Back in the saddle (again)

It's time to get back in the saddle again. Let me fill you in on what's happened since my last post (almost a year(!) ago). I kept going pretty strong, and got down to about 207 pounds. But, I was working 80 hours per week, 7 days a week, and my stress level was really high. I started getting nerve pain in my feet and legs (from sitting at a desk for 12 hours a day), which came and went and came again, and later in the year I did something to my side that hurt like crazy, and still hurts to this day (although much less). Went and had an ultrasound, but it didn't show anything, so we still don't know exactly what happened. I think the original injury has healed, but it's left some lasting nerve damage that is mostly just annoying, and which comes and goes daily. Needless to say these nagging injuries/problems have been really demotivating, as every time I would think "Okay, I'm feeling good again, now I can start training regularly" I would tweak something and be in pain for another week. As a result of that (as well as stopping taking a medication whose side effect was decreased appetite) I've regained the weight, plus some. Last I checked the scale it was 227, and that's just too damn heavy.

I still have some issues with these injuries, but I'm determined to find a way to work through/around them, and get back down to a healthy weight. I think losing some weight should help with the nerve issues, since there won't be as much pressure on them due to my bulk. Thankfully I've stayed in pretty good shape strength-wise, and do still strive to be quite active, so I'm not starting from square one (i.e. I've been able to train 1-3 times a week, albeit a bit conservatively). I'd like to be able to work back up to 5 days/week, doing a mix of Crossfit and Power- and Olympic lifting. Here's my basic template:

Monday: Crossfit

Tuesday: Back Squat and Bench Press (using the

Wendler 5-3-1 template)

+ accessories (single-leg work, hip extensions, abs)

Wednesday: Crossfit

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Crossfit

Saturday: Oly work (singles, doubles, and triples of snatch, clean, and jerk) and 3x10 push-press (linear progression) + accessories (mostly Oly-oriented: overhead squats, snatch balances, partial movements)

Sunday: Off (or skill work, if feeling good)

I'll just be doing the regular group classes at my gym for the Crossfit portion, unless it's something that would not benefit me with regards to my injuries, then I'll come up with something on my own. I like the group classes because they provide some accountability, plus force me to work on some of my weaknesses. And the camaraderie just makes it more fun than working out alone. I'll be doing mobility work every day to help improve my ability to get in positions as well as to hopefully continue to rehab and improve my injuries. I'm starting off pretty conservative with the weights, and will work my way back up so as to not re-injure myself along the way.

Diet-wise I'm going back to my roots: whole foods (with a Paleo-esque template) plus calorie counting. High protein, moderate fat, low-ish carbs (50-100g/day, just enough to fuel my workouts). 2000-2500 calories/day. Avoiding alcohol as much as possible without being completely abstinent, and making sure I still hit my macros and calories. I want this to be simple and to keep the barrier to entry as low as possible, to improve my chances of compliance. I already cook for myself, I just need to be a little more on top of it so that I don't run out of food and then have to fight off the temptation to just grab something from a fast food place. Just gotta stay a step ahead, you know?

I'm going to start using this blog to keep myself accountable, again. Not even sure if anyone reads this any more, but that's okay; it's more for me than anyone else at this point. I know what to do, just gotta start doing it and then stay consistent, and writing here will help with that.

Oh yeah, what's my goal weight? Well, ultimately I think somewhere around 185-190, but I want to take this in smaller chunks, as that worked well for me in the past, so for now my goal is to get under 220 by June 1st.

That's it for now. Wish me luck!