Glad you enjoyed the post! Always delighted to be part of your echo chamber of lunatics.
To actually gain more fat if I want @T3hPwnisher 's Bruce Randall award!
Here’s January at ~175 when I started:
Here’s this morning on my pre-comp week at 190lb:
Considering how life decided to be life during this challenge, I’m proud of where I’m at and proud of the fact I didn’t die when I dropped a 225lb log on me almost a month ago!
Now I will preform well on April 13th and finish out this challenge strong!
If you’re getting stronger, and buying smaller clothes, it sounds like that’s exactly what you’re doing. Great work!
Incredible work, man. You actually grew yourself leaner. Very impressive.
Thanks! Still trying to figure that one out! Must be actually training abs!
You’ve built some muscle to push against the skin. You’re in a great spot. Great work!
Currently maintaining.
Went off track with diet today. going to end up 400kcal over. shouldn’t be a big deal
I was thinking this too. Very good job
Going to add a diet update here as I cant add to my own load because of the 6 consecutive post rule ( @Mod_Phoenix @Chris_Shugart and way to fix that please)
Food update. tagging @TrainForPain @anon6371718 and @QuadQueen
Breakfast has been going well, eating 4 whole eggs daily and a shake, cut the full fat milk to low fat.
Lunches are still Chilli twice a day. Cut the rice on non gym days and added green beans or broccoli. I will be 50 in a few months and I have only now discovered the joy of frozen veggies. I just add some to my meat portion and when I heat it up in the microwave at work they are great.
On gym days I am adding some carbs to my second lunch, either rice or potatoes.
Dinners at home with the family are just what ever we are having. But I am dropping the carbs or at least reducing the to a minimum.
Evening snack before bed is now low fat greek yogurt with some berries and protein powder if I am low for the day.
Now to be totally transparent I have still snacked a little here and there. This has been rice crackers or some cheese. Not perfect but its not like I am trying to get stage ready so I will worry about that when the weight loss stalls.
Last night my wife made a chicken pasta dish for dinner and completely forgot about my low carb intentions. I ate the chicken and few mouthfuls of pasta and left the rest. She gave me a concerned look as rarely ever leave food. Explained it to her and she simply said oops sorry I forgot.
I had my greek yogurt later and then was still a little hungry so just snacked on some cold slow cooked lamb that was left over from Sunday. My kids laughed at me as I stood on the kitchen eating a plate of cold meat.
Haven’t noticed any drop in energy when training but maybe a small drop at other times in the day. I am noticing that I am bloody hungry though.
Nice job!
If it’s getting unsustainable, this might be where carb/ calorie cycling can be helpful. Sometimes it’s easier to just not eat than eat a little (carbs or calories, really); then your training days, when you’re really hungry anyway, can have some portions that are actually satisfying.
I’m also interested what the smart folks say. I’ve never gotten anywhere close to lean without getting really hungry too.
I think the problem is that I am always hungry. Eve when running super squats and eating 6000 cals a day, I still felt hungry.
I think @T3hPwnisher has talked a little about, people miss reading the signs of hunger and I am sure that is the case. I now I am getting enough nutrients for the day, but still my power belly wants feeding. I am trying to tell myself that It is likely that I just need to drink more water instead.
How much water are you drinking right now?
I am drinking a coffee ‘right now’
I noticed that too when I was eating up to my highest weight. I ate and ate, and could probably have eaten a bit more, especially after the novelty of eating wore off an hour or so after a meal.
Oddly enough, after cutting back on eating a bit, I’m finding myself satisfied after eating and being ok with feeling hunger every once and a while.
Sorry I don’t have any advice, just wanted to let you know you’re not alone.
Edit: I guess novelty isn’t the correct word for this situation… Disgust might be a better fit.
I wonder if this is related to salt (and/or other electrolyte) intake and not just water. I’d maybe get a pack of ORS (oral rehydration solution) and take some for a few days and see if this changes.
It is possible but I am pretty good with my hydration and electrolytes intake. I thing the hunger is more a case of me being used to eating a lot for a long time.
Hmmmm, semantics, but I would actually consider what you’re practicing to be “moderated extremes” vs. extreme moderation. I believe I actually fall into the extreme moderation camp, as I’ve hit my target macros everyday for the last 15 years with very small incremental changes to them when my goals shit. Your approach has high variance with ultra controlled spikes or swings, while mine is negligible variance with heavily moderated shifts.
At the end of the day, I believe we both achieve the same mean level of “moderation” if we look over large enough time frame. So I’d actually argue most on TNation who have had long term success are the true moderators, i.e. perpetually consistent, just with broad range of daily or weekly variance. And the extremists are the gen pop who binge drinks and/or eats and are perpetually overweight or underweight.
You say tomato, I say ribeye
I’ve found that a 1 - 1.5lbs of fatty brisket and 40oz of water will fill me up. No need for sides.
This was unironically going to be my answer @simo74 . Cut the carbs, cut the insulin spike. Load up a BIG meal of fatty meat and wait until you’re hungry again. Repeat the process. It breaks the cycle.
Dr. Ted Naiman talks about the protein leveraging hypothesis in a similar manner. I dig the idea of nutritional modeling, but you may be able to make it work by doing something like having a protein shake or a bunch of egg whites BEFORE your meal.