Not all Weight Loss is Created Equal - Lesson Learned.

In 3 weeks, I lost 19 lbs. When I went to the doctor's last week, they said I had lost 6.8 lbs of actual fat and 5 lbs of lean mass or possibly water just in the last week. They advised me to make sure I hit my protein goals every day, so I have been making sure I am them, but I learned two things: unless you keep your protein levels up, you will lose muscle as you lose fat, period. Second, unless you keep your water intake pretty high, part of your weight loss will be water.

You see, I was on the stairmill sweating like crazy for the two days prior to jumping on the scale at the doctors. I know some of that weight loss was me being dehydrated, and they said they could tell it was probably water; but, I am finding out, now, increasing my protein levels and water intake has made a huge difference in my energy and performance. I am pretty sure my lean mass in increasing because my strength is, now, and I stepped on the scale, this morning, and I have lost weight, again. Everyday, I am losing weight, and my strength and energy is going up, which can mean only one thing: lean mass is increasing and fat is decreasing. It is that sweet zone where you have dialed in the right amount of calories at the right ratios of protein, carbs, and fat (mine is 50% Protein, 30% Carb, and 20% Fat) to maintain muscle and lose fat.

Losing weight is not as hard as losing fat - believe me. A relatively thin person can have little lean muscle and still a high percentage of body fat. So my goals have changed a little. I am now shooting for a percentage of body fat and not a specific weight to be at. Right now, I still have a high fat percentage, but what my doctor has me doing seems to be working. Don't be afraid to experiment. It is amazing what a little tweeking has done. I upped the water and protein intake (Now, I am so full all the time, I can barely hit my calorie goals), and the weight I am losing is almost all fat and virtually no lean muscle. With 190 lbs of pure lean muscle (according to the doctor), I wonder what I might look like and feel like when actually lose 50 lbs of pure fat, or my body fat percentage goes near 12%.

I started working out, again, 3.5 weeks ago at 294 lbs. I weighed in at 274, this morning. I used to run 1/2 marathons at a 6.5 min/mile and bench 495 lbs max - I was in the Infantry and had strength and endurance. But, then I got injured, didn't change my eating habits, lost family and friends, got depressed, and put on the weight. Prior to this restart, I haven't exercised in 10 years. If I can consistently get out there and do this, you can do.

Do not neglect your water. If you are not peeing every hour, your are not going to lose fat as fast as you can. In the Infantry, we drank water all the time - every half-hour we drank a quart (canteen). I weighed 185, then, and 30x32 pants. With a 500 lbs bench press, you can imagine what I looked like on top. All of that was with high protein, caloric deficit, no suppliments, and lots of water.

Piss poor planning leads to piss poor performance. Plan your goals for food and water, first. Plan your exercise goals, and destroy your fat stores. I will see you when the mission is achieved. Hooah!