The things I've done / The things I do

This post will be a somewhat aimless braindump of some things I was thinking about on the drive home from work yesterday. I want to take a look back on some of the things that I did back when I first started with fitness and weightloss, that I really believed in, but in the end were not really necessary. It may or may not help people who are just starting out or people who have lots of rigid "rules" which might be limiting them.

1. Fasted HIIT first thing in the morning
Why I did this - I believed that doing fasted HIIT first thing in the morning would a) "kick-start metabolism", and b) be better for fat-burn than doing it at any other time of day.

Granted, on days that I did this, I would usually feel fantastic all day long. But with my habits and sleeping patterns, it was hard to keep this up. I would rather have that extra sleep in the morning and exercise later on in the day.

Is there any downside to HIIT first thing in the morning? Not that I can think of. But a fringe down-side might be that if I believed in it too strongly, then I might be inclined to not bother working out later in the day if I missed my morning workout, thinking that "oh, well I guess I've blown it for today".

2. Wait 1 hour after workout to eat.
Why I did this - I thought during that extra hour I was letting my body burn up fat stores instead of taking it from food.

What I've come to learn is that when in a calorie deficit, this will happen anyway. It's simple energy in minus energy out.

This was not necessarily harmful. But it was an unnecessary constraint, and had me doing silly things like waiting an extra hour to eat when I was hungry right now.

3. Eat several small meals throughout the day
Why I did this - I thought that eating lots of small meals instead of fewer larger ones would keep the metabolism "burning steady" throughout the day.

What I've come to learn is that the metabolism keeps on burning. When it comes to meal frequency and timing, what matters most is personal preference and how meals affect performance.

4. Restrict carbohydrates to just complex carbohydrates and carbs that have a low glycemic load.
Why? I thought the simple carbs would spike blood sugar and cause a crash, and that they would stunt weight loss.
While true to a degree (if I drink a can of coke or a have a bunch of sugar, I do actually tend to "sugar-crash"), in terms of energy balance and weight loss, it doesn't matter. What matters is satiety. If I took my calories all day from snickers bars and coca cola, I probably wouldn't be satiated. But if I take calories from spaghetti, potatoes, and white rice, I am reasonably satiated, so I have no problem eating these things.

5. Limit fats
Why? I had no good reason for this. It just sounded good. Good fats vs bad fats, blah blah blah. There is nothing wrong with fat. Today I eat a plenty of fat and it keeps me satiated and I believe contributes to a feeling of well-being. I don't really make any distinction between "good fat" and "bad fat". The only fat I might shy away from is synthetic trans-fat, but even then, it wouldn't stop me from having a little treat here and there.

I think that's pretty much the gist what I believed in so rigidly, yet today, do none of those things while I continue to improve my health and my body.

Here are my main "rules" at this point in time. I believe in all of these things today. But I am open to changing my mind in the future if there is any evidence to do so.

1. Control calorie intake to control weight. Calories in vs Calorie out. If I want to lose weight, I eat under TDEE; If I want to gain weight, I eat above TDEE; If I want to maintain weight, I eat right around my TDEE. This works for every human being on earth today. Some scream and shout that it doesn't work for them and that they are somehow different. Those people are either miscalculating their TDEE or their calorie consumption, or both.

2. Heavy compound lifts. I am interested in functional strength. This is the most efficient way to achieve it. Every week I get stronger, regardless of whether I'm in calorie deficit or surplus.

3. Eat plenty of protein. Aside from being filling and satiating, protein is the building block of muscle. Sufficient protein preserves lean muscle mass in calorie deficit, and fuels new muscle creation in calorie surplus.

4. Mobility work. Spending some quality time on the foam roller and doing active stretching has done wonders to keep me flexible and prevent injury.

5. Conditioning aka Cardio. I try my best to get at 1 or 2 conditioning sessions in per week. While I don't believe this necessary for weight loss, it keeps my cardio fitness level up, and I WANT that. It also contributes to feelings of well-being. I prefer short intense work like barbell complexes or burpees or intervals to steady-state cardio, mostly because it's short and to the point.

I invite you to take a mental look back through your fitness and nutrition history and evaluate how your beliefs and behaviors have evolved over time.

Keep at it! It just gets better and better!

edit: some proofreading and minor edits