I think about things analytically, but I always viewed health and fitness as something different. I used to think that building muscle was all about "Giving %100 at the gym" and losing weight was all about "Willpower." I was missing the research, the tools, and the plan to actually lose weight and gain muscle. I don't want to take anything away from effort and willpower, but now that I've done the research and planning, I think that those 2 things are the most valuable
My thought process on weightless is now: "I burn ~2200 calories on a rest day and 2300-2600 on a workout/physical activity day. A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so eating at a 500 calorie deficit (~1700 on rest days, ~2100 on lifting days) allows me to lose ~1lb per 7 days" Not only is this mindset more effective, but it changes you from thinking "I had a double Whataburger for lunch. I have no self control and should just give up" to something more like "I ate 1/2 my required calories and all my required fat at lunch. I'll have a chicken breast and spinach for dinner, a half-portion of breakfast tomorrow, and I'm back on track"
My thoughts on lifting now are: I have a set of lifts that I do repeatedly. I know I'm getting better over time, and I have a decent projection of what numbers I should be hitting in the future. I'm on a cut right now, so if I don't increase the weight over time, that's okay. (I know that because I researched it.) But luckily, I have been getting decent "noob gains" for the duration of my cut
Progress: Before and After I'm still on my way, but it's progress!
Graphed workout/weight data: Weight and Lifts My goal is to be able to deadlift, bench, and squat at least my bodyweight by the end of the year. I'm posting now because I hit the milestone of deadlifting my weight, and the other goals seem pretty realistic. I'm doing stronglift 5x5, and my evaluation of the program is that it's nothing magical, but I like the simplicity and compound lifts. Once or twice a week I'll go rock climbing or biking. If I'm too sore to do a full sl5x5 workout, I'll try to still make it into the gym and do what I can from sl, then add in some shoulder/arm/core exercises.
Diet: Macro Spreadsheet It's pretty damn impossible to keep track of all your macros, but I did my best with this spreadsheet. I took all the foods that I commonly eat, looked up the nutrition info, and made a spreadsheet where I can put a "1" by the items I ate that day, and some simple logic tells me what I can eat for the rest of the day. I did this religiously for my first 2 weeks, stopped when I got a feel for what 1700-2100 felt like, then went back to it when my weight loss stalled.
This sub has helped me out a lot, so thanks everyone!
