chrisw77's Journal, 27 January 2019

After dropping the 5lbs of fat I put on from eating 4000 calories back in October, I've settled into my maintenance calories to "play it safe".

I've been so scared of gaining fat again that I've locked myself into a rut... I've been sitting at ~150 lbs for months now while in a ~100 calorie deficit.

Although I enjoy that a lot of the fat is gone from places I didn't even know I had it (arms, chest, back), I'm not really SEEING results.

I'm pushing more weight around at the gym which is great, but that's just the vehicle to get to my goal of gaining muscle mass.

I've put on a bit of measurable size (1/2 - 1"), but nothing noticeable. It feels odd to me because I'm not impatient. I'm not frustrated. I'm worried. I'm just wondering if no change in weight/minimal size gains is right after 3 months of hard work is acceptable.

Sooooooo... all that to say, I'm done with the fear of getting fat. Done with the deficit. We're going for size now! I know what got me fat last time. I know what keeps me skinny. Knowing my high and low caloric boundaries, I've decided on a 10% caloric surplus which will put me at 2650 cals (weekly average) from my current 2400.

On top of that, my comfy weights are no more gonna have a stranglehold on me at the gym. I'm comfortable lifting certain weights on certain movements and just adding sets and reps. I'm breaking those walls and increasing, failing, pressing on, and trying again until my body adapts to handle the extra challenging weights! 💪

This is the plan. Enjoying my rest day today and tomorrow starts my new adventure 😉.

150.5 lb Lost so far: 7.5 lb.    Still to go: 0 lb.    Diet followed reasonably well.

---

2110 kcal

Fat: 25.74g | Prot: 181.84g | Carb: 290.65g.   Breakfast: Winco Foods 1% Lowfat Chocolate Milk, Publix Quick Cooking Oats. Elevenses: Winco Foods 1% Low-Fat Chocolate Milk, Coffee (Brewed From Grounds), Isopure Zero Carb Protein Isolate (Creamy Vanilla). Lunch: Fiber One Protein Bars - Caramel Nut. Dinner: Hidden Valley Fat Free Ranch Dressing, Ocean Spray Diet Cranberry Juice, Nature's Best Perfect Zero Carb Isopure Whey Protein Isolate - Mango Peach, Pacific Natural Foods Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup, Kitchen Basics Chicken Bone Broth, S&W Organic Pinto Beans, Basmati Rice. Supper: Vitafusion Extra Strength Melatonin Gummies, Dr. Tobias Triple Strength Omega 3 Fish Oil, Vitafusion MultiVites Gummy Vitamins. more...

2105 kcal

Activities & Exercise: Watching TV/Computer - 4 hours and 30 minutes, Sleeping - 7 hours and 30 minutes, Bus Driving - 9 hours, Driving - 1 hour, Showering - 15 minutes, Resting - 1 hour and 45 minutes. more...