It's Time to Make It Happen!


Hello, everyone! This is my first post here.

I have been reading T-Nation.com for about a month now. About seven years ago, I noticed my waist had increased a couple of inches. This wasn’t a bad thing per se (that only put me at a 34 in. waist), but nonetheless, I had gained some weight. Additionally, I began feeling more tired than usual.

So, I decided that I would start exercising and eating better and I managed to not only get back to my 32 in. waist, but I put on some muscle as well.

I’ll spare everyone the details of my life between now and then, but several factors contributed to me gaining the weight back and then some (a lot more actually).

I currently reside at 210 lbs. with about a 36 - 38 in. waist. I have developed high blood pressure (at only 27 yrs. of age), anxiety, depression and I often feel tired. My grandparents are diabetic and the prospect of a similar fate for me is scary.

Well, I am tired of it! Beginning today, I am making a change! There are no excuses!

I am going to try something radical and experimental. My diet for the next month will consist of protein shakes and healthy fat and fiber sources such as almonds and peanut butter. I will eat only one solid meal per day (other than the almonds and peanut butter), which will be my dinner. This meal will be healthy and clean. It will consist of lean protein and fibrous vegetables with minimal sodium. I will drink a ton of water and some green tea. I will be eating approximately 2,500 calories a day. I wouldn’t say that this is a low carb diet, but my carbs will be limited to about 150 g./day. About 30 of those will be from fiber.

I will be taking the following supplements:

-Biotest Metabolic Drive Super Protein Shakes
-Biotest Surge
-Biotest Flameout
-Biotest BCAAs
-Centrum Multivitamin
-COQ10
-Minus 10 ALA
-500mg Time Released Vitamin C

I largely chose these supplements based on information from this site and Gregg Avedon’s and John Berardi’s web sites.

I will be doing weight training from the Body-for-LIFE book three to four days a week. I won’t be doing much cardio (if any) during this month. I want to ensure that I do not lose any muscle.

My goal is to achieve some rapid fat loss while maintaining or gaining muscle mass. I also want to crush my cravings for unhealthy foods. I realize that this alone will not get me to my target weight and body. But I think it will give me a good jump start. I hope to make some new friends on here that can help me through this. And, I hope to be an inspiration to others.

I will post more measurements and information soon.

It’s time to make it happen!

NOTE: I am not looking to become a body builder, but rather to achieve physiques similar to those of Frank Shamrock and Gregg Avedon (see attached photo).

Bro, if you’re truly sick and tired of being fat and tired you can and will accomplish your goal. Do you want to be sickly, weak, and short of breath climbing a few stairs. Or do you want to be totally physically capable of handling anything life throws at you? It’s up to you!

Best wishes man and to borrow a phrase ‘just do it’

D

[quote]Dedicated wrote:
Bro, if you’re truly sick and tired of being fat and tired you can and will accomplish your goal. Do you want to be sickly, weak, and short of breath climbing a few stairs. Or do you want to be totally physically capable of handling anything life throws at you? It’s up to you!

Best wishes man and to borrow a phrase ‘just do it’

D[/quote]

Thank you very much, dedicated! The time has come and I am ready for the challenge! Thanks for your support!


Day 2 Diet and Exercise Log:

Today is day three of my diet and I am down 5.4 lbs.! I need to measure my body fat percentage today so that I can get a more accurate gauge of where the weight loss is coming from.

Day 3 Food Log:

Breakfast:
-1 c. Kefir Plain Probiotic Drink
-2 scoops Metabolic Drive Orange Creme
-3 Biotest Flameout caps
-3 Biotest BCAA caps
-1 Centrum Multivitamin
-1 500 mg Time-Released Vitamin C
-1 120 mg COQ10
-2 Fiber Choice tablets

Lunch:
-2 scoops Metabolic Drive Chocolate
-3 Biotest BCAA caps

Afternoon Snack:
-1 oz. plain, unsalted almonds
-2 Fiber Choice tablets

Pre-workout:
-2 scoops Metabolic Drive Vanilla
-1 oz. plain, unsalted almonds
-3 Biotest BCAA caps

Post-Workout:
-1 Atkins Chocolate Delight Shake

Dinner:
-8 oz. Grilled Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast cooked with pepper, garlic, and No Salt Seasoning
-1 c. string green beans w/1 tbsp. Smart Balance Light w/Flaxseed Oil Buttery Spread
-1 1/2 c. Black Beans w/a pinch of low fat cheese, 2 tbsp. low fat sour cream, and a pinch of chives

Evening Snack:
-1 Jif-to-Go peanut butter
-3 Biotest Flameout caps
-3 Biotest BCAA caps
-1 500 mg Time-Released Vitamin C

For my workout today, I walked a mile.

Overall, I felt good yesterday. I got really hungry about half an hour before lunch, but once I had my shake, I was good.

[quote]iamthesamurai wrote:
Day 3 Diet and Exercise Log:

Today is day three of my diet and I am down 5.4 lbs.! I need to measure my body fat percentage today so that I can get a more accurate gauge of where the weight loss is coming from.

[/quote]

Congrats on the weight loss and the resolution to make a change. You have a good plan set out with your diet and supplementation. I’m not very familiar with the work-out plan that Body-for-life uses, so I cannot comment much on that.

You aren’t on a low-carb diet, but it sounds like you are restricting your carbs anyway, which would lead to some rapid weight-loss through lowering your water retention. It’s pretty common to see a big drop quick in your diet, then for it to slow down. Don’t get discouraged if every week isn’t as fast as your first one, it’s sticking to the plan and being dedicated that will help you achieve your goals.

Good luck!

[quote]Syncharmony wrote:
I’m not very familiar with the work-out plan that Body-for-life uses, so I cannot comment much on that.[/quote]

Thanks for the encouragement!

The Body-for-LIFE weight lifting plan basically goes like this:

  1. You split workouts between upper and lower body
  2. You do six sets of exercises for each muscle group starting w/lower weight and more reps and moving through each set to higher weight and fewer reps. The idea is to work to failure in each set, resting one minute between each.

[quote]Syncharmony wrote:
You aren’t on a low-carb diet, but it sounds like you are restricting your carbs anyway, which would lead to some rapid weight-loss through lowering your water retention.[/quote]

I lost 5.4 lbs. in just the first two days. I think this was also related to the decreased sodium intake. I gained about 1.4 lbs. today. I am going to start measuring my body fat percentage and water weight percentage to get a better guage of where the weight loss is coming from. I want to mostly lose fat, not water. Plus, I know I will gain muscle as well.

Yesterday’s (Day 3) Diet and Exercise Log:

Today is day four of my diet. I gained 1.4 lbs. I’m not really sure what to make of that. I am aware that when you restrict carbohydrates, a lot of water weight can be lost. I don’t know if this is my body adjusting to the diet, if I gained some muscle from my two weight lifting workouts this week, or a combination of the two.

I measured my body fat percentage this morning so that I can get a more accurate gauge of where the weight loss is coming from. I am currently at 31% body fat and 50.3% water weight.

Day 3 Food Log:

I forgot my Flameout in the refrigerator yesterday morning and I forgot my peanut butter in the evening. Two things I forgot in one day. I gotta stay on the ball with that. I think it will get better as I get used to doing this.

Breakfast:
-1 c. Kefir Plain Probiotic Drink
-2 scoops Metabolic Drive Vanilla
-3 Biotest BCAA caps
-1 Centrum Multivitamin
-1 500 mg Time-Released Vitamin C
-1 120 mg COQ10
-2 Fiber Choice tablets

Lunch:
-2 scoops Metabolic Drive Vanilla
-3 Biotest BCAA caps

Afternoon Snack:
-1 oz. plain, unsalted almonds
-2 Fiber Choice tablets

Pre-workout:
-2 scoops Metabolic Drive Chocolate
-1 oz. plain, unsalted almonds
-3 Biotest BCAA caps

Post-Workout:
-2 scoops Surge Root Beer Float

Dinner:
-Stroganoff made with 12 oz. 99% lean turkey, squash substituted for noodles, onions, low fat sour cream, dijon mustard, paprika, and chives. A small amount of whole wheat flour was added to thicken the sauce a little.

Evening Snack:
-3 Biotest Flameout caps
-3 Biotest BCAA caps
-1 500 mg Time-Released Vitamin C

For my workout today, I did lower body weight lifting and abs. Lunges, leg curls, leg extensions, calf raises, crunches, and ax chops.

Overall, I felt pretty good yesterday. I got really hungry about around 3 p.m. and I was having some serious cravings for bad foods. There is a lot of free food where I work, but I’ve managed to resist it all!

I also noticed that I felt kind of tired at a couple of points yesterday. I pushed really hard during my workout, almost making myself sick and I sometimes felt like I didn’t have a lot of energy to do it. I pushed through it though!

January 10, 2007 (Day 4) Diet and Exercise Log:

Today is day five of my diet. I lost 0.4 lbs.

Day 3 Food Log:

Breakfast:
-1 c. Kefir Plain Probiotic Drink
-2 scoops Metabolic Drive Orange Creme
-3 Biotest BCAA caps
-1 Centrum Multivitamin
-1 500 mg Time-Released Vitamin C
-1 120 mg COQ10
-2 Fiber Choice tablets

Lunch:
-2 scoops Metabolic Drive Chocolate
-3 Biotest BCAA caps

Afternoon Snack:
-1 oz. plain, unsalted almonds
-2 Fiber Choice tablets

Pre-workout:
-2 scoops Metabolic Drive Vanilla
-1 oz. plain, unsalted almonds
-3 Biotest BCAA caps

Post-Workout:
-Atkins Chocolate Delight Protein Shake

Dinner:
-Stuffed boneless, skinless chicken breast (stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, and feta cheese), black beans topped with low-fat cheese and chives

Evening Snack:
-Jif-to-Go peanut butter
-3 Biotest Flameout caps
-3 Biotest BCAA caps
-1 500 mg Time-Released Vitamin C

For my workout today, I walked on the treadmill for an hour. My legs are still nice and sore from my leg workout yesterday. I love that feeling!

Yesterday was perhaps my best so far in terms of how I felt overall. I had some cravings for bad foods, but they seem to be diminishing some So far this week, I have resisted pizza, sandwiches, chips, cookies, M&Ms, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Jack-in-the-Box, BBQ, and Mexican food. And that’s just what’s around me at work!

Don’t make too much of the weight fluctuations. Are you weighing the same time of day (should be morning)? I weigh myself the same day weekly. Keeps me sane.

Yeah, only weigh yourself once a week, on an empty stomach (no water even) and after the bathroom. This will give you a concrete number. Weigh yourself anymore, and you could start to play mind games on yourself.

Oh, and this sounds like a modified V-Diet. Well, not really, but that’s the first thing I thought. Walk every day for 45 minutes or so, not just as a workout. This will help you too.

Would you do us a favor and post the BFL workouts, sets/reps, etc? That way we can see what’s going on.

Stay strong. The first week is the easiest. The second/third weeks are the hardest, and then it gets easier. No Cheat meals!

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
Don’t make too much of the weight fluctuations. Are you weighing the same time of day (should be morning)? I weigh myself the same day weekly. Keeps me sane.[/quote]

Thanks for the thoughts! I am weighing myself at the same time of day. I do it in the morning after using the restroom and before eating or drinking anything.

I’m not so much concerned with exactly how much I weigh as I am the effects of the diet. I’m anxious to see what’s going on (good or bad), but I know I need to be patient.

[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Yeah, only weigh yourself once a week, on an empty stomach (no water even) and after the bathroom. This will give you a concrete number. Weigh yourself anymore, and you could start to play mind games on yourself.[/quote]

See my quote above.

[quote]Aragon wrote:
Oh, and this sounds like a modified V-Diet. Well, not really, but that’s the first thing I thought.[/quote]

Yes, this is a modified V-Diet. I kind of want to experiment to see what works best for me. I was (am) also considering the TNT Diet. Any thoughts on that?

Sure thing! Thanks!

If you are going to weigh yourself everyday, then put it in a spreadsheet and calculate the 7 day moving average and watch the trend of this line. That will eliminate the daily fluctuations.