DJaRiHardstyle's 2nd Contest Prep

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Crazy how some people need much more frequent adjustments in dietary protocol than others. What's even weirder is how such a difference in observed metabolic adaptation can be seen between you and your dad, with such similar genetic makeups and everything. Eleven weeks. Woah. Time is coming and going quickly. at least from my perspective over here :s

Crazy right?

All I saw was the rich piana pic HAHAH!!!

You mean rich panini my favorite natty vegan strongman of all time??!!

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Thought I'd throw this in here. Clips from my dad and I lifting at 13.5 and 11.5 weeks out.

[Gett01]

Sorry I haven't been in here for a little while, things have been kind of busy. I still gotta catch up on some of your log, but nice video and I love your mindset about all of this. I know this is pretty late but I say definitely stick it out and get on that stage with your Dad. It may be rough, even brutal, but short term losses for a massive long term gain. Who knows if you'll even ever get an opportunity to do this with your Dad again. Life is only going to get busier, so take advantage of this now and don't worry so much about your diet next semester, you can worry about that later.

Also weird to think about how you've cut down so much now...you used to weigh more than me by like 10 pounds or more, now I have over 20 on you...

[IK9]

Nice video quality & nice form on the seated calf raises.. great to see that instead of weight just being moved!

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Sorry I haven't been in here for a little while, things have been kind of busy. I still gotta catch up on some of your log, but nice video and I love your mindset about all of this. I know this is pretty late but I say definitely stick it out and get on that stage with your Dad. It may be rough, even brutal, but short term losses for a massive long term gain. Who knows if you'll even ever get an opportunity to do this with your Dad again. Life is only going to get busier, so take advantage of this now and don't worry so much about your diet next semester, you can worry about that later.

Also weird to think about how you've cut down so much now...you used to weigh more than me by like 10 pounds or more, now I have over 20 on you...

Thanks Rob, @bolded: exactly what I was thinking, and well worded!

Nice video quality & nice form on the seated calf raises.. great to see that instead of weight just being moved!

Thx, it was taken on his phone which has much nicer quality than mine. And we just dug up a camcorder we forgot we had (lol), so might start using that for future footage!

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Some quick updates before the weekly update: New article up, Possible changes in show date, Contest prep mood/hunger and MBR, Diet break, and Being home alone

I thought I'd use this opportunity to go into detail with some things so that the weekly update can be as succinct as possible.

New article up

Just put a new article up on the site; it's the 2nd edition of This Week In Nutrition, and in it I look at some new findings on diet's impact on the gut microbiota, whether overweight children eat more food than their normal-weight counterparts, and the FDA's new calls to limit salt in processed foods. Give it a read and let me know what you think/how I can make these better.


http://nofluffstrength.com/index.php...9/twin-2-6816/

Possible changes in show date

This is still just in the talks, but due to a variety of reasons (the main ones being that the original show date would mean my dad and I can't be there for my brother's first-year orientation at college, I'd only have a week b/w the show and returning back on campus, 9 weeks of UD2 with RFL thrown in there and no break is a recipe for disaster, etc.), we're considering doing a show a week earlier, so August 13. It's an extra hour away and is the same sanction I competed in last time, which is smaller and the competition is more unpredictable, but weighing out the pro's and con's, it seems like it would be our best bet.

I'll update once we know for sure.

Contest prep mood/hunger and MBR

This past week the hunger started to set in hard. Don't get me wrong, UD2 is a damn mental test and I was already pretty ravenous on the low-carb days just 3 weeks in. But here, 5 weeks in, it's passed that casual point of "ugh, I could really go for some good food" to "my body is sending me signals that this food intake isn't right." And I mean, as I'm writing this, I'm wrapping up my ~6000kcal carb load day and am absolutely starving... no exaggeration. Fortunately, as I'll expand on in a second, my diet break is next week but at 240c/60f/225p, it's not much of a "break" lol.

Mood, while pretty significantly inversely related to my hunger levels, hasn't hit that "contest prep ghost" mode yet, and I'm hoping the break next week helps push that off a bit more. However, as alluded to, I have an irritable personality to begin with, and it only gets worse when I'm going without food (and even worse when the aforementioned "contest prep ghost" mode kicks in... like I'm talking I wouldn't even want to hang out with me at that point).

BUT, regular MBR has been doing wonders for me. What I love most about it is not that it's some magical formula where I put in my daily 20 minutes and get out a reliably improved mood, but rather the lessons it teaches me, along with the lessons I learn about it as I get more practice. It really just boils down to accepting yourself and your current situation... not being complacent, but being present. It helps keep you from judging your thoughts and living in anxiety and fear, because it reminds you that there is an intermediary between anxiety-causing events and anxiety itself... you. You may not be in complete control of what happens to you, but you can be in control of how you take it and respond to it.

So, like I said, the MBR itself doesn't suppress appetite or jack up my mood or improve hormone levels or anything of that nature, but it teaches me to be at peace with those not-always-ideal conditions. The reality is that I'm doing all of this to myself not out of some masochistic complex (well, not entirely, lol), but because I truly love the discipline that is bodybuilding, I love everything about it. And so this increased sense of mindfulness serves to, among other things, reorient myself with why I'm doing this and why it doesn't have to be a miserable experience.

Diet break

Ok, so my diet break starts Sunday, 3 days from today. As I mentioned, it's not a break in the sense that I can just eat to my liking... during contest prep, especially one with a timeline as imperative as now, that's just asking for disaster to strike. It's rather the diet break outlined by Lyle in his UD2 Addendum.

So my numbers ended up being: 240c/60f/225p (2400kcal)

Definitely not a lot of food by any measure, but, if my calculations are right, it should put me just a bit under maintenance (maybe more than a bit, as I played my numbers very conservatively). I'll try to use the opportunity to include more foods I've been craving and just haven't been able to fit into my diet up to this point.

The training will basically be a 2x per week bodypart split, similar to what I was doing for the Break-In program, except without Average to Savage (instead I'll just be continuing the progression scheme I picked up from Helms' Training Pyramid book).

I will make sure to put up some food pics to show what I was able to fit into my diet (and yes, I'm still against that mindset... I'm against it when it's instituted every day of your normal diet. Not during a planned diet break).

Being home alone

So I dropped my dad and step-mom off at the airport yesterday afternoon for their trip to France, where they'll be watching my dad's country (Iceland) play Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2016 (and that's my extent of knowledge on soccer, so don't ask me any questions about it lol) and staying for 12 days. Meaning it's just my brother and myself here for 12 days. I get the whole doing groceries, taking care of the dogs, keeping the house tidy, doing all laundry, etc. adult experience. Fun stuff.

Getting pretty boring considering I have no job to tend to and not too many close friends around, but I'm occupying my time productively.

And that's about it.... I'll update again in the normal weekly update. Here's to 3 more days until the "break"!

[TGreggors]

I know what you mean by the "contest prep ghost" mode big time. It's like you're not even really living. Just surviving and trying to make the days as short as possible. Definitely not a way to live long term. For the hunger, I'm sure you know of the "cheat codes" for contest prep already, but I'll just throw out some of the ones that I used toward the end. I had a minimum of ten cups of sugar free jello per day toward the end of my prep, around four liters of diet soda, 8-10 cups of coffee (both decaf and regular included here), at least one zero carb rockstar, two packs of shiratake noodles (seriously a godsend), and two cans of turnip greens every single day. Used splenda/cinnamon heavily on egg whites to help with cravings (hell, i was/still am putting splenda on my chicken to help with my cravings at the moment) and tapatio hot sauce + mustard on everything else. Tons of pickles, jalapenos and arctic zero as well when carbs allowed for it. Prolly 10 grams of sodium per day at least along with a boatload of artitifical sweetener. Is all of this "healthy"? No way. But it's only for a short period. Get through it, mane.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

I know what you mean by the "contest prep ghost" mode big time. It's like you're not even really living. Just surviving and trying to make the days as short as possible. Definitely not a way to live long term. For the hunger, I'm sure you know of the "cheat codes" for contest prep already, but I'll just throw out some of the ones that I used toward the end. I had a minimum of ten cups of sugar free jello per day toward the end of my prep, around four liters of diet soda, 8-10 cups of coffee (both decaf and regular included here), at least one zero carb rockstar, two packs of shiratake noodles (seriously a godsend), and two cans of turnip greens every single day. Used splenda/cinnamon heavily on egg whites to help with cravings (hell, i was/still am putting splenda on my chicken to help with my cravings at the moment) and tapatio hot sauce + mustard on everything else. Tons of pickles, jalapenos and arctic zero as well when carbs allowed for it. Prolly 10 grams of sodium per day at least along with a boatload of artitifical sweetener. Is all of this "healthy"? No way. But it's only for a short period. Get through it, mane.

You not only inspired my most recent grocery store trip:



But also my idea for my next article. Mega list of "cheat code" type foods and then discussion on whether or not they should be allowed in a diet/to what degree/can they hurt you/do "calorie-free" foods really exist, etc.



And hahaha damn you really went all out with them. I tried to find those shiratake noodles, even asked the employee stocking the Asian noodles aisle, but to no avail. Oh whale

[Kameronn]

How long have you been practicing MBR? Do you use an app? Recently talked to Izzy about it, (have been practicing about 6 weeks myself) and he loves it for overall quality of life, but with lifting, it helps you stay present under heavy loads and improves recovery. Win-win. I'd be interested in an article about some of those foods. I've never seen a large collection of all them, so it would be cool to see and utilize for myself.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

How long have you been practicing MBR? Do you use an app? Recently talked to Izzy about it, (have been practicing about 6 weeks myself) and he loves it for overall quality of life, but with lifting, it helps you stay present under heavy loads and improves recovery. Win-win. I'd be interested in an article about some of those foods. I've never seen a large collection of all them, so it would be cool to see and utilize for myself.

Started really getting into it like a year and a few months ago. I've never been able to keep up good streaks of doing it everyday, mainly b/c I don't have a set time to sit down and do it, but overall, since I've started, I've gotten on average probably like 3-4 sessions a week and it helps like none other. The improvement in my ability to quell anxiety and challenge unhealthy thoughts and just generally have a more positive outlook on life is addicting. Funny to think that's all coming from something it costs no money and takes no real effort to do.

Granted, being present takes practice and the first few months can be extremely frustrating, but the reward is so worth it. And no I've never used an app, do you?

That's seriously awesome that you're getting into it. I recommend reading "Wherever You Go, There You Are" by Jon Kabatt-Zin (may have butchered his name lol); the guy's so good with words and makes the concept of mindfulness painfully easy to understand and shows you how fun it can be. How've you been liking it?

[Kameronn]

Started really getting into it like a year and a few months ago. I've never been able to keep up good streaks of doing it everyday, mainly b/c I don't have a set time to sit down and do it, but overall, since I've started, I've gotten on average probably like 3-4 sessions a week and it helps like none other. The improvement in my ability to quell anxiety and challenge unhealthy thoughts and just generally have a more positive outlook on life is addicting. Funny to think that's all coming from something it costs no money and takes no real effort to do.

Granted, being present takes practice and the first few months can be extremely frustrating, but the reward is so worth it. And no I've never used an app, do you?

That's seriously awesome that you're getting into it. I recommend reading "Wherever You Go, There You Are" by Jon Kabatt-Zin (may have butchered his name lol); the guy's so good with words and makes the concept of mindfulness painfully easy to understand and shows you how fun it can be. How've you been liking it?

Dang, never knew you have been into it that long. A big reason I've been doing it everyday is because I'm using an app (Calm App) - it shows my streak and since I started I haven't wanted to break that streak. The guided practices are really nice, especially since I'm starting out. I imagine they won't be necessary when I've been doing it awhile. It can be frustrating when your thoughts run wild, especially when you aren't aware they are... sometimes I'll go minutes without catching myself.

Hey, I'll definitely check it out after these courses. How do you go about reading? Do you use audiobooks or physical copies? I've been seriously considering starting to listen to audiobooks when driving or doing cardio after this course work.

[TGreggors]

You not only inspired my most recent grocery store trip:



But also my idea for my next article. Mega list of "cheat code" type foods and then discussion on whether or not they should be allowed in a diet/to what degree/can they hurt you/do "calorie-free" foods really exist, etc.



And hahaha damn you really went all out with them. I tried to find those shiratake noodles, even asked the employee stocking the Asian noodles aisle, but to no avail. Oh whale

Will be looking out for the article! happy I could help inspire :b

Shiratake noodles are crazy good but are a bit hard to find/expensive. When I was at school I could find them at Kroger. But now that I'm home for summer, I can't find them at Kroger and Walmart is the only place that carries them. Just gotta keep your eye out for them. They're normally in the refrigerated section, directly beside the tofu.

I really did go all out with them. and I can't help but feel a little bad about the quantities of artificial sweetener used because it really is pretty atrocious when I step back and look at my total intake.. Like splenda/saccharin do NOT need to go on a chopped salad from subway. idk.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Dang, never knew you have been into it that long. A big reason I've been doing it everyday is because I'm using an app (Calm App) - it shows my streak and since I started I haven't wanted to break that streak. The guided practices are really nice, especially since I'm starting out. I imagine they won't be necessary when I've been doing it awhile. It can be frustrating when your thoughts run wild, especially when you aren't aware they are... sometimes I'll go minutes without catching myself.

Hey, I'll definitely check it out after these courses. How do you go about reading? Do you use audiobooks or physical copies? I've been seriously considering starting to listen to audiobooks when driving or doing cardio after this course work.

I'll check that app out, sounds interesting! I use guided meditations pretty frequently actually. Jon Kabbat-Zinn makes some that are really good; they don't have the corny mystical, atmospheric music in the background and ridiculous voiceovers, they're pretty barebones but help you keep focused and visualize the body scan.

Been mainly using physical books or else Kindle for PC/Android... I definitely recommend it; just realize that you won't be able to give them your complete, undivided attention. So save the serious, harder-to-grasp stuff for a time set aside to just sit down and read in peace.

Will be looking out for the article! happy I could help inspire :b

Shiratake noodles are crazy good but are a bit hard to find/expensive. When I was at school I could find them at Kroger. But now that I'm home for summer, I can't find them at Kroger and Walmart is the only place that carries them. Just gotta keep your eye out for them. They're normally in the refrigerated section, directly beside the tofu.

I really did go all out with them. and I can't help but feel a little bad about the quantities of artificial sweetener used because it really is pretty atrocious when I step back and look at my total intake.. Like splenda/saccharin do NOT need to go on a chopped salad from subway. idk.

Hey, that just gives you something to work towards next time. Yea I definitely don't want to overdo it and will be cutting most of those things out (minus a few just to keep my hunger at bay) after this upcoming weeklong diet break, and will cut out basically all of those sources the last 3-4 weeks before the show. Having endulged a bit too much on them this weekend, even when fitting them into my macros, I look visibly more bloated and less conditioned (could also be the added sodium, idk).

Just got my order of shirataki noodles in today! The smell and texture at first is extremely offputting... if I weren't in contest prep, I'd have just thrown it out (then again, I wouldn't be eating this outside the context of prep lol). But upon cooking them and mixing in my ground beef, they're not bad at all.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Weekly check-in: June 5 - June 11, 2016 (9 or 10* weeks out)
Avg. weight: 181.16 (-2.06 lb.)*
This week's macros:
Low-carb (Sun/Mon/Tues): 40c/30f/250p
Carb-load (Pre-workout meal Wed --> Thurs PM): 975c/35f/200p
Fri: 258c/50f/230p
Sat: 75c/50f/230p

*As mentioned earlier, we still haven't officially decided on a show date yet. I'm leaning towards the one August 13th, but still waiting till my parents get back from France to make that call.

Training/Cardio

SUN - Depletion 1

MON - Depletion 2
+AM 30min fasted MISS (stationary bike)

TUES - N/A
+AM 30min fasted MISS (stationary bike)

WED - Tension
+AM 30min fasted MISS (elliptical)
+Mobility work/stretching

THURS - N/A

FRI - Power (Deload)

DB RFESS
(50 x 3) x 4

Sumo deadlift
(355 x 3) x 2 @7
*Honestly, it's just me still not being completely acquainted w/sumo form that's making these light weights feel so heavy. Still liking it a lot more for keeping my back straight/taking tension off the traps/hitting the quads a bit more.*

Seated calf raise
(3 plates x 3) x 2

Bench press
(200 x 3) x 2 @7

T-Bar machine - plate-loaded
(3 plates x 3) x 2

Seated DB shoulder press
(65 x 3) x 2

Pull-ups - medium, neutral grip
(BW +25 x 3) x 2

Decline DB tricep extensions
(42.5 x 3) x 2

EZ-Bar curl (weight on each side)
(25 +5 x 3) x 2

Ab wheel - standing w/banded assistance
*None. On purpose this time.*

SAT - Stubborn Fat Solution (SFS)-type HIIT/LISS hybrid (Elliptical for HIIT, Stationary bike for LISS)
+Mobility work/stretching
*Felt my heart racing like crazy and just generally super dizzy and nauseous halfway into LISS. Those 5 1min:1min scheme sprints absolutely destroy me. Took a 5 min break and then finished the job.*

Thoughts

On workouts:
-RPE tracking still poor, that's one of my goals for this diet break. Speaking of which, the training schedule for it is not yet finalized but it'll basically be 2x week bodypart frequency, keeping up the progression schemes I had going, and including some depletion work at the end just to train the movement.

I might not go Sunday, since I'll be visiting my ex gf in West Virginia where she's interning for park service over the summer and will likely spend most of the day hiking. So training might then be: Mon/Tues/Thurs/Sat or something like that.

-Not related to workouts (completely), but just letting you guys know, I just got back from the grocery store (my first ever weekly grocery trip done by myself... ya boy is starting to adult) and.... suffice to say, I'm gonna eat some good food this week haha. Obv still fitting it into the diet break macros (which I'm now thinking will be like 2600kcal, due to weight loss since last week), but I'm gonna be eating some foods I'd never have been able to fit into my normal prep diet. What I'll be doing this week is essentially the new age, reductionist IIFYM approach to dieting I so adamantly renounce... needless to say, it's not indicative of how long terms approaches to flexible dieting ought ever be carried out. I'll rehash all of this as a preface to the list of food pics in the next weekly update, but I promise you all some damn good eats.

On weight:
-Down a whole 2 lbs. from last week, which is great. Wed AM, for the 1st time in almost a year, I weighed in below 180 (179.8)... Even still, with this diet break coming up, I'm almost definitely going to be running RFL for ~11 days once it's done, running it straight into the normal UD2 carb load protocol. If I still look behind on conditioning, I'll do a 2nd run of RFL for the same amount of time into the normal UD2 carb load and then just UD2 into the show (this 2nd option, which I hopefully won't have to resort to, would leave me with 4 weeks of UD2 left before the show).
I'm feeling a lot better about where I'm at, but I'll wait till the break is over to truly assess that.

On health/injuries:
-My NKT determined the left trap issue is probably something more serious than her scope of practice can diagnose accurately. She referred me to a chiro, who can hopefully get me a referral to get imaging done on my neck (would be nice to kill 2 birds w/1 stone and get imaging on my left knee done as well), obv along with a chiropractic adjustment. I've never gotten one before so that should be interdasting.

Misc:
-It's odd having the house to ourselves (just my brother and me) for so long. Not like I have a ton of responsibilities: refill the gas when it gets low, do the grocery shopping, do the laundry/dishes/keep up the house, etc. Just been chilling with friends, trying to catch up on my MBR, studying some nutrition a la Lyle's books (currently reading SFP and RFL, as I just finished re-reading and taking notes on UD2).

Changes for next week
Next week is the diet break. Lots of good eats planned.... LOTS of good eats planned

Macros will be:
268c/70f/225p = 2600kcal
-I'll be more lax on the 6x fish oil a day rule, but will still try to fit at least 2-3 in a day
-Will also be more lax on limiting my artificial sweetener/other calorie-free/sugar-free alternatives intake, i.e. (depending on how much weight fluctuates) diet Citrus Green Tea intake to my liking, SF jello/SF gum/shirataki noodles when I'm hungry.

AAAAnd that's it. Gotta wake up semi-early tomorrow to make the drive out to West Virginia (the backwards, hillbilly state everyone from New England always mistakes my state for -_-) to go hiking, but I have a huge meal planned. So glad I've found a way to get these cravings out of my system before I let this diet run me into the ground psychologically and hormonally.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Newest edition of TWIN is up: Whole Grains Increase Lifespan, New “Traffic Light” System, and Overeating Causes Overeating



http://nofluffstrength.com/index.php.../twin-3-61516/

Description from my FB post:

In this edition:
-Eating whole grains could increase your lifespan
-The new "traffic light" system makes people eat 10% less
-Recent findings suggest overeating can cause... more overeating?
And of course:
What all of these mean for YOU
Enjoy!

Let me know what you think!

[IK9]

I know what you mean by the "contest prep ghost" mode big time. It's like you're not even really living. Just surviving and trying to make the days as short as possible. Definitely not a way to live long term. For the hunger, I'm sure you know of the "cheat codes" for contest prep already, but I'll just throw out some of the ones that I used toward the end. I had a minimum of ten cups of sugar free jello per day toward the end of my prep, around four liters of diet soda, 8-10 cups of coffee (both decaf and regular included here), at least one zero carb rockstar, two packs of shiratake noodles (seriously a godsend), and two cans of turnip greens every single day. Used splenda/cinnamon heavily on egg whites to help with cravings (hell, i was/still am putting splenda on my chicken to help with my cravings at the moment) and tapatio hot sauce + mustard on everything else. Tons of pickles, jalapenos and arctic zero as well when carbs allowed for it. Prolly 10 grams of sodium per day at least along with a boatload of artitifical sweetener. Is all of this "healthy"? No way. But it's only for a short period. Get through it, mane.

This would wreck havoc on people riding the unicorn like me.. we constantly have to keep our sodium in check & eat less chit foods than the IIFYM'ers because our blood pressure skyrockets & our bad cholesterol shoots way up also

but very good tips!

[TGreggors]

This would wreck havoc on people riding the unicorn like me.. we constantly have to keep our sodium in check & eat less chit foods than the IIFYM'ers because our blood pressure skyrockets & our bad cholesterol shoots way up also

but very good tips!

riding the unicorn....if that's what I think it is, I was unaware that you were included in that camp!

pepper thou's angus for the hormonal changes. I'm sure they don't happen to everyone the same, but I haven't personally been able to get "up" since late February/early March. lmfao. Lack of sexual desire can actually be refreshing just because you can spend more time thinking about more practical things. sorry if TMI. Wow, potentially less than two months to go!

[DJaRiHardstyle]

This would wreck havoc on people riding the unicorn like me.. we constantly have to keep our sodium in check & eat less chit foods than the IIFYM'ers because our blood pressure skyrockets & our bad cholesterol shoots way up also

but very good tips!

I think I know what this means, but not entirely sure. Yea those should be areas of concern for everyone, really, and while I know lit reviews keep coming out assuring us artificial sweeteners =/= weight gain, there's still a lot of cloudiness there that I don't feel entirely comfortable toying with during prep. I say this as I eat my SF jello, but still.

pepper thou's angus for the hormonal changes. I'm sure they don't happen to everyone the same, but I haven't personally been able to get "up" since late February/early March. lmfao. Lack of sexual desire can actually be refreshing just because you can spend more time thinking about more practical things. sorry if TMI. Wow, potentially less than two months to go!

Oh I've had those side effects since Week 2 of the diet... they've only started to improve this week from bumping fats back to 70g, but once they're virtually nonexistent, starting tomorrow, I expect to return to having the sexual interest of my 5th grade self hahaha.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Highly doubt anyone's really keeping track, but I'll say it just in case.

I'm gonna do my weekly updates on Sunday AM instead of Saturdays now, because it makes more sense to include Sunday AM weight, as Saturday's macros obviously affect that, than it does to include last Sunday's weight, which was influenced by last week's calories.

That'll do it

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Being transparent... I didn't want to have to post this

So before I put up my weekly log and then pictures of some of the tasty eats I was able to fit in to this planned diet break, which is now over, I need to get something out of the way. I debated actually posting about this, but I figured the point of this log isn't to impress anyone with my adherence but to create an open forum where not only can others help me when I'm down, but hopefully my experiences can serve to do the same for others.

Anyways, here's what happened. I was really good about sticking to the diet break macros for every day until Friday night (the night before last). I went to bed on an empty stomach, as the novelty of the slightly increased macros was wearing off and hunger pangs were setting in hard. So I started eating and going over my macros, telling myself I'd just budget them in to Saturday. Then I continued eating, telling myself "It's a break, who cares?"

Well, I remedied all of that by budgeting in everything I binged on as if I ate it Saturday, but obviously this meant I couldn't eat much on Saturday at all. And due to not eating much, Saturday night (last night) was not one of my prouder moments. Whereas Friday night I'd consider a slip-up, and one that was remedied immediately, Saturday night I'd consider my first binge in 3.5 years (my last show and the insane binge that followed that).

For anyone new to my log, I don't have an eating disorder. Never have. So don't think I'm going through contest prep as an unchanged victim of ED... I do have a very obsessive, compulsive, anxious, and irritable personality, but not an ED. This was entirely diet-induced and was not something I plan on letting happen again.

I feel humiliated just writing what I'm about to write, but this is the best way to keep myself accountable. As such, here is what I ate:
-Bowl of Krave cereal
-3 small spoonfuls of cookie butter
-2 small spoonfuls of marshmallow fluff
-Slice of French toast swirl bread
-Zone protein bar

The obvious issue is that I start RFL today, the day after that binge, and so there's simply no room to take any cals out of today to mitigate that on any level. However, I did manage to weigh in this morning lighter than I did yesterday morning and still not even the top 3 of heaviest weigh-ins this week, although I look bloated.

Important:

So I'm going to post up the eats from this past week after I put up my log. Please note that all of those fit into my diet, and none of them are pictures of foods from last night's binge. I do think the way I went about this break, including semi-binge like eating patterns at the beginning of the week, wasn't a great approach but it was an honest mistake. At least now I know how not to go about including good foods post-show.

I hope no one gives up on this log b/c of this. I know this type of behavior has no place in a contest prep, especially at 8 weeks out, but I'm moving forward and will make the necessary adjustments to do my best to come in conditioned on show date.

Thanks for everything guys! I'll now post the weekly update.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Weekly check-in: June 12 - 18, 2016 (8* weeks out)
Avg. weight: 182.4 (+1.2 lb.)
This week's macros:
268c/70f/225p

*Still waiting on my dad to come back from France (will probably be today or tomorrow to make the call as to whether we'll be doing this show or the one 9 weeks out. I'm banking on this one, though.

Training/Cardio

(I'm only going to put up the weights for important lifts, I obviously did much more than this lol)

SUN - N/A

MON - Lower
+AM 30min fasted MISS (stationary bike)

DB RFESS
(60 x 6) x 2 @9.5
(60 x 3) x 2 @8.5

RDL - 35 lb bumper deficit
275 x 8 @9.5
(225 x 10) x 2 @7

TUES - Upper
+AM 30min fasted MISS (stationary bike)

Bench press
205 x 5 @8
205 x 5 @9
205 x 5 @9.5

Weighted pull-ups
15 x 6
15 x 5
BW x 6

WED - N/A
+AM 30min fasted MISS (elliptical)

THURS - Lower

Sumo DL
(365 x 6) x 3 @9

Leg press
(4 plates+25 x 12) x 2
(4 plates x 12) x 2

FRI - Upper

DB shoulder press
(55 x 10) x 2
(55 x 8) x 2

DB flat bench
(75 x 8) x 3
75 x 7

SAT - Stubborn Fat Solution (SFS)-type HIIT/LISS hybrid (Open stride for HIIT, Stationary bike for LISS)
+Mobility work/stretching

Thoughts

On workouts:
-Definitely felt the added energy from the increased cals this week, which was nice, although I'm not keeping my expectations too high for this kind of energy moving forward, considering RFL is probably going to fry me. However, I'll do all that I can to keep strength at bay before we get back to UD2.

On weight:
-Up a solid 2 pounds from last week, but that's just par for the course during a diet break. Not reading into it too much.

On health/injuries:
-Saw the chiro on Wed, which actually proved very helpful. Not only did he get a decent amount of soft tissue work done on my left trap, but he also gave me some ideas for health/fitness-related jobs over the summer (i.e. says I should go for my cert this summer since I have so much free time on my hands, even if exercise itself isn't my area of interest). I'll be going back in this Thursday and we'll continue to work on my trap and knee. Feeling hopeful about this.

-I went to see my doctor about the dizzy spells I've been getting and was prescribed to get an eye exam at the ophthalmologist and, due to a mass that had grown on my inner shin a few months ago seemingly in response to trauma from DLing yet which hasn't gone away, was prescribed to get an ultrasound of it. Got the ultrasound and the radiologist thinks it's just edema, but wants me to get a CT scan, although she said that's "because there was no report of trauma," meaning she misheard me when I literally said this came in response to trauma lmao.

Misc:
-Went hiking in WV with my ex gf on Sunday and, on the ride there, I took a wrong turn and ended up driving on this ungodly narrow rocky path with an immediate drop leading to a deep body of water to my left and a steep, forested hill to my right. That drive was scary beyond belief, and it didn't help that it led to a dead end, forcing me to drive back on that mile-long death trap just to get back en route. Hit a bump at one point and nearly tipped into the water had I not slammed on my brakes and turned hard to keep the wheels straight. Heart attack of the week lol.

-Went gokart racing with a friend on Friday. Was nervous my dizzy spells might make for a less than desirable time, but it was actually a ton of fun, despite coming in 7/7, my best lap time being an entire second below 6th place's. Eh, it was my first time, I'm pumped to come back and do it again, cuz you get such a rush from that lol.

-My brother and I went to see the Conjuring 2 last night and little dude forgets to bring his ID so, since I'm not 21 for another 3 months, the ticket stand guy wouldn't let us in. In the heat of the moment, it completely escaped my mind that we could've just seen another movie there, but instead I got my refund and went home. We still ended up watching 2 damn good horror movies, Banshee Chapter on Friday night and The Sacrament on Saturday night (latter of which was absolutely amazing, though I'm admittedly a huge Eli Roth groupie).

Changes for next week
And now.... enter the hardest diet I'll probably ever have run, RFL. Pray for me.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

THE EATS

Entire self-rising crust 4 cheese pizza


Pillsbury cinnamon rolls w/frosting


Cinnabun toaster strudels



Fluffer nutter of peace (cookie butter and marshmallow fluff on French toast swirl bread)


Arctic Zero choc PB (not one of their better flavors, imo)


Egg beater omelette/scramble mess (tomato salsa, mozzarella, and canadian bacon)


Caramel rice cakes w/cookie butter and FF whipped cream, strawberry cheesecake GYs

[DJaRiHardstyle]

THE EATS ctd.

Arctic Zero vanilla maple (2nd best flavor behind cookie shake, so far)


Krave s'mores flavor in sludge (MTS Pumpkin Pie whey + GY)


Chipots (white rice, fajita veggies, steak, tomato salsa, cheese... tortilla not pictured)

[IK9]

riding the unicorn....if that's what I think it is, I was unaware that you were included in that camp!

pepper thou's angus for the hormonal changes. I'm sure they don't happen to everyone the same, but I haven't personally been able to get "up" since late February/early March. lmfao. Lack of sexual desire can actually be refreshing just because you can spend more time thinking about more practical things. sorry if TMI. Wow, potentially less than two months to go!

I think I know what this means, but not entirely sure. Yea those should be areas of concern for everyone, really, and while I know lit reviews keep coming out assuring us artificial sweeteners =/= weight gain, there's still a lot of cloudiness there that I don't feel entirely comfortable toying with during prep

Riding the unicorn = unicorn gains aka not natty gains aka alien gains aka higher test levels than Minkus ^_^

[Kameronn]

Ah man, something I've been guilty of too many times... eating over my range for the day thinking I'd be fine just eating some crazy small calories the next day. Not good. Glad it's nothing serious though. Great eats and good luck on RFL man.

[IK9]

Don't worry about the binge.. I was in teh same boat.. when I was dieting excessively.. I would binge.. once I stopped dieting.. haven't binged since

BUT everyone on these boards kept saying I have an ED.. I know myself.. I know my routine.. my weaknesses etc. I know when I have a problem lol & I am critically brutally honest with myself

[TGreggors]

While you don't have an eating disorder, there is a definite sort of proneness that you have to binging behavior when things start getting bad. Props to you for keeping it real though, man. And while you shouldn't minimize what happened as being insignificant, I wouldn't beat yourself up over it too much. Your slip-up did not sound nearly as major as a lot of other ones that I've read about, and you could definitely take a few calories/grams of fat out of the days around the slip up to set things straight. I think that you're doing a great job still. I have a past of some pretty severe anorexia nervosa when I was younger and prep brought back some of those tendencies for me.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Ah man, something I've been guilty of too many times... eating over my range for the day thinking I'd be fine just eating some crazy small calories the next day. Not good. Glad it's nothing serious though. Great eats and good luck on RFL man.

Thanks man. Finishing day 3 rn and, while I don't wanna jinx myself, it's really nowhere near as bad as people make it sound. Your food options are excruciatingly boring but it's not unbearable by any means.

Don't worry about the binge.. I was in teh same boat.. when I was dieting excessively.. I would binge.. once I stopped dieting.. haven't binged since

BUT everyone on these boards kept saying I have an ED.. I know myself.. I know my routine.. my weaknesses etc. I know when I have a problem lol & I am critically brutally honest with myself

Thanks man, and yeah ppl are quick to become online doctors on these boards lol. IIFYM has birthed a nasty sentiment that any sort of restrictive eating will lead to ED symptoms, and so ppl are quick to call you sick or unstable for not being perfect 100% of the time, which is ironically everything IIFYM was supposed to stand against in the beginning.

While you don't have an eating disorder, there is a definite sort of proneness that you have to binging behavior when things start getting bad. Props to you for keeping it real though, man. And while you shouldn't minimize what happened as being insignificant, I wouldn't beat yourself up over it too much. Your slip-up did not sound nearly as major as a lot of other ones that I've read about, and you could definitely take a few calories/grams of fat out of the days around the slip up to set things straight. I think that you're doing a great job still. I have a past of some pretty severe anorexia nervosa when I was younger and prep brought back some of those tendencies for me.

Exactly, my posting that was certainly not my way of saying it's no big deal. If anything, I think it was a very big deal, because that's not a good precedent to set so close to a show, when dieting is only going to get more severe from here on out. It's just something I'm going to have to keep a watchful eye over.

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Some quick updates before the weekly update: New article up, Thoughts on my education and website success

New article up

The latest edition of TWIN is now up, and in it I cover this newly FDA-approved "bulimia machine" called the AspireAssist, a significant new finding that links Alzheimer's and Type 2 Diabetes in a way we haven't before, and whether or not the U.S. diet is improving. Give it a read and let me know what you think!

TWIN #4 (6/22/16) – FDA Approves “Bulimia Machine,” Dementia Causes Diabetes, and Is the US Diet Improving?

http://nofluffstrength.com/index.php.../twin-4-62216/

Thoughts on priorities for increasing my breadth of nutritional knowledge and building my site

Ever since school got out and I've found myself with all this free time on my hands, "paralysis by analysis" has slowly become the theme of this site I'm working on. While I hadn't really published anything during the semester due to being up to my knees in schoolwork, I had been hoping this summer would give me some time to really expand this site.

But I'm starting now to think more clearly and broadly about what's going on, and although I certainly don't have my exact life plans for success step-by-step, I at least have a much better idea of where to go moving forward.

Before anything else, I'm 20 years old, still have 1.5 years left of undergrad, and even after taking Nutrition and Advanced Nutrition (among other relevant major courses, like A&P), I'm ultimately still just a neophyte in this field. My true desires, clouded as they may be by the inherent identity conflicts of late adolescence, amount to long-term education and understanding. More than I want some instant gratification from this blog I've had for a year, I want to be a more learned individual in the field I'm so passionate about. Now is the time to grow and capitalize on my deep interest in nutrition.

I've been reading the book on functional clinical nutrition my chiro gave me, got to about page 50, and realized the material it covered was WAY above my pay grade. Cysteine conversion rates to glutathione and whatnot... just when I was starting to feel semi-not braindead for memorizing metabolic pathways, this comes along and reminds me I know nothing lol. BUT, I have a perfectly good basic Nutrition textbook here that I could read in its entirety, if I devote about 15 pages of reading each day. I had started to read it, got immensely bored w/how little energy it puts into its writing (it's a textbook, ffs, not sure what I was expecting), and sort of gave up. I then coincidentally came across Greg Nuckols' most recent video on the best sources of information for lifters, and was given a sign... naturally, he recommended textbooks.

So that's what I'll be doing, and I'm going to start writing it into the next day's schedule each night so that it actually gets done. I'm not posting this to brag or anything; ultimately, it's my awkward and obsessive tendencies that led me to such a decision as is. The point is more just to get all of this out of my mind and onto something tangible.

My website is still something I want to continually improve and expand my reader base for, but I don't think I'm doing myself, or my readers, much of a service by writing basic stuff without ever aiming to grow mentally. Again, ultimate goal is to become the best at what I do... of course there are tons of nutrition gurus out there who do masterful jobs of discussing topics and have astounding levels of knowledge. I don't think it's too delusional, though, to want to be better than them. I'm still young and driven; there's no better time than now to pool my obsessive tendencies and intense passion for nutrition to become as knowledgeable as I possibly can.

Anyways, that's all I really had to say.

RFL

Will make a more complete post Sunday (though not totally complete, as the diet extends to next Wednesday), but so far I'm wrapping up day 4 of RFL and haven't found it as mentally tough as I had thought it would be. Definitely feel myself dipping into ketosis, as carbs and fat have both been under 20g for the past 4 days and I've already had 1 training session and 3 30min cardio sessions. Weight is dropping fast, but that's obviously a good part water. I'll keep you all filled in!

[DJaRiHardstyle]

Weekly check-in: June 19 - 25, 2016 (7 weeks out)
Avg. weight: Temporarily omitted*
This week's macros:
Rest days (5): ~20c (almost completely from fibrous sources)/~18f (10g from fish oil)/300p
Training days (M/F): Same macros + 4g glucose tablet PWO and 11g Gatorade IWO

*As I'm still running RFL, day-to-day weight changes are so drastic (roughly a pound), that an average weekly weight wouldn't really be indicative of too much. For next week's update, I'll put my starting and ending weights for RFL, along with average weekly weight after the refeeds and all.

Training/Cardio

SUN - N/A

MON - Full Body 1
+30min LISS (stationary bike)

Leg press
(5 plates x 8) x 3

RDL
(275 x 8) x 3

Seated calf raise
(2 plates+25 x 9) x 3

Bench press
195 x 6 @8.5
195 x 6 @9
195 x 6 @9

Plate-loaded row
(1 plate+25 x 6) x 3

Lateral raise machine
138 x 10
158 x 12

EZ-bar curl - weights on each side
25 x 8
25 x 7

Unilateral rope pressdown
27.5 x 11
27.5 x 8

Standing ab wheel - banded
(8) x 2

TUES
30min LISS (stationary bike)

WED
30min LISS (stationary bike)

THURS - N/A
+Mobility work/stretching

FRI - Full Body 2

Sumo DL
(365 x 6) x 3 @9

DB RFESS
50 x 8
(50 x 6) x 2

Standing calf raise - Smith machine
(1 plate+25 x 12) x 3

Incline DB press
(60 x 8) x 3

Pull-ups - medium, neutral grip
BW x 8
(BW x 6) x 2

Unilateral face pulls
(8 x 12) x 2

Seated DB curls
(27.5 x 10) x 2

Decline DB tricep extensions
32.5 x 12
32.5 x 8

SAT
30min LISS (stationary bike)
+Mobility work/stretching

Thoughts

On RFL (so far):
As I write this, I'm halfway through day 8 of RFL, so after today, we'll only have about 2.5 days left (since half of Wed is RFL). This has been one of the more interesting, and certainly most intense, diet experiences I've had to date, and so I'll definitely be writing up an in-depth review once it's done (on my site, but I'll link to the article here). In fact, depending on how I look after the refeed, and I might get flak for saying this, I might have to run a 2nd cycle. I'm simply not close to the level of conditioning I'd like to be at by 7 weeks out. I really want to go into the last couple weeks of prep without my level of conditioning being a cause of stress and uncertainty, so that I can spend the final stretch just perfecting things and dialing it in.

Lyle doesn't recommend going into a 2nd cycle of PSMF right after the refeed for Cat 1 dieters, but he does say numerous times throughout the handbook that if you're behind schedule for a deadline, you've gotta do what you've gotta do. I'll post up physique pics next week when the run is over to get a more objective analysis from you guys, but I'm just throwing it out there that it might be what has to be done. My dad and I both knew this going into it, though, so it's not going to be some last minute reactionary decision.

But, as far as my thoughts on it so far:
-Energy is pretty crappy, but in a weird, artificial sort of way. Like I've been staying on top of studying 15 pages of my nutrition textbook daily (it's actually up to 20 now), taking notes and all, I'm able to get through my workouts with sufficient intensity, I don't feel like I'm dragging my feet everywhere, etc. But every now and then I get these reminders that I'm not running on anywhere near a full tank. I'll get hit with the most intense episodes of drowsiness out of nowhere, I have trouble keeping up conversation with people, I'm even more easily aggitated than normal, etc.
-Hunger is actually not as bad as it was on UD2, or the diet break for that matter. Could partially be the moderate levels of ketosis keeping it at bay, could also be the constant feedings of big protein boluses, I'm not sure. Oddly, though, while the physical feelings of hunger rarely prove debilitating, the psychological aspect has gotten pretty crazy. My dad and I will go to sandwich shops after lifting to pick up food for the fam, and while waiting on it, we'll both just look at the cakes and goodies in a kind of daze. This is something I'm keeping a watchful eye over, for myself, due to last Sat night's episode and the 4-week post-show binge last time.

On workouts:
-Energy is far from perfect, the pumps are super weak, and I cramp easily, even with all the supplemented potassium (from potassium citrate pills and lite salt). Still, the weights themselves haven't taken as big of a hit as I would've thought. I still have tomorrow (Monday) and Wednesday to check for that.

On weight:
-Like I said, day-to-day changes are too drastic for me to put up any meaningful number for average weekly weight. But I did weigh in this morning at 176.2, which is a decent sign. My dad is making huge strides; he started this prep off at about 220, and is now down below 200 for the first time in 30 years. That's huge, so I'm honestly just more happy for him now than I am disappointed in my own slow weight loss. Regardless, I'll do what needs to be done to step on stage conditioned, even if that means (ugh) a 2nd cycle of RFL.

On health/injuries:
-Visited the chiro again on Thursday, who worked a bit on my left knee and trap, taping me up once again (rock tape is an absolute b!sh to tear off). He's having me focus on foam rolling the left upper quad and stretching the left calf (interdasting), so we'll see how much that helps. I'm REALLY hopeful that through working with him, I can finally get back to free squatting, loaded by the time I'm done with this show. I'd love nothing more than to be able to use my immediate off season, while at college, to (among other things) bring my skwat back up to that elusive 405 lifetime PR baby pls.

-Seeing the ophthalmologist tomorrow for my eye exam to check for the cause of these dizzy spells. Really hate going to the doctor so frequently, especially when it feels like a wild goose chase, as I'm getting all sorts of different unofficial diagnoses and am getting to the point that I'd rather deal with this annoying dizziness than get bounced back and forth b/w different doctors. Idk, trying to stay optimistic though.

Misc:
-My dad and I are thinking of starting to document things, even outside of the gym, from here on. Would be very cool to have all of this in video documentation looking back.

Changes for next week
None, sticking to the plan. RFL up until Wednesday's PWO meal, which begins the UD2 carb load. Whether I go back into UD2 or run a 2nd cycle of RFL is dependent on weight and, more importantly, physique by the time I'm done refeeding next week. Just gotta keep grinding... Haven't had a solid carb source other than my biweekly 4g glucose tablets and 11g Gatorade in over a week, or fat sources other than fish oil. GRIND TIME