EvoMuse Fat Loss Sponsored Log - Kaprice

[dsade]

I can't emphasize Gut Health enough to keep you from getting sick.

 

[Kaprice]

Maybe I'll use some of my store credit to pick up some gut health.

 

[Kaprice]

DAY 13 - Measurments

It seems to me this is pretty dang good progress for one week.

The yellow highlights are what I consider meaningful improvements.

5 pounds weight loss.
over half inch drop in the neck
1/4 inch drop in relaxed chest.
I'm not sure what to make of the half inch drop in flexed chest. I hit my chest pretty hard this week and feel like it should have GAINED relative to the relaxed measurement. Oh well. The tape isn't precise (because of so many variables).

Sucked in belly button stayed the same as last week, but it's a half inch better than 2 weeks ago.
The relaxed measurement is almost bogus because of how hard it is to relax in the exact same way week after week, but there's a 1/4 inch improvement there.

Butt, thigh, calf, bicep all showed reduction.
Even though my relaxed bicep was smaller, my flexed bicep stayed the same, so that's cool.

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[HIT4ME]

It seems to me this is pretty dang good progress for one week.

The yellow highlights are what I consider meaningful improvements.

5 pounds weight loss.
over half inch drop in the neck
1/4 inch drop in relaxed chest.
I'm not sure what to make of the half inch drop in flexed chest. I hit my chest pretty hard this week and feel like it should have GAINED relative to the relaxed measurement. Oh well. The tape isn't precise (because of so many variables).

Sucked in belly button stayed the same as last week, but it's a half inch better than 2 weeks ago.
The relaxed measurement is almost bogus because of how hard it is to relax in the exact same way week after week, but there's a 1/4 inch improvement there.

Butt, thigh, calf, bicep all showed reduction.
Even though my relaxed bicep was smaller, my flexed bicep stayed the same, so that's cool.

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Looks good to me. You will lose fat much faster than you will build muscle, no matter how great you are doing. Add in the fact that you lose fat from certain areas faster than others....like me it seems your chest is leaning up fast at first and you are seeing a little but smaller leaning in other areas.....and that is why your chest is smaller. No worries at all.

 

[Kaprice]

Pics coming after dinner. I've already taken them. I just have to process them. It's a PITB because I have to crop and resize them and try to make them match the previous week.

 

[ms_mac]

In! Doing great.

 

[Kaprice]

DAY 13 - Saturday - Pictures

Here are my pics. I'm going to measure every week and do progress pics every 2 weeks.

Most of my measurements were an improvement of 1/4 to 1/2 inch, which is not easy to see given that's over the entire circumference.

That said, I do think I see some improvement in some of these -- esp the sucked in side views. What do you think?

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The bent over one looks WORSE to me.

I forgot to take the single arm bicep flex. So, next time.

 

[Kaprice]

I decided to add one more pose to my progress pictures.

This is a pair of pants I grew out of and can just now fit back into (barely).

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My thumb is in there trying to pull the front out. Note there's no air there.

What I plan to do is take a progress picture with these pants every time my waist drops an inch. Over time, we should see a nice gap between my thumb and my gut as the pants get looser.

But, this will only be a milestone pic, not every two weeks (unless I lose an inch every two weeks! )

 

[Kaprice]

Also, just for fun, remember, I started my new weight loss journey about 3 months ago (ish). I was 267. Today I weighed in at 245.

22 pounds so far.

I started this log about 2 weeks ago at 251.4.

6.4 pounds since then. 5 of that was this last week.

So, here's a pic of the belt I was wearing 3 months ago. Arrow 1 is when I was at my largest. You can barely see an indent in the belt because I didn't stay there very long (it was a new belt).

You can see a pretty pronounced indent at arrow 2 and again at arrow 3.

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I dropped such a significant size that I had to buy a smaller belt.

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Here you can see the hole for the biggest size got some good use. But, I even went to the second hole, which is where I'm at right now -- though I CAN get the pin into the third whole, but it's uncomfortable.

Anyway, I thought this was a good visual of the progress I made before starting the log.

2 months prior to starting the log, I was using Brite and Epitome that I bought. About a month later, I added in Defuse.

As a reminder, right now I'm using this massive stack, courtesy of EvoMuse (Except for Defuse, which is still my own purchase):

Defuse
Brite
Epitome
AMMNO
DCP
Abliderated Advanced
Eviscerate SuperNova

I'm hitting the gym reasonably hard (for my current condition) 3 times a week and walk/jogging 1 to 1.8 miles (hilly) two or three times a week.

And, I'm pretty sure I'm staying well below my maintenance calories, though I'm not able to track most dinners (or it's too much bother). I have very low calories during the day and just eat what my family prepares for dinner.

On a good but non-supplemented weight loss plan, general consensus is that you should lose 1 to 2 pounds a week.

Now that I've got momentum going, I should do noticeably better than that with this stack. That will be the measuring stick, I think, because if I end up at only a pound or so a week, it could be argued I'd have done that without the stack.

So, my hopes are high.

 

[dsade]

You have obvious fat loss in the upper back area, looking at the side pics. That will reduce your chest measurement, flexed or not.

 

[Kaprice]

You have obvious fat loss in the upper back area, looking at the side pics. That will reduce your chest measurement, flexed or not.

I agree. It just seemed odd that the flexed dropped more than the relaxed.

 

[dsade]

Your left shoulder seems to sit much higher than your right. Injury?

 

[HIT4ME]

Man, I see a big difference in those photos for a short timeframe. I mean, 11 days and you can see changes. When I look at you and Mechka's log, I feel like you guys are losing it so much faster than I am. You guys are doing a great job. I'm putting in some hard dieting and some hard work, but you guys are making me go even harder, so keep it up!

 

[Kaprice]

Your left shoulder seems to sit much higher than your right. Injury?

Hmmm... not something I've noticed before.

No shoulder injury. Might be just bad posture.

When I'm doing bench dumbbell press, I do notice a slight twinge in my left shoulder, though.

Also, I intermittently have lower back pain on the left side. COULD be related.

 

[Kaprice]

Man, I see a big difference in those photos for a short timeframe. I mean, 11 days and you can see changes. When I look at you and Mechka's log, I feel like you guys are losing it so much faster than I am. You guys are doing a great job. I'm putting in some hard dieting and some hard work, but you guys are making me go even harder, so keep it up!

Thanks much for that.

One thing I think makes a difference... I think you said you were fat as a kid, right? I was thin and fairly muscular throughout high school and college. I also gained my weight a few pounds a year over 25 years.

So, it's possible my body is more predisposed to losing fat and building muscle when I give it a decent chance to do so.

You may be fighting something that's been part of you since being a kid.

That said, your waist and the area just above the spare tire have gotten amazingly small. Great work! I don't know how you would go even harder. You're already on scary small calories and your workouts put mine to shame.

 

[HIT4ME]

Thanks much for that.

One thing I think makes a difference... I think you said you were fat as a kid, right? I was thin and fairly muscular throughout high school and college. I also gained my weight a few pounds a year over 25 years.

So, it's possible my body is more predisposed to losing fat and building muscle when I give it a decent chance to do so.

You may be fighting something that's been part of you since being a kid.

That said, your waist and the area just above the spare tire have gotten amazingly small. Great work! I don't know how you would go even harder. You're already on scary small calories and your workouts put mine to shame.

Thank you, and I often think you are right. I think that becoming fat, especially as a kid, does a lot of damage. Even from the standpoint that over eating stretches your stomach lining to hold more food and it retains that ability to stretch long after you have lost weight. Then add in all the chemical processes that DSade talks about and you can see that the best way to be lean is to never get fat. I lost weight in the 7th grade and kept it off through college...but the real world did me in.

Plus, I was 250 at the beginning of 2015 and so I've been dieting off and on for a bit longer. Unfortunately, it gets harder as you get closer to your goals. Lyle MacDonald actually talked about this on his site and I was glad to read it a month or so ago. I was about half way and things just started to seem harder....and I saw on his site a discussion about how most people who have 70+ pounds to lose get half way and quit and are disappointed. Lyle points out that losing 35+ pounds of fat isn't something to be disappointed in, but this process is harder than a lot realize. Some aspects get easier.. I am used to not eating and better at not giving into small cravings, but other parts become harder...like the weird scale fluctuations and stalls.

And HGP has been trying to get me to add in some cardio, and some LISS may be good. But I honestly just haven't found the time .

 

[Kaprice]

DAY 14 - Sunday

Woke at 7:30a
Pre BM Weight: 248.4

I decided to give my body a full break, today. No supplements.

After church, I had one of the best BMs all week. Finally!

Food Log (as of 8:00p):
2 leftover corn dogs w/ condiments
1 can Red Creme Soda
25 roasted almonds
1.5 cups Cauliflower
2 tbsp Hummis
1 breaded chicken patty on hamburger bun w/ condiments, tomato, lettuce, onions
1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats cereal
1/2 cup whole milk

Calories: 1,340
Fat: 58
Carbs: 161
Protein: 50

I'm going to have a protein shake later to bring up the protein percent.

Here's what surprised me...

After corn dogs, a chicken burger, pop, and cereal, I'm feeling quite full and emotionally satiated.

I expected to be WAY above my maintainance calories. But, my maint is 2869! Normal fat loss calories is 2295. Extreme Fat Loss is 2000.

And, I'm sitting at 1300. I'll get another 300-400 with the protein shake.

On the one hand, that's amazingly cool to be full and eat those things and be in such a deficit.

OTOH, I keep reading that when you go too far into a deficit you can actually hamper your fat loss progress.

8:45p Protein shake.

Updated macros:

Calories: 1621
Fat: 67
Carbs: 177
Protein: 81.75

Bed: 12:30a
EDIT: 1:35p (sigh)

 

[dsade]

Correct. IMO you are way below ideal calories, and especially protein intake, to be in the ideal range for losing fat.

 

[rtmilburn]

Correct. IMO you are way below ideal calories, and especially protein intake, to be in the ideal range for losing fat.

I was thinking the same. Double the protein, reduce the the carbs by 50ish, and up fats to 100ish, but thats just me. Im curious see what macros you recommend.

 

[HIT4ME]

Correct. IMO you are way below ideal calories, and especially protein intake, to be in the ideal range for losing fat.

I was thinking the same. Double the protein, reduce the the carbs by 50ish, and up fats to 100ish, but thats just me. Im curious see what macros you recommend.

I am not saying you should do what I am doing at all, do what works for you, but just to give you some perspective, I am getting 50-100% more protein than you are regularly while staying below 800 calories. Protein does help keep you more full, and preserves lean tissue better than carbs or fat. Fats will be next in line provided they are from healthy sources. I'm a big fan of using coconut oil to cook when I'm not doing this crazy diet

 

[rtmilburn]

I am not saying you should do what I am doing at all, do what works for you, but just to give you some perspective, I am getting 50-100% more protein than you are regularly while staying below 800 calories. Protein does help keep you more full, and preserves lean tissue better than carbs or fat. Fats will be next in line provided they are from healthy sources. I'm a big fan of using coconut oil to cook when I'm not doing this crazy diet

Honestly all fats are healthy(except trans fat obviously). As even the "unhelathy" saturated fats are vital and are used in numerous of bodily functions, such as creating hormones. As for protien the higher the better. The last thing protein wants to do is be stored as fat. There are studies of athletes eating at maintenance calories and 2 groups in 600cal surplus. 1 adding nothing but protien the other adding nothing but carbs. Guess what the group that added 600cal from protien actually lost fat.

Dont get me wrong diet is very individualized, so if you have tested the waters and this is working, stick with it. Im just here to give some info that ive learned from research and my experiences and observe as a by stander. It doesnt mean you have to do what i say, as it may not be whats best for you, so do with it what you want. As it is you who is doing the work.

 

[HIT4ME]

Honestly all fats are healthy(except trans fat obviously). As even the "unhelathy" saturated fats are vital and are used in numerous of bodily functions, such as creating hormones. As for protien the higher the better. The last thing protein wants to do is be stored as fat. There are studies of athletes eating at maintenance calories and 2 groups in 600cal surplus. 1 adding nothing but protien the other adding nothing but carbs. Guess what the group that added 600cal from protien actually lost fat.

Dont get me wrong diet is very individualized, so if you have tested the waters and this is working, stick with it. Im just here to give some info that ive learned from research and my experiences and observe as a by stander. It doesnt mean you have to do what i say, as it may not be whats best for you, so do with it what you want. As it is you who is doing the work.

It sure seems like they are almost all healthy...to some degree. Not sure I believe that though, but I also question whether olive oil is as healthy as people think. I never cook with it, that's for sure. I don't avoid things and eat things that are much worse, but I think fats are so much more complex than how we have categorized them. Some saturated fats are good, some maybe not. So much conflict

 

[ma70]

My 4 set progression is designed as follows:

Set 1: Light weight, 12 reps - This is to stretch and loosen up the muscles
Set 2: Bit heavier, 10 reps - This is the warm up
Set 3: First set of any difficulty -- maybe a Level 7 - This is preparation set
Set 4: Heavy. Rep 6 should be near failure - This is the only stress set

This is a good flow for older people. There's only one high stress set and it's only 6 reps. The muscles get their workout but recovery is still within reason.

I usually rest 30 seconds between sets 1, 2, and 3. Depending on how I'm feeling, I'll usually rest 60 seconds in prep for 4.

Then 2 minutes before the next exercise.

Nah, wrong, IMHO.
Seriously.

I've been going through this log, and honestly, just stick with a set/rep scheme you believe in and work hard. I think too many people spend way too much time program hopping trying to find the "ideal" program, as well as trying to copy what works for others (and not necessarily them) without actually figuring out what works for them in the first place. A vague example is that some people like blasting their bodies and doing bro splits (high volume), while I enjoy high frequency. Some people build muscle doing explosive movements, and some people build muscle better doing slow eccentrics. Point is, just do whatever you like doing and focus on progression.

Anyways, subbed. Keep it up!

 

[Kaprice]

DAY 15 - Monday

Maybe due to fighting off a cold; maybe due to stress; maybe just because I've been getting around 6 hours of sleep for the past few day -- but I slept until 9:30a. Bed last night at 1:30a.

So, a full 8 hours. Felt good (in a guilty sort of way)

Had a decent BM (YAY!)
Weight: 247

My shower washcloth was stiff and rough, so I used that as a makeshift Loufa to sort of exfoliate.

Applied Abliderated Advanced
I accidentally also applied it to my pecks.

I found that it applies WAY better (more smoothly with less skin friction) if I get my hands moist before pouring the AA (same with SuperNova) into them. I just put my hands under the tap as if I were washing them, then I shake off the drops. Then pour the goop.

I waited 5 mins and applied Supernova to core, pecks, butt, thigh, and for the first time I decided to try my upper arms. Definitely some flab along my tricep area.

10:00a Brite/DCP/Epitome

SIDE NOTE: I'm running low on Defuse and it appears to be out of stock at EvoMuse, so I'm going to start taking that only when I'm having a big cheat meal that takes me above my calorie target. Once I can get another bottle, I'll go back to taking before every dinner.

dsade, got an ETA on Defuse restock?

11:50a
3.2 oz deli roast beef.
1 sc Gold Std Whey protein shake / 1.5 cups 2% milk / 3 slices frozen peach.
DANG, that's a tasty treat!

Calories so far: 455
Fat: 12
Carb: 21
Prot: 64

I ALMOST made it to the gym at 1:00 but got a client call with an issue that took 3 hours to resolve. Now I'm feeling tired and not at all in the mood to hit the weights. But, I'm going, I'm going. (sigh)

4:30p
Applied SuperNova -- I tried to use generous portions to see if that would get me to the sweats.
DCP

So, it turns out 4:30p is a really SUCKY time to be at my new gym. The free weight section was very crowded. And I didn't notice this before but the machine section only has one of each type of machine. So, if you're there with a crowd, you're gonna be waiting at least once for your next exercise.

I tried something new that I'll write about later.

6:30p
Defuse
Dinner
A mix of kidney beans, corn, and bulgur wheat (plus flavorings & a few veggies)
1/4 slice of corn bread

Later, more roasted almonds, protein shake, roast beef.

as of 9:30p:
Calories: 1971
Fat:69
Carb: 150 (91 of that came from the bulgur wheat and kidney beans)
Protein: 160

12:00a - After my snack, above, I had no cravings and thus no new calories. I'm hoping to wrap up a project I'm working on and be in bed by 12:30a.

Brite/AMMO/Supernova
EDIT: Bed at 1am.

 

[Kaprice]

dsade, to be clear, you're recommending I up the calories, focusing on protein, yes?

 

[Kaprice]

BTW, that was just one day's calorie result. Because I'm just eating what my family prepares for dinner, it can be higher. Some dinners are practically impossible for me to calculate calories. I suspect some days I'm at or above ideal fat loss calories.

But, I think I will start adding an extra protein shake and have a bit more deli roast beef snacks during the day.

 

[dsade]

Maybe due to fighting off a cold; maybe due to stress; maybe just because I've been getting around 6 hours of sleep for the past few day -- but I slept until 9:30a. Bed last night at 1:30a.

So, a full 8 hours. Felt good (in a guilty sort of way)

Had a decent BM (YAY!)
Weight: 247

My shower washcloth was stiff and rough, so I used that as a makeshift Loufa to sort of exfoliate.

Applied Abliderated Advanced
I accidentally also applied it to my pecks.

I found that it applies WAY better (more smoothly with less skin friction) if I get my hands moist before pouring the AA (same with SuperNova) into them. I just put my hands under the tap as if I were washing them, then I shake off the drops. Then pour the goop.

I waited 5 mins and applied Supernova to core, pecks, butt, thigh, and for the first time I decided to try my upper arms. Definitely some flab along my tricep area.

10:00a Brite/DCP/Epitome

SIDE NOTE: I'm running low on Defuse and it appears to be out of stock at EvoMuse, so I'm going to start taking that only when I'm having a big cheat meal that takes me above my calorie target. Once I can get another bottle, I'll go back to taking before every dinner.

dsade, got an ETA on Defuse restock?

The restock situation is a nightmare that I am trying to remedy. Hit me up via PM and I will send you a bottle from my own personal stash to keep the log going.

 

[HIT4ME]

BTW, that was just one day's calorie result. Because I'm just eating what my family prepares for dinner, it can be higher. Some dinners are practically impossible for me to calculate calories. I suspect some days I'm at or above ideal fat loss calories.

But, I think I will start adding an extra protein shake and have a bit more deli roast beef snacks during the day.

I don't think anyone is really criticizing, just to be clear on things. I know it's hard dieting and putting up what you eat and then having people say things...it's real easy for me to get defensive at least. At the end of the day it's your goals and your eating and your body and your decisions. I'm sure you know it's just ideas and no one means anything, but I wanted to make myself clear and maybe clarify, just because I've been on the other end too. What you're doing is working, and if it fits your life then that's what's important. When it stops working my advise is:

1. Be a little stubborn and stick to it anyway for a while. A lot of times things seem to stop and they haven't, you just have to wait a little longer.

2. Make small changes and don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

Having said that, the advise above is all good for general guidelines/diet planning. Something to practice incorporating. I think of this as practice too - you can try to eat the way you should, and if you get strict you will be successful for a day or a week, etc. - but you will eventually fall off and eat what you shouldn't. It's practice. You don't have to be perfect, just keep practicing and getting on that horse.

The restock situation is a nightmare that I am trying to remedy. Hit me up via PM and I will send you a bottle from my own personal stash to keep the log going.

Matt, you and your OOS. I'm damned lucky you have this problem though - I'd buy so much from you I'd literally be in debt. No joke.

 

[Kaprice]

Hit4Me, I didn't take it as criticism. I LIKE getting feedback, otherwise, what's the point of posting a detailed log?

I've read enough on diet to accept that ultra low calories is generally a poor long term solution to weight loss -- for multiple reasons. Some that come to mind are:

* The body adjusts to be "more efficient" on fewer calories, making ongoing fat burning harder. I think Leptin is a big part of this.

* The body tends to cannibalize muscle on long term ultra low calorie diet.

* If you start ultra low calories, it doesn't give you anywhere to go when hit plateaus.

As for my own recent diet...

* I don't really know if I've been ultra low cal on a daily basis. I'm going to try to do better tracking.

* I wasn't sure if the EvoMuse products would offset the negatives of ultra low cal -- so dsade's input was helpful.

* Other than eating very little during the day, I wasn't actually trying very hard to keep it ultra low cal. By doing little during the day, I found I just got quite satisfied with lower portions at dinner -- which appears to still keep me ultra low cal -- though again, I'm not certain of the cals on prior days.

I do accept the various advice out there that high protein is very helpful and important when lifting high volume and when trying to lose fat.

So, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing except I'm going to try to track macros better and increase protein. I'll do the latter mostly by having more protein shakes, though I'll probably also do more with deli roast beef, bacon, eggs, and cottage cheese as well.

 

[Kaprice]

QUESTION FOR THOSE FOLLOWING THIS LOG...

I've been keeping my progress throughout a single day all in a single post. I just edit it as I come up with new information.

I feel like having it all in one post is easier to follow.

BUT, you don't get notifications on edits. And if a few new posts have come in, you may never notice the new info in the original post for the day.

So, my question for you all is:

Would you prefer I post progress throughout the day in separate replies? Or, keep it in a single post as I am now?

 

[rtmilburn]

QUESTION FOR THOSE FOLLOWING THIS LOG...

I've been keeping my progress throughout a single day all in a single post. I just edit it as I come up with new information.

I feel like having it all in one post is easier to follow.

BUT, you don't get notifications on edits. And if a few new posts have come in, you may never notice the new info in the original post for the day.

So, my question for you all is:

Would you prefer I post progress throughout the day in separate replies? Or, keep it in a single post as I am now?

Honestly doesnt matter. Whatever you prefer.

 

[HIT4ME]

Hit4Me, I didn't take it as criticism. I LIKE getting feedback, otherwise, what's the point of posting a detailed log?

I've read enough on diet to accept that ultra low calories is generally a poor long term solution to weight loss -- for multiple reasons. Some that come to mind are:

* The body adjusts to be "more efficient" on fewer calories, making ongoing fat burning harder. I think Leptin is a big part of this.

* The body tends to cannibalize muscle on long term ultra low calorie diet.

* If you start ultra low calories, it doesn't give you anywhere to go when hit plateaus.

As for my own recent diet...

* I don't really know if I've been ultra low cal on a daily basis. I'm going to try to do better tracking.

* I wasn't sure if the EvoMuse products would offset the negatives of ultra low cal -- so dsade's input was helpful.

* Other than eating very little during the day, I wasn't actually trying very hard to keep it ultra low cal. By doing little during the day, I found I just got quite satisfied with lower portions at dinner -- which appears to still keep me ultra low cal -- though again, I'm not certain of the cals on prior days.

I do accept the various advice out there that high protein is very helpful and important when lifting high volume and when trying to lose fat.

So, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing except I'm going to try to track macros better and increase protein. I'll do the latter mostly by having more protein shakes, though I'll probably also do more with deli roast beef, bacon, eggs, and cottage cheese as well.

I kind of thought that was how you would see it, but just wanted to be sure I was at least clear. I don't know it all and there's more than one way to skin a cat.

So, the entire metabolic slow down thing has been of interest to me, because, well, I think it's overblown. It would be nice to think we have a metabolism that is heavily adjustable. The reason this is so attractive is, we can tell ourselves, if we eat more, our metabolism will speed up and we will still lose weight. Well, obviously, this has its limits.

And leptin does play a role (DSade is a pioneer here, knows far more than I ever will). Obese people have increased thyroid hormone levels and often have structural changes in their thyroid because of the increased output. By this thinking, an obese person will almost always have a faster metabolism than a non-obese person, but this is only true to a small degree, IMO. The simple fact that an obese person weighs more, carries more weight, has to spend a greater amount of energy to undertake any task when compared to a fit counterpart, explains a large percentage of this metabolic slow down, and you will experience this if you lose it fast or slow. You will also experience a leptin drop, and thus a T4/T3 drop, as you lose weight, whether is fast or slow.

Another factor is conversion of T4 to T3/rT3. rT3 is the "mirror image" of T3 and binds to the receptor sites competitively with T3, but has almost no activity at the receptor. So essentially, it blocks T3 on a cellular level. Any period of caloric restriction and especially carb restriction, will increase production of rT3 and decrease T3 production from T4. I've never seen a single study showing a 500 calorie deficit vs. a 1500 calorie deficit doesn't do this. Maybe it's out there, I just haven't found it. So, again, any diet will slow metabolism.

At the end of the day though, the law of thermodynamics rules. You can't slow your metabolism down past a certain point (I've seen estimates of as much as 30% slow down being the high side - so 600-900 calories tops for most people).

Having said that, the anecdotal evidence definitely follows the layout you provided. And cannibalizing muscle isn't your only concern - muscle is often used in place of the more accurate term - lean tissue. Lean tissue being muscle, organs, etc. Organs CAN be cannibalized and damaged from dieting. High protein intake will be the one best defense against this in a deficit.

Think of it this way, carbs, fats and protein are all mixtures of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen; with the exception being protein which has nitrogen also. You can build fats and carbs from the chemical components of protein, but carbs and fats lack the nitrogen needed to build protein. So, if you have enough protein but not enough carbs, your body will make the carbs. If you have enough carbs, but not enough protein....you're just out of luck.

QUESTION FOR THOSE FOLLOWING THIS LOG...

I've been keeping my progress throughout a single day all in a single post. I just edit it as I come up with new information.

I feel like having it all in one post is easier to follow.

BUT, you don't get notifications on edits. And if a few new posts have come in, you may never notice the new info in the original post for the day.

So, my question for you all is:

Would you prefer I post progress throughout the day in separate replies? Or, keep it in a single post as I am now?

I like what you're doing. Whatever you are comfortable with.

 

[Kaprice]

DAY 16 - Tuesday

Wake at 9:00a
Weight: 247.7 (No BM, yet)
Shower
Apply Abliderated Advanced
wait a few mins
Apply SuperNova

dsade said there's no staining, so I must be either putting too much on, not rubbing it in right, or not waiting long enough before putting my t-shirt on because this morning, this is what my tee looked like:

Invalid Link Removed

In case you can't tell... that's a WHITE tee.

I forgot to take my supps first thing, so

10:45a
Brite/DCP/Epitome

I'm definitely feeling the aftermath of yesterday's workout. I'm just the right kind of sore.

Because of how croweded the gym was and because of the layout of the gym, I decided to move to split body part workouts. I'm still trying to put together my new program, so I just winged it, yesterday.

It was all machines.

I sort of laddered up the weights and pyramided down.

So, I went up until I couldn't do a 5th rep, then worked my way down, doing each each weight until failure (though I didn't go all out on the final pushes).

I did that for bench press, curls, tri side push downs. I started to do lat pull downs but the machine was busy and too many people wanted to work take turns on their sets. I didn't want to wait, so I just did 10 mins on the incline treadmill (walking at 3.2). I'd have done more, but my wife let me know that dinner was about to be ready.

11:00a Thermogum
11:40 Ultimate Omega (I meant to take this first thing AM)

1:30p Jog/Walk
.75 miles with a 228 ft drop in elevation.
I did that in 6:43, which is on pace for a 9 minute mile. (Remember this is almost entirely down hill.)
Actually, while the decline was easier, it was was also harder on my chins. Felt a slight chin splint coming on. I adjusted the way I land my feet and it seemed to help. I hope so because I really hate chin splints.

then I rested and stretched and went back UP 228 ft. For this, I alternated between a jog and a recovery walk. 100 paces each. In this case, a "pace" is every time my left foot lands in front of me. So, Left, Right, ONE, Left Right TWO...

So, 100 paces jogging followed by 100 paces walking (and wheezing) the whole way back.

I did the UP portion in 14:08 minutes.

Still no BM (UGHH!)
Post jog weight: 245.1

2:45p first food of the day
3 oz deli roast beef
4 oz cottage cheese
25 roasted almonds

Calories so far: 397

In a ridiculously unlikely coincidence, MapMyFitness estimates my jog/walk to have burned exactly 397 calories!

Now beyond how strange that is, MMF has to be off on its calorie estimate.

It said I burned about 225 calories going DOWN and only about 160 calories going UP. Yes, I was going faster down, but it was WAY easier than even the slow walking going up. So, I'd estimate I burned even more than what MMF is estimating.

2:30p short nap

3:15p Thermogum

4:30p Protein shake (1sc Gold Std Whey / 4 frozen strawberries / 1c whole milk)
again, this always tastes and feels like a dessert.

4:45p Starting to feel tired.
Nicorette

I'm at 688 calories, so far.

6:30p Defuse / DCP
Dinner
2 cups rice mix of veggies with some sausage and chicken

9:00p
tiny piece of brownie (like about 1/3 of a normal slice)
10 roasted almonds

It's 10:00p and I'm feeling full and satiated
But, I'm sitting at 1214 calories.

Not sure what to do. I'm sure I should be upping my calories, but it seems silly and counter productive to eat this late, esp when I'm still feeling full.

BTW, I think I have to give Epitome a fair portion of the credit for my lack of appetite.

OK, I made my decision. Today was a jog day, so I'm going to let the calories sit low. I'll beef up to 2,000 or maybe even a bit more, tomorrow. I MIGHT go whip up a protein shake just to bump up that macro.

Right now I'm at
Cal: 1214
F: 41
C: 105 (that dang rice)
P: 95

What I don't want to do is stretch out my stomach so it takes more food to feel full. I like that I'm getting full on comparatively small portions. I mean my whole meal was just 2 cups of that rice mix. Almost 4 hours later and I'm still feeling satiated.

No BM all day. Might be time to pick up a laxative.

Interesting...

I wasn't feeling hungry at all -- until I decided to have a protein shake and 2 oz of roast beef. After that I started feeling quite snacky.

Final Macros:

Cal: 1630
F: 60
C: 131
P: 129

 

[hairygrandpa]

Great effort!

 

[dsade]

Shin splints are a bitch. I had them the entire time I was in the army. I always ended up with stress fractures that were pretty painful.

 

[Kaprice]

DAY 17 - Wednesday

So, I had another mild meltdown last night. I was THIS close to going to bed at 1:30a and somehow talked myself into watching a movie, instead. With the movie came a full slice of brownie, several chunks of cauliflower, and maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons of hummus (as dip for the cauliflower). Also another 10 or 20 roasted almonds.

Not the worst meltdown I could have had, but it still bothers me.

That puts me here for yesterday:

Cal: 1963
F: 85
C: 143
P: 142

So actually, the calories are right on target, so I guess I won't beat myself up too badly.

Bed last night at 3:30a
Woke at 9:30a

Small BM
Weight: 247.6

Shower
Abliderated Adv
wait several mins
SuperNova
Brite/DCP/Epitome
Ultimate Omega

After all those pills, I actually feel like I've eaten a small breakfast!

Early Observations about Supernova:

I tend to always feel warm, anyway, so it's hard to tell if/when SN is increasing my body temp.

Unlike Abliderated Adv, SN never quite feels like it's fully absorbed. Even after 5 to 10 minutes of standing around naked, there's still a bit of a sticky residue.

And I find myself resenting the lost time just standing around waiting for it to absorb. If I apply it twice a day, that's 20 minutes for SN and 10 for AA of just standing around. That's a lot of lost productivity. Objectively, I think I'd have to really know it's making a huge difference to feel good about continuing that regimen long term.

 

[hairygrandpa]

At least you stay true to yourself about cheating- but man, DON'T DO IT !
Problem is, you are keeping the habit to eat unhealthy food, even though restricted.
Imagine you come off the diet at your desired weight, every cheat meal WILL crank your weight up again.
Just eliminate those nasty products from your house. If it's not possible because of family, buy your own fridge, that's what I would do.

I will see you a winner, stay disciplined like one!

 

[Kaprice]

I do plan on buying a mini fridge for my home office.

But, actually, as for coming off the diet, I kinda feel that won't be as big a problem as it often is because the way I'm eating right now I never feel like I'm dieting. I never feel deprived. I never have to fight willpower.

That should make it pretty easy to maintain.

I LIKE that I'm able to have brownie here and there and not feel guilty or have it derail my efforts.

The exception to all the above is night binges. That bothers me, even though I stayed within my calorie range. It WAS out of control and I felt "powerless" to stop myself. THAT's not good. That's where I do need to work on my belief system.

I disagree that I'm keeping the habit to eat unhealthy food. 90% of my intake is healthy. And by allowing myself the 10% not healthy, there's less reason to "rebound" because there's less feeling of "I finally get to eat all this stuff I love".

That said, keep at me.

 

[hairygrandpa]

I do plan on buying a mini fridge for my home office.

But, actually, as for coming off the diet, I kinda feel that won't be as big a problem as it often is because the way I'm eating right now I never feel like I'm dieting. I never feel deprived. I never have to fight willpower.

That should make it pretty easy to maintain.

I LIKE that I'm able to have brownie here and there and not feel guilty or have it derail my efforts.

Having your own fridge is great! Fill it with the "right stuff". I don't agree to the brownie thingy. If you could cut it out completely, you will not have cravings for it after awhile, THAT should be your goal! Diet means "daily eating habit", when you are talking about diet it sounds like "fasting". Diet is lifelong.
It took me awhile to wrap my head around it, but it is what it is. When I cheat, it's on too much nuts -or a bourbon with coke at the weekend. Pizza, potato chips, cake -or even bread does not cross my mind anymore, thankfully.

The exception to all the above is night binges. That bothers me, even though I stayed within my calorie range. It WAS out of control and I felt "powerless" to stop myself. THAT's not good. That's where I do need to work on my belief system.

I disagree that I'm keeping the habit to eat unhealthy food. 90% of my intake is healthy. And by allowing myself the 10% not healthy, there's less reason to "rebound" because there's less feeling of "I finally get to eat all this stuff I love".

That said, keep at me.

I feel you when you mentioned the night binges. I'm a night-guy, sitting until 3 am at the computer. As I told you earlier, I switched from nuts to boiled eggs, you could give it a try. I'm still eating nuts but not that often, you know the amount of calories from nuts. Honestly, at night I'm going often to the fridge, at least 5 times -mostly shutting the door again don't taking anything out...but not every time. Last night I took out a slice (x3) of cheese and some slices of cooked ham (7). When the urge gets too strong, I make a smoothie with casein -or whey with some fruits and ice.

Transforming the old habits is key, because later on you will keep the new habits, it's crucial IMHO.

Good you controlled the amount of "poisonous food" though, it shows some willpower, LOL.
Keep fighting!

 

[HIT4ME]

I have to agree with HGP, as much as I hate to do it. You have to do what you can to stick to something, and falling off and getting back on is part of the process. What the PSMF did for me was it shut off my decision making. The way you said you felt helpless - that was because you had a choice to make. And if you are like me, you will make the bad choice all the time. When I decided to PSMF, what helped was the mentality of, "I'm not eating ANYTHING. Done. Eating." This of course, wasn't true, I had a plan to get proteins in and a small amount of calories, but it was the mentality that was important.

And of course, many people say this mentality is unhealthy and not obtainable long term. And yeah, some truth to that, but I was no longer able to lie to myself. We lie to ourselves. A lot. That's how we got fat.

Does any of this sound familiar?

-I can lose weight whenever I want.
-This one cookie won't matter
-I have to lose 30 pounds (when you have 70 pounds of fat on your body)
-I'm not that out of shape, I just have to lose a little weight.
-Dieting isn't that hard
-I just have to eat a little better and I'll get what I want.

I've lied to myself a lot in life. And my decisions are always horrible. When I "stopped eating" I started to realize how much I would walk past food and just eat it. Like, "Oh, food, I MUST eat it." My decision ability for eating was broken. It was always autopilot, "Eat". And fighting that was HARD. Still is at times.

Being overly strict has allowed me to recover from cheats a little, but I think it has kind of reset my ability to make decisions. I'm not always going to make the right decisions....but I have a new view of food and I realize it isn't nearly as enjoyable as I make it out to be.

Earlier in my log I took a break for 3 days and one day I was going to go get a cheese burger from Five Guys or Wendys because I was just craving a fast food burger, for weeks! Funny thing, when the day came, I was driving to get the burger and ....I really didn't want it. I didn't even get it. I only wanted it because mentally I was telling myself I couldn't have it and then when it was like, "Ok, it's yours, go get it!"....suddenly there was no appeal.

Human nature I guess.

If I can make a prediction based on my own personal life and what I'm seeing in your log, and I hesitate to say this because I don't know if it helps at all and it isn't helpful to beat you up for no reason and this needs to be your goal and there is no point in feeling bad or beating yourself up - but I think you're going to see some good results for a little while, then it is going to stall. And then you're going to wonder what went wrong and this is where it will be easy to quit and I hope you don't. You're going to eventually have to become hard. And I say this because, well, it's the phase I'm in right now. It gets harder. When I started, I was so fat and out of shape at 290+ that just working out and not even trying to diet I lost a solid 40 pounds. Just ANY change was a move in the right direction. But getting from what I was to what I am now and to what I want to be, the habits and commitment has to be equally as habitual.

I put a lot of effort into eating EVERYTHING that I walked by. I was committed to it. I worked it. For years. Day in, day out. I was lazy as F.

And I've changed those habits a little, I'm better now - but I'm still practicing those habits and trying to get them to the level of commitment I had to being fat. It's like gravity pulling me back to my old habits. I mean, we're talking over a decade of overeating vs. 1-2 years of dieting.

A big part of changing is to realize that will power is a myth. We ALL crack. There is a book called "Change Anything" and it talks a lot about how everyone credits or blames will power for their success/failure - but it turns out your environment makes more difference than most ever realize. We react to what's around us. Let me bring you to a restaurant with good smells and fattening food and make you sit their and watch everyone eat yummy food and see how long it takes you to break down. Eventually, we all will.

One of the best examples of this was when he talked about treadmills in his book. He says to think about how many people you know that have bought a treadmill. And how many of those people actually use their treadmill? Almost none of them. And then he asks, "Where do people usually keep a treadmill?" And of course, it's in their basement most of the time.

Then he asks, "How many people do you know that buy a TV and never watch it?" followed by, "And where do they put the TV?" Yup. Right in the center of their living area, where they see it all the time.

How often would you watch TV if you had to go down into your basement to watch it? Probably a lot less.

Set up your environment for success.

Also, we all have "food gate keepers" - people who are responsible for shopping and making meals. My gf is a big part of this for me. While my over eating isn't her fault, she does help control the environment that I'm exposed to. And I've gotten her so she makes sure there is broccoli and chicken or fish in the fridge most times. She can eat what she wants - but she knows I have to eat that stuff and she has taken on some responsibility for it, since she does the shopping and cooking. I'm lucky to have her - and once she got on board everything became MUCH easier for me.

 

[Kaprice]

My experience has been the opposite, H4M.

When I'm overly strict, I seldom stick with it. I LIKE the way I'm eating right now. It's not hard and it doesn't FEEL like I'm dieting. At all.

Many of my old cravings are gone or diminished. Where I used to down an entire bag of chips and dip, I find 8 to 10 chips is totally satisfying. No, it's not pure and it's not great for the diet, but if I've been careful besides that, it doesn't derail it, either.

For me, the ability to eat one brownie, guilt free and w/o destroying my progress makes it FAR more likely I'll make it a long term commitment than if I tell myself I get NADA.

But, as I've said, if/when what I'm doing stops working, I'll absolutely be looking for a new plan.

I'd certainly never last on your ultra restrictive diet. And, I wouldn't want to.

I think you mentioned you thought you were getting maybe 10 to 20% better results from the combination of your calorie restricted diet AND some powerful supplements.

Well, if the supps get any credit at all, then maybe you were improving 5 to 10% on your diet.

Not worth it to me. I'd rather take 5 to 10% longer to get my results and not spend 8 months being absolutely miserable.

 

[HIT4ME]

My experience has been the opposite, H4M.

When I'm overly strict, I seldom stick with it. I LIKE the way I'm eating right now. It's not hard and it doesn't FEEL like I'm dieting. At all.

Many of my old cravings are gone or diminished. Where I used to down an entire bag of chips and dip, I find 8 to 10 chips is totally satisfying. No, it's not pure and it's not great for the diet, but if I've been careful besides that, it doesn't derail it, either.

For me, the ability to eat one brownie, guilt free and w/o destroying my progress makes it FAR more likely I'll make it a long term commitment than if I tell myself I get NADA.

But, as I've said, if/when what I'm doing stops working, I'll absolutely be looking for a new plan.

I'd certainly never last on your ultra restrictive diet. And, I wouldn't want to.

I think you mentioned you thought you were getting maybe 10 to 20% better results from the combination of your calorie restricted diet AND some powerful supplements.

Well, if the supps get any credit at all, then maybe you were improving 5 to 10% on your diet.

Not worth it to me. I'd rather take 5 to 10% longer to get my results and not spend 8 months being absolutely miserable.

I'm not sure where I said that about the 10-20%, but maybe I was saying the 11-KT was giving me that bump vs. just the diet alone. I ran the diet by itself before and was losing about 0.5 pounds per day, and that appeared to be slightly accelerated with the 11-KT.

Having said that - you aren't wrong. This highlights the importance of finding something you can stick to for YOU.

I noticed this in myself with running. I HATE doing LISS. It bores me and I just can't do it. But when I discovered HIIT I was all into running all out until I couldn't breath anymore. It just fit my makeup. Some people would hate doing that and would rather do LISS. Doesn't make anyone wrong. It's about what you can stick to, and you are 100% right about that.

And if it means anything. i think you are getting faster results than I have on this run. Part of that may be that I've already dieted down from 250-180, bounced to 210 and then got back at it. I seem to hit a wall every time at 175. Even in college. This was where my body liked to be. Like it refuses to lose that last 20 or so pounds. But you are doing great, proud of you!

 

[hairygrandpa]

My experience has been the opposite, H4M.

When I'm overly strict, I seldom stick with it. I LIKE the way I'm eating right now. It's not hard and it doesn't FEEL like I'm dieting. At all.

Many of my old cravings are gone or diminished. Where I used to down an entire bag of chips and dip, I find 8 to 10 chips is totally satisfying. No, it's not pure and it's not great for the diet, but if I've been careful besides that, it doesn't derail it, either.

For me, the ability to eat one brownie, guilt free and w/o destroying my progress makes it FAR more likely I'll make it a long term commitment than if I tell myself I get NADA.

But, as I've said, if/when what I'm doing stops working, I'll absolutely be looking for a new plan.

I'd certainly never last on your ultra restrictive diet. And, I wouldn't want to.

I think you mentioned you thought you were getting maybe 10 to 20% better results from the combination of your calorie restricted diet AND some powerful supplements.

Well, if the supps get any credit at all, then maybe you were improving 5 to 10% on your diet.

Not worth it to me. I'd rather take 5 to 10% longer to get my results and not spend 8 months being absolutely miserable.

The brownie did not hurt the diet as much, the

feeling no guilt

for eating it should worry you.

When your approach fails, you may not be around here on AM to read my comment, so I write it now:

"I told you so!"

(sorry for being a biatch, I firmly belief that mockery could make you change your mind, lol)

You are doing great! Just stop cheating on unhealthy stuff, cheat with nuts -or maybe bacon. If you REALLY have to cheat with sweets, do it right after training, your muscles welcome the glucose to replenish.

 

[HIT4ME]

Tough crowd today, huh Kaprice?

 

[hairygrandpa]

Tough crowd today, huh Kaprice?

LOL, we both know that all we said is easy to say. It may take some time to bear fruits.

 

[HIT4ME]

lol, yeah, but KAPrice is probably thinking, "F you guys, I just had a brownie. Sorry I told you!"

I'm just jealous because he had 1 brownie. If I had 1 brownie, it would only be because I never cut them up in the pan - just ate the entire pan as 1 brownie.

 

[Kaprice]

H4M, you can't compare my first 20 pounds to your 2nd and 3rd 20 pounds. The first 20 are always pretty easy to come off -- at least that's been my experience. What will really be telling is how quickly I take the next 20 off.

I think you're right about my misunderstanding on you saying 10-20%. But, the core of my comment is that NORMAL diets should lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. And with the power supplements you've been taking, you should be able to do improve on that significantly. It didn't seem to me that your super low cal diet was doing way more benefit than an easier diet -- but as you say, we all have preferences. Some people would hate skipping breakfast and sometimes eating nothing until 3p, but I love that. Doesn't even feel like dieting to me.

BTW, I was really enjoying HIIT, too, several years ago, but then on a treadmill sprint (I think I was at a 9), I pulled my hamstring and it's never fully recovered. No more sprints for me. So, I do incline walks on the treadmill, instead.

 

[Kaprice]

(sorry for being a biatch, I firmly belief that mockery could make you change your mind, lol)

[/B]

It probably WOULD have 10 or 20 years ago. I find that mockery has very little effect on me, at my age.

Here's the thing... I pointed out one or two weaknesses and you suggested changing my whole strategy. That's crazy old man talk!

I just need to work on those weaknesses.

If and when I stall doing what I'm doing, that's when I'll start looking for a new approach. But, if I can eat a brownie now and then -- or 3 corn dogs -- and still lose fat, I'm quite content to do that, for now. I can get away with it because when you have 40%+ BF, almost ANYTHING will work to lose fat.

As I get closer to 20% BF, I expect I'll have to be more strict to continue getting results. BUT, if I start super strict now, where am I going to go when I hit the wall and need to get stricter?

 

[Kaprice]

lol, yeah, but KAPrice is probably thinking, "F you guys, I just had a brownie. Sorry I told you!"

I'm just jealous because he had 1 brownie. If I had 1 brownie, it would only be because I never cut them up in the pan - just ate the entire pan as 1 brownie.

I truly was like that. Couldn't eat just a bit. It was the whole bag or the whole pan. I LOVE that I can have just one and feel totally satisfied.

Just 5 minutes ago, I had what was probably less than a tablespoon of strawberry cheesecake. It was heavenly. And that was all I needed. It didn't require any willpower. No "Okay, that's enough. You have to stop now." I had the nibble, enjoyed it, and moved on.

That's such a great way to live!

Most diets are like holding a 5 pound dumbbell out in front of you. The longer you do it the harder it becomes until finally you just drop it in exhaustion. That's not how my diet feels at all.

 

[Kaprice]

When your approach fails, you may not be around here on AM to read my comment, so I write it now:

"I told you so!"

Dude! There IS no such thing as failure. There are only RESULTS. Then we all have a choice as to whether to adjust to the reality of the result in order to get a different result.

I choose to observe my results and adjust when I'm not happy with them.

But not before. That would be SILLY!