What the Hell..?!

As I mentioned in my previous post, my back gave way about 2 weeks ago and I have stopped all physical activity except for some light walking/hiking and my ballroom class (more about ballroom next time). Most of that time was spent catching up on downloaded TV shows and resting. Basically inactivity lah.

Before the injury I weighed about 75kg, my new weight after all the rich foods I ate in Beijing (along with some muscle I put on at the gym there). It stayed at that level even when I went back to my previous activity level (3-4 classes/week).

However, I weighed myself this morning and was shocked to see the scale read..... 71.5kg! Huh? I was expecting 75kg or even more, because my food intake remained consistent while my activity level dropped off a cliff. So where did the 3.5kg go?

The logical deduction is that I lost most of the muscle gains I made in the past 4 months. A quick check with my Body Fat % gadget (hardly accurate) shows that I have reduced my fat % too. So the real answer is probably a bit of both.

In addition, I'll be taking the upcoming long weekend to do a 3 day detox. Besides cleansing my colon, it will inevitable obliterate some fat storage and (unfortunately) more muscle mass. Based on my detox experience last year, I should go back to my original weight of 70.5 to 71kg.

This post is an extremely long way of saying - Operation: Eat has been reset. I'll have to start Season 2 after the detox and I've recovered from my back. Sigh.

Final Tally

Throughout my stay in Beijing, my weight has fluctuated wildly, no thanks to the constant intake of rich foods. Just before I left, the apartment's electronic weighing machine was screaming "78kg!!!!!!!!!!!' mockingly to my face. Sometimes even 79. And there was once it read 80.0 after a particularly heavy lunch.

But now that I'm back, I can re-calibrate with my own weighing machine. And that one reads 75kg this morning. Whew! 3kg, I can deal with. I have a little small tummy protruding out that I'm keeping where it belongs by sucking my breath in. Rather die from asphyxia than embarassment. Anyway, once I'm back to my usual diet and schedule of workouts, I hope to slowly burn that 3kg of fat away, and replace it with 2kg of muscle.

This would be my Operation: Eat Stage 3!

Under Control

At my last weigh-in, I'm hovering around 75kg. This is good - at least I know I'm not balooning uncontrollably! With less than 4 weeks before I return, it's time to shake off unresponsible eating behaviour and get back on the fitness circuit!

75.5 kg

My weight is now around 75.5 kg. This is a number I haven't seen for many, many years. Have I gained more lean mass? Yes, but I won't be certain until I get home and use my body fat percentage gadget.

I can certainly say my belly is a bit rounder (even after framing myself in the best possible angle), and it's a bit more jiggly (oh no!). I'm mostly walking around with my stomach sucked in to prevent an unsightly bulge.

On the other hand, the endless walking I'm forced to do has firmed up my quads, and I'm also gaining strength from my weight training. The question is: what's the ratio between muscle/fat gain?

One thing is certain though: I'll need a short detox when I get home to clean out the junk in my digestive system! I can't ever remember a time in my life where I regularly and constantly consumed so much food!

Makan Makan Makan

Operation: Eat is becoming a huge success over here in Beijing! I'm now around 75kg, which means I gained almost 3kg within a month! This is getting very near to my goal, so now I'm beginning Phase 2 and started regular weight training at my apartment gym.

I'm thinking this last minute business trip is becoming a huge blessing in disguise. First, my meals are paid so that can only mean one thing. I eat buffet breakfast every single morning, plus a huge lunch and hearty dinner. The gym is just a lift ride down to the basement, so there's no place for excuses like "... but it's so far....." The gym is deserted most of the time so there's no rushing for equipment and self-conscious feelings.

So far... me likey. Let's see how much muscle I can gain before I return and resume a poor diet...

Leaving

In a few more hours I'll have to wake up and get ready for my business trip to Beijing. So many things to worry about that I haven't had time to reflect. But here are my general goals during my trip:

1. Improve my spoken Mandarin
2. Thanks to the paid meals, I can afford to eat heartily everyday. So gotta take this chance to bulk up. Operation:Eat ain't over! It's just going international.
3. Visit some tourist sites, though I don't know how much free time I actually have.
4. Learn up some old BodyJam releases. Free from the pressures of clearance and 2 classes/week, I should spend time becoming a better dancer.

Stay safe till I'm home!

Side Effects

At my last weigh-in, I've gained another kilo to settle at 72.5kg with 16.5% bodyfat.

It's not without side-effects:

1. I can't fucking wear my skin tight Nike Pro Fit top coz of the slight bulge in the tummy. (Tummy!! Tummy! Not the pants!!!)
2. My stamina is blown to hell. Getting sluggish. Last night I could barely survive though my tracklist which was only 50% dance and 50% cardio. How the hell am I gonna survive my next 100% cardio release?

Action plan:

1. Hit the weights more often!
2. Make the time to practice my class and BodyJam more
   

Operation Updates

[Corrections 20/4/2009: I got different measurements over the next few days and the actual update should read "gained 0.5kg and currently 16.3% body fat". Oops.]

On Tuesday I weighed myself and I've gained 1kg and currently around 14.5% body fat. I think this is a good start - my digestive system is behaving normally (though I'm visiting the toilet very frequently!) and I have no problems getting the urge to eat.

The focus now is to maintain course and keep close watch on my body fat percentage. I know it's impossible to just gain pure muscle when putting on mass; I just need to make sure it's a sensible gain! For me, that means not exceeding 16%.

Guilty Pangs

In my quest to gain weight by consuming more food, especially quality protein, I hope I don't forget why I was once vegetarian-inclined: animals do feel pain when killed to become our food!

Lobsters and Crabs Feel Pain, Study Shows

Excerpt:

Elwood and Appel gave small electric shocks to some of the crabs within their shells. When the researchers provided vacant shells, some crabs -- but only the ones that had been shocked -- left their old shells and entered the new ones, showing stress-related behaviors like grooming of the abdomen or rapping of the abdomen against the empty shell.

Grooming, as for a person licking a burnt finger, "is a protective motor reaction and viewed as a sign of pain in vertebrates," the researchers wrote.

It has been thought that the behavior of crustaceans is mostly reflexive, but the fact that they showed signs of physical distress at the same time they changed a behavior -- in this case, moving into another shell -- suggest they feel pain as well, according to the researchers.

...

In the past, some scientists reasoned that since pain and stress are associated with the neocortex in humans, all creatures must have this brain structure in order to experience such feelings. More recent studies, however, suggest that crustacean brains and nervous systems are configured differently. For example, fish, lobsters and octopi all have vision, Elwood said, despite lacking a visual cortex, which allows humans to see.

It was also thought that since many invertebrates cast off damaged appendages, it was not harmful for humans to remove legs, tails and other body parts from live crustaceans. Another study led by Patterson, however, found that when humans twisted off legs from crabs, the stress response was so profound that some individuals later died or could not regenerate the lost appendages.

Say a prayer for that delicious shrimp salad you're about to bite into, mm'kay?

Elsewhere: "Do fish feel pain?"

Jom Makan!

Seems like my body is adapting to the increased food intake, so I'm slowly getting ready to resume Operation: Eat.

On Sunday night I had: BBQ chicken drumstick, char koay kak, or chien (oyster omelette), yam cake, economy rice with 3 veges, steamed corn, and ham chim peng (deep-fried pastry with red bean filling). All washed down with a glass of warm barley. Before you freak out I shared most of the food with other people as well so it's not like I single-handedly tackled everything. Still, I had a filling meal and it definitely didn't cost as much as going for a buffet.

I proceeded to have a lovely time in the toilet on Monday morning.

Three Pronged Approach

I'm slowly bouncing back from my case of persistent diarrhea. I think my commenters were right is saying that I was probably stressing my digestive system with a sudden influx of FOOD.

Anyway, I'm still maintaining a steady stream of calories into my body, but I'm taking a few steps to help it along:

1. Chewing my food properly: I admit I'm a quick eater, gulping down food like I've been starving since 1985. But now I'm making a conscious effort to get at least 30 chews before swallowing it down. Why? Chewing breaks down food into mush that is easier to digest, and saliva contains important enzymes to begin the process. By rushing my chewing, I'm missing an important step in nutrient absorbtion.
2. Taking a probiotic supplement every morning: My Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) might be caused by unsavoury bacteria lurking around. The probiotics I'm taking have about 16 strains of beneficial gut bacteria that should help to keep my stomach healthy from all the food I'll be wolfing down. A common criticism of probiotic supplements is that stomach acid kills most of them before they reach the colon... I just hope my supplement is good enough to survive that.
3. Taking an enzyme supplement after certain meals: I'm guessing that my body has not been producing enough enzymes to deal with the sudden influx of food, hence it was unable to absorb many nutrients. I'm hoping this enzyme supplement goes a long way in encouraging my body to start producing more and also break down the carb- and protein-rich foods. Again, the questions with such supplements are: "Is the dosage enough to make a difference?" and "Is it effective when introduced artificially?" I can only hope.

Put on Hold

Well, barely 1 week into Operation: Eat and I have to suspend it temporarily. I'm still having diarrhea though I'm not (trying my best) taking any dairy products.

Chronic diarrhea can indicate any number of scary problems, so I have to go cure this before I strain my digestive system with all the extra food I'm planning to eat.

Lactose Intolerant?

I love milk.

In my formative school years, breakfast cereal was my staple food before going to class. My early favourites were Kellog's Frosties, Honey Stars, and Coco Crunch. As I grew into my teens I went for more nutritious cereals which had more natural ingredients like wheat and nuts instead of just sugared flour.

I stopped that habit in my college years but maintained my love for yogurt and cheese somewhat. Recently I'm trying to get back to cereals for breakfast as I can't keep eating instant noodles first thing in the morning!

Recently however, I've been having mild diarrhea throughout the day. I'm not running to the loo every 30 minutes, but when I do go what comes out is hardly.... firm? Substantial? Not sure the right word.

I have a nagging feeling it's the milk I'm drinking. As part of my efforts to increase my caloric intake, I turned to the ever convenient powdered milk. Whenever I feel a hunger pang, I can get 159 calories just by mixing in some hot water.

Anyway, I noticed that when I have milk I will get some minor stomach ache and am more likely to visit the outhouse. Suspecting lactose intolerance, I have ceased eating any dairy products at the moment to see if my condition improves. In addition, I'm taking a probiotic supplement every morning to try to hasten my recovery from diarrhea.

I don't have a definite conclusion yet, but I'll definitely be disappointed if I have turned lactose intolerant. Milk has been such a big part of my formative life, and though biologically speaking there's no reason for me to be drinking milk anymore it's found in so many of my favourite foods that it could become a practical problem.

3500

From my research so far, I need to consume an extra 3500 calories to gain an extra pound. Since my goal is to gain about 1 pound per week, that means I have to consume an additional 3500 calories/week on top of my maintenance levels.

3500 may sound like a small number but just see how much food one needs to take to fill 3500 kcal: Sample 3500 calorie diet. Granted, I'm supposed to spread that amount of food over the entire week, but here's the catcher: I'm barely reaching my daily maintenance calories.

So, on top of eating an extra 500 kcal a day (3500/7) I have to make sure I reach my maintenance level as well.

The first step towards that is to make sure I have six filling meal times a day: breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, tea, dinner, and supper. On days that I workout or teach I may have a late dinner, so I must remember to compensate by having more food at 3pm.

I feel a little grumbling in my tummy - off to find something to munch on! Of course I know it's not just about calories, but where those calories come from. Clean and dirty calories will be a future post.

Operation: Eat

Gotten so bored with the template that I've changed it again. You may have trouble viewing the quick links at the top in IE. Well, here's my tech support: Use Firefox/Chrome/Safari.

Anyway, besides being busy with BodyJam 48, I now have another long-term project that most people can only dream about: EAT! The mission, that I've chosen to accept, is simple: gain 10 pounds (4.5 kg) over the next 3 months. This comes up to about gaining 1 pound a week.

I've created a new tag (operationeat) to chronicle my journey. It's all accessible from the header now.

I guess the main question is why the sudden change in attitude from my previous rant?

Well, I found a nice tool online (WebMD Food & Fitness Planner). It's a free tool that allows me to search for foods I've eaten and lists out the calories and nutritional information of those items. So I journaled my eating for a few days and was surprised to find that I'm undereating. Technically speaking, I'm taking in fewer calories than I burn everyday, thus accounting for my thin appearance!

So the mission now is to reverse that trend. I have to make a conscious effort to eat, eat, eat. In fact, I'm feeling a hunger pang right now. Off to lunch!

In my next post I will flesh out my plan of action, beginning March.

They Say...

At a gathering last night, some of the things they said...

"You should go do pushups"
"You need to eat more. Keep eating!"
"Go work on your shoulders, back, and chest"
"So-and-so said you'll look really good if you just bulk up a bit more"

All the while I just smiled, nodded, and kept quiet. Did they bother to ask what I WANTED? Did they ask if I was HAPPY right where I am now? I wished they asked that before launching into their Fitness Tip of the Night.

Now, I know that they mean well and their intentions are good, but I can't help but wonder - are they merely projecting their own insecurities onto me? All around, I see people obsessed with their weight (too fat/too thin), their love life (he loves me/he loves me not), their face (my acne is killing me), and their habits (i like smoking, so what). Has anyone bothered to ask me what's my obsession before giving (mis)guidance for my life?

When I was very young I was skinny. Then I got fat in school. In old photos I looked like I had an unhealthy tendency to store huge wads of cotton wool in my mouth. And now, somehow, I'm thin again. Frankly I've never felt better in my life. I may be thin, and I may not be well-muscled, but fuck I am damn satisfied.

My internal stats are good and I know I'm not suffering from elevated health risks as a result of obesity. I know I'm not anorexic (I don't eat something and feel disgusted with myself). I know I DON'T look in the mirror and keep telling myself to get thinner. This is just how my body is responding and I'm fine with it.

However (and this is the part where I turn my back on what I just wrote), I am a group fitness instructor. Think about it: someone who espouses fitness on the stage for gym members to emulate.

Fitness + Vanity = Not a good combination.

So, I'll give this weight gaining thing a try. I'm not looking forward to stuffing myself silly... and then forcing another mouthful just to be sure. Not looking forward to all the dead animal protein I'll be taking in. Not looking forward to all the stress that eating meat will put on my body (sorry, my liver!). Not looking forward to calculating calories and then drowning myself in milk/whey protein at night because I didn't eat enough that day.

Mamma mia, here we go again! Serves me right for choosing to join a vanity fair. Children, be warned.