Wednesday 14 May 2014

Moving House and An Experiment

Hello, again.

I begin writing this post from my phone, after getting on the train to from work.
I finished the day by paying the deposit for my new flat in Dundee - a nice two-bedroom on the third floor, a 20 minute walk from the city centre. I'm excited because this means that I no longer have to commute from my home in the wee hours of the morning; I'll have more time for training and generally doing my own thing, which I've been lacking over the last month or so.

Experiment
The experiment mentioned in the title is my attempt to figure out what exactly makes me feel ill when on carbs. I'm tired of it being an unknown.
For the next 4 days, I shall be eating everything I normally eat on a cheat-day, sans fructose. No sugar. No cakes. No fruit. No fruit juice. It's going to be lattes, pizza and potatoes all the way. I'll try to keep calories and quantities the same.
It may or may not be hell. If it is hell, I will repeat the experiment, but with gluten, at a later date.

I'm going to log my meals and symptoms as they happen below.

For science!

2014-05-14 16:50
1 Large Latte, Pumpkin
1 Ginsters Cheese Ploughmans

2014-05-14 17:10
Drowsy, Sweating

2014-05-14 18:30
8 Slices Large Italian Margherita, Pizza Hut

2014-05-14 19:30
Feeling Stuffed, Slight Stomach Pain

2014-05-14 20:30
3 Potato Scones

2014-05-14 21:00
1 Pint Ale

2014-05-15 06:00
Awake, Feeling Energetic
3 Potato Scones

2014-05-15 13:00
Giant Potato Scone

2014-05-15 16:00
Brain Hiccup, Stress, Stuttering

2014-05-15 17:35
1 Cheese Roll
1 Olive Roll
1 Tiger Roll

2014-05-15 18:11
Dark circles under eyes, worse than normal at this time of day.

2014-05-15 18:30
Drowsy, Headache

2014-05-15 19:30
Dazed, Weak Feeling
Start of GI Symptoms

2014-05-15 19:50
1 Chip Shop Chips and Macaroni Pie

2014-05-15 21:30
1 Low Carb Protein Shake
2 Bowls Homemade Rice Pudding, No Added Sugar

2014-05-16 05:10
2 Slices Cheese on Toast

Experiment Aborted
I'm done. Back on keto I go. There's a 10k run that I thought I wasn't going to be partaking in, but a place opened up and I took it. The race is on Sunday and I can't do it with my GI system messing up like it's beginning to. Starting to need the toilet quickly, and that's nooo good. Science has been done, I think. I'm reasonably confident that sucrose/fructose isn't responsible for my troubles.

That's all for now, time to get my keto on again. I think i'll have...eggs tonight :)

Monday 5 May 2014

A Month In - How Am I Doing?

It's been a month since I started commuting to my new job in Dundee (A 1:15 train ride from my fixed abode). What I can say for certain is that it can't go on forever, even if I'm currently keeping up with it. Why not? My poor body, that's why not.

I have indeed been getting leaner, which is something I've been meaning to do. However, I have been losing out from not attending the gym as often and also not getting a huge amount of sleep.
My mind is fine with the lack of sleep, but my body aches and complains and is weaker than before. I eagerly anticipate weekends, not as a chance for fun, but a chance to repair; this is surely not the way to carry on.
Fortunately, I won't be carrying on for much longer and will hopefully be getting back on track in about a month's time.
I showed up at the Gym yesterday for a session to ease myself back in after a week of walking and running, and my numbers weren't terrible. In deadlifts, I managed 8 reps of 70kg, 3 reps of 90kg and 1 good rep of 110kg. I managed a few chinups, too. Overall, nothing spectacular, but things could have been worse.

I don't feel like I've fallen off the wagon, though; there's no sense of guilt, nor any fear that I won't get back into it now. Perhaps a sign that my confidence is growing in general.

One area that's showing improvement is my running. I haven't really run for months and have started attending the weekly 5k I used to frequent, and it turns out I haven't lost too much in terms of aerobic fitness. I think it'll be a while before I beat my 22:40 PB, though.

TL;DR, I'm doing good. There are challenges, I'm meeting them and learning things. It's a bit mundane, really...