Day 7 - Progress Pictures Tomorrow!

I noticed a real lag in my energy levels today and I had a hard time getting out of the house. I will have to pay close attention to that over the next few days because if my body sees a problem with the food supply, it will sharply lower my metabolism. 

I was half asleep, yet half awake all the way into the afternoon. I got to the gym late, yet still had time for a 25 minute run outside and 20 minutes of weights inside (mostly pull up type stuff) before my clients. The humidity killed me even more and it felt like I had a parachute trailing behind me. Still, I like the outside more than a treadmill. I think I knocked off a good 600 calories or so. Energy fluctuations are to be expected, but not prolonged. Just to be on the safe side, I consumed a few extra calories today, which of course I had no problem doing. After a re-up at the grocery store, here's how it went down. 

7:AM Protein Bar  #1                               300cal  /20g

9AM ProNos Shake w/ fiber                    300cal  /42g

noon: Speed Stack                                    25cal    /0  

noon: Promax Protein Bar #2                   275cal /20g

Exercise@1:00

2pm ProMax Bar #3                                 300cal  /20g

3PM Medium Orange                               75cal    /1g

4PM ProNos Shake                                  300cal   /42

6Pm 2 cups Watermelon                          100cal   /0g

8PM: Subway Ham Salad  w/cheese       175cal   / 0g

          (honey mustard dressing)

9PM:2 kiwis                                            100cal   /0g   

 TOTAL 1950cal/ 145g

In the last couple of days, I've been seriously short on the protein due to all the fruit I'm eating. This will most likely hamper weight loss because my carb and fat ratio is high - about 70%. It should be 60% or less. Ideally, you would not want to eat this much fruit. You should substitute it for white meat. However, the diet is only in its 7th day and fruit helps me get my sugar fix and keep me full. In the future, I will be cutting it down. 

Day 6

Well I finally got my paper done today, now it's just my final exam in the way of things. I can't wait to get that over with so I can really focus on getting shredded. My cruise is getting closer by the day!

My body is slowly getting used to the reduced calories. Today I consumed just 1575 but I feel great and am not too hungry. Sure I would love to go grab a big fat burrito from Chipotle but that would put me over quite a lot. Did you know that a burrito from Chipotle with everything on it is over 1100 calories? I don't care how healthy it is, that's a lot of calories and you can't lean out on that. Anyway, here's the diet for the day. No workout today but video workouts are on their way!

10AM:  ProNos Shake                                               300cal /42g protein
12PM: 1/2 cup brown rice with a bit of chicken         200    /20g
130PM:  I'm Not Telling! mmmm                              200     /0g
3PM: Protein Cookie                                                  200     /20
4PM: Plum                                                                   50     /0
5PM: 1 cup prepared Collard Greens                           50     /4g
7PM: Protein Bar                                                        275    /20
9PM: Chickpea salad w/ fat free dressing                   300    /25
                                               TOTAL  1575 cal /131grams protein  (a bit short)
 Whenever I go under 40% protein, I am at an increased risk for muscle loss). 

For a rough estimate, you should be getting at least 1 gram per LB of lean body mass. 
TO calculate your lean body mass use the following  formula:
Your Weight x % body fat = Total Fat
Your Weight - Total Fat = Lean Body Mass. If your cutting, you should be consuming between 10-12 calories per pound of lean body mass AND at least 1 gram of protein per pound of LBM.

Day 5 - getting leaner

I got a great 4 mile run outside today and I can already feel myself leaning out. It was a bit hot but people were out, nature was in full bloom and the energy was certainly there. Still, I took my time, making sure not to go too fast so I could stay in my optimal fat burning zone. I ran for about 3 miles before I had to stop to cool down in the shade. It's was 94 out today but I like this kind of heat, and I actually do better in it. After a 20 minute cool down I proceeded to work on my quads with:

3 sets of 10 vertical leaps (max height)

3 sets of 10 horizontal leaps (max distance) and

300 balance beam steps for calves all in Rock Creek park.


From there, I ran another mile to the gym to finish off my hamstrings, calves and adductors. (weak areas for me that need work). I did:

5 sets of straight leg Dead-lifts totaling 30 reps

Lots of seated calve raises and adductor contractions.


Finally, I tried to run home but legs failed me, so I decided to speed walk. I'm glad I got out the house, it felt great. Now back to this damn paper! 


10AM: Dymatize Shake w/Water & ice  250cal /50protein
1PM: ProNos Shake w/fiber                  300     /42g
3PM: 1lb strawberries                          150    /3g
4PM: ProMax Protein bar                      275     /20
6PM: 2 servings Cottage Cheese 1%       175      /28g
7PM  2 small plums                              100     /3g
9PM 6 slices Ham w/3 slices swiss ch.    500     /55g
10PM: 100 calorie snack pack                100    /2g
TOTAL 1850 cal/203g 

Day 4 - more dieting

Today I ate a few more calories than I was planning to but I was still under my calorie cap. I ate a ton of fruit to satisfy my sweet tooth.Yum! I normally wouldn't condone eating this much fruit but I'm still fresh into the diet. My body still craves the junk it was previously getting so it's going to take a while before these sugar cravings stop (5-7 days).


 The problem I had today is that I forced myself to sit here all day to try to finish this research paper which is due on Tuesday - and I won't let myself leave this house until it's finished! Therefor, I munch. Thank god for delicious fruit =-] Saturday is usually my BIG full body workout day where I don't have any clients and I can just focus on myself. Unfortunately that didn't happen today BUT tomorrow I'm going to allow myself to workout bright and early to keep my calorie burning on track. This paper is going to have to come in second. Here's the breakdown of my diet today. 


9AM: Dymatize Whey Isolate Shake w/ water and fiber      300cal / 55g protein
12PM: 1 sample size slice of banana bread                        100     / 4g
1PM: 12 oz fresh raspberries                                            180     / 4g
2 servings cottage cheese (1%)                                         180     /28g
2PM: 1 Fresh Plum                                                           50      /1g
4PM ProMax Protein Bar                                                   277     /20g
5Pm:Dymatize Whey Isolate Shake w/ water and fiber      300cal /55g 
7PM: 12 oz fresh Blackberries                                          180      / 4g
1 servings cottage cheese (1%)                                         90      /14g



830Pm ProMax Protein Bar                                               300     /20g

1030PM: 1 qt. Fresh Strawberries                                      150     /3g

2107 calories/ 208g protein

PICTURES TO COME ON WEDNESDAY! (DAY 7)

Day 3 - Supplements Have Arived

My supplements arrived today. Now I will have everything I will need to get my program in high gear. I will be using the Pro NOS complex for it's perfect balance of whey isolates for muscle growth, carbs to fuel my lifts and fats to trigger hormones. THe Elite protein below is mostly whey isolates (the most anabolic protein known to man) I chose isolates for their superior 

nitrogen content and amino structures. THey outperform whey concentrates by about 50%. They are a little pricey but worth it. 

To combat fatigue during lifts and to further increase nitrogen levels, a good nitric oxide like Noxavol will do the trick. There are other kinds of N.O out there, but Noxavol is my favorite. You can really feel it working in about 30-40 minutes. THe niacin content is high, so expect some flushing. 

Low cal diets will leave even the strongest bodybuilder

 weak. This is where Speed Stack comes in to play. It will certainly help with my energy levels during gym time. In addition, it supplies a healthy does of caffeine, a powerful appetite suppressant. I'm careful not to take in more than 600mg total caffeine per week (2 bottles), that way my body doesn't develop a tolerance when I need energy most. If you stack it with a good thermogenic like Octopamine, you will amplify this products fat burning potential about 3 fold. 

FOr my sweet tooth, I chose ProMax protein bars. THey are not the best bars out there but I got them cheap and they shut off my sweet tooth. A better bar choice would be something like nitro-tech or pure protein. Be ready to pay more though. I am also taking GNC-Megaman vitamin pure L-GLutamine powder and a mineral supplement from Vitamin Shoppe. THe energy process itself uses calcium and Zinc. This will aid in that process as well as keep strong 

bones etc. 

The diet went well today. I had a bit of a tough time at Giant because they had my favorite candy bars on sale buy one get one free. Very tempting. Thankfully they had fresh cherries on sale as well so I got those. Did the trick perfectly. I got around 450 calories of cardio in on the stair stepper and treadmill. The next 30 minutes was heavy lifts for my upper body. Here's my diet for today. 

10am: NOS Complex with Water                        300 cal /42g protein

12Pm: 1 quart fresh strawberries (filler)              250       /10g 

2PM: 1/2 lb cherries                                          150       /8g

4pm Promax Protein Bar                                     280      /20g

6PM NOS Complex w/ water                                300      /42g

8pm 3 cups prepared Collard Greens (filler)         120      /5g

10PM Rest of the cherries (1/2 lb)                       150     /8g

=1550 cal/135g protein (a little short on the protein)

DAY 1 - 192 lbs @11.5% bodyfat

Today marks the day of a loooong and hungry 30 days. I must admit, though I keep some form of calorie cutting going to stay relatively lean, it has been a tasty summer. Yum. If you know me, you know I'm a fan of sweets. Cake, cookies ice-cream - all the good stuff. However these food items have managed to accumulate a good layer of fat on me in no time flat. Even as hard as I work out - you can't burn off a bad diet. And since memorial day, a bad diet it has been. Even the pros fight off the fat. See - I am human!!!

I think the fact that I'm in summer school has been the most to blame. I'm enrolled in a writing intensive class that uses just about every spare minute of free time. When I'm supposed to be doing cardio, I have to write paper after paper and when I write, I like to munch. Since there really isn't much food in my house, I've found myself munching on as many as 7 protein bars a day. Yes, protein can - AND WILL get you fat if you eat enough of it. All coupled with the fact that I sit there sedentary most of the day and write; is the kiss of death for my 6 pack.

Good news is, the class is over in 2 weeks. One more research paper, one more exam...and I am done!!! Only then will I truly be able to focus on me.

Nothing sparks the interest of a diet like a Greek Isle cruise, which is where I'm going in 30 days. I HAVE TO LOSE THIS FAT by September 14th, my day of departure, to look and feel my best -and I want you all to follow along with me! All my screw ups, all my workouts, my diet...everything will be posted here - along with plenty of motivating and not so cute photos of "In the Beginning".

Well fellow bloggers, here they are in their full glory.

I've got a good 10mm of body fat on my abs and around 25mm on my lower back as posted in the pics.

Definitely

not cute. But stick with me, I will try my best to write each and every day my successes and failures in trying to lose more fat in one month than most people lose in 6.

Day 2 - The Plan

Since I am 192 lbs @11.5% body fat, I have calculated that I have about 22 lbs of fat on my body. If I want to lose 2/3 of it, I've got to burn through through about 15 lbs of fat. To do that in a month would be very, very difficult if not impossible. Sure I can lose 15lbs of fat AND WATER in just 2 weeks - but that won't get me ripped. I need to lose 15lbs of pure unadulterated fat if I want to look diced.

Losing that much fat probably isn't possible in this time frame. But there are other ways to get where I need to be. So how might I get to 4.5% in a month you ask? - By adding new muscle to the picture. If I can lose 11lbs of fat, and add 4 lbs of muscle, that should bring in my body fat right around 4-5%.

Since there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, 11 lbs means I have to burn through about 38,500 calories. That's a lot of work! Fortunately, the diet will crack most of that number. Here, calories count MORE than what kind of food I am eating.

Via my own algorithm, I have calculated that it takes around 2550 calories per day to maintain my current weight and body fat (not counting exercise). Since I want to drop, I need to eat less than that. My goal is to cut out about 1/3 of those calories in time.
Week 1...as not to introduce shock to my metabolism, I will spend this week and the next easing my body into a reduced calorie intake. That way my body doesn't perceive any type of famine. Glutamine supplementation will be high, around 10G/day or better, as not to lose muscle along with my fat. In time, I may add creatine to the picture if I feel I am still losing muscle. The first 3 days I am aiming to be around 12 calories per pound of lean body mass, or around 2050 calories/day. The rest of the week I will drop to 11 calories per pound of lean body mass, or around 1875 calories per day.


Weeks 2 and 3 - The next 2 weeks will complete my ease in to the diet and I will further reduce my calories to 10 calories per pound of lean body mass, or around 1700 calories. I also plan on keeping my protein ratio at around 40% or better to assist in muscular development and recovery. The rest of the cals will come from a mixture of carbs and fats. 


Day 15 is a cheat*re-up* day (calories as needed) just to make sure my metabolism doesn't fold under the stress and from high intensity workouts and hard dieting. 


Week 4 - The last week of diet is to be determined depending on my development and progress. Probably will come in around 1650 calories per day with the last 2 days around 1200. My protein ratio will be notable higher the lower the calories that are consumed to avoid muscle wasting. 

The diet should knock off an average of 5675 calories per week not counting my cheats. Since I need to lose a total of 9625 per week, I plan on burning the last 3950 calories via cardio and weights. 2 (full body) high intensity workouts per week should knock off 3000 calories or so. That leaves me with around 850 calories per week in cardio. However, I'll be doing around 1200 to cover any cheats or mishaps. 1200 really isn't a lot of cardio and that's how I want it. I want to look like an olympic athlete in the end, not a skinny marathon runner. So the few calories that I AM eating WON'T be wasted on cardio, they will be used for building muscle. I am only keeping cardio in the picture to keep my circulatory system clean, increase my oxygen efficiency and improve blood flow to any traumatized muscle tissue. Here we go!

This blog is intended to inspire those who think they cannot MAKE A CHANGE.