diff --git a/src/backend/vm.nim b/src/backend/vm.nim
index 5f13622..10e5f75 100644
--- a/src/backend/vm.nim
+++ b/src/backend/vm.nim
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ type
         ## this system and is not handled 
         ## manually by the VM
         bytesAllocated: tuple[total, current: int]
+        cycles: int
         nextGC: int
         pointers: HashSet[uint64]
         objects: seq[ptr HeapObject]
@@ -108,6 +109,7 @@ proc newPeonGC*: PeonGC =
     result.bytesAllocated = (0, 0)
     result.objects = @[]
     result.nextGC = FirstGC
+    result.cycles = 0
 
 
 proc collect*(self: var PeonVM)
@@ -121,18 +123,18 @@ proc reallocate*(self: var PeonVM, p: pointer, oldSize: int, newSize: int): poin
         if newSize == 0 and not p.isNil():
             when debugMem:
                 if oldSize > 1:
-                    echo &"DEBUG - Memory manager: Deallocating {oldSize} bytes of memory"
+                    echo &"DEBUG - MM: Deallocating {oldSize} bytes of memory"
                 else:
-                    echo "DEBUG - Memory manager: Deallocating 1 byte of memory"
+                    echo "DEBUG - MM: Deallocating 1 byte of memory"
         elif (oldSize > 0 and not p.isNil() and newSize > oldSize) or oldSize == 0:
             when debugMem:
                 if oldSize == 0:
                     if newSize > 1:
-                        echo &"DEBUG - Memory manager: Allocating {newSize} bytes of memory"
+                        echo &"DEBUG - MM: Allocating {newSize} bytes of memory"
                     else:
-                        echo "DEBUG - Memory manager: Allocating 1 byte of memory"
+                        echo "DEBUG - MM: Allocating 1 byte of memory"
                 else:
-                    echo &"DEBUG - Memory manager: Resizing {oldSize} bytes of memory to {newSize} bytes"
+                    echo &"DEBUG - M: Resizing {oldSize} bytes of memory to {newSize} bytes"
             self.gc.bytesAllocated.total += newSize - oldSize
             when debugStressGC:
                 self.collect()
@@ -171,19 +173,20 @@ proc allocate*(self: var PeonVM, kind: ObjectKind, size: typedesc, count: int):
     result = cast[ptr HeapObject](self.reallocate(nil, 0, sizeof(HeapObject)))
     setkind(result[], kind, kind)
     result.marked = false
-    self.gc.bytesAllocated.total += sizeof(HeapObject)
-    self.gc.bytesAllocated.current += sizeof(HeapObject)
     case kind:
         of String:
             result.str = cast[ptr UncheckedArray[char]](self.reallocate(nil, 0, sizeof(size) * count))
             result.len = count
         else:
             discard  # TODO
-    when debugAlloc:
-        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Allocated new object: {result[]}"
-    self.gc.bytesAllocated.current += sizeof(size) * count
     self.gc.objects.add(result)
     self.gc.pointers.incl(cast[uint64](result))
+    when debugAlloc:
+        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Allocated new object: {result[]}"
+        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Current heap size: {self.gc.bytesAllocated.current}"
+        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Total bytes allocated: {self.gc.bytesAllocated.total}"
+        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Tracked objects: {self.gc.pointers.len()}"
+        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Completed GC cycles: {self.gc.cycles}"
 
 
 proc mark(self: ptr HeapObject): bool =
@@ -282,6 +285,11 @@ proc free(self: var PeonVM, obj: ptr HeapObject) =
             discard  # TODO
     self.free(HeapObject, obj)
     self.gc.pointers.excl(cast[uint64](obj))
+    when debugAlloc:
+        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Current heap size: {self.gc.bytesAllocated.current}"
+        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Total bytes allocated: {self.gc.bytesAllocated.total}"
+        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Tracked objects: {self.gc.pointers.len()}"
+        echo &"DEBUG - GC: Completed GC cycles: {self.gc.cycles}"
 
 
 proc sweep(self: var PeonVM) = 
@@ -329,6 +337,7 @@ proc collect(self: var PeonVM) =
         let before = self.gc.bytesAllocated.current
         let time = getMonoTime().ticks().float() / 1_000_000
         echo &"DEBUG - GC: Starting collection cycle at heap size {self.gc.bytesAllocated.current}"
+        inc(self.gc.cycles)
     self.trace(self.markRoots())
     self.sweep()
     self.gc.nextGC = self.gc.bytesAllocated.current * HeapGrowFactor
diff --git a/tests/gc.pn b/tests/gc.pn
index 23dc5be..26e10be 100644
--- a/tests/gc.pn
+++ b/tests/gc.pn
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import std;
 
 
-var x = 1000000;
+var x = 1;
 var y = "just a test";
 print(y);
 print("Starting GC torture test");