End of week 1

Weigh-in and measurements come tomorrow morning.

I did not have an actual crash today, but I was on the verge of it most of the day.  Grumpy on and off, energy levels lacking, etc.

Mostly, I viewed this first week as pure acclimation.  I doubt that I will have much in the way of results during the weigh-in.  Getting used to the diet and dialing in my workouts means that I was not able to push myself as hard as I would have liked.  I will make up for it in subsequent weeks.

General view of this week:

The diet has been very easy to follow, provided I remember to eat frequently enough.  The increased carbs on my high & medium days makes the meals much more satisfying.  Even the low days are not too arduous, with the increased protein and nuts.  I have crashed out a few times this week, regardless of my meal schedule.  Likewise, my mood has gone south a few times.  Not as bad as when I was dieting, but still annoying.

The workouts were difficult only for the rep ranges.  After years of sticking with 8 reps or fewer per set, the 10-12 reps are brutal.  Unfortunately, I really feel like I accomplished nothing at all this week in terms of lifting.  Aside from a couple of arm exercises, I never felt like I truly was working hard.  The front squats made my quads shaky, but primarily because I have not done them in a long time.  The back squats merely felt like weighted cardio.  Next week I will be going up in weight on everything, and hopefully my increases paired with the additional sets and decreased rest periods will make me feel like I am accomplishing something.

I have discovered that I can do hamstring curls and leg extensions without pain, provided I use the bench attachment and not cables.  This makes me inordinately pleased.