On the 12th Pound of Christmas… NSFW

Over the month of December, I gained 12 lbs of fat.

Fat… Not bloat.

No… I’m not going to make excuses for it. No… I’m not going to blame hormones or the holidays, depression, or stress (- each of which contributed to it). No. I’m just going to talk about what I fucked up where I am… … and what happens next.

Stardate: 3rd January, 2018.

Where I am:

Hi.

I started 2018 in pain. Neck pain, which the chiropractor had rectified since October. Back pain. S.I. Joint pain. Hip/Groin pain (-which, I soon realised, emanated from the same general area as my arthritic hip.. which hadn’t given me any issue for at least one year). Forearm pain. Knee pain. Tricep/Lat-insertion pain. Pain. Period.

You name it, it hurt. All at once. Spontaneously. I couldn’t fathom why. I hadn’t done anything stupid for months. My training was pretty solid… not overkill. I was working less (- i thought). Though a chronic insomniac, my naturally subpar sleeping habits were no worse than usual.

Only one thing had changed in the recent past.

It was my diet.

I’d transcended from low-inflammatory keto-dieting… to full-on Christmas fuckery binge.

Fucking Sugar.

It’s not our friend.

But don’t take my word for it. Speak to my clients.

Half of them are in a similar place right now: The males with joint pain… and the females with unusually painful menses.

And the only commonality between them has been the Christmas binge!

And research supports the link between sugar, binge eating, stress and inflammation. [1][2][3][4]

Numerous studies point to the increase in inflammatory markers, and deleterious effects on health, gut health, and general well-being.

Yet somehow, we calmly overlook this.

Food is supposed to make you feel good after all.

Right?

…

 

So… what happens next?

I’m calling today my day 0.

I’m modifying my diet: transitioning through lower-carb, to low-carb, to ketosis over the coming weeks.

I’m also going to exercise less hard… which may seem counter-intuitive to many. But, let me explain.

Intense exercise is inflammatory.

Under normal, healthy circumstances, that’s not an issue.

However, under a state of systemic inflammation – adding to that inflammation doesn’t make sense. It can make each of the negative trickle-down effects of the existing inflammatory situation worse. The means sore skin, sore joints. You name it. NOT COOL.

So… yea… back to the game plan:

1. Fix diet incrementally.
2. Adjust exercise… limiting truly exhaustive work.
3. Add natural anti-inflammatories (- bromelain, white willow bark, fish oil, et. al.)
4. Increase fat intake (see: ‘fix diet’)
5. Increase fibre intake (see: ‘fix diet’)
6. Rest where possible.

I may throw in a couple fasts here and there… but not for ‘detoxing’ purposes (-as ‘detoxes’ are bullshit quackery not necessary – like really, stop wasting money on that shit. …rather, I like fasts for the increase in mental clarity, decreased cravings, improved glucose tolerance, and numerous other benefits.

So….

If YOU’ve noticed painful changes in your body after the holidays, maybe your issue is the same as mine.

And, here’s your homework:

1. Google anti-inflammatory supplements.
2. Read up on ketogenic dieting, fasting, and intermittent fasting.
3. DON’T start the gym in January all-out like a crazy person. You can’t undo all the damage you did in a week. Ease into it.

Yours in fitness,
– Corey Springer
Apollo Fitness Barbados

http://www.GetNarked.net/forum

 

References:

1. Gao, Y. et. al. “Dietary sugars, not lipids, drive hypothalamic inflammation”. Mol Metab. 2017 Aug; 6(8): 897–908.
2. Giugliano D, Ceriello A, Esposito K. “The effects of diet on inflammation: emphasis on the metabolic syndrome”. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006 Aug 15;48(4):677-85. Epub 2006 Jul 24.
3. Kiecolt-Glaser, J. “Stress, Food, and Inflammation: Psychoneuroimmunology and Nutrition at the Cutting Edge”. Psychosom Med. 2010 May; 72(4): 365–369.
4. Succurro E, Segura-Garcia C, et. al. “Obese Patients With a Binge Eating Disorder Have an Unfavorable Metabolic and Inflammatory Profile”. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015 Dec;94(52):e2098. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000002098.