Craig C's 30 Days Out (Start 9/1)

[TheNormalMan]

So I'm scrapping what was going to be another 4 week run of RFL in favor of a program that will give me similar results but I won't have to drive myself crazy on starvation level amounts of protein yet again.

I know the results RFL can bring, I've done it before, but at this point in my fitness journey, surviving only on protein just isn't in the cards for me mentally anymore.

At least on 30 Days Out, I will be consuming around 2000 calories per day on average so I won't have to worry about being constantly hungry or when my next meal will be. That much I'm looking forward to.

Watched all the videos he has posted for the program and I'm really excited to begin this tomorrow.

Thursday is an odd day of the week to start a program, but I have a wedding on October 1 (Saturday) that I will be attending and I want to be in my best shape possible for this event.

Since the program is 30 days and so is the length of September, this seemed like a good day to start my cycle and finish right before my event.

I'm going to be something I haven't done before and take daily photos and post them. Now we all know, it's rare to see day to day changes, but when I'm done with the 30 days, I want to create a short video of the 30 days and then play it back to view the progress.

Was looking at some before and afters of other people who have successfully completed 30 Days Out and I was really impressed by the results they got while still eating a good amount of food everyday.

Plus the training program Craig outlines is all stuff I know, but lots of things I haven't done in a long time so the complete 180 change in my workout routine will be a big shock to my body.

And we all know that when the body is shocked, it burns fat that much faster since it has to use so many more calories "to do something it doesn't know how to do" or I should say hasn't done in a long time as is my case.

Still setting up all my numbers for nutrition and need to go shopping for all the food I'm going to be needing for at least the first week.

Will update with day 1 photos, measurements, and weight tomorrow and then update everyday in here as I follow along the 30 days to my best self.

Here's to reaching my goals without starving myself or hopefully making myself completely miserable in the process.

[TheNormalMan]

Daily Nutrition Outline

So here's the nutrition plan I'll be following according to the program. I'm a little worried I'm not going to be able to get in 307 grams of protein per day and I'm not going to beat myself up if I can't.

My goal will be an absolute minimum of 200 per day, with preferential around 250 and I'll do my best to get in the prescribed amount.

Craig recommends eating 6 times per day, but I haven't eaten like that in years nor do I plan on starting too.

I do best eating about 3 times per day with 4-6 hours in between. Larger meals work better for me and it's what I can stick too instead of grazing on snack like portions throughout the day.

Here's the nutritional plan as by my stats according to the program calculator:

[4one]

307 grams of protein per day

wow....
can't imagine you being remotely hungry if you are able to hit that number LOL

[belly100]

good luck with that! That's a lot of food!!!

[TheNormalMan]

307 grams of protein per day

wow....
can't imagine you being remotely hungry if you are able to hit that number LOL

Honestly, I don't think I'll be able to hit that much every single day even if I supplement with a couple shakes per day as well.

That's why I set my realistic goals to begin with. If anything, having a couple hundred less calories per day isn't bad for me either.

good luck with that! That's a lot of food!!!

Thanks!

[TheNormalMan]

Just finished up night shift, time to get some fuel in me then go destroy some chest in a few hours.

Will be updating with starting stats, photos and measurements sometime later today after I get a chance to get that all done.

Gonna wreck it the next 30 days and transform it my best self ever now.

[TheNormalMan]

Starting Photos: September 1, 2016

Weight: 207.5

[phoenix4444]

I am glad you are ditching the starvation diets.

[Luclin999]

2450 calories/day is just 150-200 under my maintenance levels.

Must be one Hell of a workout plan attached to this program if you are supposed to lose significant weight on it.

[TheNormalMan]

I am glad you are ditching the starvation diets.

Yeah, they always be a part of my cutting routine for the future, but I can't do them anymore currently.

Need to work on something that's sustainable and will allow me to adjust into a permanent lifestyle change.

2450 calories/day is just 150-200 under my maintenance levels.

Must be one Hell of a workout plan attached to this program if you are supposed to lose significant weight on it.

The calories per day factor in activity levels as well.

I work an active, physical job 5-6 hours everyday so I burn a lot of calories at my job on top of the intense workouts you are doing six days per week.

So I'm still going to be a in very large deficit on a daily basis even with eating 2000+ calories everyday.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Day 1

Weight
207.5


Nutrition

Calories = 1900
Protein: 205 grams
Carbs: 220 grams
Fat: 25 grams


Workout: Day 1 Chest

Reverse Triceps Smith Machine Bench Press (10x3)
295x3
295x3
295x3
285x3
285x3
275x3
275x3
275x3
275x3
275x3

One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press (6x5)
70x5
80x5
80x5
70x5
70x5
70x5

Leverage Chest Press (Hammer Strength) (5x6)
180x6
230x5
200x6
180x6
180x6

Butterfly (3x10)
50x10
50x10
50x10

Svend Press (2x15)
5x15
5x14

Single Arm Cable Crossover (1x30) (Ascending Reps)
20x30

Tabata Circuit 1
25 Pound Kettlebell Swings

LISS Cardio
25 Minutes Elliptical


Thoughts

Didn't have much of an appetite today so calories were on the low end of what I was hoping for.

I was able to hit my carb and fat macros pretty close, but I fell short on protein.

It's tough for me to eat when I don't feel hungry and I'm not going to make myself sick just trying to eat a little more as the guidelines say.

Like I mentioned when I first made this thread, I had a daily goal for myself and that was to get to 200 grams each day. Anything after that is just a bonus.

I will try to get closer to 300 everyday, but it is what it is and as long as I reach my daily goal, that's all the matters to me as I know my body best and how I handle food.

Got a good night's sleep last night so was able to push myself really hard for today's workout.

It was a nice change of pace from the high volume training I've been doing for the last couple months.

I really worked on keeping my rest periods low to the 30 seconds Craig states and did my best to move quickly from exercise to exercise.

Really got me sweating and I honestly sweated more in the 40 minutes I spent on weights today than I did in the 2 hour sessions I was doing before.

Short rest periods really get the heart rate up and make you sweat when you push yourself.

Day 1 in the books and I'm already feeling leaner even if might take a few days or longer before I start to see results.

Stay tuned for more daily updates.

[TheNormalMan]

Long day at work today. Going to have some extra carbs before my workout today to refuel.

Ended up being there about an extra hour, but when the work's gotta be done, you do what you do.

Still feeling good, but we're only on day two of the program and I still have a long way to go.

At least I feel satisfied so far eating what I am and I rarely ever felt that way on RFL.

No cravings or binge feelings so far, but the real grind on a new program hasn't started yet.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Day 2

Weight
205.5
(-2.0)


Nutrition

Calories = 2300
Protein: 210 grams
Carbs: 225 grams
Fat: 60 grams


Workout: Day 2 Back

Rack Pulls (10x3)
315x3
365x3
365x3
385x3
385x3
315x3
315x3
315x3
315x3
315x3
Completed failed on the last couple sets. Had to do slow rest pauses.

Seated One Arm Cable Pulley Rows (6x5)
60x5
60x5
75x5
75x5
90x5
90x5

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown (5x6)
150x6
180x6
180x6
165x6
165x6

Barbell Deadlift to Row (3x10)
135x8
135x8
135x10

Dumbbell Incline Row (2x15)
25x15
30x14

One Arm Lat Pulldown (1x30) (Ascending Reps)
60x30

Tabata Circuit 1
High Knee Sprints

LISS Cardio
25 Minutes Elliptical


Thoughts

Had more of an appetite today than yesterday overall so was able to get in closer to the amount of calories that I needed too.

Carbs were a little higher than the program guidelines for today, but between work and my workout, I felt like I needed them.

Had a long busy day at work yesterday so needed the fuel to keep me going.

Already feeling and looking leaner so started the program off well it seems.

The Tabata circuit today really kicked my ass and I felt like I was almost ready to throw up near the end of the 4 minutes but that means I pushed myself so I can't complain with that.

Emotions were a little over the grid yesterday so had some difficulty in dealing with that throughout the day.

Reducing calories always seems to do this to me but it usually seems to come more from the reduction of carbs than calories. Interesting why it happened to me yesterday.

Will have to monitor how I feel overall, don't want this to become a regular thing everyday if I can avoid it.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Day 3

Weight
204.0
(-3.5)


Nutrition

Calories = 2600
Protein: 210 grams
Carbs: 260 grams
Fat: 70 grams


Workout: Day 3 Arms/Abs/Calves

Superset 1: Skullcrushers / Barbell Curl / Calf Press (3x10)
65x10 / 70x9 / 410x10
75x10 / 70x10 / 410x10
75x10 / 70x10 / 410x10

Superset 2: Triceps Pushdown / Cable Hammer Curls / Seated Calf Raise (Pound Per Rep / Cluster)
50x45 / 40x40 / 90x42
50x47 / 40x40 / 115x37
50x49 / 40x37 / 115x35

Superset 3: Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown / Standing Biceps Cable Curl / Calf Machine Press (Pound Per Rep / Cluster)
50x50 / 40x37 / 15x130
50x50 / 40x35 / 33x130
50x45 / 40x36 / 52x130

Tabata Circuit 1
Standing Rope Crunch x 40 Pounds

Tabata Circuit 2
Standard Plank

Tabata Circuit 3
Slalom Twist Jump

LISS Cardio
30 Minutes Incline Walking Treadmill
7.0 Incline @ 3.6 MPH


Thoughts

Appetite was a little more stronger today than normal and as such, I inadvertently overdid my carbs by about 100 grams more than the program called for.

Not going to lie, workout kicked my ass today, so maybe it was all the high intensity training that kicked my appetite up more than normal.

Either that or I need to drink a little more water. I'm already at well over a gallon per day, but I'm a large, active individual who sweats quite a bit during high intensity training.

Going to try for 1.5 gallons tomorrow and see if that makes any difference to my appetite.

Overall, I'm following his program exactly as the guide outlines, I just need to dial my nutrition in a little more strictly.

Day 3 done and I'm still feeling good.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Day 4

Weight
205.0
(+1)


Nutrition

Calories = 2200
Protein: 205 grams
Carbs: 120 grams
Fat: 100 grams


Workout: Day 4 Legs

Leg Press (10x3)
720x3
720x3
720x3
720x3
720x3
720x3
720x3
810x3
810x3
810x3

Front Barbell Squat (6x5)
5x155
5x155
5x155
5x155
5x155
5x155

Barbell Glute Bridge (5x6)
6x70
6x70
6x70
6x70
0x0

Dumbbell Lunge (3x10)
35x8
35x8
35x10

Glute Ham Raise (2x15)
15xBodyweight
15xBodyweight

Single Leg Extension (Ascending Reps) (1x30
55x30

Tabata Circuit
Rowing Machine

LISS Cardio
25 Minutes Elliptical


Thoughts

Controlled my calories a little better today although my fat was too high, I think too much beef grease made it into my salad that I missed cleaning off it after I cooked it earlier today.

But overall, did better today nutrition wise than I did yesterday. Hoping with the lower carbs and calories to see a drop on the scale by tomorrow.

Kind of disheartening to watch it go back up another pound after starting a new program.

Back was little iffy today at the gym but felt better once I got warmed up and got moving for my workout.

Still need to watch myself, but overall was feeling pretty good today at the gym.

[TheNormalMan]

Visibly leaner after just five days on this program, although my weight isn't dropping like I hoped it would be by now.

Just gotta follow the program and keep doing what it says.

Gotta trust the process.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Day 5

Weight
203.5
(-4.0)


Nutrition

Calories = 2300
Protein: 220 grams
Carbs: 80 grams
Fat: 110 grams


Workout: Day 5 Shoulders

Hang Clean and Press (10x3)
135x3
135x3
135x3
135x3
135x3
135x3
135x3
135x3
135x2
135x3

Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise (6x5)
30x5
30x5
30x5
30x5
30x5
30x5

Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise (5x6)
25x6
25x6
25x6
25x6
25x6

Dumbbell Shrug (3x10)
90x10
100x10
105x10

Seated Dumbbell Victory Press (2x15)
25x15
25x12

One Arm Dumbbell Upright Rows (1x30) (Ascending Reps)
35x30

Tabata Circuit
Jump Rope
This kicked my ass today, great Tabata exercise

LISS Cardio
25 Minutes Elliptical


Thoughts

Ate pretty close to where I was supposed to be macrowise for today. Protein still a little on the lowside but I'm still hitting my daily minimum of 200 grams so I can't complain about that.

When left to my own devices, I tend to overeat fat and carbs too liberally when I keep those kinds of food around my house.

Back was a little iffy going into the gym this morning, but after some stretching and a warm-up, it felt good and I was able to power through my workout nice and strong today.

Been a bit of a mental grind trying to stick to this program and the workouts, but I have to trust the process and give it more than a few days to let the program work.

Whenever I don't see fast results, my first instinct is to just jump ship to what I know, aka PSMFs of one kind or another, and then they usually just backfire on me, at least recently.

My goal right now is to just make it through the first two weeks, before I worry about finishing. Have to take small steps right now to get myself through this.

One day at a time is all I'm focusing on now.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Day 6

Weight
202.5
(-5.0)


Nutrition

Calories = ~3600
Protein: ~200 grams
Carbs: ~350 grams
Fat: ~150 grams


Workout: Day 3 Arms/Abs/Calves

Superset 1: Skullcrushers / Barbell Curl / Calf Press (3x10)
80x10 / 70x10 / 150x10
80x10 / 70x10 / 150x10
80x10 / 70x10 / 150x10

Superset 2: Triceps Pushdown / Cable Hammer Curls / Seated Calf Raise (Pound Per Rep / Cluster)
50x49 / 40x37 / 105x37
50x50 / 40x40 / 115x42
50x50 / 40x36 / 115x45

Superset 3: Reverse Grip Triceps Pushdown / Standing Biceps Cable Curl / Calf Machine Press (Pound Per Rep / Cluster)
50x50 / 40x35 / 230x45
50x50 / 40x35 / 230x40
50x48 / 40x32 / 230x35

Tabata Circuit 1
Kneeling Cable Crunch x 100 Pounds

Tabata Circuit 2
Standard Plank

Tabata Circuit 3
Standard Side Plank

LISS Cardio
30 Minutes Incline Walking Treadmill
7.0 Incline @ 3.6 MPH


Thoughts

Well made my first nutritional blunder of the program today. Ended up going out to eat with a friend today.

Had a bacon burger, some potato salad and a piece of cheesecake. Was really good, but didn't really feel too good after having a heavy meal like that.

I'm just taking a guess at the calories and macros for the day, but I should be somewhere in that ballpark.

I guess a day of not following the guidelines could have ended up much worse, but I still don't like deviating like that, even for just one day. Such is life I guess.

Strong workout today, and I was drenched in sweat by the end.

That's one thing I'm noticing with these workouts that if I really focus on what Craig C says and keep the rest periods to 30 seconds or as short as possible, it just turns me into a fountain.

Day 6 done and in the books, hopefully not too much damage was done today.

[okayest]

You're keeping a good attitude about the detour. Like you said they do happen. I told you before that was my biggest obstacle and it took the better part of a year to learn all the ways to not let normal life be a setback. Cutting carbs and fat earlier in the day if you know you're going out, ordering only what you really want, knowing when your eyes are being bigger than your stomach, stopping when you're satisfied and leaving food on the plate, or taking it to-go even if it's a piddly amount, having a diet soda/coffee/tea if you aren't even hungry or nothing looks that good, lowering carbs and fat the day after if you didn't realize you'd be going out or eating so much, eating a big filling but lower calorie meal beforehand if you know it's mealtime but know you don't want to eat where you're going or you only want to eat a little... Lots of ways to still go out.

The workout is nice. Gotta love supersets. Is it much trouble at the gym to keep your stations? And what is a cluster?

[TheNormalMan]

You're keeping a good attitude about the detour. Like you said they do happen. I told you before that was my biggest obstacle and it took the better part of a year to learn all the ways to not let normal life be a setback. Cutting carbs and fat earlier in the day if you know you're going out, ordering only what you really want, knowing when your eyes are being bigger than your stomach, stopping when you're satisfied and leaving food on the plate, or taking it to-go even if it's a piddly amount, having a diet soda/coffee/tea if you aren't even hungry or nothing looks that good, lowering carbs and fat the day after if you didn't realize you'd be going out or eating so much, eating a big filling but lower calorie meal beforehand if you know it's mealtime but know you don't want to eat where you're going or you only want to eat a little... Lots of ways to still go out.

The workout is nice. Gotta love supersets. Is it much trouble at the gym to keep your stations? And what is a cluster?

I'm trying to stick with a reasonable plan that gives good results in a short time frame but doesn't drive me crazy in the process.

My biggest problem right now is working on habits that are sustainable for the long term.

I'm really good at crash dieting, but not the long term as probably have guessed by now.

That's why I'm not going to let one day with slightly higher numbers get me down or change the plan.

At my gym, I usually workout late morning or early afternoon, so there's not too many people there that time of day.

Even if there are people using the stuff I want to use, I just kind of let them know this is what I'm doing and I'm going to work in or they can work in with me. I'm nice, but clear about what I'm doing.

Cluster sets are pick a moderate weight, then do as many reps as you can in one minute. You can take a short rest if you need to catch your breath during the set, but for no more than a couple seconds.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Day 7

Weight
201.5
(-6.0)


Nutrition

Calories = 2200
Protein: 210 grams
Carbs: 130 grams
Fat: 80 grams


Workout: Day 7 Rest Day

LISS Cardio
60 Minutes Incline Walking Treadmill
7.0 Incline @ 3.3 MPH


Thoughts

Back on track today with the plan. Surprised my weight didn't jump up after yesterday's blunder but such is the body.

Sometimes we still continue to lose even in a surplus.

One day means nothing in the long term. It's the average weekly deficit that brings success or keeps us the same.

Overall, pretty happy with the first week.

I'll do a more detailed review on my thoughts and feelings of the program after the first week tomorrow. Too tired today.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Week 1 Review

So here we are, on the morning of Day 8 of 30 Days Out and already have one full week in the books.

I must say, I'm really liking the workout program. It's refreshing and a completely different approach than the heavy with slower sets type of training I've been doing for the last several months.

The short rest peroids, the tabata training, it's all challenging and I think a big part of the reason I've seen such good success in this first week.

For eating over 2000 calories a day, I'm very happy with my results for the first week. It's close to the results I see on PSMF diets and I didn't feel like I was starving at all this week which was refreshing.

As for the nutrition, I didn't quite hit my macros everyday and I did have one cheat day on day 6, but it wasn't too much over my daily calories so could have been far worse.

That said, I think the one part of the program that is either tough for me or doesn't work for me is the protein requirement.

The calculator calls for 1.5 x bodyweight in grams of protein per day so since I started at 207, this put me at about 307-310 grams of protein per day which I find to be just a little bit too much.

I don't enjoy eating this much protein everyday and if it happens, it happens, but I've found that around the 200-250 gram mark for protein, unless I'm just chugging 2-3 shakes a day, I kind of have to force myself to eat more protein which doesn't really work for me.

So that's why at the beginning of the program, I gave myself some guideline goals of hitting minimum 200 grams everyday with a goal mark of 250, and anything after was just kind of a bonus.

That said, I did that everyday this week. I hit on average around 210-220 most days and a little higher on a couple others.

I'm going to keep that going forward. Going to work harder on hitting the carb and fat guidelines going into the second week, but I will keep my protein at a comfortable level.

Overall, I'd rate this program at a 9/10 so far. Really enjoying it.

[TheNormalMan]

Week 1 Comparison

207.5 to 201.5

[4one]

^^^NICE


Yeah....no way could I see myself hitting that 310 gm protein mark daily.
That's like me having 4 x 24gm shakes then 2 lbs of chicken or beef....LOL

Doable.....yes....
7 days a week.....I don't think so LOL

[TheNormalMan]

Yup, that's why I aim for an amount I know I can consistenly stick with and anything more that I get beyond that is just a bonus and that much closer to where it says I should be.

But not going to force myself to get there in the process.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Day 8

Weight
202.0
(+0.5)


Nutrition

Calories = 2000
Protein: 200 grams
Carbs: 200 grams
Fat: 40 grams


Workout: Day 8 Chest

Single Arm Cable Crossover (1x30) (Ascending Reps)
60x30

Reverse Triceps Smith Machine Bench Press (10x3)
275x3
275x3
275x3
275x3
275x3
295x3
295x3
295x3
275x3
275x3

One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press (6x5)
65x5
75x5
75x5
75x5
75x5
75x5

Leverage Chest Press (Hammer Strength) (5x6)
140x6
160x5
160x6
160x6
160x6

Butterfly (3x10)
60x10
60x10
50x10

Svend Press (2x15)
5x15
5x15

Tabata Circuit 1
Jump Rope

Tabata Circuit 2

LISS Cardio
20 Minutes Elliptical


Thoughts

So over a full week into the program and pretty happy with the progress I've made so far.

I didn't have any expectations on the results I was going to make coming into the program but for the amount of calories I'm eating, I'm pleasantly surprised at the rate of loss thus far and how I'm feeling.

It's nice a change of pace losing quite a bit of weight fast without feeling like I'm starving which often tends to be case when I'm doing any type of version of a PSMF.

There's only 22 days left in the program and Craig C was right when he said that it's gonna be hard and it's going to go fast.

Need to just keep my focus, buckle down hard and grind it out these last three weeks.

I'm not going to be 10% in 3 weeks, but I'll be well on my way and the leanest I've been in a very long time so I'll take that.

[okayest]

Dude! Great job! 3 more weeks of kicking ass will be nothing once it's done.

[TheNormalMan]

30 Days Out Day 9

Weight
202.5
(+1.0)


Nutrition

Calories = ~3700
Protein: ~240 grams
Carbs: ~460 grams
Fat: ~100 grams


Workout: Day 2 Back

One Arm Lat Pulldown (1x30) (Ascending Reps)
50x30

Rack Pulls (10x3)
315x3
405x3
405x3
385x3
365x3
365x3
365x3
315x3
315x3
315x3

Seated One Arm Cable Pulley Rows (6x5)
60x5
75x5
75x5
75x5
75x5
75x8

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown (5x6)
135x6
165x6
165x6
150x6
150x6

Barbell Deadlift to Row (3x10)
155x10
155x10
155x8

Dumbbell Incline Row (2x15)
25x15
25x12

Tabata Circuit 1
TRX Jumps

Tabata Circuit 2
Side Shuttle Runs
Completely failed at the 3 minute mark. Was unable to finish.

LISS Cardio
5 Minutes StairMaster
15 Minutes Incline Treadmill


Thoughts

Ok, I'll be admit, I went went over my macros today. Literally, my appetite was out of control yesterday and I'm not even sure why.

I had my post workout shake, then my usual larger meal of the day. Lots of beef, some guacomole, and some tortillas.

Was literally hungry like an hour later, like stomach growling hunger. Ended up eating like an extra half dozen oatmeal packets yesterday, an extra 2-3 servings of cottage cheese and a couple fat free cheese sandwiches.

I haven't felt that kind of hunger in a long time. This wasn't sitting around bored, want to eat hunger either. Hard to describe. Guess the workouts have been draining my body more than I thought.

Great workout yesterday, really pushed myself and it felt good completely failing on Tabata.

Going to work harder tomorrow to keep my nutrition where it needs to be.

I only have three more weeks to drop as much as fat as I can so need to stay diligent every day.

[TheNormalMan]

Dude! Great job! 3 more weeks of kicking ass will be nothing once it's done.

Just going one day and one workout at a time at this point. It might only be 3 weeks, but that's a long time when dieting hard.

[4one]

I'm trying to stick with a reasonable plan that gives good results in a short time frame but doesn't drive me crazy in the process.

My biggest problem right now is working on habits that are sustainable for the long term.

I'm really good at crash dieting, but not the long term as probably have guessed by now.

I think this can sum up at least 95% of the people (me included) when wanting to drop body fat.

Heck.......
we can all sit in a room and eat a few celery sticks a day for 30 days and drop weight like lightning.

Biggest problem for me is.......what happens after I go back to what I call "normal eating"?

All that weight comes right back and then some......
cause I've learned NOTHING about long term eating to keep the pounds off.