10 weeks. 20 pounds.

[RTB1]

If you're feeling weak and jittery you could be in too much of a deficit. You might be able to bump up your calories to 2000 and use those extra 150cals to add a little bit of carbs (rice, potatoes, etc).

Yes, that's a good idea and what I'm thinking. I've added some yams this week and am feeling a lot better overall. I really don't want to go up in calories unless I absolutely have to...I've been eating a ton of fat so I can cut down and add carbs in their place. I was concerned about losing too fast a few days ago, but I think it was water loss from the low carbs.

[RTB1]

26 Aug

Weight:

186.6 (stable)

Food log:

1786 kcal (on target) / 200 protein (mmm)

Seared yellowfin, steak, yam, whole milk, lifesavers, protein bar

Activity log:

Abs and 3 mi walk (3/5)

---

Low energy, not diet related -- too much work and not enough sleep.

[Raigs]

Mmm. Yellowfin. You be eating well!

[RTB1]

Mmm. Yellowfin. You be eating well!

Yes sir! My mom actually brought me some from the market when she got her own. It was so damn good...I had to call it Yellowfin in the food log so it wouldn't be confused with the canned tuna that I usually eat. Both pure protein but one tastes/costs a chitton more. It was actually on sale for 9$/lb I think. Wish she'd gotten me 10 lbs and I would have frozen it but I didn't want to push my luck haha...

[RTB1]

27 Aug

Weight:

185.4 (drop)

Food log:

1797 kcal (on target) / 162 protein (low due to needing carbs)

Popcorn, cheese, protein bar, sugar, chicken, broc

Activity log:

Back and biceps (5/5)

---

Carb loaded and had a great workout. Ended up a little hungry at the end of the day, still working too much and not sleeping enough.

[RTB1]

28 Aug

Weight:

186 (holding in this range for a few days now)

Food log:

1670 kcal (on target) / 182 protein (on target)

Milk, sugar (in espresso), canned tuna, smoked salmon, cottage cheese, protein shake, protein bar, peas, lifesavers

Activity log:

Soccer (4/5)

---

My main reason for cardio is to improve my performance on the field, however dropping five pounds, then ten, then twenty is going to make a world of difference on its own.

That is a very true statement, dropping 20 lbs will change things DRAMATICALLY.

Bumping for motivation.

[RTB1]

29 Aug

Weight:

185.8 (stubbornly refuses to drop)

Food log:

1742 kcal (on target) / 179 protein (on target)

Low fat cottage cheese, blueberries, chicken, broc, tri tip, 2 glasses sauv blanc

Activity log:

Chest (5/5)

---

Starting to worry a bit about ending up skinny-fat at the end of this cut. I'm definitely shrinking, as expected. From what I understand, the belly fat is the last to go? My biceps are smaller for sure...just hope there is muscle under there.

I'm going to change up my lifting program. I've been doing only endurance lifting (50-100 reps/set, seven or eight sets & body weight stuff like pullups and pushups) but going to try a more traditional program with heavier weights and normal reps. Gyms are still closed, but I'm going to meet up with an ex to get some adjustable dumbbells back which I misguidedly lent her in an attempt to get laid haha. Right now I have no idea if my flat bench max is 185 lbs or 225 lbs just completely in the dark as one example. I started doing the lighter weight workouts for endurance and because it was easier on my joints (shoulder issues have been the most significant).

I have a blood disorder (too many red cells) so they put me through a battery of tests including checking my T level. It's 625 which I understand is avg / slightly above for a 45 yo man. So in theory I shouldn't have any excuse for a lack of muscle as long as I put the work in.

[Raigs]

Yeah. The last few pounds of the cut are always the hardest. Just have to trust your intuition. I know it will happen you are doing great

[safcpaul]

You're doing great mate. Yeah definitely lift heavier on a proven program

[RTB1]

Yeah. The last few pounds of the cut are always the hardest. Just have to trust your intuition. I know it will happen you are doing great

You're doing great mate. Yeah definitely lift heavier on a proven program

Thank you men, really appreciate the support. As the great American philosopher Tom Petty once said, "The waiting is the hardest part."

[RTB1]

30 Aug

Weight:

184.8 (new low finally!)

Food log:

1810 kcal (on target) / 137 protein (low today in order to carb load for intense workout, been on target)

Low fat cottage cheese, chicken breast, poke sauce, popcorn, whole milk, protein bar, lifesavers

Activity log:

Soccer Full Match (*/*)

---

Feeling really high energy today, finally figuring out my diet and how to keep from crashing. Loaded up on carbs and salt prior to soccer match tonight, feel so much better than the past two Sundays. It's 1500 and I've already eaten 1630 kcal Will grab the cottage cheese afterwards, usually don't have an appetite after going so hard, but want to get enough calories and protons in. Drinking two glasses of wine last night was probably a waste of calories, didn't do much for me (I was alone) and will limit that going forward. Will be challenging as I'll be going out with some women (also a great source of motivation for the cut), might have to do some fasting to make sure I'm under target since restaurants around here won't have nutrition facts. Or maybe I just give up dating during the cut. Will have to see what happens once I give it a shot.

Meals mostly prepped for the coming week. Once I feel I have the nutrition well in hand, probably by the end of the week, will be starting a new workout program where I track lifts as closely as I do calories. I realize it's ridiculous to look at my intake so closely, worry about losing muscle, eating x amount of protein, and not even know where my strength is. I've still been putting the time in with lifting during the cut, but half-assing it as I used to do with my food. Should hopefully get my adjustable dumb bells back by next weekend. Won't be ideal with the gyms still closed, but something is better than nothing. Too often I've put things off because I couldn't do them perfectly. Good enough is good enough, as long as we're moving forward we're making progress. Thanks to all for the advice and support!

[xsquid99]

Too often I've put things off because I couldn't do them perfectly. Good enough is good enough, as long as we're moving forward we're making progress.

Truer words have never been spoken. So many times on this forum someone posts that they're "waiting to start because they need x", which is such a big mistake. You can make anything work if you need to, sometimes you might need to be creative or think outside the box a little bit.

[AlexSays]

Wisdom without a doubt!

I find lifting and fitness actually lends more success to just doing your best consistently. Perfectionism is not sustainable and fitness in any form is a long road. Well done bro glad you finally got that drop!! Just gotta be patient

[Raigs]

Haven’t you heard bring your own meal prep to a restaurant is ok. But seriously just take
Her to a park and light up a Barbie

[safcpaul]

Great job mate

[RTB1]

Truer words have never been spoken. So many times on this forum someone posts that they're "waiting to start because they need x", which is such a big mistake. You can make anything work if you need to, sometimes you might need to be creative or think outside the box a little bit.

Wisdom without a doubt!

I find lifting and fitness actually lends more success to just doing your best consistently. Perfectionism is not sustainable and fitness in any form is a long road. Well done bro glad you finally got that drop!! Just gotta be patient

Haven’t you heard bring your own meal prep to a restaurant is ok. But seriously just take
Her to a park and light up a Barbie

Great job mate

Thank you fellas for all the support. It has been a while since I updated.

I'm in a weird place, going to have to change things around. Last five or six weeks (starting even before the cut) have been fantastic, getting in shape, pushing myself, feeling my body respond to the challenges thrown at it. Well, I pushed a little too hard it seems, and ended up tearing my abdominal wall. There's literally a line you can see that goes from right under my pec diagonally down into my midsection. I didn't know what the hell it was and ended up going to the doc because it just kept getting worse. At least I stopped once I saw the tear, was worried about a hernia but reassured there's no danger there. Originally I thought it was just muscle soreness from doing abs too much -- I read somewhere on here that it was ok to work abs most days without rest in between. Maybe that's true, I don't know. My last workout was a great one too.

So, long story short, I now can't exercise at all and it's going to be many weeks of healing. At first I was really upset, but I'm accepting things now. I can still control my diet, although I don't quite know what to do. Do I hit pause and eat at maintenance to preserve muscle? Or will that just make me fat. If I keep cutting without working out, do I lose too much of the muscle I have? I need to research this to figure out where to go. My instinct is just to keep doing what I'm doing because I like seeing the weight come off. Depression is a hell of an appetite suppressant too ;-) In all seriousness I'm definitely better now, can laugh about it...

The good news, hit a new low today: 183.8

So thanks for all the support I've received and I'll pay it forward in the coming days. Looks like everyone is doing really well, I see there have been some challenges in your logs but they've been overcome. Chit happens and we make the best of it, fight on and keep grinding -- that's all we can do.

[brit-iron]

Oh man that sure sounds painful. Sorry to here about the setback. Sounds like you're dealing with it very well and staying positive.
You're right though, chit happens and you just got to heal and look forward to getting back to it. Like you say you can still lose fat.

[RTB1]

Oh man that sure sounds painful. Sorry to here about the setback. Sounds like you're dealing with it very well and staying positive.
You're right though, chit happens and you just got to heal and look forward to getting back to it. Like you say you can still lose fat.

Thanks bud, appreciate it. Thought about trying to post a photo. It feels a lot better today, just need to be smart about not pushing it. It's dangerous because with less pain it's tempting to think the healing is happening quickly. We all want to believe we're the exception and we can bounce back faster than the average estimate. Going to get rechecked in a week and will just have to listen closely to both the doc and my own body.

[RTB1]

New low today, 183.4 lbs. No doubt lost some muscle (can't measure without lifting), but I look decent in the mirror so focusing on the positive. Close to losing another loop on the belt buckle.

My numbers from the last few days:

Cal Prot
1760 150
1192 146
1692 188

Calories might be a little low. Really torn about how to proceed, a buddy is saying just keep cutting even though lifting is out. If I can time it so the cut ends at the same time as my ab heals then I can switch to slight surplus and bulk, it would be ideal. That's how I'm leaning right now. So maybe another eight weeks of this, that might put me at 170 and a loss of about 1.5lb per week.

My TDEE is going to drop massively as I become sedentary. Did a four mile walk last night and think I can get away with shoulder shrugs and isolated curls since they don't involve the core too much. Might just start by cycling those and long walks/hills to keep lower body strength. Obviously pushups and pullups, a couple of my favorites, are many weeks away.

[safcpaul]

Sorry to hear about the abs mate I hope they get better soon. I'm impressed with your consistency. I agree with your friend that you should continue cutting. You're doing everything right by doing the exercises that you can do that don't cause pain. Try lots of isolation exercises that don't rely too heavily on your core and see what you can get away with. Maybe you could get away with tricep extensions, rear delt flyes , high rep calf raises and stuff like that?

[Raigs]

Oh man sorry to read about the ab tear. Just eat at maintenance imo. Being hungry and not lifting doesn’t seem like it’s worth it.

Get better soon

[RTB1]

Sorry to hear about the abs mate I hope they get better soon. I'm impressed with your consistency. I agree with your friend that you should continue cutting. You're doing everything right by doing the exercises that you can do that don't cause pain. Try lots of isolation exercises that don't rely too heavily on your core and see what you can get away with. Maybe you could get away with tricep extensions, rear delt flyes , high rep calf raises and stuff like that?

Oh man sorry to read about the ab tear. Just eat at maintenance imo. Being hungry and not lifting doesn’t seem like it’s worth it.

Get better soon

Thanks fellas. Tried to rep but still on spread.

I seem to be healing well, the pain is much less these last couple of days. SAFC Paul great suggestions about the exercises! Never considered how many isolation exercises are available since my mindset has been about compounds for the last couple of years.

Raigs I hear you but I've embraced the hunger, maybe too much.

[Raigs]

So that means your doing some light movements for other body parts?

I can’t see the tear but I’m on mobile so.

[RTB1]

So that means your doing some light movements for other body parts?

I can’t see the tear but I’m on mobile so.

Yep exactly. I don’t think I’m going to be out very long at all so I’m continuing with the cut. 182.4 this morning but it’s because I drank too much last night going out with a girl. Need to cut way back on that.

[safcpaul]

Checking in mate. How are you getting on?