Hello, gang!
It's mid-afternoon. I didn't get to write my journal this morning as I was busy sleeping, exercising and getting ready for band rehearsal.
I'm doing pretty good on the weight loss/maintenance.
Yesterday (and today) has been doing perfect. I've stayed within my RDI, had my macros lined up right and just done well.
It's been great.
The focus on the diet is all it takes for me. I - again - realize this.
I keep telling me two words, and they really help me:
Priority and consistency.
It's pretty simple really.
What do you want the most? Weight loss. How do you achieve it? By consistently doing well.
The consistency is achieved by not expecting results faster than needed, but fast enough that they WILL show.
So far, they're great. I'm getting some of the excess fluid off my body, and of course a tiny bit of fat. I'm down 1.6 kilos since yesterday.
As a result of a rapid fluid loss, my body fat percentage shot up CRAZY high - 17%! Damn!
I know this is a fluke. It's not a "real" number, but it's something I see after sudden large weight changes. I'm okay with it. Besides, I'm on the right track to changing it.
...
So, what pushed me forward?
This did.
I check this blog on a regular basis, and he has a lot of good points. I more or less follow his way of doing things, and he makes a LOT of sense to me.
This blog entry struck a chord with me. I'm following the leangains approach he talks about (IF, working out in a fasted state, etc.), so this is great advice.
And stalled? I am. It's not like I didn't know what the problem was - I was slacking and making dumb choices. However, this made me see it more clearly, and made me see that maybe it wouldn't require all that much extra effort to do well instead of doing bad. I just needed a change in attitude to do it.
And I did exactly that. I changed my attitude.
I came up with the two words. Priority and consistency. This is gonna be my mantra for a while. It's all we need. It's the road to success.
If you REALLY want to lose weight, gain strength, anything, then you NEED to make it a priority.
Would I rather lose the damn weight or would I rather go buy a bag of candy? I know the answer. I want to lose weight.
So then LOSE weight. Skip the damn candy.
Besides, the weight of guilt from messing up is so much worse than the weight of disappointment from NOT having that candy, or what ever it is.
Prioritize it, win the battle, and bask in the pride of accomplishment AND enjoy the weight loss.
Sounds nice, doesn't it?
Well, that's what I'm doing.
...
I'm planning the battle a little more cautiously.
I'm putting more effort into hitting my macros, and planning my meals for the day. It works for me, as it always have.
I see now that I grew into winging it a little too much. No good.
...
So, today, I have had Skyr for lunch, and I am now enjoying a HUGE poriton of Raspberry protein fluff. It's SOOOO good. I's a MASSIVE portion, too!
Dinner will be sausage (200g) and potatoes (150g) with brown gravy (50g). It's nice, large dinner.
Dessert will be 100g of dark chocolate with nuts. Nice!
I will reach a total intake of 2200 calories today, and have an estimated calorie burn of 2800. It's perfect. Just where I'd like to be.
...
Now, about the calorie burn...
Is that REALLY what I will burn? It's hard to tell.
I've been reading into HIIT cardio for a few days, and I find it SO interesting.
I've tried it out yesterday and today, and it's an incredible workout that I do.
I based it on
this article. If you're intersted in learning about HIIT, this one really sums it up nicely. Make sure to watch the video also.
This article suggests a 27 minute workout. 4 minutes regular pace, 30 seconds high intensity, rinse and repeat 6 times.
It was INTENSE to say the least. In fact, yesterday was so intense and draining that I had to go take a nap later in the day. I was THAT drained of energy. It was a great feeling. Also, last night I had the best sleep in weeks.
The article talks about how HIIT exends your calorie burn MANY hours after you actually stop working out - I think it mentions an additional 9 or 14 hours! Honestly, I forgot which one is correct, but regardless these are impressive numbers. Also, it's a lot less time consuming - 27 minutes is nothing! - and great for working out in my apartment, as I use my stationary bike for it.
You can essentially do ANY cardio exercise as HIIT. It's just a matter of intensity, shifting back and forth. I highly recommend the article.
...
My back is still hurting. It's not getting much better, and not worse. I think if anything I'd like to say a TINY bit better, but I'm not sure.
Still, I can do most things, and it doesn't really bother me all that much. Mostly, it hurts after I do weight training. It doesn't feel like I have extra damage from the training, it just aches the same way as if I had to pick up 15 things from the floor. It's the movement, not the actual weight and exercise that makes me ache.
...
I'm excited going to the gym tomorrow. It's week five, and I'm going for five reps per machine. I'm curious to see if I can handle the lifts. I'm getting to the point where it's becoming a challenge again. I like that. A lot. :)
If I can't handle it, then I will STILL make it a mission to do a serious attempt, and go with as much as I can. We'll see how it goes.
...
Today, I'm thankful for:
- A good night's sleep. It makes a hell of a difference.
- Wife.
- HIIT. If this works, then it is truly amazing. I can so do this. :)
- Protein fluff. A great filler between meals.
- Sunday! Yay!
Have a great day! Life is good!