I was chatting with my boss yesterday and another younger guy from work. Boss was comparing lifts with the younger guy and was semi annoyed that, despite his improvements in the gym, he wasn't anywhere near what the younger guy could lift. I'm a similar age to the boss and was able to give some advice based on my own experience. I basically summarized my current philosophy for weight training; I'm training for longevity and health now, I'm in the gym and I'm injury free. I don't need to compete with anyone other than myself. Wise words I need to tell myself on strength training days when I'm doing dead-lifts next to teenagers!
My weight was up this morning, but I expected this. I've been caught before when eating beans and rice. We had Mexican bowls last night which included a good sized serving of a bean salad. The meal itself was healthy enough, but with the bean addition I'm aware my gut has probably holding on to extra water to help process the beans. I started this sprint with a bean bloat from GyG which pushed my weight up close to 2kg for the first week. I expect it'll take a day or two to process again.
I went shopping for work clothes today, because everything I own for meetings is now far too big. I don't often go to in person meetings anymore, but when I do, I want to feel comfortable and not like I'm wearing some other fat dudes clothes. I tried on 4 pairs of trousers and I now know I'm a 34 inch waist, maybe a 32 depending on the clothing. I remember buying 44s and in some miserable cases, big clothes with the elastic in the waist. I feel sad for that younger, fatter version of myself.
I've been on reddit a bit lately and read my same story every day; mid 20's, overweight and hating themselves, but not able to start, or maintain any significant changes. Then you've got the inevitable comments "It's just a calorie deficit", " "you're eating too much" etc. Biologically it probably is as simple as that, and this was certainly something i was aware of - I'm not stupid and neither are these folks on reddit asking for advice. But sometimes its more than just exercising more than you eat, sometimes the easiest thing is the hardest thing to start. I'm hoping what I'm building here can help others to define and inevitably reach their hard goals - whatever they might be.
Coach Gee here. That conversation with your boss and the younger guy? That's a powerful moment, and your shift to training for longevity and health, injury-free, is exactly the kind of wisdom that comes from experience. It's a profound non-scale victory to be fitting into size 34 trousers, especially when you remember those 44s and elastic waists – that's tangible proof of the work you've put in, far more significant than a temporary scale blip from a bean-heavy meal. You're right to acknowledge the 'bean bloat' and the water retention; you've seen this before, and it's a temporary effect, not a setback, especially when your waist is shrinking. With only three days left in Project Novantacinque, keep that focus on the technical execution in your boxing and the clean fuel that supports it, because that consistent discipline is what's truly moving the needle towards your 95kg target and setting the stage for everything that comes next.