Status Update
The past few weeks have shown mixed results as I work to dial in my approach. On the positive side, I'm continuing to see some recomp - pretty substantial recomp actually, including strength gains. However, I'm still not losing weight at the velocity that I want. That's not to say I'm not losing weight - I am - just not at the speed that I'm hoping for.
Challenges
The main obstacle I'm facing is balancing multiple competing goals. While I need to focus on weight loss, I've been getting caught up in chasing strength gains in the gym. The problem is it's really hard for me to let go of this - I really like to see gains week over week. Since I've picked back up again, I've seen pretty substantial week-over-week improvement. While some of this is just getting back into the swing of things, some represents legitimate strength gains that are potentially interfering with my primary goal.
Training Adjustments
To address these challenges, I need to shift my training philosophy. Instead of chasing progressive overload, I'll focus on movement quality and muscle retention. This means maintaining good form and consistent volume without pushing for constant improvement in weights.
The walking program also needs adjustment. While I've been consistently hitting 20,000 steps daily, this high volume is creating excessive hunger that makes it difficult to maintain my calorie targets. Reducing to 10,000 steps per day should help manage hunger levels while still maintaining a good activity baseline. This will also simplify my calorie tracking since I won't need to make as many adjustments for exercise expenditure.
Action Plan
Moving forward, I'm implementing the following specific changes:
Bring my calorie intake down to closer to 2,300 - 2,500 calories per day (down from 2,800). I may adjust this down again after a week or two.
Bring my steps down from 20,000 to 10,000-12,000 steps
Continue going to the gym to lift 3-5 times per week, but with a focus on volume and movement quality rather than progressive overload
Next Steps
To support these changes, I'll be developing a new training program that emphasizes movement quality and consistent volume. This will replace my current progressive overload approach and better align with my primary goal of weight loss while maintaining muscle mass.