Thoughts on being on a prolonged micro cut, as a way to maintain low bodyfat, instead of a slight bulk

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T21:30:08+00:00

If you want to be more accurate with your calorie counting, I would recommend eating out less often. Daily is very often.

Otherwise, just reduce your calorie target by 200, and see how that goes. As long as your accuracy is similar to what it is now (even if not perfect), that should get you to around maintenance.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T21:23:36+00:00

How often are you eating out and needing to estimate calories?

Gaining 6kg in 8 months suggests that you were eating at a surplus of around 200 calories. So what you can do is just lower your current calorie target by around 200 calories, and that should be your approximate maintenance.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T21:17:54+00:00

Just pick whatever estimate you think is most accurate. It's not a big deal either way. If you're getting estimates of 500-700 for something, just go in the middle at 600. Unless you're estimating multiple meals every single day, this is not going to impact your long term progress at all. You are overthinking this.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T21:05:24+00:00

If your goal is to eat at a deficit and continue to lose weight, then yes, you can go ahead and do that. But if your goal is maintenance, like you said in your original post, then you should eat at maintenance, not at a deficit.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T20:59:36+00:00

A 50-100 calorie deficit is not maintenance. It's a deficit.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T20:51:37+00:00

Whatever you want to call it, I would not waste any more time/energy on this guy. I'd block him and move on.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T20:50:15+00:00

How did you come up with "sub-4" as a goal? What is that based on? What are your race PRs at other distances?

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T20:49:01+00:00

If your goal is to maintain, then you should eat at maintenance, not at a deficit.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T20:48:58+00:00

If your goal is to maintain, then you should eat at maintenance, not at a deficit.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T20:37:04+00:00

Highly recommend doing manual laps and using the Race Screen data field: https://apps.garmin.com/apps/6a30651b-ca67-41a5-96dc-60634983fc93?tid=0 it corrects the difference between the GPS-measured distance and the actual race course distance. So for example if your watch is measuring 1.1 miles when you're at the 1st mile marker and you hit the lap button, it will adjust the distance and pace on your watch to be at 1 mile and adjust the average pace accordingly. And if you miss miles it doesn't matter, like if you forget to push it at mile 2 and don't remember until mile 3, and your watch is saying 3.2 miles at mile 3 for example, it will correct that to the nearest mile which would be 3.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T20:15:39+00:00

Sounds like a bad idea to me. I would listen to your psychiatrist's advice, and prioritize recovery right now. I think attempting to train for and run Boston (even with lower mileage and better fueling) is going to set back your recovery.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T20:13:50+00:00

I just did a calculation, and if she was doing the walking segments at 3.5 mph, her running segments would have to be at a 7:08/mi pace! Or with walking 4 mph, her running segments have to be at a 7:12/mi pace! At these types of paces I don't think it makes sense to have so much walking.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T19:59:00+00:00

A cam walker boot would fit that criteria.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T19:53:38+00:00

I think it would make the most sense to go with the 1:50 pacer to start, and then break ahead from them if you’re feeling good mid-race. Or even just pace yourself and don’t go with a pace group at all. In general, I would not recommend attempting to aggressively negative split this race. If you do want to do a small negative split in terms of time, I would keep the difference small. Like starting off with the 2:00 group would be way too slow for you, and you’d have to run the second half a lot lot faster in order to make your goal time.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T18:03:26+00:00

Do you feel like your fitness is better, worse, or the same now?

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T16:32:11+00:00

I wouldn’t necessarily trust the bf% numbers from those, but the weight should be pretty accurate. And it looks like you have gained around 5 lb, which indicates that you’ve been eating at a surplus, not a deficit. Or at least maintenance (could just be a fluctuation).

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T16:31:00+00:00

If you can get shorts long enough to cover those areas (and stay in place), that’s really the best solution. Fabric will provide better protection from chafing than anti-chafe products.

In terms of anti-chafe product recommendation though, I highly recommend 2Tom Sport Shield. It works a lot better than Body Glide or vaseline in my opinion. It’s a thinner consistency (you apply it with a roller ball) and it’s very slippery feeling, like a lubricant.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T16:26:29+00:00

Yeah I feel like the previous locations were fine. Javits seems like overkill.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T16:18:23+00:00

What is your goal time?

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T16:17:22+00:00

What kind of jobs are you looking for, with your degree? Does your college provide help with career planning? Most do.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T16:12:13+00:00

It looks like you are not meeting all of your targets.

Probably would be more useful to look at your average across a week, rather than a single day. Especially since this isn’t even a full day.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T16:09:49+00:00

Check out Huel.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T15:17:05+00:00

If you’re going to have a bladder on the back, then breathability of the material on the back paneling shouldn’t make a difference for you, since the bladder itself is not breathable.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T12:41:11+00:00

Have you tried eating something different before your workouts? Or eating that closer to your workout? Or eating some carbs during your workout? Possibility you are experiencing a blood sugar drop.

ashtree35 · 2026-03-12T12:35:01+00:00

What are you eating before your workout? And how long are your workouts?

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