7 Weeks Out - Birthday Week
This week was a little tougher.
Not only am I getting deeper into prep, but it was also my birthday week.
I did my best to get everything in.
I got most of my workouts done and most of my cardio, although I did miss one cardio session.
My diet was mostly where it needed to be too.
Except for my birthday meal.
That one definitely got away from me a little.
Current Status
Division
- Men's Physique
- Classic Physique
Weeks Out
7
Current Weight
209.8 lbs
Starting Weight
216.4 lbs
Weekly Change
-0.2 lbs
Phase
Prep
Weekly Check-In Photos
Front
Side
Back
What Changed This Week?
The biggest difference this week was obviously my birthday.
I knew I was going to have a birthday meal, and I really didn't think it would be a big deal.
I wasn't planning on going crazy.
But it's kind of surprising how quickly calories can add up when you're eating foods you haven't been eating during prep.
I still tracked everything as best as I could, and by the end of the day I think I ended up around 600 calories over my normal target.
It wasn't some massive binge either.
It was really just a couple foods that were higher in fat and simple carbs than what I'm used to eating.
That's one thing I've noticed every time I diet.
When I'm eating the same cleaner foods every day, I can eat a pretty good amount of food for my calories.
Once you start adding restaurant food and other random things back in, those calories disappear really fast and sometimes you're not even that full afterward.
I wasn't too concerned about one day though.
I've done enough preps at this point to know that one meal or one day isn't going to completely change anything.
I just didn't want it turning into an entire weekend.
The next day I cut about 500 calories from what I normally eat to make up for most of it and then went right back to the plan.
Outside of that, training was still good.
I had some hard workouts in the gym and got most of my cardio done.
I did miss one cardio day, which isn't something I want to make a habit of this close to the show.
By the end of the week I was still slightly down in weight.
Not much, but considering the week, I'll take it.
This Week's StageLab Recommendation
Recommendation
Reduce calories from 2725 to 2605 per day.
StageLab has me basically on track right now, although still slightly behind based on the visual check-in.
The same areas keep coming up.
Lower abs.
Lower back.
There's still some fat there that needs to come off.
I can see it too, so I don't really disagree with the assessment.
This time, instead of adding more cardio, StageLab decided to bring my calories down.
My cardio is staying exactly where it is at five 25-minute sessions per week.
Calories are dropping from 2725 to 2605.
Most of that is coming out of carbs.
Protein is staying at 227 grams, fat is staying at 76 grams, and carbs are coming down to 255 grams.
Honestly, I'm okay with that.
I've been able to keep calories pretty high through most of prep, so I knew eventually they were going to have to come down.
We're getting close enough now that I'd rather make a small adjustment and keep things moving than wait until I'm really behind and have to make a much bigger change.
My Thoughts
I'm getting to the point in prep where my mindset starts changing a little.
Early in prep, I'm usually pretty relaxed about things.
If I go out and have to estimate a meal, I'm not too worried about it.
If something is slightly off one day, I just get back on plan the next day.
Once I get around six weeks out, that starts changing.
Six weeks has always been kind of the point where I stop playing around with the diet.
Unless I'm obviously ahead of schedule, I want to know exactly what I'm eating from here on out.
The birthday meal was fun.
I enjoyed it.
I don't regret having it.
But now it's time to push through to the end.
This calorie drop also makes it feel like prep is starting to get a little more serious.
It's not a huge cut.
I'm still eating 2605 calories, which honestly isn't bad at all for this point.
But it's the first time in a while that food has actually needed to come down instead of just adding a little more activity.
I'm still feeling strong in the gym and the progress is noticeable.
There's just more conditioning that needs to come off, especially through my stomach and lower back.
That's really the only thing I'm focused on right now.
Current Plan
Calories
2605 kcal
Protein
227 g
Carbs
255 g
Fat
76 g
Cardio
5 x 25 min
What Happens Next
Birthday week is over.
There really aren't any more planned meals off the diet now.
The goal from here is just to be consistent.
Hit every meal.
Hit every workout.
Don't miss cardio.
Keep my activity up.
And see what this calorie drop does.
The show is close enough now that every week matters a lot more.
I'm not panicking about where I am, but I'm also not going to pretend there's unlimited time left.
There's still work to do.
Now it's time to do it.
Current Snapshot
Weight: 209.8 lbs
Starting Weight: 216.4 lbs
Weeks Out: 7
Phase: Prep
Current Recommendation: Reduce calories to 2605 while keeping cardio at five 25-minute sessions per week.
Current Focus: Tighten up the diet and continue bringing in lower abdominal and lower back conditioning.
Next Update
Prep Files #13 - 6 Weeks Out