Building Back Up

Hyde said:
Carnivor - start with chocolate, or maybe fruit punch. I also like their vanilla caramel, but cocoa compliments the funkiness of beef best. I haven’t tried the rocket pop flavor yet, and generally don’t like most cinnamon proteins.

Been through about four 5lb tubs straight lately and just picked up a 100-serving bag of chocolate from DPS for a great price.
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Well, I just looked it up, and that brand failed lead testing with their mass gainer also!

I’m debating Transparent Labs beef protein or some egg white protein. I don’t know.
 
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This won’t do me any favors for my presses today 😭
 
Lack of sleep really hurt this one, but I pushed through.

Standing OHP 5 x 5/5/5/5/4+1 PP x 140
Strict Tempo 2-1-2-1 Pull-ups 5/4/4/4
CG Bench 3 x 9/7/8 x 145
DB Upright Row 3 x 12/10/10 x 35’s
Horizontal Row 5/5/5
Triceps Pressdowns 3 sets
Smith Shrugs 3 sets

I think I need to eat more on leg days so I can sleep and perform on these days. 3k wasn’t enough yesterday.
 
I woke up at 3:21 this morning feeling fully rested and started thinking about your sleep regiment.
The other day you posted 6h21m and I was curious how much time in the sack that was compared to how many hours reported as sleep cause I was thinking about my own regiment:

Usually in bed around 8:15 during the week.
probably asleep between 8:45-9pm
Usually wake up briefly at 3:20am depending on supplementation stack
alarm clock goes off at 4:30 or 4:40am.

so I'm always in bed for 8hrs, but the actual sleep I'm guessing is about 6 solid, 7 to 7.5hr total and that's my favorite setup.

Now I hate to admit this, but it is not uncommon for me to get 10hrs on Sat or Sun. If we fall asleep or to go bed at least by 9pm, getting out of bed at 7am or maybe a bit later is normal during the winter. once the days get longer I get up with the sun.
 
Dustin07 said:
I woke up at 3:21 this morning feeling fully rested and started thinking about your sleep regiment.
The other day you posted 6h21m and I was curious how much time in the sack that was compared to how many hours reported as sleep cause I was thinking about my own regiment:

Usually in bed around 8:15 during the week.
probably asleep between 8:45-9pm
Usually wake up briefly at 3:20am depending on supplementation stack
alarm clock goes off at 4:30 or 4:40am.

so I'm always in bed for 8hrs, but the actual sleep I'm guessing is about 6 solid, 7 to 7.5hr total and that's my favorite setup.

Now I hate to admit this, but it is not uncommon for me to get 10hrs on Sat or Sun. If we fall asleep or to go bed at least by 9pm, getting out of bed at 7am or maybe a bit later is normal during the winter. once the days get longer I get up with the sun.
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I usually schedule 7:30 hours laying down to sleep, but it doesn’t matter how long I lay there, more sleep doesn’t happen. There’s something to the score also. I can get 6 hours with a score of <75, or 6 hours with a score of 83 and it feels soooo different. Weekends are also ~6 hours. The only time I can get more is if I have several days eating above maintenance.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Well, I just looked it up, and that brand failed lead testing with their mass gainer also!

I’m debating Transparent Labs beef protein or some egg white protein. I don’t know.
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A mass gainer is an entirely different product that uses a bunch of carbs. And they’re always the cheapest ****; mass gainers are a huge scam for any brand as far as their profit margins on them.

I’m not saying the brand is perfect, but understand that the isolate isn’t the same product, so it may not even be contaminated. But even if it was heavy-leaded, at least it would digest better & be more anabolic than the vegan junk you’re drinking now (which you know with certainty is overly-contaminated).
 
Hyde said:
A mass gainer is an entirely different product that uses a bunch of carbs. And they’re always the cheapest ****; mass gainers are a huge scam for any brand as far as their profit margins on them.

I’m not saying the brand is perfect, but understand that the isolate isn’t the same product, so it may not even be contaminated. But even if it was heavy-leaded, at least it would digest better & be more anabolic than the vegan junk you’re drinking now (which you know with certainty is overly-contaminated).
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Good points. Well, I’ll add a beef isolate in after this experiment with whey/casein is over and we make some room on our fridge for protein storage 😂
 
Weight: 206.8

Slept fair for the deficit I guess. I don’t feel too bad so far. Better than the day before. I think I was actually asleep before 10:51 also, so that’s the first time I actually disagreed with the Fitbit.
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And here’s my labs after 8 weeks on alternating 7mg to 8mg daily test cyp. I was hoping for a higher testosterone level compared to the e2 and HCT. Also was hoping my DHT would be higher.

@Smont @Hyde @MrKleen73 Given my free test right in the middle of the road (maybe edging toward the upper third of the range), the HCT at about 52 and high-ish e2, would bumping back up to 8mg daily test cyp which would put me right at the top of the range but give me HCT 54-55 be fine and make a meaningful difference for 8 weeks? I’m not ok with living with HCT above 52 forever, or a HGB above 18 forever, but if an extra 40 points in free testosterone would make any kind of meaningful body composition change, then that would be ok temporarily. That 8mg daily also put my e2 in the mid 50’s and increased water retention. Any thoughts?
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GreenMachineX said:
Weight: 206.8

Slept fair for the deficit I guess. I don’t feel too bad so far. Better than the day before. I think I was actually asleep before 10:51 also, so that’s the first time I actually disagreed with the Fitbit.View attachment 258386

And here’s my labs after 8 weeks on alternating 7mg to 8mg daily test cyp. I was hoping for a higher testosterone level compared to the e2 and HCT. Also was hoping my DHT would be higher.

@Smont @Hyde @MrKleen73 Given my free test right in the middle of the road (maybe edging toward the upper third of the range), the HCT at about 52 and high-ish e2, would bumping back up to 8mg daily test cyp which would put me right at the top of the range but give me HCT 54-55 be fine and make a meaningful difference for 8 weeks? I’m not ok with living with HCT above 52 forever, or a HGB above 18 forever, but if an extra 40 points in free testosterone would make any kind of meaningful body composition change, then that would be ok temporarily. That 8mg daily also put my e2 in the mid 50’s and increased water retention. Any thoughts?
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Will going from 52.5 to 56 mg of testosterone cyp daily give a meaningful edge in changing body composition in 8 weeks?? Bro, for a smart guy you really do let yourself go down the wrong rabbit holes sometimes.

Nevermind the fact that 3.5mg is barely going to be the difference in accidentally over-administering 2 TOTAL IU PER WEEK on your slinpin cyp shots, it’s only about a 6% increase in dose. You would get more results drinking an extra pint of water daily probably, and I’m not even jesting.

50% increase is probably the minimum increase in MG I’d consider to try to drive some drug-based changes. If not doubling, so more like 12-15mg daily to get up around that 100/wk range. And I’m not talking looking like Chris Hemsworth in Thor suddenly, I just mean to even see a cosmetic shift within a couple months assuming everything else stays locked in.

People really do seem to expect steroids to be magic. And in many ways they are, but they’re not unlimited - more like 10-20% boost for most that has very diminishing returns. Furthermore, your HCT is not going to increase linearly with testosterone increase. You should expect some, but if you took 200mg you won’t have a 60 HCT. Maybe if you were the exception and did no cardio and never donated and consumed no polyphenols or minerals, but probably not even then. And I’m not a doctor, but 54 HCT in a middle age active lifting man is not dangerous.
 
Hyde said:
Will going from 52.5 to 56 mg of testosterone cyp daily give a meaningful edge in changing body composition in 8 weeks?? Bro, for a smart guy you really do let yourself go down the wrong rabbit holes sometimes.

Nevermind the fact that 3.5mg is barely going to be the difference in accidentally over-administering 2 TOTAL IU PER WEEK on your slinpin cyp shots, it’s only about a 6% increase in dose. You would get more results drinking an extra pint of water daily probably, and I’m not even jesting.

50% increase is probably the minimum increase in MG I’d consider to try to drive some drug-based changes. If not doubling, so more like 12-15mg daily to get up around that 100/wk range. And I’m not talking looking like Chris Hemsworth in Thor suddenly, I just mean to even see a cosmetic shift within a couple months assuming everything else stays locked in.

People really do seem to expect steroids to be magic. And in many ways they are, but they’re not unlimited - more like 10-20% boost for most that has very diminishing returns. Furthermore, your HCT is not going to increase linearly with testosterone increase. You should expect some, but if you took 200mg you won’t have a 60 HCT. Maybe if you were the exception and did no cardio and never donated and consumed no polyphenols or minerals, but probably not even then. And I’m not a doctor, but 54 HCT in a middle age active lifting man is not dangerous.
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Couple things about my unique case with multiple years of blood tests.

The dose doesn’t matter if the dose results in a 40 point difference in free test. But yes, 8mg daily did have me at 54 HCT (so did 60mg twice per week but with a lower trough free test). So the question isn’t the dose, but is a 40 point increase in free test a meaningful difference?

80mg twice per week had me at HCT of 58 and HGB>19 (19.5 IIRC), but with a lower free test than 10mg daily. FWIW, I was not doing any cardio, but did average 20k steps per day with lots of lifting/movement in a warehouse.
 
Hyde said:
People really do seem to expect steroids to be magic. And in many ways they are, but they’re not unlimited - more like 10-20% boost for most that has very diminishing returns.
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This I highly disagree with though from years of my own cycles with AAS and SARMs, as well as watching plenty of people IRL stuck forever looking the same, adding in gear, then turning into Chris Hemsworth in less than a year (less cut though). And for clarity, those individuals were not people who maxed out their genetic potential before jumping on.
 
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Horrible sleep, followed by horrible workout. Had to drop bench back to 220 to finish the 5x5. Dropped weight a little on OHP also. I think I need a refeed.
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Flat BB 5x230, 5x225, 3x5x220
Hammer OHP 3 x 10 x 180
Skullcrushers 4 sets
DB Curls 3 sets
Hammer Curls 2 sets

Taking off tomorrow and will hit lower plus rows Saturday.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Couple things about my unique case with multiple years of blood tests.

The dose doesn’t matter if the dose results in a 40 point difference in free test. But yes, 8mg daily did have me at 54 HCT (so did 60mg twice per week but with a lower trough free test). So the question isn’t the dose, but is a 40 point increase in free test a meaningful difference?

80mg twice per week had me at HCT of 58 and HGB>19 (19.5 IIRC), but with a lower free test than 10mg daily. FWIW, I was not doing any cardio, but did average 20k steps per day with lots of lifting/movement in a warehouse.
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Couple things that have nothing to do with your unique responses:

-Lower trough free test does not mean lower total free testosterone exposure with the larger less frequent administrations. It’s well established that larger less frequent injections have those lower troughs, higher peaks, cause greater total anabolism (despite higher estrogen conversion, probably because estrogen is also so critical to anabolism & facilitates strength as well), and will typically drive SHBG down, eventually supporting more free test levels. HCT also tends to go up worse with bigger less frequent shots.

I prefer daily shots, but they are the worst for getting the most bang for the mg you take. I can just take more and feel better using them, but it’s not superior for performance.

-40 points of free test is still under that ~50% increase threshold I mentioned to really see much of anything. So no, I do not believe the adulterations you will achieve will bring about significant changes if you don’t otherwise want to be at those levels. If you get worse sleep for example, you will definitely struggle to net any positive changes on such a small adjustment.

GreenMachineX said:
This I highly disagree with though from years of my own cycles with AAS and SARMs, as well as watching plenty of people IRL stuck forever looking the same, adding in gear, then turning into Chris Hemsworth in less than a year (less cut though). And for clarity, those individuals were not people who maxed out their genetic potential before jumping on.
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Well, did they take their free test levels from 108 to 148 to accomplish those things, or do you think they were probably using something a bit more realistic and stout? And do you genuinely believe they would keep getting that level of cosmetic improvement in anywhere close to linear fashion as dose escalated? Of course not. 30mg daily of LGD is not yet terribly different in net effect as 3mg, and that 3mg does a lot more for a 60 year old hypogonadal man than an 18-year-old buck.

Furthermore, 10-20% is the well-documented range in strength increase demonstrated in strength sport. In powerlifting, the difference in all-time world records in many classes is closer to only 10%, and in some cases the best tested lifter ever in a class is stronger than the best steroid user (but we obviously know that’s genetics, and steroids would still help if they decided to use).

Steroids are (subjectively) more effective for temporary cosmetic changes than actual objective performance metrics. There’s just certain things they do visually that you’re not going to replicate naturally, so they are much more beneficial if you want that aesthetic. If you want to look like a bodybuilder, you will need them.
 
Hyde said:
Couple things that have nothing to do with your unique responses:

-Lower trough free test does not mean lower total free testosterone exposure with the larger less frequent administrations. It’s well established that larger less frequent injections have those lower troughs, higher peaks, cause greater total anabolism (despite higher estrogen conversion, probably because estrogen is also so critical to anabolism & facilitates strength as well), and will typically drive SHBG down, eventually supporting more free test levels. HCT also tends to go up worse with bigger less frequent shots.

I prefer daily shots, but they are the worst for getting the most bang for the mg you take. I can just take more and feel better using them, but it’s not superior for performance.

-40 points of free test is still under that ~50% increase threshold I mentioned to really see much of anything. So no, I do not believe the adulterations you will achieve will bring about significant changes if you don’t otherwise want to be at those levels. If you get worse sleep for example, you will definitely struggle to net any positive changes on such a small adjustment.



Well, did they take their free test levels from 108 to 148 to accomplish those things, or do you think they were probably using something a bit more realistic and stout? And do you genuinely believe they would keep getting that level of cosmetic improvement in anywhere close to linear fashion as dose escalated? Of course not. 30mg daily of LGD is not yet terribly different in net effect as 3mg, and that 3mg does a lot more for a 60 year old hypogonadal man than an 18-year-old buck.

Furthermore, 10-20% is the well-documented range in strength increase demonstrated in strength sport. In powerlifting, the difference in all-time world records in many classes is closer to only 10%, and in some cases the best tested lifter ever in a class is stronger than the best steroid user (but we obviously know that’s genetics, and steroids would still help if they decided to use).

Steroids are (subjectively) more effective for temporary cosmetic changes than actual objective performance metrics. There’s just certain things they do visually that you’re not going to replicate naturally, so they are much more beneficial if you want that aesthetic. If you want to look like a bodybuilder, you will need them.
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Gotcha, thanks. I did not know that about the “larger, less frequent dose = >anabolism” thing. Interesting points all around.

But, 3mg LGD is a sufficient dose??? I had only ever used 9-10mg. Hmmm…
 
Dustin07 said:
man so much to think about in this

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Jesus Olivares beating every other raw lifter (as in sleeves only, no knee wraps) for greatest total of all time is an example. Guy did it heavily tested, with 2-hour weighins in the IPF, and on a powerbar for all 3 lifts as well.

Note on this list that the #2 best total is Andrew Hause (untested), which is interesting that he beat Dan Bell (3rd biggest raw total ever) because both Dan & Jesus weighed in around 400lbs, yet Hause did the 2nd biggest ever weighing in at just 292lbs!

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And it’s not just the big boys that got beaten by a tested lifter: Austin Perkins just rebroke his ATWR total AGAIN, doing 1,965 in the 165lb Raw class this weekend in the IPF. That’s over 100lbs over the 2nd best 165 raw total ever, also by a tested lifter (Taylor Atwood).


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GreenMachineX said:
Gotcha, thanks. I did not know that about the “larger, less frequent dose = >anabolism” thing. Interesting points all around.

But, 3mg LGD is a sufficient dose??? I had only ever used 9-10mg. Hmmm…
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I think the human studies only went to 1mg on LGD!

So did you make 9x the results vs what 1mg would have yielded? Or did you only make 1/3rd of what I got from 30mg? Of course not, to both questions. THAT is what I mean when I say they’re not magic: they give you what they give YOU. You will get more out of more, but personal response and diminishing returns are both very real factors. Most people are not freak responders, and they also don’t get a whole ton more out of taking more, unless it’s a LOT more.

A bro rule I was once told, purely to illustrate the idea, is doubling the dose gets you maybe 25% more net effect. So 100% more exposure for a very noticeable boost. I get a lot out of going from 200 to 300, and definitely notice more at 450 vs 300, so this is why I said ~50% more for obvious shifts.
 
Hyde said:
Jesus Olivares beating every other raw lifter (as in sleeves only, no knee wraps) for greatest total of all time is an example. Guy did it heavily tested, with 2-hour weighins in the IPF, and on a powerbar for all 3 lifts as well.

Note on this list that the #2 best total is Andrew Hause (untested), which is interesting that he beat Dan Bell (3rd biggest raw total ever) because both Dan & Jesus weighed in around 400lbs, yet Hause did the 2nd biggest ever weighing in at just 292lbs!

View attachment 258427


And it’s not just the big boys that got beaten by a tested lifter: Austin Perkins just rebroke his ATWR total AGAIN, doing 1,965 in the 165lb Raw class this weekend in the IPF. That’s over 100lbs over the 2nd best 165 raw total ever, also by a tested lifter (Taylor Atwood).


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If I ever regain the ability to deadlift I will top this list, mark my words.
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Hyde said:
Gotta get a total first to get on the list, homie
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Yeah, thats just a regular SBD total if im not mistaken.

I thought that was the only metric to guage powerlifting, but then I saw that you put "dots" and total as the metric. What is "dots"?
 
Shadowblaze said:
Yeah, thats just a regular SBD total if im not mistaken.

I thought that was the only metric to guage powerlifting, but then I saw that you put "dots" and total as the metric. What is "dots"?
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You have to complete a total in a sanctioned meet; it’s not a composition of individual best lifts from different meets or dates.

I searched by Total, because that is how powerlifters compare their strength within a class. DOTS is the flavor-of-the-year coefficient formula that people try to use to compare totals from lifters in different weightclasses - how good they are for the bodyweight they weighed in at. This is basically only useful for money meets, since it’s not practical to have 20 purses. It doesn’t transfer well between genders and also tends to hose the Open weightclass lifters, but it’s as good as we’ve got.

But within a weightclass, Total is what matters.
 
Hyde said:
You have to complete a total in a sanctioned meet; it’s not a composition of individual best lifts from different meets or dates.

I searched by Total, because that is how powerlifters compare their strength within a class. DOTS is the flavor-of-the-year coefficient formula that people try to use to compare totals from lifters in different weightclasses - how good they are for the bodyweight they weighed in at. This is basically only useful for money meets, since it’s not practical to have 20 purses. It doesn’t transfer well between genders and also tends to hose the Open weightclass lifters, but it’s as good as we’ve got.

But within a weightclass, Total is what matters.
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Thanks, I didn’t know most of that.

I was never able to fully deadlift because of my spinal condition which is why I never got to the 1000lb club, and why I still can’t deadlift.
I hope I’ll enter my first competition in a few years when I’ve got everything a bit more figured out. For now I’m just doing my own style of lifting, more power building style.
 
Weight: 206.8

Ate 3500kcal yesterday, and slept a bit better. Weight lower. So close to a new 4 year low. Fitbit said I burned 3478 for the day. No training today. Resume DL plus pull tomorrow.

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Weight: 207.4

Ate at about maintenance yesterday again…possibly a little under if Fitbit estimation of 3249kcal burned is correct. But, seemed to be enough to refill glycogen a little. 8oz sirloin and 2 plain baked potatoes was pretty satisfying at Longhorn steakhouse.

Sleep is still pretty rough.
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Ok, so maybe I need a reload. Sleep is trash, feel like trash. Went easy on deads, but it didn’t feel easy.

Pull-ups 7, 4
DL 5 singles by 315 🤭
T-Bar Row 3 sets
Leg Press 3 sets
Cable Shrugs 4 sets
Single Leg Curls 3 sets

Off until Monday.
 
Weight: 207.0

I guess this is my life now 😫

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Normal training starting again this week because next week on vacation I plan to only do 2 upper body workouts, hypertrophy work only. Maybe that’ll reset me.
 
Ok, real question: why did you go to bed at midnight? If you're trying to improve sleep quality, consistency of bedtime routine is probably step 1.
 
Weight: 206.2

New low! Going to do another day of 4 tbsp honey to see if that lets me sleep more tonight. Planned kcal 3200. Interesting how I still scored a 79 on my sleep though.

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GreenMachineX said:
Lack of sleep really hurt this one, but I pushed through.

Standing OHP 5 x 5/5/5/5/4+1 PP x 140
Strict Tempo 2-1-2-1 Pull-ups 5/4/4/4
CG Bench 3 x 9/7/8 x 145
DB Upright Row 3 x 12/10/10 x 35’s
Horizontal Row 5/5/5
Triceps Pressdowns 3 sets
Smith Shrugs 3 sets

I think I need to eat more on leg days so I can sleep and perform on these days. 3k wasn’t enough yesterday.
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Standing OHP 5x5x142
NG Pull-up 5/5/5/4
CG Bench 3 x 8/8/6 x 155
Horizontal pull-ups 7/7
Overhead Triceps Extension 3 sets
DB Lateral Raise 3 sets

Lack of sleep didn’t hurt this workout much, but I also had 200g carbs by the time I hit the gym at 12pm. Probably going to hit 3500kcal today. Pretty happy with this considering the new low today.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Weight: 206.2

New low!
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GreenMachineX said:
Probably going to hit 3500kcal today. Pretty happy with this considering the new low today.
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IDK about you but starting monday like that feels like it really kicks off the week to end strong. sorta lights a fire of discipline for me. I was happy to have a lower than average monday morning after superbowl sunday myself, but one thing I'm finally doing at home that I'm historically HORRIBLE about, is simply drinking water. been doing much better there on the weekends myself + we did a ton of veggies, wife made a fat veggie platter before the game so once we got the dip and kabobs out etc, half my gut was already full, lol. I also weirdly reached for a coffee instead of a drink. I think all this exercise, cal deficit, and working outdoors in the cold is leaving me so damn tired I find myself reaching for better choices out of necesssity lol.
 
Dustin07 said:
IDK about you but starting monday like that feels like it really kicks off the week to end strong. sorta lights a fire of discipline for me. I was happy to have a lower than average monday morning after superbowl sunday myself, but one thing I'm finally doing at home that I'm historically HORRIBLE about, is simply drinking water. been doing much better there on the weekends myself + we did a ton of veggies, wife made a fat veggie platter before the game so once we got the dip and kabobs out etc, half my gut was already full, lol. I also weirdly reached for a coffee instead of a drink. I think all this exercise, cal deficit, and working outdoors in the cold is leaving me so damn tired I find myself reaching for better choices out of necesssity lol.
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I always drink more coffee when in a deficit
 
Hyde said:
I always drink more coffee when in a deficit
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I've been gravitating towards it more the past week or two. I typically have one before I leave the house, one at the office, and then just don't really crave it much after that. but lately its been a nice go to beverage.
 
Dustin07 said:
IDK about you but starting monday like that feels like it really kicks off the week to end strong. sorta lights a fire of discipline for me. I was happy to have a lower than average monday morning after superbowl sunday myself, but one thing I'm finally doing at home that I'm historically HORRIBLE about, is simply drinking water. been doing much better there on the weekends myself + we did a ton of veggies, wife made a fat veggie platter before the game so once we got the dip and kabobs out etc, half my gut was already full, lol. I also weirdly reached for a coffee instead of a drink. I think all this exercise, cal deficit, and working outdoors in the cold is leaving me so damn tired I find myself reaching for better choices out of necesssity lol.
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Oh yeah, great feeling to be lower weight on a Monday…haven’t had a cheat in 6 weeks or so…no weekend splurge at all. Feels good. Vacation next week will mess it up a little, but I’m really going to focus on keeping most of the days within reason. There will definitely be a large pizza night or 2 because it’s one of my favorites where we’re headed, as well as a meal out every day by I will do well not going TOO out of control like I usually do. Then, after vacation, another 8 weeks of cutting without any cheats is the plan.
 
you're probably developing some good habits again I'd bet. I have noticed that even in myself a "cheat" meal isn't what it once was. taking the wife on a dinner date and still ordering a salad but either a fat salmon fillet or steak on it, bread etc instead of something like fish n chips, philly cheesteak etc. its like... once you get a certain distance you feel more invigored to keep pushing a little harder.
 
Dustin07 said:
you're probably developing some good habits again I'd bet. I have noticed that even in myself a "cheat" meal isn't what it once was. taking the wife on a dinner date and still ordering a salad but either a fat salmon fillet or steak on it, bread etc instead of something like fish n chips, philly cheesteak etc. its like... once you get a certain distance you feel more invigored to keep pushing a little harder.
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Yes, exactly. The 2 times I’ve been out to eat in the past 6 weeks have only been Longhorn and I get the 8oz sirloin with 2 plain baked potatoes. Perfect macros and kcal for me.
 
and yet it still feels like a treat/cheat right? LOL At least to me it does. I was gorging on the wifes veggie platter with a little hummus and ranch yesterday was awesome, but it wasn't nothing like dipping pizza and tots in the ol bowl of ranch lol
 
Dustin07 said:
and yet it still feels like a treat/cheat right? LOL At least to me it does. I was gorging on the wifes veggie platter with a little hummus and ranch yesterday was awesome, but it wasn't nothing like dipping pizza and tots in the ol bowl of ranch lol
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Yeah, the only thing is I still crave more 😂
 
Weight: 205.6

New 4 year low! In 2022 I hit 203.0 (and in 2017), but both I wasn’t there very long at all.
Sleep was awful again. Going to do 3300-3500 kcal again. Legs later.

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Bro you have 203 in the bag; keep doing what you’re doing with the discipline. Fingers crossed for your sleep 😴
 
Felt a bit off when I got to the gym, I guess from lack of sleep, otherwise unsure why. Blurry vision, equilibrium off a little, and apparently took too much caffeine which didn’t feel great. Anyway, took a little off for squats to hopefully focus more on quads than glutes/hips which usually dominate my soreness, and a little pause at the bottom.

Squat 5 x 5/5/5/5/3 x 275
Lying Single Leg Curls 3 sets
Romanian DL Top Set 5x185
Shrug Machine 4 sets
Machine Preacher Curl 3 sets
DB Hammer Curls 2 sets

Easing back into Romanian DL. I could do more for sure, but last time just doing 2 sets of 135 had me sore for days.

After this vacation, I also plan to incorporate trap bar deadlifts every other week and alternate with traditional. I think @Hyde suggested this at some point.
 
Let’s see what these macros for my sleep…100g of those carbs were from honey/pineapple/blackberries/protein plus Cheerios (in order from most to least).
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Weight: 206.4

Slept mildly better, had 2 15-20 minute doze-offs after this 3:30am wake up. Fitbit said I burned 3400 kcal. Maybe to achieve the goal I need to eat even more in the last meal because the day ends at midnight and whatever I’ve eaten needs to take me to 8am?

No gym today, so I’ll probably hit 3200 kcal. I’m going to continue to use honey with my breakfast and preworkout meals. I feel more calm overall.

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