Hans' fat loss journey

[Hans]

Like I try to breathe through my nose but I can barely get any air in. Maybe a co2 issue? During the day is fine, because I can control my breathing with willpower, but at night I suffocate and it sucks. I'm looking to get surgery to see if I can alter my septum, but it's weird to me that I can partly fix the issue by over eating. Maybe I can't store enough glucose to get through the night and so I can't make enough co2 = suffocation?

I also just get really hungry even at a moderate deficit. Again, I don't care about being hungry during the day, but at night it makes it impossible to sleep. I'll wake up from hunger, and then I have to either eat or wait an hour before my body lets me sleep again. I never used to have this before my weight gain.

Maybe I just have to push through these issues until I'm at a lower weight again.

I also used to get really hungry even by just thinking of a deficit. A lot of it has to do with the mental aspect imo. But in terms of appetite, high protein intake is very good for controlling appetite.
What foods do you overfeed on in the evening?

 

[Hans]

Embracing the deficit​

In the past, I would get hungry just thinking of a deficit.
Start the deficit in the morning, cheat in the evening. Just couldn't do it. Then I would think to myself: "You know what, I want to build more strength and size, so I don't really want to diet." Also, I wasn't like fat fat, so it wasn't bothering me too much.

The reasons why I'm embracing a deficit now:
> I've near maxed out my natural potential. I can still gain maturity and more definition, but that will be a long journey over many years. Doing a deficit for 3 months or so isn't going to set me back
> It's possible to keep on gaining strength and size on a deficit; recomping. Which all depends on how much fat someone has. The leaner you get, the harder it gets. In the past, I dieted down to roughly 8% BF and didn't lose any strength. This time I'm dieting slower and might even gain strength during this phase. Also, the reduction in weight will make calisthenic exercises easier, which is one of my main strength goals (get better in certain calisthenic movements).
> 3 months of dieting is short term and will not set me back in the long run. After the diet, I can lean bulk slowly and maintain my leanness, which I didn't do last time. So that will be a win.
> I can be an example that I practice what I preach. I always practice what I preach, but I used bulking as an excuse to eat a lot.

Mental processes that held me back
> Sleep will tank
> Energy will tank
> Mood will tank
> Libido will tank
> Stress will be through the roof
> I can rather spend this time building muscle and strength (discusses above)

Research shows that when people are not aware that they are on a diet, they don't get worse mood, sleep, energy, etc, than the other people who are not in a deficit. It's the mental recognition/thought that you're going into a deficit and that believe that deficits are the cause of these problems. You manifest your own fears because of a belief. This is why I cheated on my diet on the first day multiple attempts in the past. When I found out that if someone is unaware when they are in a deficit and that they won't get stress responses then, my "stress response" symptoms immediately went away. All placebo-induced stress.

When someone does get symptoms, their deficit is usually too big or they have been dieting for too long, or their macros are suboptimal. It might be beneficial to be unaware of the deficit, but it's not a good idea to not control your diet. Another example is that if someone is doing a fast, they are not primarily doing it for fat loss, but to "improve their health" or "improve insulin sensitivity" or "gain metabolic flexibility". So when the going gets tough, they don't chicken out because it's for health and not fat loss. It's detox symptoms, not a stress response. :)

The mental aspect of dieting is very important.

 

[76er]

Yeah just spoon fulls straight down the hatch. No, just kidding, only in smoothies.

Speaking of black strap molasses.

I've been doing about 4 tbsp a day (3x in lattes and 1x in a ricotta cheese
mix) for the last month. In the lattes the molasses replaced organic cane
sugar. I do add a tbsp of maple syrup as well. Never take molasses straight :).

Because of molasses's insanely high calcium to phosphorus ratio I'm always
higher in my daily calcium (than phosphorus). Prior, I almost never beat my
daily phosphorus intake (w/ calcium). Maple syrup also has a great calcium to
phosphorus ratio. For example, a daily dose of four tablespoons of maple syrup
will yield a 10% calcium RDA but with very little phosphorus. So molasses
and maple syrup are a potent combo in this regard.

Sleep has been slightly better too. Perhaps it's the extra magnesium, again,
from the molasses?

Copper and potassium are "off the charts" too due to swapping in molasses.

I've noticed a slight but noticeable increase in fat loss during this time of
the molasses switch over. Caloric intake has been steady throughout.

 

[David90]

I do believe that isolation exercises speed up hypertrophy and muscle quality/maturity, so cutting them out does leave gains on the table. But it all depends on what your goal is ofc. I'm ok with leaving some slow gains on the table for now. :)

With isolation exercises you can target certain smaller muscle groups (Biceps, Triceps, Abs and so forth) more directly. so i would not cut them out completly, rather reducing them, if the Goal is Cutting/Weight Loss.

In my actual (45 Minute) Full Body Workout, i do 5 Exercises nowadays.
3-4 of them are compound exercises (mostly chest, back, legs), 1-2 of them are isolation exercises (mostly arms, side delts and/or abs). I also don't cut them out. Maybe only if i'm short on time and didn't have time to fully workout my 45 Minutes (which is rarely the case).

But you can surely keep me posted how it goes....

 

[Hans]

Speaking of black strap molasses.

I've been doing about 4 tbsp a day (3x in lattes and 1x in a ricotta cheese
mix) for the last month. In the lattes the molasses replaced organic cane
sugar. I do add a tbsp of maple syrup as well. Never take molasses straight :).

Because of molasses's insanely high calcium to phosphorus ratio I'm always
higher in my daily calcium (than phosphorus). Prior, I almost never beat my
daily phosphorus intake (w/ calcium). Maple syrup also has a great calcium to
phosphorus ratio. For example, a daily dose of four tablespoons of maple syrup
will yield a 10% calcium RDA but with very little phosphorus. So molasses
and maple syrup are a potent combo in this regard.

Sleep has been slightly better too. Perhaps it's the extra magnesium, again,
from the molasses?

Copper and potassium are "off the charts" too due to swapping in molasses.

I've noticed a slight but noticeable increase in fat loss during this time of
the molasses switch over. Caloric intake has been steady throughout.

Agreed, blackstrap is amazing, especially if you compare it to food with no nutrients, such as refined sugar haha. I now get x2 the RDA for magnesium and the required amount of manganese. Those nutrients people usually struggle with. And yes, the extra calcium is awesome as well.
The only "downside" is that it has an acquired taste. But if I add it to smoothies, it gives it a good flavor. But if someone is coming from 2 tbsp of sugar to 1 tbsp of molasses, it might be a bit of a shock.

 

[Hans]

With isolation exercises you can target certain smaller muscle groups (Biceps, Triceps, Abs and so forth) more directly. so i would not cut them out completly, rather reducing them, if the Goal is Cutting/Weight Loss.

In my actual (45 Minute) Full Body Workout, i do 5 Exercises nowadays.
3-4 of them are compound exercises (mostly chest, back, legs), 1-2 of them are isolation exercises (mostly arms, side delts and/or abs). I also don't cut them out. Maybe only if i'm short on time and didn't have time to fully workout my 45 Minutes (which is rarely the case).

But you can surely keep me posted how it goes....

The compounds will hit those smaller muscles, so without isolation exercise, I won't wither away. Just temporarily I'm going to eliminate them to divert my recovery elsewhere. Such as more strength work haha.

 

[76er]

@David90 re: compound exercise

Depends on your aims but isn't fat loss about physique development?

How do compound exercises move one toward a better physique?

Compound exercises work the target muscles with inferior load with a higher risk
of injury.

@Hans re: "Solely hypertrophy-based training would be isolation exercises for
higher reps for delts and arms, such as curls, skulls and lateral raises"

Who says isolation exercises need to be high reps? My first set is higher reps
(25-30) to get warmed up but the next reps are low and heavy (6-15 reps).
Therefore, recovery is the same as compound or strength training.

Compound exercises are the ones that can be the most stressful and cortisol
raising, don't promote hypertrophy as well as isolation, and put one at a
great risk to injury.

So maybe recovery is arguably better w/ isolation?

Moreover, the isolation approach can be more efficient. I can speed through a
workout in 15 minutes hitting the target muscles with a single "best of breed"
isolation movement. I take a one to three hour break and then repeat the
workout. Hopefully, this approach has yielded a low stress and lactic acid
workout.

Maybe it is because I'm 50 but my wife and kids don't care what I can dead
lift or military press. My wife likes the lean and muscular look and kids want
me playing sports with them and not complaining about a bad back or aching
shoulders.

Yes, everyone's goals are different but if we're talking about physique
development, ditch the compound resistance exercises and stick to the
isolation ones.

 

[76er]

The only "downside" is that it has an acquired taste. But if I add it to smoothies, it gives it a good flavor. But if someone is coming from 2 tbsp of sugar to 1 tbsp of molasses, it might be a bit of a shock.

Right.

I'd personal recommend 1.5 tablespoons of maple syrup to 1 tablespoon of black strap for palatability.

My ricotta cheese mix has a tablespoon of honey with a tablespoon of molasses. Because it is fall in the USA
I add in some pumpkin puree, salt, and ceylon cinnamon. Delicious.

 

[ursidae]

Speaking of black strap molasses.

I've been doing about 4 tbsp a day (3x in lattes and 1x in a ricotta cheese
mix) for the last month. In the lattes the molasses replaced organic cane
sugar. I do add a tbsp of maple syrup as well. Never take molasses straight :).

Because of molasses's insanely high calcium to phosphorus ratio I'm always
higher in my daily calcium (than phosphorus). Prior, I almost never beat my
daily phosphorus intake (w/ calcium). Maple syrup also has a great calcium to
phosphorus ratio. For example, a daily dose of four tablespoons of maple syrup
will yield a 10% calcium RDA but with very little phosphorus. So molasses
and maple syrup are a potent combo in this regard.

Sleep has been slightly better too. Perhaps it's the extra magnesium, again,
from the molasses?

Copper and potassium are "off the charts" too due to swapping in molasses.

I've noticed a slight but noticeable increase in fat loss during this time of
the molasses switch over. Caloric intake has been steady throughout.

I’m not sure how to feel about Blackstrap molasses. It’s cheap and sounds good on paper but it doesn’t taste safe. It reminds me motor oil. I think those browning reactions in the production are generating some toxic compounds

 

[Hans]

Who says isolation exercises need to be high reps? My first set is higher reps
(25-30) to get warmed up but the next reps are low and heavy (6-15 reps).
Therefore, recovery is the same as compound or strength training.

Yes that is true, but if I go too heavy, I don't feel it very good in the muscle. For isolations, I usually aim for 10 reps or so. Strength training is usually 10-20sec of work, which is typically 1-5 reps.

Compound exercises are the ones that can be the most stressful and cortisol
raising, don't promote hypertrophy as well as isolation, and put one at a
great risk to injury.

So maybe recovery is arguably better?

That is correct. But the main reason I do do compound exercises is because I train for strength, not specifically for hypertrophy. As I mentioned, I have maxed out my measure as measured via tape measure, but I can still gain more detail and maturity. I'm cutting out isolations now, so that during the deficit, I have enough energy for the compounds.

Also, I can't completely agree with Doug on isolation exercises that it's the best for hypertrophy. Squats do yield bigger and broader quads than sissy squats. There are other examples as well. Studies do show that hypertrophy is compounds are better than isolation exercises, but ofc combining compounds with isolations is the best.

Moreover, the isolation approach can be more efficient. I can speed through a
workout in 15 minutes hitting the target muscles with a single "best of breed"
isolation movement. I take a one to three hour break and then repeat the
workout. Hopefully, this approach has yielded a low stress and lactic acid
workout.

That is a great approach.

Maybe it is because I'm 50 but my wife and kids don't care what I can dead
lift or military press. My wife likes the lean and muscular look and kids want
me playing sports with them and not complaining about a bad back or aching
shoulders.

Lol that is true. Lifting heavy stuff is solely a personal goal that means nothing. If I was interested in optimizing my body, I'd do calisthenics only. But then again, 70% of my workout is calisthenics and only 30% is weights.

Yes, everyone's goals are different but if we're talking about physique
development, ditch the compound resistance exercises and stick to the
isolation ones.

I would agree on that one, except that I don't think isolations are the best for maximizing size.

 

[76er]

I’m not sure how to feel about Blackstrap molasses. It’s cheap and sounds good on paper but it doesn’t taste safe. It reminds me motor oil. I think those browning reactions in the production are generating some toxic compounds

Right. Here is a quote from Ray:

In an extreme situation of poverty, the crude brown foods: brown bread, brown rice, brown sugar, molasses, those are definitely important sources of nutrients - but when people start eating more fat and protein, they can stand to lose the nutrients in those and they're gaining some freedom from toxins and inflammation when they reduce those brown substances. In molasses, for example, it turns brown partly because the sugars are being caramelised, the minerals combined with heat and oxygen for dehydrating the juices, the minerals catalyse the oxidation and you get reactions combining sugar molecules and changing them and these become, to various degrees, toxic or pro-inflammatory, allergenic...

I've been meaning to dive more into research around these downsides. So far, in the short term, as I mentioned, I've had no detrimental effects.

 

[Jerkboy]

When sugar metabolism works well then it is the easiest pathway to lose weight with without suffering. I got crazy ripped just eating:

- White sugar added to blue berries in the morning
- White rice with condements
- Some fruit juices
- Eat meat EOD

Cut out most/all fat. Only problem is you will burn through it quick if you are active which can leave you with a rollercoaster cycle. If you dislike that perhaps add some more fat.

My friend who is not a health nut in anyway has good biochemistry and he eats high carb low fat, is super ripped w/ muscle. Plays soccer.

It really is that easy when your body has OK health.

If your sugar metabolism is impaired from my experience this does not work as well.

 

[Hans]

When sugar metabolism works well then it is the easiest pathway to lose weight with without suffering. I got crazy ripped just eating:

- White sugar added to blue berries in the morning
- White rice with condements
- Some fruit juices
- Eat meat EOD

Cut out most/all fat. Only problem is you will burn through it quick if you are active which can leave you with a rollercoaster cycle. If you dislike that perhaps add some more fat.

My friend who is not a health nut in anyway has good biochemistry and he eats high carb low fat, is super ripped w/ muscle. Plays soccer.

It really is that easy when your body has OK health.

If your sugar metabolism is impaired from my experience this does not work as well.

A deficit usually fixes insulin resistance because of limited fuel availability. Obvious a large deficit can make you insulin resistant similar to a keto diet.

 

[76er]

I've been meaning to dive more into research around these downsides. So far, in the short term, as I mentioned, I've had no detrimental effects.

I don't want to hijack the thread but I did some research on the potentiality of blackstrap toxicity due to the high heat used in its processing.

I didn't find much, however, Chris Masterjohn actually answered a listener's question Is blackstrap molasses toxic because of AGEs? two months
ago.

tldr; Not enough current evidence to suggest that blackstrap is toxic.

 

[Kayaker]

I don't want to hijack the thread but I did some research on the potentiality of blackstrap toxicity due to the high heat used in its processing.

I didn't find much, however, Chris Masterjohn actually answered a listener's question Is blackstrap molasses toxic because of AGEs? two months
ago.

tldr; Not enough current evidence to suggest that blackstrap is toxic.

Thyroid improves mineral status, and the fat and protein-rich foods mentioned in the other post probably increased it, making blackstrap molasses useless except in conditions of poverty.

 

[aniciete]

Total calories are around 2500. I'm still in the initial 2 weeks where I see how many calories I will really need to consume. Protein around 250, carbs around 250 and fats at 60g.
Meals are about 7. Mostly 500ml smoothies at a time and the 7th "meal" is just biltong. :)

Diet consists of milk, eggs, top loin, gelatin, whey, molasses, cocoa and a fruit.

Are you currently taking any supplements to fill in any gaps or to aid in recovery?

 

[Kris]

counting colories is just silly. for instance, if you eat fruits they increase your metabolic rate, and it goes with many other foods. you want to loose weight? eat less. and do some fast. it is nothing new under the sun.

 

[Hans]

Are you currently taking any supplements to fill in any gaps or to aid in recovery?

No vitamin or mineral gas to fill. But supps I'm taking consistently is 1 drop 10-methoxyharmalan and 11-keto DHT in my naval each morning, creatine post-workout, EAAs and gelatin pre-workout and niclosamide later in the day. Supps I take very inconsistently, B1, methylene blue, and aspirin.
So far, energy is good, sleep is good, cognition is good, recovery is good, etc.

 

[Hans]

if you eat fruits they increase your metabolic rate

Let's say your maintenance calories is 2500. If you eat fruit, by how much will that increase? If you can't put a number to it, it most likely isn't increasing. I eat fruit and I still have to make sure I eat in a deficit to lose fat. Eating fruit by itself is satiating and eating only fruit that day will put you in a big deficit, which will lead to fat loss.

you want to loose weight? eat less. and do some fast. it is nothing new under the sun.

That's the whole premise of counting calories. To make sure you eat less...in a safe way.
If someone wants to retain maximal amounts of muscle, then unchecked deficits will lead to muscle loss, especially if only fruit is being consumed. Someone can only effectively lose weight without counting calories if they know more or less how much protein they're eating and how many calories.

 

[Hans]

Observation​

My senses are much sharper. Fasting can definitely do this as well, but I don't feel hungry or stressed. If I remember correctly, my senses were enhanced every time I ripped in the past. But this time I'm definitely more observant.

Things I noticed so far:
> When I go outside, the smell of nature is strong and pleasant. Kind of like when I was a teenager.
> Coffee with a little milk and no sugar tastes good and even like it's caramelized. It tastes kind of like when I just started having coffee. Each cup tasted really good.
> 1% milk tastes like icecream