This guy makes me chuckle every time. From BikeSomewhere.com
Today I had my second monthly assessment with my trainer today. Three months in, I am finally seeing some progress after all this work! I didn't gain any muscle weight (my main goal). However, I am not discourage because I did loose 5 pounds of weight. The weight came nearly entirely from fat, which brought my lean mass/fat mass ratio closer to where I want to be. My current body fat percentage decreased by 2%, which means I am at 27.3% fat. It sees like forever before I'll get to my goal of 22%, and I don't think I'll get there is I don't start building lean mass, but at least I'm headed in the right direction. I have another 5.3 percent to go. If I keep up this 2% a month rate, I should get there by the first of June.
I could be discouraged knowing that I was only 24.8% exactly one year ago, but I'm not. I really feel like I am moving forward with every decision, and what I do today matters more than what I did years ago. I have this new health club to blame. Something about it just fits, it feels right. I've spent years not feeling that way; lamenting at the greener grass over there; the grass from my past, from my future. But I feel good when I go to this place. It's like "Cheers"; everybody knows your name. I feel like Norm every time I start my workout.
How did I make this progress?
- I visited the health club 16 times. I lifted weights as prescribed and offset the drain of biking with yoga the rest of the days.
- I kept my cycling up as per usual.
- I followed the prescribed food plan. I resisted at first. They wanted me to eat a lot more protein and a lot less carbohydrate. I have seen too many fads come and go, flip flopping nutritional guidelines. I assumed the slowly growing hatred of all thinks carb over the past decade was just that, a fad, and an intention by America's corrupt agriculture market; pushing things on us that we don't need, like milk, corn, and meat. But, I said, what the hey. Body builders have been pumping protein since before the war on carbs. I increased my protein intake to 20%, reduced my fruit intake to just 2 servings a day, and reduced my whole grain portions to just one meal a day. This accounts for 70% of my eating decisions. The other 30% is either an extra carb or a "splurge" like dessert or pancakes for breakfast. The recommend I follow the plan 80/20, but I haven't gotten there yet.
average week of macro consumption for February
What obstacles do I foresee?
- Keeping up gym attendance. I like going in the morning the best, I don't have to modify my routine due to crowding. I wake up easily at 5. But I often feel like I didn't get enough sleep, or it's raining too hard, so I ignore the natural wakefulness I feel at that time. I spent so many years not ever feeling wakeful that this feeling is weird and I am not sure what to do with it. When I wake up at 6, I drag, I fall asleep again mid-sentence, my alarm sounds like a silly joke someone is trying to play on me. My hands and feet are lead bars without phalanges.
- Putting the prescribed food plan aside to placate others. When eating in a group setting, I either eat something delicious and indulgent or I eat something I don't really feel like eating because it's there, or I have limited choices, or it seems like fun. But why eat food I don't even feel like eating if it counts as a "splurge"?
- Putting the prescribed food plan aside to feed stress. I am not very stressed or busy right now. But I worry that, my 70/30 ration will drop the second a drop of stress comes on.
Overall, I feel good. This goal is obtainable. I am enjoying myself along the way.