Workout Journal: My 98 Day Cut

[dudewhat]

The purpose of this journal is to hopefully inspire you, dispel some nutritional/fitness myths, and to keep myself accountable.

I'm going on a 98 day cut to lean down and eventually see my six pack. My deadline is April 7th for no particular reason. The goal is to lose fat and maintain muscle mass. Key words: fat loss. Not weight loss (although I will be losing weight).

I'll be lifting weights, doing cardio, and tracking my nutrition. I'll also be posting here daily.

I'm already on Day 5, so let's bring you up to speed...

Day 1 - 12/30/2017 - 200 lbs

This is what I currently look like:

6'0" and 200 lbs. This is the heaviest I have ever been. Last year I tried dieting and intermittent fasting, I kept program hopping, and I simply got heavier and fatter. In short: it was a lot of wheel spinning and minimum progress. It's time to end that.

I hit the gym this morning and lifted fasted. I just got back from a week long vacation, so it was nice to be back hitting the iron.

Push
1. BB overhead press 80x6, 65x7, 65x5
2. BB incline bench press 120x5, 120x3, 105x6
3. BB front squat 100x4, 100x4, 100x4
4. Sled single-leg calf press 200x12, 200x12, 205x10
5. Cable overhead tricep extension 115x10, 120x6, 105x10

I don't add the bar for the BB lifts, so add 45. It makes it easier to calculate while in the gym.

My lifts were all over the place. This is a new program and I'm trying to find my groove.

My calorie target was 2623.

Close enough. I'm doing IIFYM, but I would like to eat more whole foods, fruits, and vegetables for health purposes. Small steps, though. I think meal planning would be helpful, especially on rest (cardio) days.

Tomorrow it's 40-45 minutes incline walking before work and a 1995 calorie target.

I hope you follow along. Feel free to ask me questions or provide any tips!

 

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[AgainstAllOdds]

Good job.

If your goal is burning fat, then get a body fat monitor. Change your main metric from weight to body fat.

Keep it up.

 

[dudewhat]

Day 2 - Sunday 12/31 - 200 lbs

I did some cardio, which was incline walking on a treadmill.

I have a heart rate monitor that I'm going to be playing around with and monitoring my workouts.

Nutrition went off the rails. I started off pretty good, but then my boss bought everybody pizza at work since it was New Years Eve. I decided to let loose. I also consumed a bottle of champagne and a couple beers. Oh well, best not to beat myself up over it. It's over and done with and now it's time to get back on the horse.

 

[dudewhat]

Looks like 99% of your posts are in this thread to update us on your weight loss progress on a daily basis.

It's cool that you're losing weight and showing us what you're doing but out of curiosity - what else are you working on? Do you have any business goals? Any projects in the work?

Even an introduction thread would tell us a lot about why you're here and what you hope to get out of this place.

Nothing wrong with posting weight stuff in the health section but I do have to admit I scratch my head and wonder why you don't post this on a fitness forum when just about every post of yours is fitness related?

Would love to know who you are and what else you're doing and what brought you here and what your goals are. Don't stop updating this thread if it helps you - I'm just curious what keeps you coming back here

Anyway, keep up the good work.

I'm a small-time movie producer.

I most lurk and absorb some of the tips on here. Honestly, there's a lot of great information on here and then there's also a lot of cringeworthy copywriting that reminds me of this: Mike Chang's Sixpack Shortcuts

But anyway, I'll try to post more other than just in here. This is just helping keep me accountable. I've been too busy with work to really contribute other than this.

 

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[tiagosoares17.22]

Curious why you are doing this on this forum? Lots of fitness forums are out there where people can give you feedback on your progress.

Since I am a Fitness Aficionado (and coach), I have been following this thread from the beginning.
So, why haven't I posted anything on this thread? Because he didn't ask for any feedback.

I would say he is doing this for himself, as a way to maybe make himself more accountable.

 

[GPM]

I am just curious as to if you are tying any business goals in with your health goals? Having a healthy body ties in excellently with having a healthy mind. You need both in order to be the best version of yourself.

I find that no matter how much of a mental slump I am in, doing some physical activity instantly boosts my mind, my mood, and my ability to kick a$$ at life. I might have some tasks that need doing and I just can't bring myself to do them. If I force myself to do something physical, I can then go back to my list of tasks and start banging them out much easier.

 

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[dudewhat]

Day 3 - Monday, 1/1/2018 - 202 lbs

Weight went up, probably due to drinking and the carbs (carbs make you retain water, especially if you eat a whole pizza).

I would normally lift today, but I decided to start the New Year with some cardio since I didn't do a ton of it last year. Also, I was hungover and running helps.

I ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill.

Distance and pace is off since it was on a treadmill.

I was thinking about calorie cycling earlier -- hence my 2623 calorie goal two days ago -- but I've decided to keep it simple and do a straight deficit. I'm going to be eating 2000 calories and then trying to burn at least 500 calories every day. High intensity cardio or low intensity -- it doesn't really matter. I'll change it up to keep it interesting.

I won't be eating those 500 calories back. I'll have a refeed/high calorie day whenever I feel like I need it.

Bam. I hit my calorie goal for the day. Just need a lot more days of that... it's all about consistency. Protein and fiber need to come way up, though. Carbs and fat don't really matter. As long as you get your minimum fats for hormonal functions, you're good.

 

[dudewhat]

Day 4 - Tuesday 01/02 - 198.8 lbs

Hit the gym this morning. Motivation is an all time high. I have to keep this up. From 2-4 weeks, that's when things get hard and it gets easy to start getting discouraged.

Pull Day
1. Weighted pullups 25x4, 25x4, 25x3
2. BB stiff-leg deadlift 105x6, 110x6, 115x6
3. Cable one-arm seated row 60x6, 90x6, 105x6
4. Cable lateral raises 25x10, 27.5x8, 27.5x8
5. Ez-bar bicep curls (narrow grip) 40x10, 45x10, 50x10
6. BB shrugs 140x8, 140x8, 140x5 (need to get some straps, grip was giving out)
7. Captain chair leg raises x10, x10, x10
8. Ab wheel x10, x10, x10

As always, add 45 for the exercises with a barbell.

I wore my heart rate monitor:

And I hit a 500 kcal burn without doing anything extra. I just lift heavy, keep it moving, and superset exercises (so I can get in and out faster).

I'm going to try not to go below 1800 calories. We'll see what happens. 2000 calories feels very limited, unless I'm doing intermittent fasting (which I'm not right now). I would rather just up the intensity/duration for a bigger burn/deficit than dip below 1800, but we'll see what happens when we reach that point.

My macros for the day:

Pretty good. Fat and fiber could be higher, but we're not looking for perfection here. Just work on getting a little better each day.

 

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[dudewhat]

Day 5 - Wednesday 01/03 - 197 lbs

I woke up and didn't want to do cardio. I just wanted to sit around, read, and drink coffee. But I went.

My workout sucked. Usually I workout fasted and today I ate an orange before going to the gym. I could feel the difference. I had no energy and just hit a wall. I am not doing that again.

The mind will start playing tricks on you. Already, I am having thoughts about switching up my routine or doing intermittent fasting. "I don't need cardio, I can just fast and lower my deficit. Or maybe I should do a 5-day split and do 20 minutes cardio after lifting, etc, etc."

Ignore that. Commit and trust the program. Give it three months and then you can try something else if you really want to.

I like intermittent fasting (16/8 window), but honestly, I don't eat great when doing it. I usually eat two meals and I eat a lot of junk food -- pizza, mac and cheese, etc.

With small meals I eat better because I'm like, "Oh, I'm still hungry? Don't worry, you get to eat again in 3 hours." And the good macro/micro foods naturally push out and limit the empty calories. It's easier for me to exercise portion control and to eat more protein.

I tried IF all last year. Insanity is trying the same thing over and over. I've been doing fine so far, so it's time to kick that shit to the curb and just stay the course.

Also running can suck while doing it, but I like the endorphins. It puts me in a better mood and it definitely helps me fight off depression. I also like feeling athletic and having endurance. Getting winded while going up stairs or having sex really sucks.

If you absolutely hate running then find some type of cardio you like -- rowing, cycling, walking, whatever. I like rowing, but my gym doesn't have a rower.

Macros:

Alright. Protein can come way up. I'm still playing around and seeing what I can fit in and what works best. Monitor and adjust is the name of the game.

 

[dudewhat]

Day 6 - 01/04 - 196.5 lbs

I woke up today feeling sluggish and didn't want to go to the gym today. I thought about taking a rest day and pushing my lifting to tomorrow, but I went anyway. I knew lifting would start my day on the right foot.

The trick when this happens is to just put on your gym clothes, or to tell yourself that you're just going to drive to the gym and you don't have to go in if you don't really want to. Chances are, after you make that drive and you get there, you'll most likely go in and workout.

But.... if for some reason you do start working out and you're really just having a shitty day -- you're frustrated or you can't focus or whatever is going on -- just do one set of your main lifts (the big compounds) and then you can leave. One heavy set is sufficient enough to make progress. We're aiming for consistency and sustainability here, not perfection.
Lifted weights. Push day.

I also burned over 500 kcals just by lifting heavy, and check out that HR Max:

Most of my lifts are going up, which is great and what we want to happen, but my workout seemed to take forever and I had low energy throughout. It was a struggle. For that reason, I'm going to do a structured refeed day.

For a refeed day, you bump up your calories to maintenance or a little bit above, and you increase your carbs. Everything else stays pretty much the same.

Refeed days are important! They keep your motivation high because you get to eat more food, they boost leptin (which regulates your satiety and energy), fill up your glycogen, and they help keep your metabolism jacked up.

I will be doing refeed days either once or twice a week on lifting days, depending on my progress, how my energy feels, and what I think is necessary.

Weight is coming down quick and I feel lethargic, so I feel like now is a good time.

My calorie target today is 3130.

Easy peasy:

So much easier hitting my protein and fiber macros. It was nice to eat that amount of food, not going to lie.

 

[dudewhat]

Day 7 - 01/05 - 198 lbs

As you can see, weight loss definitely isn't linear. My weight has been going up and down, up and down, all week. It's best to average it and compare week to week.

My weekly average so far: 198.9 lbs
Total loss: -1.1 lbs

That's slow, but it's still very, very early and weight loss does not tell the whole story. You want to aim for a loss of two lbs max per week -- unless you're obese and have a lot to lose, then you can get away with a more aggressive approach. But any more than two pounds and you're probably losing lean muscle, which isn't good. So far, I'm right in that range.

I had limited time at the gym today. I did 20 minutes of HIIT sprints on the treadmill and then a ground-based ab workout that helps with a cool down.

Not quite 500 kcals, but like weight lifting, with HIIT you keep burning calories afterwards due to the epoc effect. Not worried about it.

Target calorie goal is 2000 calories today:

 

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[dudewhat]

Day 8 - 01/06 - 197.5 lbs

Rest day. Weights tomorrow.

2000 calorie target.

Went on a date, so I had to estimate dinner.

Could be under, could be over. I'd rather overestimate.

 

[tiagosoares17.22]

Great decision deciding to do a cut!

I run mentorship programs with the purpose of helping people achieve the best shape of their life, while eating things they enjoy. I am just saying this because if you need help, feel free to hit me up with a message.

Look forward to see the end result

 

[dudewhat]

Day 9 - 01/07 - 197 lbs

Lifted weights. Pull day.

Macros:

 

[TheCj]

I would suggest, using a tape measure to track body size as a basic way to measure progress.

Can even use online calculators to get a rough body fat percentage from measurements, that you can use as a weekly measure to observe progress etc..

 

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[dudewhat]

Good job.

If your goal is burning fat, then get a body fat monitor. Change your main metric from weight to body fat.

Keep it up.

I would suggest, using a tape measure to track body size as a basic way to measure progress.

Can even use online calculators to get a rough body fat percentage from measurements, that you can use as a weekly measure to observe progress etc..

Thanks guys! Yep, I took some tape measurements when I started and will continue doing that.

 

[dudewhat]

Day 24 - 01/22 - 193 lbs

30 minutes cardio for stress.

 

[JAJT]

Looks like 99% of your posts are in this thread to update us on your weight loss progress on a daily basis.

It's cool that you're losing weight and showing us what you're doing but out of curiosity - what else are you working on? Do you have any business goals? Any projects in the work?

Even an introduction thread would tell us a lot about why you're here and what you hope to get out of this place.

Nothing wrong with posting weight stuff in the health section but I do have to admit I scratch my head and wonder why you don't post this on a fitness forum when just about every post of yours is fitness related?

Would love to know who you are and what else you're doing and what brought you here and what your goals are. Don't stop updating this thread if it helps you - I'm just curious what keeps you coming back here

Anyway, keep up the good work.

 

[dudewhat]

Day 29: 01/27 - 193.8 lbs

Hit legs and biceps.

This week's average weight: 193.7
Last week's average: 194.9
Weekly weight loss: -1.2
Total weight loss so far: -6.3

 

[dudewhat]

Curious why you are doing this on this forum? Lots of fitness forums are out there where people can give you feedback on your progress.

I'll go somewhere else. Damn.

 

[csalvato]

I'll go somewhere else. Damn.

I wasn't hating. If this is useful to you, keep doing it. I have just supported many people on fitness forums before, and I know how valuable it is...When I saw no one commenting on this here for you, I figured you could make more progress elsewhere.

Just trying to help.

 

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[dudewhat]

I wasn't hating. If this is useful to you, keep doing it. I have just supported many people on fitness forums before, and I know how valuable it is...When I saw no one commenting on this here for you, I figured you could make more progress elsewhere.

Just trying to help.

It's all good. I just got a little frustrated since all I've been met with so far in this thread is, "Why are you posting this?" It has felt pretty unwelcoming.

There are plenty of other forums and I understand your guys' point, but I'm trying to be more active on this forum. I'm new and I've realized there's a lot to learn on here. I mostly lurk and wish to keep my identity and business anonymous for the most part. So that's why the majority of my posts are in here for now. I'm observing and learning.

And this log is helping me more than I thought. Ever since I've stopped posting in here, my progress has stalled and even regressed slightly. It was helping to keep me accountable. I'm not really posting fitness stuff here for support or feedback, just accountability at this point. And maybe somebody will stumble upon it and learn something if I'm successful?

Day 65 - 03/04 - 195 lbs

Since my last update, I've been lifting, but my diet has gone to shit. I've been really inconsistent and I've been re-evaluating what has been working and what hasn't. I really don't want to lose all this fat and then rebound. Been there, done that.

And I need to meal prep so it's easier to stick with my macros. This week I'm putting all of my focus to getting back on track.

 

[dudewhat]

Since I am a Fitness Aficionado (and coach), I have been following this thread from the beginning.
So, why haven't I posted anything on this thread? Because he didn't ask for any feedback.

Actually I did. I ask you specifically earlier in the thread and got no response.

I would say he is doing this for himself, as a way to maybe make himself more accountable.

I just said that...

I am just curious as to if you are tying any business goals in with your health goals? Having a healthy body ties in excellently with having a healthy mind. You need both in order to be the best version of yourself.

I find that no matter how much of a mental slump I am in, doing some physical activity instantly boosts my mind, my mood, and my ability to kick a$$ at life. I might have some tasks that need doing and I just can't bring myself to do them. If I force myself to do something physical, I can then go back to my list of tasks and start banging them out much easier.

Oh yeah. There are plenty of mornings when I just want to skip the gym, but I know afterwards I'm going to feel happy and super productive. It makes my day 10x better. I'm not thinking clearly unless I work out.

I've realized I don't really have a problem working out, it's all diet. I've been in a deficit most of my lifting, so the muscle gains haven't been that much, but I have made a ton of strength gains.

I need to cut and just get this over with and then hop on a maintenance/bulk. The issue is just sticking to the cut and seeing it through.

 

[tiagosoares17.22]

Thanks, man! What do you think of my calorie level? Is that too low?

And cardio? Do you recommend doing it? A lot of things I have read and trainers I have talked to have said incline walking is adequate. Do you agree? Disagree?

I only saw this now, so apologies for not replying earlier.

2000 Kcal day is a good target for most men, but to answer to that many things should have to be analyzed. Things like: how many times you workout per week (heavy lifting), how much cardio, what type of cardio, if you are sedentary, lightly active or very active, etc.

So, let's say from what I had info, I would say an average of 2100Kcal per day is good for you if you lift 3-4x week + some cardio to help you with the caloric deficit.

Walking is a GREAT way to increase our TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) without taxing our CNS (Central Nervous System). That basically means you could walk 3 hours per day and have no problems with being mentally and physically tired, while if you would run on a daily basis for one hour on such caloric intake your body would start to give you many signs of fatigue and increase your hunger.

With that said, to help you.

If you consume on average 2.5 gr of protein per KG of your bodyweight on a caloric deficit, an average of 0.8 gr of fat per KG of your body weight, and the rest of the calories from carbs, you will have a good macro distribution.

 

[dudewhat]

Great decision deciding to do a cut!

I run mentorship programs with the purpose of helping people achieve the best shape of their life, while eating things they enjoy. I am just saying this because if you need help, feel free to hit me up with a message.

Look forward to see the end result

Thanks, man! What do you think of my calorie level? Is that too low?

And cardio? Do you recommend doing it? A lot of things I have read and trainers I have talked to have said incline walking is adequate. Do you agree? Disagree?

 

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[dudewhat]

Day 10 - 01/08 - 196.6 lbs

Didn't have time for cardio this morning. Should be fine as long as I hit my macros.

Annnnd I went over:

Oh well. Focus on tomorrow.

 

[dudewhat]

Day 11 - 01/09 - 194.8

Got up and ran. Not going to lie, it's hard getting out of bed to go do cardio, but I never regret it afterwards. While I'm actually running, it sucks balls, but after it makes me feel like a million bucks. I was in a funk yesterday for no reason and this helped snap me out of it.

2000 calorie target today:

Nice.

 

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[dudewhat]

Day 12 - 01/10 - 194.8 lbs

Rest day. Structured refeed + lifting tomorrow.

2000 calorie target:

Went over. Oh well.

 

[dudewhat]

Day 13 - 01/11 - 194.8 lbs

Lifted weights. Lifts are going up. Structured refeed today.

 

[dudewhat]

Day 14 - 01/12 - 198.5

Was going to go hiking today, but the weather was shit.

I haven't been doing much cardio this week, but that's fine as long as my diet is in check.

2000 calorie target:

 

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