struggling with diet
Hey everyone,
For context I used to be a collegiate athlete who ballooned up 130lbs after covid. The last few years I’ve been struggling to be consistent in the gym but discovered Mike mentzers HIT style and it’s been working for me the last 6 months. Maintaining a consistent diet has been really difficult for me, and I was wondering if any one had some advice on how to address some key issues.
I’m lifting to failure 2-3 days a week, and getting on average 2 hours on the stationary bike per week for cardio.
*my maintenance level of calories before I got my diet under control was 3300-3500 calories per day the last two weeks I cut down to 2200-2400 calories per day. Is there a safer middle ground? My primary care doctor wants me in the 12-16% BF and around 170-180lbs. I don’t need to hit it tomorrow but I want set my diet to hit that goal. Ideally I get to my goal weight in 18 months…
Is there a way to take away my starvation feeling?
* I work in sales and taking clients out for meals 3-5 times a week is very common. How do I track calories for those meals and stay on top of things?
* working in sales also leads to lots of happy hours, do I need to suck it up and stop drinking for 6-12 months while I get my weight under control. Is there any tips or tricks to stay on my diet while maintaining the social cues?
* any ideas for healthy snacks? I’ve already replaced soda with sparkling water and a small amount of powder drink mix