The importance of the big event, and the swolest boi in SE Asia
The importance of the big event, and the swolest boi in SE Asia
Fitness & Thinking Fridays
This week, I want to talk about a challenge many of us encounter on our fitness journeys and a number of smaller challenges I’m dealing with day by day in Malaysia.
You can skip the cake, don’t skip the party
Most of my clients have a sheepish question in their first week of working with me. It usually starts with a “Jaaaack”, contains a “I was wondering” and ends with a “what? Like, that’s okay?”
People tell me their goals, their struggles, their concerns, I build them a plan and then, on our set-up call, they’ll tell me about an event that one hundred percent they feel they shouldn’t be doing because they’re now on a plan.
From partners’ birthdays, to bank holiday weekends, to close friends’ weddings, these events are known about for weeks if not months, are anyway massively anticipated and nearly always thought of as opportunities to let loose – and too right! These moments make life rich and meaningful. But, when you’re focused on losing fat, it can be tempting for some people to avoid these occasions to stay on track OR to let themselves go completely.
However, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to choose between your social life and your fitness objectives – one should inform the other.
Skipping out on these important events isn't the answer. Social gatherings play a significant role in our mental well-being. They offer us the chance to unwind, connect with others, and share joy – factors that are essential not just for our emotional health but for our overall longevity on our fitness journeys. When you consistently decline invitations, you might avoid a few extra calories, sure, but you could also be missing out on experiences that are equally vital to your enjoyment of your one shot at this life.
Moreover, building a healthy lifestyle is about long-term sustainability. If you adopt an approach that excludes fun and socialising, you’re likely to burn out. Instead, it’s about finding a way to enjoy these events while still progressing towards your goals. This balance is key to creating habits that last a lifetime, rather than just for the duration of a diet.
Load balance: actionable tips on a daily and weekly basis
So, how can you attend these social gatherings and still stay on track? It’s all about preparation and making mindful choices. For instance, if you know you’ll be going to a partner’s birthday dinner or a big wedding celebration, plan your day accordingly. Perhaps you eat lighter meals earlier in the day, focusing on foods that are high in protein and low in calories. This way, you have more room to indulge later without going overboard. You might also consider having a small, protein-rich snack before heading out – something that takes the edge off your hunger and helps you avoid overeating once you arrive.
When you're at the event, remember that portion control is your friend. Fill your plate with vegetables and lean proteins first, leaving less room for higher-calorie options. Eat slowly, savour each bite, and listen to your body’s hunger cues. This mindful approach allows you to enjoy the food without feeling deprived, and it can help you stay within your calorie goals.
For those bigger, more indulgent weekends – like a bank holiday or a wedding – you might find it useful to adopt a strategy of “calorie banking”. By slightly reducing your calorie intake in the days leading up to the event, you create a buffer that allows you to enjoy yourself a bit more on the big day. For example, if you eat 100-200 fewer calories each day for a week, you’ll have an extra 500-1000 calories to play with when the time comes. This method gives you the flexibility to indulge without derailing your progress.
In addition, consider approaching your diet with weekly rather than daily calorie targets. This way, if you go over your calorie goal on one day, you can balance it out by slightly reducing your intake on other days. This flexible approach makes it easier to enjoy special occasions without guilt.
Finally, if possible, suggest incorporating some activity into the event. Perhaps a walk after the meal, or maybe even some dancing if you’re at a wedding. These activities not only burn calories but also add to the fun of the occasion.
In the end, the journey to fat loss isn’t just about cutting calories – it’s about living a life you love, where your health and happiness coexist. Social events are a vital part of that equation. Learning to navigate them while staying on track is a skill that will serve you well for the rest of your life. And if it’s your birthday or wedding, don’t you dare worry about calorie tracking, please, for one day, just eat the cake and party like you mean it.
The biggest boi in Kota Bharu
I’ve just completed my advanced open water diver course in the Perhentian Islands, during which I encountered a problem: I’m a big boi.
Recently, I’ve been burning through more gas than the people I’ve dived with. And it’s really frustrated me, to the point where my instructor gave me a bigger tank so I didn’t worry about it (and so use more on our last dive thinking about trying to use less). In the photo, that’s a 14l tank rather than a 12l tank the schools I’ve dived with have given out in Malaysia and Thailand.
Basically, skilled divers use less gas because they breathe less (and move less) and, conscious that I was taking full lungfuls before, I’ve tried really hard to just use the bottom third of my lungs and when that was too difficult, just the bottom half.
I sat with Amir, our instructor, for a while after our last dive of the day yesterday and we discussed how much weight I had on my belt, my body position (“trim”) in the water and taking my time with things, and happy with all of it, he said “you are twice as big as me”.
Now, as someone who is bang average in the UK height-wise and not as big as their bodybuilding mates, I took this as a compliment before looking around the boat and accepting that I was at least 15kg heavier than the next person without necessarily being fatter than them. With a relatively big ribcage and more muscle on my frame, it’s highly likely I need more air to function normally, on land and in water.
On the last dive of the course, Leo, who is an oxygen machine – typically using less than half of his tank on most dives (100 bar or so) – used 120 bar in 50 minutes as we explored a police boat wreck. Today, I used 140 bar, and I was delighted. Maybe it was framing Amir’s observation as a compliment (ahaha) and the slightly bigger tank. Or maybe it was realising that I was the only one who cared about my breathing. In the grand scheme, putting further pressure on myself in an already pressurised situation to be perfect led to worse outcomes.
All I needed to do was to tell someone what I was struggling with, work with them on a solution, breathe, and go again.
Reading
"Does Having Higher Muscle Mass Require More Oxygen?" Typeset.io, accessed 30 August 2024. https://typeset.io/questions/does-having-higher-muscle-mass-require-more-oxygen-4gl25icpvc
Bodybuilders’ problems
Earlier this week, in one of her Instagram stories, informing people of the direction of her foodie instagram account, Beth suggested they follow her if they were interested in watching her become the “speediest and swollest boi” in Sheffield. And it properly cracked me up.
When I told her Amir’s observation above, she asked me what else the big bois struggle with, to which I suggested, sometimes from experience:
doorframes – turning sideways to enter and exit buildings is a real chore, similarly
dancefloors – bodybuilders hate dance offs but love dance circles because of the extra space to move in
car parks – everybody asks me to help with their shopping; nobody helps me with mine :/
clothes – if it’s not bodycon, forget making those broad shoulders and tiny waists look good in anything. And don’t get me started on trousers…
mirrors – the guy who got me into the gym, Yanni, was 5’8” tall and broad, and he told me in one session how, this session, he was working on a specific neck vein. I said, “really?! you can do that?”. In his broken English, he said, “Jack, you can always be more vain.”
What did I miss? Silly or otherwise, I’d love to know.
And that’s it from me. Will Borneo have bodybuilders waiting in the wings? Give me a week: I think there’s more of a community of lifters in Southeast Asia than Westerners might think…
Much love and I’ll see yas in the next one
Jack x