Walk with me: Looking forward to Spring
Feel free to listen to this off-the-cuff rant & reflection of my recent progress. These monologues are recorded for my own benefit. Very light edits are done to remove some pauses and repetitions, but the audio itself is very raw.
Today I went for a nice walk in the sunshine this afternoon. I reflect on how the last month has went. I’ve failed to lose more weight in January than December, but I’m still happy to be down ~14lbs. Despite the slower rate than I would like, I’m feeling very optimistic about the next few months. I’ve noticed successes in other areas, especially controlling food intake and walking regularly.
Figuring out fiber
A question I’ve been digesting this month is how much fiber should I aim for. Until recently my only nutrition goals were to get as much protein in as little calories as I could stand. Now that I’ve started reading Food Politics by Marion Nestle, I’m trying to take a broader approach to nutrition. It’s clear to me that protein shakes and multivitamins are not the ideal path to overall health. Cooking for myself has helped expand my options, but I’d like to understand what to prioritize. As far as low-calorie sources of fiber, your main options are celery, brussel sprouts, & broccoli.
The author of Food Politics seems to think very little about the idea of eating meat. She explicitly argues that plant-based diets are superior. Even if this is true in a general sense, I am trying to optimize a very specific situation. I’m not sure how the science has evolved on meat-heavy diets such as keto and carnivore. What I have taken away is that it is more important than I had already assumed to eat vegetables.
I’ve got a long way to go, but I really appreciate the encouragement and kindness I’ve received from people at the gym, and kind strangers over the Internet. I really hope to do much better in February, and I’m excited to see how well I can do. At least for now, I’m behind my annual target, but hopefully this will change as I get back in gear.