Tag Archives: cheat day

Month 14: Fall back

Week 1 vs. Week 60 - front

Week 1 vs. Week 60 – front
[Click image for a larger version.]

Measurement Sept. 1, 2012 Oct. 25, 2013 Change
Weight (pounds) 121.8 134.8 +13.0
Body fat percentage 23.5 26.8 [Aug. 28] +3.3 percentage pts.
Fat weight 28.6 36.1 +7.5
Lean weight 93.2 98.7 +5.5
Total inches 113.6 123.3 +9.7

Exercise Start* Oct. 30, 2013 Change
Kettlebell swing 32 x 20 lbs. 52/23 x 60 lbs. +200.0 percent
Myotatic crunch 6.5 x 2.5 lbs. 9.0 x 20 lbs. +700.0 percent
Single-arm kettlebell swing 25 x 15 lbs. 16/16 x 35 lbs. +133.3 percent
Isolateral dumbbell
incline bench press
2.4/3.0 x 30 lbs. 0.3/1.2 x 40 lbs. +33.3 percent
Yates row 7.0 x 55 lbs. 4.2 x 165 lbs. +200.0 percent
Reverse drag curls 6.0 x 25 lbs. 0.3 x 55 lbs. +120.0 percent

*I started these exercises on different dates.

I’ve lost 6.6 pounds in the past 6 weeks on my new Slow-Carb Diet.

I will know at the end of the year if I’m becoming leaner or just lesser. I do know that I’m still growing stronger in my lifting.

So while I may not be as bulky, I may remain shapelier.

weight through October 2013

Weight through October 2013

Most days, my meals are routine and boring. Breakfast is a bowl of spinach spiked with flaxseed oil and lemon juice, along with a couple of hard-boiled eggs and lentils. I prepare meats in the slow cooker, and everything else from freezer or fridge to microwave oven.

On Sundays, I’ll usually make a big pot of beans, another big pot of lentils and a dozen hard-boiled eggs in the oven.

On cheat days, I work on two things: Hitting my minimum requirement of protein, and eating as many calories as I can. I’m lucky if I can get near 4,000, but that’s actual work.

The freezer is stuffed with doughnuts, and I usually grab some junk food on Fridays in anticipation. I also get takeout on those Saturday cheat days, since I don’t have too many forbidden foods in the kitchen.

What hasn’t changed is my careful attention to numbers. I try to eat on schedule. I haven’t hit my old daily average of 2,100 calories, which is why I make up for it on Saturdays as best I can.

I don’t feel any different than before, and my food dreaming has stopped. It has been a fairly easy transition.

I look forward to the next 2 months to see how big a loser I can be.

October’s average workout time was 26 minutes and 18 seconds.

I averaged 1,899 calories a day in October. I also had 130 g protein a day on average.

The project has cost me $641.89 so far. I spent $8.16 more on food in October compared to previous monthly averages.

You can see all the numbers updated in real time on the Measurements page.

Week 1 vs. Week 60 - side

Week 1 vs. Week 60 – side
[Click image for a larger version.]

Day 344: Cheat day

Day 344 - front

Day 344 – front

  • Weight: 140.8 lbs.
  • Workout C: 25 minutes, 28 seconds; next: Workout C, Aug. 12
  • Total inches: 125.3
  • Protein: 133g (0g over target)
  • Calories: 2,560

Looking ahead to post-Project Bulk, I’m intrigued by the concept of “cheat day.”

I need to read up on this in “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links].

My days have been spent keeping on the straight and narrow of rigorous calorie counts and protein intake. Without it, I would’ve failed at gaining any weight.

But it can be tiring to monitor every bite, every meal nonstop.

In some of the weight loss chapters, I know author Tim Ferriss talks about cheat days, where once a week anything goes. I believe it’s to add some variety and fun to the diet, but for me, it could be a break from number crunching.

I have some reading to do on cheat days, as well as finding shortcuts to reducing fat. As I’ve mentioned before, while I’m satisfied with my muscular gain, I want to have a healthier body fat percentage. At last check in April, it was at a very unhealthy 26.7 percent.

While I’ve enjoyed the challenge of going a year straight in tracking my food consumption, I wouldn’t mind having Saturdays off in the near future.

Day 343 - side

Day 343 – side