New experiment, observational in nature.
Seeking to determine if I can keep the weight off through the dark fall & winter months. Through parties to stave off the sadness of night, our upcoming cruise ride, thanksgiving and friendsgiving, christmas and new years. Through friends visiting and spring festivals.
As an observational experiment, I won't put anything on the line. Not even ego. It would be best if the experiment could be conducted by someone other than me, but close enough. This isn't for publication.
While I'll do daily weigh ins, I'll publish them weekly. Because bodies are unpredictable, I'll have a five pound buffer. That is, I am considered to have kept the weight off for another week so long as the measurement on Sunday is below 205 pounds.
These weigh ins have three categories:
Under 205: Success
Under 205 after morning exercise: Conditional success.
Over 205: Failure
Yesterday, initial measurement was > 205. After running a 5k, measurement was < 205. This is a conditional success.
So far, so good!
Wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
While your mileage may vary, it's worth knowing that you may be fighting a metabolic headwind that is not just about willpower. Many (perhaps most, I'm not an expert) bodies want to put on lovely insulating fat when the days start getting darker and colder.
ReplyDeleteThe plus side of that is that if you're at 205 around the end of February, it doesn't take as much willpower to drop to 195 by the start of April than it would in most months.
Tony Lower-Basch Yep. Agreed on all counts: The urge to cocoon myself against the darkness isn't merely societal, it is hardwired genetically.
ReplyDeleteSo, we'll see. Like I said, this isn't even about ego, it is just about observations. What will happen? I've no idea.
And I'm looking to find out!
Tony Lower-Basch Bodies cannot vary the amount of energy they consume, at least not significantly. If they could, those bodies which would always save most would have been at an advantage almost at every point in human, no, in lifes history, which they probably were and every metabolism wasting energy at times got extinct. Thus there isn't any significant physical change of our metabolism in winter. Maybe psychological, idk. But our metabolism doesn't change, it always wants to put on lovely insulating fat.
ReplyDeleteMichel Kangro: Awww, you've discovered how very flexible evolutionary biology is as a rhetorical bludgeon. That's adorable.
ReplyDeleteNow I know we've had a warm spell this week, but remember that it's getting colder. Take your sweaters out of storage, and give them a good airing. I wouldn't want you to catch cold, dear.
Tony Lower-Basch I seem to detect an excess amount of irony. Maybe you should have that looked at. ;-)
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you are interested in actual exchange of argument or just ridiculing, but I was talking about that our bodies are very good at making energy out of everything we put inside it. Our bodies also use as little energy as possible at any time and store anything else. Disagreeing with anything here?
Tony Lower-Basch Be nice. I don't believe Michael is trying to win an argument, but is saying what he believes / has been taught / has experienced / desires to exchange ideas and come closer to truth.
ReplyDeleteI feel like you've been on edge online for a few weeks. I thiiiink it is election related. The analogy in my head is to the West Wing -- Toby in season 2, shouting at Josh and CJ. If I didn't know you had a support network, I'd be worried about you. Maybe breathe, take a break.
William Nichols: I'm actually trying a technique that was recommended me, specifically for not getting put further on edge by such call-outs.
ReplyDeleteIf you feel that Michel is saying something relevant to your experiment, or to your lived experience of dealing with the balance of appetite, perceived energy, exercise and external stimulus ... well, enjoy the conversation.
But when he calls me out by name with that particular brand of argumentation, all he's going to get from me is an avuncular pat on the cheek.
On the experiment, here's what I expect:
ReplyDelete-- less sunlight. With less sunlight, less happiness and more apathy. In short, seasonal affective.
-- Cold. With increased cold and decreased sun, less incentive to run outside.
-- Shifting to the treadmill, and eventually stopping.
-- Increased eating. Not necessarily appetite, as I will be eating without hunger. Rather, eating to fill the void left behind by the sun. Eating for satisfaction, rather than for satiation.
... all of which combines into weight gain. There's perfectly good arguments for why this should or shouldn't be, but this lines up with my experiences in the past.
Fucking winter. At least I can reasonably wear sweaters. I like sweaters.
Speaking of, I am in the market for a new sweater. Full zipper, wool. I find a new one every other year or so.
William Nichols Sorry for derailing the reports of your experiment. I didn't want to pick a fight and didn't know that I was using a "particular brand of argumentation". I learned a lot about how our bodies respond to supply of food in the last weeks and felt the, maybe mislead, need to spread that knowledge, particularly becaus I believe there is a lot of false or half-knowledge out there.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in reaching your goal.
Tony Lower-Basch Sorry if you felt called out. I did not want to. I wanted to spread knowledge to someone that I felt got something wrong. And just as a tiny little side remark, who also called someone out on the internet with what he believes was knowledge. Maybe we step off each others toes and - if you are interested in sincere exchange of arguments, we go on, if not, then we don't, no harm done.
All good?