So, my endless efforts and constant shifts in approach have proven fruitful. While they haven't brought me to my goal, they have taught me inestimable lessons.
I had cut my calories too early in the process. Taking in 1800 or so calories while at 9.3 body fat left me no where to go in terms of calorie reduction. Any added training (especially cardio) resulted in my body conserving fat. In point of fact, once I realized this and stopped dieting and exercising for a few days (this took place after 2 weeks of energy balance and intensified cardio and lowered calories - see previous posts) my body fat dropped to 8.9%. My muscles seemed to inflate as if to say they were starved.
At the behest of Marc Plano (my personal trainer and expert in fat loss) I've taken a week off from both exercise and dieting. As much as this is psychologically difficult, I trust that this course is wise in that it's given my body the opportunity to reset its thermostat. My goal now is to stack on muscle, to literally gain muscle weight and some fat weight. I'll do this by weight training three days a week and doing a minimal of cardio all while incorporating more fats and calories in general into my body. Summer is still 8-12 weeks away, so, it's really propitious that I'm not at 5-6% bodyfat since it's about 28 degrees outside and impossible for anyone to see me in such peak form.
Tomorrow I go to pick up my nutrition and exercise plan. I'm excited to learn more about my body and the process of radical fat loss. My only fear is that I'm going to stack too much muscle on my short frame.
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