Helton's Log

[MarkKO]

That’s insane. My experience is normally the longer the plateau, the faster the drop when it starts to actually happen. I hope you experience that.

I pray that is the case. This is just getting nuts.

How accurate is the Macrofactor activity estimator? That would be the first place I'd look.

The reason I ask is because I know from my own experience that if you're moving and active pretty much all your work day - so eight to 10 hours - that expenditure is going to be somewhere between 750 and 1250 calories. I get that rather large window by comparing what I need to eat to maintain weight if I'm at work compared to if I'm not (while training remains constant).

I don't know what you do for work, but I would guess that if you're not seeing the downwards trend you want while your calories are pretty darn low then a likely culprit is that the estimate of your expenditure is way out.

[JohnHelton]

@MarkKO

This will explain how it is calculated.

https://help.macrofactorapp.com/dashboard/expenditure

[JohnHelton]

Cut Day 79
87.0/87.9 - Nice drop
Target Calories - 2209
Avg. Calories - 2262
Expenditure - 2479

Deadlift - LP
Tuesday 20 Sep 2022, 07:08

Sumo Deadlift (Barbell)
Set 1: 80 kg × 5 [Warm-up]
Set 2: 115 kg × 3 [Warm-up]
Set 3: 145 kg × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 4: 165 kg × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 5: 182.5 kg × 3
Set 6: 192.5 kg × 3
Set 7: 202.5 kg × 3
Just keeping it warm, but deadlifts are never easy.

[JohnHelton]

@MarkKO

This will explain how it is calculated.

https://help.macrofactorapp.com/dashboard/expenditure

The couple areas that can throw the calculation off are poor nutrition tracking and water retention. I think that I have done a good job with the tracking. However, I may have been retaining water, which should normalize with time. I think water retention is the biggest reason that weight loss isn't linear assuming compliance.

[James]

If I eat ramen, jerky or hot dogs more than one or two days in a row my weight will jump 10lbs even without going over my calorie goal then drop right off the next week.

Eat anything salty lately?

[JohnHelton]

If I eat ramen, jerky or hot dogs more than one or two days in a row my weight will jump 10lbs even without going over my calorie goal then drop right off the next week.

Eat anything salty lately?

No. But I'm finishing a course of antibiotics from oral surgery. I'm hoping that is it.

[MarkKO]

@MarkKO

This will explain how it is calculated.

https://help.macrofactorapp.com/dashboard/expenditure

The couple areas that can throw the calculation off are poor nutrition tracking and water retention. I think that I have done a good job with the tracking. However, I may have been retaining water, which should normalize with time. I think water retention is the biggest reason that weight loss isn't linear assuming compliance.

I'm absolutely with you on that.

Also, I forgot you're on antibiotics. That would easily explain a jump in weight, let alone a stall in loss.

[JohnHelton]

Cut Day 80
87.1/87.9
Target Calories - 2209
Avg. Calories - 2250
Expenditure - 2464

2nd shingles vaccine shot yesterday. I woke up this morning super achy.

Bench Press - Session 1
Wednesday 21 Sep 2022, 07:35

Bench Press (Barbell)
Set 1: 45 kg × 5 [Warm-up]
Set 2: 65 kg × 3 [Warm-up]
Set 3: 80 kg × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 4: 95 kg × 7
Set 5: 95 kg × 7
Set 6: 95 kg × 7
Set 7: 95 kg × 7
Set 8: 95 kg × 7
Set 9: 95 kg × 7
Set 10: 95 kg × 7 @ 9.5
Notes: 65% x 7 x 7-11. I thought this might be tough this morning. My muscle endurance usually sucks anyway. I figured that I would just keep doing sets until I got close to failure. That turned out to be the minimum prescription.

[JohnHelton]

Cut Day 81
87.6/87.8
Target Calories - 1908
Avg. Calories - 2239
Expenditure - 2451
Current Week Avg. Steps - 11,211

I just realized that I had a setting wrong on MacroFacto so that it wasn't changing my calories week-to-week. I reset that, and now it has severely reduced my calories. This next week isn't going to be fun.

Was very achy again this morning. Slept like crap.

[slowmotion]

Notes: 65% x 7 x 7-11. I thought this might be tough this morning. My muscle endurance usually sucks anyway. I figured that I would just keep doing sets until I got close to failure. That turned out to be the minimum prescription.

Lots of benching still, at 65%. How did you feel the day after?

[JohnHelton]

Notes: 65% x 7 x 7-11. I thought this might be tough this morning. My muscle endurance usually sucks anyway. I figured that I would just keep doing sets until I got close to failure. That turned out to be the minimum prescription.

Lots of benching still, at 65%. How did you feel the day after?

My chest felt fine from the benching, but I felt like crap from the shingles vaccine. It seems like I can do pressing volume without any issues. I also think pushing lighter weights close to failure after a ton of sets isn't that hard on the body. I need to test this with squat and deadlift.

[slowmotion]

Notes: 65% x 7 x 7-11. I thought this might be tough this morning. My muscle endurance usually sucks anyway. I figured that I would just keep doing sets until I got close to failure. That turned out to be the minimum prescription.

Lots of benching still, at 65%. How did you feel the day after?

My chest felt fine from the benching, but I felt like crap from the shingles vaccine. It seems like I can do pressing volume without any issues. I also think pushing lighter weights close to failure after a ton of sets isn't that hard on the body. I need to test this with squat and deadlift.

65% x 7 x 7 - 11 on deadlifts sounds "interesting".

[JohnHelton]

Notes: 65% x 7 x 7-11. I thought this might be tough this morning. My muscle endurance usually sucks anyway. I figured that I would just keep doing sets until I got close to failure. That turned out to be the minimum prescription.

Lots of benching still, at 65%. How did you feel the day after?

My chest felt fine from the benching, but I felt like crap from the shingles vaccine. It seems like I can do pressing volume without any issues. I also think pushing lighter weights close to failure after a ton of sets isn't that hard on the body. I need to test this with squat and deadlift.

65% x 7 x 7 - 11 on deadlifts sounds "interesting".

My thought on deadlift was starting light with 2r x 8s within a 30 minute window. Then increase slowly until it was untenable, which would probably be around an @8-9 on the last set. It seems like that would be a pretty good workout.

[slowmotion]

...

My thought on deadlift was starting light with 2r x 8s within a 30 minute window. Then increase slowly until it was untenable, which would probably be around an @8-9 on the last set. It seems like that would be a pretty good workout.

That sounds like a good plan.

[JohnHelton]

Cut Day 82
87.1/87.8
Target Calories - 1908
Avg. Calories - 2180
Expenditure - 2443
Current Week Avg. Steps - 11,567

Friday 23 Sep 2022, 07:29

Bench Press - Session 2

Bench Press (Barbell)
Set 1: 95 kg × 4
Set 2: 95 kg × 4
Set 3: 95 kg × 4
Set 4: 95 kg × 4
Set 5: 95 kg × 4
Set 6: 95 kg × 4
Set 7: 95 kg × 4
Set 8: 95 kg × 4
Set 9: 95 kg × 4
Set 10: 95 kg × 4
Set 11: 95 kg × 4
Set 12: 95 kg × 4
Note: 4x8-12, double progression
Note: 2:10 rest. 28:42 for worksets. Bump weight next time.

Squat - Session 1

Squat (Barbell)
Set 1: 120 kg × 4
Set 2: 120 kg × 4
Set 3: 120 kg × 4
Set 4: 120 kg × 4
Set 5: 120 kg × 4
Set 6: 120 kg × 4
Set 7: 120 kg × 4
Set 8: 120 kg × 4
Set 9: 120 kg × 4
Set 10: 120 kg × 4
Note: 4x8-10, double progression
Note: 2:45 rest. 32:00 for total session. Reduce rest to 2:35. Not as easy as I anticipated, but still need to bump weight next time.

I've changed things up a bit. Simplified and reduced weight so that I can manufacture some momentum.

[JohnHelton]

Program thoughts:

Bench Sessions:
1) 6x9-12
2) 4x9-12
3) 2x9-12
Initial weights picked using 145/320 e1RM and 400 HNFM. I will just make linear progress until I can't get 12 sets. Reduce the weight if I can't get 9.

Squat Sessions:
1) 4x8-10
2) 2x8-10
Initial weights picked using 215/475 e1RM and 200 HNFM.

Deadlift Session:
1) 2x6-8
Initial weights picked using 265/585 e1RM and 200 HNFM.

Setting rest timer such that I get all the worksets done in 30 minutes. I thought about going quicker, but I want strength to be the limiter. I will try to hit each of these during a microcycle, but I will play it by ear, hitting the higher intensity when I feel better. Also, my microcycles aren't constrained by a calendar 7 day week.

The initial weights are pretty light. That seems right given the cut. Hopefully, I will be eating more calories soon...before it gets hard. And I expect this to get hard. That said, it is autoregulated. Assuming no grinding, if I can't get the prescribed reps on my 10th set of squat, I think that is a very different stress than failing the 3rd set. Any thoughts on that last comment, @Hanley?

[JohnHelton]

Cut Day 83
85.8/87.6
Target Calories - 1908
Avg. Calories - 2175
Expenditure - 2441
Current Week Avg. Steps - 10,760

NIce big drop in weight. Getting close.

Legs are so sore from that squat workout.

[JohnHelton]

Cut Day 84
NA/87.4
Target Calories - 1,908
Avg. Calories - 2,167
Expenditure - 2,441
Current Week Avg. Steps - 10,905

[JohnHelton]

Cut Day 85
87.0/87.4
Target Calories - 2,090
Avg. Calories - 2,151
Expenditure - 2,452
Current Week Avg. Steps - 10,777

We took my son to visit UT Austin and his sister over the weekend. He doesn't like change, so he is nervous about going to college, but I think the trip went a long way in easing that anxiety. Maddy was a great tour guide. This was Jack's first trip to the school. Usually he stays home with our pets when we visit Maddy. Jack is only applying to UT and A&M. He is an automatic admit to both, but he still has to be accepted to the physics department.

Bench Press - Session 3
Monday 26 Sep 2022, 06:52

Bench Press (Barbell)
Set 1: 110 kg × 2
Set 2: 110 kg × 2
Set 3: 110 kg × 2
Set 4: 110 kg × 2
Set 5: 110 kg × 2
Set 6: 110 kg × 2
Set 7: 110 kg × 2
Set 8: 110 kg × 2
Set 9: 110 kg × 2
Set 10: 110 kg × 2
Set 11: 110 kg × 2
Set 12: 110 kg × 2

[JohnHelton]

Cut Day 86
86.5/87.3
Goal - 85 kg
Target Calories - 2,090
Avg. Calories - 2,127
MF Expenditure - 2,465 - My calculations are showing that my TDEE is now running closer to 2,950. I think the step count is helping.
Current Week Avg. Steps - 11,231

The stall has broken (for now) and the weight is dropping pretty fast. I should be adding calories back on Friday.

Squat - Session 2
Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Squat (Barbell)
147.5 kg x 2 x 10
This felt like a good starting point for this progression. <30 min for worksets.

ETA: Today is going to be official the end of the cut from a MF perspective. I switched the app to Maintenance with a target weight of 85kg. The app has set my target calories to 2,323 given its view of my TDEE and the need to guide me a bit lower. As I approach the goal weight, it will slowly raise my calories. I'm ready for that to happen. I plan to keep close track of my calories going forward. I don't want an unintentional bulk.