Been a long time since I last posted anything here and been a long time since I took my health and wellbeing seriously for more than a day or two, but I am starting anew, again.
As I once said (and need to expand upon), the promise of being able to start anew again with each new day is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because you can start over, but a curse as it tempts you to put off starting and gives you an excuse to dig yourself deeper with more bad decisions.
Our Story So far …
Here we are – starting anew, again. A new day that is also starting a new week, and I am back with a new commitment to get myself healthy, and to do so quickly. Two weeks ago, I found myself in a similar situation – wanting to get started back on my journey to health and wellbeing and a reasonably body fat percentage. I went to the Ankerl Keto Calculator and put in my info to get projections to add to some spreadsheets I had previously made…. but not really been using much.
I put in a very aggressive cut – a 40%+ deficit. Then got a projection and the list it generated for weight and percent body fat to my spreadsheet and setup a delta to compare that to where I actually was.
While I had planned to track my food, I did not wind up doing so very consistently over the following two weeks, nor did I stick to my planned caloric intake. But somehow, I did manage to lose weight. And I am currently ahead of projections for both body weight and body fat.
A Preview of What Starting Anew, Again, Looks Like
With my most recent grocery shopping order, I was able to plan for my dietary goals – I bought a ten-pound tube of ground beef and a two-pound block of cheese. This will give me ten days’ worth of food for the next two week, with four days flagged for fasting days.
This afternoon I will get the meat split out into twenty half-pound sections and get them seasoned up and prepped for cooking as well as cut the cheese into one-ounce portions. My goal is to eat a pound of meat and three ounces of cheese per day on the non-fasting days.
Food Goals
Macro wise, this comes out to 1,406 total kilocalories, 129 grams of protein, 2 grams net carbs, and 94 grams of fat. With an estimated Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) of 2,166 kcal and estimated Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) of 2,379 kcal, this wind up being a weekly deficit of 9,623 kcal when you also factor in the fasting. Assuming the 2,500 kcal per pound of fat is accurate, this would be 2.7 pounds worth of calories.
It is said that “Variety is the spice of life” and it may very well be. However, variety is also the bane of consistency. By eating the same base thing every day, I can lessen the decision making involved – and make the process more automatic. The variety comes from the actual spices and seasoning involved as I will vary that some as I prep and cook the meat. This will also be a good opportunity for me to use some of the seasonings I have in my spice drawer that I like but my family does not care for.
I will still have to cook for my family and feed them – but this is also part of why I wanted to prep my meals ahead of time. I can cook their meals, and either reheat or cook my half pound of meat and still remain in compliance with my goals and partake in the family dinner.
Wellness Goals
As far as strength training goes, I am starting anew, again there as well. I need to work on pullups (they are a lot harder at my size, but no excuses, just results), and I need to work on being able to shoulder and then carry a three-hundred-pound sandbag. Last time I tried, I was able to get a 150-pound bag up on my shoulder and get it up a flight of stairs, but then had to set it down before I took it back down the stairs. I had been able to go up, and then back down, two flights using the 100-pound bag.
So – this is where I am at now, where I have been, and where I am headed. Starting anew, again.