Back Again

 There's a meet sign up in a couple of weeks. I don't think I can qualify for Nationals this year, since I won't actually be 50 during the 2027 Masters National meet...it's in May and I don't hit the big 5-0 until August. While that's lame, it is what it is and I can still get a good idea of where I'm at (and what I might be capable of) in November...at 49. Christ, I'm old.

Oh, I also fully forgot the password to my Google account when I was signing in to write this blog. I had to 2FA and then reset the password. Then proceeded to get chastised for attempting to use a previous password. IT'S MY GODDAMN COMPUTER, IF IDGAF ABOUT SECURITY IT'S NOT GOOGLE'S BUSINESS. 

I blame Elon Musk. Not because he owns Google, he just sucks.

So anyway, Nationals.

The circled section is my target range

Since I currently weight around 78kg, I'm an 82.5kg for my weight class. I'd prefer to be a 75, because the total is slightly less. (Top line circled is M1 which is age 40-49. Second line is M2 which is 50-59 and my target) It would be ideal to hit 70kg (I've been there before), but I'm also almost 50 now and perimenopause is absolute fuckery.

Yes.

So I need to cut a little weight, but I need to not lose any strength. I've been a little lazy with my eating of late, so I decided it's time to dial in. I don't want to buy protein shakes and protein bars, partly because they're expensive and partly because whey protein agrees with me less and less these days. I'm going to attempt to hit 160g of protein daily while in a moderate calorie deficit. Here's what I made today. 

Breakfast. 3 whole eggs, 6oz of egg whites, 2oz fat free Greek 

yogurt, a whole roasted acorn squash and parsley for prettiness.

This was a metric fuckton of food. I couldn't finish it in one sitting, because I was going in to deadlift and a super full belly plus a weight belt equals ppaaaaaaiiiiinnnnn. Deads went well today. I pulled some triples at a weight I haven't pulled for a single in a minute, and my back feels completely fine. 

I am also allowing for 2 cups of coffee with half and half daily,

because fat free milk can fuck off.

I went to Costco yesterday to load up on food for this attempt at actual cooking and eating. I bought a LOT of greens, and based on the next couple of meals I will need to buy more. Maybe a lot more.

After the gym and my second coffee, I went for a hot mom walk. It's like a hot girl walk, except your pelvic floor hates you.

Steps factor into fat loss for me. I wish they didn't, but they do.

It was nice to walk outside. It was cold and windy, but the fresh air was nice. I haven't been walking as much lately, because we got a new family member and he can't go for walks until he gets his last round of vaccines.

This is Kubota! Isn't he cute?

Once he's allowed to go for walks it will be much easier to get steps in. We're a little bit home bound for the next couple of weeks, but then it's game on!

Blackened Cajun chicken, an egg, a boatload of greens, carrots, 

tomatoes, and Cesar dressing made from Greek yogurt.

This was a massive lunch. Unreasonably large. It was an effort to finish it. Do you know how much 5.5oz of lettuce is by weight? It's...so...much...lettuce. Dressing was fucking awesome, though, and easy to make. I even shredded in some parm for the fancy. 

Burger bowl. Crispy roasted potatoes, beef, veggies, cheese,

and a little ketchup and mustard for dressing.

That burger bowl was SO good. The pickles were what made it. Kind of like eating a deconstructed burger and fries. 10/10 will eat again.

Dessert. It's made with cottage cheese.

I know, I know, everything is made with cottage cheese. Fortunately, I like cottage cheese. So this lemon cheesecake was made with blended cottage cheese, lemon zest and juice, a little hit of monkfruit sweetener, vanilla, and graham crackers and raspberries to garnish. I went a little too hard on the zest, because this was LEMONY. Pretty good, though.

Grand totals. 

I'm a little bit shook, because I was stuffed full of food all day and this came in around 1600 calories and 160 grams of protein. No protein powder, no bars, no shakes. Wild. We'll see how this turns out. I've got around 7 months to get myself into the 75kg range, which is about a 6 pound loss in that time. I think I can do it, provided this stupid old body doesn't actively self destruct between now and then. 

Now if you'll excuse me, it's past my bedtime. Ignore any misspellings or grammar errors...I left my glasses at work.

Exactly.