the reformation [II]

 

sitting around 132.5#

In January of last year, our household shifted to 80% whole, unprocessed foods and 20% allowance for everything else (good luck getting an organic, preservative- and chemical-free donut, and we love donuts). I began losing weight almost immediately, but it really increased in May when I ceased drinking bourbon every night (I have since gone from a daily three shots a night drinker to enjoying a shot or two about twice a month). In January I hit 135#, which was my goal weight (this was also my weight my senior year of high school). Because I've focused as much on building muscle as losing weight, me at 135# at (almost) age 40 looks markedly different (and in a better way!) than me at 135# in high school. I never thought I would be able to get down to 135# again, so the fact that I'm now even below it is remarkable. Here's my weight change since starting tracking in 2018:

Having wrapped up my latest 12-week circuit, and having reached my goal weight, my focus on the next 12 weeks is going to be on increasing muscle while continuing to lose fat, albeit it at a smaller rate. Over the last 12 weeks I went from 137# to 132.5# (four and a half pounds) for an average weekly loss of .375 pounds a week. I averaged 1750 calories a day over those 12 weeks, putting my TDEE around 2000 (which is fairly standard for a short guy like myself). Launching into the next 12 weeks, I'm aiming to keep my calories around the 1750-1850 range, so that I'm still slowly losing weight but still able to build muscle. I'm not quite ready for a clean bulk. I've been reading a lot of books by fitness guru Michael Matthews, and with his information in mind, here's my plan:

Flexible Dieting. Matthews advocates flexible dieting, and I know it works, because that's what I've been doing for a year. For this 12 months I'm shooting for, say, 1800 calories a day; that puts my weekly caloric target at 12,600. Flexible dieting means that I can have a day I eat 2100 calories, but I need to make up for that elsewhere. If I'm faithful to the plan, then even if I have three 'cheat days' in a week (such as holiday weeks!), so long as I reduce my calories on the other days to hit 12,600 a week, then that's a successful week and I'll still be losing weight. Also wrapped up in this 'flexible dieting' motif is the idea that you don't have to completely restrict yourself from foods you love; you can have those foods so long as 80% of your diet is wholesome, unprocessed foods. The main focus is ensuring that I get good ratios of protein and carbohydrates to fuel energy and muscle synthesis.

Weight Lifting. Matthews advocates hitting each muscle group 10-20x per week for maximum muscle hypertrophy while also building in two rest days (I prefer the term 'growth' days) every week. He also advocates a deload week every 6-8 weeks on a cut and every 8-10 weeks on a bulk (since my plan falls somewhere in the middle, I'll do a deload week in the middle of the 12-week circuit). I'm continuing to focus on the major muscle groups: chest, shoulders, back, biceps, triceps, core, and legs. In building out my workouts, 80% will be compound exercises and 20% isolation finishers. 

Supplements. No, I'm not talking fat burners here. I'm keeping it simple: omega-3 fish oils, magnesium taurate and magnesium citrate, vitamin D, a men's multivitamin, and zinc. 

I'm excited to see where I'll be at the beginning of summer. Maybe I'll even look good in a bikini.