Alright, this is my second rodeo. I did the diet a couple of years ago with some success. But I wasn’t able to sustain it and the last year has seen me put on 20+lbs, and lose some muscle mass in the process. I was working in an office back when I did this the first time, whereas now I have a fridge full of food downstairs at all times, but that’s part of the fun, right?
I get my shipment by EOD today, so I’ll officially start the diet tomorrow, but will get in a workout today. I’ll post my measurements and pics later, but figured I’d get some feedback on my training plan. I like the 3/7 method that was posted recently and thought I would do 3 days on, 1 day off, and repeat. Basically hit two muscle groups a day, one exercise for each, and aim to get in almost 2 sessions per muscle group per week. I’ve got bands and 60lb adjustable dumbbells at home, but also have a trainer-only gym I can get to periodically, so I’ll see if they can kick my ass once or twice a week of the stars align. I’ve also got a peloton and a treadmill at home.
I have all the tools, and no more room for excuses, so consider this my accountability log. Work is hectic at times, so is having 3 young kids and 2 young dogs. But being 30+lbs overweight sucks and flirting with metabolic syndrome isn’t my kind of side piece, so it’s time to change. Oh, and I’ve got a work trip to Europe in 6 weeks so dropping 20lbs by then is also highly motivating.
Please don’t hold any punches. I thrive on tough love, and need to embrace the suck for the next 6 weeks to achieve something worthwhile - like getting rid of my “dicky-do” (ie when your belly sticks out farther than your dicky do).
I got my shipment today and will start first thing tomorrow. I had a physical a while back and being a fat lazy f*** I never got my blood work done. Actually if I’m coming clean my blood work is overdue from last year’s physical. Sometimes I suck at the whole life administration thing.
Anyway it’s perfect timing so I’ll get it done tomorrow morning and then at the end of this journey. Im most concerned about my T levels and A1C (3 month glucose). Based on my sagging physique and energy levels (not to mention how I’ve been consuming fatty carbs) I suspect neither will be very good.
I ate well today and worked out harder than I have in a while. I started off with a 3/7 method chest and back workout a la @TC_Luoma. 60lb DB incline bench and BO rows. Took 35 mins including some band warmups. The weight is dead on since I struggled a bit with the last couple of sets. I had a shake with frozen berries afterward and then did a 30 min hiit and hills session on the peloton. Ate my last bowl of oatmeal with protein, pb and frozen cherries/blueberries (so good) and then crushed a nap. I have young kids and rarely get 7hrs of sleep so often need to catch some daytime zzzs. One of the work from home perks.
As for my vitals. I’ll officially measure and post my pics tomorrow but I’m 46 (that won’t change), 5’11” and about 235lbs. I’m fortunate to have pretty good genetics and have been fairly muscular since a young teen but I was never consistent in the gym. I should definitely be in worse shape, and I know plenty out there would consider my physique to be a goal, goals are relative and I feel like dog doo too often. As Chris would say, I wanna look good naked.
When Covid first hit I was lifting regularly at home and running a few times a week. The pic below is 2yrs old and me at about 215lbs. My goal is to hit that number again in under 6 weeks. A year ago I developed a bone spur in my foot and wasn’t nearly as active afterward. Running really kept my weight in check.
So, I’ve got my work cut out for me and have done this diet before so I know what to expect. My real goal will be to keep the weight off this time and continue dropping it until I’m around 190-195. I haven’t seen sun-200 in 15 years so it’s now or never. That should put me in the 10-12% bf range. If I can achieve that by December I’ll be a happy fit f***. I need a kick in the ass and then to keep the momentum going. I hope you guys and gals (and anyone who identifies as either or neither) enjoy the ride with me.
Day 1 officially in the books. Wasn’t too bad. I’ve got that familiar “I’ve been drinking shakes all day” taste/feeling in my mouth/gut. Better than a big carb bloat.
My day started off kilter because I got my blood work done. As a result I got a bit off track with the shakes so only ended up having 3 today. I tried to make up for it with an extra chicken breast for dinner. I also cheated a little and added some hummus and red pepper jelly to my chicken and broccoli/Brussels concoction. Skipped my carb because I didn’t have anything ready. I did have a kombucha too.
All in all my diet and macros were pretty good. Per MyFitnessPal
1667 calories (also added in my Metamucil supplementation - after an issue I had many years back I won’t be skipping that for anything).
Protein: 237g (was a lot of chicken)
Carbs: 88g
Fat: 42g
I lifted again - 3/7 method. Did RDLs with 60lb DBs and it was fairly easy. Also did curls for the second set and my tendinitis flared up pretty good so put on some elbow sleeves on after the first round. I started a little too heavy I think (35lb DBs) and couldn’t finish the 6rep set of my second round so dropped to 30lbs for the last set and then last round. Felt good though. It’s amazing how short 15 seconds of rest actually is. Really keeps you dialed in because there’s no time to let your mind wander.
Oh yeah, measurements and pics. Man this is the sad part. I plan on weighing myself every morning so I can track the averages over the week - I find that better than hoping the weekly weigh day shows a good number rather than a bad number. As for measurements, I did in cm too since it’s easier to gauge small changes compared to all of the 1/16th inch increments. Chest was expanded and my bi, core and thigh measurements were flexed.
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 233.2lbs
Chest 119cm / 47 7/8in
L bi 43.3cm / 17in
R bi 44.6cm / 17.5in
Navel 106cm / 41 3/4in (the love handles are Costco sized)
2” below 105cm / 41 3/8in
2 above 102cm / 40 1/8in
L thigh 69cm / 27 1/8in
R thigh 69.5cm / 27 3/8in
233.4 today. Still fat. Road trip to Toronto. One fewer shake but had an extra scoop in my first and had an extra chicken breast with dinner - bit too much skin though. Worked out - felt good. Being at my in-laws is a tough place to be on a liquid diet, but also the best place.
No lifting tomorrow but plenty of time in the pool with the kids so a welcome break.
I’ve noticed that “family and friends” are tough to deal with…save that ONE meal. I keep telling people who know me NOT to share that I am on the V Diet. Everyone critiques it between bites of crap food.
Thanks for reading. It makes a difference knowing these posts get some eyeballs, especially someone whose material I’ve read before. Much appreciated.
Onto the Day 3 recap. No weight since I was at my in-laws and want to use the same scale under the same circumstances.
Should have been a bit more active today but I did do a walk around a mall, played in the pool and had a water balloon fight so I wasn’t completely lethargic.
Food intake could have been better. I had a couple of nuggets while I was waiting for a steak to be made. I did avoid the Cinnabons (with extra icing) I bought for the crew so that’s a major win in my books.
Home now for the week and although making the kids food is tempting I am also doing just fine on the shakes until around 5pm or so when the real hunger pangs/cravings kick in. Plan is to eat about a pound of chicken most nights. Maybe a carb source, maybe not. I’ll see how I’m doing. I have a session at my gym tomorrow. She’s pretty badass and has won a contest in the region before and usually kicks my ass so I’ll prob be plenty hungry afterward. May have my meal a little earlier since I’ll be done the workout by 4pm.
I know it’s much better to adhere to the diet as best as possible, but life does get in the way at times and as long as I’m avoiding the junk 24/7 and consuming one meal a day and ingesting 3-4 shakes I think I’ll get the results I want.
Day 4…coulda been better. Worked out at the gym. Trainer missed me. She’s got a monster leg workout for me tomorrow so that’s gonna be fun. Good chest and shoulder workout today. Ate well but I compensated for the workout and tomorrows by having some oatmeal post workout. No carb source at dinner. Just had some chicken breast as I’m desperately in need of a grocery run so I’ll buy some veggies tomorrow.
Onto another day. Feel good. Shakes do tend to sit less enjoyably at night but Cest la vie.
Day 5. Weight was 232.6 today (233 yesterday) so a slow but steady downward trend.
I ate too much today. Got put through a tough leg workout today and hadn’t had my second shake of the day so I had three scoops in my oatmeal when I got in (mid-afternoon) and also ate some (plenty) sushi that was bought for me in addition to a Greek chicken salad. It’s all healthy, which is the overarching goal but I could definitely use some tightening of the proverbial belt before Chris tells me I’m being a chump for eating too often. I know. The Metabolic Drive protein mixed into my oatmeal crests such an amazing texture though.
If (big - ok medium if) I do continue to make my oatmeal my carb source I just need to get rid of the carbs at dinner. My intention was to do that today, but the sushi was there after a nap at dinner time and I just went to town (oh yeah - spicy mayo included too). I skipped the eve shake as well as a result but my protein was well over 200gs (although my carbs were close to that number too - about 170 I think). New day tomorrow. Let’s see if I can piss out some weight overnight thanks to my recently acquired child’s bladder.
Stop being a… you know. Honestly, if you’re losing fat, retaining muscle, and feeling good, I’m not going to be a stickler about it. (Boy, have I relaxed in recent years!) It’s a process, and if a modified V-Diet gets you on the right track, then I’m supportive. And your adjustments are wise anyway.
Metabolic Drive in oatmeal, cold or hot, is one of my favorite meals. I make one of these every week and just adjust the ingredients for my goals:
Haha thanks for the response. I have been eating my oatmeal concoction for over a year now (1/2 cup minute oats, 2 scoops of vanilla, tbsp of PB or AB and a cup of frozen cherries (sometimes some blueberries for good measure)) and the difference in texture the met drive protein makes is unreal. Taste isn’t much different. I otherwise used high quality protein, but it’s so velvety smooth now. I’m hooked. I may also try that super bowl you suggested in another post. Right up my alley - I jump on any excuse to eat frozen cherries.
Ok it’s been a minute, as people say these days. What have I done in that minute? Well falling off the wagon in a sense. I let circumstances take over for a while and have gotten back into the swing of things today. Was still having shakes, but my meals were getting out of hand, and I also watched the new Top Gun the other night cradling a pint of Haagen Dasz.
Not good, but then so is not sorting it out and putting it behind me. Thus, I’m back with about 3 weeks of gear left and a renewed sense of vigor. Workouts are going well otherwise, and my reps increased from the prior workouts so something is going well. I should take my measurements too but I’ll punt that to Friday so I get the benefit of a few more days of eating well.
To all those that start and stop - just know you’re not alone. I’ve yo-yo dieted for too long and I find that getting back to it is often the hardest part because there’s always an excuse your mind will accept as a quality reason for delaying another day/week/month. If it was easy, we’d all be jacked. Time to embrace the suck and prepare for success.
Too True. Lots of cliches to quote. Its a journey, not necessarily the destination. Get back on the wagon and keep going, yesterday is written.
I think Dan John used to say (or probably still does, if I am even correctly attributing the quote to him) every day you are either progressing forward or regressing back.
And yes, the suck is a part of it.
Speaking of which, time for my 3 mile walk around the Disneyland complex.
I don’t think I’ve known anyone who didn’t have what I call a “false start” or two when they embark on a big diet change.
Also, it’s a fine-tuning process. For me it was weekend binges. I think I started with “eat everything all weekend” then went to “eat everything on Saturday” to “eat one cheat meal on Saturday.” Today, no real cheats, except for the occasional adult beverage. But those little steps took f*cking years to get through. And the original V-Diet actually helped me get over that weekend habit.
This is what most people don’t get about nutrition/diet changes. It’s easy to get pumped up for a workout and kill it. Diet is tougher. Kinda hard to get amped up about not eating something you want to eat. No one gives you a fist bump for it either.
It sounds silly, but when I was struggling, I’d sometimes say out loud “Get out of the kitchen!” I wasn’t hungry, just in there out of habit or boredom, or stress. Funny thing, when I changed the environment (usually by listening to an audio book and taking a walk) I couldn’t believe that I had almost caved and broken into my daughter’s stash of “kid food.”
Coach Eric Bach has a similar mantra when it comes to nighttime snacking or TV eating: “The kitchen is closed!” It helps when habitual eating habits try to creep back in.
