One-sentence Summary: Okay, that was calming, now, um, let’s get back to it?
Food: This week’s food was a “recovery” and “way too much” (see, for example, last night’s post about a stomach ache from eating too much!). Based on the weight gain during the week, when I do this maintenance phase next time, I seriously need to drop the calories. the way I’ve been doing it is setting it at my BMR-set maintenance level. Except, I’ve known for years that that standard formula is not me! So, I’ll drop it by 250 cal/day next time. It will still be at least 300 calories more than I had been eating the week before, but maybe next time I won’t gain from it?
Exercise: For reasons already noted in the ≈daily update posts, this week was not very good for exercise. I did somehow have more steps this week than the previous two, and I’m not really sure how, but I’ll take it. But I skipped out on the elliptical twice, once for a headache and once for a stomach ache, and because I’ve been treating the ≥5×/week for cardio thing as more of a “limit” lately than a minimum, I didn’t have my free days stored up from earlier in the week. So, I’m going to try to break through that this week. Another issue has been leaving it to the very last minute (sometimes quite literally, starting at 11:59pm). I have tried this week to not plan out my work schedule, but just to lay down my cooking, sleeping, and exercise schedule. So I have in there doing the elliptical mid-afternoon, except weights days which will then be evening, but starting closer to 10 than 11:30. We shall see what happens … . That said, in the infographic I’ve decided to start (or, do, at least this week) putting up the badges I get on my Apple Watch to just demonstrate that, seriously, even though this is Week 18 of this fitness journey, it’s much better than the previous >1900 weeks of my life with respect to fitness. For instance, this is the 7th week in a row where I lifted weights 3×/week, almost on the same days. That hasn’t happened in years … like, not since the beginning of 2015. I also, starting last week, faded out the 🚫 symbol on exercises I didn’t do, so’s to avoid a giant wall of red. I should be proud of my accomplishments, remember that it’s okay to have setbacks, and what’s important is to pick myself up from that and move forward, not backward.
Sleep: I actually did okay on sleep this week, every day was ≥8 hrs.
Measurements: Yeah. So, this was the fourth week in a row of basically flat-lining weight and bf%: 207.7±1.0 lbs, 207.4±0.6 lbs, 207.9±0.7 lbs, 207.9±1.0 lbs average weight; and 25.0±2.9%, 25.0±2.7%, 25.1±2.7%, and 25.1±2.9% bodyfat. Clearly, stagnant is better than going up, but it’s not the direction I want to be going.
Points: Other than the weekly loss of points for not doing core exercises, I lost points for skipping 4 days of cardio and only doing 35 minutes instead of 40 on another day. Let’s just say, “Room for Improvement.”
Looking Over the Week: Do I have to? Okay, let’s focus on the positive. I got enough sleep! I stayed within my food goals! I got my Apple Watch badge for reaching my move goal 500 times! … ummmmm… I stayed within my limit for saturated fat despite all the extra protein I had to eat! I met and exceeded my goal for vegetables, fruits, and liquid for the first time in >2 years! I met my goals for Folate, Calcium, and Cooper which I rarely do! okay, we’re really reaching here …
Looking Ahead 1 Week: Nothing I did wrong the last few weeks matters now. We are getting a clean start, with all the pieces for success in place. I’m starting a new cut sub-phase for the next 8 weeks, I know what I need to do, and I have success in dropping almost 5% bodyfat and min-max >20 lbs this year. No cheating, stick to the plan. Which also resets with this week’s average weight and bodyfat percentage, with the modified goal of –0.7% weight per week and assuming 80% of that is fat, as opposed to the more aggressive version last sub-phase of –0.75% and 85%. It’s doable, adjust calories down or exercise up if needed to meet it … let’s do this.
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