Happy New Year⭐️
Monday, December 29
154.1 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (1/6)
Even though I got back last night, I woke up feeling good, trained, did meal prep, and worked in the lab late into the evening. The weather was unbelievably nice…! (I love SF) I felt grateful again. New York was great, but it was a bit cold🥶
Tuesday, December 30
154.0 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (2/6)
Hit the gym, went to Costco, and had a quiet day. I feel some impatience. I thought I had studied enough to start applying the new protocol, but there are more variables than expected. Even with a detailed protocol, there are many considerations I must keep in mind as I try each step myself. One relief is that the protein design part finally feels almost done. The qual is coming up, and I need to meet with several committee members. Going Forward!
Wednesday, December 31
154.3 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (3/6)
Last day of the year. Going to the gym is non-negotiable😛 Since returning from Korea, I have been working out harder than ever and I think I have found a method that fits my body. Next year I want to build my physique with no regrets. I am increasing my weight slowly, without rushing. My body weight has not risen much since the latest cut, but I am gradually increasing daily calories, so I am not worried. I restarted protein prep in the Shokat lab using my current “best practice,” but it is taking a long time. There must be a better way. I spent almost the entire day on it. I learned a lot, but I also feel a little bit frustrated by how long optimization takes.
Thursday, January 1
154.4 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (4/6)
Happy New Year. The gym was closed, so I ran in light rain, grabbed a morning coffee, and went home. In the afternoon, I went grocery shopping at Safeway, then cooked a tenderloin steak using techniques I learned from several YouTube videos. It was decent, but the Costco cut was very thick such that even with two resting steps and a probe thermometer, the doneness was not perfectly even. Next time I will try reverse searing. It still tasted good with butter arroser. I watched “Culinary Class Wars Season 2 (흑백요리사2)”, which I really enjoyed. A very restful day. I do not feel everything is going well yet, but I hope to spend this year in a way that makes me proud of myself.
Friday, January 2
154.9 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (5/6)
I changed my lifting program a bit again. For now it feels right, and I now have a clear intensity standard, so I will not regress. Work was steady. The labs are still quiet, and I noticed again how simply being around hard-working people boosts my own drive. I am not that old, but I can feel willpower is not what it used to be. I need to keep placing myself in environments with people I can learn from, so the spark stays alive.
Saturday, January 3
154.7 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (6/6)
Workout, experiments, and an evening run. I noticed I felt mentally (sort of) sensitive today. I want to be less reactive and more tolerant when something pokes at my emotions. Looking back, I tend to keep thinking until I reach a conclusion. Exercise and focused work help me reset, but I also want to become more resilient on my own this year.
