Days five and six of daily 40-minute cardio

This is a personal record from the original publication date. Food, exercise, weight, and procedure experiences describe one person’s circumstances, rather than current treatment recommendations or guaranteed outcomes.

Even tired on Saturday evening, I finished 40 minutes of interval cardio.

The next morning my fasting weight was up 0.2kg. Little fluctuations back and forth.

Bulgogi without rice for breakfast. On a holiday morning, I did not want only protein powder. And dinner was…

Discounted gimbap and fish cakes from a department store. I ate my fill. They gave me plenty because it was on clearance, but I could not finish it.

It was Sunday, yet my daughter's friend came over and I could not rest at all. I was exhausted, but after eating plenty of carbohydrates I felt I could not skip exercise. Something else was worrying me and adding stress. Instead of eating in response, I decided to sweat it out with another 40 minutes of interval cardio.

After working up a sweat, the next day…

My weight was up 0.4kg, yet the body-composition reading showed skeletal muscle up 0.6kg and body fat down 0.8kg. My feelings rose and fell with the figures.

Monday morning, back to work. To extend the time without carbohydrates, I had only protein powder for breakfast despite a rumbling stomach. Instead of full intermittent fasting, I was trying periodic carbohydrate fasting: a little rice or a salad containing some carbohydrate around 7 p.m., then no carbohydrates until 1 p.m. the next day. Protein powder and Americano were allowed in my personal routine. Complete fasting felt difficult. I described this in the original as 17 hours without carbohydrates.

Alongside that, 40 minutes of cardio daily and more than 2L of water. In my experience at the time, keeping these three habits seemed to reverse a little regain.

After that effort, lunch was…

Tonkatsu at Gongbok. So delicious, especially the sauce. I considered ordering jjolmyeon too, and it arrived as a side! Small things make me happy.

Another month until the November 11 body-profile shoot. What concept should I choose? I feel much more tired and drained than before. Yesterday was day six of cardio to prevent regain, and today is day seven. The change was…

Seven days ago / today: 2kg lower.

Had I lost muscle as well? I should make sure I eat enough protein. My body-fat percentage is a little high, but I wanted to lose slowly: losing too much could affect the fullness of my breasts and hips and make my face look older.

Why did I exercise despite being so tired yesterday? I had read that exercise can improve the release of neurotransmitters such as beta-endorphins, helping mood and self-esteem. I wanted to see how it felt in my own body. When stressed, cardio.