Calories counting & burning

A nice thing about following the program is that you are not in the driver's seat. It's pretty much like being in the army: you just need to be disciplined enough to follow the orders and only worry about the executing them (and trying to survive).

As the end of my program was getting nearer, I started to wonder how I would manage my training schedule once left alone by myself. And more specifically, how frequently should I exercise per week?

My goal is not to look like a body builder or lose as much weight as possible. Rather, it is to find the right training routine. One that would become an integral part of my life and help me maintain a good physical condition. I was guessing that 3 sessions per week, plus my boxing training should be enough. But that was just a guess. So I decided to have a closer look at my lifestyle, to see how I could balance my physical activity and my diet.

By now, you have probably realized that I'm a bit of a data freak. I wondered if it was possible to gather actual data to fill the following equation:

Weight variation = Calories input (Food intake) - Calories output (Basal metabolic rate & physical activity)

• The basal metabolic rate is a black box. I have no way of knowing in details how much calories my body burns simply to ensure my basic life functions. It's not something that I can measure. But it doesn't really matter. As I'm not planning significant weight gain/loss, it's safe to assume that there is no reason for my metabolic rate to change dramatically.

• Physical activity: I have a very sedentary job and drive to work. As a result my overall level of physical activity is mostly driven by how much sport I do. 

• Food intake: I'm not intending to change my diet. I think that one of the main reason why people gain back the weight that they lost is because it's impossible on the long-run to stick to a diet that is too strict. You need to enjoy what's in your plate, otherwise you'll get depressed (I'm French, I have been brainwashed with that stuff!)

Over the past 4 months, I lost ~7kg without changing my calories input. Therefore the results were entirely driven by the "output" factor. My metabolism probably reacted to the training load impacting (positively or negatively) my results (positive or negative), but ultimately the biggest driver should have been the Freeletics training. So in theory, to stabilize my weight, I just need to find the right balance of training. At this point, I decided to quantify my calorie intake to compare it to my physical activity.

During the entire week #14 of my program, I wrote down everything that I ate. When eating at home, I weighted my food. When eating outside (lunch), I had to estimate quantities. Doing the exercise for a full week was intended to smooth out daily variations. Yet, the idea was not to get the most precise number, but a ball-park estimate to understand my diet better. Am I eating 3'000 Kcal per day or only 1'500 Kcal?

I counted 12'340 Kcal during that week (if you are interested the detailed log & calculation are at the bottom of this post). That's 1'763 Kcal/day. I was surprised to see such a low number (I read that sedentary adult men need 2'000-2'200 Kcal /day). This may be due to the experimenter bias: weighing every bite of food before eating it, I may have unconsciously reduced the size of my servings. Therefore I will assume that this measure is the low end of the range. My average intake is probably somewhere between 1'800 Kcal and 2'000 Kcal per day.

Then over the past few weeks, I trained while wearing a heart rate monitor and chest strap, to record my cardio during various workouts:

• Aphrodite in 19:43* = ~425 Kcal (500 Freeletics points)
• Apollon in 22:35* = ~475 Kcal (525 Freeletics points)
• Hades in 16:04* = ~350 Kcal (255 Freeletics points)
• Venus in 24:43* = ~375 Kcal (325 Freeletics points)
• Pushup Max 38* reps in 1:40 = ~60Kcal (28.5 Freeletics points)

(note: Pushup MAX measured just after Apollon, probably distorted as heart rate was already high)


Surprisingly I didn't find much clear-cut differences between Cardio versus Strength. Strength focused workouts have a slightly lower Kcal/minute ratio, but nothing major. During most workouts I burnt approximately 200 Kcal for every 10 minutes of training. I usually train for at least 25 to 30 minutes (I'm speaking actual exercise time; breaks are excluded), so each Freeletics session I easily burn 400 to 500 Kcal.

By the way, I added the value in Freeletics points for each workout. Notice the correlation between my measured calorie consumption (based on HRM) and the points. Of course, not everybody will consume the same amount of energy while doing Aphrodite. I probably burn less now that I do it in 20 mn instead of 30 mn. But looking at the point value seems a pretty good way to compare the caloric consumption of various workouts (i.e. regardless of your current physical condition, you'll probably burn double the caIories by doing Aphrodite instead of Hades).
Just keep in mind that your total Freeletics points is probably not representative of total calories burnt. For example, at the moment I have a total of 69'180 points, but once I exclude all the bonus points received for scoring 103 Personal  Bests & 147 Stars, this total drops to ~45'000 points. For the record, so far I have totaled 1'915 minutes of workouts (excluding MAX) and performed 6'181 MAX repetitions. Assuming 20 Kcal / minute (based on my HRM measures) and 0.75 per rep (ratio used to calculate Freeletics points), I estimate that I burnt ~43'000 Kcal while training. This is not including the time when the heart is still racing during cooldown periods or any afterburn effect.
See how close my bottom-up calorie count is from the points?


Anyway, this post is becoming my longest so far, so I'll try to wrap-up quickly.


I am perfectly aware that it's impossible to measure output & input with perfect accuracy. But it doesn't matter! The amount of calorie output generated by the program (4-5 sessions per week) results in 1'600-2'000 Kcal consumed each week. That's approximately the input you get in 1 full day! Even if you assumed a 10% or 25% margin of error, the balance remains largely in favor or output versus input.


So what does it means for me?


Well, it tells me that even if I reduce my training from 4-5 sessions to 3-4 sessions, or focus on strength only for a while, my level of activity should largely be enough to maintain/improve my physical condition. I just need to ensure that as I improve my completion times, I add short workouts or a few MAX so that each sessions includes at least 25-30 minutes of effective workout time.

As promised, below is my calorie input log of week #14.

Monday: 1'789 Kca

• Breakfast: 359Kca
• Tea, no milk, no sugar (300ml): 4Kca
• Orange juice (20 cl): 10Kca
• 2 toasts (~10g of salted butter and +~20g of jam each): (22+73+40)x2=270Kca
• Cereal bar: 75Kca

• Lunch: 605Kca
• Pork cutlet: ~370Kca
• Steamed carrots: ~30Kca 
• White rice: ~150Kca
• Apple: 55Kca

• Dinner: 825Kca
• Rice (170g) + shrimps (50g): (170+45)=215Kca
• White wine (15cl): 108Kca
• White bread (80g): 220Kca
• Cheese (various kinds 54g in total): ~162Kca
• Chocolate yogurt: 120Kca

 Tuesday: 1'479Kca

• Usual breakfast + plain yogurt (125g): (95+359)= 454Kca

• Lunch: 
• Beef noodles (~350g): 305 Kca

• Dinner: 720Kca
• Toasted ham & cheese: ~600Kca
• Chocolate yogurt: 120Kca

 Wednesday: 1'838Kca

• Breakfast: 359Kca

• Lunch: 752Kca
• Rump steak: 260Kca 
• Broccoli: 45Kca 
• Potato gratin: 125Kca
• Kiwi: 34Kca
• Strawberry pie: 288Kca

• Dinner: 727Kca
• Asparagus (40g) +French dressing: (8+59)= 67Kca
• Roast pork (55g): 135Kca
• White beans (150g): 180Kca
• White wine (5cl): 36Kca
• White bread (45g): 124Kca
• Cheese (various kinds 30g in total): ~90Kca
• Plain yogurt (125g): 95Kca

Thursday: 2'417Kca

• Breakfast: 359Kca

• Lunch: 509Kca
• Tartiflette (cheese and potato gratin): 275Kca 
• Letucce +French dressing: (15+59)= 74Kca 
• Hot chocolate: 160Kca

• Snack (~1 hour before sport): cereal bar (98Kca)

• Dinner: 1'549Kca
• Burger (280 pepper): 799Kca
• Cheeseburger: 305Kca
• Beer (25cl): 100Kca
• Chocolate Sundae: 345Kca

Friday: 1'413Kca

• Usual breakfast + plain yogurt (125g): (95+359)= 454Kca

• Lunch: 459Kca
• Veal flank: 275Kca 
• Zucchini: 50Kca
• Banana: 134Kca

• Dinner: 500Kca
• Creamed cucumber (~100g): 135Kca
• Mashed potatoes (~250g): 264 Kca
• Mashed pumpkins (~150g): 66Kca
• Grape (50g): 35Kca

Saturday: 1'724 Kca

• Breakfast: 359Kca

• Lunch: 686Kca
• Mashed potatoes (~200g): 176 Kca
• Mashed pumpkins (~100g): 44Kca
• Sausage (~55g): 147Kca 
• White bread (45g): 124Kca
• Cheese (various kinds 40g in total): ~120Kca
• Stewed apple (100g): 75Kca

• Dinner: 679 Kca
• Spaghetti (~300g) +Feta (~30g) +Tomato sauce: (474+80+30)= 584Kca
• Plain yogurt (125g): 95Kca

Sunday: 1'680 Kca

• Breakfast: 359Kca

• Lunch: 686Kca
• asperges
• filet mignon+carottes
• pain+fromage
• clementine

• Dinner: 605Kca
• Pasta soup: ~450Kca
• Chocolate dessert: 155Kca 

This week is fairly representative of my eating habits: no snacks (except before going to sport training). A decent amount of vegetables & fruits. A useful learning for me is that I tend to pack too many calories at dinner. I had a feeling that I probably should try to re-balance a bit (more at breakfast/lunch and less in the evening), but I had never actually quantify it. This clearly showed me that dinner really is my biggest meal of day.
Despite some rich foods (I love cheese!), my overall intake is reasonable. A diet would not really make much sense. It seems that increasing my physical activity instead, was the right to do.

Body stats: after 20 weeks

Lately a number of commentators on this blogs eagerly asked me to post my before/after pictures. There are 2 possible explanations:

• People just love watching photos of me in my underwear (in which case I should seriously consider a career change)
• or, many readers want to see if Freeletics really works.

While I'm sure that becoming a swimsuit model doing photo shoots all over the world's most beautiful beaches would be fun, my guess is that you guys are not here for me!
Let's face it, all of us at some point watched one of the  Freeletics sponsored transformation videos on Youtube wondering if it wasn't too good to be true. I have been asking myself the same question. After all this entire blog is an attempt at answering this question.

Evolution of my body my stats after 20 weeks of training (5 weeks of pre-program + 15 weeks of the Cardio-Strength program):

Height: 178 cm (5.84ft) 

Weight: 75.7 kg (166.9 lbs) - starting point: 82.5 kg (181.8 lbs)

Waist size: 84 cm (33.1 in) - starting point: 90 cm (35.4 in)



Since starting the training my weight dropped by nearly 7 kg (~8% of my starting weight). This is a huge variation of my regular weight.
Recently I was searching in my papers for the results of a VO2 max endurance test that I did many years ago (to prepare an upcoming post on calories burning). When I found it I saw that back in early 2007 I was already weighting 81 kg. Basically, I'm currently weighting about the same that when I was 18 years old.

My waist size also decreased in similar proportions (~6.5%), the difference is clearly visible on the pics below. Practically, it has gotten to a point where I have started replacing all the pants in my wardrobe. Old ones were getting ridiculously too loose.



Before/After pictures:

Note that I took for the first time a picture from the side in week #14. That's why I couldn't do a week 1-20 comparison, like for front and back pictures.

As you can see, the body changes were not as dramatic as in some of the videos, but they are clearly visible. I didn't take enough muscle volume to pretend (yet) to a role in the next 300 movie or to become Mister Universe. However, I have been burning a lot of fat tissue (visible on hips, abs, back and arms). 


Conclusion:

The results are not as spectacular as on some videos (Levent or Arne), but I am pleased with the change. Aside for the appearance, when boxing I can feel that my physical condition has improved. That was one of my key objectives when starting the program.


If you intend to do Freeletics mainly to improve your physical appearance, I believe that the younger you are, the faster you will get results. Remember that most of guys on the videos are 10 years younger than me. It takes longer for my metabolism to burn fat and build muscle. Unless you have some weight to lose first, for more volume you may want to take the Strength program.

Regarding weight-loss, you can see that in my case the Cardio-Strength program was already quite effective. I imagine that the results will be even more drastic if focusing on Cardio only. 
Additionally, from the start one of my rules was that I would not change my diet. My goal was to measure the impact of the training alone. By combining exercise with improved eating habits, you should get an even greater impact.

As far as I'm concerned, the program worked for me, but my journey is not over. Thinking of the program as a one-time fix is a mistake. I needs to become a routine. Over the next few weeks I will try to find the right training balance, so that it becomes an integral part of my life. If further changes appear, I will post a new body stats update (probably not before a month or so).

Body stats: after 14 weeks

   
As promised, it's time to give a status update on my body stats to see if any change is taking place. I have been training with Freeletics for 14 weeks (5 weeks of pre-program + 9 weeks of the actual program).

Height: 178 cm (5.84ft) 

Weight: 77.5 kg (170.5 lbs) - starting point: 82.5 kg (181.8 lbs)

Waist size: 86 cm (34.6 in) - starting point: 90 cm (33.9 in)

As you know, I always take weight measures with a grain of salt. So many factors can make the body gain or lose a kilo that it's meaningless to try to interpret short-term variations. But after 14 weeks, I start to have enough perspective to make this metric meaningful. During this period I have lost around 5 kilos (~6% of my starting weight). This was very progressive. Week after week small losses added-up.

The waist measure also dropped by 4 cm. The change was subtle the first 5 weeks (1cm less), but the trend has accelerated in the last weeks. I'm now roughly losing 1 cm every 2 weeks.

These 2 indicators clearly show that my metabolism has been getting rid of some fat tissues over the past weeks. Since I didn't change my diet, it can only be the result of the intense training that I have been going through.

And now the pics:

Comparing the picture above to the photo taken after week #8, the abs continue to get more carved out.The sides are more clearly drawn and now the upper abs (just below the pectorals) are starting to stand out.

As it's harder to see depth on a fully frontal picture, have a look at the side picture below. It's a shame that I didn't think to have pictures taken from this angle previously. It would have been nice to be able to see the evolution.

Anyway, on this picture it's clear that my belly is now almost flat. The side abs carving is also more visible from this angle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you read this blog to find out if this method can work for you, one key take away is that during the first weeks no matter what, you need to push yourself mentally to absolutely stick to the program. You will be more likely to quit during the first weeks for a simple reason: at the beginning the training is an act of faith. You sweat, you suffer, but you won't see any change in the mirror.

Once you reach this  stage in the training where physical changes just keep getting more visible, it's fun and it's easy to find the motivation to continue training. If you're not there yet, keep going and it will come too!

And by the way, I have to confess that I don't have a choice: my wife as also noticed the changes and she told me that I have to continue, quitting is not allowed anymore ! :-)

Body stats: after 8 weeks

I have now completed 8 weeks of training. This is when results should start to appear (the key word is "appear", don't expect to see a six-pack yet!)

My stats after 8 weeks: 

Height: 178 cm (5.84ft) 

Weight: 78.2 kg (172.6 lbs)

Waist size: 88 cm (34.6 in)


In my last post discussing weight, I mentioned that breaking the 79kg barrier would be a strong indication that I was losing weight. This milestone has now been officially passed.
To be very transparent, one morning a week or two ago I even weighted myself at 76.5kg! But this was more an anomaly than a real weight loss. Lately my weight has been constantly oscillating between 78kg-79kg.

Based on the evolution over the past 8 weeks, I don't expect to lose a lot of weight. I think that will trade some fat for some muscles, so my guess is that I will end-up around 75kg-76kg.


The waist size is a more stable measure, and by dropping by another centimeter it confirms that there is some effect from the training. I have also started to notice that the abs are a bit more carved-out. Nothing incredible, but so it's motivating to see some progress.


Here is a picture:

Results appear slowly, it's even harder on picture than in than in real life. Since week #1, I have been losing a bit of belly fat: the lower ribs and the abs are getting more visible (I'm not contracting muscles on any picture). Pectoral muscles also appear to be slightly more developed.

Body stats: after 5 weeks

According to Freeletics, the most visible physical changes take place after 8 weeks.
But I don't take their word for granted. The entire point of this blog is to independently assess if the programs is as efficient as it claims.

Now that I have completed my first 5 weeks of training, let's have another look at my stats: 

Height: 178 cm (5.84ft) 

Weight: 79.5 kg (175.3 lbs)

Waist size: 89 cm (35 in)


If we look at solely at figures, it looks like that I have lost 3 kilos and 1 cm of waist size over the past 5 weeks. Not bad, but before jumping to conclusions, we need to take into account my metabolism.

I'm not obsessed with my weight. It's useless for me to step on the scale every day: from one day to the next I can gain or lose 1 to 2 kilos.
However, over the past decade my weight has always been within 79kg to 83kg. Even when I started boxing twice a week after a period of inactivity, my weight didn't change. I just traded a couple kilos of fat for a couple kilos of muscle.

My point is: take the results above with a grain of salt. The drop in weight is encouraging but I'm still within my normal range. When I weighted myself 5 weeks ago, 82.5 kg was on the high side. Now I'm on the low side. 
If in a few weeks I start to drop below 79kg, this will be a strong signal that the training is impacting my weight.


A last thing. When weighting myself for this experiment, I always wait a day or two after training. I usually lose 0.5kg-1kg of water during workout. I need to let my body to re-hydrate to avoid distorting the weighting results.


And now the pic:

 

Body stats: before starting of the training

To be complete, this experiment needs to show where I'm starting from. I'm not completely out of shape, but I definitely carry a few extra kilos.

Here are my stats before starting my freeletics training:

Height: 178 cm (5.84ft)

Weight: 82.5 kg (181.8 lbs)

Waist size: 90 cm (35.4 in)


And because pictures are worth a thousand words:

 

 

These photos were taken at the end of week#1, not that it matters much. I don't expect any change during the first few weeks.I probably won't need to post new pictures until week #5.