My 30 Day Low-Carb Journey!

celestial

Hey folks,

I've decided to start a log to announce my determination to shake up my eating habits and at the same time make myself accountable to everyone on here! The difference between this and past logs is the realisation that it's the food I'm eating that is blocking my efforts to get more cut!

As you might have gathered from past posts I've lost a couple of inches of my waist since early last year and added some muscle to my frame - some hard stats:

February 2007

Height: 5'8 1/2
Weight: 86kg / ~13 stone
Waist (belly button): 41 inches
Jeans size (hips): 36 inches
Bodyfat: 26.3%

August 2008

Weight: 83kg / ~13 stone
Waist (belly button): 39 inches
Jeans size (hips): 34 inches
Bodyfat: 20.2%
BMI: ~30

Got a health screen in work couple weeks back:

Cholesterol: too high at 5.97 (should be no higher than 5)
Trigyclerides: 4.19 (twice what is normal, should be no higher than 2!!!). Not good - far too much fat circulating in there.

So comparing the stats you can see that I have lost quite a bit of bodyfat without dropping much weight. However, I still have stubborn bodyfat around my middle which I am determined to get rid of once and for all (it has been there for around 8-9 years, I was around 9 or 10 stone leaving school!!)

I exercise around 3-4 times per week, weights and cardio. However the weight isn't budging and I know it's my diet. I actually have a high-carb diet which up until today looked like this:

Breakfast: Porridge and/or cereal, orange juice, toast
Mid-morning: maybe another bowl of cereal
Lunch: Potatoes, meat, starchy veg like sweetcorn, carrots etc
Mid-afternoon: more bloody cereal! fruit. maybe a few nuts
Workout
Evening: Bread/sandwiches, or soup or eggs, orange juice - mainly carbs and more carbs!!

Weekends then involve beer and a fair bit of junk food. At the same time I'll exercise til the cows come home - so you can see I'm the very epitome of 'you can't out-train a bad diet!'

My intention is to embark upon a 30 day Atkins/low-carb diet. It's kinda a hybrid of Atkins plus Tim Ferris' 'lose 20 pounds in 30 days diet' (I reckon I've just guaranteed that dude a few hundred extra page views just now:D). So, no starchy carbs unless it's after weight training and eggs and meat for brekkie. Here is the new plan:

Breakfast: Eggs, meat, veg
Mid-morning: Nuts, maybe some plain natural yoghurt if I really fancy it
Lunch: Meat, veg, more nuts
Mid-afternoon: veg, nuts, natural peanut butter
Workout
Evening: Meat and veg OR a small amount of starchy carb which would be wholegrain pasta with some sauce, or the like - ONLY if I've done resistance training, cardio on its own won't cut the mustard.

So here goes the 30 day log folks.


Sunday 7-9-08

12.00 pm: Scrambled eggs (absolutely delicious, and it was my very first time making them - ever! Amazing but I nailed them. The fact that it is the exact way Gordon Ramsay makes them may have something to do with it too!)

Nuts - handful (cashews, brazil nuts)

5.15 pm: A drop of cream, few brazil nuts (not together!)

7.00 - home-made style beef burgers from Dunnes with some grated cheddar cheese, handful of lettuce


Exercise: 30 minute brisk walk into town


Tomorrow I'll have some veg but my goal over all day today and tomorrow is to get this induction-esque phase kick-started so that my body switches from glucose burning to fat-burning...

celestial

Just got a hardcorrrrre programme from trainer in gym that's gonna turn me into a bit of a beast!!:D It's all based around deadlifts, squats, pull-ups, chins and bench pressing. It's just what I need - pure strength programme - 6 sets x 3 on most exercises - gonna be shattered and sweatin buckets after each session - it's 4 times a week rotating thru different body parts - upper body one day legs the next, etc. All pure resistance training showing true measures of strength - a la chins, pull ups etc.

Tracking EVERYTHING - this has been my problem in the past - I know I've been making great progress but not able to point to it and see the hard stats week on week.

Bring it on!!

cillianog

Essentially you're on the Atkins diet. High Protein-Low fat. It works on the principle of ketosis. The idea is (literally) that you burn excess calories in your urine because there is less calories in protein than in carbohydrates. Im sorry to say it but i think the whole thing is a fallacy. Here's why: You will be losing water more than fat because you will no longer need the same amount of water to bind your glycogen stores, which, because of your low intake of carbs, will have decreased. But as soon as you switch back to a more varied diet all that water weight will return. In fact a lot of leading nutriotinists now agree that the real reason the atkins diet has some success is because protein gives us a feeling of being full and so we eat less!
But you see, carbs aren't the enemy. I would say that they should actually comprise about two thirds of our diet because the are the best source of important vitamins and minerals. What I would advise is that choosing the right carbs is the key.These are the slow releasing kind that control our blood sugar level and eliminate binging and energy slumps. Im sorry to rain on your parade and of course feel free to disagree with me but please have a think about it! 'The optimum nutrition bible' by Patrick Holford is a great book that you may find useful. Best of Luck!!

celestial

cillianog wrote: »

Essentially you're on the Atkins diet. High Protein-Low fat. It works on the principle of ketosis. The idea is (literally) that you burn excess calories in your urine because there is less calories in protein than in carbohydrates. Im sorry to say it but i think the whole thing is a fallacy. Here's why: You will be losing water more than fat because you will no longer need the same amount of water to bind your glycogen stores, which, because of your low intake of carbs, will have decreased. But as soon as you switch back to a more varied diet all that water weight will return. In fact a lot of leading nutriotinists now agree that the real reason the atkins diet has some success is because protein gives us a feeling of being full and so we eat less!
But you see, carbs aren't the enemy. I would say that they should actually comprise about two thirds of our diet because the are the best source of important vitamins and minerals. What I would advise is that choosing the right carbs is the key.These are the slow releasing kind that control our blood sugar level and eliminate binging and energy slumps. Im sorry to rain on your parade and of course feel free to disagree with me but please have a think about it! 'The optimum nutrition bible' by Patrick Holford is a great book that you may find useful. Best of Luck!!

Cheers for the post but I actually disagree with you. I don't think that anyone - unless you're part of the 0.000000001% of the population who trains at an elite level in sport - or otherwise does a LOT of training - needs the amount of carbs that Irish people consume on a daily basis - especially considering that so many of us have sedentary jobs, sitting in an office all day and getting a bus or train home in the evening. Good carbs are good, sure, in small amounts - but even wholegrain foods raise blood sugar and provoke an insulin response that is significant for people trying to lose that last half stone or so of fat. I VERY rarely eat simple carbs in the sense of white flour, etc - it's wholegrain all the way, but the flab isn't budging.

Don't worry though - I'm not gonna be doing Atkins really - it's not possible, I work in a job that requires me to use my brain power! Just there I was getting foggy headed in a meeting and I've just had some dried fruit - just think of this as a high protein, low-carb diet that anyone could (and probably should) go on.

celestial

8-9-2008

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, dash of cream

Lunch: Chicken with peas and 2 potato wedges

Mid-afo: Assorted nuts, half a handful of dried fruit, apple

Pre-training: Yoghurt, latte for pre-gym boost

Post-training: Two chicken fillets oven-cooked, lettuce, 5 tea-spoons of peanut butter, cup of tea


Training (new programme)

Barbell incline bench:

Bar x 6 warmup

sets x reps

40kg 6 x 3 (this is just to get my started, will be upping this next time)

Wide-grip pull-ups (negatives)

6 x 3

Incline dbell bench press neutral grip

18kg bells

6 x 3

Standing external rotation supinated grip

5kg (again, can go heavier but wanted to nail form)

6 x 3 each arm

celestial

No training today as had to go back into work shortly after I got home from it round 7...so only back now.

Food:

Lateish breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, few tablespoons natural peanut butter

Lunch: chicken leg, cod with dash of lemon, lettuce, cucumber

Mid-afo: tea (always take it black no sugar), plenty of nuts

Evening: Pork n veg stir fry with a spalsh of worcestershire sauce (still kinda dry and tasteless, someone help me out here?!!). Cup of tea, two Ryvita with natural peanut butter spread.

Now - couple more ryvitas with natural peanut butter and cup of tea

Hmm, am I seeing some slight definition round my upper abs...or are my eyes just deceiving me?!!

This is a four week experiment - even if I don't get results then I will know what works and what doesn't.........

Pablo Sanchez

Keep the posts up- actually just started the low/no carbs thing myself yesterday........... keen to see if the side affects (bad breath, headaches) actually turn out to be true!

gabgab

I dot know enough about nutrition but I do know that this will work,

IF you stick with it and dont cheat. I made some excellent progress with a similar idea, nothing that came in a box or wrapped basically

Stick with it Celestial, and the beers etc dont help but we gots to live too

slingerz

well interested to know how your getting on. badly broke my leg this year and weight has piled on. still unable to run after 7 months! a good diet would be invaluable to me once i can get moving again

celestial

Cheers for the comments dudes, keep em comin!

10-9-2008

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, 2 tea-spoonfulls natural peanut butter
Mid-morn: 2 tea-spoonfulls natural peanut butter
Lunch: 8, yes 8 sausages! some lettuce and sweetcorn
Pre-gym: Half a handful of brazil nuts
Gym: 10 min intervals on bike, 10 mins high-intensity on bike (was rushing home for the Ireland game which I thought was on at 7.30 as usual, but I was wrong!) Still, a good workout, knew I only had 20 minutes or so so made myself sweat.
Post-training: Small tin of Heinz beans, 3 Ryvitas with natural peanut butter, cup of tea
Before bed: 2 tea-spoonfulls natural peanut butter

Observations: I don't miss bread or pasta or fruit at all yet! Also - if you want to feel full - good fats all the way! Looking at myself in mirror my belly is definitely flatter and I can see those kind of inward curves at side of belly? Upper abs much tighter too. Not sure if this is actual fat loss yet, or just maybe less water retention/sugar in belly from low carbing it - it's only day 5 today so still early days - that said my body should have already switched to burning fat as its primary fuel source......

celestial

Day 5 of the low carb livin':

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, couple tea spoonfuls natural peanut butter (are eggs the greatest food ever created or what?:)

Mid-morn: couple more spoonfuls of the peanut butter

Lunch: Fish with a little breading (haddock), lettuce, turkey with a small splash of gravy and small amount of stuffing.

Mid-afo: more peanut butter

Gym: 40 mins medium-high intensity bike

Post gym carbin: Few slices of ham, half carton Avonmore fresh soup with three slices wholegrain bread - one of these was toast with slight splash of honey. cup of tea

2 cups of green tea during the day

Kinda felt like I really needed those carbs after the workout when I got home - it's certainly the time for them. Also on way home I was starving after the gym naturally enough and passed by someone on the street who had a bag of chips - MANN it smelled feckin delicious!! Continued on my merry way down the street.

Hornd

Dont know if your interested man but ill give you a link to the palumbo diet. Its very low carb ie. no direct intake of carbs. Its pretty self explainary.

Good look with the next 25 days!

http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/showthread.php?t=39677

The premise of the diet is high protein (about 1- 1 1/2 gram per pound), moderate fat (about 1/2 g per lb) and low low carbs (no direct sources of carbs). During this diet, the brain goes into ketosis (it uses ketone bodies for energy-- fats) and thus the energy requirements by the body can almost all be supplied by fats (which you'll be taking in plenty of). The only activity that uses carbs will be the weight workout which may use 40grams per workout. You will get these 40g indirectly through the foods you'll be eating. As a backup, the cheat meal you'll be having once per week will provide a storehouse of glycogen (glucose) in case of emergency. So, you see, very little gluconeogenesis in the liver will be occurring. If we keep cortisol low (by
restricting STIMULANTS) we'll ensure that muscle is spared!

HAVE YOUR CHEAT MEAL ON THE SAME DAY EVERY WEEK, last meal of the
day so you dont cheat again.

Fiber helps burn fat! Everyone should take fiber 2x per day. Fiber actually helps increase the absorption of calcium.
When following my diet plan (which includes getting your brain into ketosis), there can be NO starchy carbs eaten!



For a 200lb man:

MEAL #1
5 whole eggs (make sure to buy OMEGA-3 EGGS from the supermarket. They contain virtually NO saturated fat and tons of good OMEGA-3 fats); add another 4 egg whites to this (they don?t need to be the Omega-3 ones; you can use liquid egg whites)

MEAL #2
SHAKE: 50g Whey Protein with 1 ? tablespoon of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar)

MEAL #3
"Lean Protein Meal": 8oz chicken with 1/2-cup cashew nuts (almonds, or walnuts)

MEAL #4
SHAKE: 50g Whey Protein with 1 ? tablespoons of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar added)

MEAL #5
"Fatty Protein Meal": 8oz Salmon, Swordfish, or RED MEAT with a green salad (no tomatoes, carrots, or red peppers) with 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil or Macadamia nut oil and vinegar

MEAL #6
SHAKE: 50g Whey with 1 ? tablespoon all natural peanut butter or 4 whole (Omega-3) eggs and 4 extra whites

For a 250lb+ man:
Meal 1 6 whole Omega-3 eggs
Meal 2 8oz chicken with 1/2 cup raw almonds
Meal 3 50g whey with 2 tablespoons all natural peanutbutter
Meal 4 8oz salmon with 1 cup asparagus with 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
Meal 5 50 g whey with 2 tablespoon PB
Meal 6 6 whole eggs

Remember, it takes 3-4 days to get into a strong ketosis where your brain is using ketone bodies (fats), instead of carbs, for energy. Be patient.

Many times I'll switch to an alternatiing diet where one day it will be protein/fat......then another protein/vegetables (very little fat). The great thing about the body and fat is that ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS can be stored in the muscle for several days, up to 2 weeks......therefore, once an adequate storehouse of Essential Fats are built up, the body can be "tortured" a little and it still won't give up muscle (that's assuming you're still taking in adequate protein. Protein can't be stored).

1oz almonds equals 6g carbs (2 of those grams are fiber) and 2oz equals 12g of carbs.

With the beef meal (any fatty protein meal), you should have the green salad with 1 tablespoon of Olive or Mac oil INSTEAD of the nuts. Only eat the nuts with the LEAN PROTEIN MEAL (chicken, turkey, lean fish)

The best fat sources come from the essential fatty acids-- Omega-6 and Omega-3's. Most of us get plenty of Omega-6s from cooking oils, ect..........however the Omega-3's are harder to get. I recommend WHOLE OMEGA-3 EGGS, FaTTY FISHS like SALMON and SWORDFISH and TUNA and MACKEREL, ALMONDS and WALNUTS have some OMEGA-3's (as well as OMEGA-6s). ANother great fat source is MONOUNSATURATES such as EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL and MACADAMIA NUT OIL.....they aren't essential but they are great for the metabolism (great source of energy) and they are extremely good for your heart.

You're not getting any indirect sources of carbs (just from the 1 spoonful of PB.... you may want to have at least one 1/3cup nuts meal. Remember, Olive or Macadamia nut oil is predominantly a MONOUNSATURATED FAT (good for the heart, but not essential)........ the nuts, and fish oil have the essential fats in them. Also, with regard to FLAX SEED OIL, the OMEGA-3 Fatty Acids found in them (alpha-linolenic acid) has a very poor conversion to DHA and EPA (Essential Omega-3 intermediates) in the HUMAN........therefore, you're much better off taking in FISH OILS (that already contain DHA/EPA) than FLAX SEED OIL.

Once fat loss slows, I always increase cardio first, then I increase the amount of fat burners (clen, cytomel, lipolyze).........After those other methods are exhausted, only then, do I play with the diet.

Always eat BEFORE lifting........never BETWEEN lifting and cardio.
Artificial Sweetners:
The artificial sweetener itself (eg. aspartame, sucralose) wont cause a problem. It's what some companies complex it with. For example, EQUAL and SPLENDA combine their aspartame and sucrolose with 1g of maltodextrin........whereas, in diet drinks, they don't do that. So, diet drinks are okay, SPLENDA and EQUAL must be used in moderation (STEVIA BALANCE is fine though since they use inulin fiber instead of maltodextrin

Forget using:
-MCT's are a waste when you're dieting. If you're gonna use FATS for an energy source, they might as well serve a function in the body. MCTs are useless. They can only serve as a source of energy!
-Arginine is not going to do anything. It will DO something; just not dramatic.

Cardio:
CARDIO should be performed at a low intensity (under 120bpm heartrate). This will ensure that you use FAT as a fuelsource since as your heartrate increase, carbohydrates begin to become the preferred fuel of choice for the body. When on a low carb diet, you're body will break down muscle and turn that into carbs. Remember, Fat CANNOT be changed into carbs. Therefore, for bodybuilding, the rule of cardio should be LONG DURATION, LOW INTENSITY

never do less than 20 min per session

The BOTTOM LINE is that low intensity cardio (while you might need more of it) ensures that fat is utilized and muscle is spared (especially while on my high protein/moderate fat/low carb diety).

Do you feel the treadmill is better for cardio, or is the bike(stationary or recumbent) just as good? As long as the intensity is LOW, it doesn't matter which piece of equipment you use

Q&A:
Q: Is gluconeogenesis inevitable in your diet?
Dave Palumbo: NO

Q: If so do I need to consume more than 1.5 grams of protein per lb of LBM so as not to lose muscle?
Dave Palumbo: The fat spares the protein....when the brain is in ketosis, the carbohydrate requirements are very very low.

Q: How much (percentage) of my protein intake would be turned into glucose (gluconeogenesis)?
Dave Palumbo: Very little (maybe 10%)

Q: What do you think of submersion in cold water as a means of burning bodyfat (thermogenesis)?
Dave Palumbo: HOCUS POKUS!

Q: How about drinking lots of cold water (I think this was even suggested by Elligton Darden) to help lose bodyfat?
Dave Palumbo: RIDICULOUS

Q: Do you think drinking lots of Green Tea is beneficial to fat loss?
Dave Palumbo: Somewhat helpful.

Q: How much is the ideal dosage of Omega 3 for a 220 lb. individual ?
Dave Palumbo: Try to take in about 9g per day

Q: How many Tbs of peanut butter could I have instead of 1/2 cup of cashewnuts?
Dave Palumbo: 2 tablespoons, two tablespoons of Peanut Butter contains 190 calories and 16 grams of fat (so 1.5 tablespoon equals about 12 grams fat) ...whereas......... 2oz (1/3 cup) almonds (about 40 almonds) = 12g fat

Q: I want to add that if I cant find the omega eggs here locally. Can I use international egg whites and just take an omega supplement?
Dave Palumbo: You can get away with 5 whole eggs (regular ones) once a day........not a big deal. You'll be burning up all that fat anyway.

Q: Whats the max cups # of coffee ( no sugar ) can consume on Dave's diet ?
Dave Palumbo: Try to limit to 2 cups per day.......I realize that towards the end of the diet you may need more to help you get through the day.

Q: If you cook tilapia in macadamon nut oil?do you coun't the oil as your fat for that meal! Depends how much you use.
Dave Palumbo: If you just grease the pan with it, no!

Q: what is the protein,carb and fat ratio for offseason
Dave Palumbo: 50% Protein, 25% fat, 25% carbs

Q: and the ratio for contest prep.
Dave Palumbo:60% protein, 30% fat, 10% carbs

celestial

Friday 12-9-2008

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs - these were way too watery and so didn't fill me up much cos couldn't finish them. Hmm. How did I nail them first time ever and then not nail them again since?!! Couple tea spoonfuls peanut butter

Mid-morn: more peanut butter, cup green tea

Lunch: Lamb dish with trace amounts of potato, lettuce

Training:

Work was really crazy. Had lunch at 1 and then went to gym at 5.10 on pretty much an empty stomach. Had a really solid weights session - not following my programme today, fancied just doing a bit of everything - bench press, shoulder press, bicep curls, dbell squats, dbell lunges abwork, back extensions...aaaah. Even though I did feel low on energy I had a really great, energising workout.

Post-workout carb cheat meal of the week - sausage and chips from chipper, couple slices of brown bread. Didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I thought I would, guess that's what happens when you are eating clean like I am:)

Later I just had a spoonful or two of the legendary peanut butter (wonderful stuff).

Really feeling yesterday evening's workout today - kinda sleepy and worn out - in a good way:D

Gonna try get to gym tomorrow for an hour's cardio. Monday will be tricky though cos am offsite in a hotel all day - and out for dinner and drinks that night. Will still be focussing on keeping my meals high protein low carb of course though, and taking it as easy as possible on the beers. Not drinking this weekend and wasn't drinking last weekend either, which is a huuuuuge help. It means no battling with cravings for junk food tomorrow.

celestial

Hornd wrote: »

Dont know if your interested man but ill give you a link to the palumbo diet. Its very low carb ie. no direct intake of carbs. Its pretty self explainary.

Good look with the next 25 days!

http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/showthread.php?t=39677

The premise of the diet is high protein (about 1- 1 1/2 gram per pound), moderate fat (about 1/2 g per lb) and low low carbs (no direct sources of carbs). During this diet, the brain goes into ketosis (it uses ketone bodies for energy-- fats) and thus the energy requirements by the body can almost all be supplied by fats (which you'll be taking in plenty of). The only activity that uses carbs will be the weight workout which may use 40grams per workout. You will get these 40g indirectly through the foods you'll be eating. As a backup, the cheat meal you'll be having once per week will provide a storehouse of glycogen (glucose) in case of emergency. So, you see, very little gluconeogenesis in the liver will be occurring. If we keep cortisol low (by
restricting STIMULANTS) we'll ensure that muscle is spared!

HAVE YOUR CHEAT MEAL ON THE SAME DAY EVERY WEEK, last meal of the
day so you dont cheat again.

Fiber helps burn fat! Everyone should take fiber 2x per day. Fiber actually helps increase the absorption of calcium.
When following my diet plan (which includes getting your brain into ketosis), there can be NO starchy carbs eaten!



For a 200lb man:

MEAL #1
5 whole eggs (make sure to buy OMEGA-3 EGGS from the supermarket. They contain virtually NO saturated fat and tons of good OMEGA-3 fats); add another 4 egg whites to this (they don?t need to be the Omega-3 ones; you can use liquid egg whites)

MEAL #2
SHAKE: 50g Whey Protein with 1 ? tablespoon of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar)

MEAL #3
"Lean Protein Meal": 8oz chicken with 1/2-cup cashew nuts (almonds, or walnuts)

MEAL #4
SHAKE: 50g Whey Protein with 1 ? tablespoons of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar added)

MEAL #5
"Fatty Protein Meal": 8oz Salmon, Swordfish, or RED MEAT with a green salad (no tomatoes, carrots, or red peppers) with 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil or Macadamia nut oil and vinegar

MEAL #6
SHAKE: 50g Whey with 1 ? tablespoon all natural peanut butter or 4 whole (Omega-3) eggs and 4 extra whites

For a 250lb+ man:
Meal 1 6 whole Omega-3 eggs
Meal 2 8oz chicken with 1/2 cup raw almonds
Meal 3 50g whey with 2 tablespoons all natural peanutbutter
Meal 4 8oz salmon with 1 cup asparagus with 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
Meal 5 50 g whey with 2 tablespoon PB
Meal 6 6 whole eggs

Remember, it takes 3-4 days to get into a strong ketosis where your brain is using ketone bodies (fats), instead of carbs, for energy. Be patient.

Many times I'll switch to an alternatiing diet where one day it will be protein/fat......then another protein/vegetables (very little fat). The great thing about the body and fat is that ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS can be stored in the muscle for several days, up to 2 weeks......therefore, once an adequate storehouse of Essential Fats are built up, the body can be "tortured" a little and it still won't give up muscle (that's assuming you're still taking in adequate protein. Protein can't be stored).

1oz almonds equals 6g carbs (2 of those grams are fiber) and 2oz equals 12g of carbs.

With the beef meal (any fatty protein meal), you should have the green salad with 1 tablespoon of Olive or Mac oil INSTEAD of the nuts. Only eat the nuts with the LEAN PROTEIN MEAL (chicken, turkey, lean fish)

The best fat sources come from the essential fatty acids-- Omega-6 and Omega-3's. Most of us get plenty of Omega-6s from cooking oils, ect..........however the Omega-3's are harder to get. I recommend WHOLE OMEGA-3 EGGS, FaTTY FISHS like SALMON and SWORDFISH and TUNA and MACKEREL, ALMONDS and WALNUTS have some OMEGA-3's (as well as OMEGA-6s). ANother great fat source is MONOUNSATURATES such as EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL and MACADAMIA NUT OIL.....they aren't essential but they are great for the metabolism (great source of energy) and they are extremely good for your heart.

You're not getting any indirect sources of carbs (just from the 1 spoonful of PB.... you may want to have at least one 1/3cup nuts meal. Remember, Olive or Macadamia nut oil is predominantly a MONOUNSATURATED FAT (good for the heart, but not essential)........ the nuts, and fish oil have the essential fats in them. Also, with regard to FLAX SEED OIL, the OMEGA-3 Fatty Acids found in them (alpha-linolenic acid) has a very poor conversion to DHA and EPA (Essential Omega-3 intermediates) in the HUMAN........therefore, you're much better off taking in FISH OILS (that already contain DHA/EPA) than FLAX SEED OIL.

Once fat loss slows, I always increase cardio first, then I increase the amount of fat burners (clen, cytomel, lipolyze).........After those other methods are exhausted, only then, do I play with the diet.

Always eat BEFORE lifting........never BETWEEN lifting and cardio.
Artificial Sweetners:
The artificial sweetener itself (eg. aspartame, sucralose) wont cause a problem. It's what some companies complex it with. For example, EQUAL and SPLENDA combine their aspartame and sucrolose with 1g of maltodextrin........whereas, in diet drinks, they don't do that. So, diet drinks are okay, SPLENDA and EQUAL must be used in moderation (STEVIA BALANCE is fine though since they use inulin fiber instead of maltodextrin

Forget using:
-MCT's are a waste when you're dieting. If you're gonna use FATS for an energy source, they might as well serve a function in the body. MCTs are useless. They can only serve as a source of energy!
-Arginine is not going to do anything. It will DO something; just not dramatic.

Cardio:
CARDIO should be performed at a low intensity (under 120bpm heartrate). This will ensure that you use FAT as a fuelsource since as your heartrate increase, carbohydrates begin to become the preferred fuel of choice for the body. When on a low carb diet, you're body will break down muscle and turn that into carbs. Remember, Fat CANNOT be changed into carbs. Therefore, for bodybuilding, the rule of cardio should be LONG DURATION, LOW INTENSITY

never do less than 20 min per session

The BOTTOM LINE is that low intensity cardio (while you might need more of it) ensures that fat is utilized and muscle is spared (especially while on my high protein/moderate fat/low carb diety).

Do you feel the treadmill is better for cardio, or is the bike(stationary or recumbent) just as good? As long as the intensity is LOW, it doesn't matter which piece of equipment you use

Q&A:
Q: Is gluconeogenesis inevitable in your diet?
Dave Palumbo: NO

Q: If so do I need to consume more than 1.5 grams of protein per lb of LBM so as not to lose muscle?
Dave Palumbo: The fat spares the protein....when the brain is in ketosis, the carbohydrate requirements are very very low.

Q: How much (percentage) of my protein intake would be turned into glucose (gluconeogenesis)?
Dave Palumbo: Very little (maybe 10%)

Q: What do you think of submersion in cold water as a means of burning bodyfat (thermogenesis)?
Dave Palumbo: HOCUS POKUS!

Q: How about drinking lots of cold water (I think this was even suggested by Elligton Darden) to help lose bodyfat?
Dave Palumbo: RIDICULOUS

Q: Do you think drinking lots of Green Tea is beneficial to fat loss?
Dave Palumbo: Somewhat helpful.

Q: How much is the ideal dosage of Omega 3 for a 220 lb. individual ?
Dave Palumbo: Try to take in about 9g per day

Q: How many Tbs of peanut butter could I have instead of 1/2 cup of cashewnuts?
Dave Palumbo: 2 tablespoons, two tablespoons of Peanut Butter contains 190 calories and 16 grams of fat (so 1.5 tablespoon equals about 12 grams fat) ...whereas......... 2oz (1/3 cup) almonds (about 40 almonds) = 12g fat

Q: I want to add that if I cant find the omega eggs here locally. Can I use international egg whites and just take an omega supplement?
Dave Palumbo: You can get away with 5 whole eggs (regular ones) once a day........not a big deal. You'll be burning up all that fat anyway.

Q: Whats the max cups # of coffee ( no sugar ) can consume on Dave's diet ?
Dave Palumbo: Try to limit to 2 cups per day.......I realize that towards the end of the diet you may need more to help you get through the day.

Q: If you cook tilapia in macadamon nut oil?do you coun't the oil as your fat for that meal! Depends how much you use.
Dave Palumbo: If you just grease the pan with it, no!

Q: what is the protein,carb and fat ratio for offseason
Dave Palumbo: 50% Protein, 25% fat, 25% carbs

Q: and the ratio for contest prep.
Dave Palumbo:60% protein, 30% fat, 10% carbs

Cheers man, although that diet is a shade harsh for my needs - am in an office job 9 hours a day which requires me to use my brain quite a bit - I would def consider it though if I found I wasn't getting the right results....

BossArky

You may want to include some hanging leg raises towards the end of your workouts. These will help pack a bit of muscle on your abs for when the fat has been burned off. They are also tough enough so should help burn off a few extra cals.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dfgjWFKP5Mo

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ysNevIv0w

The best way to diet is work out like a demon (big compounds, sprints, evening walks on days when resting) and eat & drink clean. I know you know this already.

Good luck!

celestial

Alright Boss, cheers - yup that is the method alright! Big compounds with some supplementary work on the weights front, high intensity cardio and easy walks on rest days. Plus keeping it clean 95%+ of the time. I've been pretty knackered since the session on friday actually.

Have already been doing knee raises alright ;-) - so the same as hanging ones except well, not hanging from the bar. Usually do them at end of session so upper body strength is fading - will switch them up to do them with pull-ups at start of session next time. They are great though - really hit the abs hard, bring out the shape of em and make you feel like you've really had a good workout!

I watched your vids and then saw this guy - he looks twice the age of the other two guys and then watch what he does, **** he's feckin strong!! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gvSA6lelSwk

I keep a close eye on your log, great work. What kind of diet do you have these days out of interest?

Saturday 13-9-2008

Breakfast: 3 boiled eggs

Then a 35 minute walk - 15 mins to get there and 15-20 mins on the way back lugging a big heavy bag. Nice bit of exercise.

Couple spoonfuls peanut butter then

Lunch round 4 ish (didn't get home til then): 4 chicken fajitas

Evening: 2 bowls of shreddies, cup of coffee with splash of milk

Yesterday looked fairly low on calories, might have been the lack of food that had me kinda knackered!!

Abs continue to peer out and stomach is defo flatter, more shaped, tighter and more defined. It is definitely shrinking!

BossArky

celestial wrote: »

I watched your vids and then saw this guy - he looks twice the age of the other two guys and then watch what he does, **** he's feckin strong!! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gvSA6lelSwk

Nice video. Haha.. funny when he whips off the shirt!

celestial wrote: »

What kind of diet do you have these days out of interest?

It is mainly something like this. I probably need to eat more carbs though as DOMS has been killing me recently.

wake up: 1 scoop protein & 5g glutamine
breakfast: porridge(weekdays) or scrambled eggs(weekend)
mid morning snack: boiled egg x2 (or3) & a few nuts / tuna / fruit /cottage cheese /sweetcorn
lunch: .... something not too carb heavy
mid afternoon snack: tuna / fruit / nuts / chopped veg
evening meal: .... something not too carb heavy
pre bed snack: chopped veg
last thing at night: 1 scoop protein & 5g glutamine

celestial

Pretty good diet there Boss.

Sunday 14-9-2008

Was at home in the folk's house with their Hunky Dorys, Cadburys' Flakes, chocolate cake, sugary cereal, white bread, pizzas and processed cereals!!



Breakfast: very light, thin slice of wholegrain bread with butter, small glass of Tropicana OJ (was running out the door, would have had eggs otherwise)

Lunch: 1 very small potato, lots of chicken, small bit of stuffing and gravy

Evening: Couple bowls of Bran Flakes with low-fat milk, couple tea spoonfuls peanut butter (I think?)

Bran Flakes not in my plan but it was late, I was knackered and there was no way I was in cooking mode.

The above probably looks like a ridiculously small amount of food for an 84kg man, but I wasn't hungry at all.


Monday 15-9-2008

As mentioned I was off site in a hotel all day so had to do my best. Which I didn't really:D I had cereal, a scone, another bun type thing, some onion soup, a steak dinner, a salad, dessert and two pints:D We had just finished a programme and project and that first pint tasted like nectar from the gods;)

My abs continue to peek out and my stomach is more or less completely flat.

corkcomp

celestial wrote: »

Pretty good diet there Boss.

Sunday 14-9-2008

Was at home in the folk's house with their Hunky Dorys, Cadburys' Flakes, chocolate cake, sugary cereal, white bread, pizzas and processed cereals!!



Breakfast: very light, thin slice of wholegrain bread with butter, small glass of Tropicana OJ (was running out the door, would have had eggs otherwise)

Lunch: 1 very small potato, lots of chicken, small bit of stuffing and gravy

Evening: Couple bowls of Bran Flakes with low-fat milk, couple tea spoonfuls peanut butter (I think?)

Bran Flakes not in my plan but it was late, I was knackered and there was no way I was in cooking mode.

The above probably looks like a ridiculously small amount of food for an 84kg man, but I wasn't hungry at all.


Monday 15-9-2008

As mentioned I was off site in a hotel all day so had to do my best. Which I didn't really:D I had cereal, a scone, another bun type thing, some onion soup, a steak dinner, a salad, dessert and two pints:D We had just finished a programme and project and that first pint tasted like nectar from the gods;)

My abs continue to peek out and my stomach is more or less completely flat.

LOL .. when you decide to have some carbs you dont do it by halves!!

celestial

Tuesday 16-9-2008

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs

Mid-morn: 2 teaspoonfuls peanut butter

Lunch: Some sort of vegetable soup with chicken and sweetcorn, some lamb

Mid-afo: nuts, 2 teaspoonfuls peanut butter

Training: 30 mins bike, medium intensity

Post-gym: 2 slices of wholegrain toast with tin of tuna, 2 slices wholegrain toast - one with peanut butter and one with dab of honey


Really wasn't in gym mode tonight at all and I know it's down to not enough food - yeuck. No energy. Need to get more calories inside me tomorrow so I can have a good session.

star101

congrats on your journey so far!
i've similar stats to you and have been trying low carb for last 6 weeks, probably intake less protein than you though. less weights for me too but planning to increase the exercise intensity this week, must look at weihgts again.

definitely getting results- but not quite able to keep up the same distance running- will need to add carbs back in soon to get miles up.

only problem i would notice is altered bowel habits as not taking in enough carbs- probably too quick transit time in gut too so might add multivitamin.

good luck.

celestial

star101 wrote: »

congrats on your journey so far!
i've similar stats to you and have been trying low carb for last 6 weeks, probably intake less protein than you though. less weights for me too but planning to increase the exercise intensity this week, must look at weihgts again.

definitely getting results- but not quite able to keep up the same distance running- will need to add carbs back in soon to get miles up.

only problem i would notice is altered bowel habits as not taking in enough carbs- probably too quick transit time in gut too so might add multivitamin.

good luck.

Cheers star101, have you been taking measurements over the past 6 weeks to determine how much impact the low carbing has had?

On the bowel movements, strange effect. I notice myself heading to the jacks a lot less often now!

celestial

Yesterday was more moderate carb than low carb for one main reason - I was starving and I didn't have low carb food! I think that because I ate so little on Tuesday I was really hungry yesterday.

17-9-2008

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, tea spoonful of peanut butter

Mid-morn: 4 weetabix with low-fat organic milk

Lunch: Veg soup with chicken and frittata thingy (egg and potato)

Mid-afo: Again, pretty damn hungry so went for 2 weetabix again - was checking the ingredients and only 4.4g of sugars per 100g which is nice to see.

Skipped the gym today cos felt I could do with a break from it. It occurred to me on the way home that just going home and relaxing for the evening is such a complete rarity for me!

Evening: Avonmore fresh vegetable soup with two slices of brown bread and real butter. Two slices of brown bread toasted with grated cheddar cheese.

I'm planning on getting my measurements taken next Monday - two weeks after the initial ones were taken and two weeks into this challenge. I better see a difference!! Sometimes I look in the mirror and see a difference and then other times I don't - who knows?! My initial measurements with calipers actually gave me a bodyfat reading of 17.4% - although the instructor said he wasn't sure of his calculations :rolleyes: On monday I'm gonna get him to formulate the original calculations again along with the new ones.

celestial

Today's grubadubdub:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, peanut butter, tea

Lunch: spinach and cream soup, mousakka, chicken fillet, few cubes of potato

Mid-afo: 3 weetabix with low fat organic milk

Pre-gym: 2 rice cakes, cappuccino

Post-gym: 30g protein shake with water, carton fresh tomato soup, 4 slices brown bread, cheddar cheese

Will have some nuts or maybe a slice of toast with cheese


Gym: weights with 10 mins bike:

Pull-ups: bodyweight x 2! then negatives:

x6
x6
x3

Looking forward to the day when I can bang out 20+ pull-ups! Can really feel the negatives working my whole body - excellent feeling:)

Close grip bench:

50kg x 3
55 kg - 6 x 3

Knee-raises:

bodyweight x 10
x6
x6
x5
x4
x5

Standing external rotation supinated grip:

left:

8 x 10kg
8 x 10kg
4 x 10kg
8 x 5kg
8 x 5kg
8 x 5kg

right:

10 x 10kg
8 x 10kg
6 x 10kg
8 x 5kg
8 x 5kg
8 x 5kg


10 mins bike moderate pace

celestial

Looking for comments please....

Three pics attached - two that I came across from mid-June this year, and one taken yesterday. So exactly 7 and 8 weeks of a difference there. I can see an improvement in the Sept one - how about you?

BTW it might look like I have a more rigid pose in the Sept one but rest assured that's not the case!

celestial

celestial wrote: »

Looking for comments please....

Three pics attached - two that I came across from mid-June this year, and one taken yesterday. So exactly 7 and 8 weeks of a difference there. I can see an improvement in the Sept one - how about you?

BTW it might look like I have a more rigid pose in the Sept one but rest assured that's not the case!

Come on guys - no-one wants to comment....you lot are usually a talkative bunch - opinions please!!!

corkcomp

celestial wrote: »

Come on guys - no-one wants to comment....you lot are usually a talkative bunch - opinions please!!!

honest answer, i dont see any difference .. but thats just me so dont take much notice! Whats your cardio routine like? I found a couple of long med intensity session per week to be great for shifting the last bit of stubborn fat around mid section ...

The_boat

I can actually see a difference in shoulder definition but not much on the mid section. Might be the angle.

Your probably at the same stage i am at - where your fitter and sctronger but cant seem to make it show visably.

It has been knocking my confidence the fact that i am training but not seeing the rewards but i'm going to keep going.

celestial

:cool::

So went to instructor to get bodyfat measurements done - manual calipers old-school, none of your body impedance crap!!

I have dropped a little over 1% of my bodyfat in 2 weeks -

from

18.96% bodyfat (he made a mistake first time out, but found what caused the error)

to....

17.89% bodyfat.

So not a massive drop but significant considering the difference achieved in two weeks - Keeping this up could get me to 13% bf (my initial goal) sooner than I think....fingers crossed!

Yeah the photo I took this month was from bad angle, the older photos are taken straight on but there is a slight angle on the newest one - you can only see it if you really look but my gut has def lessened out, have curves along side of belly too.

celestial

corkcomp wrote: »

honest answer, i dont see any difference .. but thats just me so dont take much notice! Whats your cardio routine like? I found a couple of long med intensity session per week to be great for shifting the last bit of stubborn fat around mid section ...

I don't think I do enough cardio to be fair. I do walk everywhere and run in the gym now and again and do a fair bit of stationary bike - but not at a high enough intensity on the bike. Played tennis today and was fairly out of energy after about 45 mins - I was tired after work and a late night Sat but I still should be able to keep goin for longer..

Gonna up the running significantly over the next two weeks and see where it takes me.

corkcomp

celestial wrote: »

I don't think I do enough cardio to be fair. I do walk everywhere and run in the gym now and again and do a fair bit of stationary bike - but not at a high enough intensity on the bike. Played tennis today and was fairly out of energy after about 45 mins - I was tired after work and a late night Sat but I still should be able to keep goin for longer..

Gonna up the running significantly over the next two weeks and see where it takes me.

fuctional cardio is okay for maintaining fitness / weight but i noticed a HUGE difference in the spare tyre by going out and running for 50 mins 4 times a week ... I would go fairly hard at it but not so that you want to collapse at the end!!

celestial

Update on this week:

Monday: a house viewing got in the way of training but got in a good brisk 20 minute walk...

Tues: 1 hr 5 min cardio: tennis 45 mins, then headed to gym on way home for 20 mins treadmill, medium intensity.

Wed: Run down to the beach then ran on the beach - approx 35 mins running, 10 mins walking back. Not used to running outside the gym. Really enjoyed it though, won't be able to do this in few weeks, nights closing in!

Thurs (today): 50 mins cardio - treadmill 20 mins, bike 30 mins, set of 10 push-ups to finish.

Diet is good - looks like this:

breakfast: scrambled eggs, tea, peanut butter
mid-morn: nuts, tea
lunch: meat and veg, maybe small amount of carb every few days
mid-afo: nuts or weetabix with low-fat milk
train
post-training: toast with tuna or beans or meat and veg, or soup.

As mentioned the past two weeks I've lost 2lbs of fat and gained 4lbs in lean tissue. Weight two weeks ago: 84kg. Weight today: 85kg. Bodyfat has gone from 19% to 18%.

celestial

Been a while since I updated....

The Friday before last went to gym and had a hard enough workout (esp in hindsight, the next day!) Woke up last Saturday with a neck in a lot of pain, couldn't move out of bed and had to be helped out. Then I couldn't stand without being in serious pain - the only thing that relieved it was holding my left hand behind my head. So a few hours later I went up to the hospital cos it was just ridiculous - the whole not being able to stand or walk, that is. Doc said it was a muscular issue, nothing broken he thought, and I knew that. Got some pills and slept like a baby that night, woke up next day and was much better.

I put it down to the dbell thrusters i was doing the night before, those and the different version of dbell thrusters i was doing too:rolleyes: Not all down to that though as I suspect it was a weakness that was there waiting for the final straw - I had found over the past few months that when I turned my neck suddenly I felt a twinge, so there was likely some sort of weakness there. So I've laid off exercise for the past week, and a personal situation kept me away from the gym in any case. Have been eating pretty much whatever for the past week but I am slimmer than i have been since i left school i reckon!! I am looking back at the june and july pics and goin wtf?!! I thought I was doing well then.

It's all down to my new diet without a shadow of a doubt - but the weights help too;)

RTT

Well Celestial. How are things going now over 2 years later? Started something similar myself.