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Dropping Body Fat After Fall/Winter Gains: Success!
Related: body fat, cycling, Eastern Sierra, iodine, metabolism, peak bagging, road biking, training, weather events
This is an update to my January 2016 discussion. See details there about goals and habits.
WOW: look at the plummeting weight (green line). Weight as of 17 June is 2 pounds lower on the same date as my ultra-lean year of 2011/2012, where I reached 7.9% body fat as per DEXA scan. I’m not at 8% yet, but maybe I’ll get there.
Starting with the Davis Double on 21 May, I took one day off, then I entered into a 10-day aggressive calorie burning program of about 1400 calories per day with 2+ hour rides at low/moderate intensity. This was an extreme load: about 14000 calories burned (4800 calorie deficit) in 10 days on top of a 6600 calorie deficit from the Davis Double.
Next, I did the Eastern Sierra Double Century on 4 June for a calorie deficit of ~5000 calories. The next day I did a 14-mile 4000 vertical foot hike for “recovery”, so probably another 1000 calorie deficit. The following days more hiking at high altitude.
- I’ve stayed away from grains (mostly), the exceptions being Panda licorice during double centuries and rice as part of sushi before double centuries. Otherwise, no wheat/rice/corn for a couple of months now (a few minor exceptions).
- I noticed that I had something like 6 of 10 or so symptoms of iodine deficiency (non symptomatic as in goiter, but nonetheless having many health effects). I read that iodine is lost through exercise (and I excercise vigorously at least 90 minutes every day). Things clicked: I started eating sheets of seaweed nori @AMAZON, taking kelp tablets @AMAZON. IMO, the RDA of iodine is probably far too low.
- I started taking 25,000 IU Vitamin D3 @AMAZON.
I feel GOOD again. I won the Eastern Sierra Double Century and might have won the Davis Double (Davis Double is untimed, so uncertain).
As shown below, body weight has plummeted sharply (meaning body FAT). My TSH has been borderline (low) for some years as has my Vitamin D (even in summer). Those two factors figure in as likely candidates, but seasonality may play a role; my body has always responded to the mid-May/mid-October seasonal cycle in weight loss/gain.
See also Healthiest weight just might be ‘overweight’.
The 174-pound mark at right was reached after Davis Double and the following 10-day efforts. The 171.6 mark was seen after returning from the mountains after the Eastern Sierra Double.
