zebdavison's Journal, 17 October 2013

Well, after a classic lousy day 2 days ago, I rebounded yesterday with a solid effort all around. I went pretty low on calories, worked out hard, did a kung fu class with my daughter, didn't eat too much bad stuff... and I hit my macro target!

I really needed to go low in calories, since I haven't done so in a while, and I think it is good to not let your body get in too much of a groove - the constantly-varied calorie totals seem to work better for me than just going a little lower than maintenance consistently.

I went about 400-500 calories below average maintenance level for me. Combined with the workouts, I am running a calorie deficit of over 1000.

I worked out pretty hard, though barbell math is not my strong suit. I went 10% lower than I thought on one lift, which bummed me out when I realized my mistake. I was burnt at that point, so I'll have to wait a few days to try the weight I was shooting for.

I've been trying to keep my weightlifting routine interesting. I did a beginners' routine by Sean10mm when I first started out, which was fun for a month or two, then got stale. I am by no means a "bodybuilder," (though in a way, aren't we all?) but I have been trying different interesting movements, and I'm starting to enjoy lifting weights. I'm learning the power clean and it is fun - it is also forcing me to improve my shoulder and wrist mobility.

My daughter and I did a kung fu class together - fun, and it will be great exercise when I get the forms down. My daughter is a natural at the forms - she's picking it up almost immediately, I'm thinking too hard.

Orange chicken was the worst thing I ate yesterday, by far. I don't really trust the numbers in the FatSecret database for that, but I'm no more confident in the numbers on the package (Hart brand - very good and very cheap!). Numbers on the package seem too low, given what orange chicken is made of, for protein and cholesterol, but too high in fat and sodium. Vice versa, more or less, with the database. But, I'm doing the lazy thing and not correcting the database with the numbers from the package, because I think they are each wrong, and I don't know which one should be favored. Maybe the one in the database is accurate in some places. I wonder how much variability there is, in these name-brand products, based on your region... and if it's a different country, you are going to see portion size differences if not significant content differences.

My big win yesterday was hitting my macro target. I had adjusted it from 60/20/20 to 55/25/20 (carb/protein/fat), and I was within 2% of each macro for the first time since I've been tracking macros! Yeah! Of course, the ratio is probably not accurate because of the orange chicken numbers, but I don't care! I was able to manipulate my diet enough to hit the numbers, which is a good thing. Now, if I can do that 4 days out of 7, or get my average for the week to be on those numbers, then I will really be happy.

So, in conclusion, if you are still reading this, you are either skipping ahead, or have way too much time on your hands! Go do something!

189.4 lb Lost so far: 0 lb.    Still to go: 19.4 lb.    Diet followed reasonably well.

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2323 kcal

Fat: 50.48g | Prot: 155.14g | Carb: 311.62g.   Breakfast: Great Value Frozen Sweet Peas, General Mills Corn Chex Gluten Free. Lunch: Baked Sweetpotato (Peel Not Eaten, Fat Not Added in Cooking), Kroger Frozen Chicken Breast, KC Masterpiece Premium Original Barbecue Sauce. Dinner: Pure Protein 100% Whey Protein - Vanilla Cream, Colorado Proud 2% Reduced Fat Milk, Bananas, Pork Loin (Country-Style Ribs), Kroger Sweet Peas, Great Value Extra Wide Egg Noodles, Parkay Margarine. Snacks/Other: Twix Twix Minis, General Mills Corn Chex Gluten Free. more...

2508 kcal

Activities & Exercise: Resting - 10 hours and 30 minutes, Sleeping - 5 hours, Desk Work - 8 hours, Driving - 30 minutes. more...