Steady Weight Gain

It's a new battle and I feel losing.                                                                         

Since I started strength training in mid-2015 and
intermittent fasting later, I have always been able to stay                                                  
around 146 lbs, easily. My near-term (2-3 years) goal is to                                                  
reach Sinister or my limits at that weight. The great image                                                  
of Bruce Lee comes to mind often when I train. I don't want
to look bulky but every pound must count. Six months after I                                                 
passed the Simple Test, however, things started to change.                                                   

I have trained with the 40kg kettlebell since Jan. The
injury from BJJ prevented me from doing TGUs but left plenty                                                 
energy for the squats and swings. Over time, the squats felt                                                 
less intimidating, I could do a couple sets of single-arm
swings on a good day and the Captains of Crush No. 1 gripper                                                 
closed more easily. My waistline stays the same but shoulders
have swelled. For that, I am switching from S to M-sized shirts.

I still eat one meal a day but my bodyweight is crossing the                                                 
150 lbs line. The same amount of exercise no longer allows                                                   
me to eat as much as I'd like at supper. Yesterday, I did                                                    
yoga in the morning and weight-lifting in the afternoon,
followed by a five-mile run. We had a hotpot dinner and I
had jam, bananas, and chocolates for deserts. This morning,                                                  
my weight went down from 150.8 to 149.8 lbs. It was crazy:
only one lb loss after all that work!? It seems my body has                                                  
become dryer and the same amount of exercise does not get                                                    
rid of as much water as before.                                                                              

So is there any hope for going back to 145 lbs? I should                                                     
search for expert advice but my gut feeling is that diet
again is where the battle is fought. I have fat to lose and                                                  
sugar to cut. It is that trivial choice of one more candy                                                    
that matters. Simple, but not easy.

[7grizzly]

回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : Congratulations! If you don't do exercise, diet is key and it's very hard. My experience has been once I lost some weight I could start exercising without hurting myself. And that together with diet will make weight loss faster.

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 '7grizzly' 的評論 : I started cutting my carbs and starches a lot, and I am losing some pounds. Except for occasional hiking, I don't normally exercise. So I believe it is a combination of both exercise and diet.

[7grizzly]

New finding was that my gut was wrong and it was about exercise.
9 weeks into training for distance running, my weight came back to 145.0 lbs.
Joy Johnson was right when she said running allowed her to eat what she liked.

[7grizzly]

My gut was right and it was about diet, not exercise. I still ate too much sweet stuff.
The extra weight went away easily as I cut the sugar.

[7grizzly]

回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : But in body and mind, strong always, as weak never, feels good. I appreciate your humor and thanks for stopping by.

[暖冬cool夏]

The solution is not to weigh at all. Tell yourself that you've done your best, and the weight must have gone down. :-)) Learn to keep one eye shut and be blind to yourself. I think sometimes the body might not react what it should. Don't set high bars for yourself. You are S to M size, room to grow. :))