I’ve been doing this for ages for similar reasons as you’ve stated, and my wife thinks I’m nuts for doing it.
But I’ve also been known to down a double order of wings with a side of steak every now & then. Good wings are my weakness.
5 Likes
Just realised that the cut off date is in 13 weeks 
Enough time to push the food and get through 2 cycles of BBB and nearly 2 cycles of 5/3/1 for hardgainers
Good wings and a good cheesecake 
1 Like
So my scale and I are fighting a lot right now. The highest calorie day I’ve had in a month has been 2322cal, which is still 1,000cal deficit for me.
Want to see the comical weight progress?
Started 211.4lb
Currently: 209.6lb
Should Be: 202.8lb
Bit of a philosophical/psychological question here… What happens when your subjective mirror progress is out-performing your objective scale progress?
Do we really care?
Does Thermodynamics even exist?
Is the scale going to refresh one day and tell me I’m pretty?
3 Likes
This is legit why I’ve stopped weighing myself.
Outside of competition, that number means nothing to me.
5 Likes
Same. I was using it as an objective marker for when I should be at about 10% BF so I could end my cut, but it seems unlikely for that to continue on. Guess that means I’ll be confronting my Body Dysmorphia as a byproduct of this challenge lol.
If my body wants me to stay 210 at 10% BF, so be it; I won’t be mad 
1 Like
So I haven’t lost any scale weight really (maybe a pound or two) but a coworker I haven’t seen for a while (September ish) said it looked like I Iost weight.
This means one or two things
- My back and shoulders are getting noticeably bigger thereby making my waist look smaller
2 my waist is actually smaller (maybe, I went down a belt hole since January)
Nice to get the compliment
6 Likes
Tagged 182 today.
Loss has slowed but thats to be expected. It hasn’t stopped though.
i am allowing some eating-for-pleasure during evening routine.
During daylight its just eggs, chicken or beef, and rice; possibly a protein shake. evening still includes handfuls of candied nuts.
1 Like
I’m really digging 5/3/1 with 5x5 supplemental work.
It’s been the perfect balance: a good amount of hard work, but not so much I want to vomit when thinking about the next session. I DID feel that way before Legs/Thighs workouts during the Surge Challenge.
Getting close to defluff time–about two weeks out.
1 Like
A few updates that have me feeling frustrated and adjusting my fitness plan.
The good news: Visited South Korea over the past few days, tried some new and tasty foods, walked around a lot, and even used the best hotel gym I’ve ever seen two out of the four mornings we were there.
The bad news: After a few days taking it easier to let some pain I’ve been feeling on my left side calm down, I got complacent when it faded to nearly nothing. During my squat workout (week 7 of HBTFW), I had a feeling my form wasn’t perfect, and, combined with walking all over Seoul, it definitely seemed to aggravate things. The pain went from receding to my lower back, to feeling it radiating from my glute/hamstring and partially in my Achilles tendon.
I’m going to try and make an appointment with the doctor, but from what he told me and what I’ve researched, I’m betting it’s a bulging disc pressing on my sciatic nerve and not likely to heal unless I get smarter about my intensity level and keep things at a weight where I know without a doubt that I can maintain good form. I’d like to get an MRI to actually see what’s going on, but there’s only one MRI machine on-island, and it’s like leaping through flaming hoops to get one scheduled.
In the mean time, while I’m feeling frustrated to back off when I’m this close to completing my program, I don’t think getting through the next 2-3 weeks of heavy squats that it calls for is going to be a smart move. I have another program I was planning to start after anyways, and it doesn’t prescribe the percentage of weight used, which I think will be useful to give me some flexibility to be a bit smarter in listening to my body. At least, that’s the idea to keep from backsliding.
8 Likes
Way to be smart! I’m confident you’ll be set back less by taking a planned break to avoid surgery vs a mandatory break to recover from surgery.
Besides, if I remember right, you have conditioning and aesthetic goals; you don’t have to force a ton of spinal compression for those.
1 Like
Thanks, it’s really hard for me back off when I felt like I was getting into such a good groove. But I’ve never had a serious/chonic injury before to my back before, so I’m trying to be smarter now to keep this from becoming something that I kick myself for later.
And you’re right - my main goals are to perform in my job and our fitness tests, none of which require heavy lifting for my area at least, and to drop my body fat percentage. Putting more weight on the bar was something I saw as part of that path, but by no means required.
3 Likes
My back injuries helped end that job for me, so I definitely think you’re playing your cards right to be smart.
1 Like
Down to 172.8 today. Been super busy for the past week so eating has been about getting minimums. Sprained my knee over the weekend so that throws a wrench into training plans but we will find a way.
6 Likes
Dante Trudel (for those of us who remember him!) had a pretty cool post on his blog this morning if anyone wants to check it out.
5 Likes
LOL. I’m currently 2 weeks out and 13+ pounds over…
2 Likes
Cutting weight is for high schoolers: go up.
Surgeon General’s Warning: This mentality is why I am missing an ACL.
1 Like
Eh. They give you an aftermarket one.
Edit: Although I got a used one the second time.
1 Like
That’s a powerful blog post man
Thanks for directing me to it
1 Like
I understand weight cutting, but why an ACL? Surely there are some other things to get rid of to make weight before an ACL. (haha)
I’m a good bit heavier than going into nationals. With a coach I’ve kept a lot of accessory volume and I think it’s made my static weight a bit higher (I was at about 18-20 pounds over and had to dial my weight back already). I have my last big full session/mock comp this weekend and outside of recovery for that I can probably still get a pound or 2 off before water.
3 Likes