on my body fat percentage. At this point I’ve shed roughly 24 pounds and am finally within striking distance of 200 pounds.
But I’m trying not to get too excited about crossing below 200 in the immediate future. This weight loss journey as been the toughest of my life. Every pound I lose seems to take so much more effort than the pound I lost before it. The closer I get to my goal, the harder it seems. But the direction remains ever downward. Momentum is finally on my side.
Zero ; Nickel ; M: 130 ; C: 93 ; P/U: 50 ; W : 5 mi
Health R.O.S.
- Weight: 205.9
- BMI: 27.8
- Fat %: 21.2
Supplementation
I’ve been on a steady diet of supplements for years. These are largely based on recommendations by Doctor Steven Gundry MD in his book The Plant Paradox. Now, my lawyers will have you know that you should not add any supplements to your diet without first consulting with your doctor. Doctor Gundry echoes this in his own books, as well. It’s plain good advice. The same goes for exercise and weight training.
This particular blog is not about my supplementation routine (there’ll be one of those upcoming). But I did recently add the probiotic Akkermansia and some inulin prebiotics to nourish the rest of my gut bugs. I learned about Akkermansia after rereading The Longevity Paradox. And I was reminded how these mucus loving bacteria help with much needed maintenance and repair work in the gut.
I hope adding Akkermansia will accelerate both the healing of my gut and provide me with additional weight loss momentum. This remains to be seen but there is evidence that Akkermansia can help with both of these things. I figured I try it since I had run out of my regular probiotic.
Muscle Momentum
I expect my increased weight loss momentum may be the result of resistance training – aka push-ups, sit-ups, dumbbell exercises, squats, and steep hill climbs.
I’ve read much about the importance of building and maintaining muscle mass, particularly as you get older. According to WebMD‘s article How to Gain Muscle Mass After 50, most people see their muscle mass decline 3-5% per decade after their 30th birthday! I had no idea that between age 30 and 50, I’d lose up to 10% of my muscle mass.
Once I learned this little tidbit, I realized that muscle loss has to be the main reason losing weight has been so difficult as I enter my fifties. What better way to overcome this challenge than to build that lost muscle back. Thus the push-ups, etc.
The irony here is that muscle is denser than fat and thus weighs more per unit volume. So I expect if I build muscle faster than I burn fat, I will lose weight loss momentum. In fact, I may actually gain weight in the short term. But that’s fine by me. The real goal here is to continue my downward weight loss trajectory over a long period of time.
This isn’t a race, it’s a gradual rebuilding of my body. I’m prepared that it could take the better part of a year to lose this weight safely and keep it off over the long haul.
Sugar and Alcohol Strike Again
After having a handful of Halloween candy during a low energy stretch yesterday afternoon, Drinkie popped by for a little chat. But his visit was cut short by an expected RAIN storm and he was sent packing.
As I sit and write this, I’m wondering if Drinkie was brought on by my sugar ‘cheat’ earlier in the afternoon or the fact that it was Friday evening and it felt like beer o’clock. It may have also been the feeling of disappointment I felt when my trip to the mountains was unexpectedly postponed that created an opening for alcohol to offer to “help me feel better”.
Whatever the reason, the urge to drink passed quickly, like a brief afternoon thunderstorm. It was soon followed by a profound sense of calm and quiet.
Today marks 130 consecutive days of meditation and I can feel my mindfulness momentum building. What a blessing it is I rediscovered meditation when I did and that through its habitual practice, I’m rebuilding my body and rewiring my mind in such a intentional and steady manner.
