This is the continuation of my annual Countdown to my birthday blog post.
The first part is here: Countdown to 52!
Saturday, January 23rd:
Waist Measurement: 31"
Finally made it to 31 inches! Dialing back the calories in my evening meal seems to have done the trick.
I also added extra cardio sessions, but so far that only amounts to one 20 minute session last night. So, the cardio wasn't the difference maker right now. Maybe 7 extra cardio workouts over the next week will help move the needle, but not one session by itself.
Here's what I did today:
1:45 PM – Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.0 mph for 60 minutes)
3:15 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:15 PM - First Meal Supplements
7:00 PM - Workout Shake (sipped gradually during workout)
50 grams Whey protein
12.5 grams Maltodextrin
12.5 grams Dextrose
2 grams L-Citrulline
5 grams BCAA's
5 grams Beta Alanine
1 packet Great Value Grape Drink Mix
7:00 PM - Workout - Chest / Shoulders / Triceps / Abs
Low Incline DB Press
Pushdowns w/ Rope
Pec Deck
Bird Dogs
Shoulder Press Machine
Hanging Leg Raises w/ Ab Straps
Crunches w/ Legs Straight
8:00 PM - Post Workout Supplements
I had a great workout! I purposely cut back on the number of sets and exercises I did for chest, shoulders, and triceps. I am kind of running on fumes with how low my calories are right now. I hit everything hard enough to make it grow, but then didn't obliterate everything like I sometimes do.
I also blew off calves to conserve my energy, both physical and mental! I need to pace myself over the next 12 days. Calves take a lot of effort, but won't help me hit my strength goals or get me any leaner.
10:00 PM - Evening Meal
Spinach and tuna slop
2 cans tuna
1 can spinach
Celery
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Same as last night, but I added celery to get a nice crunch. I also used more water to make it soupier. It was incredibly satisfying for being under 300 calories!
10:00 PM - Evening Supplements
Daily Protein Total: ~160 grams
11:00 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.5 mph for 25 minutes)
Sunday, January 24th:
Waist Measurement: 30.75"
Things are moving along nicely now. Still want to get leaner! I might not stop at 30.5" exactly. I might go a little lower. We'll see?
Doing OK overall. I'm feeling the effects of the lower calories with my energy the last two days. Would like to be able to bump calories back up soon.
Even though calories are down the last few days, I haven't cut back on carbs. I wasn't doing carbs in my evening meal anyway. I am still doing the same carbs in my first meal and in my workout shake.
I'm planning to do quite a few carbs today, but not sure which ones it will be. Probably some rice cakes and maybe some protein waffles. We'll see what else?
Here's what I did today:
1:30 PM – Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.0 mph for 40 minutes)
3:00 PM - First Meal
1.5 small sweet potatoes
Tuna salad
1 can tuna
Chopped spinach
Red onions
Green olives
Yellow mustard
Spicy brown mustard
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Decided to go with sweet potatoes. I love a nice baked sweet potato! I especially like them with cottage cheese. It is a great hot/cold combo. I went with tuna this time for the lower calories. This meal comes in between 200-300 calories. I'll call it 300 to be conservative.
3:00 PM - First Meal Supplements
7:30 PM - Evening Meal
5 rice cakes
Tuna salad
2 cans tuna
Yellow onion
Flax seeds
Yellow mustard
Spicy brown mustard
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Five rice cakes is 200 calories. Two cans of tuna is 200 calories. With the other ingredients, this probably comes in below 450 calories. We'll call it 450 to be conservative.
Forgot to take my evening supplements. When I remembered later, I decided to skip them today.
Planning to do some cardio later and may have a casein protein shake as a snack. Right now, I am pretty stuffed from the tuna salad and rice cakes!
I haven't mentioned it before, but I have a slight tweak in my right groin muscle. It started about a week ago. So far, it hasn't stopped me from doing anything. Tomorrow is leg day, so we'll see how that goes?
I've been super lazy today! Hopefully, this rest day works as well as the others have so far during this countdown. All my workouts after rest days have been pretty great up to now.
I also took in more carbs today than I have in quite a while. Hopefully, they will help my strength and endurance in my leg workout tomorrow!
Decided to skip the protein shake. I was still feeling full from my evening meal. That means my total for the day was under 900 calories.
Since my calories were so low today, I decided to skip my late night cardio session.
Daily Protein Total: ~80 grams
A little lower than what I prefer, but it's no problem. A more important number to watch is average daily intake of protein (or carbs, or fats) over the course of a week. Your body can easily adjust to day-to-day fluctuations. It only becomes a problem if you are restricting a particular macronutrient on a long term basis.
11:30 PM - Bedtime Supplements
Monday, January 25th:
Waist Measurement: 30.5"
Nice! That's 3" in three weeks!
As usual, I'm already thinking I want to get a little leaner and go past my original goal of 30.5 inches!
However, my main goal this week is to hit some of my strength targets. Today is leg day and I'd like to see what I can do with 205 lbs on the T-Bar Squat.
I have a minor groin muscle pull/tweak/tear on my right side. I've been feeling it for a week or so. Hopefully, it won't be a problem for the exercises I'm doing. If I was playing a sport or doing a lot of side to side work, it might be an issue. With everything I do for legs being controlled and relatively slow, it should hold up OK. We'll see?
I'll do my weekly evaluation later today.
I'm feeling pretty good today! I'm a little incredulous that I have been so disciplined the last 3 weeks!
As far as I can remember, I have never been this consistent in my life! Both of my previous Countdowns had days where I went off the rails and had cheat meals and/or cheat days!
I can't remember all 12 weeks of my transformation from 7 years ago, but I know for sure that most weeks had cheat meals!
I have not gone off book even once during this Countdown! In fact, my rest days where I do clean-cheat meals have all ended up being lower calorie days than my workout days! That is just crazy!
I mostly chalk it up to this later schedule I'm using, where my eating window is from roughly 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
My weakest time of day has always been late evening, around 9:00 PM to midnight. I just want to munch and snack while unwinding before bedtime. This schedule takes care of that weak spot for me!
I am an unusually disciplined (neurotic/compulsive) person when I set my mind to something. However, I can't really credit my self-control for this newfound consistency. Like I said, it is mainly the schedule that has helped me string together the best three weeks of clean eating of my entire life (as far as I can remember)!
A good takeaway from this is that programming and scheduling can be really powerful allies on your transformation journey!
If you rely on willpower alone, you will almost always falter at some point! If you deal with your weaknesses by addressing them with a schedule change, then you don't have to rely on just your willpower!
More later...
Week 3 Evaluation:
Strength Goals:
Landmine Squat 205 lbs for 25 Reps (205 x 20)
Hex Bar Dead Lift 255 lbs for 30 Reps (255 x 28)
Incline Press 80 lbs DB's for 10 Reps (75 x 11)
Arnold Press 65 lbs DB's for 10 Reps (60 x 8)
Row Grip Chin Up for 30 Reps (me x 27)
Lifestyle Goals:
Measure my waist each morning (100%)
Lift weights 6 days per week (95%)
Aim to get 160 grams of protein daily (82%)
Eat broccoli and cauliflower several times per week (100%)
Drink 1.5 gallons of water daily (100%)
Do cardio 3 times per week (100%)
Consume green/colorful veggies daily (100%)
Try to eat 2 dozen eggs per week (17%)
Eat green olives, crushed red pepper, and garlic several times per week (100%)
Minimize starchy carbs after 8:00 PM (95%)
Include healthy oils with my meals (100%)
Aim to fast 16 hours daily (100%)
Try to get as much quality sleep as possible (85%)
I had a pretty good week! Did better on sleep. Workouts were mostly good. Made some progress towards my strength goals. And lost another 3/4" off my waist.
I missed on eggs, but that was on purpose to cut some calories. I think that happened last year as well. Maybe eggs shouldn't be on the goal list next year?
Here's what I did today:
3:15 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:15 PM - First Meal Supplements
7:30 PM - Workout Shake (sipped gradually during workout)
50 grams Whey protein
12.5 grams Maltodextrin
12.5 grams Dextrose
2 grams L-Citrulline
5 grams BCAA's
5 grams Beta Alanine
1 packet Great Value Grape Drink Mix
7:30 PM – Workout – Legs / Abs
T-Bar Squat – Wide Stance
Lying Bench Hip Thrusts
Hip Adduction
Hip Abduction
Hanging Leg Circles w/ Ab Straps
Lying Leg Curls
Bird Dogs
8:30 PM - Post Workout Supplements
ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY Awesome Workout! This was so great! My strength was excellent. My endurance and focus were really good!
I could feel the groin muscle tweak that's been around since last week, but it didn't hold me back from hitting a new personal best on T-Bar Squat! Sweet!
10:30 PM - Evening Meal
Spinach and tuna slop
2 cans tuna
1 can spinach
Yellow onions
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
The spinach and tuna has been working so well, I did it again! I added some chopped onions for a nice crunch. I didn't have any celery. That's an even better way to add crunch with virtually no calories. It was piping hot and spicy, which made it palatable. Cold canned spinach and tuna would be a little tough to shovel down, even for me. But add some spices and heat it up, it's not bad at all!
10:30 PM - Evening Supplements
Daily Protein Total: ~160 grams
This was a fantastic start to my last full week! My birthday is about 9 days away. I have 8 workouts left to hit my strength goals. I'm close on some of them! Others, not so much. We'll see?
I've had it in my head the last few weeks that my birthday was on a Tuesday this year, which would have been a week from tomorrow. I checked the calendar yesterday and it turns out my birthday is a week from this Thursday! What a dummy! I have two extra days to work with.
I'd planned to do a cardio session at night around 11:00ish, but decided to skip it.
12:00 AM - Bedtime Supplements
Tuesday, January 26th:
Waist Measurement: 30.5"
Same as yesterday. Well, I guess I shouldn't have blown off cardio last night! No decrease for you! I will try to hit both planned cardio sessions today.
I would like to get a little bit leaner, maybe get down to 30 inches on my waist. I don't want to tweak calories any lower. And I certainly don't want to decrease protein or carbs right now, so the only lever left to pull is cardio!
I'm excited for my shoulder workout tonight! Hope it goes as well as legs did yesterday!
More later...
Here's what I did today:
2:00 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.0 mph for 45 minutes)
3:00 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:00 PM - First Meal Supplements
This morning, I really was excited for my shoulder workout today. But somewhere in the late afternoon, a gradual feeling of being kind of drained and exhausted overtook me.
I actually went in my home gym around 7:00 PM with the intention of doing my planned workout. But as I sat there mentally preparing, I felt like I should take a break.
So, that is what I did! I made it a bonus rest day, just like last week. It actually worked really well last week! I shuffled things around a bit and ended up having good to great workouts the rest of the week.
I decided to take in some extra carbs today, as well.
8:00 PM - Snack
8 cups air popped popcorn
10:00 PM - Evening Meal
4 rice cakes
Brussels sprouts
Tuna salad
2 cans tuna
Red onions
Green olives
Yellow mustard
Spicy brown mustard
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Daily Protein Total: ~100 grams
11:00 PM - Bedtime Supplements
Wednesday, January 27th:
Waist Measurement: 30.5"
I'm in a holding pattern on my waist. It's OK, though. I still want to get leaner, but I feel like I can adjust things closer to my birthday to get there.
I'd rather not overshoot like I did last year, where I ended up at 29.5 inches. That was mainly caused by catching some bug right before my birthday! It was a nasty illness that wiped me out in a way I had not ever experienced before.
I'm feeling good today. Hope it lasts until workout time!
Here's what I did today:
2:30 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.5 mph for 70 minutes)
3:45 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:45 PM - First Meal Supplements
7:30 PM - Workout Shake (sipped gradually during workout)
50 grams Whey protein
12.5 grams Maltodextrin
12.5 grams Dextrose
2 grams L-Citrulline
5 grams BCAA's
5 grams Beta Alanine
1 packet Great Value Grape Drink Mix
7:30 PM – Workout – Shoulders / Chest / Triceps / Abs
Seated Arnold Press Alternating
Shoulder Press Machine
Pushdowns w/ Rope
Upright Rows w/ Curl Bar
Close Grip Push Up
Bird Dogs
Hanging Leg Raises w/ Ab Straps
Crunches w/ Legs Straight
8:30 PM - Post Workout Supplements
Fantastic workout! It felt great! I was stronger on every exercise. Still struggling on Arnold Presses, but did better than last week. Everything else was just awesome!
10:00 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.5 mph for 20 minutes)
10:30 PM - Evening Meal
Chicken, broccoli, and cauliflower soup
12 oz chicken
4 oz broccoli
4 oz cauliflower
4 cups water
Red onions
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Salt
Olive oil
Super delicious! This was really satisfying and very filling! There was actually a bunch more liquid with this soup than is shown in the photo. I left it in a separate bigger bowl because it was too much for this bowl, and it wouldn't let all the yummy ingredients show up in the picture as clearly.
10:30 PM - Evening Supplements
Daily Protein Total: ~160 grams
12:00 AM - Bedtime Supplements
Thursday, January 28th:
Waist Measurement: 30.5"
Had a good day yesterday. Looking forward to another good day today! It's leg day, and I'm hoping to hit one of my strength goals! We'll see?
One week until my birthday! I'm feeling good!
I know I'm getting near the end, because I've finally started fantasizing about what I'm going to eat on my birthday! I had been so locked in the last 3 weeks that I didn't even think about stuff like that. But now, those thoughts are starting to creep in! It's OK! I still plan to finish strong!
Here's what I did today:
3:30 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:30 PM - First Meal Supplements
I made some weak coffee this afternoon to see if the caffeine would help my workout.
7:30 PM - Workout Shake (sipped gradually during workout)
50 grams Whey protein
12.5 grams Maltodextrin
12.5 grams Dextrose
2 grams L-Citrulline
5 grams BCAA's
5 grams Beta Alanine
1 packet Great Value Grape Drink Mix
7:30 PM – Workout – Legs / Calves / Abs
Deadlifts w/ Hoop Bar
Seated Calf Raise
Hip Adduction
Cable Kick Back
Hip Abduction
Bird Dogs
Lying Leg Raises
8:30 PM - Post Workout Supplements
I hit one of my strength goals!! It felt so great! Got 30 reps of 255 lbs on deadlift! That's 7,650 lbs lifted in one set! Wow!
The rest of the workout was good too!
10:30 PM - Evening Meal
Spinach and tuna soup
1 can tuna
1/2 can spinach
5 grams collagen protein
Red onions
1 cup water
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper
Salt
Garlic
I went light on dinner. Just 1 can of tuna and 1/2 can of spinach. I felt like cutting back a bit to see if I can get over this 30.5" hump.
10:30 PM - Evening Supplements
Daily Protein Total: ~140 grams
11:00 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.0 mph for 45 minutes)
This felt great. I only planned to do about 30 minutes, but I just kept going!
12:30 AM - Bedtime Supplements
Friday, January 29th:
Waist Measurement: 30.5"
This was a little disappointing! I thought with the extra cardio I've been doing and the very light dinner last night, I might break through the 30.5" barrier. Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes!
As always, gotta be patient and trust the system. I know the stuff I do works from experience, but it takes time.
Although, in the back of my mind I hear voices (not literally) saying 'you're getting older and your body is changing and now you can't get as lean as you used to!'
Of course, there is some truth to that. I won't be able to do some things at 60 that I could do at 50, and I won't look exactly the same either.
But, I was ripped just a year ago! And I was really lean just a few months ago! So for now, those voices can just shut up! I'm forging ahead regardless!
The non-decaf coffee I made yesterday seemed to help my workout.
Like many people, I've been working from home quite a bit over the past 10 months! I generally drink decaf coffee at home. On days I go into work, I drink caffeinated coffee, since that is what's available there.
I've noticed I seem to have better workouts on days I've gone into work. I think the caffeine may be helping.
I used to put N.O.-XPLODE, which has caffeine, in my workout shakes. I really liked it, but I gave it up last year because the price got too high for me. So, I haven't had caffeine in my workout shakes for quite a while.
I had always been able to find sales or discounts where I could get a 60 serving size for around $30. I didn't use a full serving per workout, so I could stretch one container over 4 months or so.
When I went looking for more last year, the best deal I could find was $45-$50 for the 60 serving size! No, thank you! I'll find something else.
I already had many of the active ingredients in N.O.-XPLODE, like Creatine, Niacin, L-Citrulline Malate, and Beta-Alanine. So I just needed the grape flavoring (my favorite), which I found at Walmart. I use their grape drink mix.
I haven't been putting Niacin in my workout shakes, though. I'm very sensitive to it, so it freaks me out a little. If you've never tried it, I don't recommend it. Even a moderate dose can induce some scary symptoms in me. Like painful flushing of the face, head, and extremities! A racing heart, and lightheadedness!
Niacin is a vasodilator, which means it relaxes the walls of the arteries, veins, and capillaries allowing more blood to flow. The smaller the blood vessel is, the more noticeable the change feels. Hence, the flushing of the face and extremities!
Even with what I just wrote, this topic has me thinking I will try a little bit of Niacin in my workout shake. It was in the N.O.-XPLODE, and I tolerated that just fine for many years.
When I've tried Niacin by itself in the past, I think I probably took too much for me. I just need to start with a little bit and work my way up to where I get the benefits without the nasty side effects.
Here's what I did today:
2:00 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.5 mph for 60 minutes)
3:15 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:15 PM - First Meal Supplements
7:30 PM - Workout Shake (sipped gradually during workout)
50 grams Whey protein
12.5 grams Maltodextrin
12.5 grams Dextrose
2 grams L-Citrulline
5 grams BCAA's
5 grams Beta Alanine
1 packet Great Value Grape Drink Mix
1/2 gram Niacin
7:30 PM – Workout – Back / Rear Delts / Abs
Row Grip Chin Ups
Pulldowns w/ Pro Handle
Incline Rear Delt Flyes
Standing 1 Arm Row on Pec Deck
Bird Dogs
Hanging Leg Circles w/ Ab Straps
8:30 PM - Post Workout Supplements
This was an adequate workout. Not bad, but not real good either. I had three great workouts to start the week, so one not so great workout is OK. I'll get some rest and try again tomorrow!
I put a little Niacin in my workout shake. I started with a low dose. Didn't notice any difference. I'll increase it slightly tomorrow.
10:00 PM - Evening Meal
2 eggs
8 oz chicken
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
I went light on dinner again. Didn't have much of an appetite anyway. Was feeling pretty tired and just wanted to get a little something in me and go to bed.
10:00 PM - Evening Supplements
Daily Protein Total: ~140 grams
11:00 PM - Bedtime Supplements
Saturday, January 30th:
Waist Measurement: 30.25"
Nice! Always feels good to see progress. I have been stuck on a few plateaus along the way. I was at 31.25" for a while and then again seemed to stall around 30.5" for a little bit too.
I skipped my evening cardio last night. I felt like rest would be better. I was feeling pretty sleepy after around 11:00 PM, which is early for me. I usually don't get really sleepy until midnight or even after. So, I didn't want to risk waking myself up with cardio.
It seems to have paid off. I had a great night of sleep! I haven't mentioned sleep in a while, because it has been really good the last two weeks.
Here's what I did today:
12:30 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.5 mph for 60 minutes)
3:15 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:15 PM - First Meal Supplements
7:30 PM - Workout Shake (sipped gradually during workout)
50 grams Whey protein
12.5 grams Maltodextrin
12.5 grams Dextrose
2 grams L-Citrulline
5 grams BCAA's
5 grams Beta Alanine
1 packet Great Value Grape Drink Mix
1 gram Niacin
7:30 PM - Workout - Chest / Shoulders / Triceps / Abs
Low Incline DB Press
Pushdowns w/ Curl Bar
Pec Deck
Lateral Raise Machine
Bird Dogs
Crunches w/ Legs Straight
8:30 PM - Post Workout Supplements
This was another adequate workout. Better than yesterday, though. I'm planning to carb up tomorrow, so hopefully that will help my next workout on Monday.
I put twice as much Niacin in my workout shake today, but still didn't notice any difference. I did 1/2 gram yesterday and 1 gram today. I'll try a little more for Monday.
10:00 PM - Evening Meal
Tuna and spinach soup
1 can tuna
1/2 can spinach
Yellow peppers
Red onions
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Salt
Garlic
I went light on dinner again. 1 can of tuna and 1/2 can of spinach. I added a bunch of water and let it simmer a while to make it a soup.
10:00 PM - Evening Supplements
Daily Protein Total: ~140 grams
I really feel like snacking tonight. My body is definitely asking for more calories! Sunday is my rest day, so the thought of making yummy stuff tomorrow should be enough to get me through the night. I will try to go to bed early, as well.
I'm skipping cardio again, because I don't want to risk getting a second wind. I feel like I could get cozy and fall asleep if I get in bed soon!
I also don't want to run myself down by doing too much. The point of the countdown is to get lean, but also healthy!
I like to push myself on things, but I don't want to push so hard that it's counterproductive. Especially with the lower calorie dinner, I think rest is the better way to go than doing another cardio session today.
11:00 PM - Bedtime Supplements
Sunday, January 31st:
Waist Measurement: 30.25"
Slept good last night. Really looking forward to my rest day! Not sure what I'll eat, but there will definitely be some carbs!
Here's what I did today:
1:30 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.5 mph for 60 minutes)
3:15 PM - First Meal
Baked sweet potato
Tuna salad
1 can tuna
Red onions
Yellow mustard
Spicy brown mustard
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Salt
3:15 PM - Evening Supplements
I took my evening supplements by mistake! It's such a habit to take them with meals, I didn't even realize until hours later that I took the wrong ones. My first meal supplements are almost always taken with a protein shake and a cup of oatmeal. I am definitely a creature of habit! Most of the time, it's a good thing because I've trained myself to have mostly good habits. It's no big deal. It's kind of funny, though!
I'd call this meal about 250 calories, conservatively. I want to get carbs today, but I'd also like to maintain a calorie deficit. I'm sort of shooting for around 1200 or less for the day.
4:30 PM - Snack
4 cups air popped popcorn
This was 120 calories.
7:00 PM - Snack
6 rice cakes
Chocolate spread
25 grams chocolate whey protein
1/4 cup wheat bran
Water
This was a nice treat! Crunchy with a sweet chocolate flavor. This comes to about 380 calories.
8:30 PM - Snack
1 cup plain yogurt with chopped strawberries
This was about 100 calories.
9:30 PM - Snack
4 cups air popped popcorn
Another 120 calories.
9:30 PM - First Meal Supplements
I mistakenly took my evening supplements earlier today, so I took my first meal supplements now.
10:30 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.5 mph for 50 minutes)
11:30 PM - Snack
1 cup plain yogurt with chopped strawberries
Another 100 calories.
Daily Protein Total: ~80 grams
My protein total was lower than I'd like, but as I've said before, one day is no big deal. And that really applies to almost everything fitness and health related. It's what you do ~80% of the time that really matters in the long run!
The whole day came in under 1100 calories! Every rest/cheat day so far in this countdown has come in under 1200 calories! That's just crazy!
Saturday night and last night were the worst cravings I have felt during the past four weeks. They still weren't bad enough to trip me up, though!
That is the power of this later schedule I've been on (eating window from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM). In the past, I have always given in at some point to late evening cravings.
I have unusually strong willpower when I set my mind to something. However, it has always been broken eventually. This is redundant, but this countdown is the most disciplined 4 weeks of healthy eating I have ever strung together in my life!
Like I've said before, adapting a schedule that works around your weaknesses is a really powerful tool to help you achieve your goals! Willpower and motivation alone are rarely enough to carry anyone long term.
Making structural changes that help you avoid temptations can help carry you through those rough times when your willpower inevitably wanes.
5:00 AM - Bedtime Supplements
Just to complete the trifecta, I screwed up my bedtime supplements last night too! I totally forgot to take them before bed, so I took them when I was up for a nighttime potty trip. Oh well, no biggie!
Monday, February 1st:
Waist Measurement: 30.25"
It is the same official reading as the last few days, but I'm definitely a little bit leaner. I rounded up today rather than down, so I'm still making a little progress!
I'll do my weekly evaluation later. It will be pretty much like last week, which was very good overall.
I love coffee! I was never a coffee drinker until about 45 years old. I had tried it a few times over the years, but it was actually something I had purposely avoided my entire life up to that point.
I viewed caffeine as a drug, and I didn't want to get addicted to anything! Well, any substance that is. I have lots of addictions to other types of things, like working out!
And almost every time I had tried coffee over the years, I got the caffeine jitters pretty bad. That just reinforced my view that caffeine was a powerful drug to be avoided.
I still can't tolerate high doses of caffeine. The coffee I drink is either decaffeinated or really weak caffeinated coffee. Even though it's weak, I can still feel the caffeine and I've come to appreciate its benefits.
I see a difference in my workouts on days when I drink caffeinated coffee vs decaf. I also feel the mental boost the caffeine provides. And with my declining faculties, I often need a mental boost just to keep up!
More later...
Week 4 Evaluation:
Strength Goals:
Landmine Squat 205 lbs for 25 Reps (205 x 25)
Hex Bar Dead Lift 255 lbs for 30 Reps (255 x 30)
Incline Press 80 lbs DB's for 10 Reps (75 x 11)
Arnold Press 65 lbs DB's for 10 Reps (60 x 9)
Row Grip Chin Up for 30 Reps (me x 28)
Lifestyle Goals:
Measure my waist each morning (100%)
Lift weights 6 days per week (95%)
Aim to get 160 grams of protein daily (80%)
Eat broccoli and cauliflower several times per week (80%)
Drink 1.5 gallons of water daily (100%)
Do cardio 3 times per week (100%)
Consume green/colorful veggies daily (100%)
Try to eat 2 dozen eggs per week (8%)
Eat green olives, crushed red pepper, and garlic several times per week (90%)
Minimize starchy carbs after 8:00 PM (95%)
Include healthy oils with my meals (90%)
Aim to fast 16 hours daily (100%)
Try to get as much quality sleep as possible (90%)
I had a really good week! Did better on sleep. Workouts were mostly good to very good. Met two of my strength goals! And lost another 1/4" off my waist.
We've already covered the egg miss. They just have too many calories to be in my diet at this point in the countdown.
Here's what I did today:
3:15 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:15 PM - First Meal Supplements
7:30 PM - Workout Shake (sipped gradually during workout)
50 grams Whey protein
12.5 grams Maltodextrin
12.5 grams Dextrose
2 grams L-Citrulline
5 grams BCAA's
5 grams Beta Alanine
1 packet Great Value Grape Drink Mix
1.25 grams Niacin
7:30 PM – Workout – Legs / Abs
T-Bar Squat – Wide Stance
Lying Bench Hip Thrusts
Hip Adduction
Hip Abduction
Lying Leg Curls
Bird Dogs
Hanging Leg Circles w/ Ab Straps
8:30 PM - Post Workout Supplements
Absolutely EPIC workout! Just awesome! I nailed my strength goal for T-Bar Squats! Sweet!
I actually gave myself permission to be done with the workout if I hit my strength goal on my first exercise! I crushed it, but then decided to keep going!
My next leg day falls on my birthday, so I will likely take the day off. Because of that, I wanted to make this a really good leg workout! And it was incredible!
I used a heaping scoop of Niacin today, so maybe 1.25 grams. I felt it this time, with some slight flushing in my face.
10:30 PM - Evening Meal
Broccoli, egg, and tuna soup
6 oz broccoli
2 eggs
1 can tuna
Red onions
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Green olives
Water
Garlic
Boy, I've missed my eggs! They add a rich creaminess to anything! This was super delicious!
It was probably a few too many calories at this point. I think the next two days will be very low calorie dinners, just to get a little more definition in my abs.
10:30 PM - Evening Supplements
Daily Protein Total: ~150 grams
11:30 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.5 mph for 30 minutes)
This might have been a bad idea to do it so late. I've done 11:00 PM cardio sessions before with no problem falling asleep. My nighttime cardio is usually at 3.0 mph, and I did this one at 3.5 mph.
I had trouble falling asleep this night, but it's hard to know exactly what the cause was. I was pretty jacked all evening from hitting my strength goal earlier! Might have had trouble winding down even without the cardio.
12:00 AM - Bedtime Supplements
Tuesday, February 2nd:
Waist Measurement: 30.25"
Wow! Last night was really bad! I didn't fall asleep until after 3:00 AM! I don't think it was the late night cardio session, because I've done that many times before.
I'll try to figure out what the problem was, and hopefully fix it going forward.
Here's what I did today:
2:00 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (3.5 mph for 60 minutes)
3:15 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:15 PM - First Meal Supplements
We had some bananas that were going bad, so I made some Peanut Butter Banana Nut Muffins using a new recipe I've been wanting to try.
Of course, I didn't eat any of them! Well, I had one small piece to see how they were. My wife and kids loved them, which was nice. I really like baking stuff.
It just goes to show what a zone I've been in for this countdown. It's pretty hardcore when you can bake yummy stuff for others and not be tempted to partake!
7:30 PM - Workout Shake (sipped gradually during workout)
50 grams Whey protein
12.5 grams Maltodextrin
12.5 grams Dextrose
2 grams L-Citrulline
5 grams BCAA's
5 grams Beta Alanine
1 packet N.O.-XPLODE
I had some old sample packets of N.O.-XPLODE, so I decided to use one for old time sake. And to see if I could see a difference compared to my homemade concoction. I skipped the Niacin since it's in the N.O.-XPLODE.
I didn't notice any performance improvement over my usual workout shake.
7:30 PM - Workout - Shoulders / Chest / Triceps / Abs
Seated Arnold Press Alternating
Shoulder Press Machine
Lateral Raise Machine
Crunches w/ Legs Straight
Pushdowns w/ Rope
Bird Dogs
8:30 PM - Post Workout Supplements
This was not a great workout. I really struggled on Arnold Presses, which happened two weeks ago as well. My strength on everything else was actually better than last week. That part is good, but my focus wasn't very good and my energy was kind of down. I chalk it up to the lower calories I've been on the last two weeks.
10:30 PM - Evening Meal
Broccoli and tuna soup
6 oz broccoli
1 can tuna
Red onions
Garlic
Water
Crushed red pepper
Black pepper
Salt
This was pretty yummy for being tuna based. Tuna is not a great meat for soup, since it doesn't have the juices you get from chicken or beef. I added some salt to help and let it simmer longer than some other things I've made. It turned out pretty good.
10:30 PM - Evening Supplements
Daily Protein Total: ~140 grams
11:00 PM - Bedtime Supplements
I skipped cardio because of what happened with my sleep last night, even though I don't think that was the cause of my problem.
I laid down early with the hopes of making up for the bad night I had yesterday.
I had no idea what I was in for! I thought last night was bad! This night was worse, by a factor of 10!!! I didn't fall asleep until almost 8:00 AM!!!
I was up an hour later around 9:00 AM. I'm usually up by around 7:00 AM, at the latest. Fortunately, I had the flexibility today to sleep in a little. I also took a nap at lunchtime to help catch up.
This night was epically bad!
My best guess right now is two things, which I'll get to in a minute.
I usually drink decaf coffee at home and some weak caffeinated coffee at work. My coffee drinking at work is almost always done by 1:00 PM.
So, I don't do much caffeine later in the day. Well, I bought some caffeinated instant coffee for home use, with the though that it might help my workouts.
So, Monday and Tuesday I had caffeinated coffee in the late afternoon from 4:00 PM to almost 7:00 PM. That is the first change that I think screwed my sleep.
The other thing was opting to use the N.O.-XPLODE for my workout shake on Tuesday. It has caffeine in it! I kept sipping my workout shake well after my workout was done, up until 10:00 PM. This was the second thing that I think messed up my sleep!
I should know better than to make changes this late in the countdown. I really messed myself up. Now I'm exhausted for my last day! And I will end up crawling across the finish line, rather than sprinting strong!
Oh well, It's always something!
In an effort to settle my stomach and help get to sleep, I had a snack in the very early morning.
5:00 AM - Snack
1 cup plain yogurt with strawberries
5 cups air popped popcorn
I'm counting all of last night's happenings as part of yesterday.
Wednesday, February 3rd:
Waist Measurement: 30.25"
Nothing to add to what I already wrote about last night. It was awful!
Here's what I did today:
2:00 PM - Cardio Workout
LISS cardio on treadmill (2.5 mph for 46 minutes)
I cut my speed way down. I usually do 3.5 mph. I just wanted to go really easy for this session. I debated even skipping this workout, but I thought a mild cardio workout could help further get the caffeine out of my system and also maybe help me sleep better tonight.
3:30 PM - First Meal
35 grams whey protein
10 grams collagen protein
20 grams psyllium husk
1/2 cup whole oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
3:30 PM - First Meal Supplements
I found time for another little nap after work. I really needed it! Hopefully, it doesn't mess up my sleep tonight. I really, really need a good night's sleep!
7:30 PM - Workout Shake (sipped gradually during workout)
50 grams Whey protein
12.5 grams Maltodextrin
12.5 grams Dextrose
2 grams L-Citrulline
5 grams BCAA's
5 grams Beta Alanine
1 packet Great Value Grape Drink Mix
Skipped the Niacin today, just in case it was part of my sleep issues the last two nights. It was the other new thing since Monday, along with the late day caffeine.
7:30 PM – Workout – Back / Rear Delts
Row Grip Chin Ups
Iso Lat Row Machine - Wide Grip
Standing Cable Rear Delt Flyes
Bird Dogs
8:00 PM - Post Workout Supplements
The only thing I cared about for this workout was hitting my strength goal on chin ups. I got 30 reps, which is pretty amazing since I've had such a rough few days! Then I just did a couple other exercises with really light weights, and called it a day!
I need sleep!!!
No dinner. I debated making a very light meal, but I just don't feel like it. I wanna lie down!
11:00 PM - Bedtime Supplements
Thursday, February 4th:
Waist Measurement: 29.75"
Happy Birthday to Me! The best gift I've gotten so far this morning was a pretty good night's sleep!
After the two terrible nights I had Monday and Tuesday, a decent nap would have been an improvement! But, this was actually a very nice night of sleep. It wasn't perfect, but I'll take it. Woke up a few times, but was able to fall back asleep every time.
I didn't really lose 1/2" on my waist over night. I round to the nearest 1/4 inch. Yesterday was really close to rounding down to 30", but I decided to be conservative and call it 30.25". Today, it was still near 30", but seemed closer to 29.75", so I went with it.
Planning to take the day off from cardio, lifting, and healthy eating!!!
Countdown to 52! Evaluation:
This countdown was my most focused ever! I didn't go off book with my eating even one time! As far as workouts go, I skipped lifting twice and made bonus rest days. I skipped cardio according to how I was feeling, but I still far exceeded my goal of three times per week!
My waist started at 33.5" four and a half weeks ago, and ended at 29.75" today! That's 3.75" off my waist in 31 days!
I established a very good cardio habit during this countdown, which is something I have been wanting to do for 7 years! That is a big deal! I will do my best to keep it going now that the countdown is over.
This year, I added strength goals along with striving to get lean. The strength goals were a huge motivator for me. It added a great new twist to things! The strength goals worked really well this year because I had a rough December, where I missed a bunch of workouts and was rundown by stress. And of course, all the crappy holiday food I ate!
Most years, strength goals wouldn't work as well. I usually come into the new year about as strong as I can be, just with some extra pounds around the waist. If possible, I will do them again next year. But, I really hope they won't be as applicable next year!
Strength Goals:
Landmine Squat 205 lbs for 25 Reps (205 x 25)
Hex Bar Dead Lift 255 lbs for 30 Reps (255 x 30)
Incline Press 80 lbs DB's for 10 Reps (75 x 11)
Arnold Press 65 lbs DB's for 10 Reps (60 x 9)
Row Grip Chin Up for 30 Reps (me x 30)
I hit three out of five strength goals! That is awesome! I made progress on the other two, and will keep working on all of them going forward!
Here is my Landmine Squat video:
Here is my Deadlift video:
I don't have video of me getting 30 reps on Row Grip Chin Ups, but here is me doing 27 reps three weeks before my birthday:
I still have to look through the pictures and video I took of me on my birthday morning! I'll try to get to it soon and post some pics.
More Later...
OK, I finally looked through them! At least I wasn't as slow as last year, when I didn't post pictures until February 10th!
I feel so much better than I did a month ago! Almost 4 extra inches of circumference on my waist equals a bunch of fat!
I missed quite a few workouts between Thanksgiving and New Year's! My strength dropped off a lot and my gut grew by at least 2 inches.
Here I was on January 4th:
Still wearing my Santa hat, which I wore around the house for almost 5 weeks straight! My wife was having trouble finding her Christmas spirit this year, so I decided to wear my Santa hat to help her along! Most years, we just put them on for tree decorating and Christmas day! But, December 2020 needed something extra!
I will aim to keep my waist 31" or below going forward. I was able to hold it around 31" pretty much all last year. It was just when the holidays came around and I was dealing with that nasty canker sore and some extra work stress that I kind of went off the rails for 5 weeks!
Thank you all for following along on my latest compulsive journey! I love this stuff! Bodybuilding and healthy eating are how I channel my inner crazy person toward good and constructive things!
I hope you have a healthy, productive, and great 2021!
As always, if there is anything I can do to help you with your own goals, please feel free to Ask Me a Question!
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