PP's Ketogasmic transformation!

[kazdabull]

This is awesome man. I'm in Iraq right now and i'm loving the Keto diet. It amazes that my weight is dropping but my strength continues to increase. Good luck on being ready for your wedding brother.

[phabphour20]

This is awesome man. I'm in Iraq right now and i'm loving the Keto diet. It amazes that my weight is dropping but my strength continues to increase. Good luck on being ready for your wedding brother.

Thanks man, for stopping by my little thread and for helping protect our country.

It is when I hear about people like yourself that can stick to a keto diet in a war zone that I realize I shouldn't have such frequent willpower lapses in my comfortable suburban office life.

Keto is good. It really is.

Stay safe.

-PP

[phabphour20]

Weight - 270 pounds (down 2 lbs.)
Waist - 46.7 inches (down .2 inches)

More progress. This is for two weeks since my last official weigh-in day fell smack in the middle of a filthy carbup. Basically my bad couple day carbup made me lose a week of progress. Not good, but not the end of the world. I am clearly not going to be 200 pounds for my wedding, but with the way I can make progress and maintain things for long stretches of time, I am 100% confident that I will get to where I want to be eventually.

This is such a great feeling. Obviously these things may not work for everyone, but a keto diet, combined with intermittent fasting and a decent workout routine, is the proper way for me to live. It will get me healthier and happier than I have ever been. This is huge for me. I am comfortable with this progress and lifestyle. I am building in more things like bike riding (which I used to do all the time, like 10 years ago, but was seriously afraid I would break my bike from being so fat for so long) and playing tennis. I love being outdoors and being active and I am getting back the confidence and energy to be that way again.

Obviously I still have a long way to go. This is definitely not a victory speech. But I just feel good. And happy. I am making a new goal. Today.

I want to have abs for my best friend's wedding in the first week of May, 2009. That gives me about 11 months. I think I can do it. His wedding is going to be on a tropical island... a full weekend with a lot of my friends there... and I want to be in the best shape of any guy there.

I am still going to push hard until my wedding and honeymoon, but I am not going to be defeated when I still have a lot of progress to make after that date. I know I can make it. My wedding is not the end. It is only the beginning. Life is beautiful, it really is.

OK, enough of that... back to reality.

Yesterday I fasted until about 3:30 pm when I had some real hunger pangs. I have been teaching myself to differentiate between the hunger that goes from my stomach to my brain and the hunger that goes from my brain to my stomach (from boredom, etc.). This was real hunger. My body wanted some food. I had a workout at about 6 pm that I wanted to be fasted for, so I ate a decent handful of almonds at 3:30 to satisfy the hunger, but allow enough time to digest and be light for the workout. I think it was the right move. It stopped the hunger and I had plenty of energy and drive for my workout.

The workout was chest, triceps and shoulders and felt pretty good.

After the workout I had a nice, big dinner. I sauteed a chicken breast and a good amount of asparagus, had a big Caesar salad and took 4 fish oil caps. I also had a glass of red wine with dinner and one square of Lindt 85% dark chocolate afterward. Felt like a great meal. Satisfying and healthy. I shared it with my beautiful fiance, making it all the more satisfying and healthy. After dinner I watched the Red Sox win again, went over the current state of the wedding budget with my fiance (ugh), and went to bed at a reasonable hour.

This morning I woke up early and made myself some eggs and a cup of green tea. This is the way to get the morning off to a good start. On the days following my lifting sessions I follow a traditional 3-meal eating schedule. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, but still keto. So that is the plan for today and then tomorrow I do another short fast.

OK, enough for now. I have a lot of work to do!

Have a great day everyone!

-PP

[kazdabull]

Good job brother. That's two less pounds that you ahve to carry around with you. Glad to hear abotu the confidence, it makes life so much better.. It's my pleasure to do what i do and i find Keto works right into my lifestyle over here. I can actually just grab some jerky and a pepperoni stick, throw it in my go-bag and i'm set for the day no matter what the mission throws at me. I love it.

[Shhmmooove]

Nice work bruv, nice work.

[phabphour20]

So, had a nice full day of keto eating yesterday. Eggs for breakfast, a big chicken caesar salad for lunch and some sausage and peppers with broccoli and garlic for dinner. Good stuff.

No workout yesterday, rest day, and study day too. I am trying to study for this exam in a few weeks and I am way behind... probably a lost cause at this point, but I am going to waste some time cramming for an exam that is supposed to take 250 hours or so to pass... I don't feel that bad, with trying to plan a wedding and trying to work out, the studying has definitely taken a back seat.

Fasting today until dinner, or at least until I start to feel real hunger. Then I will eat a big dinner. I have to make sure I get enough calories in during the shortened eating window.

Have a great day!

-PP

[Shhmmooove]

I am going to waste some time cramming for an exam that is supposed to take 250 hours or so to pass...

Bloody hell...what exam/subject is that????

[phabphour20]

Bloody hell...what exam/subject is that????

The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam. I am on Level 2. There are three levels, each should take between 200 and 300 hours to prepare for correctly. It is brutal man.

I would have just bagged it a while ago and said that I would get after it next year (L2 and L3 are only given in June), but the thought of trying to do L2 again next year is repulsive. As it is, I'm sure that is what will happen, but I am going to try for the next two weeks (test June 7th). The pass rates are generally around 35% or so, so I don't hold out much hope. But it is multiple choice... so you never know.

-PP

[Shhmmooove]

Ah yes, the fabled CFA. It has the lowest pass rate in Europe! My mate is studying for the Level 1 right now. I thought he was mad trying to do it when his background is IT and has never worked in the Banking industry, but he took 6 months of work to study for it.

I considered it, but I would like to get an MBA first and cross into the area. I work for Citigroup in London so maybe after this credit crunch, they may fund my programme.

Good luck with the exam man....you're certainly in for a tough one!!

[phabphour20]

Ah yes, the fabled CFA. It has the lowest pass rate in Europe! My mate is studying for the Level 1 right now. I thought he was mad trying to do it when his background is IT and has never worked in the Banking industry, but he took 6 months of work to study for it.

I considered it, but I would like to get an MBA first and cross into the area. I work for Citigroup in London so maybe after this credit crunch, they may fund my programme.

Good luck with the exam man....you're certainly in for a tough one!!

Thanks man. Level I wasn't so bad, but Level II is proving to be killer.

Funny you work for Citi in London... I work for RBS in the states...

-PP

[phabphour20]

Very quick update...

Ate big last night... fasted until about 5:30 (without any hunger whatsoever), then had a first meal of salami and cheese and about 750 calories worth of almonds. Scary how many of those things I can eat...

After that I had two big burger patties with some cheese and a side of asparagus. I would guess all-in it was about 3,000 calories in under 3 hours. Then I stopped eating. I won't eat again until after my workout this afternoon.

I woke up feeling good, feeling light despite the large meals. Maybe that is the Friday factor...

Anyway, biceps and back after work today (early close for the holiday weekend) and then out to dinner with the fiance. Hoping to go for a nice bike ride in the morning, assuming the weather holds. Then, studying all weekend.

Have a great day everyone!

-PP

[phabphour20]

Hello everyone! Happy Saturday!

Last night was great. I fasted until about 4 yesterday and then went to the gym. I lifted hard, biceps and back. It felt great. After that I ate pretty good, getting in a full day's worth of calories in about 4 hours. I went out to dinner with my fiance and had a nice big steak with wilted spinach and steamed green beans. Love it. I also had three glasses of red wine over the course of the night. Probably a bit much, but it was a Friday after a long week and I love me some pinot noir.

This morning I woke up and went for a bike ride with my fiance. It was a beautiful day here in Connecticut, so we rode down to the beach (7.7 miles), hung out there for about a half an hour, getting some nice sun on my face, then we rode back. A nice 15 mile ride in about 2 hours. Great thing to do on a day like today. Some good hills in there, so my legs were burning.

After we got back we made our usual weekend breakfast of free-range eggs and uncured bacon. Delicious. I followed that with a few cups of green tea and now here we are. Tonight we are making chicken fajitas without the tortillas and then going into the city to see my good friend's band play tonight. I am going to stay away from any alcohol as I have to do some serious studying this weekend and want to retain as much as I can (I also am trying to lose weight in case you didn't know!).

Have a great day everyone!

-PP

[phabphour20]

Great weekend. Ate healthy keto and was very active. Sunday morning I went to the gym and lifted abs and traps. Today (Monday) I played tennis for an hour this morning and then just went for a casual 3 mile walk after dinner with my fiance. Feel good. Healthy, active and happy.

Hope all of you had nice weekends too. Weigh-in Wednesday.

-PP

[phabphour20]

Had a great summer dinner last night... jalapeno-cheddar burgers on the grill, fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil salad and a green salad with real bacon bits. Just delicious with a nice glass of pinot noir.

After dinner we went for a casual walk. It was so nice out and we were having a good conversation, so we just kept going... about 3 miles total.

I stopped eating at 7 pm last night and was hoping to fast until dinner tonight. However, just now, about 1:00 pm, I started to get almost unbearable carb cravings. I almost gave in. Instead, I went downstairs to the cafeteria and ate a massive portion of cajun tilapia and a huge side salad with a couple of eggs and pepperoni and cheese on it. Massive lunch, but it killed those carb cravings dead.

Weigh-in tomorrow.

-PP

[phabphour20]

Weight - 270 pounds (flat)
Waist - 46.5 inches (down .2 inches)

So, mixed results. I am not worried about it. As long as the waist is going down, I am comfortable. I also did a lot of pretty intense exercise this weekend, and I kept the diet pretty tight, so muscle gain is not out of the question. I feel a little let down about the lack of scale progress, but that isn't the only measure of progress.

I am out of the gym until this weekend. I need to use my evenings this week to study for my exam. I should have time to get to the gym this weekend though, so it is really only 4 or 5 days off, which might actually be beneficial.

Things are going well. I feel good.

Hope everyone has a great day!

-PP

[phabphour20]

Weight - 268 pounds (down 2 lbs)
Waist - 46.4 inches (down .1 inches)

So, some progress for the week. Goodbye 270's, welcome to the 260's. I hope to never see 27* on the scale again.

I have been very busy, hence the lack of posts. I went to the gym yesterday and lifted hard. Chest, triceps and shoulders. Felt great. I have been sticking to the diet for the most part.

I have a job interview today. I bought a new suit for it. I look good. We'll see if it makes a difference. I haven't had much luck recently. At least I won't be worried about my appearance and I can be myself in the interview.

OK, have a great day everyone! I'll try to update more often, but things have been a little crazy...

-PP

[Shhmmooove]

How you getting on there man?

[druluv]

Good job man! You are turning into a keto vet

[phabphour20]

Argh, had a tough go of it a bit lately... things got a little crazy... got a job offer from another firm, my current boss countered... took a 6-hour test which I studied 10 hours a day for a week before... lots of stress, lots of bad eating, had a big party, drank an unfathomable amount of beer, etc. Yesterday I got back into it. Was 10 pounds up on the scale. I hope 7 or 8 of that was water. Either way, bad week or two... but back in it now.

-PP

[teddythegr8one]

So you fast until the afternoon? then get your food in? is that what keto is?

[phabphour20]

So, got off track for a bit there... what with getting married, starting a new job, honeymoon, holidays, etc.

I have been maintaining things at a decent level for a few months now... by this I mean sporadic gym trips and mostly keto eating. I am probably weighing in around 285 or so right now... definitely up from where I was.

I am back. And so I think I will come back to this thread too.

I am quite sick at the moment with a chest/sinus infection, running a course of antibiotics, etc. I am hoping to be fine by Monday morning. At that point I plan on doing something fairly drastic for a change of pace. I am going to try and do two weeks of strict steak and eggs. I will only eat steak and eggs and only drink water and green tea. For supplements I will only do my usual fish oils and vitamin D3. I am curious to see what two weeks of this, along with weight training and maybe one or two HIIT sessions per week does to my body. Should be fun.

I will be weighing in on Monday morning and measuring my waist as well. I use these as my two markers. I will also be posting my lifting routines/results here as well so I can determine what is happening with my strength. I think with gym results, the scale and the tape measure around the waist I should have a fairly accurate picture of if I am losing weight and if that weight is fat or muscle. I have yet to bring this eating plan up with my wife, that should be an interesting conversation...

Also, I will do occasional (mostly random) intermittent fasting. Maybe one or two smallish (17-18 hours) fasts per week and maybe a long one (30 hours) once every two weeks. We'll see how it goes with the lifting and the steak and eggs.

I guess that is it for now. Weigh in on Monday. I'm guessing about 280-285.

Cheers.

-PP

[phabphour20]

Weight - 293 pounds
Waist - 49 inches

Steak and eggs began today. The weigh-in results above are pretty sad. I have wasted a lot of time and lost some progress. I did eat a bunch of cards this weekend, so I would guess 5 lbs of that weight is water and should be off by next week's weigh-in.

Breakfast today was 4 eggs and 2 fish oil pills. Not all that substantial, but I ate like a pig yesterday watching football, so there isn't a need to eat big this morning. I am not eating lunch and will be working out semi-fasted (~10 hours) after work. I am lifting chest and triceps and will post the results tomorrow. About and hour after the workout I will be having my dinner of... steak and eggs.

-PP

[phabphour20]

So I got stuck at work late last night and wasn't able to make it to the gym as I had planned. But I did get my weary butt out of bed at 5:30 am today and went.

Last night I had a dinner of a small eye round steak and 4 eggs over medium. Pretty tasty. I had my eye on a bigger one in my freezer, but without the workout I didn't need all the calories. So I ate it for breakfast!

This morning I got up at 5:30 and went to the gym (fasted for 9 hours). Man it was cold and dark outside. I started with a 6-minute warmup on the elliptical and then did chest and triceps. It went like this... bench press, incline dumbbell press, dumbbell flyes and then tricep rope pushdown, skullcrushers and then assisted dips. I will post weight and reps when I get home tonight. I was pretty weak. 2 weeks of being sick and not working out will do that to you... not that I am that strong usually...

Anyway, after the workout I went home and took a shower, grabbed my steak out of the fridge (cooked it with my dinner last night) and came to work. We have a cafeteria here and one of the things that they do well is eggs. I had the short-order guy make me 4 eggs and then ate that with my steak. I also took 2 fish oils and 4,000 IUs of Vitamin D. The meal was a little over an hour after my workout. This is by design. I think eating right after your workout halts the fat burning.

OK, if I get out of work today I might do a HIIT session tonight. It is definitely not my plan to work out twice a day, but I want to get 2 cardio sessions in per week. After that I will eat... steak and eggs.

Hopefully I'll post the workout tonight.

-PP

[phabphour20]

Our cafeteria here at work decided to have london broil as the special today, so I had a small serving (probably 4 oz or so) for lunch with a hard-boiled egg. I also had two fish oils and some more vitamin D. I figure that since I lifted this morning, it wouldn't be bad to have some more steak.

I also drink about 4-5 cups of green tea (straight) per day. All I am drinking for these two weeks is green tea and water.

Still hoping to get in a HIIT session tonight, but we'll see what happens with work.

-PP

[phabphour20]

Stuck late at work again, working on the same deal... argh...

Anyway, no HIIT tonight, so I ate scrambled eggs with ground beef for dinner. Two fish oils and Vitamin D.

Here are the details of my workout from this morning:

6 minute elliptical warmup

Barbell bench press: bar x 30, 145 lbs x 6, 4, 3, 3
Incline dumbbell press 35 x 12, 45 x 7, 7, 6
Dumbbell flyes 22.5 x 8, 8, 8 (increase weight next time)

Tricep rope pushdowns 80 x 15, 120 x 6, 4, 4
Skullcrushers (barbell) 50 x 6, 5, 5
Assisted dips 150 x 10, 130 x 6, 5, 5

I am playing two hours of tennis tomorrow night. Not eating until lunchtime tomorrow (16 hours).

-PP

[phabphour20]

Having my first cup of green tea right now. Not going to eat until lunchtime today. I will try to hold out until 1 or so (about 17 hours since I finished dinner last night at 8), but might end up getting into it a little earlier if I get hungry.

I made a hamburger quiche last night. Browned a pound of ground beef, drained most of the fat (otherwise it won't set right), and poured 10 very lightly beaten eggs over the top (in a buttered glass baking dish). I added some salt and pepper and a little tobasco sauce and baked for half an hour at 375 degrees. The whole thing has right about 2,000 calories I figure. I am going to eat half of it as my lunch today and the rest of it tomorrow.

After lunch today I am not eating before tennis tonight at 9 pm. We play for two hours and it is a pretty intense workout. Haven't played in over a month, so it will be interesting.

Have a great day!

-PP

[phabphour20]

Good morning everyone. Yesterday was a good day, went according to plan. I ate half my quiche at noon (~1k calories) then didn't eat for the rest of the day. I played two hours of competitive tennis from 9-11 pm last night. Man was I sore afterward. And soaked. I hadn't played in a month and it showed. I woke up this morning pretty stiff.

Had my breakfast today. A quarter of the hamburger and egg quiche that I made the other day. 500 calories. I am going to have the remaining quarter of it for lunch. I ate breakfast at about 8:30, so about 19.5 hours since my last meal at lunchtime yesterday. Wasn't even really hungry this morning. I'll be eating the other part oft he quiche around noon and then lifting after work around 6:30 or 7:00. An hour after that I will be having dinner. I got some nice NY strips. I'll have one of those and 3 or 4 fried eggs.

The workout tonight will be back and biceps. Starting with deadlifts. I have just started doing these for the first time ever and am taking it really light since I have a history of some back problems. Looking forward to getting them going.

Hope everyone has a great day today. Weigh-in and measurement coming on Monday.

-PP

[phabphour20]

Hello! Had the rest of that quiche for lunch, so that is a total of about 1k calories so far today. Dinner is going to be big. I am going to eat an entire strip steak and some eggs. Easily another 1k calories.

Went to the gym after work tonight. Back and biceps... went like this...

6 minute warmup on the treadmill

Assisted chins 150 x 12, 140 x 8,7,6
Deadlifts Bar x 5, 135 x 6,6,6,6 (increase weight next time)
Seated cable rows 135 x 12, 150 x 10,8,8 (increase weight next time)
Bent over barbell rows 80 x 8,8,8

Straight barbell curls 70 x 6,5,5
Preacher barbell curls 50 x 8,6,6
Hammer dumbbell curls 35 x 12,12,10 (6,6,5 each arm)

Felt pretty drained by the end of this. Man, even at this light weight, deadlifts are killer. The sweat started pouring off me. Going to wait an hour and then eat some steak and eggs. Then hopefully I will get a solid 8 hours of sleep.

-PP

[phabphour20]

Dinner was great. I ate a whole NY strip and 4 eggs over-medium. Delicious. I also took 2 fish oils and 2,000 IUs of Vitamin D. I didn't get a great night sleep, but that will be made up for this weekend.

This morning I had half of the other strip I grilled last night and four eggs. Lunch is going to be the other half of the strip and 3 hard-boiled eggs that I made last night.

Today is a recovery day. No workout. Just a lot of steak and eggs. I am pretty sore from the workout last night. My legs are sore from the deadlifts, so I may have to wait until Sunday to do my planned legs and shoulders workout. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Having a cup of green tea now. Love this stuff.

Happy Friday.

-PP

[izzylicious]

aweasome log^^ ill follow ur steps next time i go on keto. subscribed.