4 Weeks Out

 So far, things are still going generally well. I have hit PRs, continued to push at the gym, and am still making progress. My energy is still really good. My mental health is still good. I am still getting out there, enjoying my life, with my meal-prepped food. 

A few things I wanted to touch on. Some strange experiences I didn't know I would have. First, I want to mention how odd it is for people to constantly talk about how I look. Don't get me wrong. I love being in the best shape of my life (no joke, this is it) but it's funny to me how much people want to comment or talk about it. I get everything from, you look shredded (today at my work event) to, you're skinny! For the record, I am NOT skinny nor is that my desire. Am I cut? Yes. Did I ever think I would look like this? Definitely not. But here I am, doing my thing. I don't mind the attention so much. But it's almost misplaced. I would rather people see how hard this is. To not drink for 210+ days, to turn down all the goodies (which will definitely always be there), the time spent working out, the dedication, the drive, the planning, etc. There is an insane amount that goes into this. And if you don't know, follow me on Instagram. I document it all. So I prefer people to talk about my drive and confidence to get to the end. But they mostly talk about how I look.

The second strange thing is the bones. I can't really explain this one and didn't know anything about it until it started happening. Once I got to about 120 or so, the bones popped out of my skin. My vertebrae pop out the back of my neck. When I sat on a pew at church that was wood, my butt hurt. my collarbones are so pronounced, and the list goes on. I think the weirdest one is the chest area overall. I clearly have zero breasts left (basically) and I can feel my chest plate. My ribs stick out. And when I lie down, I can feel the very base of my sternum, like the part that comes to a point. Yeah, it's weird. Being bony is weird.

The third and final thing is how long it took me to get here. I didn't really feel like I made much progress for a while. Even though I was. I have lost 35lbs. I am not unhappy with that at all. The amount of consistency and time this took is crazy to me. I didn't even really see it until June. But side by side, it's a MASSIVE change in my body. Not in my appearance per se, though of course, that looks different. The actual SHAPE of my body has changed so much. I didn't know I could be so tiny. It shows me I want (and need) more muscle. And don't worry, that's next after this show. 

The next 2 weeks will be hard. I just got my new meal plan. My fats are cut. As in no more. My cardio is up to 70 minutes. I can only eat the things on the list. Carbs will only be oats and white rice. Protein will only be eggs/egg whites, chicken, turkey, lean ground beef, and tilapia. 

I was weaker at the gym today but still pushed through. I suspect there will be more of that. It's time to grind. Less than 4 weeks. LFG.