Feeling So Good at 150

Winding up for 160 on meat and fat

In my last post, I reported a serious dip in my physical power. Now, I’m shouting, “Look at me!”
48 minutes: 38 minutes “extreme,” 8 minutes “anaerobic,” and just 2 minutes in “fat-burning” mode. And yes, that was my sprinting, stair climbing, and isometric exercise routine.
I was pleased to sit back (after showering, after being allowed in!) and watch last night’s rugby highlights while my wife cooked up a treat—a four-egg, cheese, and lashings-of-butter omelette. Now, that’s living!

Why am I so pleased? Here’s the thing: as much as I felt the intensity, it was a good kind of intensity—not the “OMG, should I call an ambulance?” feeling that used to be my norm just 18 months ago. Back then, hitting a heart rate of 144 bpm would have left me feeling shaky in the head and pounding in my chest. Today, even with my heart pushing 150+ bpm, I felt like I was just warming up.

My smartwatch calculates my maximum heart rate by taking my age (76) and subtracting it from 220, so whenever I hit 144 bpm, it bellowed, “Lower intensity!”

38 minutes at “extreme” was a lot of bellowing!

Yet, even at 150 bpm, I wasn’t feeling stressed or worried—I was feeling like Neil Diamond calmly crooning through “Play Me” in the 1960s.

Now I’m thinking the formula for the new me should be 220 – 50 = 170! But then I don’t want to end up ruined again, as happened when I tried to keep up with that 11-year-old. 160 sounds like a good compromise as my next target.

I genuinely feel that the only thing that will hold me back is my COPD. I have to fight hard to get through the first kilometer to open my lungs. I’ve got to work more on increasing my capacity. But for the rest, man, I’m flying!

Meat, fat, eggs, butter, salt, and water have turned the clock back.
Goodness, life is so much more fun when you’re feeling good. And to think, just 2 years and 9 months into the carnivore lifestyle, I’ve made this kind of progress—it’s nothing short of magic.