So not long after the last check point, my father in law died.
Then we had the funeral.
From which I caught COVID, which knocked me out for 2 weeks and kept me out of the gym.
Then my wife caught COVID, which knocked her out for 2 weeks or so, and I stayed out of the gym to prevent further spread.
Then there's been the after effects of COVID, plus a turbulent time with grief and depression and, well...
Weight - 279.5 pounds (6.5 pound gain from last period) Body fat - 91.95 pounds (32.9%, 6.4 pound gain from last period) Non-fat mass - 187.55 pounds (roughly equal)
That means I've eradicated those extra pounds I lost ahead of target, and got rid of any progress I made. This entire phase has essentially been a wash.
But that still puts me under where I started. As long as I commit to turning the page and moving forward, I can still end the year under what I weighed coming into it, and still push towards the end game. It's going to be hard (depression doesn't just go away, and now we're heading into Winter...), but it's doable.
So where do we go from here?
First, I'm still using The Pump app. I've gone back to the 3 day a week Foundation program to rebuild my strength and fit it in easier. It's not what I want; I'd rather go back to 6 day a week, get to the gym in the morning, crush it before work. That requires peak efficiency though and I am nowhere close right now, so 3 days it is with whatever cardio work I can cram in too.
Second is I've finally scrapped the use of MyFitnessPal. I stopped using it in the peak of wife grieving/COVID/still gotta work, just because it became just another thing that I had to deal with. Then I didn't return to it because I really, really hate MyFitnessPal, and mostly used it because it was familiar and free.
Instead I've moved to Foodnoms. I pay Β£5 a month for the extra features, in particular the AI which I've found useful. It loads instantly, which already puts it miles ahead of MFP. I can edit community entries effortlessly, which was a big bug bear with MFP. I have to pay, which I don't usually like to do if there's a serviceable free alternative, but that's just how resentful I am of watching the damn loading screen.
I've decided I'm going to trust the Foodnoms calorie restrictions over setting a hard limit each month. I've been using it for the past 2 weeks and already lot around 4 pounds, so it's working as intended. I'm ignoring most macros except fibre (aiming for 28g per day) and caffeine (aiming for under 400mg). I'm still going to try and prioritise protein, but not at the expense of my sanity or my dinners with my wife (she's not about eating chicken 7 days a week).
I'm around 14 pounds behind target now, but I don't expect to make that all back in this person, especially with Christmas around the corner. Instead, I'm going to aim of 1.5 pound a week, or 21 pounds total for the next period.
Sounds doable.
As an aside, I'm also going to pick this blog back up.
Depression is a mind-killer. I've let it drain me of pretty much everything I love to do, including writing.
I'm taking steps to mitigate and it's a long road back. But I love this.
And I will be back.
