Eating everything in sight is a hard habit to break; it has been taking a while to get back into a more disciplined eating style. I upped my protein to maintain the lean body mass I had gained. Still it resulted in a drastic drop in calories and I was ‘hangry’ without the extra 500-1000 extra calories. I searched for a plan to cut fat without sacrificing what I had, finding most from T-Nation’s Facebook feed; The Time-Restricted-Plus Diet, Fat Loss & High-Protein Breakfast, and How Many Carbs Do You Need. The next six weeks I am going to make sure my carbs do not exceed my weight (158lbs=158 grams), cut junk, eat breakfast, and intermittent fasting with protein pulses. Already started after reading the Time Restricted Plus article.
Performance wise, when I restarted Simple and Sinister it was at a higher level. I could do ten one-hand swings with the 53lb kettlebell after the double kettlebell work increased my grip strength. I do have to give credit to the new Rogue kettlebell’s finish as well. Before I had to switch hands after five reps halfway through the set, and with my get-ups I decided to just use the 44lb kettlebell instead of alternating with the 28. Within two weeks, I was able to incorporate the 53. Then I had a two-week break to move (trading lifting weights for lifting furniture) and started again. I will do S&S until I am 12 weeks from the June 1 competition.
The March 1 competition I have not even prepared for, specifically. The plan for the June 1 competition is to start a near daily ROP, an idea I got from a thread on the StrongFirst forum. I will have another assessment halfway through the program.
So where am I on body composition now? Worse than I thought actually.
Body Composition (inches)
Body Part Before After -/+
Neck 14.5 14.5 0
Shoulders 44.8 44.5 -0.3
Chest 38.8 37.5 -1.3
Waist 34.1 34.0 -0.1
Biceps 12.8 12.8 0
Forearms 11.1 11.2 +0.1
Thighs 22.6 22.8 +0.2
Calves 13.6 13.8 +.20
Weight 164.2lbs 158.8 -5.4lbs
Body Fat % 18.3% 18.1% -0.2%
Lean Body Mass 134.2lbs 130.1 -4.1lbs
I lost most of the gains and I can only blame my poor choice of diet. The Time-Restricted Plus plan is supposed to be sustainable so we’ll see.