This journal is for me.

 If you find this journal, you're welcome here! But I won't be showing lots of pictures, posting inspirational quotes, or giving advice on things I'm only just doing for the first time myself like all my previous blogs and instagrams and YouTube channels. 

This won't be scientific, or full of measurements and proper progress reports. This journal is for my experience. I keep wanting to live and die by the MATH, by how the experts say it should happen. But I was bound to figure out someday that life isn't all bound by perfect equations and linear progress and no mistakes. 

Ok, so, it is July 2025. My recent strategy has been feeling good, but has not been producing much by way of results. Using AI in conjunction with MacroFactor, I'm adjusting my plan a bit. 

The facts I know: 
Current weight: 217lbs
Current estimated body fat percentage: 45%
Visceral fat: 1.46lbs
RMR: 1,379

Changes to my current methods: 

1. Stop fasting
I've been doing one 36-hour fast each week. I enjoy it, and I find it easy to do. However, I was also relying on it to get me extra calories to eat the rest of the week, because MacroFactor had my calories intake so low that I was struggling to hit my protein goal and stay under. So I'd allot my fasting day calories spread across the other 6 days. Chatting with Gemini today, it was the first thing it recommended - up my calories, and stop fasting. 

2. Higher calorie goal, higher protein goal
Ugh, the protein. Its a stretch for me to hit 90g a day, but my new goal is 125+. I know I can do it... but making it palatable is a chore. I end up really relying on protein powder, and, ugh. My daily calorie goal went from 1,325 (MF) to 1,675 (AI).

Continuing current methods:

1. Strength training
Continue doing 2 whole body strength training routines as prescribed by my trainer. These are going well, and I feel progression, I just need to build confidence in advancing the difficulty. 

2. Cardio (steady state and high intensity)
Continuing rowing 3x a week, VO2 max spin bike workout 1x per week (or sub for kettlebell ladder). Walking on the rest day. 

3. Focus on sleep/stress
I don't think I'll ever hit 8 hours a night, but I average 7, and with a good sleep score on my Oura ring, I'll consider that my best possible. I've started mediating for 20 minutes every day, which gets my heart rate into a nice low restorative rate. I plan to continue that. 

Things I want to look into further: 

1. Blood sugar 
I know I have insulin resistance from PCOS. But I'm not diabetic, nor pre-diabetic. I've been wearing a continuous blood glucose monitor for about 3 weeks just to see how it is I react to some foods, and to fasting. To be honest, I don't feel smart enough to really interpret the data in a meaningful way. But, it has been nice to see that I am definitely not diabetic in any way! 

2. Food prep
As a lifelong dieter of course I have experience in food prepping, and I constantly vacillate between wanting everything rigid and planned and portioned out... and living my life and enjoying cooking and deciding whats for dinner based on how I feel. But I think there is something in between, where I have my high-protein components ready to go to make that goal a little more attainable. 

Goals
I stopped trying to make weight-related goals with deadlines awhile ago. I never, EVER, ever hit those goals, and its just absolutely devastating every time! But, I asked Gemini for some reasonable goals and a deadline for them, and here's what it gave me: 

The May 29 numbers are from a DexaScan I did. So they are legit, and can be retested. So, 12-week goals are set. Off I go!