No Excuses, But I’m Back

It’s been another six months since I’ve published anything here and I’m not going to make excuses. I’d love to blame COVID-19, but besides the fact that a lot more people are running around the house on the day-to-day, I don’t even have that to blame.

No, I was just a lazy sack of shit.

OK, that’s not exactly fair. I’ve been busy, sure. Not too busy to write here, but I’ve been busy in other ways. I still haven’t trained worth a damn, though HEMA classes are back on the menu thankfully.

Yet over the last few weeks, I’ve felt that gnawing inside of me, that thing that tells me I need to train again. Not just with a longsword or some other weapon–and I’ve done some other weapons from Fiore’s treatises–but something far more physical.

So, it’s time to start easing back in.

Now, let’s lay everything out like it should be.

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When It Comes To Weight Loss, I Give Up

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I give up. I absolutely give up when it comes to weight loss.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m not giving up on continuing losing weight. I’m giving up on understanding anything at all about the process.

I think I need to back up a bit and explain.

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Reverse Diet Update: Week 2

My reverse diet was born out of necessity. Mostly because I was stupid.

Now, however, it’s an interesting experience for me and provides me with some useful information on my own weight loss. You see, while I was maintaining ridiculously low calories, I wasn’t losing much in the way of weight. Not really.

I went into what I discovered about my eating previously. While I said I wasn’t worried about the scale, that wasn’t completely true. I’m trying to lose weight, after all, so of course, I’m worried about it.

But what I’ve seen has been pretty good so far.

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The Dangerous Nature Of ‘Ideal Weight’

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A lot of times, when someone is first starting to try and combat their weight, they take to the internet and look up their ideal weight. They want to know just what they’re supposed to weigh for their height.

After all, don’t doctors use this? Isn’t this closely tied to the Body Mass Index (BMI)?

To some extent, that’s true. But focusing on your ideal weight can be dangerous at the end of the day.

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Metabolic Damage And Why I’m Not Worrying About The Scale Anymore

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What is “metabolic damage?” That may be what you’re asking right now. I get it.

Metabolic damage is a term used to describe a series of metabolic adaptations to dieting. In particular, adaptations which drive caloric requirements well below typical maintenance levels for a given body weight.

Some people don’t think it’s a real thing. I tend to disagree.

Why?

Because I’m pretty sure I’m suffering from metabolic damage right now.

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Weight Loss And Weight Training

 

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Something that’s happened to me, and I’ve noticed it in some others, is that while engaged in weight training, weight loss seems to slow to a trickle. This is upsetting for many, and for good reason. If your goal is to lose weight, do you really want to lift and slow your progress?

Of course you should, despite the slowed progress. Here’s why.

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Fat Acceptance And The Future Of Humanity

Are we doomed to be the humans in Wall-E, or is there a choice?

(Photo by cocoparisienne from Pixabay )

I get where the fat acceptance movement gets it’s motivation from. It annoys me, particularly as a former fat guy, but I get it. There are people who want to treat those who are overweight as subhuman filth. They’re mean, cruel people.

But the problem is that fat acceptance isn’t really the answer to this issue. Instead, it’s going to take us places that we, as a society, shouldn’t want to go.

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Mindset: Where The Head Goes, The Rest Follows

And where those explorations are taking me, personally.

I’ve spent way too much time lately talking about kettlebells and losing weight lately. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with those things, but I can’t neglect the mind and how we think about things.

You see, there’s something to be said for the phrase, “Where the head goes, the ass follows.” If you get your head wrapped around things correctly, you’re far more likely to actually do those things.

Your mindset determines everything.

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Managing A Sweet Tooth While Losing Weight

Losing weight may well be the most popular dream in the country right now.

I say it’s a dream only because so few people take any concrete steps along the way. When you ask them, they’ll make any number of comments, but for a lot, it really boils down to how they can manage their sweet tooth while trying to lose weight.

I get it.

Part of the allure of flexible dieting was the fact that I didn’t have to completely ignore sweets if I wanted them. While I don’t have a major sweet tooth, there are times I like a good treat. Who doesn’t?

But that means finding a way to make it work. Here are my suggestions.

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How Shaping Habits Helps Fitness Goals

90 Percent.

That’s the number of people who lose weight, only to put it all back on. I’ve been part of that number before, and it sucks. But there’s always a lot of discussion as to why that is.

Some argue it’s purely a matter of biology:

Unfortunately, these insights into how our bodies work have not led to reliable interventions to control them. Two lessons are clear. First, people do not regain weight because they lack willpower. Instead, powerful biological responses counter their best efforts at every turn.

But is that right?

I don’t think so, and here’s why.

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