I could do with one of those.
A few weeks back I thought things were going great. Until that was I went for a mountain biking session with guys after work.
Before setting out I’d have put myself as fitter than all bar two. I was wrong, I couldn’t keep up with any of them. And I’ve absolutely no idea why.
It’s not hard to count.
I was thinking along those lines. Not sure what people are doing. If you want to be accurate you absolutely can be. Otherwise you’re just cheating yourself
The anecdote isnt about someone trying to count and failing. Its one about when you’re not conscious of what you consume the recall is typically really bad leading to people massively underestimating what they are actually eating.
This is why one of the most effective short term interventions is asking people to track. Even without providing any dietary guidance on what to eat, simply putting someone in a position where they are more conscious about their consumption has been shown to cut intake, and very often in amounts similar to described in that story.
But that’s kind of an obvious thing isn’t it? Calories mount up dramatically if you don’t track. It’s easy to have things that are calorie-dense but not very filling.
And yet…
I think education about nutrition is lacking in school curricula
Then you don’t need a dietician, you need a shrink. Or an education. How can a person with an IQ over ambient temperature be unconscious of what they consume?
If only the world was as smart as you think you are
Cognitive dissonance
It’s not cognitive dissonance. If I showed you a piece of wood with a mark on it and later asked you how far from the end the mark was you would expect the eyeballed estimate to not be reliable. You wouldn’t treat that reality as some sort of failing, so why do the same with food recall?
I say it is because people subconsciously disregard caloric value of food “hoping” it won’t matter
Because they ignore that little bit of oil they’re cooking with, or the spoon of mayo, or they don’t weigh what they’re doing. It’s stupid easy to fuck up.
Id say it’s more down to guessing
Yeah, counting is easy to fuckup if you’re a fucking moron.
Just turned 60, so the thought of running any kind of distance has become less appealing.
Playing more and more golf these days, so going to put more focus on exercises more aligned to improving flexibility.
I hope to combine that with brisk walking for cardio.
Down to 6.6 now, motivation is to get sub 5.
Less obsessed with weight, more focussed on health, wellbeing and just being reasonably active.
Ok interesting week. Down to 173lbs which is about 78.5kgs. Happy but I do need to get the diet back on track a bit. Not quite as focused as I was. I still have a ways to go to reach where I’d like to be, which isn’t really linked to a weight as such anymore. I can still pinch a bit too much for my liking. To date I haven’t really paid any real attention to protein levels in my diet. It’s been quite low as I dont want to overstress my already screwed kidneys but I think there’s some room to increase some plant based proteins just to help with feeling fuller.
Also trying to work on gut health. I’m not convinced all is well in there at the moment and I’m suspecting some kind of food sensitivity or something going on.
Otherwise still exercising hard and enjoying it (sort of). Still struggling with the cycling (no overnight fix there) but went mountain biking with the lads from work on Wednesday evening again. The ride was longer and far more technical than I was expecting. We were out for 3hrs on a route that consisted of lots of narrow single track stuff comprising of loose boulders and cobbles. I’m convinced my bike is shit (and the guys I was with said so) for that kind of stuff but for the first time ever, I actually rode myself to a complete standstill. Weirdest feeling ever feeling actually 100% fine, or at least you think you are, but actually being unable to turn the pedals.
That was followed by the shitiest nights sleep ever. I’ve noticed that happens to me when I exercise to an extreme level.
All good and recovered now though
I’m down about 9kg since I was at my heaviest, maybe more. I’ve lost 7kg in the past 5 months or so whilst lifting. As a shortarse, that’s quite a good chunk.
I’m still too fat for my liking, but I’m getting there. Far more consistent with diet and training since turning 30.
I try to cut on 2000ish calories, but with plenty of activity to create a deficit - 15k+ steps per day and a lifting session more often than not. Personally, I find cardio an incredibly useful tool for weight loss, but I can’t bring myself to do it unless it’s playing a sport. I can’t reduce calories much lower than that without being very hungry.
Same. It’s a chore unless its an actual activity, for me anyway. 15k steps a day is pretty nuts by the way. I’m way off that thanks to a sitty downy job.
Sleep is massive for me. If I sleep well, I exercise better but I also control my eating better. Have a shit night and I’m in the biscuit tin faster than the Cookie Monster.
That aside time management remains my toughest challenge. I batch cook which helps but I still need to fill out the recipe bank with more simple but wholesome foods that I’m content with over the entire week. Some foods I have once and that was ok but the thought of eating it again the next day etc. just isn’t there.
I have a sit down job as well, but I also have a dog and no car. I’d rather take my dog out for a longer walk than spend an hour in the gym doing mindless cardio. Not as many calories burned, but a far more enjoyable use of my time.