Weekly check-in

18 days until weigh-in.

Staying on point with workouts and the diet have been easier over the last week; things feel more like they did during the high points of this process, when results came easy, and motivation and focus didn't have to be conjured from deep within from rep to rep, meal to meal.

Can't stress enough how meal prep is paramount to any sort of dietary success if you're an on-the-go type, which work makes most of us into.  My meals this past week were essentially as follows:

Meal 1 (6:45 AM): Egg, turkey bacon, or sausage for protein and fat; whole-grain toast and and either 1/2 a granny smith apple or mixed fruit (bananas, blueberries, pineapple) for carbs.

Meal 2 (9:30 AM): Nuts and seeds for protein and fat; plantain chips for carbs.

Meal 3 (12:00 PM): Baked chicken or boiled eggs for protein; green salad with fresh veggies for carbs

Meal 4 (3:00 PM): Baked chicken or boiled eggs for protein; green salad with fresh veggies for carbs

Meal 5 (5:00 PM): Strawberry protein shake

• The cold weather here in north Alabama has made for some frosty morning cardio sessions at the start, but by the time they're over I'm warmed through from the effort, which is a nice way to begin the day.
• After cardio, it's 10-15 minutes of body-weight exercises before I hop in the shower to get ready for work.
• I've remained consistent about getting on the treadmill on my breaks at work for anywhere from 10-15 minutes (mid-morning, noon & afternoon).
• Still hitting the treadmill for 30-40 minutes before lifting weights.  As far as weight-training, I'm still cycling body parts daily, with no days off. Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Back, Legs, Repeat.  Abs every day.

I like what's happening with the increases in muscular definition and tone from top to bottom, but I've still got a sizable challenge as it relates to fat loss. I'm more at peace with the fact that it's going to take a while - maybe a calendar year total - to achieve my target weight and look. That's well beyond even my conservative estimates from the beginning of this journey, but I can accept the truth of that much better today than I could a few weeks ago.

Onward.