RE: How gaining a lot of weight pushed me towards becoming a better person – An ongoing personal transformation and self-discovery journey (Part 1)
Can't wait for part 2. It's good that you aren't in skelator mode. I think you look healthiest in your "crappy" selfies lol, and the one of you in spats above it.
I think life is balance, including diet and exercise. I've been on both ends of the spectrum, and either way you don't feel well, no matter how you look.
I wish I could stay keto full time, but i've never been successful, except in spurts, usually cutting weight. I do feel pretty good once i'm in ketosis for about 3 weeks. Even an almost keto diet works for me. I've been able to get away with a few more carbs.
The flip side of this, is now i'm getting older. I can't get away with eating crap as much. Before, I could literally eat whatever I wanted, up until about 36 years old. The last 3 years, not so much. My injuries also affect me, I just can't push myself as hard in the gym or jits with some of the struggling injuries i've had.
I still go to the gym, do yoga, and jiu jitsu throughout the week regardless. But, now I just think that I've learned to be ok with it. I still push myself, but I don't beat myself up over things I can't control.
My biggest flaw has always been diet, not work ethic in the gym. Glad to see you are finding happiness and confidence.
@jiujitsu I have a similar problem, I can work out almost daily and train super hard in every session, but keeping my calories in check is a different story!
Keto is tricky, for some individuals (like myself) it works brilliantly, for others it is pure torture, and some others experience changes that are so mild that they don't justify keeping such a restrictive diet.
You are wise to treat your body with care, BJJ is really aggressive on the body and it is certainly a good idea to pace yourself, especially when it comes to injuries.
Keto, or low carb in general has always worked well for me. I've had 20-30 lb cuts in 1-3 months with this diet. The difficult part for me is just making that my lifestyle and eating that way most of the time. I think soon I will have to though, my metabolism is definitely slowing down some.
Yes, BJJ is hard on your body. When I first began, I was so naturally athletic, that I could get by with that, but now, as I get older, I have to rely on technique, which is really what I should have from the beginning. At least now I am in a position where I do not have a choice as much.
Now, I am really trying a lot harder to take care of my body like I should have been doing all along.
When I'm off vacation, I will probably start on low carb for 2 weeks, and ease into full keto going into October 28th. If I can cut down to 169, or if I'm super successful, 159, then I may compete. If I cannot hit 169, I may not compete again, there are usually too many much larger men at 189, guys who cut from 220 or 230. It's rough on my body trying to keep up with guys that big, even when they cut.
I really cannot believe how much smaller you were. I think most women look better when they are not too skinny. I think the trend is starting to move away from the skinny model-ish look thankfully. Most women can't maintain that look in a healthy manner.