kingkeld's Journal, 20 April 2013

Good morning!

It's a GORGEOUS day in Denmark. The sun is shining, and the sky is completely blue!

I have to remind myself that it's NOT warm outside yet - it's so tempting to be wanting to be putting on shorts.

I am, of course, wearing my gym pants. I'm heading over there in 30 minutes, but I thought I'd check in here first.

I am down in weight, by a full kilo. This is most likely related to my extra Low Cal Day yesterday. I'm taking these days early as I want to NOT have on this coming Tuesday when Wife and I are going out.

Even with the drop in weight, it looks like I am still a little under maintenance level. The weight is relatively steady going, but it is decreasing slowly.

In my new "let's put a little muscle on Keld" project, this means I need to go higher. I'm not really sure I like that. I have some concerns about it - and also the same concerns that Nimm mentioned a week's time ago.

So far, though, I think that the partition thing works out okay. The concern was if my body is able to handle all the many calories I need to eat on regular days and Indulgence Days because of my Low Cal Days. Would this work in maintenance mode when I have to eat significantly more?

Well, so far I am not gaining weight. I am actually very steady, with a slight hint of downward slope overall.

This brings me to three options - and I'm not really sure I like all of them.

1. Keep going as the last couple of weeks. Don't change anything yet. 600 on Low Cal Days, 3500 on Indulgence Day, 2675 on regular days.

2. Up the calories another 200. This leaves Low Cal Days unchanged at 600. Indulgence Day at 3500. But regular days become a WHOPPING 3050 calories. To me, this is kind of an issue. There was a time where I could easily fill out a 3000 calorie dance card on a regular basis, but if I am do to it with good, sane, and relatively healthy food, then this is often difficult.

3. Eat when I'm hungry. Not worry if I actually eat all that I am supposed to.

Option three is very tempting. On most of my regular days, it's a struggle to actually make it to the max calories, which I need for me to know whether I'm at the right level.

I have had several days where I EASILY could have avoided 500-1000 calories, and really didn't want them. I simply had them for the sake of the experiment, and that bothers me quite a deal.

The reason for doing them is that I need to find my maintenance leve, then go slightly above it, to gain a little extra fat to push along muscle gain when I train. It makes perfect sense, but it's so counter-everything-I-have-learned the last couple of years, and I really don't want to get into a habit of eating just to eat.

I do realize that this would put the more focused "putting-on-muslces" project on the shelf.

I see that I could easily tell myself to simply go with an average number, say 2400. That is what I'd be at if I up my calories 200 today.

The math would, as mentioned, work out to 2x600, 4x3050 and 1x3500 calories. The 600 days are untouchable. I can shift the days I want to do them, but I DO want to do them. They make me feel amazing.

The Indulgence Day (3500) is good to have for parties, and just generally for days where you really don't want to worry. This is the day I allow myself to have candy, cake, sugar stuff.

...and then there is the "normal" day...

On this day, I basically want to eat what normal people eat. I want to make sure I eat balanced meals. I want to make sure I get my protein, even if it comes in powders and bars. It fills me up and makes me do MUCH better choices.

However, I see that most of the time I have to force myself to the finish line, just to reach my current 2675 RDI. 3050 will be even more of a challenge.

I am thinking that an alternative, a little "eat when you're hungry" approach would be good.

The deal will simply be to eat when I am hungry on regular days, and NOT be focused on RDI. I will still count and make sure I don't go over, sure, but I will not fight to get to the top of RDI.

Instead, I will be okay with having less. In my book, less is still good, as I see the Low Cal Days making me feel amazing.

I think this last approach will be what can truly make me to into a good, healthy maintenance mode. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea, even if my skin is a little loose.

My main concern has been the overweight. The overweight is gone. Being muscular will be the top top top goal, but I am okay not getting there for a while.

That is, I am already there in many ways. I see great changes in my body, and I feel different - in a good way. I am way stronger than I used to be, and I keep making progress at the gym.

Maybe this last approach IS the way for me.

I think I'm simply gonna jump into it and see what happens. Here goes!

This, of course, changes NOTHING for the next two days. LOL. Today is Indulgence Day, and tomorrow is Low Cal Day. I will see no difference until Monday, and I might have changed my mind by then. LOL.

Still, I will allow myself 3050 calories on the regular days, and NOT attempt to use it all. I will simply eat what is right. I will still NOT eat chocolate, candies, crap food. I will spend the calories on normal food. This is what I think is essential. I think the single most important thing - probably for MANY of us - is that we need to put away the everyday bad habits, and simply just do them once per week, if at all.

In my eyes, this sounds TOTALLY accomplishable.

I'm gonna give this approach a spin for a couple of weeks and see what happens.

...

Today, I'm thankful for:
- SUN!
- Vacation! No work the next week!
- Indulgence Day! ...not that it's much different from other days, other than that I'm allowed a little of the bad stuff...
- Wife coming out on the town with me after gym.
- Gym!

Have an awesome weekend! Life is good!

186.3 lb Lost so far: 155.4 lb.    Still to go: 0 lb.    Diet followed 100%.

---

3150 kcal

Activities & Exercise: Shopping - 20 minutes, Walking (exercise) - 3.5/mph - 1 hour, Circuit Training - 30 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours, Sitting - 12 hours and 40 minutes, Standing - 1 hour and 30 minutes. more...