Fitness

Feeling the (blood) pressure — Ever on the lookout for more data points to track, I’ve picked up a blood pressure monitor and am recording weekly readings in my Keto Experiment spreadsheet. There was a time where I’d faint during a blood test… I’m a sensitive soul, so it’s been nice to conquer any squeamish sentiments I had towards the humble bit of kit. Below are my current readings to date, all looking to be in ideal ranges thus far. In light of ramping up my electrolyte supplements over the next few weeks, I’m interested in how this, and other tweaks effect my readings going forward…

My weekly blood pressure reading, all within ideal ranges

Going from strength to strength —Over the past two months, I’ve gradually progressed in my tabatta and 5x5x5 workouts. My squats have gone from 80kg to 100kg, my deadlift from from 60kg to 90kg, for 5 reps. Though as noted below, I haven’t seen the same progress in my physical size yet. I had been gradually increasing my calories each week, reaching 3,000 calories daily, while keeping macros the same. This resulted in protein exceeding 150g on some days, and simply eating a ton of extra fat doesn’t seem to have been conducive to rapid lean muscle gain. From further reading, I’ve brought my protein back down to a sensible range (110g daily), and calories back down to 2,600. Shortly into month three, I’ve also begun taking creatine for it’s well studied benefits on power output and muscular endurance.

“We recommend that individuals on a ketogenic diet consume minimum of 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, but no more than 1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight. This typically works out to 20 to 30 percent of total calories. Those who are sedentary or not training may want to stay on the lower end of that range, while individuals who train frequently may fare better on the upper end “— The Ketogenic Bible

You’ve one a years supply of… nothing — So this came as a surprise. 2 months into the journey, I expected measurements results that would reflect the positive results I’ve been getting in the gym. Surprisingly, there was no change at all. Now, these measurements are open to human error (the Shoulders are 116cm being one likely example), but the results have shown to be consistent enough to suggest that the needle has shifted little. For month three, with the addition of creatine, pushing harder in workouts, and tightening up my macro and micros, I’m expecting a positive shift by the end of the month.

Body measurements taken with a dressers tape, showing very little change over the past two months…

Resources of the month

Dom D’Agostino on Joe Rogan — If you’ve been in the keto community for more than five minutes, you would have heard of the wonderful Dom. A leading researcher in the field, he’s also a lovely bloke and just a few days back made an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast where all things keto are discussed over 3 hours. Pretty fascinating, particularly with regards to the implications of supplementing with exogenous ketones.

Clever Guts by Michael Molsey — Am reading through this new book on the gut, and it’s opened my eyes quite to the extent that we have a ‘second brain’, a significant eco-system down by our guts that have potentially huge implications on everything from mood to weight-loss. An immediate take-away is the reminder that everything you eat has the potential to positively, or negatively effect your gut bacteria — and you want to cultivate the healthiest environment you can. I like to picture my gut bacteria as the cute aliens in Toy Story. I imagine this impression may be inaccurate.

And to close…

Month 3 update will prove interesting. Expect blood work results, progress pictures, gym result charts and a whole lot more. In the meantime, keep in mind that you can follow along with the latest data from my Keto Experiment spreadsheet, daily eating on MyFitnessPal, latest activity and thoughts on Instagram, and occasional thoughts on Twitter. Any thoughts on the above, or suggests into what I could or should be doing differently? I’d love to hear from you — ping me!