Trust the process

Hello and welcome back to Tobias Talks

Trusting the process. It's a hard concept that can mean many things.

This week I weighed in at 283.2lbs, 0.2lbs higher than I was last week. This could be for many reasons, there are a couple of meals that I didn't track and these could have accounted for a larger calorie intake than I had planned. I have also gone to the gym every day this week and as a new lifter there is a good chance I have built some muscle too, which as we all know is denser than fat.

There is a 3rd thought that has crossed my mind related to the quality of the food that I am eating. I'm a firm believer in the CICO concept but a part of trusting the process is trusting the process of gaining knowledge, making mistakes and altering the plan accordingly. This may be beneficial as the nutritional profile of higher cost foods such as grass-fed beef and organic vegetables is better than corn-fed beef and pesticide-covered veg. Though I think it's more likely that pushing a bit harder in the gym and being more accurate and consistent with tracking my diet will yield greater results than merely increasing the quality of the food, at least in a measurable way. This may be something I change in the future, perhaps as a way to break through a future plateau.

Remember that this is my life, not a funded experiment so my diet is on a budget, for two reasons, one of necessity, cost of living crisis ya'll and the second as a way to help those in the same position. It's simple and easy to transform yourself physically if you are a successful actor or musician, someone who is essentially a multi-millionaire with a lot of free time. But those people don't need our help, the busy parents living on a budget are who we are here for. Cheap and easily cooked foods, mostly that can be prepared in advance, are the name of the game. And exercises wise, I am an overweight 30 year old man, if you think you can't do it, then just look at me, I'm doing it. Day in, Day out.

No real changes for next week, I will stick to the plan. I believe for an eating and exercise plan to be proven effective, or otherwise, it needs to be maintained consistently for at least a month. I will continue to target the daily goal of 2200 calories and aim for the macro split of 30% Carbs, 30% Fat and 40% Protein. Exercise wise I will continue to work a push/pull/legs split 3 days a week at the gym, with a form of cardio one day of the weekend, either swimming or a hike.

I have some ideas for improvements to make in February but for now, I am trusting the process.

Your friend, Tobias.