The Last Goal of 2016

Sometime just after Thanksgiving I committed or rather re-committed to going fully NSNG.  For those not in the loop, that means No Sugar, No Grains - but, but, but you are thinking what about carbs?

You realize that fruit & veg are carbs right?  Furthermore without going into too much boring scientific detail, our bodies cannot handle the carbohydrate load that sugars & grains create and as a result two things happen.  The first is that excess sugar gets stored as fat and not the good fat.  The second thing is that that excess sugar creates the lipids that create the plaque that guns up our arteries.  It's also why your super skinny friend that can eat whatever they want and thus eat twinkies & coke for lunch probably have fatty organs - a condition once the province of alcoholics only.

Recent studies (no links, just google it) indicate that sugar affects the brain the same as heroin or cocaine.  And let me tell you kicking sugar can be rough.  But once you get over that 2 week hump, it gets progressively easier day by day.  As of today, I've been NSNG for close to 1.5 months - my absolute longest stint since July 2012.

So what has happened?

Between Nov 28th and Dec 31st, I lost a total of 13 lbs.  Yes you read that right and before you say well that is because you exercise a lot.  Vinnie Tortorich, a fitness expert and the guy behind the whole NSNG thing will tell that exercise is a poor way to loose weight.  And if you really think about it and look at other cyclists or runners you know, some may be skinny but a lot won't be.  I'm the best example of this, I would ride thousands of miles per year, but would stay the same physically.  It's only when I've eliminated sugar & grains that I have seen any weight loss whatsoever.

All of this is of course leading towards my assault on Mt. Washington in 2018.

The goal this year is to get my weight back down to the low 180s and keep it there.  When I tackle Mt. Washington I hope to be in the 170s and fully in ketosis.  I plan on riding this year fully fat adapted and am working towards that as I train right now in zone 2 for about 6 more weeks.  What that means is that I won't need gels, bars or isotonic drinks.  In fact, all I'll most likely do is put some MCT oil in my bottle at some point during the ride and that should cover it, even for rides in excess of 100 miles.

Anyway, that's where I'm at now.  I am so rededicated to this that I eschewed a birthday cake this year, much to the dismay of my 4 yr old.

The first goal of 2017 is to be down to 195 by the end of January and then near to 185 by the end of February.  I'll keep ya posted.