Alright, so, I know it's been a while since I've posted anything about the grand project of reshaping my body. That's because it's phase-change time. I've lost pretty much all the fat I can lose without being unhealthily thin, and toned up as much as I can on a reduction diet with home weights.

So, the first thing I did was take myself off a strict counting diet to see if I could manage my weight by "feel." Turns out, after 200 days of counting calories, I have adjusted my body's internal feelings of hunger and satiation pretty damn well. I stopped counting calories on the 23rd of November, and as I sit here now on December 07 ( A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY ), I have maintained and even lost a little weight. I'm holding around 155 lbs without straining, struggling, or counting. I don't feel especially hungry, and my body feels in good working order.

So, now that I've learned how to control my body's energy intake/exhaust in a balanced fashion, it's time to take the next step. I've lost 20 pounds of flab over the past six+ months, and now it's time to put that weight back on as muscle.

To that end, I'm joining up with 24 Hour Fitness tomorrow, and will start doing my workout there instead of at home. In addition, I'm going on a muscle-building (anabolic) diet. I'll start with 2200 kcals per day, with a goal of between 30% and 40% calories from protein (165-220g protein). This is going to mean some pretty fundamental shifts in how I eat. Pastries are going to pretty much fall out of my diet. Subway is really far too carby. I'll go back to taking daily pictures and posting logs, and you can expect to see a lot of "protein shake" and "eye of round" on there.

Luckily, my favorite item on the Taco Bell menu is 21% calories from protein, so I can still have the occasional grilled stuffed burrito.