March 10, 2008
After The Diet, Measurements
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I was expecting an increase in weight this week, I had started taking creatine, had increased carbs and calories overall and had drunk like a mad man this week. I thought at best I could maintain last week’s weight but that was just a hopeful thought. This week just shows that it definitely pays to be taking body fat measurements and tape measurements along the way!!
I’ve noticed a couple of changes this week which made me quite secure in the fact that even though I might gain weight I was still losing fat. I’ve written about most of them but I’m pleased with the changes I can see in my chest, stomach, back, calves and thighs.
I was a bit slack on my exercise last week and at times the diet. It was still very strict and calorie and macro controlled but not so strict on timing and I made a lot of substitutions, plus I am drinking tea and coffee with milk now. Only a tablespoon or so here and there but I’m quite sure it adds up over time. Exercise was lacking too I think I rode one or two days, skipped BJJ once and didn’t ride on Saturday. That’s what having a big weekend will do to the rest of your week!
I’m very pleased with the continued drop in BF% and will continue with the same calories and macros this week. Obviously exercise will increase a little but hopefully no more water weight from the increased carbs and creatine.
So without further a-do here are the measurements for this week. Take notice of the pluses and minuses as it’ll be the first time there is such a mix of both. I forgot to do my chest this morning so I’ll do it tomorrow.
Weight: 95.0kg (+0.9kg)
Body Fat %: 13.3% (-0.7%)
Waist: 88.5cm (-1.0cm)
Hips: 102.0cm (0.0cm)
Chest: 100.5cm (-1.5cm)
Arms: 33.0cm (-0.5cm)
Thighs: 62.75cm (+0.25cm)
March 10, 2008
Weight Lifting
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I’ve been squatting for only a couple of months now, since I got my power rack actually so somewhere in the middle of January. I’ve basically read a bunch of stuff and looked at some pictures and tried to pick a few things up but I was having trouble getting very low (past parallel really) and also with finding the groove or sweet spot on my traps for the bar. I was doing 20 rep squat sets and so the pain in my neck of back was pretty intense by half way through. I just grit my way through it and thought it must get better.
Then I found some youtube videos here and it has made all the difference! This morning I was squatting past parallel for 20 reps without any pain in my back. I watched the first couple of videos and then skipped to the bar placement and squat depth video which to me was the most helpful.
This morning it was like I hadn’t done a squat before the different muscles that were engaged and just remembering to get the hips out and push the chest up made a big difference. Once you get past parallel you really feel it in your arse and hamstrings too!
I did read some stuff on T-Nation last week about glute activation in squats and basically once you go to parallel and beyond glute activation almost triples while quad activation roughly halves (off the top of my head). So in the future I think I’ll do my warm-up full squats, my 20 rep full squats then a couple of small sets of half squats.
Anyway I definitely recommend following this link and watching Squat RX #1, #2 and #4 firstly. Then watch the rest if you want pointers on how to really get your technique down pat. It’s like I’m starting fresh again though so I will get all the basics down over the next week or two then concentrate on stuff in the other videos.
March 6, 2008
After The Diet, Changes
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There is a common shape that guys get as they lean out that starts about the waist and triangles down to the groin. I noticed this coming out this morning. The outter part has been there for quite a while, but nowhere near as noticeable. I think it’s mainly to do with the loss of fat on the stomach and is probably the start of a the long grind ahead to some definition around there.
Also noticeable in the last week has been the separation in the biceps bracchi (what people refer to when they’re talking about biceps) rather than just one round bit of flesh.
Calves have started to become more defined recently too.
The changes are definitely slowing down to probably one or two a week but they are there. This is definitely the part that I’ve heard called the grind. You just have to keep doing what you’re doing and know there will be progress at the end. It helps to measure body fat here because at least I know I *am* progressing.
March 6, 2008
After The Diet, Notes
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I had a big weekend last weekend and come Monday afternoon (it was a long weekend) I was sat there watching movies and feeling pretty worse for wear in the head. I figured the best thing I could do was to keep myself happy and at that point in time that meant putting as much junk food in my mouth as I possibly could. I had a couple of protein shakes and a steak, plus some peanut paste and a roll but other than that it was lollies all the way.
I tracked everything though, how crazy is that. Ten sherbies, ten redskins and so on…
In the end it came to just over maintenance and given I’d been dancing and doing stuff the entire day prior I felt pretty comfortable that it was all covered, even if it wasn’t it’s been two months of absolutely solid, clean eating. Half a day will only hurt a little.
The surprising thing is how easily I got back on track. I think because I actually enjoy the healthy food I’m eating now the next day I was back on track, eating healthily and feeling fine. I usually give myself a tiny treat each day (a square of chocolate or a biscuit or something like that) and I didn’t even feel the need to do that, I completely forgot about it.
It’s now a few days on and at first I was actually quite scared that Monday was just going to be the start to me going back to old ways but that hasn’t happened at all. I haven’t fought cravings, I haven’t had any urges for the lollies, I’ve just eaten great food.
The lollies are in my cupboard for the next time I have people over. I had considered throwing them away to reduce the temptation but I don’t feel like I need to at all.
What a change.
March 4, 2008
After The Diet, Notes
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I’m increasing my intake by 250 calories a day from today in an effort to slow the weight loss, more specifically to try and maintain more muscle while I’m losing weight. I think it’ll probably need to increase by 500 calories a day but I’m also not going to make such a massive jump in one go.
In doing so it means I have to start planning out my workout days to have about 2500 calories, and I was just trying to do this now and it was proving pretty difficult to plan meals to hit that target that I could actually consume. It would be easy to increase fat intake and therefore fit a stack more food in but I’m more interested in increasing fat slightly and then increasing protein and carbohydrate intake too. It means I’ll be eating roughly 30% more on my workout days and it’s a bit of effort.
Before the V-Diet I was actually taking in roughly 2500 calories a day without any problem but now afterwards and after having a restricted intake for two months I’m finding that it’s difficult to eat enough to get up to maintenance calories. Some meals actually make me feel overly full now yet previously I’d have been wanting more.
The reports of the extra benefits after the V-Diet besides weight loss aren’t exaggerated. I’m losing weight now very easily and see my goal weight approaching within the next four weeks even if I increase my calorie intake. Pretty cool really given that I hadn’t lost much weight for about a year.
My maintenance at my current activity level is probably about 3000 - 3500 calories a day. I’m currently eating 1900 - 2500 calories. So I have a long way to go 
March 2, 2008
After The Diet
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I’m really happy with this loss, it was thoroughly surprising as I was expecting perhaps 1kg at the most but it turned out to be 2kg and that’s with one day short. I measured on Sunday today instead of Monday!!
One thing that is worrying me now though is muscle loss along with fat. The last couple of weigh ins I have seemed to drop 1-1.5kg of fat but along with that was 0.5kg of muscle. I’m not sure if I’m able to lose fat and no muscle but I think the only way to answer that is to up my calorie intake.
I said to myself that when I hit 95kg I would start to supplement with creatine again as I’ve always had great results from it, however I’m worried that I will put on a couple of kilo as some guys do. This hasn’t generally been an issue for me though, I just get massive strength gains and no bloating. We’ll see if things have changed as it will be more noticeable now. So from this week it’s back to creatine. I don’t think I’ll load as I normally do and instead just start taking a teaspoon a day and an extra one after workouts.
I’ll be upping my calories this week too by 250 calories a day and see what sort of feedback I get. I’ll make this increase through an increase in fats mostly but also probably add another 40g of fibrous and non fibrous carbs per day. Milk might get a look, and yoghurt. These seem like worthwhile additions to the diet with some muesli and oats more often. It’ll work out to roughly 10g of fat per day and 40g of carbs. That works out say to say a couple teaspoons of olive oil, or a tablespoon of peanut paste each day with a serving of muesli and low fat milk. It’s basically like adding another meal a day.
The addition of a meal worth of calories a day will hopefully slow the weight loss to 1kg a week max, though I think that’ll require 500 calories extra a day or more. However it’s all a feedback loop so I’ll increase slowly and see what my body says.
The main thing is that from what I’ve read to maintain leanness is much easier than getting there in the first place, and it makes sense. At the moment if I wanted to maintain this weight it seems that I would need to eat about 15,000 calories extra over a week. That equates to 2,200 calories a day, or to put it in terms of what I’m eating, double what I eat on a workout day!
We shall see. If I have to eat double what I’m eating now, that means a doubled grocery bill too Also it means I need a bigger stomach 
I’ve listed the change from last week in brackets. I noticed growth in the chest and that may have to do with the lat and chest work I’ve been doing lately. I may well see steady growth here over time rather than reduction. Waist and hips are still dropping off quickly.
Measurements
Weight : 94.3 (-1.9kg)
Bodyfat % : 14.1 (-0.9%)
Waist : 89.5cm (-1.5cm)
Hips : 102cm (-2.0cm)
Chest : 102cm (+1.0cm)
Arms : 33.5cm (+0.25cm)
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