My fat loss log

[lukepeter]

Glad someone else is jumping on the flexed progress photo bandwagon

Your progress is great Jarno and your attitude continues to be positive even after such a long time invested. I must admit, I envy your 2800kcal intake with accompanying weight loss - having the time to ride as much as you do is a dream I wont realize until my kids are much older (and you know how I despise cardio)

Dont sweat the deep end stuff too much, it will come off when its time - I know exactly how you feel since my damned love handles occupy that slot for me - just stick to the process as you have been doing and eventually even the deep end of the pool will empty out.

Strength.

[JSim83]

Long time no post, but I am back and I plan on getting back regular posting as now hopefully starts the last phase on my current fat loss journey. I think I have maybe 15 kg to go and I hope that I'll finish this cut before winter is over, but we will see. I had my summer vacation in August and the goal was to maintain weight during that month. I did not go to the gym and I did not track calories or weight during that time. After four weeks of vacation I weight myself and the scale said 4 kg weight gain. So you could say that I failed badly on goal of eating at maintenance. So I guess I will still need to continue tracking calories once I am done cutting. Of course there is some water weight gained, but likely some fat too. After the vacation my weight has dropped from 100,8 kg to 98,4 kg and his week I have not weighed myself yet.

I had the hernia surgery and I just got back home from hospital. The surgery went well and the wound should heal in approximately one week if everything goes well. If everything goes as planned I should able to start doing some light gym workouts in 3-4 weeks from now. At first I will be doing just some light accessory work and gradually move to compound movements and then of course slowly I'll start increasing the weights to get my strength back. I will be able to start cycling again in a week or so. Of course I will have to stay on the paved roads and at the beginning I'll go slow and avoid any big hills to avoid putting too much strain on my core.

[JSim83]

Calories

Mon: N/A
Tue: N/A
Wed: N/A
Thu: 2303 kcal, P: 176 g, C: 199 g, F: 83 g
Fri: 2249 kcal, P: 170 g, C: 194 g, F: 78 g
Sat: 2272 kcal, P: 164 g, C: 183 g, F: 92 g
Sun: 2264 kcal, P: 156 g, C: 214 g, F: 78 g

I did not track calories earlier this week due to surgery and so fort. However, I kept eating at deficit the whole week. Wednesday was definitely the day I ate the least (definitely under 2000 kcal), because I was not allowed to eat anything prior to the surgery and it was maybe 4 pm when I ate "breakfast". Rest of the week I have also eaten a bit lower calories than usual, because my activity level right now is really low and I feel like I don't need as many calories as usual.

Weight

Mon: N/A
Tue: N/A
Wed: N/A
Thu: N/A
Fri: 99,2 kg
Sat: 98,4 kg
Sun: 97,9 kg

Average: 98,45 kg / 217,0 lbs (-0,42 kg)

After the surgery I gained some water weight for some reason, but it seems that it is going away rather quickly...

Workouts/physical activities:

Mon: N/A
Tue: 1 round of disc golf
Wed: N/A
Thu: N/A
Fri: N/A
Sat: N/A
Sun: N/A

The only exercise I did was one round of disc golf... There will be at least a couple of more rest days and then I will start to do some cycling again.

[JSim83]

Today I went to cycling after 1 week of basically doing nothing but laying on couch and waiting that wound to heal. Pain is pretty much gone now, which is a little surprising in a positive way. I know that I am still not 100% recovered yet, even though there is no pain any longer, so I gotta take it easy, but it felt good to sweat a little and do something.

[JSim83]

Calories

Mon: 2392 kcal, P: 184 g, C: 209 g, F: 83 g
Tue: 2283 kcal, P: 162 g, C: 206 g, F: 81 g
Wed: 2631 kcal, P: 182 g, C: 263 g, F: 86 g
Thu: 2422 kcal, P: 181 g, C: 198 g, F: 91 g
Fri: 2384 kcal, P: 178 g, C: 186 g, F: 95 g
Sat: 2270 kcal, P: 157 g, C: 224 g, F: 73 g
Sun: 2337 kcal, P: 155 g, C: 227 g, F: 83 g

avg: 2389 kcal

I ate according to my plan the whole week. I am happy about that. Currently my calories are the lowest they have during this cut simply due to low activity level. I think that I might have to lower my calories even more until I can become more active again.

Weight

Mon: 97,60 kg
Tue: 98,30 kg
Wed: 97,50 kg
Thu: 98,10 kg
Fri: 97,60 kg
Sat: 97,70 kg
Sun: 97,80 kg

Average: 97,80 kg / 215,6 lbs (-0,65 kg)

Workouts/physical activities:

Well, not much to say here. Some really light exercises. Some cycling etc. I can't wait to get back to regular training again.

[JSim83]

Calories

Mon: 2262 kcal, P: 163 g, C: 216 g, F: 74 g
Tue: 2220 kcal, P: 169 g, C: 195 g, F: 77 g
Wed: 2389 kcal, P: 170 g, C: 232 g, F: 76 g
Thu: 2187 kcal, P: 164 g, C: 166 g, F: 87 g
Fri: 2625 kcal, P: 196 g, C: 191 g, F: 111 g
Sat: 2545 kcal, P: 161 g, C: 249 g, F: 95 g
Sun: 2456 kcal, P: 189 g, C: 226 g, F: 80 g

avg: 2384 kcal

Diet has been good. I did go to McDonald's on Friday evening, but overall I am happy with my eating this week.

Weight

Mon: 98,10 kg
Tue: 97,70 kg
Wed: 97,70 kg
Thu: 97,80 kg
Fri: 97,10 kg
Sat: 97,40 kg
Sun: 97,20 kg

Average: 97,57 kg / 215,1 lbs (-0,23 kg)

Workouts/physical activities:

Weather did full 180 towards worse this week, which is not a big surprise considering the time of the year and it is only getting worse. This time of year is kind of depressing. Usually the following couple of months in southern Finland is going to be rain and darkness and temperatures between 0 - 10 C. Cycling does not feel very tempting right now and I did not do any this week. During the next 2-3 months I will probably do less cycling, but since I now have the cross-country bike I will probably to more cycling again once there is snow on the ground.

Thursday and Friday I walked over 10000 steps both days, so I was way more active than usual. Normal for me is less than 5000 steps per day according to the device on my wrist. (Office job and I go to work by car etc.)

I did do three light gym workouts this week. I did not expect that the recovery from surgery would be this fast and that I could already go to gym only two weeks after. I did avoid all movements that would put stress to my core. That meant doing things like leg curls, leg extensions, pec dec etc. with light weights and 15-20 rep sets. I did not feel any pain and felt that I could have done more, but I know I have not yet 100% healed, so I now will slowly increase weights and slowly move towards doing compound movements again.

I also did 1 km of swimming today. I cannot even remember the last time went to swimming on fitness purpose. Maybe ten years a go? I am not sure. Of course I go to swimming during summer time after sauna to cool off, but that is just jumping to a lake for couple of minutes and that's that.

[JSim83]

Calories

Mon: 2162 kcal, P: 167 g, C: 180 g, F: 76 g
Tue: 2470 kcal, P: 180 g, C: 224 g, F: 85 g
Wed: 2220 kcal, P: 191 g, C: 164 g, F: 81 g
Thu: 2503 kcal, P: 190 g, C: 237 g, F: 81 g
Fri: 2276 kcal, P: 190 g, C: 166 g, F: 85 g
Sat: 2924 kcal, P: 206 g, C: 276 g, F: 103 g
Sun: 2593 kcal, P: 158 g, C: 259 g, F: 96 g

avg: 2450 kcal

Average calories for this week were slightly higher than last week, but also my activity level was higher. Overall I am happy with my diet.

Weight

Mon: 97,20 kg
Tue: 97,40 kg
Wed: 97,30 kg
Thu: 96,80 kg
Fri: 96,60 kg
Sat: 96,30 kg
Sun: 96,20 kg

Average: 96,77 kg / 213,34 lbs (-0,80 kg )

Weight is dropping nicely. I looked at the calendar and I think that I should be able to finish this cut before my 36th birthday which is in April 2019. So I will set that as my goal and deadline. Hopefully by that time I will be somewhere around 80-85 kg range.

Workouts

Mon: N/A
Tue: Gym (Full body)
Wed: N/A
Thu: Gym (Full body)
Fri: N/A
Sat: Gym (Full body)
Sun: Cycling 55 minutes

This week I have done a little harder workouts in the gym and gradually started to increase weights. I still avoid doing any movements that puts stress to my core like squats, dead lifts etc. but this week it has felt like quite decent workouts already. Weights are still rather low, but I have compensated that by resting less between sets, doing longer sets (15-20 rep range) and really tried to use controlled technique to fatigue the muscles as much as possible. I did do bench press yesterday first time after the surgery with 50 kg in the bar. It feels like I could already do normal workouts, but I am not going to rush this. After all, the doctor did say to me that I can start working out after the wound is healed, but I should wait at least a month before lifting anything heavy...

[JSim83]

Calories

Mon: 2187 kcal, P: 151 g, C: 226 g, F: 66 g
Tue: 2544 kcal, P: 174 g, C: 281 g, F: 71 g
Wed: 2226 kcal, P: 158 g, C: 194 g, F: 82 g
Thu: 2590 kcal, P: 183 g, C: 254 g, F: 85 g
Fri: 2174 kcal, P: 162 g, C: 176 g, F: 84 g
Sat: 3156 kcal, P: 207 g, C: 295 g, F: 125 g
Sun: 2598 kcal, P: 179 g, C: 236 g, F: 97 g

avg: 2496 kcal

Overall I am happy with my diet. Calories were maybe a bit too high, especially on Saturday. It did feel great in the gym today though as muscles were not so glycogen depleted.

Weight

Mon: 96,70 kg
Tue: 97,30 kg
Wed: 96,50 kg
Thu: 96,50 kg
Fri: 96,20 kg
Sat: 96,00 kg
Sun: 96,50 kg

Average: 96,53 kg / 212,8 lbs (-0,24 kg )

Last week my weight dropped more than what my calorie deficit was, so I was expecting that this week the weight would be more stagnant and it was. I just realized that pretty soon my BMI drops from obese to overweight category. Another milestone to achieve. LOL

I did take also progress photos, but just like I expected there was not much changed since the last time (in July) I took photos. Surprisingly the biggest change was in my face. I was not really expecting that since my face was not that fat back then, but now it seems it is even less fat...

Workouts

Mon: N/A
Tue: Gym (Full body)
Wed: N/A
Thu: Gym (Full body)
Fri: N/A
Sat: Disc golf 27 holes. (2 hours and 30 minutes of walking and throwing a piece of plastic in the woods. )
Sun: Gym (Full body) + Cycling 30 minutes

In the gym everything is going great. I have been gradually upping the intensity in my workouts and I really enjoy going to the gym right now. Today was unusually warm day and sun was shining so I did some cycling too. Also playing disc golf was fun after 5 week break from the sport.

[lukepeter]

There are lots of people who actually want to lose weight and such people need to focus on the best snacks for weight loss. After doing it properly you will get a good boost in your metabolism and energy. There are some healthy snacks that you can eat all day on a daily basis. It should contain protein, fats, and fiber depending on your activity level. Protein and fiber food is slow in digestion and doesn’t give you the feeling of emptiness.

Let us see some healthy snacks for weight loss:
1.String Cheese
There is about 6 to 8 gm of proteins per serving in String cheese. Each cheese has its own amount of calorie and fat content. Combine it with crackers or grapes and enjoy the meal sumptuously. This is one amount of the food you can eat a lot without weight gain.

2.Hard-Boiled Egg
A whole egg contains 6 gm of protein and a good amount of vitamin D and vitamin B in a dozen eggs. This is definitely a cheap and a protein-rich choice suggested by lots of nutritionists. This is one of the healthy snacks that can help you to lose weight.

3.Apple With Nut Butter
This is one of the best snacks for weight loss and it contains all the combination of nutrients like protein, fiber, and fat. You can also include cashew butter, almond butter and walnut butter in your diet.

4. Almonds
Among all the healthier nuts, almond is considered quite effective for weight loss. Apart from that, it is also rich in omega-9 fatty acids which is effective for heart health. You eat with dried fruit for extra sweetness and fiber. Almonds also help to improve memory.

Did you even bother to read this thread? I made you red

______________________________________________

Consistent progress as usual Jarno, I am envious of your cyclists quads (VMO looking really solid).

[JSim83]

Calories

Mon: 2195 kcal, P: 158 g, C: 193 g, F: 79 g
Tue: 2242 kcal, P: 157 g, C: 198 g, F: 82 g
Wed: 2608 kcal, P: 185 g, C: 256 g, F: 85 g
Thu: 2187 kcal, P: 161 g, C: 175 g, F: 86 g
Fri: 2650 kcal, P: 175 g, C: 225 g, F: 108 g
Sat: 2245 kcal, P: 152 g, C: 217 g, F: 80 g
Sun: 2413 kcal, P: 162 g, C: 256 g, F: 76 g

avg: 2363 kcal

Diet was on point this week I feel. I think this type of eating that I eat more on training days and less on rest days feels really good. Overall I feel less hungry this way compared to eating same amount of calories every day even though total calories consumed is same both ways.

Weight

Mon: 96,50 kg
Tue: 96,30 kg
Wed: 96,00 kg
Thu: 95,90 kg
Fri: 95,90 kg
Sat: 95,80 kg
Sun: 96,50 kg

Average: 96,07 kg / (-0,46 kg )

Weight kept going down whole week and then jumped up today. The reason for that is probably the extra sodium at dinner. (I can only blame myself for that, LOL, food was too salty.)

I like how my weight is progressing. Looking at last several weeks, I feel that the weight loss is on point.

Workouts

Mon: N/A
Tue: N/A
Wed: Gym (Full body)
Thu: N/A
Fri: Gym (Full body)
Sat: N/A
Sun: Gym (Full body)

I must say that I really enjoy the way I am training at the moment. Lots of sets and lots of reps and keeping the heart rate up and sweating a lot. It feels great. Maybe not the most optimal way of doing things as far body composition goes, but I still like it.

[JSim83]

Consistent progress as usual Jarno, I am envious of your cyclists quads (VMO looking really solid).

Thanks man, I have always considered my legs a bit too skinny. Especially the hamstrings could use some extra muscle.

[JSim83]

Calories

Mon: 2213 kcal, p: 155 g, C: 203, f: 80 g
Tue: 2233 kcal, p: 162 g, C: 201, f: 79 g
Wed: 2575 kcal, p: 190 g, C: 252, f: 81 g
Thu: 2216 kcal, p: 162 g, C: 188, f: 82 g
Fri: 2562 kcal, p: 187 g, C: 261, f: 76 g
Sat: 2489 kcal, p: 154 g, C: 242, f: 74 g (alcohol: 23 g)
Sun: 2738 kcal, p: 208 g, C: 254, f: 90 g

avg: 2432 kcal

Overall I think diet was on point this week. I drank two beers on Saturday evening after sauna. Those have been sitting on my fridge several months and now I will continue my life without alcohol. I have a social event on 24th of November. That day will be cheat day and I might also drink some, but other than that I plan on staying completely sober.

Weight

Mon: 96,40 kg
Tue: 97,20 kg
Wed: 95,80 kg
Thu: 95,70 kg
Fri: 94,80 kg
Sat: 95,30 kg
Sun: 95,40 kg

Average: 95,80 kg / 211,2 lbs (-0,27 kg)

On Friday my weight dipped under 95kg and that means that for that particular day my BMI was 29.9 and while that just one meaningless number, it was still nice to see that the app that I am using for tracking my weight and calories, said "overweight" instead of "obese". Soon I will be in that overweight category and I will never enter the obese category again.

Workouts

Mon: N/A
Tue: N/A
Wed: Gym (Full body)
Thu: N/A
Fri: Gym (Full body)
Sat: N/A
Sun: Gym (Full body) + 30 minutes of cycling

I did 10 minutes of relatively intense cardio at the beginning of each workout and I went to gym by bike today, so that is total of 60 minutes of cardio on top of lifting.

[JSim83]

Calories

Mon: 2190 kcal, P: 158 g, C: 197 g, F: 76 g
Tue: 2170 kcal, P: 161 g, C: 192 g, F: 75 g
Wed: 2498 kcal, P: 185 g, C: 240 g, F: 79 g
Thu: 2161 kcal, P: 161 g, C: 183 g, F: 80 g
Fri: 2472 kcal, P: 197 g, C: 126 g, F: 126 g
Sat: 2705 kcal, P: 170 g, C: 262 g, F: 103 g
Sun: 2408 kcal, P: 169 g, C: 234 g, F: 79 g

avg: 2372 kcal

Friday and Sunday calories (and macros) are only estimates as I ate one meal on both of those days that I did not cook myself, but overall I think diet was on point.

Weight

Mon: 96,00 kg
Tue: 95,70 kg
Wed: 95,40 kg
Thu: 95,10 kg
Fri: 94,80 kg
Sat: 94,40 kg
Sun: 94,70 kg

Average: 95,16 / 209,8 lbs (-0,64 kg)

I have lost roughly 40 kg. I updated the comparison photo that I made last october. Slowly getting where I want to be. Originally I thought I would be done cutting by now, but unfortunately it did not go too smoothly from being obese and eating all kinds of junk food to strictly tracking calories and eating in deficit all the time, but I never gave up and that is the most important thing.

Workouts

Mon: N/A
Tue: N/A
Wed: Gym (Full body)
Thu: N/A
Fri: N/A
Sat: Gym (Full body) + 30 minutes of cycling
Sun: 30 minutes of cycling

I was supposed to go to gym on Wed, Fri and Sun, but I did not have time to go to the gym on Friday. **** happens. So only two gym workouts and 1 hour of cycking this week. Gotta be more active than this I feel, because I don't want to drop my calories lower anytime too soon.

[JSim83]

Calories

Mon: 2177 kcal, P: 153 g, C: 193 g, F: 79 g
Tue: 2529 kcal, P: 180 g, C: 260 g, F: 76 g
Wed: 2175 kcal, P: 155 g, C: 195 g, F: 77 g
Thu: 2557 kcal, P: 171 g, C: 270 g, F: 81 g
Fri: 2119 kcal, P: 149 g, C: 181 g, F: 82 g
Sat: 2725 kcal, P: 160 g, C: 273 g, F: 106 g
Sun: 2719 kcal, P: 183 g, C: 262 g, F: 98 g

avg: 2429 kcal

Today was the Father's Day here in Finland and I visited my parents and ate all those delicous foods my mom had cooked. I kept the meal size reasonable though. I tried to estimate what I ate and logged it, but there is obviously some error in the Sunday calories. Overall I think diet was ok this week.

Weight

Mon: 95,10 kg
Tue: 94,80 kg
Wed: 94,60 kg
Thu: 94,80 kg
Fri: 94,80 kg
Sat: 94,20 kg
Sun: 95,00 kg

Average: 94,76 kg / 208,9 lbs (-0,40 kg)

As a result of not eating same calories every day, my weight fluctuates quite a bit, but it does not matter really.

Workouts

Mon: N/A
Tue: Gym (Full body)
Wed: N/A
Thu: Gym (Full body)
Fri: N/A
Sat: Gym (Full body) + 7 km of cycling
Sun: 9 km of cycling + 5.6 km of jogging

Saturday's workout was horrible. I really did not even feel like going to the gym for some reason. I ended up going there anyways. I felt fine during warm up, but as soon as I started working out, I just noticed that my muscles feel weak and tired. **** happens. I pushed trough and that's that. Now a couple of rest days and hopefully on Wednesday it feels a little better.

[JSim83]

So a couple of months without updating this log... Before my 10 day Christmas vacation I was able to get down to 93 kg and then during the vacation I ate all kinds of crap and did not care about calories at all. Result: Gained 6 kg in ten days. (Mostly water weight though). After New year I started eating in calorie deficit again and now weight is down to 95 kg.

Year 2018

I thought I would finish this cut already during year 2018, but no, it did not happen. I ended up losing only 15 kg. I made some progress, but not as much I wanted. There were some set backs though. First the back injury, then issues with the bicep tendon and then issues with the hernia which resulted me going to the surgery to get it fixed. Now it is getting to a point that I am pretty much fully recovered from the surgery and have resumed doing "normal" lifting in the gym. I am still a lot weaker than I was a year a go, but **** happens... Anyways below is the graph showing my weight loss during 2018 and before and after photos. Before was taken December 2017 and after was taken December 2018.

[JSim83]

OK, back to weekly posting now. I have not made really any progress during the last couple of months and that has to change now, so I can finish this forever lasting cut.

Calories

Mon: 2161 kcal, P: 157 g, C: 194 g, F: 75 g
Tue: 2527 kcal, P: 173 g, C: 267 g, F: 76 g
Wed: 2190 kcal, P: 171 g, C: 172 g, F: 82 g
Thu: 2370 kcal, P: 171 g, C: 228 g, F: 77 g
Fri: 2436 kcal, P: 173 g, C: 233 g, F: 81 g
Sat: 3277 kcal, P: 192 g, C: 285 g, F: 72 g (alcohol: 92 g)
Sun: 2795 kcal, P: 187 g, C: 266 g, F: 105 g

avg: 2536 kcal

I am not fully happy with my diet this week. Weekend came and I somehow lost focus. Especially the beer I drank on Saturday evening was something I regret doing, but what is done is done. I need to be more displined with my diet.

Weight

Mon: N/A
Tue: 96,40 kg
Wed: N/A
Thu: 95,70 kg
Fri: 95,30 kg
Sat: 95,70 kg
Sun: N/A

Average: 95,78 kg / 211,16 lbs

Workouts

Mon: N/A
Tue: Gym (Upper body)
Wed: N/A
Thu: ~50 minutes of cardio in the gym (incline walking and jogging on treadmill)
Fri: Gym (Lower body)
Sat: Gym (Upper body)
Sun: ~1 hour of cycling

Sunday I did some cycling. It was pretty cold day, maybe -15C, yet still when I got back home I was soaked from sweat. Maybe too much clothing and the route I chose was a lot harder than I thought mainly because of the snow on the ground. Even though there was not that much snow on the roads as the roads were plowed, it was enough to make it challenging for me.

With lifting I feel motivated and frustrated at the same time. On the other hand I like going to the gym and I like how it makes me feel afterwards, but just being in calorie deficit makes lifting a bit frustrating. Just the lack of energy and feeling weak is the reason. The ten day Christmas vacation reminded of how it feels to lift weights when not in calorie deficit.

[JSim83]

Calories

avg: 2424 kcal

I think I'll stop posting daily macros. I don't think it adds much to this log. I will just post the weekly average from now on.

This week I did not "cheat" at all, which is good and all, but I think the calories are still too high for current activity level. I just really struggle eating less. I hope I can still make some progress eating the calories I am currently eating, but we will see.

Weight

Mon: 96,30 kg
Tue: 96,30 kg
Wed: 95,70 kg
Thu: 95,20 kg
Fri: 95,20 kg
Sat: 95,00 kg
Sun: 95,10 kg

Avg: 95,54 kg / 210,6 lbs (-0,23 kg)

Measurements

Last time I posted measurements in this log was December 2017. So quite a long time a go. Back then I weighed 110kg. Here is progress in measurements since then, as I took the measurements today:

arm: 43cm -> 40 cm (overall 5 cm lost)
thigh: 68cm -> 65cm (overall 13 cm lost)
waist (at naval): 108cm -> 98cm (overall 36 cm lost)
calve: 41cm -> 39 cm (overall 5 cm lost)
chest: 117cm -> 116cm (overall 20 cm lost)

I would have liked seen that chest measurement go down more, but it just shows the same thing as I see in the mirror. That stupid fat on my armpits/chest does not want to leave.

Workouts

Mon: N/A
Tue: Gym (Lower body)
Wed: Gym (Upper body)
Thu: N/A
Fri: 48 minutes of cycling
Sat: Gym (Lower body)
Sun: Gym (Upper body)

After trying winter cycling a couple of times, it is starting to feel like it is not my thing. I cannot enjoy it the same way as when it is a little warmer. Cycling to the gym or some shorter distance like that feels ok, but like last Friday after 30 minutes I just wanted to get back home as quickly as possible to be honest. I might do it from time to time as it is still better than doing cardio in the gym, which is in my opinion the most boring form of exercise. That I don't like one bit.

In lifting I got back to triple digits in deadlift. I started doing deadlift again like a month a go and started with 50kg and pretty much have added 5-10 kg more each time and this week I did 10x102kg. I don't think I will go any higher than that as I don't see much of a point in doing that right now.

[JSim83]

Calories

avg: 2327 kcal

Saturday evening I drank some wine. Other than that I stayed strict with my diet. I plan on staying that way for two more weeks, then there is a social event, which will be cheat day for me.

Weight

Mon: 95,10 kg
Tue: 94,60 kg
Wed: 94,90 kg
Thu: 94,50 kg
Fri: 94,60 kg
Sat: 94,30 kg
Sun: 94,50 kg

Avg: 94,64 kg / 208,6 lbs (-0,90 kg)

Still not yet back to where I was before Christmas, but at least the weight is going to the right direction...

Workouts

Mon: N/A
Tue: Gym (Lower body)
Wed: N/A
Thu: Gym (Upper body)
Fri: N/A
Sat: N/A
Sun: N/A

I was a bit lazy this week. I originally planned on doing 4 lifting sessions this week, but I did take a couple of extra days off from lifting because I started feeling some pain on my elbow after Thursdays workout. I wanted to make sure it does not escalate to anything worse. I could have done some cardio instead, but I did not.

I did buy Nordic (skating) skis and now I am hoping that it will be a form of cardio that I can actually enjoy in the winter time. I will get the skis next Tuesday so I guess I will see did I waste my money or what.

[JSim83]

I did buy Nordic (skating) skis and now I am hoping that it will be a form of cardio that I can actually enjoy in the winter time. I will get the skis next Tuesday so I guess I will see did I waste my money or what.

I got the skis so I had to go test them. The last time I did Nordic skiing was maybe 20 years a go, so I was not sure how this was going to go. It went surprisingly well considering that the circumstances were far from optimal as it has been snowing heavily several days now and there lot of loose snow on the skiing tracks making it more difficult. First couple of minutes I had big difficulties with my balance and I actually fell once, but after that I started to get a hang of it. Well, I mean I was able to move forward without falling that is.

I will probably go and try again on Thursday. Hopefully the the skiing tracks are in a bit better condition then.

[JSim83]

Calories

avg: 2387 kcal

Weight

Mon: 94,90 kg
Tue: 95,30 kg
Wed: 94,70 kg
Thu: 94,90 kg
Fri: 94,50 kg
Sat: 93,90 kg
Sun: 94,40 kg

Avg: 94,66 kg / 208,6 lbs (+0,02 kg)

It was nice to see that scale dip under 94 kg.

Workouts

Mon: Gym (Lower body)
Tue: ~30 minutes of Nordic skiing
Wed: ~30 minutes of Nordic skiing
Thu: Gym (Upper body)
Fri: N/A
Sat: ~40 minutes of Nordic skiing
Sun: N/A

This week was pretty much learning how to do Nordic skiing for me. In the hindsight Tuesday was pretty bad experience due to bad weather conditions and I won't go skiing again if weather is like that.

Wednesday it was much better as the skiing tracks were fixed with a snow liner (or whatever that thing is called in English...) That day I fell twice, but other than that it went better than Tuesday. The second time I fell was pretty bad. I did not hurt myself or anything like that, but I fell to the side of the track and there was easily like 60-70 cm of snow and I fell into really awkward position and the skis were somehow stuck in the snow and I had hard time reaching for the bindings to get the skis off of my feet to get back up. It seriously took me several minutes to do that. I guess good thing is that no-one saw That must have looked so stupid.

Saturday was the third attempt at skiing and this time I did not fall and at times it already felt like I know what I am doing, but it was still quite shaky moving forward and as my technique is very inefficient, even going really slow keeps my heart rate at 150-160, but it gets easier each time.

My goal for this winter is to be able to ski around the 5.8 km track, which is one of my regular routes for running/jogging/walking in summer time. The challenge is not the distance, but relatively steep hills there, which makes is too difficult for me right now. I did ski around that route many times as a kid, but I guess skiing is not like riding bike for me. Maybe I should have bought classic skis instead of skating skis as the classic skiing is easier.

The upcoming week we have planned a snowboarding trip with a couple of friends on Saturday and that is something I am really looking forward to. It means also that it will be a cheat day as I will eat whatever is available, which is practically some sort of fast food.

[lukepeter]

I like that your climate forces variety into your exercise program, for me, During winter I sweat slightly less than during summer whilst running in the sweltering African heat

Skiing sounds awesome, a genuine fun way to get your cardio in ( being stuck in the snow notwithstanding )

Your diet is looking pretty consistent, and the results are still coming as they should... Keep on keeping on I suppose?

Do you have a specific end goal weight/composition in mind? I imagine you are pretty close to done now...

[JSim83]

I like that your climate forces variety into your exercise program, for me, During winter I sweat slightly less than during summer whilst running in the sweltering African heat

Skiing sounds awesome, a genuine fun way to get your cardio in ( being stuck in the snow notwithstanding )

Your diet is looking pretty consistent, and the results are still coming as they should... Keep on keeping on I suppose?

Do you have a specific end goal weight/composition in mind? I imagine you are pretty close to done now...

I will most likely stop cutting approximately ~three months from now. I think I will stop regardless of what I weigh or what my body composition is like then. Ideally I would like to get below 90kg and keep my weight there and with current weight loss pace I should be able to do that, but I do feel that each kg is harder to lose than the previous one, so we will see I guess. If I don't reach this goal, I will maybe resume cutting after summer vacation, but I really want at least a longer break from losing fat. Then of course the goal is to learn how to eat at maintenance. I have never really known how to do that.

[JSim83]

Calories

avg: ~2700 kcal

Saturday was cheat day and calories were quite high. Rest of the week I ate in deficit. Since I don't know the calories for Saturday, the average is just rough estimate.

Weight

Mon: 94,40 kg
Tue: 93,80 kg
Wed: 93,60 kg
Thu: 93,40 kg
Fri: 93,60 kg
Sat: 93,40 kg
Sun: 95,70 kg

Avg: 93,92 kg / 207 lbs ( -0,74 kg )

Weight dropping nicely, but then that high sodium junk food made the weight jump up. It'll drop back down quickly I assume, since it was just one day of bad eating.

Workouts

Mon: Gym (Upper body)
Tue: Nordic skiing 30 minutes
Wed: Gym (Lower body)
Thu: N/A
Fri: N/A
Sat: Snowboarding 6 hours
Sun: N/A

I took a couple of rest days before the snowboarding trip, because I wanted to be well rested. Today ended up being also rest day due to muscles being a little sore and fatigued from snowboarding. The trip itself was really fun and the weather was just perfect. Sun shined all day from clear sky, no wind and close to zero degrees in Celsius.

Tuesdays skiing went well. I did not fall this time. It was bit sketchy though because during last week or so the temperature has been jumping over and under 0 C and it made the skiing track I chose a bit icy.

[JSim83]

I like that your climate forces variety into your exercise program, for me, During winter I sweat slightly less than during summer whilst running in the sweltering African heat

It is both good and bad and by bad I refer to those absolutely crappy Autumn months. Dark, cold, rainy and so fourth. At least for me those months are almost strictly indoor exercising.

[JSim83]

Calories

avg: 2334 kcal

Diet was on point this week. Feeling quite nasty hunger at times, but I guess that is a just something I need to tolerate for a little longer.

Weight

Mon: 94,80 kg
Tue: 94,40 kg
Wed: 93,90 kg
Thu: 93,50 kg
Fri: 93,50 kg
Sat: 93,60 kg
Sun: 93,90 kg

Avg: 93,94 kg / 207,1 lbs ( +0,03 kg )


Workouts

Mon: Gym (Upper body)
Tue: Gym (Lower body)
Wed: N/A
Thu: Gym (Upper body)
Fri: N/A
Sat: Nordic skiing 35 minutes
Sun: Nordic skiing 35 minutes

Skiing is going better each time. This last time I was able to increase my average speed to 12 km/h. First time I think my average speed was ~7 km/h, so not much faster than walking. Only problem is that this past week and a half or so have been really unusually warm. I don't remember that it has ever been this warm in February in my lifetime. This is supposed to be the coldest month of the year and it has been +5 C or so during daytime. So if this continues, my skiing stops pretty soon.

In the gym nothing worth mentioning really. Just grinding and trying to gain some strength back.

[JSim83]

Calories

avg: 2404 kcal

Damn hunger is really bothering me. At times it is really driving me nuts. Hopefully it means that fat is burning.

Weight

Mon: 93,90 kg
Tue: 93,80 kg
Wed: 93,10 kg
Thu: 93,20 kg
Fri: 93,10 kg
Sat: 93,10 kg
Sun: N/A

Avg: 93,26 kg / 205,6 lbs ( -0,68 kg )

Measurements

Last time I took measurements exactly one month a go, so time for update:

arm: 40 cm (overall 5 cm lost)
thigh: 65 cm (overall 13 cm lost)
waist (at naval): 98cm -> 96 cm (overall 38 cm lost)
calve: 39 cm (overall 5 cm lost)
chest: 116cm -> 114cm (overall 22 cm lost)

So it seems belly is shrinking and chest measurement also. The measurements shows bigger improvement that the scale, but since I can notice the change in my clothing too, it cannot be just measurement error. Like for example, I am now wearing the belt in my jeans one notch tighter than a month a go. (2,5 cm / notch) Also the shirts I am wearing all have become a bit loose.

Workouts

Mon: Gym (Upper body)
Tue: Gym (Lower body) + jogging 2,2 km
Wed: jogging 2,8 km
Thu: jogging 2,8 km
Fri: Gym (Lower body)
Sat: Gym (Upper body)
Sun: Walking 3 km

Not much to write about this week. Just grinding in the gym and trying to increase the cardio a bit to burn some extra calories. It seems that weather is getting colder again, so most likely I will do some skiing the upcoming week.

Here is one progress photo from today:

[RandyMcFlab]

Just saw this in your signature, amazing progress from 2017 to 2019! - this needs an update!

[JSim83]

Just saw this in your signature, amazing progress from 2017 to 2019! - this needs an update!

Thanks Randy! Maybe I should start posting again. It really helped me to stay on track with the weight loss in the past. Anyways here is an update:

The year 2020 was one of the worst years in my life and not because of covid. I was planning on contiuning the weight loss journey in the late 2019, but I got sick and the problem was the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me and that caused a lot of anxiety and stress which lead the sleeping issues once again. The original issue went away in a couple of months or so by itself, but pretty much the whole 2020 I have been trying to get rid of the sleeping issues.

Six months a go I went to see a doctor to get help for the sleeping issues and I feel that the sleeping has gotten a bit better since then, but it is still ongoing process. Right now I am just trying to live as stress free life as possible, eat healthy, do some moderate workouts, lose some weight and hopefully the sleeping issues will go away in time. I have had some really bad sleeping issues also when I was younger (like back in 2009 or so) and I was able to get rid of them, so I am hopeful that history repeats itself.

[JSim83]

I need to get my s*** together, so I'll start logging again.

Since I stopped writing this log I gained ~7 kg and most of that I gained in the summer 2019 due to all kinds of social events and simply just not being disciplined with my diet. From autumn 2019 to autumn 2020 I pretty much maintained my weight, but because of the issues written in previous post, I did only very little lifting during that time and I can honestly say that body composition has gotten much worse. I have more fat and less muscle now compared to the last time updated this log even though weight is almost same. I am now back in the gym though, but because of the sleeping issues my body does not tolarate physical stress too well, so I need to take it easy for now.

I started cutting again mid September 2020 and got down from ~100 kg to 94.5 kg before christmas and then gained a couple kg on christmas vacation and now back down to 94 kg. I want to see that number starting with 8 on the scale (finally). That is the goal of this cut now, but I will not set any goal date for it. I don't want the weight loss to add any extra stress to my life.



Calories

Have been super hungry this week. I ate ~2250 kcal a day until weekend came and then just gave up a bit and ate a bit more yesterday. nothing too crazy though, but I do believe that yesterday was close to maintenance. I am a bit bloated now and I do think that the scale would show ugly number, so I will avoid stepping to scale for a couple of days.

Weight

Mon: N/A
Tue: 94.5 kg
Wed: N/A
Thu: 94.4 kg
Fri: N/A
Sat: 94.1 kg
Sun: N/A

Avg: 94.33 kg / 208 lbs

Workouts

I keep the gym workouts relatively short, like 30 minutes at a time max. So relatively low volume and moderate weights. That feels good for now.

Also I have to mention that troughout this Covid thing I have been working from home and thus my activity level outside of workouts is very low. Having a job that requires me sitting in front of computer all day, I was not that much more active pre-covid, but I still walked more during the day. One thing I am trying to do as a part of trying to get rid of the sleeping issues is just generally being more active troughout the day. Like take some breaks from working and do some body weight squats or something with the resistance bands that I have at home etc. 5-10 minutes here and there.

Mon: Gym (Upper body)
Tue: Gym (Lower body)
Wed: walking 3,8 km
Thu: walking 3,8 km
Fri: Gym (Upper body) + walking 3,8 km
Sat: Gym (Lower body)
Sun: N/A

[JSim83]

Calories

Diet was on point until Saturday. I had pretty stressful day at work on Friday and I was supposed to stop working at 4pm, but there I was still 7:30pm sitting on my computer trying to figure out some stupid issue. As a result I did not sleep too well the following night and I was rather angry and frustrated still the following day and did a stupid thing: I bought a 8-pack of beer and binge drank that Saturday evening after I got home from the gym. I have not been drinking much much alcohol in recent years and my tolerance for alcohol is not very good and got really drunk and passed out on my couch. Considering the sleeping issues and all that is not something I should be doing, but did it anyways and got terrible hangover. Now I am facepalming here and writing this post and thinking why do I have to do stupid self destructive s*** like this? I guess I kind of wanted to escape the reality a bit, because life is not so fun right now.

Weight

Fri: 93.9 kg (207.0 lbs)

Not much progress on the weight, but on the positive note my waist has shrank 3 cm already this year despite not having lost much weight. So maybe there is some recomping going on due to getting back to lifting weights regularly. Anyways, back in March 2019 it was 96cm and now it is 101cm so I definitely have more fat and less muscle now even though weight is same. Last September the measurement was 110cm, so I am on the right track with that.

Workouts

So Friday evening after I stopped working I felt like I needed to get out of my apartment for a bit after sitting all day long staring at computer screen. The problem was that there was -18C outside. So I put on my snowboarding clothes and ski goggles and all and went to do some cycling. First 30 minutes or so I felt fine, but then I started to feel a bit cold and it was not so fun anymore, but at least I had a hot sauna waiting for me at home... It felt pretty good to go from -18C directly to 80C sauna.

In the gym things are going nicely. I keep the workouts short and don't push too hard, but even still I am gaining strength back really quickly. I really enjoy lifting weights again. At least something positive in my life, which good.

Mon: Gym (Upper body)
Tue: Gym (Lower body)
Wed: N/A
Thu: Gym (Upper body)
Fri: Cycling ~1 hour
Sat: Gym (Lower body)
Sun: N/A

Anonymous winter cyclist: