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I've been absent for the last challenge, but I haven't been a total slacker. Have decided to return to the fold and start keeping an official log again. Goal Still continuing on my goal to get my BF% down to around 15% for my wedding in November. Missions Workout 4 times a week, following the You Are Your Own Gym routine that I've been using. Stay hydrated, drinking 6-8 big glasses of water every day. Eating grains on a limited basis, as part of a post-workout meal that also counts for my lunch that day.Objectives Work out: A - 4x that weekB - 3x that weekC - 2x that weekHydration A - 6 big glasses of waterB - 5C - 4Grains A - Only after a workout OR Not at all if a rest day.B - Eaten on a workout day, but not as part of a post-workout meal or snack.C - Eaten on a rest day. I have a friend who has been powerlifting for a while and I may switch out some of my usual workouts for that with her. Not sure how I'll count that yet, but I'm excited to try it.

As you can see from my topic title, there will be more of a story element to this challenge. Story element coming soon! ---------- Hi everyone! I'm back! India was awesome and very challenging. I came back with a greater respect for issues of social justice, and desiring my negative social footprint to be smaller than it currently is. I also came back about 8 pounds heavier (from around 187 to around 195) and about 2.25" bigger (from about 38.5" to about 40.75") around my midsection. Needless to say the food was amazing. I've spent the last 2-3 weeks bringing those numbers back down closer to where they were before I left. While they're not quite back to where they were yet, I have made significant progress towards that end. As of today, I'm down to 191.4 lbs and back to 40" around the ol' belly. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself! To that end, I want to keep that forward momentum going, with one or two tweaks. Here are my basic goals. I'll flesh them out more in a little while. Goal 1: Lose 3% body fat Start: 29.2%Goal: 26.2%Points up for grabs: 2 DEX | 3 WISGoal 2: Lose 1.5" from midsection Start: 40"Goal: 38.5"Points up for grabs: 1 CON | 1 CHAGoal 3: Complete graduated pull-up/chin-up training once and for all Points up for grabs: 4 STR | 3 STALife: Get rid of 50 lbs of stuff Points up for grabs: 1 WISBecause I normally weigh in on Fridays, my challenge starts TODAY!

So, I used the same method of measuring I always do for determining my body fat %. 6 months ago I calculated at 22%BF while 229lbs. Today I weighed in at 211lbs and 24%BF. What I think this is telling me is that while on my cuts, I'm not getting enough protein and thus my muscle is being consumed along side of my fat storage to fuel the workouts - which would cause a loss in weight as well as a percentage increase in BF. Am I interpreting this correctly? Should I be dramatically boosting my protein intake in order to burn more actual fat and lower bf% while continuing to cut weight down?

Edited to move post.

Air bending= Cardio/endurance Water bending= flexibility/agility Earth bending= weightlifting/strength Fire bending= nutrition/fat burning The Avatar's Progress (Spreadsheet) Book 0: Air Goal: Swim 1k < 25:00 (2:30/100m pace) [+3 STA] "But Drew," you may ask, "Shouldn't swimming be a waterbending goal?" Nope! Swimming is a tough cardio endurance activity. And if you're in the pool and don't have air, you tend to drown. Doctors have informed me that's bad. Starting ability: My last 1k swim time was 26:52. That was a month ago. How will I achieve greatness? Get to the pool; it's freaking summer! Swim Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. This was originally a run goal, but my knees need a break; my run goal will reappear in the sequel. Grading: A: <25:00 B: 25:15-25:30 C: 25:30-26:00 D: 26:00-26:30 F: >26:30 Book 1: Water Goal: Stretch (static stretches, yoga, etc.) at least 4 hours a week [+3 DEX] Starting ability: I do yoga maybe 20 minutes to half an hour in the evenings maybe 2 or 3 times a week. I haven’t really been very committed yet. How will I achieve greatness? Attend a yoga class on weeks 1, 3, and 5 to get guidance from someone that knows better than I do; other than that, ½ hour at wake up, ½ hour in the evening 4 days a week. Grading: Each hour of stretching is 4 points. Max points in a week is 20. Points accumulate over the 6 weeks. A: >90pts B: 80-89 pts C: 70-79 pts D: 60-69 pts F: <60 pts Book 2: Earth Goal: Do a muscle up [+3 STR, +1 CON] Starting ability: I'm at 9 on both my deadhang pullups and dips. This was originally a clean & jerk goal, but my knees need a break. The clean & jerk goal will reappear in the sequel. How will I achieve greatness? Pullups and dips in the morning Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. Grading: A: Muscle up achieved! B: PUs & Dips > 15 C: 14-13 PUs & Dips D: 12-11 PUs & Dips F: PUs & Dips < 11 Book 3: Fire Goal: Reduce body fat to <10% [+2 CON, +1 CHA] Starting ability: Various calculators online gave me a median BF% of 13.3% based on measurements. How will I achieve greatness? Diet & exercise, friends. Drink only water & lots of it, stick to low glycemic carbs, and I need to up the protein so I burn fat and not muscle. Grading: A: BF<10% B: 10%<BF<11% C: 11%<BF<12% D: 12<BF<13% F: BF>13% Avatar state (Life Goal) Goal: Study for the GMAT at least 4 hours per week [+2 WIS] Starting ability: Math's great, reading comprehension's good. Vocab & writing are the neediest areas. How will I achieve greatness? Study an hour per night two nights during the week, and an hour a day on the weekends. Grading: 4 points per hour of study. Max points per week is 20. A: >90pts B: 80-89 pts C: 70-79 pts D: 60-69 pts F: <60 pts Currently training for: Brigade Combatives Tournament (late August)Warrior Dash (early November)I look forward to doing this 6-week challenge. I'll be in Disney World during week 6. That should make things fun & interesting. Don't expect too many barbells there. -Drew