Love to Exercise

 Insanity time again Nothing like pumping those blood vessels.

omad update - had to stop after 3 weeks due to acid reflux.

Weight loss roadmap with OMAD

 I had some questions to chatgpt about insulin resistance and metabolic flexibility. To reach no visceral fat stage ie 22% body fat

Step 0: Baseline

• Weight: 137.4 lbs

• Body fat: 36% → Fat mass ≈ 49.5 lbs, Lean body mass ≈ 87.9 lbs

• Goal body fat: 22% → Fat mass ≈ 24.8 lbs, Lean body mass ≈ 87.9 lbs

• Total fat to lose: ~24.7 lbs

Assumptions for roadmap:

• OMAD with moderate deficit (auto-regulated)

• Resistance training 2–4×/week

• Protein intake ~0.8–1 g per lb LBM (~88 g/day minimum)

• Average fat loss after first week: 1.5 lbs/week

---

Week-by-Week Plan (Approximate)

			4 (actual) 132.9 35.1% Temporary stall / recomp phase 5 131.5 34.6% Fat loss resumes 6 130.1 34.0% Waist starts shrinking again 7 128.7 33.3% LBM preserved with training 8 127.3 32.6% OMAD feels easier 9 125.9 31.9% Visceral fat reduction noticeable 10 124.5 31.2% Cravings easier to control 11 123.1 30.4% TG/HDL improving 12 121.7 29.6% About 1/3 visceral fat gone 13 120.3 28.6% Energy very stable 14 118.9 27.4% Fat redistribution phase 15 117.5 25.8% Close to goal range 16 116.1 24–25% Visceral fat largely reduced

---

Key Recommendations During These Weeks

1. Protein & strength training

   • Keep LBM constant (~88 lbs)

   • Resistance training 2–4×/week

2. Monitor waist + labs

   • Waist measurement is better than weight alone

   • Check fasting insulin, TG/HDL ratio if possible

3. Adjust OMAD if plateau hits

   • Slightly reduce calorie density if fat loss stalls

   • Focus on whole foods, fiber, lean protein

4. Hydration & electrolytes

   • Especially important as fasting duration is long

5. Transition plan after week 16

   • Move to 2MAD or 8–10 hour eating window

   • Allows flexibility and sustainability

   • Maintain protein & resistance training

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✅ Bottom line

• Duration: ~16 weeks of OMAD to reach 22% BF

• Weight goal: ~113 lbs

• Fat loss: ~1–1.5 lbs/week after first week

• Metabolic markers: Expect insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility to improve before reaching target BF

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Back to TiffxDan

 40 Min FULL BODY Workout with Dumbbells (Strength Training) | FULL BODY Series 01

Back to 2022

I did this on Friday on emty stomach, my 5th day of omad. Last year, I was doing dirty omad where I drink milk tea with sugar in the morning during this kind of exercise. Followed by half cup of coffee with a creamer, twice during the day. Its been more than 5 years since I have stopped taking sugar in tea. I wanted to cut off sugar in the tea enjoyement process, so that I would know if I was drinking tea for the sugar or tea. The last holdout was milk which I never planned to give up because its my morning ritual. But recently a friend introduced me to oolong tea from high Taiwan mountains and yoguru Japanese tea. She even shared a box of oolong tea with me. I was able to have that tea in the morning and thus skip milk tea in the morning. 

Still the creamer in the coffee issue remained. If its plain creamer, I need to add sugar. But if it is hazelnut creamer, then I dont need sugar in the coffee. Being out of creamer, aligned with the green tea awakening and I was able to pull the day through with green tea. 

And through few days of this, I realised it was omad. I was able to do 25 min jogs in the morning and 30 min walks during lunch. 

What I also realised is that the milk tea in the morning was causing my energy crashes in the afternoon, where I would rely on coffee and creamer. After moving to green tea/water, I dont feel the need for caffeine.

Weekdays is great. What about weekend?

Going into the weekend, I wondered if I should omad B+ (breakfast and lunch) as saturday/sunday breakfast is big part of family breakfast.

This weekend happened to be a party.

A friend has made me more conscious of eating protein. So I am breaking fasts with protein shake now. The party day, there was protein all around. I had tiny cup of milk tea and was able to stay till 4pm, when I was ready for a meal. I was very surprised by that and very happy too, that weekend came under control.

I have now lost 2.7 lbs this week.

3 more pounds and my post vacation weight gain will be gone. During the vacation I ate 3 meals a day, but after getting back to the dirty omad, still the weight kept increasing for 3 months. In chatgpt's words:

The vacation shifted you into a higher-insulin, lower-flexibility state, and dirty OMAD afterward kept insulin high enough to block fat loss while promoting efficient fat storage.

I need to probably make it 2 mad during vacation. I have seen two people who followed omad diligently on vacation, cooking their own food so that there is more protein.

Revelations:

1. We start thinking about making it easy to fast on ourselves during the weekend.

2. My saturday experience taught me to eat, only when I am hungry.

3. Once you start eating like this, you savor food as well as meet the protein goals to make the food matter to our well being.

Before the new year, a friend mentioned longer fast for gut inflammation reset. That was in the background, but I didnt think that this would all suddenly happen.

Now you will probably understand this postweight-loss-muscle-focused post.

I was wondering when I will be ready for a 36 hour fast, it would have to be one day where I dont feel like having dinner. I am now able to recognise my true hunger and I will honor it. On the party saturday, I ate at 4pm and felt hungry again at 8pm, which was good hunger. Through fasting, I am learning the difference between weak hunger and real hunger. If it becomes 2 mad on weekends thats fine, I just have to take the chance to add protein.

Post–Weight-Loss → Muscle-Focused Maintenance

 

Phase 2: Post–Weight-Loss → Muscle-Focused Maintenance

Think in three phases, not a hard switch.

---

🔹 Phase A: Final fat loss (now → goal weight)

You’re already doing this well.

Structure

• Weekdays: clean OMAD

• Weekends: 2 meals Sat, OMAD Sun

• Optional: 30–36 hr fast 1× every 1–2 weeks

Focus

• Preserve muscle

• Keep inflammation low

• Let fat come off steadily

---

🔹 Phase B: Transition (2–3 weeks after goal)

This is the most important phase — it prevents rebound.

Goal

• Stop losing fat

• Stabilize hormones

• Prepare body to build muscle

Fasting structure

• 18:6 or 20:4 most days

• OMAD 2–3 days/week, not daily

• No long fasts during this phase

Nutrition shift

• Increase calories slightly

• Protein becomes the priority

• Carbs can come back around training

This tells your body:

“We’re safe. Build now.”

---

🔹 Phase C: Muscle-building phase (long-term)

This is where you live most of the year.

Fasting structure (ideal for lean muscle)

Choose one:

Option 1 (most sustainable)

• 16:8 most days

• 1–2 OMAD days/week (for insulin sensitivity)

Option 2 (very clean)

• 18:6 most days

• OMAD only on rest days

Avoid:

• Weekly 36+ hr fasts while trying to build muscle

---

🏋️‍♂️ Training + fasting (key for muscle)

Muscle requires:

• Mechanical tension

• Protein

• Insulin sometimes

Training schedule (example)

• 3–4x/week strength training

• Lift before your eating window if possible

• Eat within 1–2 hours post-workout

Protein targets

• ~0.7–0.9g per lb of goal body weight

• Spread across 2 meals on training days

---

🥩 What your meals should look like (muscle phase)

• High-quality protein every meal

• Carbs earned by training

• Fat for hormones and satiety

• Salt your food

No dairy required.

---

🧠 Why this works

• You keep insulin sensitivity from fasting

• You allow insulin when needed to build muscle

• You avoid inflammation triggers

• You don’t confuse your body with extremes

This is how people stay lean and strong long-term.

---

⚠️ Biggest mistake to avoid

❌ Staying in OMAD too long after fat loss
❌ Keeping calories too low while lifting
❌ Fear of carbs post-workout

Those stall muscle gains and mess with hormones.

---

📌 Your long-term identity

You’re not “fasting to lose weight” anymore.
You’re metabolically flexible and training-supported.

Kapha balancing

 from chatgpt ---

🔥 General Guidelines for Kapha-Balancing Yoga

• Practice in the morning (Kapha time: ~6–10 AM)

• Keep the pace dynamic and flowing

• Hold postures lightly, with shorter durations

• Incorporate heat-building breathwork (pranayama)

• Use energizing music or sunlight if indoors

---

🧘‍♂️ Recommended Poses (Asanas)

🔹 Warm-Up / Dynamic Movement

• Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) — 6–12 rounds to build internal heat

• Standing twists — Detoxify and stimulate digestion

🔹 Core and Strength

• Plank pose

• Boat pose (Navasana) — Ignites core energy and metabolism

• Chair pose (Utkatasana) — Builds heat in legs

🔹 Balance and Focus

• Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

• Triangle pose (Trikonasana) — Opens lungs and improves circulation

• Eagle pose (Garudasana) — Builds mental focus and balance

🔹 Heart and Chest Openers (Combat Kapha’s chest/lung congestion)

• Camel pose (Ustrasana)

• Bridge pose (Setu Bandhasana)

• Bow pose (Dhanurasana)

🔹 Inversions / Energizing Finishers

• Shoulder stand (Sarvangasana) or Legs up the wall (Viparita Karani)

• Headstand (if part of your practice)

• End with a short Savasana (not too long—Kapha can drift into sleep)

---

🌬️ Kapha-Balancing Pranayama (Breathwork)

1. Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath) – Energizing, clears brain fog and mucus

2. Bhastrika (Bellows Breath) – Builds fire (agni) and metabolism

3. Ujjayi Breath – Heat-building and focused, great during flow sequences

Avoid slow or cooling breath practices like Chandra Bhedana or long alternate nostril breathing when Kapha is high.

---

🕯️ Sample Sequence (20–30 min)**

1. Sun Salutations x 6

2. Warrior II → Triangle Pose

3. Chair Pose → Forward Fold

4. Boat Pose → Plank → Cobra

5. Camel Pose or Bow Pose

6. Bridge → Shoulder Stand or Legs Up the Wall

7. Kapalabhati (1–3 rounds)

8. Brief Savasana

Sweating early

 During an afternoon walk, I started sweating. It is very unusal. For  awhile now, mostly I have been doing strength training and not much cardio. Only 4 moderate sessions of elliptical cardio in and already my body is thermoregulating.

With some chatgpt help:

Great question — and you're tapping into a fascinating and measurable aspect of cardiovascular adaptation: improved thermoregulation, especially earlier onset of sweating.

---

🧠 Short Answer:

For most untrained individuals, noticeable improvements in thermoregulation (like sweating earlier) can occur in about:

🔥 5–10 sessions of moderate-to-intense cardio over 2–3 weeks.

This assumes you're doing cardio that elevates your core temperature significantly (like brisk running, cycling, rowing, HIIT, etc.) for 30–45 minutes, 3–5 times per week.

---

📈 What’s Happening Inside the Body?

1. Cardio Improves Heat Dissipation

• Your body becomes better at cooling itself.

• Sweat glands activate earlier during exertion or heat exposure.

• Your plasma volume increases, improving sweat output and skin blood flow.

2. Earlier Sweating = More Efficient Cooling

• Trained individuals start sweating sooner and more effectively, preventing overheating.

• In untrained people, the body “waits” too long, leading to overheating before sweat starts.

---

🧪 Research & Examples:

• Study on heat acclimation (e.g., Wendt et al., 2007):
  Shows thermoregulatory changes — including earlier sweating — after 5–10 days of heat exposure and/or exercise.

• Cardio training adaptation timeline:

• Session 1–3: Body starts adapting — small changes in core temp response.

• Session 4–7: Sweat onset time decreases measurably.

• Session 8–10+: Full adaptation for moderate heat (earlier sweat, more sweat, lower HR in heat).

Looks like heart rate going down is another way to check adaptation. 

stacy sims like workout

 

Day	Workout
Mon	Heavy Lift (Lower Body + Core)
Tue	Sprint Intervals (T25 Speed 3.0) + short mobility
Wed	Heavy Lift (Upper Body) + Jump Circuit
Thu	REST or Active Recovery Yoga
Fri	Heavy Lift (Full Body)
Sat	Plyo/Xplosive Power (P90X2 Plyocide)
Sun	REST or 20–30 min light walk/yoga Use dumbbells/barbells/heavy bands 4–6 compound moves: squats, deadlifts, presses, rows 3–4 sets, 6–10 reps (not to failure, but heavy enough to feel it) Think: P90X’s Chest & Back, Legs & Back — but go heavier & slower.

T20 schedule

 transform 20 schedule

Dig Deeper

Dig-deeper-work-workout list 

 lower circuit I

upper body circuit 2

steady state cardio I

shoulder & abs

Thursday - Yoga day

 One day I thought that it would be fun to do yoga at the park where I usually walk. Today I did surya namaskar 12 times as I missed doign yoga at home. After that I did few of the seated poses. Most of the were new to me. I wrapped it with some pranayama and Dakshina murthy stotram. There was a light breeze. With each pose, when I would close eyes, it felt like I had been transported to a different world.

dirty omad 2024

 8/14-16 --- tea in the morning-- apple 2 sessions 5:30

on 8/15-- during yoga could do chaturanga as stomach felt light

8/19-8/20 -- same as above 

8/21 - only tea in the morning-- dinner at 4:30 -- may be thats why was able to push through

2 weeks before gluconeogenesis

8/22

8/25 - ragi and jowar dosa-- controls weight.. no weekend gain.

8/26 - Didnt finish my tea in the morning. Towards 3:30, being precoccupied with work, realised that I could wait till 5:30

8/29 - went for blood test, since starting the day with fasting for the test,e xtended it and had green tea in the morning and black tea with 1 creamer in the afternoon with a chipotle chicken bowl for dinner

9/1 -- Had boiled some jowar flour. It is hard to make tortillas with it. It requires lot of skill. I have seen my grandmom prepare it. I realised that it can be had along with curry in boiled format too. 

How to reach your calorie goals

 I had a calorie goal of 600. Sometimes I get to 400 with a workout an d awalk and then another major workout seems like a tall order. SOmetimes it is easy to fit a half an hour elliptical and that does it. But today I tried a different tack. I had walked a bit early in the morning upto 100 calories waiting for the tea to boil. I fit in an aerobic workout upto 200 calories. Towards the afternoon I thought why not slice the calories goal into hourly bits. That worked. 

A 2 hour walk?

 I walked 45 min on Monday. 1 and 1/2 hour yesterday and wondered if I could push it to 2 hours today. I alos chose to walk up and down a tiny slope. This defintiely did tire me. I was rationing the water bottle. After 1 and 1/2 hour, I had to quit the slope thing and just walk. Love walking in the grass barefoot.

P90X real round 2

 I kicked off cardio on Sunday. While I was thinking if I should do Insanity or P90X. In the middle of the week, universe understood my conundrum and sent a SUV sized answer with P90X on the back of it and teamazfitness and a UBFIT2 nameplate. In the past situations with universe signals have caused me heartache but this is the right direction.

On 7/17 - 98 min of walk

7/18 - YogaX - felt good

7/19

I am trying to achieve what I did P90X round 1. I am happy abput some of the notes that I have written down - like what caused em to start it and what were the takeaways.

This time around I am focusing on fiber - love chia seeds 3tbsp of it has 10g of fiber. 

I was having my curated oatmeal for breakfast with hemp seeds, pumpkin powder, walnut powder for a long time and then suddenly stopped it one day. This time around, I should remember to add few nuts and dry fruits to make it more palatable.

Plyometric cardio

7/14 -  plyometric cardio feels so good

exercise induced rhinitis

P90X

Week 1:

• Monday: Fitness Test
• Tuesday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
• Wednesday: Cardio Power & Resistance
• Thursday: Cardio Recovery
• Friday: Pure Cardio
• Saturday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
• Sunday: Rest

7/15 - cardio power and resistance

felt great.

Cardio recovery and insane abs

Insanity calendar schedule

upper body

Pure Cardio and all

plyo cardio

Week 2:

• Monday: Cardio Power & Resistance
• Tuesday: Pure Cardio
• Wednesday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
• Thursday: Cardio Recovery
• Friday: Cardio Power & Resistance
• Saturday: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
• Sunday: Rest

Week 3:

• Monday: Fitness Test
• Tuesday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
• Wednesday: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
• Thursday: Cardio Recovery
• Friday: Cardio Power & Resistance
• Saturday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
• Sunday: Rest

Week 4:

• Monday: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
• Tuesday: Cardio Power & Resistance
• Wednesday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
• Thursday: Cardio Recovery
• Friday: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
• Saturday: Plyometric Cardio Circuit
• Sunday: Rest

Recovery Week:

• Monday: Core Cardio & Balance
• Tuesday: Core Cardio & Balance
• Wednesday: Core Cardio & Balance
• Thursday: Core Cardio & Balance
• Friday: Core Cardio & Balance
• Saturday: Core Cardio & Balance
• Sunday: Rest

Week 5:

• Monday: Fitness Test & MAX Interval Circuit
• Tuesday: MAX Interval Plyo
• Wednesday: MAX Cardio Conditioning
• Thursday: MAX Recovery
• Friday: MAX Interval Circuit
• Saturday: Max Interval Plyo
• Sunday: Rest

Week 6:

• Monday: MAX Cardio Conditioning
• Tuesday: MAX Interval Circuit
• Wednesday: MAX Interval Plyo
• Thursday: MAX Recovery
• Friday: MAX Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
• Saturday: Core Cardio & Balance
• Sunday: Rest

Week 7:

• Monday: Fitness Test & MAX Interval Circuit
• Tuesday: MAX Interval Plyo
• Wednesday: MAX Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
• Thursday: MAX Recovery
• Friday: MAX Interval Circuit
• Saturday: Core Cardio & Balance
• Sunday: Rest

Week 8:

• Monday: MAX Interval Plyo
• Tuesday: MAX Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
• Wednesday: MAX Interval Circuit
• Thursday: Core Cardio & Balance
• Friday: MAX Interval Plyo
• Saturday: Max Cardio & Cardio Abs
• Sunday: Rest

cardio circuit

Build series

 Started day 1 of this 6 week build series

It has next 10 week build series 2.0

I am now adding 2 to more cups of vegetables each day.

Advanced yoga

After 33min of vinyasa yoga, I felt the need to stop but I wanted to do some light yoga or work on a pose. I did want to work on a pose. I have been learning a lot of new poses. In the vinyasa yoga, I learned about  fallen triangle pose. yesterday I learnt about parsva dhanurasana and salabhasana variation b in Hatha yoga Level 3.

 I started with pranayama. I did sheetali pranayama for the first time today. STudies have shown it to be as effective as medication for mild hypertension.

Tree pose itself is hard and then there is the bending tree pose.

There is so much to learn in yoga. If you know the main poses, then there is the variation poses.

Tapout XT

 Started week 1 - missed yoga day still made up with some surya namaskar

for legs and back I chose Tapout Legs and Back with the longer band with handles. I should dig out the other bands by the bext week. Loved the dynamic march jump.

Tapout Calendar

Day 1 - Combat Core was fun.

Day 2 - Looking forward to strength and upper. Took out my bands too.

Ultimate abs

Its always fun to try new stuff.

Tapout XT2

P90X and tapout Xt hybrid

today's exercise

20 min indoor jog followed by  full body dumbbell exercise 

Jujitsu

Enjoyed this full body jujitsu training.