Compared with last week’s first proper update, this one felt almost suspiciously normal. Nobody was ill. Sleep was good. Stress was low. Training was fine, food was fine, and home felt better as well. Apart from the car making strange noises and me waiting to find out how much that is going to cost, I have not really got much to moan about.

Training

All three gym sessions got done, same as planned.

Best lift this week was close-grip bench press for 80kg x 8. That felt solid. Properly solid, not just me trying to make a normal set sound more exciting than it was. Nothing felt off this week either, which is rare enough to be worth saying.

The only funny bit was on the row machine. I loaded it wrong and ended up doing the set with 10kg more than I meant to. I was only supposed to get 8 reps and I struggled my way to 6, then realised why afterwards. Fair enough. That explained it.

I was in the office on Tuesday and Thursday, then worked from home the rest of the week. I also did a bit of overtime on my own accord because I am trying to build something useful for the company. Even with that, getting the sessions in did not feel like a massive ordeal this time. That probably says more about the week as a whole than it does about motivation.

Food

This was the better part of the week again.

Nutrition was a 10 out of 10, and all seven days were on track. Calories stayed below the 2,000 target every day, and protein was at least 100g a day across the week. No big slip-up, no fake “cheat meal”, no point pretending there was some dramatic battle going on when there was not.

Tuna pasta salad did a lot of the work. I had that four times this week. Then I meal prepped mash potatoes, chicken and mixed vegetables as another easy option. Nothing fancy, but it meant dinner was already sorted before I got to the point in the evening where convenience starts sounding reasonable.

That is probably the main thing I keep coming back to with all of this. When food is already there, I am much less likely to talk myself into rubbish. It is not deep. It is just easier to stay on track when the decent option is the easy option.

I also had a chocolate croissant from Lidl on Sunday and did not feel guilty about it at all, because it still fit the calories. That is how I need this to work. If I try to act like I am never going to have treats, the whole thing turns into something I will eventually get bored of and quietly pack in.

The Numbers

• Current weight: 76.9kg
• Weekly average weight: 77.0kg
• Waist: 89cm
• Steps average: 5.7k
• Gym sessions: 3 out of 3
• Nutrition: 7 out of 7 days on track
• Calories: below 2,000 a day
• Protein: at least 100g a day

The weight is moving in the right direction. Not in some dramatic way, but it is moving. That is enough for me.

The steps are not massive, but I am not chasing a stupid number there either. If training is done, food is on track, and the average weight is coming down, I am not going to pretend 5.7k steps means the week was somehow a failure.

The Honest Bit

This is the awkward part, because there was not really a hard bit this week.

That is the honest answer. It was easier because life was easier.

I wrote in the first post about why I am putting this online that stress usually spills into food, patience, and everything else. This week was the reverse. Sleep was a 10 out of 10, stress was only a 3, and nobody was poorly. When that happens, it is much easier to train, much easier to eat properly, and much easier not to feel all over the place.

That does not mean I have suddenly got everything sorted. I am still working on my patience and attitude with the girls. Better than last week, yes, but still not where I want it to be. I am not going to pretend that one decent week means that part is fixed.

The other annoying thing hanging over the week was the car. It went in for an inspection because of a strange noise, and there are a few bits that need fixing. I am still waiting for the quote. Not ideal, but also fairly standard when you are driving an 18-year-old car.

On the plus side, my wife is doing well with her driving lessons, which I am happy about. Home in general felt fine this week. All good. Nobody sick. Izabela is back at nursery starting Monday. It all felt a lot more normal than last week, and normal helped.

If I am honest, this week is probably a better example of how simple this can be when life does not keep throwing stupid little problems into it. Three sessions. Food ready. Calories tracked. Sleep decent. Done.

Next Week

I do not need some new plan for next week. I just need more of this.

Three sessions again. Same calorie target. Keep protein where it has been. Keep meal prep simple. Keep the treats in if they fit, rather than acting like I am above wanting a pastry. Wait for the car quote and hope it is not ridiculous.

If next week is as boring as this one, I will take that quite happily.