This kicked my ass, and shouldn’t have. I’m almost done with the program, and am itching to complete it, but I’m either starting to get sick
Weight is stagnant, but I’m feeling hungry and good, so I assume I’m retaining fluid or whatever and will see the drop eventually.
Solid assumption. The part I quoted above sounds like a recipe for inflammation.
For that breakfast: do you use the english muffin to make an egg sandwich? That’s my immediate temptation upon seeing that, haha.
No, the English muffins are too small for me to pile on enough protein to make it to lunch during the work week. I often have egg sandwiches on the weekend, though, when I’ve already front-loaded some protein. I’ll do one whole egg and one white, one or two pieces of ham, and a slice of cheese. I love egg sandwiches.
Out of curiosity, how much fat do you usually eat?
Yesterday it came in at 34g, calories 1328.
Oh, still Friday
2 mile hike, rugged and steep in places, which also kicked my ass. It’s humid today for the first time in a long time, and warm.
Gotcha, the meals you logged seemed low-fat to me indeed. Not sure if that is typical for you, but I myself prefer cutting fats when in a deficit too.
Dietary fats are important when cutting. They help maintain your hormone profile. Personally when cutting I would go high protein, low carb and moderate to high fats.
I didn’t say that I cut fats entirely. I reduce them though. I experience insomnia on low-carb diets.
It’s always a good idea to say exactly what you mean and not let other assume. When you say “I cut fats” that reads as if you cut them out.
I find this can often be the result of an electrolyte imbalance, since carbs tend to help hold those. A magnesium supplement can be useful.
However, for some, it ends up being a cortisol issue, since carbs are able to reduce cortisol.
I was in the worst of both worlds with a low fat AND low carb diet, and literally couldn’t sleep past 0200 on most nights, getting only 20 minute chunks of “sleep” for all that was worth.
“Cut” can be used as a verb that is synonymous with “reduce” among others that are not as drastic as something like “eliminate.”
I believe it is the latter because I have supplemented with 300 mg of magnesium every night for many years and consume electrolytes almost daily while also liberally salting my food.
Yes and no. I’m typically pretty clean during the week, cutting or not, but the weekends are more variable. Last weekend I had a brick oven-style pizza with sausage, so pretty fatty (though I like this pizza - I never feel gross after eating it). Occasionally there’s ice cream or whatever.
What do you consider to be moderate to high fat percentage wise?
I don’t use percentages. My protien pretty much stays the same year round and fats are typically around .3-.4x lean body mass depending if I’m dieting or growing. One those two macros are established I fill in the rest of my allotted cals with carbs.
Saturday, September 27
Weight 145.9
I’m excited about the drop below 146. Interestingly (to me and me alone, lol), 145.9 was my low weight following the 2024 T-ransformation Challenge, though I only held there for a day (June 9, 2024). I increased calories and began the Caroline Girvan workouts on July 5th, 2025 post-vacation, and from there my weight increases through October, at which point I was able to stabilize and maintain weight without feeling that I was in a cut. In January I started the 2025 Challenge, and struggled to drop weight through the winter. Louie shows up in April and weight shifts downward with the added walks, then stabilizes again despite efforts until the addition of the retatrutide. I sure am enjoying this process, bumps and all. Here is a graph (god, I love data) of the whole thing, starting Jan. 1, 2024.
Turns out that this gets a big ol’ “bingo!” I was up in the night aching, some of which was DOMS, but I think some of it just a random something-or-other, so I’ll take today off and reduce to 3 sessions this week and see how that goes.
A nice thing for me to reflect is that before all of the changes I made on 1/1/24, it was not unusual for me to feel inflamed. Now it’s become a weird surprise, unless directly following a period of sustained social eating.
Monday, September 29
Weight 145.9
Weight was down to 145 yesterday. Exciting!
Today CG Max day 45/50 - totally girly ass circuit workout today, which I loved so much…abs, around the world and lateral raises, seated abduction and banded hip thrust, palm up and hammer curl, dips and overhead tricep extension.
Feeling much better after a two day rest and a sinful dinner out at a tavern. Fed and rested.
Wednesday, Oct. 1
I got swept up in Off Topic this morning and did not get my workout in, nor the dog taken for a nice, long walk. I’m feeling like I suck (I know better!), but it’s just one day and the world doesn’t end, blah blah blah.
I don’t know why I ever think I’m going to make a quick response in those debate-type threads…I should know by now that it’s going to wind up being a novel-length post.
I’m further irritated that at 8:41, when I was a couple of minutes out from work, I got a text from my 9:00 appt notifying me that she’s “not feeling well” and so will call if she needs anything but will otherwise see me at her next scheduled appointment. Yeah, I’m “not feeling well,” too, and would like to have rolled over and gone back to sleep when the alarm went off, but I DIDN’T, because we had an appointment. Had you not pushed the snooze until you realized there was no way to make it in, you could have given me enough notice that I could have used the extra hour doing something, like working out or walking the dog.
People who don’t value your time are some of the most frustrating folks in existence. It’s why I’ve never had a training partner. Sucks that happened to you.
Thanks! Normally I don’t mind. It’s extra time to catch up on admin tasks, or just goof off if nothing needs to be done, as I am now.
I’m really the foundational source of my frustration, because I managed my time poorly, so could have used a “found” hour.
Do you charge a no-show fee?
