Military weight/fat loss and fitness log

[hedrickbl]

Hi all,
I am starting this log in order to track my own progress with fat loss and performance as well as to assist other military members do the same.

We as military have different concerns than a lot of the people that post on these forums and as such wind up getting a lot of advice that may not be in our best interest. Most of this advice comes from a good place and is greatly appreciated.

Here are a few of the things that will set us apart from most bodybuilder types on this site:
1. We must be able to physically perform on a daily/monthly basis - (PT, PT test, job performance and combat)
2. We must meet the military's height/weight/bf standard - (your personal assessment based on pictures has literally 0 value)
3. We must do both of these things simultaneously!

About me:
I was an enlisted infantry Marine with 3/3 from 99-03 and just commissioned a 2nd Lt (FA) in the Wyoming Army National Guard. While in the marines, I was a typical runner type 6 ft and hovering around 180 lbs. When I went to college, I got fat and lazy (275 lbs of beer and pizza). When I graduated, I decided to get my life back on track and became an avid weight lifter. I started off with Kris Gethin's Hardcore and it was great but I noticed that I was not getting as strong as I would like. I then discovered Starting Strength and have been doing some variation ever since. I personally believe that power lifting is more beneficial to combat fitness than bodybuilding (MY opinion).

Since I got into strength training, I have gained a significant amount of muscle mass and I love that. It has, however, created another problem that most of you will face, my run time has gone to crap. I can still pass my run just fine but you all know that officers are expected to be freaking race horses (I will never get that, we are not the french and I do not plan on running away). I max push-ups and sit-ups thanks to the weights. Another problem is that if you eat to gain mass and strength (I'm not talking about dirty bulk) you will put on some fat. I always fail the scale but pass the tape. I just did height/weight this weekend and was 219 @ 19%, at 36 I am authorized 24% but would rather be 10-12%. This brings us to our next issue.

Cutting fat and maintaining performance. This has been tricky. If I cut hard, my performance (especially cardio) goes to hell. This will be the case for most people and if you are already not a run (or pt in general) stud, this is a major problem. I am more apt to forgive a little height/weight than PT failure, that is just me and all commanders are different. If you don't make height/weight, you had better be making progress in the right direction though. I am so tired of seeing obese people in uniform.

How do we balance the two facets? That is what I am going to track on here and hopefully my experience will serve as a guide for you. Whether that be what to do or what not to do.

Plan 1.
I just went through 1 week of the V-Diet (TNation) and my performance suffered greatly. That said, I dropped 6 lbs in 1 week and cut an inch off my waist (vacation bloat). I am now Carb Cycling and it looks like this:

Lifting Days - all meals - protein and veggies
post workout shake with fruit

Cardio Days - No fruit

I am avoiding starches all together and may have a starch re-feed in 2 weeks depending on feeling and progress.

Exercise:
M-W-F = Lift days, full body power lift, Starting Strength
T-Th-S = cardio and I am trying to work TRX back in on those days because of the increased flexibility and core strength I got from it.
Cardio - T=Fartleks, TH=1 mile pace training, S=endurance training

Supplements:
Whey protein
Amino x
Createin Monohydrate
c4
Bullnox
EC Stack
Gabba

Note:
DO NOT TAKE PRE-WORKOUTS ON YOUR CARDIO DAYS, YOU ARE SMARTER THAN THAT PEOPLE!!!

[hedrickbl]

STARTING STATS

Weight: 219
Neck: 16.5
Chest: 43.5
Waist: 37
Hip: 40
Thigh: 27
Bi: 16
Forearm: 13
Wrist: 7

Army BF%: 19%
Civilian BF%: 15% (LISTEN UP TROLLS, THIS A METRIC, LOOK UP THE DEFINITION OF A METRIC BEFORE POSTING YOUR RIDICULOUS COMMENTS)
Civilian EQ: waist + (0.5*hips) - (2.7*forearm) - wrist

[Gen1GT]

STARTING STATS

Weight: 219
Neck: 16.5
Chest: 43.5
Waist: 37
Hip: 40
Thigh: 27
Bi: 16
Forearm: 13
Wrist: 7

Army BF%: 19%
Civilian BF%: 15% (LISTEN UP TROLLS, THIS A METRIC, LOOK UP THE DEFINITION OF A METRIC BEFORE POSTING YOUR RIDICULOUS COMMENTS)
Civilian EQ: waist + (0.5*hips) - (2.7*forearm) - wrist

What's the difference between "army body fat" and "civilian bodyfat?" Body fat is body fat, and the only difference can be with the results on an INACCURATE measurement. If your body fat was measured with a DEXA scan, it's an empirical number with no requirement for differentiation between demographics.

Also, that "Civilian EQ" is an interesting formula. I suppose it's to show how muscular someone is?

[cerigitts]

What's the difference between "army body fat" and "civilian bodyfat?" Body fat is body fat, and the only difference can be with the results on an INACCURATE measurement. If your body fat was measured with a DEXA scan, it's an empirical number with no requirement for differentiation between demographics.

Also, that "Civilian EQ" is an interesting formula. I suppose it's to show how muscular someone is?

It's a useless 2 point tape measurement of neck & waist.... OP's description in his last log.

It's not accurate for bodyfat per-say but it's a metric the army use & he's making sure he achives that metric.

[hedrickbl]

Cerigittis, my old nemesis , that statement is wholly accurate. Also, anyone who is in the military, or wants to be, will be forced to use this test and it will be a part of their permanent military record. I guess I just don't understand why people on this site get so butt hurt about this subject.
I am using the civilian EQ shown above to help better track my progress as it is a 4 point method and the Army test is a 2 point test. Having more points of measurement will show smaller variations than the Army standard. The civilian EQ is just a tracking metric as Cerigittis said, I honestly could care less what the physique athlete version of my bf is as it has no bearing on my career or life.
That said, this log is not here to debate bf%, there is a thread for that on this site already.

[Gen1GT]

I wasn't starting a debate, but rather, I've just never seen those terms before. Canada is not a military-centric country. :P

Regardless, as you point out, those are metrics, not reality. All that matters is ... good luck! Rock it and shock it!

[Gen1GT]

On second thought, I just looked at your last log. Negged. Your attitude isn't welcome in this very positive section of the forum.

[counterfit_hero]

Is there a brief description of the fitness standards, run times etc? I can't see them being very tough if a person can be out of shape and still passing?
No hate at all actually interested.

[hedrickbl]

Hey Gen1, I started this log in order to get away from the other log. I made the mistake of feeding the trolls and it has gotten ugly. Your comments on here are not negative and you are correct, those bf tests are metrics and the army bf% test is the only one that matters. No one on the other log was willing to recognize that and I have had a few posts hijacked by that topic. It is unfortunate that you neged me for that, but that is your prerogative.

Counterfit - it is age based but here is a breakdown for you
Age Group: 17-20
Male (% body fat): %20
Female (% body fat): %30

Age Group: 21-27
Male (% body fat): %22
Female (% body fat): %32

Age Group: 28-39
Male (% body fat): %24
Female (% body fat): %34

Age Group: 40 & Older
Male (% body fat): %26
Female (% body fat): %36

PT standards also vary by age but here are the MINIMUMS for 17-21 year olds
pushups -42 in 2 minutes (no rest)
situps -53 in 2 minutes (no rest)
2 mile run -15:54

These are the minimums and unacceptable for officers.

maximums
pushups - 71
situps - 78
2 mile run -13:00

[counterfit_hero]

interesting, I would imagine that they use the army b.f method because it is less expensive than hydro testing 1000s of people and that the person taking the measurements could be somewhat "flexible" with guys that are close to failing. The fitness minimums don't look that impressive but as you say they are minimums and if a person spent their whole time in the army barely getting past those they wouldn't be advancing too far up the ranks.

[hedrickbl]

I just want to clear something up really quick.

This log is meant to be a positive thing in order to provide help to people that need it. All comments and questions are welcomed as long as they are genuine and on topic. When I went through this, I was mostly on my own because military centric information was either not available or very inaccurate and meant for people who were already world class athletes. This caused me a lot of set backs because of poor diet and training strategies. I will ask that you bear with my demeanor due to the fact that I sometimes forget that I am dealing with civilians as well and you do not understand and react in the same way as military members. However, I can not tolerate poor behavior from people that will take this log off track. I do not care about rep power so neging me is going to do you no good.

I truly just want to help other people struggling to reach their goals in military service and that is it.

[hedrickbl]

interesting, I would imagine that they use the army b.f method because it is less expensive than hydro testing 1000s of people and that the person taking the measurements could be somewhat "flexible" with guys that are close to failing. The fitness minimums don't look that impressive but as you say they are minimums and if a person spent their whole time in the army barely getting past those they wouldn't be advancing too far up the ranks.

That sums it up nicely, the bf% test is horrible but as you said, it is cheap and quick. You actually see a lot of guys get screwed also, the taper not following the regs and getting hips and above the adam's apple. It goes both ways really.

[Amoxicillin]

If you don't mind, could you explain your justification of doing the Velocity Diet? I read up on it, and it seems like more of a marketing ploy, than a calculated plan.

[hedrickbl]

I chose the velocity diet because of the simplicity and because of a few logs I have seen on here where people had great results. If you look at my v diet log, you will see that I did not use their brand of supliments but I did use all of the supliments prescribed. I was coming off of vacation and wanted to drop water weight in order to improve my numbers on the bf% test I had the following weekend. My performance suffered greatly and I found out Saturday that I had to complete a diagnostic APFT on Sunday. This is the main reason I dropped the plan. The results are great, it is expensive and your performance will suffer drastically. I also had a constant headache for about 4 days. Hope this helps.

[Amoxicillin]

Thanks for the insight. If your goal was primarily water weight for the test, wouldn't temporary extreme dehydration have been suitable? Or was the APFT too close proximity to the BF% test for that to be viable?

Just for clarification, I'm referring to what Tim Ferris describes. I've done it in the past to fake 6-10lbs weight loss and 1-2" off the waist, followed by an easy 24 hours to be mostly back to normal.

[hedrickbl]

Thanks for the insight. If your goal was primarily water weight for the test, wouldn't temporary extreme dehydration have been suitable? Or was the APFT too close proximity to the BF% test for that to be viable?

Just for clarification, I'm referring to what Tim Ferris describes. I've done it in the past to fake 6-10lbs weight loss and 1-2" off the waist, followed by an easy 24 hours to be mostly back to normal.

Your ht/wt bf is generally done immediately following your pt test. It also was not necessary for me to do this in order to pass ht/wt bf, if it was, I may have stayed on the diet and taken a poor but passing pt test. Some guys do the extreme dehydration method and even use preperation h and saran wrap around their waist for a few days in order to pass bf. I can not say I blame them, failing bf just about ruins your life in the military. Same with failing a pt test.

[hedrickbl]

TUESDAY

TOTAL CALS - 2134
CARBS - 97 (SUGARS - 40)
FAT - 88
PROTEIN - 253

This was comprised of:
BREAKFAST - 2 SCOOPS WHEY, 2 SCOOPS GREEN SUPERFOOD, 2 TBS FLAX SEEDS
POST WORKOUT AND LUNCH - 12 OZ GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST, 4 CUPS BROCCOLI, +- 8 TBS HUMMUS, 2 SCOOPS WHEY
DINNER - 8 OZ 85% LEAN HAMBURGER, LETTUCE W/ LITE RASPBERRY WALNUT VINAIGRETTE AND SOME BLUE CHEESE CRUMBLES

EXERCISE:
3 - SUPERSETS I ARM CABLE CURL AND 1 ARM REVERSE GRIP TRICEPS CABLE EXTENSION (15 REPS EA)
3 - TRX PUSH UPS (20 EA)
8 - SINGLE LEG TRX PLANK (10 SECOND EA LEG)
3 MILE - 1/4 MILE FARTLEK (1/4 MILE GOAL PACE / 1/4 MILE JOG (2:00 GOAL PACE))

THE SCOOP:
It is great to be back on solid food! I apologize for the vulgarity but the v-diet gave me diarrhea so bad (and constant) that my rear was bleeding. I have never been so happy to take a solid crap in all of my life. My mood has improved but my sleep is still not right, I have had similar problems in the past when crash dieting and increasing fat intake helped a great deal. I will try to do that on my no carb/low carb days.

Until next time, "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."

[cerigitts]

Just a query, regarding your goals & diet "Cutting fat and maintaining performance."

Why chose carbohydrate cycling as opposed to a standard calorific deficit with a more balanced nutrition intake, I would have thought a more balanced intake would help you maintain performance better, while still losing fat & not sacrificing lean mass ?

[hedrickbl]

Just a query, regarding your goals & diet "Cutting fat and maintaining performance."

Why chose carbohydrate cycling as opposed to a standard calorific deficit with a more balanced nutrition intake, I would have thought a more balanced intake would help you maintain performance better, while still losing fat & not sacrificing lean mass ?

The only reason I can give in this case is that I don't respond to the simple caloric deficit, at least not for long. Carb cycling tends to work for me better it the long run. I have been playing this game for about 3 years now and still have yet to find the magic bullet. Intermittent fasting works well for a time, carb cycling, paleo, PSMF, V-diet. I really only have my past experience but am more than open to suggestions. The problem I ran into with standard caloric deficit is that I ended up at 1500 cals in order to keep losing weight, might as well do PSMF.

The only time I had real performance loss during carb cycling is when I would go 2-3 weeks with little to no carbs. The fat loss was great but the performance loss was massive as well. The method of moderate carbs on main lift days and no carbs (starches/sugars) on cardio days helps performance but slows the fat loss.

[cerigitts]

The only reason I can give in this case is that I don't respond to the simple caloric deficit, at least not for long. Carb cycling tends to work for me better it the long run. I have been playing this game for about 3 years now and still have yet to find the magic bullet. Intermittent fasting works well for a time, carb cycling, paleo, PSMF, V-diet. I really only have my past experience but am more than open to suggestions. The problem I ran into with standard caloric deficit is that I ended up at 1500 cals in order to keep losing weight, might as well do PSMF.

The only time I had real performance loss during carb cycling is when I would go 2-3 weeks with little to no carbs. The fat loss was great but the performance loss was massive as well. The method of moderate carbs on main lift days and no carbs (starches/sugars) on cardio days helps performance but slows the fat loss.

Cool, thanks for the answer

[hedrickbl]

WEDNESDAY

TOTAL CALS - 3057
CARBS - 187 (SUGARS - 82)
FAT - 126
PROTEIN - 279

MEAL 1:
1 SCOOP WHEY
1 TBS NATURAL CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER
1 TBS FLAX SEED

MEAL 2 (POST WO):
2 SCOOPS WHEY
2 SCOOPS BCAA
CHEF SALAD W/ ITALIAN DRESSING
3 CUPS PINEAPPLE

MEAL 3:
12 OZ GRILLED CHEN BREAST
2 OZ WASABI MACADAMIA NUTS

MEAL 4:
8 OZ POST ROAST W/ POTATO AND CARROTS

EXERCISE:
SUMO LEG PRESS - 3 X 5
INCLINE DB PRESS - 3 X 5
STANDING BB PRESS - 3 X 5
PENDELAY ROWS - 3 X 5
ROPE TRICEPS EXTENSIONS - 1 X 100
STRAIGHT BAR CABLE CURL - 1 X 100
SEATED HAMMER CURL - 2 X MAX (I TRY TO STAY IN THE 6-8 RANGE FOR FIRST SET)
2 POS DB KICK BACKS (MODIFIED SKULL CRUSHERS) - 2 X 40 (20 EA POS EA ARM)

THE SCOOP:
I alternate days off with the EC Stack and it works out that I am not on EC on my lifting days. That is fine with me as I am way more focused when I am not on it. Not hungry and not hangry, I may need to go into a deeper cut on cardio days.

Here are the results of my diagnostic APFT last weekend. Please keep in mind that I was not prepared to take this as it was sprung on me the day before. If I know I am going to be taking an APFT, I wont lift that week and only run on Monday. I will swim and stretch the rest of the week as well as up my carb intake slightly. I felt like it was a good idea to post this because it will be a good metric for tracking relevant performance.

PU - 74
SU - 68
Run - 15:40

Total - 268/300

[Gen1GT]

WEDNESDAY


ROPE TRICEPS EXTENSIONS - 1 X 100
STRAIGHT BAR CABLE CURL - 1 X 100

Was there a hot girl walking by while you were doing a set of 10, and then exasperatingly announced, "97, ugh ... 98, grrmph ... 99"?

[hedrickbl]

Ahh, I see you are a master of gaming chicks at the gym . But on a serious note in case anyone is curious, it is like running the rack in sets of 10. On both bicep and triceps, I start at 15 and go as heavy as I can then work back up until I get to 100. When I can complete 100 without lightning up, I will increase the start position.

[hedrickbl]

THURSDAY

TOTAL CALS - 1707
CARBS - 105 (SUGARS - 44)
FAT - 68
PROTEIN - 168

MEAL 1:
2 SCOOP WHEY
2 SCOOPS GREEN SUPERFOOD
2 TBS FLAX SEED

MEAL 2 (POST WO):
2 SCOOPS BCAA
4 OZ 85% LEAN GROUND BEEF
4 CUPS BROCCOLI
+- 6 TBS RED PEPPER HUMMUS

MEAL 3:
8 OZ GRILLED RIBEYE STEAK
2 CUPS SWEET PEAS

EXERCISE:
SUPERSET- 3 SETS - 1 ARM CABLE CURL/1 ARM REV GRIP CABLE TRI EXT. (15 REPS EA. ARM EA. SET)
INCLINED PUSHUPS - 3 X 20
TRX HIP BRIDGE - 3 X 15

1/2 MILE WARMUP RUN
1 MILE FAST RUN (NOT SO FAST, WARMUP TOO FAST AND CAME OUT OF GATE TOO HOT AND BURNT OUT - 8:33 SHOULD HAVE BEEN AROUND 7:30 - PRIORITY FOR NEXT WEEK)
1/2 MILE COOL DOWN RUN

FRIDAY
WEIGH IN - 218 (-1 LB FOR WEEK)
DIET - SAME AS WEDNESDAY MORE OR LESS BUT WITH MORE PINEAPPLE AND STEAK FOR LUNCH

EXERCISE:
BOX SQUAT - 3 X 5
BENCH - 3 X 5
DEAD - SNATCH X 3 BUILD TO MAIN LIFT IN 50 LB INCREMENTS, ALTERNATING GRIP MAX LIFT 1 X 3
TRICEPS PUSH DOWNS - 1 X 100
STR8 BAR CABLE CURL - 1 X 100
1 ARM DB PREACHER CURL - 2 X MAX
FRENCH CURL (OVERHEAD DB TRI EXT) - 4 X MAX

THE SCOOP:
OK, I am 1 lb down for the week. Not to bad. I want it to be faster and even considered giving KETO a try but then I remembered the muscle and strength loss I suffered on PSMF and quickly decided to stay the slow but hopefully steady course. I like the amount of muscle I have now, of course we all want more , and I want to keep it.

My run was disappointing yesterday even though I know why. I really need to work on holding back at the start, my run times are so much better when I can do that.

I am having pain in the kidney area this morning, I'm not sure if it is kidney pain or muscle soreness from the hip bridges. I will make sure to kill the water today just in case.

"
I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you **** with me, I’ll kill you all"

[TheNormalMan]

Is your goal 5 days with your new plan?

[Amoxicillin]

I'm curious if anywhere in there you did UD2? I've heard it's brutal, but you can gain strength while cutting, and time it for any tests.

[hedrickbl]

I'm curious if anywhere in there you did UD2? I've heard it's brutal, but you can gain strength while cutting, and time it for any tests.

I have not tried UD2. I will look at it though, thanks for the heads up.

[Amoxicillin]

I have not tried UD2. I will look at it though, thanks for the heads up.

General cliffs, it's a PSMF with an extreme 30 hour refeed, and extreme glycogen depletion protocol, aimed at getting you 4 days a week of keto/deficit and 1-2 day days of heavy lifting/exercise.

I've read a few logs on it, and it would appear you can lose a little over 1lb/week while hitting PR's one day per week. The diet was designed for people closer to the 12% BF range where fat loss tends to plateau.

As the PR's come after the 30 hour refeed, the modification for your situation would be to shift the refeed to ~30-40 hours before your test, and then do the test with your muscles overloaded on glycogen. Theoretically your hormones and glycogen should be high enough at this point for you to perform as well as, if not better, than your regular training.

[hedrickbl]

I looked into and it seems interesting, I did notice a lot of people complaining that it was very hard to do but not saying why. I will buy the e-book and read it, I don't mind supporting Lyle, his RFL PSMF got me to the lowest bf% of my life. I am seriously considering giving it a trial run though.

I talked to another officer who coaches HS track and he made some valid points that I am thinking real hard on.

1. The less you weigh, the easier it is to run fast.
2. If you meet height /weight you don't have to stress someone screwing up your bf test (this has never happened to me but does scare the crap out of me)

I am now 218, I need to be under 200 in order to avoid the tape test. I really dread losing mass to cut fat but it has been suggested that I cut hard to under 200 (190 hopefully) then go back to carb cycling. In theory, the cut will increase insulin sensitivity and prep me for a massive anabolic rebound, allowing me to regain the lost muscle relatively quickly.

If I am going to do this, It needs to be soon so I can recover performance losses before the end of February, plus I really want to smoke a particular SGT on the next diagnostic in January . It is hard to decide because I am making progress with carb cycling but there is no way I will be under 200 by the end of February going at this pace.

I am open to suggestions if anyone wants to share.

"One doesn't become a soldier in a week - it takes training, study and discipline. There is no question that the finest army in the world is found in the United States" Daniel Inouye

[Amoxicillin]

I looked into and it seems interesting, I did notice a lot of people complaining that it was very hard to do but not saying why.

From what I've read, the following complaints reoccur:

1) The refeed is brutal, as you need to consume 1,000+ grams of carbs in two days. IMHO eating 2kg of rice each day is simple, but I have a hard time feeling full.

2) The glycogen depletion protocol is brutal. IMHO this is just conditioning, first week or two is going to suck, after that, easy street.

3) Four days of severe defecit is brutal. IMHO that's the easy bit to adjust to. If you can do RFL, then this part of UD2 should be cake.

1. The less you weigh, the easier it is to run fast.
2. If you meet height /weight you don't have to stress someone screwing up your bf test (this has never happened to me but does scare the crap out of me)

Is 100% of your goal career related?

My understanding of running performance, is that VO2Max and Lactate Threshold are basically your #1 factors in performance. Are you training specifically for these two stats?

I am now 218, I need to be under 200 in order to avoid the tape test. I really dread losing mass to cut fat but it has been suggested that I cut hard to under 200 (190 hopefully) then go back to carb cycling.

Sounds harsh as fawk. You could RFL 18 pounds down to the 10% mark, and maybe hope to lose some muscle to make up a little extra. At ~3-4 lbs/week, you don't have a lot of time to get started.

This would be a bit extreme, but if you cut protein mostly out of your diet, and went on a VLCD consisting of mostly carbs, you could hope to do a lot of HIIT running and lose some muscle pretty fast. Anything to make your diet catabolic? I'm thinking a carb VLCD might allow you to keep the energy you need to still train, while allowing you to sacrifice some muscle so you're not operating at a crazy low BF%.

The desire to lose muscle and maintain/improve performace, is pretty much going against all the studies out there.