Monday Macros - 12/12/16

Monday Macros.

Weight = 153. Weight gain this period = 1 lb. Total weight loss = 98 lbs. Macros for the week = Carb/Fat/Prot - 18/57/25%. Daily avg cals = 2,384. Body Fat = 10.5%

Carbs averaged 109 gr/day and protein averaged 146 gr/day. I'm still dialing in my protein and am now shooting for between 130 and 150 gr/day. My workout routine is getting heavier each week so I do need more protein and cals. Cals goal is between 2400 & 2500 cals/day. I've also started pushing water intake. My last 3 labs indicated slightly elevated creatinine levels. This is a red flag to my team as it is an indicator that my meds have started damaging my kidneys. Strength training can also cause elevated creatinine levels. Doc recommended that I really start pushing the water, especially on lifting days. I was doing my 8 glasses just by taking my meds. I'm now purposefully adding 4 or 5 glasses/day of extra H2O. We'll see how it goes with my labs this week.

I looked for a nice "Counting Macros" image to insert here.  Ya know, 'cause everyone like pictures right?

What I found was a whole lot of silliness.  

I don't track my macros to try and figure out what 'treat' I can slip in.  My food plan is based on the Primal Blueprint. 


A list of the important components of the Primal Blueprint that I wrote for a friend:

So, what are the Important Things?

Humans are born to lead happy, healthy and productive lives. Yep, life throws curve balls at us and bonks us upside the head every once-in-awhile, but we are resilient and can handle these situations. Following the Primal Blueprint really can help.

The number one thing I like about the Primal Blueprint is that it really is simple. We tend to complicate things, but the basics are basic.

Food - Eat meat, healthy fats, lots of lower carb vegetables and some fruit. Fermented foods and organ meats are a plus, and cultured milk is good for folks who can easily tolerate it.

Don't eat grains, legumes, processed sugars, much in the way of high sugar fruit, seed oils and try to minimize highly processed foods. 

See... simple. Didn't say it would always be easy  Sometimes keeping things simple and on the blueprint takes a little planning and preparation. Making a good breakfast and packing lunch for work the night before, or going online to read the menu and plan dinner before going out to that favorite restaurant takes a little time and effort, but is well worth it.

Move - Another simple one. Move. If you work at a desk, set a timer to prompt you to stand up for a couple minutes every 20 mins or so. Stand up and do some high steps or squats, shake out your hands and get back to work. Park a little further from the door, walk during lunch, climb a couple flights of stairs during breaks. Just move.

After my transplant we used to go to the mall just to be able to get in a longer walk when the weather was bad. One of the things I'm doing now is helping people who are trying to get listed or are on the transplant list. Something that I recommend to most of them is to stand up during every commercial, and if strong enough, to do some sit squats to their chair or couch. 

You can make basic movement a routine part of your normal day without taking away from time you have allotted to other important things.

On the weekend, go for a longer walk. Hit the mall, or even better yet a nature trail, and walk.

Lift Heavy Things - This is where we start getting into how we prioritize time. Lifting heavy things is important. Our bones, muscles, joints, brains and even emotions all benefit from occasionally lifting something heavy.

The good thing is that a person really doesn't have to go to a gym, or buy a lot of weights, or even spend a lot of time to lift something heavy. Squats, planks, pull ups and push ups really can do wonders for physical fitness. Don't believe me? Just take a look at Danny and Al Kadavlo. 

You can go a long way with 20 minutes, 3 times/week, of a basic body weight workout. The way I liked to schedule these workouts was to make sure I did one once every two to three days. That way if something comes up and you miss a day, no big deal, do it the following day. I would just make sure I didn't let three days go in between workouts.

Sprint - As Mark puts it "Run really fast every once in awhile". Before my transplant, I used a recumbent bike to do my sprints. Peddle and hard and fast as I could for a set short time, recover and repeat. Now I get most of the 'sprint' effect with some of my kettlebell exercises. I may, one day, start running sprints, but that day is not soon 

It is important to push yourself to do something as fast as you can for short periods of time. Doing high intensity, short bursts, of stuff has really helped with my overall heart health and resting heart rate. Again, another time commitment though. Good thing is that it only has to be done once/week or so.

Play - Another one that is simple to say, and harder to accomplish. This is an area where I am lacking so really don't have a lot to offer. I know being social and actively working/playing in a group is good for us physically and emotionally. Joining a team sport would take away from other priorities that I have, and expose me to viruses.

A great positive about Play is that it can help accomplish other of the Important Things. Movement, lifting heavy things, getting sunlight can all be a part of play. So play does not have to take 'another' chunk of time. 

Don't Do Stupid Stuff - Now that doesn't take any time at all 

Add in get plenty of sunlight and sleep and there you have the important components of following the Primal Blueprint as I understand it.

Eat, Move, Lift, Sprint, Play are the ones that take thought and effort to accomplish.

So why do I track my macros?  I track macros to ensure I'm getting enough protein and calories, and that I'm not drifting into higher carb land.  I started counting macros seriously as a tool to help with maintaining my weight loss.  Now it is just an interesting habit.

If you are interested, here are some Thoughts on Counting Calories.

More Monday Macros