It's almost time to start again

It is almost time to get started again.

I've set the 29th as the kick-off point for a 2 month diet and workout cycle.  Today was the last or next to last workout for the prior cycle, which has lasted 16 weeks.  I did some max effort work today, and came out unhappy.

First, unhappy that my weight was nudged up a pound over yesterday because of the sushi binge from last night.  I slotted the day into "refeed" but that's hardly a good excuse.  I have a lot of crisis of faith when it comes to losing weight, and most of it comes from tracking weight on a day to day basis.  I know that really, I'm still 185.  That the extra weight is just temporary, and likely, by Sunday I'll have 184# on the scale - assuming I don't go all weepy and eat everything today.

As for the workout, I was hoping to break some personal records today.  I'd switched up the training the last three weeks, from my own program - focused on alternating light and heavy work with the core four lifts.  To a three week long 5-3-1 program, doubling up on workouts to give me some feeling of actually doing something during the week.

Ultimately, I find myself weaker than when I started.  Of course, I also got back onto following my drastic cut protocol.  Helpful, but I'm really feeling less powerful.  I know that's what happens, I just hate the reality of it.

Doesn't help my mood that I met up with a guy last night who I haven't seen in a couple months, and he's been eating and working out 6 days a week.  Solid start to his arms - no legs.

On the plus side, the lady at the sushi place (where we go often enough to be on friendly terms with the owners), said I had lost weight.  Feels strange.

So, with 2 months of cut coming up, I need to set it into my mind that the idea of progress has to be scrapped.  I need to go with the much more realistic goal of strength retention.  Work from lower maxes, and focus on lifting hard enough to maintain, without killing myself trying to find gains which aren't going to happen with a deficit.

Gains are for the Oct-Dec cycle.  Until then, weight losses are the key.

I will be putting up a statistics blast on or around the 29th which will cover the starting point, and will then update each week so everything is out there for all to see.  Though nobody is reading - but that's not the point.