ZP's Warrior Keto Log

[zpapa21]

First things First:

I am currently studying abroad in Melbourne, Australia for the semester. I will be returning to America in early July. I have reduced my training volume to two days/week so I am able to have more fun out of the gym and stay well rounded.

Purpose of Log:

To help others learn from my experience while on Keto/WD and to show that people who are active can still keep performance in the gym and other areas of life high without consuming boatloads of carbs.

Current Diet:

I mostly go by how full I feel during the meal. For anyone who doesn't know about the WD please go and google it, there is also a big thread on the main keto page (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121541061) about the type of eating I am doing. Basically I consume 1+ lb of meat (cooked), veggies and plenty of fat (nuts, butter, cream cheese, olive oil, heavy cream) in the evenings and that is my food to power through the next day. WD is ~20 hours of undereating followed by ~4 hours of overeating, I am currently consuming all my daily food in 1 hour and will change when I feel necessary. Some days I go lower on food intake when I am not active and others I ramp up both protein and fat to compensate for the energy burned while exercising.

As for my carb-up I have been utilizing one every 7-10 days, the initial one wasn't for 14 days. My carb-ups will be consisting of one very large cheat meal at the end of the day (think McD's and pizza, some candy and ice cream) every 7-10 days as I see fit. It really will all be played by ear, keys to having a refeed will be slowed fat loss, poor gym performance overall sluggishness. Until then, I won't bother too much with one unless the cravings I have deep inside take over .

State of Mind

I have been on the Keto/WD for 27 days now and I have never felt better. I have reduced stress, seen improvements in my skin, feel full of energy in the gym and out, have lost a good amount of BF in a short amount of time and generally speaking have been in a very good mood. The first two weeks were a bit rough sometimes but the last 13 days have been exceptional in every area and I hope to continue this WOE (way of eating) for quite some time.

Background:

I have been training for the last five years or so, done all sorts of different routines and have worked with some of the best in the online diet & exercise consultation industry (Shelby @ EliteFTS, IA). I have been as heavy as 261.8 lbs and as light as 177 during my quest to look above average, haha. I have always stuck to heavy, compound movements but for the past year or so I have dealt with some lower back issues so squatting and deadlifting have only been done occasionally. I have plenty to say but I'll keep it short and save it for down the road.

Current Stats:

Age: 22
Height: 5'10
Weight: Haha, somewhere around 180
BF%: 10% (don't really know)

Keto/WD Blog:

http://ifexperiment.blogspot.com/ (some of the info is not directly pertaining to WD/Keto)

Exercise Regimen

Lift: Monday and Friday (Consists of upper body - Chest, Shoulder's, Tri's on Mon, Same + legs on Friday)

Cardio: 3-4 times/week (will be trying Lyle Mcdonald's cardio protocol that is currently posted on the first page) - Here is the link: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=122652251

Pullup Regimen: Currently following the Armstrong Pullup Program (goal is 25+ BW reps)

Focus: I am mostly focused on increasing my dip, pullup and pushup strength along with keeping my upper body in good working order while getting stronger. Sadly, Legs have taken a backseat but I will try to incorporate more for them. I was given good calves and legs by most standards so even with some neglect I have maintained decent wheels.

Current Pics:

http://ifexperiment.blogspot.com/201...ed-weekly.html

Goals:

I am looking to be real lean for the summer. After that I will slowly be building back up the right way and hope to maintain the level of conditioning I reach when I finish dropping down to a BF% I am happy with.

[zpapa21]

Day 28

First off...

Does anyone think any additional info about the day would be of further benefit people considering this WOE?

Highlight of the Day: Really feeling the effects of not including veggies and nuts before my main course, hunger has been rampant so I decided to up the egg count and add in more fat on top of what I already used to cook the meat with (last night). Focus and clarity in the classroom is still very good, I just need to make sure I am not starving myself.

Wake-up: 5:28am (I knew this was going to happen, bed was @ 9:30pm - was able to sleep until 7:13am)

Resting HR: 58

Thoughts: I knew falling asleep as early as I did would be trouble in the morning. Luckily I woke up at 6 am yesterday so my body actually felt like sleeping more than 7 hours (9 hours to be exact) which was a nice change of pace. I love getting up early as much as the next guy but not when I have an enormously busy day ahead of me which includes six hours of class and a group presentation to work on until god knows when.

- 2g vit c upon waking, 2g w/ FEAST
- 2 tsp Metamucil upon waking, 2 tsp Metamucil w/ FEAST
- 1 coffee (7:30 am), 1 coffee (11:30 am)

Cardio/Lifting:

Pushups - 50/40 (done first thing in morning)
No Cardio (desperately need a rest day after playing ball the past two days)
Pullups - 9 sets of 7 (just about perfect)
DB Curls - 15kg x 12/15
Standing Calf Raises - Bar + 55kg/side x 20/20

NOTES: Did the PU's, DB Curls and Standing Calf as a circuit with a 1 min break between. Energy was through the roof, the two girls in the gym probably thought I was a psycho. I am so impressed by this way of living, I figure I'll never turn back .

FEAST - Once again noticeable hunger occurred sometime between 2 and 3 pm. I am sorely missing the veggies and almonds at this point. No amount of meat or oil will be able to quench my hunger like the aforementioned foods. I will be making a grocery run ASAP but it may not be until after my feast for the night. That way I am able to shop for items without having hunger influence my decisions.

Start: 6:15 pm
End: 6:40 pm

10 Whole Eggs in Olive Oil & Heavy Cream
14-16 oz cooked Ground Beef & Chicken in Olive Oil & Heavy Cream
Chamomile tea

NOTES: Topped off this monster plate with a bit of FF Salsa and lots of salt and pepper. Tasted pretty damn good.

[zpapa21]

Day 29

UPDATED BF% based on Measurements:

Abs: 31.75 inches around largest part, 30.625 @ belly button (-7/8 inch in two weeks on largest part, -1/2 inch on belly button)
Neck: 14.75 inches (no change)
Height: 70 inches

Calculated BF%: 10.8% (-0.9% in two weeks)

Wake-up: 4:18 am (fell back asleep @ 5:45 am until 7:30 am)

Resting HR: 62

Thoughts: Well I am finally seeing a pattern and it's not looking pretty. I am only needing 5-6 hours of sleep right now and that has me waking up @ 4-6 am which is great but I really don't have any reason to be up until at least 8 am most days and it is only taking away from my production the following day. To be completely honest it isn't terrible but the days are becoming very LONG. I am going to cut back to one cup of coffee in the morning and see how I sleep tonight. I will be drinking some tonight as well so sleep should be easier to come by. If that doesn't work I will step up my Melatonin dosage and also look into eating more at dinner so I go to bed very full. I will keep this updated as I try different remedies to alleviate the situation.

My stomach was growling during my 12 pm tutorial, it is due to me simply not eating enough food and supplying my body with enough roughage (fiber) to hold me over until my next feast. I will be going shopping after I finish working on my group presentation for the necessities: veggies, meats, nuts, etc.

For the first time my increased testosterone or feeling of well-being showed up in a negative way. Ben and I walked back from Ling tute and I was becoming increasingly frustrated by the fact he was taking the speakers back, when we got to my room I was quiet and fuming and when he left I made it awkward by not saying anything. I quickly changed my tune and apologized, the combo of being hungry and upset about the speakers certainly made for a testy situation.

- 2g vit c upon waking, 2g w/ FEAST
- 2 tsp Metamucil upon waking, 2 tsp Metamucil w/ FEAST & MULTI
- coffee (8:30 am), tea (1:20 pm)
- water (72 oz)

Cardio/Lifting:

Pushups - None
38 min Elliptical - 3.77km (Level 10, 70 RPM, HR ~130) includes cooldown and warm-up
Pullups - 7 Sets of 8 (will keep training sets @ 7)
Shoulder Prehab - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZucWO_6M0c0 (before pullups, after cardio, did sets of 15 for scarecrows, lying bench and touch shoulder to ground)

NOTES: Energy was once again awesome today, keeping my HR @ 130 was a breeze and felt like I had another half hour in me before boredom set in. SFU is coming to a close in four episodes so I have to stretch those for as long as I can.


FEAST - Hunger was an issue today, went shopping for food and picked up a few random things which took my attention away from the hunger. Tonight's feast will be reflecting my need for good food in large amounts (ie mostly veggies and nuts) that I have been missing the past few days. I hope with this meal I am able to be comfortable most all day tomorrow.

Start: 6:10 pm (broke w/ a few almonds)
End: 7:45 pm

Salad w/ Ranch
Broccoli, Mushroom & Zucchini in Butter
10 oz Ground Beef in Olive Oil
6 oz Steak in Olive Oil
6 Eggs
1 oz Almonds
1 oz Macadamia Nuts
Chamomile Tea (digestion)

20g + 21g + 30g + 15g + 22g + 10g + 30g = 140g Fat
60g + 40g + 40g + 5g + 5g = 150g Protein
~ 20g

Totals: 1260 + 600 + 100 = 1980 calories

[zpapa21]

Instead of trying to be anal and over the top about all the details day in and day out, I will just post up some highlights and thoughts for the day in this log. If anyone wants to check out more detail feel free to visit my blog (ifexperiment.blogspot.com).

So without further ado, here we go....

Cardio: McDonald Stubborn Fat Protocol (5 intervals, 12 min) & 15 min LI (all on elliptical, level 12)

Pullups (weighted): BW+28 x 5, BW+33 x 5, BW+44 x 5 (lbs)

Thoughts: The cardio went great, I was pretty toasted after the intervals (rested for the 5 minutes and then did pullups) but was able to get back on the elliptical and bust out some LI cardio as well. I wasn't able to go the full 30 minutes because of prior engagements (the beach) but I will do my best to do the full 30 minutes after the intervals from here on out.

I also wanted to note that for about two weeks I had trouble sleeping and found myself waking up very early even if I went to bed late (ie bed at midnight, awake @ 6:30 am) which was great because I was very active and seemed to be on an energy high most days. But now it seems that my urge to nap and to sleep a bit more has increased, I am still waking up early most day (6:30 - 7:30 am) but I have the urge to take a small nap and go to sleep before midnight just about every day now. It's certainly not a bad thing, just something to note. During that time my food consumption has been roughly the same as well. I hope to find a good balance between the two because the spurts of energy I had a few weeks ago was awesome but I do enjoy the increased amount of sleep I have attained over the past week. Also should note that my caffeine intake was roughly the same as well, most of the time I had a cup of coffee first thing in the morning and then depending on when I lift/cardio I will have another cup of coffee beforehand. Pretty much all stimulants are cut off by 1 pm.

Anyone else run into the same sort of issues? If so, what did you find affected it?

[zpapa21]

Cardio/Lifting:

Pushups - 50
45 min LI cardio (4.23 miles, level 12-13, HR ~120)
Shoulder Prehab (2 circuits) - scarecrows, side bench raises, shoulder touching to floor)

NOTES: This sounds so repetitive it isn't even funny but cardio today was a breeze, really an absolute joy to do. I felt at peace and relaxed, so much so I had a hard time keeping my HR above 120 even though I was churning along on level 12. The shoulder stuff will be done 1-2 times/week, I wouldn't be surprised if my bench increased just by strengthening the smaller muscles in the shoulder girdle, it is a bit boring but I'll keep the potential benefits in mind as I run through the circuit.

On a side note, I woke up a bit groggy with a tinge of a headache. After drinking some coffee and sitting around for a bit in front of the comp the headache dissipated and I proceeded to do cardio.

[zpapa21]

Depletion Workout:

4 circuits, 1 min rest b/t exercises & 3 min rest b/t circuit

Smith Squat - Bar + 45kg x 15 x 4
DB Bench - 44's x 15 x 3, 55's x 15 (ass off bench)
DB Row - 66 x 10 x 3, 77 x 10
DB Lunge - 33's x 15 x 4
BTN Shoulder Press - 55 x 15 x 4
Pulldowns - #10 x 10 x 4
Calf Raises - Bar + 45kg x 20 x 4
Dips - BWx15x2, BWx20x2
DB Curl - 28 x 10/15/15, 33x12 (hammer, reg & pinwheel)
Planks/Crunches - 1 min x 4 sets

NOTES: The workout went awesome, the bread and jelly provided a bit extra vascularity and overall my stamina was excellent. I upped the weights on some exercises for the finale to see if I could tolerate heavier poundages while still keeping the circuit mentality going, as you can see I will be upping the poundages on some exercises next weekend.

Timeline of Carb-up:

12:40 pm - 1 piece of bread w/ 2 tbsp jam and heavy cream (4g fat, 45g carbs)

1:10 pm - Depletion workout (start)

2:15 pm - Depletion workout (end)

2:35 pm - 2 pieces of bread w/ 2 tbsp jam and heavy cream (8g fat, 90g carbs)

2:45 pm - 2.5 cups coco pops chex w/ 2 cups low fat lactose free milk (7g fat, 85g carbs)

5:10 pm - 1 large pepperoni (dominos) pizza, 20 oz coca-cola, 1/2 order garlic bread (210g carbs, 70g fat)

6:15 pm - 2 skinny cow sundaes, 1 whip bar (13g fat, 63g carbs)

6:30 pm - Lollipop (10g carbs)

8:00 pm - 1 piece of bread w/ jam (2g fat, 45g carbs), 3 cups coco pops chex w/ 2.5 cups low fat lactose free milk (7g fat, 105g carbs), 4 rice cakes (32g carbs)

9:00 pm - 4 oz Chicken & Broccoli, Beef Top Ramen (100g carbs)


Totals: 113g fat, 793g carbs, 120g protein (~4460 calories) 66%C/11%P/22%F


NOTES:I just finished my 6:15 pm meal and don't feel really bloated or disgusted with myself. As long as I am making progress I will judge my carbup first by how I feel and secondly based on my ratios of C/P/F and overall calories. I have worked hard enough and will continue to work to make sure I really earn the carbs I am ingesting on this day. I am also just now noticing a bit of sweat forming on my forehead, hopefully the old metabolism is getting ramped back up for another kick ass week of training!

Finished my second to last meal a few minutes ago and feel surprisingly good considering I wasn't all that hungry coming into the meal. My strategy for putting protein, veggies and non-sweet carbs at the end of the carb-up period is to keep me from feeling numb towards sweets and to also get my body some good protein and fiber before bedtime. I made this carb-up rather large simply because I won't be doing a carb-up next weekend due to vacation. I will most likely eat a cheat meal instead and stay LC the rest of the time. This way I am still making progress, enjoying time away from the gym and making the most of my biggest trip whilst here in Australia.

[zpapa21]

Cardio/Lifting:

Pushups - 50 (easy)
Pullups - BWx20 (hammer grip) -- SS -- Curls
McD Cardio - 5 intervals + 30 min LI cardio (intervals = 3.00km, level 12, 152-176 HR) (LI = 4.77km, level 12, 135+ HR) = 40 Min Total

NOTES: The effects of carb intake on high performance exercise (ie INTERVALS) cannot have been any clearer than in today's session. I felt almost unstoppable as I cruised through all five intervals (last three above 20km/hr), the difference in energy between this McD session and last cannot be understated. Not even sure how to describe the visibility of my veins throughout my forearms and bi's, the carbs obviously made me look and feel much fuller today. The best way to describe it all is I have never had such good definition or vascularity throughout my arms since lifting became a major part of my life. I am, for the first time since beginning my odyssey starting to take it to a real high level day in, day out and my solution has been IF'ing/Keto/Refeeds. It's scary how good I feel in and out of the gym right now.

[mtfx]

Dude, seriously intense...my eyes popped out of my head when I read how much you are eating at one time! CRAZY!

Anyhow, good luck with this! Love how detailed you are in your log. Great stuff.

[zpapa21]

Appreciate it man. I am just going with the flow and up to this point I couldn't have picked a better way of eating for my current situation. I hope to keep the log entertaining and add some twists as we go along.

Thanks for following.

[zpapa21]

Cardio/Lifting:

Pullups - 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8 (pro on 1-4, sup on 5-8) -- not all out, ramping down from this program seeing as I want to actually do some back work and not burn myself out --

LI Cardio - 38 min elliptical (3.80 miles, level 12, 120 HR) -- includes WU and CD --

Stretching - 5 stretches (cross legs & pull back of knee, indian style and lean forward, Beauty Queen, Child's Pose, Leg straight up and pulling on calf and moving head toward knee)


NOTES: Legs were pretty damn sore today, the combo of leg work from the depletion and the McD protocol yesterday really took the wind out of my sails so I opted for the less painful route and hit up some LI cardio. I will be lifting tomorrow and then do the McD protocol on Thursday.

[zpapa21]

Cardio/Lifting:

Cardio - n/a
Lifting - mock run of DC C/S/T/BW/BT workout + extreme stretching

NOTES: Ultimate plan of attack is to start a weight gain phase beginning in early August. Along with the help of DC, added protein, clean foods, cardio and a carb-cutoff I hope to get up to a much heavier weight without turning into a fat slob. I have been as heavy as 262 lbs during my weightlifting odyssey and will never go back there again. That is all for now, I will keep this journal alive until then.

FEAST - No veggies today, way too lazy to head to the store and buy any so I will be eating almonds, butter, heavy cream, olive oil, steak, bacon and eggs.

Start: 5:00 pm
End: 5:48 pm

4 oz Almonds (60g fat, 24g pro, 12g carbs)
12 oz Steak in 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, Garlic and 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream (40g fat, 85g pro)
6 Eggs in 0.5 Tbsp Olive Oil & 1 Tbsp Heavy Cream (42g fat, 42g pro, 5g carbs)
2 pieces bacon (30g fat, 15g pro)
Chamomile Tea

Totals: 173g fat, 165g pro, 25g carbs (2300 calories)