Rowed 5000m last night and shoveled for an hour in “tidy Tuesday” at work. My shoulder is painful this morning as a result.

It is times like these when I need to constantly revisit my motivation and stay positive. Diet tends to suffer on days like this. I need to at least get a run in today.

Here we go.

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I was very nervous before my match.  My opponent drilled hyper-actively and aggressively with his team mate in the waiting area before our match.  I was pretty intimidated.

At the weigh in I was 3.5 lbs under which was lighter than I expected.  I drank a sports drink and ate my 3 gels.  Fortunately everything was behind schedule and I could feel my energy systems starting to come online fairly soon after.

When we were called to the mat my opponent spent the last minutes bouncing up and down while I stood flat footed and immobile.  It might not be optimal but it is optimal for me.

The match was a bit of a blur.  I was careful not to waste energy I knew I didn’t have.  The messy takedown was awarded to my opponent and he ended up in my full guard.  That was where he stayed.  I kept him broken down.  When he stood in my guard I grabbed his ankles or legs and tried to sweep but he managed to block every time.  I broke his posture when he tried a collar choke and I came very close to choking him with the tails of his own Gi.  I was awarded three advantage points for some reason.   He tried to push my guard of with an arm back, but I was afraid to try for the triangle because he was strong and I wanted him to tire a bit more so that I could be sure I could hold his head.  Time ran out and he won with his takedown points.

Wow.  I was scared.  But I did it.

So now I’ll get back to a healthier diet.  I’m going to stay at this weight but I want to trade the remainder of my fat for some muscle and hover right at the border of my weight class on the high end.  That means I can actually gain a few pounds.

In terms of BJJ.  Open mat, drilling, drilling.  I want to abandon the closed guard for a while now and focus on butterfly, sweeps, and drilling for muscle memory of triangles, chokes and armbars.

Workouts are going to be almost exclusively strength and crossfit.

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For me the BMW is out.  But I wouldn’t turn down a Prius if it fell in my lap.  Success for me is the act of meeting a challenge.  It’s figuring out calculus with my son 20 years after I last cracked a book.  It is consciously choosing  what workout is appropriate and then going hard.  And lately it has been the challenge of cutting weight.

I am now at target and I count that fact as a success.  Next challenge?

The weight was lost by mixing equal parts of:

1. Intermittent fasting (“Fast 5“)
2. Running, BJJ, Crossfit
3. Willpower and desire

This last item was the key.  I have “tried” many times to get lean.  As Yoda says, “Do or do not, there is no try”.

The highs and lows of cutting 14 lbs in a month?

• Ketosis results in bad breath
• Low blood sugar results in a lack of energy, bad moods and yes, the odd dizzy spell when I stand up.
• The diet frightens everyone who is eating normally.  The level of discipline required makes me appear as if I have an eating disorder.
• When I did eat, energy came back FAST
• My clothes fit better
• Inflammation from injuries seems to subside faster
• Cravings for junk food are replaced with cravings for more healthful fare
• Food tastes better

I still carry some fat around my waist and my BMI is 23.6, which is described as being on the high side of normal.  So I can lose more fat if I want without being unhealthy.   My next challenge will be replacing the fat with some muscle.  But that is another story.

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This morning at my weigh in… 160 lbs and 10% body fat.  I started at 174.5 and 22.5% on March 24th.  My scale is only accurate in relative terms (I am guessing BF is more like 13%) but progress has been made.  I was 26 years old the last time I saw this type of number on the scale.  For those of you who can’t do math, that was 20 years ago.

Thank you for putting up with my grumpy mood and crazy eating habits during this effort.  You know who you are!

Shoulder hurts.  Darn.

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I went for a run to avoid aggravating my shoulder.

Cloth chokes last night at Martial Arts Planet.  Now I’m going to be wary when someone untucks my Gi.  One arm cross collar grab, the other arm wraps the tails of their Gi around their neck.  Rolled with Chris, Nick, Greg and Sheldon.  Sheldon has some nice butterfly sweeps.

My shoulder is *&^$% sore.  Ice and early (for me) to bed.

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With this in mind, I am now ready to transition from my intermittent fasting intervention to a longer term diet which serves to support an increase in strength while minimizing excess fat.  This means some research and experimentation.  My preliminary thoughts are to combine aspects of different diets, tailoring my eating to my activities.  Endurance activities require a different fuel than recovery etc.  The Hormone Diet, The Paleo Diet, Intermittent Fasting, all have concepts that may apply.

What is certain is that I am going to attempt to eat organic foods to the extent that I can afford them.  I am going to limit dairy, breads, starches, sugars to the point where they are exceptions.   Nutrient dense foods with a balanced approach to mixing carbs, protein and fats.  This is the Quality Aspect.

Quantity-wise.  North Americans eat too much.  It is a cultural phenomenon.  We take in more than we need on a daily basis.  I have read that about 70% of our calories come from refined sugars (snacks, desserts, soda, etc. ), refined/whole grains (cereals, bread, cake, pasta, etc.), vegetable oils (deep fried foods, packaged foods, salad dressings, etc. ), dairy products (milk, cream, cheese), and alcohol .  All of these foods are high in calories and not very filling because they are deficient in fiber.  So we eat high quantities of low quality foods.

Finally, determination to succeed is really all that is needed to be curious about diet and to drive a move to more rational eating.  The mind is primary

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1. Plan A – don’t gain the weight in the first place – control what I put in my mouth
2. The body mass index charts will have me freakishly thin if I get even close to the low side of normal.
3. There are hidden calories everywhere.  Count calories.  Don’t forget my cooking oil, butter etc.  It adds up.
4. Don’t drink any calories.  Water is my friend.  Sometimes drinking water relieves hunger pains.
5. There is no substitute for willpower and desire.  If I can’t restrict how much I eat, it’s because I lack the desire to get lean.
6. My battle is primarily a mental one.  As soon as I realize that, I seem to be able to find vast supply of energy I didn’t know I had.
7. Intermittent fasting works for me.  19 hours of fasting (water, black coffee or tea) followed by a 5 hour eating window where I eat responsibly.
8. Junk food is everywhere.  The grocery store is a minefield.  I have to read labels.  It’s a pain.  But when I realize what’s in what I eat, I put most of it right back on the shelf.
9. Restaurants are very difficult.  I steer away from them if I can.  If I can’t, then I leave things on the plate that have no nutritional merit.  Like French fries.  Sushi is a big weakness.  The key is to order less than I could eat.
10. When I am down to fighting weight – I will stay there.

If it were easy – everyone would do it.

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I am STILL doing the Fast 5 Intermittent Fast.  Who would have guessed?    How I last until a measly sub-1000 calorie dinner every day I’ll never know.   My scale vacillates at present between 165.5 and 164 but is steadfastly convinced that body-fat is at 12.5%.  It’s full of electronics so I know it’s wrong.   My face does look a lot thinner in the mirror and I have tightened my belt a notch.  I can pull my size 32 jeans over my hips without undoing them so the belt is mandatory.  I think the last time I was sub-32 was in my 20′s.  Cool.

In any case, there are times when I am hungry and long stretches where I am not.  Staying hydrated seems to help.  I seem to be able to run and work out at the usual intensity levels, a fact that baffles me.

In any case, once my tournament is done I will stop the intermittent fast but I do not plan to gain back any fat.  I may gain weight… but it will be muscle.

Right now I am nursing a sore shoulder and a stomach full of dinner.  I’ll kill some time on my guitar before my workout.

Cheers

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We worked a wrestling throw at BJJ at Martial Arts Planet today.  James taught and did a good job.  I was 167.5 on the nose wearing my Gi on the scale at the club which is the limit for the lightweight class. So another week of cutting should do the trick.  I’ve never seen this kind of progress before and the jury is out as to why it is working this time round.

Then I went for a run.  Broke my fast with a protein shake.

Tonight Annette are going to take a stab at the protein bar recipe below.

I am still on the intermittent fast.  I was down a total of 6.5 lbs yesterday.  That puts me 3.5 lbs below competition weight.  My Gi weighs 4 Lbs so I have another couple of lbs to go.

I did a “300″ workout yesterday.

• 25 pull ups
• 50 floor wipers (abs)
• 50 clean and jerk (35 lb kettlebell)
• 50 dead lifts (130 lbs)
• 50 push ups
• 50 box jumps
• 25 pull ups

It’s a Gym Jones workout.  Speaking of Gym Jones.  They have a recipe for protein bars here.  The basics I copied below but there are pics on their site.

Ingredients:
1 cup protein powder (we prefer whey instead of soy for this use)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 organic almond butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 9×13 baking pan w/parchment paper.

2. Mix together the protein powder, flour, oats, wheat bran, wheat germ, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the dried fruit.

3. Combine the apple sauce, yogurt, almond butter, and vanilla into a second bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix with your hands until thoroughly blended and dough-like.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, pressing into place with your hands. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and cut into bars. Place the bars on a baking tray and bake for another 12-15 minutes, or until golden around the edges.

Wrap individual bars in plastic film or foil. Plastic allows easy identification when you have several types of bars around. Neat foil envelopes are easier to open one-handed on the bike.

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My strategy for the tournament is pretty sketchy because I have never competed:

• I will prepare by rolling as much as possible over the next couple of weeks.
• Mentally I need to be more the attacker than the defender.  Better by far to never have to dig myself out of a tough position.
• I will focus on a combination of cardio to shed the last bit of weight (I need to be 167.5 lbs wearing my Gi)
• and on power endurance workouts (Crossfit and Gym Jones style)  lasting more than 5 minutes
• I’ll also make sure I include exercises emphasizing grip strength, bridging power, hamstrings for the guard,  and abdominals
• I’ll try to get more sleep.

Aidan’s Gi is torn up past repair so I ordered him a new one.  A Keiko Raca black Kimono.  He really wanted black.  You pretty much need 3 Gi’s each in order to stay ahead of the laundry.  He loves his Howard Combat Kimono but I always imagine it would feel like wearing a kevlar weightvest.

Here’s a pic of me back in February trying for an omoplata from rubber guard.  My fingers are as bad now as they were then.  Healing is slow.

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