Week 11 results.

Previous weight=82.80kgs
Current weight=81.30
Difference= -1.5kgs
Total weight loss over 11 weeks=10.54kgs

Total inches=107 (no change this week)


Do you remember a few weeks back when I posted about why switching over to whole grains was one of the changes I made due to white refined carbs causing a lovely spike in insulin? Yea, I do as well and so I’ve done a bit more research to see if there are foods that are readily available that have the ability to lower the insulin spike that you get from eating. Good news (and this ties into the following research of sweeteners), one of the best ways of lowering the insulin spike is with cinnamon. Now before you go out and eat 21 cinnamon doughnuts, it has to be real cinnamon and so if you were to replace it in your daily coffee or any other meal, you would have the advantage of a smaller surge in insulin. For those who like visuals, imagine insulin as a big, yellow school bus that makes its rounds to cells, organs and then your waist. Now imagine the spike in glucose (blood sugars) as little fat children who are waiting to catch the bus. Only a few children will go to the cells and organs but there still is a lot of children on the bus..so where do they go? TO YOUR WAIST!  That’s where! But by limiting the glucose spike there are only a few children on the bus so when it stops at cells and organs, there are no more children on the bus when it goes to your waist, neck, arms, butt or any other place that fat likes to make home. So, this week I have been having 2tsps of cinnamon on my oats with berries and bananas and I have felt fantastic. I have more energy to keep up with the physicality of the day as well as feeling fuller for longer. The same effect can be achieved with citrus from what I have found so making the switch to cinnamon and having citrus in the diet can dramatically help weight loss if you have hit a plateau. If you can add cinnamon into your daily diet it will do you wonders down the track. I am still finalizing my other post on Hemp VS Pea in the protein department and also Sweeteners but that will come as another post. Just thought I would give you all something to ponder over and just let ya’ll know how it has been going. Here is to 10kgs!

On a side note, I still have one more week to go for a month with Ice baths and so far this month alone the weight loss has been around 4.5kgs. If the current trend continues then this little icepereiment has really been successful. 

Week's results with a SHMAOW

Previous Weight=84.00kgs
Current Weight=82.80kgs
Difference= -1.2kgs

Previous T.I (Total Inches) – 109”
Current T.I (Total inches)-107”
Difference= -2”

There comes a time when an individual, who puts in the effort, goes from fat to phat (and sometimes in reverse I.E Val Kilmer) and I do believe that the time has come for me to go along the phat path. I have gone from moobs to chesticles and now the next logical step is chest; I’ve gone from family pack to mono pack and now the next logical step is a strong core! According to the BMI scale I’m now in a healthy weight range (at 185cms and 82.80kgs, I have a BMI of 24.2 which falls under healthy which tops at 24.9) but we all know BMI is not the best or most accurate judge of health according to weight (in some studies it shows being overweight will make you live longer than those who fall under a healthy weight). But the way things are going now, I have a good idea of the changes and how they work. Starting this experiment last year, I started at 91.84 and have lost 9.04 kgs; I’m 1kgs away from 10 and that’s a solid effort with not much done (which makes me wonder how I got to that stage). Again, this is not a diet but a switch in a few things in regards to what is eaten and a consistent effort at the gym. I’m still eating what I like and what I love but again small changes to get maximum results with little effort. So with the path I am on now, I’ll be adding protein powder to the mix to get a higher protein intake for muscle growth but still trying to get a decent intake of high quality protein, fresh leafy greens, good complex carbohydrates plus whole grains (for more info, it should be in my first blog). Also I have started making my own home made protein bars due to me not wanting to pay the prices at the gym AND supermarkets and get bored after the 876^th line of ingredients. Mine has 4: cottage cheese, oats, protein powder and natural peanut butter. The texture is a bit schmaltzy but in regards to taste it’s pretty good.

 So this experiment has now taken an interesting twist but with the new physical challenges I have set myself I will need to increase my meals. What are these new challenges you ask? Well, I am going to tell you! This year I’m going to take boxing classes/MMA classes for fun and today I have decided to attend a Kettlebell workshop that will hopefully increase my knowledge and skill on these fantastic little cannonballs with handles (and also I get a certificate of attendance which kicks ass). So this week will have more Ice Baths, good quality protein and the same as before. So for those who follow this and see a weight gain, I assure you it won’t be me slacking off and eating crap…that’s for March. So all in all, thank you for the love and support and I’ll be ready to write a conclusion for those who want. I already have 2 interested and a request but I am open to more and will do my best to help those who want it.

Week 7 results.

Previous weight= 85.95 kgs
Current weight= 84kgs
Difference= -1.95kgs

Total inches (measurements of both thighs, circumference of hips and naval) [T.I]
Previous T.I = 111.5’
Current T.I= 109’
Difference= -2.5”

To be perfectly honest, I am really blown away by this week’s results. The only change to this week was the introduction of ice therapy treatments and cold exposure (and eating healthy after the Christmas caloric campaign). I wasn’t expecting to not only loose the weight I put on, but them some as well but the more I research into cold exposure the more it seriously interests me as a means of repair and weight loss. I did do a brief explanation on the reasoning of ice baths and the effect on fat loss but for those who want a really in-depth analysis on this matter, I shall deliver.

Firstly, there are two different types of fat in the body; White adipose tissue (W.A.T) is the stuff your body stores and we all know it as fat. Having too much of this can result in the following names: fat, chunky, tubby, rotund, puffy and all the other playground synonyms we used. Also the body has Brown adipose tissue (B.A.T) or brown fat. Why is it brown? No, it’s not covered in gravy, but it has lots of mitochondria (which produces ATP, basically it is fuel for cell functions). When the core temperature lowers, the brown fat in the body goes into effect and then converts the white fat into fuel/heat to bring the body’s temperature back up to a normal range. It’s in large amounts in infants and also hibernating animals and it was long thought that the mitochondria in the brown fat cells starts diminishing as we enter adulthood…but this is no longer the case.  It has been found in adults in the upper chest and neck so it can still be activated in certain situations like Ice Baths.  So in cold temperatures, your body will turn fat into fuel via thermogenesis.

But cold exposure doesn’t just stop there, oh no there is indeed more. It has also been shown that cold exposure (showers, ice bath etc) also has the ability to increase testosterone levels in males and help raise sperm levels. For those who want to know, the testicles hang outside the body as temperature plays a factor in sperm production. If the testicles are too hot, then sperm production decreases while cooler temperatures have shown an increase in both sperm production and testosterone. So, ladies if you want help getting pregnant  then see if you can get your man in colder temperatures and be wary if he is always taking hot showers, spending long times in the spa or constantly placing his laptop on his crotch.

There is also some research on a recently discovered hormone called Adiponectin which is present in fat cells which is believed to help your muscle’s ability to use carbohydrates for energy, boosts the metabolism, increases the rate in which your body breaks down fat and finally curbs your appetite. Adiponectin levels have also been discovered in higher numbers with cold therapy but there is still currently research and debate over its function but there has been research done in mice that shows the opposite; the current debate is still going on and the verdict still unsure but I believe we will know more about it in the years to come. But if this is the case and it does help with fat break down then fantastic and if not then not a worry. Even with the cold baths, the release of brown fat and naturally raising testosterone is enough to warrant trying cold exposure and ice therapy.

On a side note, ice baths are also good for healing and reducing muscle repair time and can be used in conjunction with hot temperatures (also known as contrast therapy) to help release and purge the body of toxins from increased workloads. I’ll vouch for this as the runs I have taken my dog on (as well as hill sprints) normally have given me some real pain in the past but the pain is almost non-existent after an ice bath. As well as feeling better for it in the morning, you also sleep like a corpse. I can’t remember the last time I have honestly slept so well. I will be interested in seeing if this continues over the next few weeks with cold therapy as well as if the weight loss and inches lost continues at the same rate. Next week will see the gyms opening hours return to normal so I will add more effort to see if ice baths really can be as effective as people claim them to be.