the reformation: a six-week update

These past six weeks have seen some decent changes in how I'm going about achieving my goals. My goal weight is 150 pounds (according to some, that's technically still overweight, but given my medium-large frame, 156 pounds is considered the high end of my healthy weight). While I'm confident I could get down into the 140s or even 130s (which is where I stood ten years ago), I've found that my short stature and youthful looks - slightly ameliorated by a scraggly excuse for a beard - are only intensified when I'm skinny-looking. I'd rather maintain a bit of a pudge - a 'healthy belly,' as my doctor would say, as he goes on a tirade against our culture's maligning of healthy body fat in lieu of media-promoted stereotypes - than look half my age. Besides, Ash says she prefers me to retain some chubbiness, and I don't think she's just saying that (personally, I've never been attracted to skinny women, so I know where she's coming from!).

My last weigh-in was at 170 pounds. Around this time last year I was hovering around 160, which means I've gained rather than lost weight. This is likely attributed to (a) gaining muscle and (b) the fact that I spent a solid seven months drinking every night. I never got drunk, but when I added up the empty calories consumed each week by having a three-ounce bourbon nightcap after the girls were tucked in bed, I knew I had to be more self-controlled. As it stands, I've had a six-pack of beer in the fridge for well over a month, and I don't plan on drinking bourbon again until Ash and I are glued to the TV on Election Night. Now, while I've gained ten pounds since this time last year, that's a net gain, as I've also lost about five since my previous weigh-in at 175; thus slashing alcohol from my diet has already been reaping good consequences.

I've also been retooling my diet and focusing on a slight caloric deficit whilst keeping protein around 150-170 grams a day. It was hard deciphering my TDEE, but after a lot of research (read: time on Reddit), I was able to calculate it to around 1700 calories a day. My caloric limit each day has been 1500 calories, though often I'm around 1200-1300. That sounds low for a man, but remember that I'm also 5'5". The shorter you are, the less calories you need to keep yourself humming along. Once every ten days I have a 'refeed' day in which I vault my caloric intake up to 1700, keeping my protein intake the same but increasing carbohydrates. It seems to work in keeping my leptin levels where they need to be and staving off hunger. Most of my meals consist of meat (chicken, fish, lean pork, and beef) and vegetables (primarily broccoli or Asian medleys; those baby corns are my jam). I also eat a lot of cottage cheese and protein shakes. 

In regards to my workouts, I've been following a more disciplined schedule in which I hit every muscle group at least twice a week. Each muscle group has a day of low rep, high weight sets and a day of high rep, low weight sets. I've been increasing my weight records week-by-week, slowly adding pounds to the dumbbells, so progress is definitely happening. Once we get the basement finished and the garage relatively cleared out, I'll be investing in a workout bench. One day I'd love to get a rowing machine, but that's likely years into the future. I'm still struggling to find ways to work out my legs; every time I discover an exercise that promises to work with bad knees, I get excited, do it, and then spend the next two weeks waking up every hour at night due to throbbing knee pain. At this point I'm just continuing with Pilates, keeping the blood-flow going, but chicken legs may be a staple in my future. Alas, not everyone can be an Iron Man.