Went to the hospital, and then to the fitness centre to have my monthly tests done...
And I am happy to say that after MONTHS of suffering (I became ill around last year, late winter/early spring, and was finally diagnosed in June) this is the FIRST time I have seen ANY progress!! :D
The image below:
The left is where I first started. The right is NOW.
(Before-->After)
Overall Fitness
Score:
76 (standard) à
80 (borderline to athlete)!
Body Composition:
Weight: 58 kg à 54.7 kg (128 lbs à 121 lbs)
Muscle mass: 37.8
à 38.4
Body Fat Mass: 17.8
kg à 13.9kg (39.4 lbs à 30.8 lbs)
Body Fat %: 30.7 à 25.4 (Goal: 20%)
BMR (metabolism):
1238 cal à
1252 cal
BMI: 24.2 à 22.8
Waist: 80cm à 75cm (31.5 in – 29.5
in)
Visceral Fat Lv:
6.21 à
4.36
Waist/Hip Ratio: 0.85à 0.81 (Goal: 0.70~0.80)
Weight/Muscle/Fat
Balance (on a scale where 100% is average):
Weight: 114.9% à 108.3%
Fat: 153.4% à 119.8%
Muscle: 103.8% à 104.4%
Arm and Leg Muscle
Balance (relative to body mass):
Arm: standard à standard
Leg: Poor value à standard
Nutritional
Condition:
Protein: Standard
à Standard
Fat: High à Standard
Minerals:
Standard à
standard
Analysis (based on
BMI/BF%):
Before: Impaired
Glucose Tolernace (Lower Body) Obesity
Now: Appropriate
Summary:
Fitness Score: +4 points
Body Composition:
Weight: Lost 7
lbs total
Body Fat Mass: Lost
9 lbs of fat
Body Fat %:
Dropped 5% BF
Waist: Lost 2
inches
Visceral Fat Lv:
Down 2 levels
So what were some of the changes I made?
Well for one thing, I was forbidden to do any form of
strenuous exercise. To be honest, just walking to and from work every day was
about as much as I could handle for a while, and by the time I came home was
extremely exhausted, as if I had just run a 10K.
But I made the extra effort to wake up just a little earlier
every morning – starting from 20 min, to 30 min, to 45, and now a full hour! –
to do some easy exercise. I mostly focused on PiYo (a pilates/yoga fusion)
because of its focus on building strength flexibility and body balance, at a
more steady pace without the use of weights or hard training.
Little by little I started to add some cardio – riding my
aerobic bike a few days a week instead of yoga – making it from a mere 5 min to
about 45 min now.
I also changed my eating habits.. A LOT.
For one thing, I am pre-diabetic and glucose intolerant. I
actually CAN’T eat processed carbs and sugars without gaining weight in a second
or experiencing other kinds of physical discomforts. So, rice pasta and breads
were out. But I still needed to build muscle (especially my heart). But HOW?
I researched a bit about keto. It is actually pretty popular
with bodybuilders, and is pretty much a high fat, no carb diet. Which sounds
scary at first, but after reading the science behind it, figuring out my own
numbers, and making a plan, it all made sense! How it is actually a very
effective way to train the body to burn fats as a primary fuel source by
feeding it more fat and eliminating other fuel sources (sugar and carbs).
I was skeptical at first but desperate to try it (and lets
be honest, what would you rather have? A salad with a piece of dry chicken? Or
BACON??)
I literally dropped about 10 pounds in the first 3 weeks
eating bacon, eggs and cheese for breakfast every day, and making hamburger
patties for dinner.
The only source of carbs I allowed myself every day was my
daily Shake (not giving that up even for keto!), which still kept me under my
carb limit as long as I was very cautious about the rest of my meals. (Though
to be honest, eating all that meat and bacon and cheese every day completely
eliminated my cravings for all that other stuff… and even still today I can
stare down a whole chocolate cake and not flinch!)
Now this month, my health has improved a lot, as compared to
my last months results where, despite the fact that I thought I was doing
everything right, my condition had worsened substantially from the time I was
diagnosed.
Keto, my shakes, and the support and prayers of my friends and family have saved my life! J
And Im glad to say that I have officially been given the ok
to work out a little more, and just joined a gym the other day and started
jogging and swimming! And now during the week, I’ve upgraded my morning workout
from pilates/yoga/aerobic bike to light kickboxing and light weight lifting to
start rebuilding muscle mass and cardio strength.
So far so good!
I’m going for my 1-week progress report this weekend, and
then from there will have to weigh in monthly till I reach my goals.
The doctor predicts that my condition will come back with a vengeance
by spring, so if I take control of my body now, I can at least prepare myself
and the symptoms wont be so bad as last time.