BuckSpin - A Year Of Change

I’ve read countless times how people trying to lose weight have difficulty avoiding the sweets, in particular chocolate. Its not uncommon knowledge that really good, high cocoa butter chocolate is good for you, but its also pretty high in fat & sugars.

There is an alternative.

A tasty alternative, a healthy alternative, an alternative that should rightfully go along any other supplement you take on a daily basis.

Its non-alkaline cocoa powder. Why? Not many people know the following:

1) This variety of processed chocolate is very high in cocoa solids, which gives it an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score that is literally off the charts. For example, gram for gram it has 10x more anti-oxidants than fresh blueberries! (Note - its important that it’s the non-alkaline processed form.)

2) Its amazingly waistline friendly! Per tablespoon (5g) the one I get at my local oragnic food co-op has:

• 15 calories
• .5g fat (0g sat or trans)
• .6g carbs (thats right, LESS than 1g!)
• 0g sugar
• 1g fiber
• 1g protein

3) Oh yeah….ITS CHOCOLATE! IT TASTES GREAT!!! Granted its not sweetened, but add a packet of whatever sweetener you like (I use stevia) and we are in business! Mix it in some fat free plain yogurt & freeze it and you have a great dessert that is actually GOOD for you!

For a chart showing how it stacks up:

http://www.rawdarkchocolate.com/xocai-antioxidant-orac-values.html

While it appears to be common knowledge on BB to encorporate sweet potatoes into one’s nutrition, what a lot of people don’t know is that the tasty spud is, per NutritionData.com the #1 highest rated natural source of the carbohydrate maltose.

Why is this significant to bodybuilders? Well, unlike other carbs maltose can be broken down into 2 glucose molecules….FAST!. So not only is it a great post-workout carb for that reason but that also means that it does not have to go to the liver first to restore any glycogen depletion there. It goes right into the blood stream upon digestion, and can then do its job of provided the “oomph” to get those protein derived aminos to where they need to be & do  what they need to do:

- get you out of that PWO catabolic state
- get you into a anabolic state
- start protein synthesis

Now, this is not an excuse to go nuts on them, but it is a great excuse to eat them post workout. I take it a step further and use them to create my Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie that I use during & post workout.

So for those of you who just can’t bring yourself to use a scoop of some maltodextrose or waxy maize and want some nutrition with those carbs, give em’ a try!

Did you know that cinnamon, based on the study mentioned here, can significantly increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce blood glucose levels, cholesterol and triglyceride levels?

To me, the insulin issue is key as someone trying to maximize the efforts of training with nutrition. Insulin is one of, if not, THE key hormone in bodybuilding as far as helping to get those bodies to where we all want them to be.

And the kicker? It only takes as little as 1/4 teaspoon/day to achieve these results! Plus, IT TASTES GOOD!

I get my daily dose in my morning bowl of oatmeal, as well as some smaller doses throughout the day.

Had a great week training. After taking some time off the previous week for the first time in almost 4 months (can you say "overtraining?") I hit my training harder & smarter. The 3 day splits (Mon Chest/Tris, Wed Back/Legs, Fri Shoulders/Bis) divided up by core sessions on Tue & Thur worked well. Still some tenderness in the shoulders but nothing like it was. The Back/Legs session was INTENSE! It felt great to really tax my entire system like that again!

I’ve made a number of changes to various lifts, stopped doing some & replaced them with others. All in all it was great to get back at it. I feel like "me" again.

Now here is the funny part that I’m still trying to grasp. My appetite came back with a vengeance this week. It seems like I’m always eating. My new found passion is sushi, specifically a salmon & avocado roll in brown sticky rice. I’m eating this a lot, and I know as a result my carbs & EFAs are way up.

The end result?

I awoke this AM, "felt" kinda lean, so I weighed myself. Apparently I’ve LOST around 2.5 - 3 lbs eating like this the past week!! I have NO idea how/who/why. I know I didn’t gain any weight during the time off (weighed myself to verify), so this is all since Monday.

I’m lifting less (1 whole session/week). I’m eating more slow carbs & good fats. I’m resting more. The guy in the mirror looks better. Go figure….

If anyone can explain this I’d appreciate it.

Since I made the switch to this (based on reading the book "Nutrient Timing") I have noticed immediate results as far as my ability to recover faster PWO and have also made some nice gains physically! Plus, its just tasty!

I will have one of these about 20-30 minutes pre WO & another immediately upon finishing: 

Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie PWO Shake
8-12oz sweet potato puree (IE one half of an overbaked sweet potato scooped out)
1 tsp non-akaline cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup skim milk
5g creatine monohydrate (*On Leg or Back Days I will add an additional 2g of glutamine)
1 scoop NO vanilla ice cream whey protein
dash of cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg & clove
splash of vanilla extract
1 stevia packet
1 whole tray of ice cubes

Combine everything in blender & liquify. Just about fills an empty 32oz yogurt container.

I like sushi. No, I LOVE sushi. I’m eating more & more of it. Typically I get a simple roll of tuna (or salmon, but usually tuna) & avacado in brown rice. Add a little grated ginger & some wasabi and its a great, lean, healthy meal.

Plus I eat my fair share of canned tuna as well. Its a great, cheap, lo fat source very high in protein. Its been a bodybuilding staple for decades.

However, there seems to be a LOT of misinformation about the mercury levels in tuna, and that people should not only limit consumption of it but actualy AVOID eating it.

Please, let me shed a little light on this.

Aside from being a great source of lean proteins & just screamin’ with Omega-3 fats, tuna (and salmon) are also very high in selenium…REALLY high in selenium. Why is that important? Well, it turns out that selenium acts as a "mercury magnet", if you will. It attaches itself to the mercury compounds & creates a new compound that is far more difficult to be absorbed by those animals (us) that eat tuna & salmon and makes it easier & much more likely that you will, um, "pass" the mercury, if you will.

Ironically, it seems that mercury seeks out selenium instead of the other way around, which can present problems if you have a diet low in selenium. So, you can do one of two things if you are concerned:

1) Start taking selenium as a supplement
2) Eat foods high in selenium, which, ironically, are TUNA & SALMON!!!

Also, when choosing seafood, choose those that are naturally highest in selenium. The greater the selenium to mercury ratio, the safer (and better/healthier) option the fish is. Again, two of the highest are various tunas & salmons.

Here is a great link if you want to learn a little more. Bookmark it & share it with your BB friends who are concerned or just misinformed:

MercuryFacts.org - Selenium

Finally, this graph shows the ratios of selenium to mercury in a number of fish species. The further on the right, the greater the selenium value. Notice which fishes are highest?

So go ahead & enjoy that nigiri or roll or canned tuna. Its OK.

I weighed myself again early this AM to make sure…..

My 32" jeans are sagging. I’ve lost 2.5" off my hips in around a month. I’m seeing definition & hollows in places that weren’t there…

…and yet I’ve somehow gained around 5lbs in the past month or so. I’m around 196 or so.

I’m in "that good place", and I admit its a bit confusing & defies logic.

I do know my lifting has grown more intense, my PWO nutrition has changed & improved dramatically, I’m lifting heavier & heavier, my core workouts & weight training have some good cardio components, I eat very clean & don’t cheat, I stay on my sleep schedule….but still this is screwing with my head.

I know, from everything I’ve read & every description & self test I can take, that I have a mesomorphic frame. I’m still learning more about it, but perhaps there is something to it & I might be more of a "classic" mesomorph than I care to admit.

In the meantime, I’ll just keep on keepin’ on. Over 6 1/2 months into my 12 month transformation.

I was going to….I really was…

Let me set this up:

Prior to my Before I was not really a huge fan of Belgian style waffles. Sure, I’d have them at Sunday brunches, etc. but they were no big deal. However, over the last few months since my weight loss & pretty much giving up processed foods I have developed almost an obsession to have one.

I don’t want it dripping in syrup or covered in berries, powdered sugar, whipped creme, nuts, etc.

I just want a plain, crisp, authentic Belgian waffle.

I think this all started with making my boys Eggos every morning for breakfast. The aroma, the look, the crunch & texture….oh yeah, the crunch & texture. I miss crunch & texture a lot.

I should explain that since the beginning of February I haven’t had what is classically referred to on BB as a "cheat". I have had single slices of my boy’s birthday cakes and one at a family wedding, but I have not gone out & eaten something knowing full well its not the best choice of budgeted calories, etc.

But, this Belgian waffle thing haunts me. So I decided a while ago that if I was going to have one it was going to be a DANDY. A real one, not some frozen, out of a box, mass produced list of chemicals or even one made by the gazillions at some national chain restaurant. I would know when the opportunity presented itself.

Sunday, the stars aligned. I ran 7 miles in just over an hour so I had a huge calorie debt banked. And I had to be at the Manchester, NH airport later that day. It just so happens there is a Smuttynose Brew Pub there.

And darned if they didn’t specialize in custom crepes and……….Belgian waffles.

Are you kidding me? This was perfect. A lovingly made, buttermilk Belgian waffle just fell into my -1000 calorie lap.

So I pulled the trigger & ordered my plain, no nothing on it, crispy, crunchy, moist, tender, still hot Belgian waffle I’ve been desiring for months. I was finally going to have a real cheat.

Then……..the chef came out. Spoke whispered with the manager. At first I thought this was to verify some idiot really wanted JUST a waffle…with nothing on it, not even butter. The manager came over to me and said:

"Um, I’m sorry, but we can’t make waffles. The chef turned the iron off a while ago."

My heart sank…

The manager continued. "We can make you a crepe if you want?"

"No thanks", I mumbled, gathering the pieces of my broken heart.

"I’m sorry for the inconvenience", she said. "I’ll refund your money".

She had NO IDEA of the magnitude of this single waffle, and what I’ve been thru, and what I do every day and that I chose her place to have my 1st real cheat.

*sigh*

I took the $5 refund and shoved it in one of those $1/3 minute massage recliner chairs and let the magic fingers work over my sullen back for 15 minutes. Not the same, but I needed that.

I guess my Guardian Angel was keeping me in line. Oh well…

Footnote: Believe it or not, I just picked something off of Freecycle.

A Belgian waffle iron…..free. Its mine. All mine. MINE!!!
When I figure out a healthy, no/low fat, low carb, high protein waffle I will let you know.

After reading a number of threads on cutting & bulking (new terms for me) it occurred to me that I might be cutting….and DON"T KNOW IT! So I’m asking for a little help, your 2 cents, and any suggestions on how I can do this:

My goals:
- The ultimate goal is to have a build like one of the "Gregs"…at least from the neck down! (I’m setting the bar VERY high)
- See my abs! (Its starting!)
- Keep the definition I have thus far
- Get more muscle mass (I need to work harder at this, which is one of the main reasons for this inquiry)
- Not forfeit any core/cardio gains, or as little as possible

Height: 6′ 0"
Weight: 192.5lbs
BF: 13% (per barefoot on digital scale, but given my growing vascularity & that my abs are FINALLY starting to come out this seems pretty fair)

This is what my daily macros have evolved to as far as targets:
Cals: 2250 (43% carb, 42% protein, 15% fat (less than 6g sat total))
Average Daily Expenditure: 750 cals

As it stands now I get 40-45% of my cals & 50-55% of my carbs for the day ingested by 9am. 5 days a week almost 900 of those cals & over 100g of carbs "fuel" my morning workout an hour later. I eat 6x day, 3 hours apart.

I only use PWO shakes (post) 3x week (after lifting) in that I lift/workout within an hour of eating breakfast.

I should add these numbers have gradually risen over the last 6 weeks to where they are now. I’ve really tried to keep a bead on macro %s and have  added cals weekly to make what were my daily macro %s "dialed in" to my targets and able to hit within a point or two every day (except lifting days, where shakes & extra protein are included & add about 200+ extra cals/etc).

Sooooooooo……am I cutting & don’t realize it?

2nd question. I need to add some muscle mass. if I want to start adding more lean muscle, can/should I start adding cals to this but not "bulk" that would require a scheduled "cut"? In short, can you "clean & lean bulk" and what should/could I do to aid that?

My target "date" is Valentine’s Day 2009, so I have about 7 months to work at it.