Can It Be Done?

[GirthRogers]

I've tried keeping a log before; everything is easy the first few days then it gets tedious.
I'll try to actually keep this one going.

I've decided to quit drinking for as long as possible.
I've also decided to try and keep a decent diet until I stop being a land whale.

I'm 188cm (6' 2")
100 kg (220 lbs)

I'll be running at calorie maintenance level in the beginning and slowly lower my caloric intake until I'm at a reasonable target.

My maintenance level is 2,400~ calories and my macros are;
241g Protein
107g Fat
121g Carbs

I'm hoping to cut my calories down to 2,000 within the first month with the following macros:
191g Protein
85g Fats
96g Carbs

I'm on a switching workout schedule that might confuse a lot of people but I've found the variety keeps me motivated.
DAY 1:
Morning:15 sets Chest, 10 sets Triceps
Afternoon: 30 minutes treadmill, abs

DAY 2:
Morning: 15 sets Back, 10 sets Biceps

DAY 3:
Morning: 15 sets Legs, 10 sets Shoulders

DAY 4:
Morning: 30 minutes treadmill, abs

DAY 5:
Morning:15 sets Chest, 10 sets Triceps

DAY 6:
Morning: 15 sets Back, 10 sets Biceps

DAY 7:
Morning: 15 sets Legs, 10 sets Shoulders
Afternoon: 30 minutes treadmill, abs

DAY 8: Rest and learn new dad jokes to impress my friends.

DAY 9:
Morning: 22 sets Chest
Afternoon: 30 minutes HIIT cardio, abs

DAY 10:
Morning: 22 sets Back

DAY 11:
Morning: 22 sets Shoulders
Afternoon: 30 minutes HIIT cardio, abs

DAY 12:
Morning: 22 sets Arms

DAY 13:
Morning: 22 sets Legs
Afternoon: 30 minutes HIIT cardio, abs

DAY 14: Rest and learn epic rap battle skills to impress people I wish were my friends.

The first week will be centered on muscle tension and moving the weight with perfect form. The second week will be heavy city. Good form, but beast weight.

I don't really want to add anymore mass, I just want to show off what I already have.
I'll post pictures when I'm less ashamed of my body.

The program won't start until this weekend, but the diet started today.

[GirthRogers]

Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup blueberries
4 Eggs
1 Olympic-sized pool of coffee

Lunch:
3/4 cup dry rice which is a lot more when cooked
1 can tuna

Dinner:
300 grams of chicken breasts
3 medium sized carrots
2 corn on the cobs

-----------------------------------

I intend to cut way back on the coffee and eventually switch to green tea.
I'm also going to cut down to just eating egg whites and not the entire egg.
I was a little over on calories today, but not by much.

My meals are also broken up more than I wrote. I had the oatmeal with blueberries then ate the eggs a few hours later.

The dinner is split in half as well.

No workout today, it starts this weekend. I'll probably do cardio the next few days but no weights.

I'll be taking liver support pills, fish oil, protein shakes, and pre-workout after I cut back on the coffee.I'll make sure to mention more about my supplements as this log progresses.

[GirthRogers]

Day 2:
I ate within calories and made a decent discovery.

I mixed dry oatmeal with a scoop of chocolate protein powder then added water like a normal bowl of oatmeal. It tasted better than I expected. Now I can eat oatmeal without wanting honey, sugar, or fruit added to it.

I ate within calories again today but my macros are way off. I'm low in fat and high in carbs. I'll start posting my exact diet once it's more dialed in. Experimentation is helping make everything perfect.

My drinking is under control for the moment. I have no desire to drink and I keep repeating, "you didn't drink yesterday and you won't drink today. Don't worry about tomorrow until it gets here." That seems to help keep me from worrying about future situations. Cardio starts Friday afternoon, weights start Saturday morning.

Next week, I'll start to cut out coffee from my diet. Hopefully, I start craving green tea as much as I crave coffee in the morning; small steps I suppose.

[Mindrevolution]

They say drinking water first thing in the morning will help your energy levels. Maybe try having a glass of water as soon as you get up and that might help with the coffee. Would give you more advise but the only thing my fat ass has managed to be good at all my life is never getting addicted to coffee. But they say the reason why we are tired and sluggish in the mornings is just dehydration, so maybe try out some water first thing.

[latverian41]

Everything but the quitting drinking .the beer gods demand it

[GirthRogers]

They say drinking water first thing in the morning will help your energy levels. Maybe try having a glass of water as soon as you get up and that might help with the coffee. Would give you more advise but the only thing my fat ass has managed to be good at all my life is never getting addicted to coffee. But they say the reason why we are tired and sluggish in the mornings is just dehydration, so maybe try out some water first thing.

You are absolutely right about water. I feel a huge difference in my energy and hunger levels when I'm well hydrated. I drink between half a gallon and a gallon of water every day. I buy lemons, cut them up, and put them in the water bottles. I shake it up like a sad bartender then drink away. That bit of taste really helps and it's completely natural. It also keeps me from getting hungry!

My problem with coffee comes from being a teacher living in a winter environment; having something hot in my hands on a cold day really helps my mental fortitude. I'm not so bad with coffee when its hot outside.

Everything but the quitting drinking .the beer gods demand it

Lol, beer is awesome. My problem with drinking isn't that I do it often, it's how bad I binge once it touches my lips. I'm like Frank the Tank. I'm quiet and normal when sober, but end up naked asking everybody to take me to KFC after I order the first drink. I'll go weeks without a beer, but when I drink I can't have just one!


Today was the last day of a heavy workload. I stayed within 100 calories of my maintenance. I have the macros set to sedentary but I'm actually a bit more active than my macros suggest. Regardless, I'll start the workout schedule tomorrow. I've seen serious lifters walk around the gym with a pen and paper while writing their lifts. I find it really distracting, but I'll try it out again so I can post my lifts and ranges for the board to review as this log progresses. I'm also going to post music I lift with since I think music is the best supplement to have in any workout program. If anybody has music or suggestions, I'll happily check it out!

[GirthRogers]

Morning workout:
Chest:

Bench 5 sets:
1x 135lbs x 8
1x 185lbs x 8
1x 225lbs x 5
1x 225lbs x 5 superset with 55lbs dumbbell press for 10
1x 225lbs x 5 superset with 65lbs dumbbell press for 5 then 10 slow push-ups

Pec machine flies 5 sets:
The stack numbers in my gym are worn off so I don't know the exact weight, but half the stack.
5 x 10 reps

Cable crossover 5 sets:
5 x 10 44 lbs each side

------------
Triceps:

Cable tricep pull-down
5 x 10 66lbs

Overhead cable extension:
5 x 10 44 lbs

-------------

I didn't sleep very well last night because of freaking construction outside of my apartment. It screwed up my entire morning, but I still got that workout in. I'll write a second post with my diet today and cardio this afternoon.

[GirthRogers]

Yesterday,
Cable Lat Pull-downs 3 x 10
Cable Rows 3 x 10
Machine pull-ups 3 x 8
Machine rows 3 x 8
Hyper ext with weights 3 x 15

21's curls 3 x 21
cable concentration curls 3 x 8
cable hammer curls 3 x 8

Today:
Squats 3 x 5
Leg press 3 x 8
Leg extension 3 x 20
Leg curls 3 x 8
Calf raises 3 x 10

Shoulder dumbbell lateral raises 3 x 10 super set with shrugs
Front raises 3 x 10 super set with shrugs
rear delt machine 3 x 10
One set heavy shrugs

---------------------------------------------

I'm still trying to get my diet in line. Two days ago, I was having a freaking terrible day and instead of drinking I ate the darkest chocolate bar I could buy. I read that dark chocolate helps calm you and isn't as bad as lighter versions. It was either that or drink, so I chose the chocolate.
Last night, I was way under calories and had finished a side job far away from my home. I had pizza at some health place, but it didn't seem so healthy. (but way better than Pizza Hut!)

I'm tightening up my diet some more as the week continues.
Today:
4 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal with one scoop chocolate protein powder
1 can tuna
2 tomatoes
400 grams of chicken breasts
2 corn on the cob
500 grams of spinach
500 grams of cucumbers
60 grams almonds

That looks like a lot but most of it isn't calories dense. I just need to keep shoveling stuff in my face all day to feel satisfied right now.
I'm going to start weighing myself this week. We'll see how bad it is.

[GirthRogers]

Did some cardio this afternoon:
23 minutes of treadmill wearing an elevation mask
5 sets of assorted ab exercises, and actually got a decent burn going in my midsection.

I was aiming for 30 minutes of treadmill but I accidentally bumped that emergency shut off button and just hopped off instead of starting it back up.

My calories are within range today and I don't feel miserable so I intend to lower them a bit tomorrow.

Still haven't weighed myself or started taking progress photos even though I know I should.

[GirthRogers]

Cardio today: 30 minutes treadmill with elevation mask
3 sets of abs

I'm about 100 calories over maintenance, but I'm constantly hungry. I am scared to start cutting it down. I need to slowly lower it, but I know I'll binge if I do.

All I keep thinking about is pizza and cheeseburgers. I wish I had some way to suppress my appetite; supplements aren't really cutting it.

[GirthRogers]

Chest:
3 x 8-10 incline press superset with push ups until the total rep count together equaled 15
3 x 5 Bench superset with push ups again
3 x 10 pec deck flies
3 x 10 cable crossovers
3 x 10 decline cable flies

Triceps:
5 x 10 cable ext
5 x 10 single arm cable ext

------------------------------
Diet:
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
300 grams spicy tofu (I have no idea how many calories that is, but the interweb says it isn't that much.)
400 grams Chicken breasts
2 corn on the cob
8 oz of some leafy vegetable
like a pound of cucumbers

-----------------------------

I'm still hungry all the time but my calories aren't moving above my supposed maintenance levels. I'm drinking less coffee now and more lemon water. I am being lazy these days and not doing all my chores. I just want to sit around and rest after I finish cooking and exercising. I wish I had more motivation to do the small things that normal people do on a daily basis.

I need to write a to-do list and actually freaking do the items on it!

I'm still scared to weigh myself. I know the weight isn't getting any lower. I'm scared it will actually be higher which will make me want to quit. I haven't drank since New Year's Eve so at least I can be proud of that very small achievement.

[Imp81318]

How did you determine your maintenance level for your macros? With your feeling of lethargy and constant hunger you may have underestimated your maintenance level. The only way to know for sure will be to track your weight for a few weeks and see how quickly you are losing.

[GirthRogers]

Back
3 x 10 cable lat pulldowns
3 x 10 cable rows
3 x 10 machine pull downs
3 x 10 machine rows
3 x 10 hyper ext

Biceps
3 x 10 incline seated curls
3 x 10 preacher curls
4 x 10 hammer curls

Afternoon:
30 minute walk on treadmill wearing elevation mask.

---------------------------------------------
my diet still isn't perfect. I got really hungry today and did a dark chocolate dove bar again. I'm still not drinking. That's 11 days without any booze; not a record, but not terrible.

I ran out of coffee today, so I'll start making green tea. I hope that continues for some time.

To Imp81318, I ran my stats through a tdee calculator and set it to sedentary. I walk about 5,000~ steps a day outside of cardio and exercise. I really am stuck in a chair when I'm not at the gym or getting those 5,000 steps. I'm tracking my eating habits for a few weeks. If I can't start to lower them by Jan. 15th, I'll know I was too ambitious. I feel like I should be able to get down to 2,000, but my body won't let me. (yet)

My diet today and yesterday aren't very different besides some kiwi and chocolate.
I'm still trying to get everything dialed in. It's a slow process.

I'm not seeing any results yet in the mirror and I still haven't weighed myself. My scale has a dead battery and I haven't bought a replacement yet. I'm scared of what it will say.

[Imp81318]

A few thoughts to consider. I am not trying to tell you what to do, just trying to offer a bit of an outside perspective that might be a bit different than your own.

1. Those online calculators only give you an estimate of your TDEE calories. To get a true measure of your actual TDEE you have to track your caloric intake and weight/fat loss over several weeks to see how much of a deficit/surplus you are actually in. I am 5'7", 165 pounds (started my journey at around 203 lbs last February), and I work an office/desk job other than working out 3-4 times per week. When tracking my calories closely I averaged 1.3 pounds loss per week eating 2,030 calories every day which means my maintenance intake is around 2,680 kcal. 2,000 kcal seems like a very aggressive deficit for someone that is 15-20 pounds heavier than I started and 7" taller than me.

2. The activity level that you input to the calculator should include your workouts. Since you are working out regularly, your activity level should not be sedentary IMO.

3. If you haven't weighed yourself, how did you know the weight to use in the calculator? Granted, you likely have a good enough estimate to get a reasonable idea and even a 10-15 pounds difference won't have a huge impact on your TDEE, but still.. always best to start with reliable input IMO.

4. If you don't have an accurate weight at the beginning of your journey you will not be able to accurately gauge how your weight has changed in a few weeks when you do weight yourself. I'm not saying to weigh yourself every day like I do, but you should at least weight yourself at the beginning and then again when you're ready so that you can see what the difference is. Otherwise, it seems like you're just guessing at your starting point and if you're off by 5 pounds you might not think you lost any weight when you could actually be right on track 2 or 3 weeks from now.

5. You will likely not see results in the mirror on a day-to-day or even week-to-week basis since you look at yourself in the mirror every day and the changes will be gradual over time. I know it is tough to do, but the best way to see changes is to take periodic pictures on a regular time frame. Others take weekly progress pics, but I like to do it monthly because I think weekly is too often and becomes discouraging for myself. Pick an interval that you're comfortable with and take the pictures and compare to the last set. Another option that I have not done is to take measurements - biceps, stomach, chest, thighs, calves, etc - and see how your body shrinks over time. Again, I haven't done this, but others that have love it as it gives them a measurable record of their loss without relying on a scale.

Again, just some thoughts I thought I'd offer from an outsider's perspective. Either way, I'm subbing to your log for progress updates.

[GirthRogers]

Legs:
5 x drop sets for leg press
5 x 10 calf raises
5 x 10-20 leg ext
5 x 8 leg curls

Shoulders:
3 x 8 lateral raises super set with shrugs
3 x 8 machine military press super set with heavy shrugs
3 x 8 rear delt raises

-------------------------------------------------------
My diet went off the rails today.
1 cup oatmeal
2 scoops protein powder
4 egg whites
1 cup dry rice
1 can tuna
2 vitamin waters
1 entire healthy pizza

I'm probably about 800 calories over.

---------------------------------------------------------

To Imp,
1. You are right about that. I'm trying to track over these few weeks to see where I stand. I'm starting with what the calculator said and moving it up or down from there. My first solid adjustment will come Jan. 15th.

2. I read that unless you are moving more than 10% of the day, you should put sedentary. I think you might be right though, 2000 is way too low.

3. I weighed myself on New Year's Eve using one of those high tech scales that college wrestlers use for competitions. I did it first thing in the morning before food, after the bathroom. I haven't weighed myself since. I need a battery for my home scale. (even though it won't be nearly as accurate, lol.)

4. Yeah, I intend to start weighing myself this weekend and try to weigh every other day.

5. You are right, I should take pictures. I'm just embarrassed to even take my shirt off right now, but I guess I'll have to get over it eventually. I'll take some pictures this weekend and post them.

I'm reading your log right now, interesting stuff. I'll sub to yours too. Let's help each other!

[Imp81318]

You don't even have to post the pictures, just take them for yourself.

[GirthRogers]

Rest day today.

I ate like a pig yesterday but stayed disciplined today. I ate between 2200 and 2300. I bought a battery for my scale and will weigh myself tomorrow morning and see where I am.

I'll try to take pictures tomorrow too.

I have been reading other logs for inspiration. Seeing some of the other people succeeding in their journey really makes me want to try harder.

[GirthRogers]

Morning
Chest:
5 x 5-10 Bench
5 x 6-8 Incline bench
3 x 6-8 Decline dumbbell press
5 x 10 Pec deck flies
4 x 10 Cable cross overs

Afternoon
30 minute treadmill with elevation mask
3 sets abs

--------------------------------------------

I weighed myself this morning and was slightly over 220. I haven't lost any weight at all. If anything, I gained a little. I don't know if it's water or not. I have been trying to eat well for the last two weeks and I've made zero progress. At least I'm not drinking alcohol these days.

Starting tomorrow I'm going to maintain a perfect diet for 15 days. I want to stay at 2,300-2,400 calories. I'm going to take pictures first thing tomorrow morning, weigh myself, and set out a structured plan. We'll see what happens. 2,500 feels low, but it's not low enough I guess. My clothes don't fit any differently and I don't feel any better beyond zero hangovers. I'm going to write out my diet on each day going forward too. If I screw up, I'll be held accountable by the log. 15 days of perfect eating before a cheat meal, I can do that...

[GirthRogers]

Workout:
Back
3 x 10 cable lat pull downs
3 x 10 cable rows
5 x 5-8 dead lift
3 x 8 machine pull downs
3 x 6 machine rows
5 x 10 hyper ext

Diet
4 hard boiled eggs
2 scoops protein shake
1 cup oatmeal
Subway foot long chicken breast sandwich
2 tomatoes
2 corn on the cob
1 cup spinach
400 grams chicken breasts

Calories: 2400 / Protein: 247 / Carbs: 225 / Fats: 56

Current weight: 101 kg / 222 lbs
------------------------------------------------------

I gained almost two pounds overnight. It has to be water weight. I don't know why the scale hates me. I took off my shirt this morning to take pictures and saw myself in the mirror. I was so demotivated with what I saw that I put back on my shirt and forgot about pictures. I don't even want to look at myself. I'll take them in a few weeks. I ate Subway for lunch today; I know it isn't healthy but I didn't have a different lunch prepared. I'm going to try and have something prepared from now on. We'll see how that goes.

I got pretty tired in the middle of my workout today too, right after dead lifts. It just hit me like a pile of bricks. I'm going to drink my pre-workout right before I walk into the gym. I'm hoping it'll kick in after I get half way done, thus pushing me for the second half of the workout.

[GirthRogers]

Morning
Shoulders:
3 x 8 dumbbell lateral raises superset with shrugs
3 x 6 front lateral raises
3 x 8 rear delt flies
3 x 10 machine military press
3 x 8 cable lateral raises
3 x 8 cable rear delt pulls
4 x 8 heavy shrugs.

Afternoon:
30 minute treadmill with elevation mask
3 sets abs

Diet:
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal
2 scoops protein powder
500 grams cucumbers
500 grams celery
1 can tuna
400 grams chicken breasts
2 corn on the cob
2 cups spinach
1 tomato

Totals:
Calories: 2106
Protein: 250g
Carbs: 172g
Fat: 50g

Weight 101 kg / 222 lbs
------------------------------

I'm drinking a lot of water. I'm basically going to the bathroom every 30 minutes. I think my weight isn't going down because I have a lot of sodium in my diet and I'm holding a ton of water weight. I look bloated, but it's hard to tell. I still get cravings for alcohol at random times, but I've completely removed myself from any situations where it might be present. Losing weight isn't an instant gratification pursuit, that's for sure! I might just stop looking in the mirror for a while. It gets a little depressing each time I critique myself. Oh well, another day down; keep moving forward.

[GirthRogers]

Arms:
Biceps:
3 x 8 incline dumbbell curls
3 x 8 barbell curls
3 x 8 machine preacher curls
2 x 8 cable hammer curls

Triceps:
3 x 10 cable ext
3 x 8 single arm cable ext
3 x 8 dumbbell over head ext
2 x 8 incline skull crushers

Diet:
4 eggs
2 scoops protein shake
1 cup oatmeal
Subway foot long chicken breast sandwich
3 cups cucumbers
2 cups steamed broc
2 large carrots

Totals: 2,400 calories / 200g protein / 320g carbs / 90g fat


Supplements
Optimum Whey Protein (chocolate)
C4 preworkout (watermelon)
Melatonin tablets (1 at night)
GNC Fish oil (two capsules a day)
Offbrand Liver support (1 capsule a day)
Milk thisle (1 pill a day)

Assorted other goodies...

----------------------------------

Slept pretty well last night. Caffeine is keeping me going. I need new gym music. I think that's a huge key to success in the gym. Beyond that, nothing new to report.

I'll list songs on my playlist tomorrow I can't post direct links until I get to 50 posts. Once I hit 50, I start linking motivational stuff.

[GirthRogers]

Morning
Legs:
10 x 5-8 Squats super set with calf raises
5 x 10 hamstring focused hyper ext
5 x 10 leg curls
2 x 20 leg ext to full failure

Afternoon
30 treadmill with elevation mask
3 sets abs

Diet
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 scoops protein powder
1.5 cups oatmeal
Subway chicken breast foot long
Cucumbers
Celery
400 grams salmon
2 eggplants
3 carrots

Total: 2,400~ calories; whatever the macros are.

Weight: 222
------------------------------

Did an insane leg workout today to shock my legs. They are pure Jello now. I pyramid up the weight while lowering the rep range on squats.
Diet is basically the same. My weight isn't moving. I will keep trusting in the program and hope something clicks. 12 more days before I can review the notes and make adjustments.

[GirthRogers]

A few on the current playlist:

RADEK - Lunatic | BassBoosted
NEFFEX - Greatest
Halestorm - Love Bites (So Do I)
Futuristic - The Greatest
Billy Squier - The Stroke

I have very broad musical preferences. I'll list more when I hit 50 posts.

[GirthRogers]

Rest day yesterday, ate within calories.

Today:
Morning
Chest:
5 x 5 bench
4 x 6-10 Incline
3 x 10 pec deck
3 x 10 cable flies

Triceps:
5 x 8 cable ext
5 x 10 single arm cable ext

------------
I'm doing a re-feed on my diet today. I was all shaky yesterday and watching youtube food videos for several hours. I was running myself into the ground. I am going to approach my diet from a different direction.

[GirthRogers]

Morning
Back:
5 x 6-8 Deadlift
3 x 10 Cable lat pulldowns
2 x 5 Pull ups super set with 5 reps of cable lat pulldowns
3 x 10 cable rows
2 x 5 close grip pull ups super set with cable rows

Biceps:
3 x 8 cable curls using the rope adapter
3 x 6-8 incline cable curls
4 x 6-8 cable hammer curls

Afternoon:
30 minutes treadmill
3 x 10 hanging leg raises

Diet:
4 egg whites
1 scoop protein shake
1 cup oatmeal
1 pound celery
800 grams chicken breasts
2 carrots
2 corn on the cob
2 dragon fruit

Totals: 2200~ calories / protein: 255 / carbs: 165 / fats: 45

Weight: 222

----------------------------------------

After the re-feed yesterday, I'm not nearly as hungry. I'm still making tiny adjustments to my diet, but I've found fruit to be a welcome addition. We weight hasn't moved at all, but I think I can lower calories a bit more after the adjustments to my diet. I'm going to aim for the 2,200-2,300 area for a bit and see what happens.

My clothes aren't fitting any differently. I wish I saw some improvements, but nothing yet. On the bright side, I've officially gone three weeks without any alcohol. I think the longest I've gone since college is a month. I want to break that record for sure!

[GirthRogers]

Morning
Legs:
10 x 6- leg press superset with calf raises
5 x 10 leg ext superset with leg curls

shoulders:
3 x 10 dumbbell lateral raises superset with shrugs
3 x 10 read delt flies
4 x 8 heavy barbell shrugs

Diet:
2 scoops protein powder
4 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup dry rice
3 tomatoes
3 kiwi
3 cups bok choy
400 grams chicken breast
1 eggplant

Totals: 2,000~ calories / protein 192 / carbs 230 / fats 33

--------------------------------------

That workout wore me out. I really went hard on it. My body is starting to respond to the lower calories, but I feel worn out. Tomorrow is only cardio, no weights. I'll up the protein tomorrow and lower the carbs. Next leg workout will focus on hamstrings and front delts more.

No change in the mirror or clothes yet. I guess that takes a long time to happen. No one has noticed any changes yet either. I'll just keep working and hope for the best. 22 days no alcohol.

[GirthRogers]

Rest Day:
30 minutes slow walk on the treadmill
3 sets of ab work

Diet:
1 cup oatmeal
4 egg whites
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1 can tuna
1 cup dry rice
400 grams chicken breast
2 corn on the cob
2 cups squash
4 cups celery
2 tomatoes

2,500~ calories

----------------------------
Went a bit over calories because I had a full cup of rice instead of a half cup. I would have had a half cup, but my blood sugar dropped suddenly and I felt really weak and hungry. I'll weigh myself tomorrow morning. 23 days no alcohol. My junk food consumption is at a minimum but I can't see any progress towards my goal. I know that change will happen eventually. After the motivation is gone, you are left with either determination or failure. I choose determination.

[GirthRogers]

Workout:
Chest:
5 sets 3-5 bench. 2 sets warm up then 3 sets of 3 reps; 185, 205, 235. I was able to get 6 reps on the last set.
5 x 10 pec deck flies super set with push ups
3 x 10 machine decline
2 x 8 incline dumbbell press

Triceps:
2 x 6 dumbbell skull crushers
2 x 8 dumbbell over head ext
3 x 10 single arm cable ext
3 x 8 rope cable ext

Diet:
4 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal
2 scoops protein shake
foot long subway sandwich (chicken breast)
2 tomatoes
6 stalks celery
4 cups bok choy
3 carrots

2100 calories / 227g protein

---------------------------------
I'm starting the 5/3/1 Wendler program for my chest. I want to get stronger for bench. I semi started last workout, so I went into the second wave today. My weight is still 222. I have no definition in my muscles, and my clothes are still the same. I keep waiting for changes. I need to stop worrying about it. Growing up in an age of instant gratification has left me yearning for results. My cravings for alcohol are gone, but my desire for the social interactions remain. I have to relearn how to act in public now that I don't have beer as a social lubricant.

[GirthRogers]

Workout
Back:
3 x 8 bent rows
3 x 6-8 dead lifts last set started with 365 x 3 then drop set.
3 x 8 t-bar rows
3 x 8 machine rows
3 x 10 hyper ext

Biceps:
3 x 8 incline curls
3 x 8 heavy barbell curls
4 sets cable curls

--------------
I feel strong but tired constantly. Gotta really motivate myself to do anything. I ate within calories, nothing special to report.

[GirthRogers]

Legs:
5 x 8 squats/calf raises superset
last set 2 reps 275
5 x 20 leg ext
5 x 8-6 leg curls

Shoulders
3 x 10 rear delt deck flies
3 x 8 cable front raises
4 x 6-8 cable lateral raises

Diet:
2 scoops protein powder
1 cup oatmeal
3 medium eggs
celery
400 grams chicken breasts
2 cups broc
2 corn on the cob
foot long subway chicken breast sandwich

----------------------------
26 days no alcohol. No change in scale, clothes, mirror image, or people's attention. I'll just keep going and hope something clicks.