Day Nine- Flips, Fitness & Second Chances: A Middle-Aged Man's Return to Gymnastics
- Jay M. Horne
- Apr 15
- 4 min read
Day 9: Nutrition Focus
Nine days into this journey, and my focus today shifted somewhat toward nutrition and fueling strategies while maintaining my exercise consistency.
The Numbers Check-In
My weight continues to hold steady at 193 pounds for the fourth consecutive day. This plateau after the initial 7-pound loss is expected and not concerning. In fact, it may indicate that I'm building some muscle to offset the fat loss. My 5K time was 37:00 today, essentially unchanged from yesterday's 36:58.
Nutrition Exploration
Today I significantly increased my food intake, focusing on nutrient-dense options that support both ketosis and recovery:
Egg white salad (400 calories)
Salad (400 calories)
Meats (480 calories)
String cheeses (2) (120 calories)
Cheese bites (340 calories)
Tomato, avocado, 2 boiled eggs (500 calories)
Total: 2,240 calories
This represents my highest caloric day since beginning this journey – nearly 900 calories more than yesterday. The increase is deliberate for several reasons.
First, I'm recognizing that extreme caloric restriction can sometimes impede progress, particularly when combining strength training with cardiovascular work. The body needs adequate fuel to repair muscle tissue and support increased activity levels.
Second, I'm exploring how different caloric intakes affect my energy levels, recovery, and performance. Today's higher intake focused on protein and healthy fats while maintaining ketogenic principles – I'm curious to see how this impacts tomorrow's performance.
Third, strategic higher-calorie days can help prevent metabolic adaptation, where the body becomes too efficient at functioning on fewer calories. This "zigzag" approach to caloric intake can be effective for continued fat loss while supporting performance.
Training Consistency
Today's exercise lineup maintained my established foundation:
100 push-ups (8th consecutive day)
120 sit-ups (4th consecutive day at this volume)
20 minutes of kicks (reintroduced martial arts practice)
I'm particularly pleased with the consistency in my calisthenics. Maintaining 100 push-ups daily for more than a week is building not just strength but mental discipline. The 120 sit-ups continue to strengthen my core, which will be essential for the gymnastics movements I plan to introduce soon.
The 20 minutes of kicks marks my return to focused martial arts practice after a few days' break. I concentrated on form and technique rather than quantity, working through front kicks, roundhouse kicks, and side kicks on both sides.
Reflecting on Adaptation
As I approach the completion of my first ten days, I'm noticing some interesting patterns in how my body is adapting to this new regimen.
The initial rapid weight loss has given way to a period of stability. This is typical and actually preferable to continued rapid loss, which would likely include muscle tissue. My energy levels throughout the day are becoming more consistent as my body adapts to using fat as its primary fuel source.
My running performance has stabilized in the 36-37 minute range for the 5K. While this is still slower than my pre-ketosis baseline of 33 minutes, the consistency suggests my body is finding its equilibrium. I expect to see gradual improvements from this new baseline as my metabolic efficiency increases.
Looking Ahead
As I move into Day 10 tomorrow – a minor milestone in itself – I'm considering introducing some basic gymnastics-specific movements. Handstands against the wall, hollow body holds, and perhaps some work on the parallel bars would be appropriate next steps.
I'm also planning to track my recovery more systematically. While I've been paying attention to how I feel subjectively, adding some metrics around sleep quality, morning resting heart rate, and perceived exertion during workouts could provide valuable insights.
The nutrition experiment from today will inform my approach going forward. If I notice improved energy and performance tomorrow, I may adopt a more cyclical approach to caloric intake – higher on training-intensive days and lower on recovery-focused days.
What continues to impress me most is how quickly the body adapts when given consistent signals. Nine days ago, 100 push-ups seemed daunting. Today, they're simply part of my daily routine. This rapid adaptation gives me confidence that the more complex gymnastics skills will return with dedicated practice, even if they initially seem out of reach.
Day 9: Nutrition Focus
Weight holding steady at 193 pounds for fourth consecutive day with 5K time practically unchanged at 37:00. Today marked a significant shift in nutritional strategy – deliberately increased calories to 2,240 (highest day yet) while maintaining ketogenic principles with protein-rich foods and healthy fats. This "zigzag" approach aims to prevent metabolic adaptation and better support recovery. Maintained impressive consistency with 100 push-ups (8th consecutive day) and 120 sit-ups (4th consecutive day) while reintroducing martial arts with 20 minutes of focused kick practice. My body appears to be finding a new equilibrium across multiple metrics as I transition from the rapid adaptation phase to an optimization phase. As I approach my 10-day milestone, I'm planning to introduce gymnastics-specific movements like handstands against the wall and hollow body holds.
A Middle-Aged Man’s Guide to Beginner Gymnastics is awaiting an official announcement, but has a planned latest release date of January 2026.
Jay Horne is the author of the science fiction fantasy realm of Rootworld where magic came before science. His latest works explore the discovery of magic on the Earth when the first witch is born and turns water into wine. Now, both realms are trying to educate and acclimate their students into new subjects.
Jay is the father of four and works as a cardiac monitor tech while he writes. He has a newsletter at substack called Stories that Slap. The only thing he loves more than writing is fooling his children.
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