Hey guys!
I thought I'd update you all... again. My cut is going well. I haven't weighed myself and don't care to since starting. I will weigh myself in maybe a week or two, but my ultimate goal is to see progress in the mirror before worrying about the scale.
To be quite blunt, this cut sucks. Did I think it would be super fun? Not at all. I was excited at the beginning, but my enthusiasm has since waned. Am I giving up? Not at all!
(Note: I know have some readers who have or may be experiencing an eating disorder, so at this point of the post I would advise you to STOP reading for fear of triggering.)
My calories have obviously dropped and it's a lot harder to fit certain macros in than I thought. I used to eat by feel, meaning I would eat what I want when the time came to eat. If I was feeling like protein pancakes, I'd cook me up some. If I was feeling a huge bowls of veggies with chicken and rice, I would do that. However, I can't do that now. I have to hit certain macros and the foods I choose have to accommodate the macros.
My carbs are sooo much lower than I am used to, and I hate it. And before anyone jumps on me questioning if this is healthy for me, hear me out. This is for the sole purpose of experience. I want to test my body to see what works best for me: high carb/low fat (which I think ultimately is my niche) or high fat/low carb. I'm pretty moderate right now; I have a macro split of 45% protein, 35% carbs, and 20% fat. I have a scale to make sure all my measurements are accurate.
My macros hit perfectly on Tuesday! I use MyFitnessPal.
It's also super hard to hit the protein. Since the highest percentage of my macros is obviously protein, I have to eat a lot. And I mean a lot more than I am used to. I'm eating above my body weight in protein. I have to plan my protein intake throughout the day so I make sure I hit it all. It's almost guaranteed that by the end of the day, I still have at least 20-30 grams of protein left to hit so I will usually cook up some egg whites or take some protein powder. It's not fun... lol! But I do like my grilled chicken. However, I am used to HUNKS of grilled chicken breast, and now my portions are so much smaller. *sadface*
In terms of my saving grace for not falling off the wagon and stuffing my face in a pie, I have Arctic Zero 150-calorie whey ice cream and Quest protein bars/peanut butter cups to save me. Yes, I am not going to balls-to-the-wall with this cut and eating only ***CLEAN*** veggies, lean meats, etc. I am eating fruit because I don't care about sugar as long as I'm not overdoing it. I also use Walden Farms products, especially their pancake syrup, to make my nutrition more bearable, lol! So thank you very much to the brands Arctic Zero, Quest, and Walden Farms for saving my ass. ;)
In terms of training, I haven't noticed any decreases in strength... yet. In fact, on squat day yesterday, I actually managed to go UP in weight which felt fantastic! I definitely convinced myself beforehand that since I cut calories, I would lose strength. But it's all mindset. I wouldn't give in!
My training partner is an avid follower of powerlifting as well. He alternates between bodybuilding splits and powerlifting programs to shake things up every now and then, but now he is in full force powerlifting mode, which means I am too! I have never done powerlifting splits before but I am gradually getting used to it and enjoying it! I've always done bodybuilder type splits and variations of exercises, so this is quite new to me.
It's so weird not calling my workouts "leg day" or "chest day" anymore. Now I have bench press day, squat day, deadlift day, and overhead press day. We typically spend an hour or so on the main lift doing usually 6 sets of 1-3 reps, and then we either A) drop the weight by 50% and continue doing sets of 10 reps or B) do a different exercise to finish off. For example, after we bench, we may do some incline dumbbell presses. And that's it. I'm so used to doing like 5-7 sets of an exercise as that's typical of a bodybuilder, but only doing one or two is so different. At first I did NOT like the idea but it's grown on me. I especially love deadlifts. Talk about beast mode! (Especially since now I am using official lifter equipment like a belt, chalk, wrist wraps, etc.)
Along with that, the way powerlifters perform the main lift is so different. Deadlifts are pretty much the same but with squats, I am used to toes pointed forward but with powerlifting squats I have a wider stance and my toes pointed out. With bench, I am used to controlling a strict rep and doing 8-10 reps. With powerlifting bench press, my back is super arched and my form on the bench is significantly different. It doesn't have to be super strict either, you get the weight down and push it back up. With powerlifting, it's more concerned about lifting heavy ass weight and being strong whereas in bodybuilding, the "burn" and the "pump" is what is sought after in order to produce the most muscle. If you look at some powerlifters, some of them aren't super "huge" but strong as hell! I loooove the burn but since I am doing a powerlifting technique, I'm getting used to trusting that although I don't feel a burn, I will still be sore as hell the next few days. My glutes are killing me right now!
Lastly, cardio during this cut sucks ASS. I am doing four cardio sessions per week, aiming to burn around 400 calories each time. My training partner is on the stairmaster kick, so I have done that three times so far with him, however yesterday I was super bored of it (because I have a short attention span) so I did a conditioning style cardio workout doing prowler pushes with 1 min. rest (killer), 10 minutes of Jacob's Ladder (had to stop 2 or 3 times because at this point my legs were annihilated), and some spin intervals on the spinning bike. That really got the blood pumping! I have done two sessions on the stairmaster fasted and the first time, I had a lot of energy and was super pumped about it but this morning, since my heavy squat session and conditioning workout took its toll on me, my legs were dead and the last thing I wanted to do was cardio on the stairmaster. But I managed to do it with the help of Chris Jones' videos on YouTube! My legs are absolutely fried right now but oooh it hurts so good.
Alright well that's enough of me babbling so I hope everyone had a fantastic Thursday! :)
Alright well that's enough of me babbling so I hope everyone had a fantastic Thursday! :)
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