It's becoming quite a struggle to stay on task and finish out this current phase for these last 3 weeks.   I am dying to switch gears - not because things aren't going well, but because everything IS going so well.

I didn't have any hard-and-fast goals for this first 12-week phase other than to "get lean again" and I figured that would likely have me at the 220-pound mark.  I am 221 now with 3 weeks to go and my strength has been through the roof (along with hunger).  As much as I am growing right now, I feel like I might be limiting that growth by keeping my calories too low.  

I am not depleted at any point in the week from dieting so that is a good feeling.  I am not losing energy or strength, pump, etc., as the week progresses as if I was dieting to pull body fat for a contest.  The body fat is basically just falling off without much effort, really.  I mean, I am in a deficit, but it is such a small deficit that I am dropping body fat without any hunger issues until about the last 3 weeks or so.  Keep in mind that this is also with zero cardio.  

The workouts at the end of the week are still strong, but they aren't as strong as the first workout or two of the week, simply because I am so freakin' full coming off of my Skiploads right now that I feel I have a pump before I ever get to the gym.  By the time I actually do get a pump, it is painful.  Add to this that my strength progression has gone up every single week and there seems no indication that it is going to stop for the next 3 weeks before I finish this 12-week phase.

Now, as much as I am not feeling depleted or losing energy, the hunger as Friday approaches (sometimes even Thursday) is getting to be pretty insane.  This is related to my IGF levels and I haven't dealt with this in well over 10 years.  It isn't "new," per se, but it has been so long since I have dealt with this that it seems new.  I will go so far as to say this:  If it weren't for my IGF levels being so much higher right now, this type of hunger would definitely have me depleted and have my workouts suffering by Thursday or Friday every week.

Here is my paradox (if I can call it that):
I want to get slightly leaner and over the next 3 weeks, I definitely will.  I will likely continue to get stronger by progressing either in weight and/or reps for the next 3 weeks, as well.  I just know that I could progress even better if I were to just pack up this current body-fat-loss phase 3 weeks early and transition to higher calories right now.

Bitch is, I committed and I set a plan and I am not going to change that plan simply because it is working even better than I had anticipated it would.  

The reality is that over the next 3 weeks, my strength might begin to plateau and that will make the timing even that much better for me to up the calories and push my strength to a new all-time high as I get into 2019.  Of course, I will be a pound or two leaner before transitioning to the new phase, as well, so that is always a good thing.

I already have my first nutritional adjustment locked and ready to go and this is going to seem incredibly insignificant to a lot of you, but I can assure you that it is going to yield pretty damn good results for at least the first 3-4 weeks of 2019:

I am adding 16g of fat to my regular diet during the week and I will be increasing carbs from 90g on training days to 150g, but only for the Thursday and Friday training days each week (to start).  I function just fine for the workouts on Mondays and Tuesdays so I won't need added carbs there (just added fat).  By the time the hunger starts to kick later in the week, the added carbs for the Thursday and Friday workouts should cause quite an impact and get me through to the Skipload on Sundays without a lot of added hunger.  If my strength is improving as well as it is now while in a deficit, these added calories should create an even better environment for progress moving forward.

How long will this first adjustment last?  Hard telling.  It could last a couple of weeks or it could last a couple months.  Those that know me, know that I won't change anything as long as it is working.  If it shows signs of not working well, I will make another change.

I will also be doing the last set of pictures to show the progression every 4 weeks through the 12-week phase.  In addition, I will also be doing another DEXA scan to show the change in body fat and lean muscle mass during the last 8 weeks of this 12-week phase, as well.  

If it weren't for this being the last leg of the 12-week phase, I would probably be blowing off the entire week of Christmas to enjoy food and not train.  I am glad that I am so focused on ending this 12-week phase strong and excited about the current progress as this is keeping me on track 100%.

Now, I make no promises for the weekend when I transition to the next phase, though.  I might blow off both Saturday and Sunday by resting and just eat whatever I want before cleaning it up again for another 12-week run.  Being normal for a couple of days would be nice.