[Bytsi]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Hey Bytsi sorry if I sounded abrupt but I was just answering the question you asked me. Perhaps I did not pad the answer well enough. Yes, it is all a learning experience and as such it is all good. You are doing well.

Ah no Karla - not abrupt, and I wasn't mad at you - I was mad at ME!!! SO mad at myself for being that dumb. Again.

The water and all the other stuff doesn't really have to factor in so much either in my experience. If you keep yourself hydrated every single day and keep the food in check there is very little up and down I am noticing on the scale. Some but not much. Certainly week by week you will see a trend in the right direction. My friend (Brentv) is noticing this same thing. I think it really all has to do with being honest and consistent each and every day. For some people this works and for others the pain of doing all that figuring is not work the results. It is a choice thing. No right answer. Only a right answer for you....

I do stay hydrated, but I still see some weird variability... maybe haven't been consistent for long enough to really see the pattern that may emerge? Scale didn't move again today BUT I'll take it, I guess, over being up from the weekend. I hate going to bed hungry, but I'll do what it takes to lose this damn fat.

I think, for me, I am bringing out my OCD tendencies - but this is a good thing. I need to do this. Other methods don't work for me. When I did WW 11 years ago, I counted points obsessively. Didn't measure, but of course at my starting weight, any change was for the good. As I've tried to be "normal" and not think about food / exercise - that's when I've slipped and gained.

My weird rationale here: I used to obsess about food - when and where I'd get it, who would realize how much I actually was eating (I knew it, it was embarrassing). I knew where every drive-thru was and who served breakfast til what time, etc etc... at least if I "obsess" on food / exercise now, it's in a healthier direction.

Of course the other factor here since we all workout is how to balance the energy thing versus the deficit thing. As I get smaller and smaller this balance will be harder and harder for me. I am already backing WAY down on the lifting and only doing ss cardio and some HIIT on top of that. I suspect by the time I am at 10% bf that I will barely have the ability to lift at all. That is just the way it goes though. I am prepared to deal with the weakness to see the result.

I can't imagine (yet) being at 10%. My goal is in the 18-20% range. I know I'll have to balance the deficit with being smaller... but I also want to maybe consider a clean mini-bulk once I get the fat off. I dunno... I honestly need to just think about my fat loss for now, and also still loving what I do.

Bottom line is I enjoy lifting and karate and feeling healthier, and even sometimes doing some cardio. I also like eating, but I'm doing better finding higher-volume cleaner foods that I enjoy - and that aren't so rich and calorie-dense that I get sick from them. Whatever I do toward getting to my body-composition goals has to balance with also enjoying myself and being able to do what I love.

Right now - I'm working on finding balance, learning what I REALLY want and what is and isn't worth sacrificing to get there in whatever timeframe it may take...