Team B 2008 Cutting Contest Journal

[bjmalin]

I've tried doing a low carb diet and it hasn't been working that great for me - I've been losing a lot of power while lifting and my cardio sessions were pure hell. It's much much better now that I eat enough carbs. I will see if I have to lower the carbs a little if I don't lose enough weight over the next two weeks. But at the moment I'll stick to a rather balanced diet - feels much better!

By all means do what is best for you...I was saying it was a lot of carbs for me. My current macros are 55p/25c/15f - that has worked best for me, and with that I limit my carbs to early in the day and stick to firous carbs later on (broccoli, brussel sprouts etc..)

Keep the faith and good luck bro!

[bubblebob]

By all means do what is best for you...I was saying it was a lot of carbs for me. My current macros are 55p/25c/15f - that has worked best for me, and with that I limit my carbs to early in the day and stick to firous carbs later on (broccoli, brussel sprouts etc..)

Keep the faith and good luck bro!

I'll keep your approach in mind and maybe shift the carb-protein-ratio a little if my approach isn't working as good as I hope. My last low carb approach was much lower in carbs than your diet, so this might work for me, too... We'll see!

Good luck to you, too!

[Zody]

Ok..Here's my daily routine.

10:30AM-1CUP OATS+4 OR 5 EGG WHITES

12:30PM-1 HR WALK (Low intensity)

2:30PM-1CUP BROWN RICE+1/2 CUP LEAN BEEF

5:30PM-1 SCOOP PROTEIN +WATER

7:30PM-1 SCOOP PROTEIN+4 WHOLE WHEAT CRACKERS+ALMONDS

7:45PM-WORKOUT

10 MINS WARM-UP ON THE CROSS-TRAINER.

And I follow this workout program-

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/krisgethin_guide8.htm

**(Scroll down a bit to see the program in the above link)**

3 days weight training + 3 days of HIIT (Sunday-Rest day)


9:00PM-PWO SHAKE ie-1 SCOOP PROTEIN+ WATER

10:00PM-1CUP RICE+1/2 CUP CHICKEN BREAST

11PM-20MINS WALKING (Low intensity)

1AM-1/2 CUP COTTAGE CHEESE+1 SCOOP PROTEIN POWDER+SOME ALMONDS


**Total cardio done= 1hr and 30 mins of Low intensity.Mostly walking
Total Meals eaten= 7**

Will be including Multivitamins+Cod liver oil soon.Holidays are on at the moment.Timings are bound to change


Feel free to critique my diet .Does this routine sound good?Any tips/suggestions??.. Thanks in advance


Good luck ppl!!

[ShaneT]

On the low-carb discussion above, in my opinion balanced is better. I think a good balance of healthy carbs is good for you. I'm not a big fan of the low-carb craze, but that's just me.

Today's Workout:
Core & Ab work followed by 30 minutes of elliptical intervals.

Now I'm enjoying a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast and a chocolate protein shake made with 1% milk and ON whey.

[bjmalin]

9:00PM-PWO SHAKE ie-1 SCOOP PROTEIN+ WATER

Feel free to critique my diet .Does this routine sound good?Any tips/suggestions??.. Thanks in advance

Good luck ppl!!

1 suggestion is to get some carbs in your PWO shake. i like blended oats, others use a simple carbs like dextrose. maybe a banana or other fruit, but you should really get some carbs right after your workout (maybe try mixing the whey w/ milk)...my 2 cents.

good luck bro!!

[Zody]

Okie..

Like u mentioned above..I'm gonna mix some oats in my protein shake Is 5 tablespoon of oats good enough??..So should i cut down on my rice after PWO shake? No carbs after that? or Complex carbs good?


Thanks buddy!. Repped

[tanizaki]

On the low-carb discussion above, in my opinion balanced is better. I think a good balance of healthy carbs is good for you. I'm not a big fan of the low-carb craze, but that's just me.

Today's Workout:
Core & Ab work followed by 30 minutes of elliptical intervals.

Now I'm enjoying a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast and a chocolate protein shake made with 1% milk and ON whey.

Given where your current thinking on nutrition has brought you, you may wish to reevaulate it. For example, why are you drinking a protein shake with a solid meal? I don't see the purpose in that. It would load too many calories in the meal if you are trying to have 5-6 meals a day.

The eggs and toast are fine, although I'd make sure it is a real whole grain and not just brown white bread. You should be making your protein shakes with water.

[midnightbluegli]

Oh wait...I just noticed I don't see any leg work in there. You DO work your legs, right? Don't neglect the largest muscles in your body!!

sorry i dont know how i missed typing that lol legs day is tuesday i dont go crazy with them though keep it rather light and high reps.

by the way good morning team looking forward to another great day.

[bjmalin]

Okie..

Like u mentioned above..I'm gonna mix some oats in my protein shake Is 5 tablespoon of oats good enough??..So should i cut down on my rice after PWO shake? No carbs after that? or Complex carbs good?


Thanks buddy!. Repped

I put 1/2 cups in my shake, and you need a good balanced meal about 45-60 min PWO.

Play with it and see what you like, some people like a faster acting carb source like dextrose or fruit, I like the slower ones.

Good luck man!!

[bjmalin]

Thanks buddy!. Repped

Repped back!!

[midnightbluegli]

a little before and after mind you im the one in the blue and in that picture i was 330 i gained another 40 pounds after that tipping the scales at 370






and heres one from my new years party

[ctgblue]

Well here we go; just checking in to let you and the team know that droping out will not be an option for me. I have been playing with a diet since October 15th and now have a reason to drive the numbers lower for myself and the team. I was one of the kids that was always an athelete until I got married and got comfortable with my situation. Then on Oct. 14th I saw someone I have not seen in quite some time and he just went on and on about how much weight that I had gained ( must have been 30min) so the next day I went out and joined a gym and began my journey to weight loss.


May. 2007 280 lbs.
Oct. 2007 274 lbs.
Today 255 lbs.

Hoping to be at 215 by the end of the challenge.


See Ya

Welcome to my good buddy.
He has made a commitment to drop weight and has been very dedicated and working very hard.
I am helping him a little, but he is doing all the work.
I am very proud of his perseverence.

[madSano]

Welcome to my good buddy.
He has made a commitment to drop weight and has been very dedicated and working very hard.
I am helping him a little, but he is doing all the work.
I am very proud of his perseverence.

AWESOME, i'm glad to have some mods joining in with encouragment!!




btw, i'm trying to get in contact with a mod(need a "certain" thread deleted)

i'll pm you with the info..

thanks again!

-Angelo

[bubblebob]

Great progress midnight, very encouraging!

[ShaneT]

Given where your current thinking on nutrition has brought you, you may wish to reevaulate it.

My current thinking on nutrition isn't what got me up to 350 pounds. It was my "eat whatever I want whenever I want and however much I want with no exercise" thinking that got me to 350 pounds. My current thinking on nutrition is a relatively new development and it's based on research that I've done that really makes a lot of sense.

For example, why are you drinking a protein shake with a solid meal? I don't see the purpose in that. It would load too many calories in the meal if you are trying to have 5-6 meals a day.

The eggs and toast are fine, although I'd make sure it is a real whole grain and not just brown white bread. You should be making your protein shakes with water.

The purpose of a protein shake, in my opinion, is to get extra protein into your body. It's not meant to be a meal substitute. It's meant to be a supplement. So, I have one every morning with my breakfast (which is usually either a bowl of oatmeal or eggs and toast). My breakfast is typically either 380 calories or 500 calories depending on whether I have eggs & toast or I have oatmeal...and that includes the protein shake made with milk.

I also see no reason to only make protein shakes with water. Using skim or low-fat milk instead of water not only packs even more protein into your shake, but it also provides calcium and a number of other benefits that come only from dairy products.

I mentioned above that this year I'm following the Abs Diet. I'm supposed to have three meals a day and three snacks a day. Each of the three meals is supposed to include at least three of the "power foods" and each of the snacks is supposed to include 1-2. For breakfast this morning I had four: Eggs, low-fat dairy, whole grain wheat bread and extra protein.

I do appreciate the comments though! Everyone trying to help each other out is what's going to make one of us the winner!!

[midnightbluegli]

Great progress midnight, very encouraging!

thanks bob! thumbs up

[midnightbluegli]

how much water should i be consuming per day rite now i drink about 7 or 8 16.9 ounce bottles of water throughout the course of the day is that fine or too much? too little?

thanks in advanced

[kmt01]

starting my first job as a RN at county hospital in Oakland.

Hey!! I'm in Oakland too. Aaaaand I used to work at Highland as well (probably about 20 years ago when i was close to your age). Aaaanyway, good luck to you and nice to see there's someone on my team that's so close to home!

[kmt01]

On Day three of my four-day split. Tuesday was Quads/Shoulders, Wednesday was Back/Biceps, Today is Chest/Triceps, Tomorrow is Hams. I usually take a break on Wednesdays, but since I didn't get started until Tuesday, I'm just working through the four days. Don't think I ate as many calories as I should've yesterday, so that's where I think I'd better really focus. Keep hearing good things about Fitday, so I'll start that today.

St. Lucia Jazz Festival, here I come in a two-piece!!

[jedi4351]

i am doing HIIT today and walking 1 mile also
if any of you are looking for a good breakfast try this

baked oatmeal
oats
water
milk
1 egg
nuts
flax meal
applesauce
bananna
raisens
chopped apple
PB
a bit of baking powder
vanilla paste
protene powder(unflavored or vanilla)
mix it all together bake at 350 for 30min or until golden brown
and one tray lasts me a few days
put some yogurt on top(non fat) its really good

[midnightbluegli]

heres a body blog i posted yesterday just though i should share

Blog Entry
ok today is january 2nd.yesterday marked a new step in my life in which i have commited to a 6 month cutting contest in the loosing fat forum. i have already managed to loose nearly 105 pounds in a years time and i would like to loose an additional 50 pounds or so. alot of people see weight loss as a race,sad thing is that it is not.if you see weight loss as a race you will most likely fail.i personally dont even see it as weightloss anymore its just about healthy living and it has become a LIFE LONG MARATHON. today i am at 268 and plan on being at 220-230 in 6 months.

[madSano]

please visit this thread...
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6412481
thanks

[kmt01]

This was my back workout yesterday:

Keep in my mind, my logic is to train upper, middle & lower, but after seeing absolutely no back results in the 7 months i've been at this, i wonder if i'm overtraining...

SDL's 3 of 10
T-Bar 3 of 10
Wide Grip Pulldown 3 of 10
Close Grip Pulldown 3 of 10
Straight arm pulldown 3 of 10
DB Rows 3 of 10
cable rows (wide grip) 3 of 10
cable rows (low grip) 3 of 10
pullups 3 of 10

wow... it does kind of seem like a lot after typing all this out.

[midnightbluegli]

try switching the order of exercises dont let your workout become a "routine" always change up the order in which you do your routine at least once a month. i have found that to work best for me give it a shot and let me know how that goes for you.

[tanizaki]

The purpose of a protein shake, in my opinion, is to get extra protein into your body. It's not meant to be a meal substitute. It's meant to be a supplement. So, I have one every morning with my breakfast (which is usually either a bowl of oatmeal or eggs and toast). My breakfast is typically either 380 calories or 500 calories depending on whether I have eggs & toast or I have oatmeal...and that includes the protein shake made with milk.

Yes, it supplements a diet, not a meal. That is why it is called a "dietary supplement" not a "meal supplement".

I also see no reason to only make protein shakes with water. Using skim or low-fat milk instead of water not only packs even more protein into your shake, but it also provides calcium and a number of other benefits that come only from dairy products.

The reason not to use milk is because it adds sugar, fat, and calories to the meal. The road to fat loss is not paved with sugar and fat. A cup of milk only has about 10g of protein, so i am not jumping out of my seat over that. If you want extra protein in the breakfast, ditch the protein shake and have a few ounces of lean protein like chicken breat, pork loin, or flank steak. That will give you more, and better, protein than the 30g of powder+milk in your shake without the sugar and fat.

I mentioned above that this year I'm following the Abs Diet. I'm supposed to have three meals a day and three snacks a day. Each of the three meals is supposed to include at least three of the "power foods" and each of the snacks is supposed to include 1-2. For breakfast this morning I had four: Eggs, low-fat dairy, whole grain wheat bread and extra protein.

I have met a number of people who have done The Abs Diet. I am still waiting to meet one who has visible abdominal muscles.

Best of luck. It's only my advice, and free advice is seldom cheap.

[ShaneT]

Visible abdominal muscles isn't my goal right now. My goal with the Abs Diet is to give myself something structured that I can follow instead of allowing myself the freedom I allowed myself last year when I followed the "I'll just try to eat better" diet. Basically, I'm using it to TEACH myself healthy eating habits. Is it perfect? Probably not, but I know people who have had success with it and I believe I will as well. One of my goals for this year is to strictly follow it for two months. If it is effective for me I'll stick with it. If it's not then I'll find something that is.

[tanizaki]

Visible abdominal muscles isn't my goal right now. My goal with the Abs Diet is to give myself something structured that I can follow instead of allowing myself the freedom I allowed myself last year when I followed the "I'll just try to eat better" diet. Basically, I'm using it to TEACH myself healthy eating habits. Is it perfect? Probably not, but I know people who have had success with it and I believe I will as well. One of my goals for this year is to strictly follow it for two months. If it is effective for me I'll stick with it. If it's not then I'll find something that is.

Good luck. I still advise having some lean meat instead of the powder+milk.

[Sellhast]

Brutal leg workout this morning.

Squats
SLDL's
Lunges
Calves
Hammy Curls
Leg Extensions

Good thing I did my LI cardio before I worked out this morning otherwise I wouldn't have been able to walk. I know it is going to be hard to crawl out of bed tomorrow morning.

[ShaneT]

I am being asked to start tracking everyone's progress on a WEEKLY basis in order to help the judges for the contest determine who the MONTHLY winner is going to be. Remember, being named the monthly winner doesn't earn you anything except respect, but it will be good motivation for everyone.

IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO, PLEASE POST THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF IN THIS THREAD AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE:

HEIGHT:
WEIGHT:
ESTIMATED BODYFAT:

I am supposed to report this information to the judges every Thursday along with my personal recommendation for who the monthly winner should be based on overall progress and attitude.

WHAT I AM ASKING ALL OF YOU TO DO IS TO PARTICIPATE IN A WEEKLY "WEIGH IN" IN THIS THREAD. EVERY TUESDAY WE WILL ALL POST OUR LATEST STATS.

That will give me two days to compile all of the information and submit it to the judges.

Thanks for the help guys!

-Shane

[ShaneT]

Good luck. I still advise having some lean meat instead of the powder+milk.

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely take it into consideration.