The sad thing is that some things wont grow no matter how much you train them.
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I cant tell if we’re talking about calf muscles or penises.
Am I the problem? I feel like I’m the problem…
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I think the comment had a certain ambiguity too it, deff could apply to calves though.
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13/02/25 - 202
Yesterday I went for 2 main meals, rather than 3, fasted until lunch. Lunch was 9 eggs and the usual roast veg, dinner was spag bol (heavy on the meat lighter on the spag), had half a pot (250g approx) of 0% greek yogurt with blueberries afterwards and finished the evening with 50g casein. Because it was only 2 meals I did a rough check on chatgpt it was about 2.3k cals and over 200g of protein, nice to know I can go without tracking and be in the right ball park even with changing variables.
Already got a couple of miles in this morning, will get some more done later, hopefully.
I have no love for training, but tell me I can’t do something and that’s all I want to do - looking forward to getting back, but not much change with the shoulder so I’m sticking to the plan!
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I looked at your food options and my bench macro sensor was tingling (it was misfiring a bit, admittedly).
Assuming your 2300cals and >200g protein estimates are correct, this is what I believe your macros look like:
To me, that 106g fat (which could be less - maybe as low as 80g?) is quite high, but if it works for you - I wouldn’t change it.
I prefer higher carbs so I can have more training fuel. Particularly considering TRT, dietary fat has much less importance for us.
Anyways, I just wanted to run the (very) rough numbers to see where you might be sitting at, and it may be worth considering a change over to higher carbs with lower fats.
If what you’re doing is easily sustainable, don’t change a thing!
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Thanks Andrew, your calcs came out almost exactly the same as mine, I had 5% beef, but had a small amount of cheddar on it and some EVOO for cooking the eggs.
I do usually run higher carbs lower fat, it’s generally my preference (well high fat, carbs and protein is my real preference) yesterday was more eggs than usual for this cut.
When getting 3 meals I usually start with oats and protein or greek yogurt and keep with lean meat for lunch and dinner. Yesterday was just mixing it up a little. Might be the way I stay whilst I’m not lifting or it might fluctuate a little between carbs/fats. Will probably return to higher carbs lower fat when I can lift though.
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Random lunch photo:
That was about 500g of beef mince (cooked 750g last night and ate about a 1/3rd of it then, the rest now). I was going to do eggs, but turns out the reason I used 9 yesterday is because that’s the number I had left and I haven’t been to the shop since.
Two meal day again.
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I bought eggs, had 6 form dinner with the veg, then finished off with this:
250g greek yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
Yes in the absence of training this journal is just pictures of food and me talking about walking, I imagine this is what Instagram is like?
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14/02/25 - 202
Woke a 5am by way of new baby wanting feeding (and at 1am as well). Fed baby who went back to sleep, did valentines card and gifts for the wife.
6am, it’s February so dark and cold, it’s also raining heavily and quite windy, seems like a great time for a walk, said no one ever. 30 mins, stomping in puddles with the pup, good pace. Coat and walking shoes held up to the rain, walking trousers need re-waterproofing.
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15/02/25 - 200.75
I should binge on tiffin more often! Hitting 200 is kind of uncomfortable for me, took me years to get past it (started this journey properly at 151lbs) and I’ve spent my entire life feeling small and skinny. Midriff is starting to look a little sharper, current thinking is another 10lbs off, working on rough assumptions of being currently around 15% and wanting to look around 10%, that’d take 11lbs, so hopefully this works out, but I’ll see how things look as go along.
Thinking about when I get back to lifting (one more week!) - I want to do Brian’s linear progression. I’ve got 14 weeks to cruise and really don’t see myself wanting to go below 190. Knowing how I responded to some of Brian’s higher volume programming, I’m thinking I might be able to can get away with increasing cals a bit, specifically more carbs around lifting, and running LP.
I think I’ll be able to make progress and still lose weight or at least maintain (I’ve historically lost even when trying to gain on dark horse - that was so difficult to gain weight on). Trying to ride two many horses, maybe, but because I’ve given myself the longer slower option I reckon I’ve got a month of leeway to at least get through the first wave and then re-assess, and still have time to lose the additional 10lbs.
It’s funny I don’t love training and struggle to keep disciplined in it, but tell me I can’t do it and I’m suddenly wanting to 24/7!
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Walking - 5 miles 1 hour 10, not a leisurely pace and not the easiest terrain in parts, 500ft elevation gain as well, apparently, cannot remember the last time I walked this far.
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To be fair, that little dog there did way more work than you did.
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I know who look more tired now though - if I said the word walk she’d be up like a shot.
2 hours of meal prep done.
Ate a stupidly large (volume) dinner, 2 meals a day still, I like being able to be really full a couple of times and then manage with a couple of shakes outside of that.
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This is exactly what I’m doing and it’s been life changing. It’s freed up so much time in my schedule. I have no idea how I used to do the 3 meals/3 shakes thing in the past and have ZERO idea how anyone can find the time or energy to eat 5-6 solid meals.
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Mines specifically for the cutting phase, I work from home and love eating, but do always favour more volume over more meals, 3/4 big meals and maybe 1/2 snacks - usually bananas and shakes around training and Micellar casein before bed, but 6 proper meals a day sounds unpleasant!
16/02/25 - 202
Clearly need more tiffin!
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Not enough ass shots for instagram
That can be resolved…
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17/02/25 - 202
Long post warning!
The moving 7 day average is good, thanks for the idea @Stormblessed definitely helps the daily fluctuations seem irrelevant.
Looking like 1lb a week, which is spot on, not bad for almost entirely intuitive eating.
Ate one of my favourite meals tonight (something I robbed from Brian Alsruhe, yes I even copy his meals occasionally!) it’s really a healthy bulking meal, but I cut the cheese right back, trimmed the fat off the bacon only put 4 pieces in (for 2 meals) and added some chicken in instead, 4 eggs on top though (10th large egg of the day).
Got my 2 miles of walking in after this, despite being cold, wet, windy and dark.
It was good, gives me time and space to think. Was ruminating on my messages to @decimation and the conversation around mindset changes.
I realise I’ve done this sort of haphazardly, but it’s effective. I’m sure what I’m about to describe isn’t new or groundbreaking, just my take on it:
Values and behaviours - I talked about how I changed my mindset by being someone who “eats healthy” - this has become one of my values, something I hold to which affects my behaviours, so my values being that I am healthy, mean that tonight whilst my entire household opted for frozen pizza and ice-cream I had the aforementioned meal and then this:
I thought it might be useful to flesh out some more values, then I can analyse my behaviours and modify accordingly. It’s a useful framework because, let’s say for example I do slip up and binge eat sugar, I’m not a sugar addict or failure, I’m still a person who prioritises health, I’ve just allowed my behaviour to get out of line temporarily and need to ensure that the specific behaviour gets realigned with my values.
I will do some of the fleshing out below, I’ll probably bookmark it and revisit and update periodically.
Value: I am a man who places the highest value in his faith in Jesus
Behaviours: prioritising time to cultivate my faith, ensuring that actions I take align with the ethics at the centre of Christianity.
Value: I am someone who does hard things
Behaviours: I intentionally seek out ways to better myself through hardship, I prioritise improvement over comfort, I do not shy away from effort or difficult situations.
Value: I am leader
Behaviours: I lead by example, I demonstrate the behaviours I expect to see in others, I lead myself first but always bring others along with me.
Value: I value others
Behaviours: I invest time in my relationships, I do my best to raise others up, I am careful in my words.
Value: I am health conscious individual
Behaviours: I eat for health first and enjoyment second, I ensure adequate sleep and recovery, I focus on all aspects of physical health.
Value: I am a man of my word
Behaviours: I do what I say I will - when I say I will, I do not try and use words in an underhanded way to manipulate or have meaning other than obviously intended.
I could go on and as I mentioned I will come back to these and add to them as I develop these. But that will do for now, particularly as I’m typing this on a phone.
Some of these are values that I’m working on or growing in, leadership in particular is an interesting one.
Leadership is not something I’d say I’d sought out, or even wanted to cultivate, it’s something I have found myself in, in every aspect of my life, I line manage the largest team at my workplace, I line manage and incident manage in the fire service (despite initially trying to say no to the role!), I am on the leadership team at church (and also run a home group and prayer meeting), because of this it makes sense to really be intentional and cultivate it, be the best leader I can be.
There is obviously very significant overlap on a lot of these areas, it makes sense, it’s all part of who I am, it’s a holistic thing with overlap. The behaviours are also clearly not exhaustive but just indicative.
Thus ends the meandering musings.
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Great stuff, mate!
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This is very Aristotelian, which you may appreciate if you have time to read/listen to. He prescribed a notion of virtue being a matter of habit/practice. Basically, what we think and feel is not who we are: it’s what we do.
I think your mindset is excellent for achieving your goals. Be that which does.
Also, that dessert looks absolutely incredible: I’m fairly certain I’d pick that over the ice cream.
I like your notion regarding if we have a slip-up. We didn’t become a different person then. If nothing else, we can make that part of our virtues. As a Christian, I’m sure you’d appreciate the ultimate “I am” before all other “I am” statements being “I am human, and, therefore, imperfect”. And when we no longer hold ourselves to a standard of perfection, we allow ourselves far more grace.
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