The novelty was never there! Just consistently bring that hard work every day…!
BW down slightly here, added more conditioning & mobilty work, less heavy lifting, running Con Clavi (351), started BJJ too and loving it (as does junior who’s now attended 2-3 lessons also).
Edit - steak pic link!
I have lost a whopping 2.5lbs in 3 weeks, as of my last weigh in. Woo…
Going for slow and steady over here.
Curious to get some opinions from folks:
I was planning on cutting calories by 250/day every time I stall. However, I was thinking calorie cycling might have a bit of merit.
Example for me:
2100 cal maintenance/refeed day
1300-1500 6 days per week (depending on stall level)
Refeed day would be healthy still, talking an extra cup of rice or a fattier cut of meat. I do really well eating like an adult and my gut lets me know the second I don’t. It’s taken all the temptation out of cake and ice cream.
For me, I think it just comes down to which would make your diet easier. The lower my calories get, the more I tend to like the cycling approach (hypothetically - it’s been a long time since I got low!). When they’re low, I’d rather at least have a day I can eat a real meal instead of a bunch of days I just eat half meals. Earlier in the diet, though, I feel like it’s more thinking than it’s worth.
I should add that I somewhat do it naturally, because I do eat differently around my training; so I automatically am cycling a bit on non-training days
Things are going great!! Just started building the monolith thanks to some supreme inspiration from @T3hPwnisher … I’m weighing in consistently above 202, and regularly around 204 for about a 9lb gain since the start, and I’m feeling super strong right now.
It’s going well. I’m fighting the usual urge to switch programs. I’m doing DC training and now onto week 3. I have an itch to do the original layer program but I’m sticking with DC training at least 6 weeks and up to 12 and then if I need to cruise for 10 days I will and may give the layer program a go.
What I love about DC training is the rest pause sets and stretching. I’ve beaten the log book so far and that’s keeping me determined.
I moved this here to keep from cluttering the thread it was in and to acknowledge it in the greater group. I’ve been spending a lot of time in logs and question threads this month, where there has been consistent and excellent diet advice from @Andrewgen_Receptors. And I think that seeing it repeated and rephrased a few times has allowed it to finally get through to me. Get my protein…and then…add in what carbs will fit? I’ve read maybe thousands of articles about diet and macros and calories and etc, and I think this is the first time it’s ever been presented this simply.
Thank you and good job!
Pretty much, yeah. The only nuance id add is to not neglect or overeat dietary fats.
Yeah, you’ve been nicely clear - quality protein will take care of the fats, so I’m letting those manage themselves. I only use - and use a good bit of - evoo for cooking. @T3hPwnisher has noted that nuts are not worth their calories in terms of satiety, so I’ve reduced those, though I munched on almonds last night because I was craving salty crunchy.
I’ll add eggs to that list as well.
I’m gonna sound crazy here but I use Dill Pickles for this, which always make me feel like Woddy Harrelson in this clip
(Dude is a super conspiracy nut and has a fridge full of pickles)
Anyways yeah the salty/crunchy thing is hard for me to get past, but i find that craving completely tied to me watching TV. So i do a version of Intermittent Fasting where i have a large meal at the end of the day and then I’m too full to want to snack off diet.
I haven’t kicked the craving as it’s a mental connection, but thats my work-around.
Eggs, really? I’m surprised.
I agree about the TV/snack connection, and like sweets at that time, too, though I’m not a classic sweets-lover. Still! Am I watching Denzel Equalize yet another pile of bad guys? Yes? Then I want snacks. Currently grapes or almonds.
I’ve dropped milk in my coffee and snacks after 7 to provide a 12-hour fast, but to this point that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I don’t want to go to bed hungry.
@T3hPwnisher has talked about not snacking altogether, and I’m mulling it over. Historically I’ve been a (successful in terms of weight management) grazer, but that’s not working for me as well as I age, and my workout goals have changed.
I think before I make any further changes I should get what I’m doing really dialed in. Right now that’s getting the protein up. I think I’ve just about got it, though.
I can legit eat 21 eggs in one sitting and not even register it, haha. They are practically drinkable for me. Although for some they cause enough bloating to be self limiting.
And concur on snacks. Snacking begets snacking. It triggers hunger in my experience. I would rather gorge on one BIG meal than several small bites through the day. If I get a twinge of hunger, I get kind of excited about NOT eating at that point and bankrolling into a bigger meal later.
Here’s to some more transformation photos
I’ve had success with this in the past, might have to become the “hey, pickle?” man.
Finally saw a bit of weight drop and am slowly making my way back to getting after it. I woke up 1lb lighter than I finished the challenge last year, so the next 4 months should be a good window to transform.
A take a had not thought of. Right now, my meals are still reasonable and the scale is moving down. When it comes to drop again, however, I think this will keep my spirits higher. Thanks for the chiming in!
Yes, eggs release or carry a good bit of ghrelin. It’s one of those two, but ghrelin is a hunger suppressant. Also, protein and fat tend to stave off hunger. I do 4 eggs every morning and it holds me over for 3-4 hours with coffee.
I agree with this. 200 cals here, 200 cals there amd suddenly you’re not sure how to meet your macros.
Or if you’re like me, you meet your macros for today, and also tomorrow, and now you can only eat egg whites and canned tuna for 2 days straight.
I’m a fan of only meal prepping my protein so i can make/adjust my carbs and veggies on a daily basis. It makes the food a little better as it’s not reheated, and if increases meal satisfaction to cook your own food before eating.
I find it really hard to not eat if I’m not doing something with others.
I like to have one “main” meal post workout (400-700 calories, 60-90g protein). The rest of the day is many small “meals” (e.g., a slice of toast + 1 container Greek yoghurt) but nibble on it over the course of an hour or 2 so it stretches out
Chiming in on the snacking conversation, it’s such a mindset slippery slope for me. If I plan my meals and there is a schedule to it, then I execute the plan. If I have a snack here and there, not only do those calories add up but it starts a whole path of not eating mindfully - it’s way harder to get back to what I’m supposed to do that way.
It’s kind of why I’ve grown bigger on the peri-workout window the last couple years, as I think it does a couple things for me. First, I can fuel that important part of the day and then still dig as deep as I want the rest of the day. Second, it helps me enjoy the workout instead of dread it as the calories get lower - my brain associates the workout with my one sugar bump of the day, so I’m ready to get in there, vs. having to grind through something when I already feel terrible.
@T3hPwnisher congrats on the most important metrics! Very motivating.
I think that’s why it works for me.
I plan out when I eat what, almost to the minute
@TrainForPain Hey thanks so much man!
Mark Bell really put it into perspective for me when he said “Why do you need a snack: are you a child?” That, and his statement that “A pantry is a closet full of dead food” are two of the most profound things to ever come out of a meathead, and basically pulled the needle off the record player for me and snatched me right out of the Matrix.
For me, a “need” to snack is a sign I’m not eating enough at my meals. But often, a snack is an EMOTIONAL event: not a physical one. It’s rare we snack out of REAL hunger. When we’re hungry, we will EAT. It’s the same with “I’m not hungry for X”. There is no “hungry for”: hunger is agnostic. When we’re hungry, we’ll eat a raw potato or an unseasoned chicken breast or a bunch of egg whites. When we’re “not hungry for that”: we’re trying to satisfy a DIFFERENT emotion from hunger. Let’s figure out what THAT craving is for. Often, I find it’s boredom, and my solution is a walk.
My mother would say, when I was little and reaching for a third cookie, or whatever junky snack food, “if you’re hungry, eat something,” by which she meant real food. (Haha, a bologna and American cheese sandwich on nominal “wheat” bread.)
Working at Jenny Craig Weight Loss in my 20’s, I was stunned that not everyone’s mothers had said this. I assumed it was across-the-board, standard mom-ing. None of my friends, most of whom were acquired during my time working in gyms, ate the way the JC clients did.
Anyway, I see snacking as delightful small interludes of food-freedom.
I shall reassess this immediately, lol.
Incredible progress pic. You’re really looking good!
