#NBNW #NSNG

And so I begin.

The kids’ Spring Break is over and after returning home from out-of-town visiting family last week and after two weeks on the road, one of them out of the country, I had to mow my overgrown yard after work today and skipped the gym for a rest/recovery day. Even being on the road last week I managed to hit the gym 4 times so a rest day was not unreasonable.

lastbig4-10-17 My last big workout last night after driving 6 hours home

Tomorrow I start my no beer, no wine (#NBNW) regimen in support of my mostly #NSNG (no sugars, no grains) lifestyle.

I started the NBNW tradition last year to try to drop a few pounds to lighten up for kayak racing season.

It worked.

So this year I’m going to do it again and I’m also going to eat at a slight caloric deficit most of the time as I try to put myself into dietary ketosis to even further boost my fat loss while I’ll still hit the gym to try to maintain as much muscle as I can.

I won’t lift the way I have been, though. The weights will be lighter and the sets will be fewer. I’ll also start cycling more.

Wow, I really miss my road bike.

If I know my body the way I think I do, dietary ketosis should set in by this Friday, April 14 and I will try to stay in that state at least until my major race, The James River Rundown on June 24-25. That means from April 29 to June 25 I will will paddle more than 160 miles in 4 different kayak races, not to mention the many training miles I will also lay down between now and then.

I want my body running on fat for fuel and I want to have the best muscle-to-fat ratio I possibly can.

If bodybuilders have final contest preparation in terms of dieting then this is kayaker’s contest prep.

So that’s where I am in my journey.

I started to take fitness seriously in early 2013 when I weighed 180lbs at ~22-23% body fat (“skinny fat”) and am now at 177 lbs at ~16-17% body fat. I was at my lightest–and most unhealthy state–in May of 2014 at 158 lb. Far, far too skinny and unhealthy.

In retrospect you can see things you couldn’t at the time.

I don’t miss those dark days of eyelids twitching, crashed metabolism, sleepless sweaty nights, endless cardio, brain fog, and sore joints.

It has been an up-and-down transformation and I can’t thank my fitness trainer, Vinnie Tortorich, enough for putting me on the right track and pulling me out of my tailspin. I also thank Anna Vocino for her wonderful recipes and cookbook that make a low-carb lifestyle easy, enjoyable and healthy.

I’ve managed to add muscle mass in my late 40’s and now 50 while also losing body fat.

It hasn’t been fast or easy, but I feel good about what I’ve worked for and can’t wait to see where I am in mid-June.

atlasweek4-10-17
Last week’s summary