It’s been another week. We had to make some adjustments as it seems my body has fully adapted to the calories and movement from the last four weeks.
Diet
Looking back at the end of my off-season, I was sitting at about 2500 kcal. At prep start, we decreased this to around 2200 kcal, which my body needed about four weeks to adjust to until my weight did not change anymore. Then, we dropped it again to just over 2000 kcal, which is where I was at for another four weeks. The detailed macro split I shared in the post Week #5 – Road to Bikini 2022.
Now, we are in the third month of prep and the rhythm continues in dropping calories. My weight hasn’t changed in the previous two weeks. At least it hasn’t dropped. My weight has been the most fluctuant it has been on a daily basis since prep start. One day it was down, then the next day one kilogram higher, then down, then up. On the average, I hadn’t lost weight at all, which is why we dropped calories down again. I am now at about 1900 kcal. We reduced carbs, as we want to keep protein and fats high.
My new macro split:
| Protein in g | Carbs in g | Fats in g | |
| Workout days | 165 | 190 | 55 |
| Rest days | 165 | 165 | 60 |
I still can’t complain as I eat a lot and rarely get hungry. I keep eating flexible and all my favorite foods.
Meal of the week: Bagel again… It just doesn’t get old.
Workout
My workouts I would describe as hard, intense and slow. Including cardio at the end of the previous week made me already notice a little drop in energy overall. The calorie drop in addition now takes for me some adjustment again. My workouts remain very good. I keep my strength, but I also notice that I get slower in the gym. I need more rest between sets, I breath heavier and workouts in conclusion take longer. During workouts I take EAAs, which are a lifesaver, honestly. I notice by the sip how much they do for me.
As my workouts remain good, I notice that recovery slows down. Therefore, I am trying to get as much and as good sleep as possible, to recover as quickly as possible.
Bodyform
I enjoy the transition so much. It is crazy to me how the body changes. Especially if you do it slowly and controlled, it is very fascinating how body fat reduces and muscles remain. Altough my weight didn’t change, we can definitely see some changes in my body.
Summary
All in all, Prep is going extremely well. My body keeps improving, and I still feel good. There is nothing really where I feel like I struggle a lot. Of course lower calories are an adjustment, as well as higher activity, but I think this is normal. The most important thing is to be prepared for the day. If you have a game plan and plan out your meals and activity right, you will have an awesome day, no matter what life throws in your way.
For the next weeks I have quite some trips and activities planned, too, which will be very exciting. So stay tuned. 🙂
Interested in previous posts on this topic?