Jim T’s Journey – Week 3
“It’s the end of our third week together, sounds like a relationship but it is I suppose. Time to see if everything is going well and see if the stag do has done any damage but to be fair Jim has smashed it these last 10 days so I’m thinking it’s gonna be good.
With out further a do I give you Jim…”
Week 3 – The Myth of fat free chocolate and how to make a Chinese fry up!
Its always the way, you kick the booze as part of you carb free way of life, and then team GB start showering us with gold… suddenly the streets are full of after-work drinkers enjoying what will probably be the English summer.
Not to be bested, I went into research mode and found out some interesting facts:
A recent article in Mens Health highlighted the fact that most of the calories in your favourite tipple comes from the ethanol (pure alcohol) with a value of 7 calories per gram as opposed to carbs which contain just 4? So there is no point looking for that Miller Light, or low carb drink if the AVB is still high.
What happens is, your body prioritises the alcohol above everything else, sugar, carbs, protein, all of it … it goes straight through. Happy days right… wrong! Because your liver can only handle 1 unit of ethanol per hour, it takes that on board and sends the rest back round you system, happily depositing fat and toxins and all sorts.
So… in theory then, 1 shot of vodka, shoved in a pint of soda water, drunk over 1 hour should be a winner, guilt free boozing, the perfect solution… so I gave it a go, and, well it wasn’t.
The thing is BEER is for us as chocolate is for girls… it’s more, so much more, than the simple sum of it parts. It fulfills a primal need… and coming up with some ‘technically’ workable solution I imagine is exactly the same as eating half fat chocolate if you’re a girl, totally pointless. I want beer, not a lightly flavoured fizzy water!
Oh well beer, we will meet again! For those struggling in the first two weeks, here is another Men’s Health article that might put you off even after you have completed the programme http://www.menshealth.co.uk/healthy/addictions/binge-benefits-13283?click=main_sr
So, back to the exercise. Admittedly not getting the diet right until week two has thrown me out a week in terms of weight loss… BUT the increase in protein has massively improved my energy levels, and the result is really noticeable improvements in the gym… I even brought my kit in on a non training day to see if I could get in another session if Tim had any cancellations that day (sad I know)
AND I feel great, honestly, my energy levels, not just in the gym, but also through out the day have increased, and My fitness Pal has really come into its own.
Managing my protein intake Vs Fat Vs Carbs is a bit like playing Premier Manger, its become an obsession, where I routinely check potential meals against the days intake to see how they stack up… and then work a plan through the week, focusing in variety, different types of fats, and most bizarrely what I eat for breakfast.
Which brings me neatly to how to make a Chinese Fry up! Basically it’s a prawn stir-fry with a little sprinkle of soy sauce genius eh! OK it’s a bit weird, but then, how is it any weirder than bacon eggs and a bowl of cereal… and the stats: 197 cals, 10 carbs, 2 fat, and 27 protein.
How do like them apples!
Stats achieved in the 1st 3 week period
Weight lost – 4kg, Waist – 7cm lost & body fat dropped 5%