PaleoZone vs Morbid Obesity: An Odyssey

[Luke Seubert]

Looking At The End Game A Bit
By every measure I have, I am well past the halfway mark in terms of body fat loss goals. Well, every measure except time - I might not yet have hit the halfway mark in terms of number of weeks. But I have no reliable way to even estimate that metric, so I don't much worry about it.

What is interesting to consider is what my final bodyweight might look like. Below is a chart which shows my Bodyweight at differing Body Fat Compositions, assuming a Lean Body Mass of 196 pounds, my current best guesstimate.

196 Pounds of Lean Body Mass

@ 20% BFC______245.0 lbs
@ 19% BFC______242.0 lbs
@ 18% BFC______239.0 lbs
@ 17% BFC______236.1 lbs
@ 16% BFC______233.3 lbs
@ 15% BFC______230.6 lbs
@ 14% BFC______227.9 lbs
@ 13% BFC______225.3 lbs
@ 12% BFC______222.7 lbs
@ 11% BFC______220.2 lbs
@ 10% BFC______217.8 lbs

Bear in mind that my goal is 10% BFC, which means I have about 90 pounds of fat yet to lose. Of course, I might not hold at 196 pounds of LBM as I lose that 90 pounds of fat. If I were to lose 8 pounds of LBM, the chart looks a little bit different...

188 Pounds of Lean Body Mass

@ 20% BFC______235.0 lbs
@ 19% BFC______232.1 lbs
@ 18% BFC______229.3 lbs
@ 17% BFC______226.5 lbs
@ 16% BFC______223.8 lbs
@ 15% BFC______221.2 lbs
@ 14% BFC______218.6 lbs
@ 13% BFC______216.1 lbs
@ 12% BFC______213.6 lbs
@ 11% BFC______211.2 lbs
@ 10% BFC______208.9 lbs

My hope is that I won't lose quite so much LBM over the coming months, but I can't be sure of that. I might well lose more than that. Who knows?

Anyway, these charts give a rough idea of what my Bodyweight should look like towards the end. Bear in mind that I might switch things up quite a bit at around 15% BFC, and start a heavy weightlifting program, gaining muscle and some fat for a time. I would then cut the remaining fat later on to get down to 10% BFC. I am now yet sure how that endgame scenario will play out - there are several possibilities. It will be fun to see how it goes though.

[Luke Seubert]

Monday Weekly Body Fat Composition Update

• Date: March 26, 2012

BFC Average 2 Weeks Ago: 35.4%
BFC Average 1 Week Ago: 35.3%
Current BFC Average: 35.0%
Beginning Date for BFC - May 4, 2011 - BFC Average Then: 44.6%
Total BFC Average Lost to Date: 9.6%

Comments
My BFC Average dropped a solid 0.3% this past week. If my BFC this morning hadn't spiked up so high, it would have been 0.4%. Oh well. Anyway, I am back to losing BFC at a decent pace. Consistent Prowler workouts and my NHE Paleo diet are doing the trick.

BFC Readings and Average For The Past Two Weeks
The BFC Average listed below is a simple 6 day moving average. It tends to overstate current BFC slightly as it lags behind the real data, but it smooths out erratic BFC readings and shows the actual BFC rate of change over time. Readers curious to know more about how to effectively use an Omron or any other bioelectrical impedance body fat composition meter should read my previous post, "How to Get Semi-Useful Body Fat Composition Data Out of a Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer" (WFS).

__Date_______BFC Reading_____BFC Average
03/12/12______35.0%______35.4%
03/13/12______35.2%______35.3%
03/14/12______35.5%______35.3%
03/15/12______35.2%______35.3%
03/16/12______35.3%______35.3%
03/17/12______35.2%______35.2%
03/18/12______35.3%______35.2%
03/19/12______35.2%______35.3%
03/20/12______35.0%______35.2%
03/21/12______35.2%______35.2%
03/22/12______35.1%______35.2%
03/23/12______34.9%______35.1%
03/24/12______34.7%______35.1%
03/25/12______34.8%______35.0%
03/26/12______35.2%______35.0%

[Luke Seubert]

WOD - Heart Rate Interval Ad-Hoc Prowler Sprints (WFS)

Date: March 27, 2012

Conditions

• Indoors

Comments
I didn't work out yesterday because I was feeling quite nauseous and dizzy. Either I ate some bad sardines or the high pollen counts got to me. Anyway, I felt better today, so today I did yesterday's scheduled workout - Prowler Sprints. Today's workout went well, though I didn't push all the way through to 12 sprints as I still feel a bit under the weather. Still, I got in 9 hard sprints with a decent Sprint:Recovery ratio of 0.76. All of my sprints took my heart rate above 160 BPM, unlike the last workout where I struggled to get it up that high.

I think for the next workout, I will raise my target BPMs from 130-160 to 132-162. I want to make this workout progressively tougher. Since I can't add weight to do that, I will raise my heart rate, and over time, do more sprints and longer sprints.

One of the great things about doing intervals based upon heart rate is that as your body adapts to the exercise and gets stronger, you have to work harder to achieve the same heart rates. Heart rate intervals thus have their own built-in progression, which makes the exercise appropriately tougher over time. So my increasing the heart rates and number and length of sprints, adds to the natural progression inherent to heart rate based intervals.

Heart Rate Interval Ad-Hoc Prowler Sprints
Warmup

• Mini-Trampoline Rebounding: 5 minutes

Push Ad-Hoc Prowler Until Upper Target Heart Rate. Rest Until Lower Target Heart Rate. Repeat For Total Time or Sprints Completed.

• Upper Heart Rate: 160+ BPM
  Lower Heart Rate: 130 BPM
  Prowler Load: 207 Lbs
  Sprints Completed: 9 Sprints
  Passes Completed: 66 Passes (1 Pass equals 27 feet. Reverse, return, repeat to complete sprint.)
  
  Total Sprinting Time: 14:36
  Total Recovery Time: 19:14
  Total Workout Time: 33:50
  Sprint:Recovery Ratio: 0.76
  
  Sprint and Recover Times Listed in Seconds
  ______Sprint______Recover______Passes
  01: ______207______115______16
  02: ______103______106______8
  03: ______073______115______6
  04: ______078______120______6
  05: ______079______123______6
  06: ______082______123______6
  07: ______084______151______6
  08: ______087______154______6
  09: ______083______147______6

[Luke Seubert]

Wednesday Weekly Trend and Bodyweight Update

Date: March 28, 2012

Today is the end of Week 47 of my fat loss regimen.

Last Week's Bodyweight Trend: 308.0 lbs
This Week's Bodyweight Trend: 306.8 lbs
Last Week's Bodyweight: 305.2 lbs
This Week's Bodyweight: 304.8 lbs
Beginning Date for Bodyweight Measurements - May 4, 2011 - Bodyweight: 425.6 lbs
Total Bodyweight Trend Lost to Date: 118.8 lbs
Total Bodyweight Lost to Date: 120.8 lbs

Comments
I lost only 1.2 pounds this past week on Bodyweight Trend. This is a big slowdown from last week's 2.0 pounds lost, and far below my preferred loss rate of around 2.5 pounds per week.

I am not quite sure what accounts for this. If I was losing BFC rapidly, I would attribute it to muscle gains. But that is not happening. My BFC loss rates have slowed considerably. This, despite consistency with my diet and exercise. Right now, I am losing fat and some muscle, but slowly.

The one thing which is different is the arrival of a pretty harsh tree pollen season. While my symptoms are mild - some dry throat, dizziness, lethargy, and occasional mild nausea - perhaps the allergic reaction is affecting my metabolism in other ways. The only way I will know for sure is when pollen season is over. If my normal weight and BFC loss rates return around that time, that will be a strong indicator that the allergic reaction impeded my progress.

Bodyweight and Trend for the Past Week
The Trend listed below is an exponential moving average with 10% smoothing. It tends to overstate current bodyweight as it lags behind the real data, but it smooths out erratic bodyweight readings and shows the actual bodyweight loss rate over time. An explanation of the "Trend" calculation's utility may be found in my previous post, "Turning Bodyweight Into A Semi-Useful Metric" (WFS).

__Date_______Bodyweight______Trend__
03/21/12______305.2 lbs______308.0 lbs
03/22/12______306.8 lbs______307.9 lbs
03/23/12______305.8 lbs______307.7 lbs
03/24/12______306.4 lbs______307.6 lbs
03/25/12______305.6 lbs______307.4 lbs
03/26/12______305.2 lbs______307.2 lbs
03/27/12______305.6 lbs______307.0 lbs
03/28/12______304.8 lbs______306.8 lbs

[Luke Seubert]

WOD - Heart Rate Interval Ad-Hoc Prowler Sprints (WFS)

Date: March 30, 2012

Conditions

• Indoors

Comments
Thanks to high pollen yesterday, I was too miserable to workout. Happily, today is better. The weather is cooler, moister, and the elm pollen has eased off.

Anyway, I got in a very good Prowler workout today, going a full 12 sprints at the new, higher heart rate intervals, 132-162 BPM. I had a pretty good Sprint:Recovery Ratio of 0.66. This is down a bit from the last workout, but the last few sprints require much longer recovery intervals as I get more exhausted.

I think from here on out I will have to do at least 10 sprints per workout, preferably 12 or maybe even more. The workout doesn't really exhaust me if I only do 8 or 9 sprints, as can be seen from my recovery times. That said, it is usually the 6th or 7th sprint which feels the hardest. After that, I break through the barrier and I can sustain additional sprints without as much burden. The latter sprints simply require longer recovery times.

Also, while my BFC readings aren't doing anything especially good, my bodyweight is ticking downwards slightly faster, and I might get some good news on tomorrow's body measurements.

Finally, I think fighting off the allergic reaction due to pollen is inhibiting my metabolism, causing fat loss to slow down and muscle loss to speed up. I guess it is sort of like getting a cold. The immune system goes into action and mucks up my fat loss plans. I hope pollen season is mostly over by the end of April and that there are no more unplanned interruptions. I really need to get on a long, sustained, continuous roll. I am feeling frustrated with all the slowdowns inhibiting my progress. The holiday meals last Fall, the Hibernation Effect slowdown during January and February, and now this blasted stupid pollen. If I could just get clear of all of these roadblocks I could roll right through the summer and into late November, and wind up very close to my final goal.

Heart Rate Interval Ad-Hoc Prowler Sprints
Warmup

• Mini-Trampoline Rebounding: 5 minutes

Push Ad-Hoc Prowler Until Upper Target Heart Rate. Rest Until Lower Target Heart Rate. Repeat For Total Time or Sprints Completed.

• Upper Heart Rate: 162 BPM
  Lower Heart Rate: 132 BPM
  Prowler Load: 207 Lbs
  Sprints Completed: 12 Sprints
  Passes Completed: 82 Passes (1 Pass equals 27 feet. Reverse, return, repeat to complete sprint.)
  
  Total Sprinting Time: 17:47
  Total Recovery Time: 26:54
  Total Workout Time: 44:41
  Sprint:Recovery Ratio: 0.66
  
  Sprint and Recover Times Listed in Seconds
  ______Sprint______Recover______Passes
  01: ______260______110______20
  02: ______105______094______8
  03: ______074______111______6
  04: ______079______097______6
  05: ______080______119______6
  06: ______076______129______6
  07: ______067______133______5
  08: ______064______138______5
  09: ______062______158______5
  10: ______066______173______5
  11: ______065______224______5
  12: ______069______128______5

[Luke Seubert]

Saturday Weekly Body Measurements Update
Date: March 31, 2012

Last Week's Total Body Measurement: 856.5 cm
This Week's Total Body Measurement: 855.5 cm
Beginning Date for Body Measurements - May 14, 2011 - Total Body Measurements: 1009.5 cm
Total Centimeters Lost to Date: 154.0 cm

Comments
Unsurprisingly, not much progress this past week on Total Body Measurements. I lost 1.0 cm, which is far less than the past two weeks. Most measurements stayed the same, though I lost a bit off of my chest. The critical waist measurement declined by 0.5 cm.

This does not surprise, as it confirms my recent Omron BFC readings, which have plateaued after dropping rapidly several weeks ago. When the Omron and the tape measure agree, I am very sure of what is going on. And what is going on right now isn't very much.

Since all of this coincides with pollen season, I believe this lack of swift progress is due to my allergic reactions. Though, that said, this year hasn't been too bad so far. I had one day where I felt quite miserable, and another day where I was pretty tired. The rest have been decent, just a dry throat, some headaches, and general lethargy.

Body Measurements for Last Week and This Week
An explanation about "Total Body Measurements" and how I use body measurements to assess fat loss over time may be found in my previous post, "The Humble Tape Measure: Simple But Oh So Useful" (WFS).

Right Thigh: 63.0 cm, 63.0 cm
Right Calf: 47.0 cm, 47.0 cm
Right Ankle: 25.5 cm, 25.5 cm

Left Thigh: 65.0 cm, 65.0 cm
Left Calf: 47.0 cm, 47.5 cm
Left Ankle: 25.5 cm, 25.5 cm

Right Arm: 34.5 cm, 34.5 cm
Right Forearm: 32.5 cm, 32.0 cm
Right Wrist: 19.0 cm, 19.0 cm

Left Arm: 37.5 cm, 38.0 cm
Left Forearm: 32.0 cm, 32.0 cm
Left Wrist: 19.0 cm, 19.0 cm

Neck: 42.5 cm, 42.5 cm
Chest: 125.0 cm, 123.5 cm
Waist: 128.0 cm, 127.5 cm
Hips: 113.5 cm, 114.0 cm

[Arturo Garcia]

Still checking Luke, just letting you know, but not much to add today. Just that illness is inevitable sometimes, don't get discouraged by it and keep eating right.

[Luke Seubert]

Originally Posted by Arturo Garcia

Still checking Luke, just letting you know, but not much to add today. Just that illness is inevitable sometimes, don't get discouraged by it and keep eating right.

Thanks for the encouragement, Arturo, I appreciate it.

Yeah, this allergy stuff is annoying, mostly because it is slowing me down. While I am still making progress, it is slower than it should be. That said, the symptoms themselves aren't too bad this year. Well, so far... I have yet to face oak pollen and the rest of April. But the symptoms aren't as bad as in years past, despite high pollen levels due to the warm weather.

I think this might have something to do with a very consistent Paleo diet and plenty of fish oil. Together, they knock down a lot of silent inflammation in the body. This allows my immune system to more effectively handle the allergic reaction to pollen. There was once a time when, if I went outside during the worst of it, I would start sneezing and weeping almost immediately and would have to retreat indoors and remain bedridden for the day. Nowadays, I just get tired and flush out my sinuses with a Neti pot.

Meanwhile, I am sticking to my diet and exercise regimen. I just picked up plenty of meat and veggies this morning. I'll workout again on Monday. I have cut back a little bit on exercise frequency, but I plan to increase the intensity of my Prowler workouts while taking it easy on the volume.

[Luke Seubert]

WOD - Walking Day - 6.0 Miles

• Date: March 31, 2012

Conditions

• Temperature: 53 F
• Humidity: 86%
• Heat Index: 53 F

Comments
On a bit of a whim, I decided to go out on a long walk today. So I walked 6.0 miles - some flat and some hilly - in 104 minutes, aka 1 hr and 44 minutes.

Now this isn't a terribly fast pace, only 3.46 MPH. However, my goal wasn't speed per se. I was just out for a long brisk walk for a change of pace from my shorter but more intense workouts.

Very Consistent Split Times
My 6 miles consisted of three laps of my 1.1 mile course and 3 laps of my 0.9 mile course. My pace was very consistent. I covered the 1.1 mile distance in just under 19 minutes, with the 2nd and 3rd trips faster than the 1st one. The 0.9 mile course took my just under 16 minutes, with the 2nd and 3rd trips likewise a bit faster than the 1st. All in all, my split times were consistently within about 25 seconds of each other, so I was walking at a very consistent pace over the entire six miles, with a slight speed up as I got into it and warmed up a bit. I finished very strong and was pleased with that.

Comparison With Last Summer's Walking Pace
My times today were faster than my walking times last summer. When I began walking last July, my 1.1 mile course usually took me about 20 or 21 minutes. And I was really huffing and puffing to pull that off - and it really tired me out. Today I easily bested that pace, and over a total distance of 6 miles, not just 1.1 miles. Likewise, my old 0.9 mile times usually ran 17 or 18 minutes, compared with today's 16 minutes or less. (I came pretty close to finishing the last 0.9 loop in 15 minutes.)

So nowadays, I can walk much farther for a longer total time, at a faster pace, and with far less effort and work than I could last summer. So all in all, I am pretty pleased with this progress.

Rugby Applications
While I don't plan on doing Long Steady Distance workouts like this very often, this does have some applications towards my future goals. During the two 40 minute halves of a rugby game, rubgy players walk, jog, and run about 6 miles. While I didn't cover my 6 miles today in 80 minutes - far from it - I did get a little experience in covering the total distance, which is helpful conditioning of a sort. I have a long ways to go though, until I am ready for a proper game. Among other things, in between all that running, jogging, and walking; there is a lot of tacking, rucking, mauling, and scrumming. So I'll have to work on my power, strength, and speed; as well as endurance in the coming months and years.

Thank You Prowler
I think my past few weeks of Prowler sprinting really helped out today. I took the hills with good speed today, and they didn't tire me out at all, not even on the last lap. In fact, the last lap, which was my hilly 0.9 mile course, was my fastest pace of the day, and the end of it is nothing but uphill. I think the Prowler has done a lot to toughen me up, because today's workout just wasn't all that hard. Yet I know for a fact that it would not have been able to do it last year. These are the benefits of losing 120 pounds and doing lots of Prowler Sprints.

And to finish off on a rugby note, yeah, Prowler Sprints will no doubt help me a lot there too. Especially as I have the size and frame for a forward - the big guys who bend over and bind into the scrum and push forward very hard. Prowler workouts play directly into that specific sport movement. This Sports Science Rugby Video (WFS) demonstrates the scrum for those who are curious to know what they are about.

Soreness?
I have a blister on the underside of my right foot, on the front pad just behind the toes - my shoe wasn't tied tightly enough. It isn't too bad. My hips joints are a wee bit sore, and I am debating whether or not to take any ibuprofen. Otherwise, I did quite well, and I think I'll go find something to do after I take a shower.

Walk - 6.0 Flat and Hilly Miles

• Time: 104 Minutes - 3.46 MPH
• Heart Rate: n/a

[Mara Rozitis]

Like Arturo, I'm just checking in and leaving a little encouragement behind. Way to keep on pugging away at it, Luke! I'm pretty sure I couldn't keep going if all I only did home based workouts. Great discipline.

As a change for your Prowler routine (and to give you even better conditioning) I would recommend doing some workouts where you keep your rest time constant between sprints, even if you haven't fully recovered. This sucks even more that the way you're doing it, and I guarantee you'll be exhausted sooner, effectively lowering your volume. I think you can handle it at this point.

Keep up the great work!