How I Learned the Value of Uncomfortable Exercise by Kent Altena

Originally published in the April 2013 issue of CarbSmart Magazine.

Success stories usually feature those who have run a race, not those who are still running. For the first seven years after reaching my goal weight, staying there was remarkably easy. I had lost over 200 pounds on the Atkins Diet in 2004/2005 and kept it off without much problem.

My weight never varied by more 5 pounds in that time, and I loved the low-carb lifestyle. It enabled me to do things that I had never dreamed possible before low carb: I had rejoined the National Guard, become a firefighter, and run marathons. My body, which was once an anchor, now enabled me to do anything I set my mind to.

However, that ease changed in the Fall of 2011. After running the Green Bay Marathon that year, the pain in my foot was so bad I could barely walk.

My podiatrist misdiagnosed me with a stress fracture. I was in a walking cast for 2 months. I couldn’t exercise for nearly four months. Over that time I gained 30 pounds, even though – or because – I didn’t change the way or amount I was eating at all.

Kent Altena — Kent in Olathe, Kansas running the Garmin Marathon in April 2012.

It was, needless to say, quite frustrating, and while I didn’t necessarily mention it in my YouTube videos, it led to me not wanting to be in front of the camera as much. I tried everything to turn the tide. After the walking cast came off, I went back to the gym. I was doing lower-intensity workouts, often 40-60 minutes, 5 to 6 times a week. I was following the Atkins OWL phase to the letter, eating essentially the same diet I had eaten for the previous five years.

I ultimately tried other ideas to return to my goal weight. Here is just a sample of the things I tried:

blood glucose testing multiple times per day (no, relatively stable throughout)
dropping all soda and caffeine for 3 weeks (no change except way more irritable)
eating less — dropping specific foods (dairy, wheat) or skipping meals
eating more often (5-6x mini meals)
drinking more water
stopping artificial sweets or desserts
working out longer on the elliptical trainer to burn more calories

Nothing solved my problem.

I found my answer in January 2012. In less than 6 weeks, I reached my goal weight. What was the change? I started training for my next marathon. Doing 5-6 days of mindless elliptical training at the gym wasn’t helping my weight. I went back to running 4-5 days a week averaging about ~25-30 miles per week. Cardio simply to exercise wasn’t the answer.

I had to work out with more intensity than the exercise equivalent of being in a Barcalounger watching television. As soon as I changed what I was doing, the weight dropped off. In April 2012, I ran my 6th full marathon in Olathe, KS, but that is a story for another article.

Don’t get me wrong. I do not think everyone needs to run to lose the weight. I do think we low carbers can get accustomed to doing the same thing, or believe because something worked in the past we don’t need to change this time. Is there such a thing as muscle confusion, as Tony Horton claims in P90X? Perhaps not, but I do believe we can get really efficient at doing one particular exercise, making it less effective for weight loss. Sometimes we need to get back to being uncomfortable with our weight loss journey to get back to being successful.

When I first started losing weight at 429 pounds, just walking the dog was uncomfortable and a challenge. It took real motivation for me to walk five minutes without stopping. Nine years later, I can still recall the pain involved in my first bike ride in years. Being at goal in a body that weighs half what it used to weigh, expecting the same results without the same effort was futile. The difference between then and now is it takes me pushing myself in running or doing HIIT to achieve the same level of discomfort.