At the end of last summer, I set a goal to lose 10 lbs over 12 weeks by tracking my daily food intake and counting macros (126g protein, 120-168g carbs, 56g fat, total calories ~1500-1600 kcal). I committed to weighing myself daily and continuing my exercise routine of strength training and HIIT workouts at 5 days a week. I laid out my goals and commitments in a previous post here.
I definitely struggled with discipline and patience (see Month 1 and Month 2 update posts), but at the end of 11 weeks, my results were astounding. According to my InBody scan, I gained 1.5 lbs of muscle while also losing almost 9 lbs. Although I did not hit my goal weight of 125 lbs, ending over 5 lbs heavier, my percent body fat dropped from 23.8% to 17.7%, my lowest body fat percentage ever!
More than anything, I’m proud of myself for sticking it out for 11 weeks. I set a goal to prioritize myself in the midst of a crazy season and although it was challenging and I failed on many days, I kept going and completed the cut.
In non-scale victories, for the first time ever I was able to see my abs flexing, along with more muscle definition in my upper body overall. I was crushing my workouts and seeing strength gains.
One thing I keep learning over and over, is that weight is just a number that offers a small piece of the whole story. I have a massive amount of gratitude for my body, which responded so well to training and nutrition. After all, 11 weeks feels long but is ultimately short. On the other hand, after 11 weeks my mental discipline was shot and my adherence to tracking my food was dropping day by day. It didn’t help that our fridge was full of delicious leftovers from hosting Friendsgiving. For me, this type of strict and sustained effort should only be implemented for 12 weeks at a time, before burnout sets in.
As I kick off 2024, I find myself feeling bloated from all the holiday celebrations and wanting to start another cut cycle. If I did it once, I can do it again. I had optimistically hoped that I could maintain the results from the 11-week cut through the holiday season, which would put me in a good position to start the year with a bulking cycle where I build muscle. However, I did not adhere to my maintenance goal (too many Christmas cookies). I have also realized that I am not mentally ready to enter a bulk. I enjoy being on the lean side and I like when my favorite clothes fit a certain way. I don’t want to get bigger, even if it is in service of building muscle, so I will have to go the slow-and-steady route.
I have decided to repeat the cut at the same macros for the next 12 weeks: 1/6 – 3/30, ending on my 42nd birthday. This period of 12 weeks will span Menzies’ birthday, Lunar New Year, our trip to Colorado, Menzies going back to work at the office… It will be hard. And it will be worth it, to force me to prioritize myself and my health. I am going to weigh myself when we get back from vacation, and begin again.
My WHY: Because I need to prioritize myself and my health. Because I like the way my body feels when it’s lean. Because I need agency and quantifiable progress on something in my life.