This experiment just did NOT turn out how I was hoping. I’ve only been doing it for five days and here are the numbers:
Weight: stayed EXACTLY the same. Every day. To the ounce. It’s so weird that it made me wonder if my scale is broken. This in and of itself is not concerning – I’m happy with my weight so neither gaining nor losing is not a problem. BUT
Bodyfat: gained 1.5% It doesn’t sound like a lot but to gain that much fat in one week is a lot. I’m not freaking out about it but it definitely showed me that my new abbreviated routine (AKA the cardio diet – less cardio, more weights) is not working.
I’m annoyed.
What Went Wrong?
Obviously my calories in and out were pretty balanced (zero weight fluctuations – seriously, how weird is that?!). So I can only conclude that dropping some of the cardio appears to have impacted my fat-burning system.
A wise and very fit friend (who is also a personal trainer) told me that my problem is too much time spent in my high heart rate zones. She said I need to train more in my lower zones, where more fuel comes from fat. That’s right, we’re back to the fat-burning myth. You all know how I feel about the “fat burning zone” and yet this friend is so very smart and so very fit that I want to believe her. If this had come from anyone but her, I’d blow it off. But since what I’m doing is obviously not working, time for a new experiment!
If you have any insight as to what went wrong, PLEASE feel free to share.
A Tale of Two Numbers
All of this, combined with my last few posts about eating disorders, has given me a lot to think about. So for my new experiment, I’m going to do something that frankly I find very uncomfortable: I’m giving up my numbers. That’s right – all of them. I’m not weighing, measuring or counting anything for a week. (Well except weight reps, I’ll still be counting those because, well, the other people on the weight floor already think I’m insane. Don’t need to add more fuel to that fire!)
I’m going to work out and do whatever feels good. I’m going to gauge my intensity by perceived exertion rather than my not-so-trusty heart rate monitor. I’m not going to care about the number on the scale. For a whole week. Gym Buddy Allison has also agreed to go along with this. Really, I should rename her Good Sport Allison for putting up with all of my antics.
We’ll see what happens.
PS> I know the above ad has nothing to do with this post but I found the other day and just had to use it. Come on, it’s fuuunnnnny! And if you can’t figure out what it is advertising for then obviously you would never have survived in the ’50s 😉
Mad props for having the guts to do this, Charlotte! Fitness isn’t about percentages or measurements — it’s about what you can do. So I think ignoring the scale and paying attention to your sets, reps and ability to conquer your workout is a great idea.
My first reaction to this experiment is that a week seems like an awful short amount of time to try something. I’d be willing to bet that if you kept this up for six months, you’d really start to see progress as your body adapts to it.
Thoughts?
Lucas – thanks! I’m a little worried about losing fitness but it’ll probably be fine. Just out of curiosity, do you track anything besides your sets/reps/weight load?
M – I’m not sure what you are saying – that 1 week is too short to try the cardio diet or that 1 week is too short to try not measuring stuff. If you mean the former, I would agree that 1 week is a short time to try something but I also believe that if you already know something isn’t working, it’s just foolishness to keep doing it and expect different results (wait, did I just paraphrase Dr. Phil? Aaaagggh!) If your question was the latter, well, I’ll see how it goes. Who knows, maybe I’ll love not measuring stuff and keep on forever! But I’m guessing that my analytical mind will win over and I’ll be back to it after this break. Besides, what then would I blog about?? 😉 One last thought – 6 months is actually too long to keep any workout unchanged. Body adaptation is exactly what you don’t want. Once your body gets used to a workout then it doesn’t work as hard. Plus the novelty wears off. I try and change up my workouts every 4 weeks or so.
Charlotte, don’t be a fitness butterfly, flitting hither and thither from one program to the next on a whim. Pick a program and work it for a while. That’s the only way to judge the benefits of a particular program. The only number you should be worrying about is the number of pounds on the bar.
Sorry for not being clear. I meant that 1 week is too short (IMO) to tell if the exercise program is working or not.
I didn’t know that about not wanting your body to adapt to a workout program. I would still argue the 1 week is too short to know that it’s not working, though. But, what do I know? I weigh 210.
I think the not measuring is a GREAT idea. Since comparisons to other people are useless because of how different bodies are, comparing it to yourself is the only useful thing to do with it.
But then I would argue that, unless you’re so overweight as to be unhealthy and need to set loss goals, comparing your numbers over time isn’t even useful. As long as you’re exercising and pushing yourself, who cares what the numbers are.
Of course, if you’re trying to start your career as a bodybuilder, the above point is also moot. 🙂
How has everyone missed it? The best explanation is that your measurements are off. Are you using skin calipers? They have a certain degree of error on their own. Perhaps your BF didn’t change one bit! No worries, here. RELAX! You’re healthy AND fit. That will not change in one week!
Nope, I just track sets, reps & weight. Other than that, I just keep tabs on subjective measures: how I feel, recovery time, etc.