Triple Fit!

I did a weigh in and dropped three pounds.  This happened even with the whole food meal I’ve included.  I did an internet search on the velocity diet and have found various versions of it.  In one version, carbs are cut in half.  For instance, if you have an english muffin, you eat half.  It also calls for eliminating white flour…something which I’ve done a long time ago.  I’m not a blind follower of any particular diet.  I take what works for me and include it into my personal "V" reality.  

What this experiment is showing me is a large calorie deficit really helps.  I’m adding a serving of sweet potato into the mix.  The macros are still well contained.  I’m sticking this one out for the full 28 days.  I’m just starting to see it’s the macros along with the calorie deficit that’s helping me lose weight.  I’m going to keep my carbs at 20% and stick with the shakes throughout the day and have one whole food meal.  I will include two cups of broccoli because there’s so much fiber in so few calories.  For one weekend meal, I will incorporate some extra carbs, such as brown rice or whole wheat pasta.  

I’m feeling some hunger on this reduced calorie day.  I’ve decided to add one meal per day as I really don’t feel comfortable living on supplements only.   I had scrambled eggs with a side of steamed broccoli.   I was more hungry after that than after one of the shakes.  Go figure.   I’m good with macros, so I managed to keep carbs down at 20%.   My casein came in today.  For something that’s supposed to digest slowly, it certainly doesn’t feel that way!

Activities wise, I walked two miles today and did 30 minutes of Hatha yoga.  I’m going to maintain that schedule on days when I don’t weight train.  The yoga really helps me relax.  

One really annoying thing about this diet is having a bad taste in my mouth.  I find myself brushing my teeth like crazy.  Whey really has a disgusting after taste.  I have a very gentle xylitol toothpaste, so I’m not too concerned about overdoing it.

Here’s my meal plan for my lower calorie day.  

Meal one:  Whey and  12g Flax
Meal two:  one scoop whey and 1.5 tsp. peanut butter
Meal three:  1/2 scoop whey, 1/2 scoop casein, 6g flax, 3 oz. banana
Meal four:  Two eggs scrambled with one tbsp. olive oil and one cup steamed broccoli
Meal five:  one scoop whey and two tbsp. sunflower seeds
Meal six:  1/2 scoop casein, 1/2 scoop whey, 1.2 teaspoons peanut butter

1154 calories eaten.  

If I can get through this day, I can make it through to the end.  It’s really not that tough.  My biggest concern is with muscle loss.  As I measure myself weekly, I’m not too worried.

So I’m calling it the "E" diet now as I’ve made my own vegetarian version.   Amazingly, living on six shakes a day isn’t difficult.  In fact, it was pretty easy.  I haven’t experienced any hunger at all, and I had a lot of energy for my lifting today.  My two mile walk in the morning rejuvinated me as well.   The big test came when I cooked dinner for the family.  I wasn’t even tempted to have one taste!  How’s that for willpower:)

Here are my modifications:

1.  I added roasted and unsalted sunflower seeds.
2.  I spread out my serving of peanut butter.
3.  Added one green drink (green magma), lots of vitamins and active enzymes
4.  Added a 3 oz serving of banana into one of my shakes.  

Prevention magazine talked about how monounsaturated fats helped reduce belly fat.  I thought this would be a great way to find it that will work for me.  My belly is my problem spot.  I’ve already lost a bit but have more to lose.  Here is where the success of this diet will be determined.

As I sit down and type this,   I have one more shake to go for the night, and I don’t even want it because I feel full.  But, I have to have it to meet my caloric needs for the day.  My casein didn’t come in yet, so I had to start the diet with only whey.  I just purchased Integrated Supplements Whey Protein Isolate because it’s a good quality protein that doesn’t have any artificial sweeteners.  It tastes good with cold water and ice.   It’s also quite filling.  When my casein arrives, I"ll probably do a 50/50 split on three servings of shakes and just do whey for the remaining three.  

Here’s my meal plan for the day:

Meal One:  Whey Shake,  One tbsp. flax seed
Meal Two:  Whey Shake,  one tbsp. peanut butter, green magma
Meal three (post workout):  Whey shake, two tbsp. sunflower seeds
Meal four:  Whey Shake, one tbsp. flax seed, 3oz. of banana
Meal five:  Whey shake,  one tbsp. peanut butter
Meal six:  Whey shake, one tbsp. flax seed, one tbsp. sunflower seeds, 2 vegetarian DHA

1353 calories

32% fat
42% protein
26% carb

Rather then wait a full week to weigh myself, I will do so in three days.  I can tweak my macros better if I know what I’ve planned so far is working.  Personally, I didn’t feel  comfortable leaving fruits and veggies out of my diet, and I highly doubt a banana and green drink is going to affect my weight loss.  My carbs are low enough (under 100g).  We’ll see what happens.  But, so far so good.

It’s Greek Easter this Sunday, and I’m going to celebrate it traditionally…minus the lamb, on m plate, as I’m a vegetarian.   However, I do intend on having a large piece of Spanakopita to kick off my V Diet.

After reading everything I can about the V Diet, I think it’s the quickest way to drop the last few pounds of fat that remain in my mid-section.  I’m starting to see my abs, and it’s exciting.  Just a few months ago, I thought I was destined to be a middle-aged mother with wide hips.  Now I feel the best that I have in years, health wise.  

I spent the last two days looking for a Whey Product, and I’ve learned a lot.  So far, none of the powders I’ve tried satisfied me.   As I don’t need my Whey to taste like a dessert, I decided to educate myself on the quality of protein.  For instance, what is the difference between hydrolized, concentrate and isolate?   I did A LOT of reading and have decided to stick to Whey Isolates that go through a Cross-Flow Microfiltration process.  Multiple sources I’ve read claimed that this type of process retains 90% protein content and is virtually lactose, fat and cholesterol free.

Pro Energy whey is my first choice, but it’s pretty pricey and the calories are so low, I’d probably go through one bottle in four days.  I’ll probably by this one after I’m off the V diet.

I’ve decided on Integrated Supplements Whey Protein Isolate.  I’ve read that a few people weren’t crazy about the taste, but that isn’t my concern.  I want a product with a high quality protein that will get the job done…and doesn’t use artificial sweeteners either.   It has 12% calcium, and I will supplement with a multi-vitamin.  

Between the Flax seeds, peanut butter and protein powder, I think I’m covered on calcium intake.  

I’m going to look for a Casein powder next.  Hopefully I can find one without artificial sweeteners.  I haven’t yet.  UPDATE:  Membrane Micellar Casein is the way to go for me. I picked Stevia as a sweetener and it comes from grass fed cattle.   A lot of people favor True Food, here on the forums;  however, I chose Protein Factory because the product was better suited for my personal needs.

I’m not sure if I’ll do the full twenty-eight days.  It will depend on how much I lose.  I’m going to stop when I get down to 15%.  If I have to stay on for the whole cycle, I’m cool with it.  I’m pretty good in the self-discipline department!

Since I"ve started incorporating one cheat meal a weak, I’ve noticed I have a psychological eating disorder.  I found it hard….and still do…to just sit and have whatever I want.  Logically, I know I’m not going to gain ten pounds of fat by splurging on one meal.   I had bulimia in high school, so I guess some of the baggage remains.

This past Saturday, I had had some baked fries with melted cheese and tons of ketchup.  I finished it off with a slice of key lime pie.  I felt bloated and told myself I would either have a cheat meal or cheat dessert.   As I cultivate Tao daily, I don’t like to let stimuli take over my life…even if it tastes good!   I also don’t like feeling bloated.   After a little more thinking, I theorized the extra calories would be used for some muscle building as I worked out earlier that day.   Fast forward to today…when I put my shorts on, my tummy dropped a bit!  Unbelievable.

My meditation practice has really helped me focus on my posture.  I’ve been concentrating on maintaining a neutral spine stance.  My shoulders all ready stopped aching.   Now, each time I feel my head sway forward, I feel the tension and correct the position.  Sleeping without a pillow also released the tension in my neck.   These simple adjustments have made a world of difference.  What really gets to me is that I knew all this when I started reading about the Alexander Technique last year.  The moment I started applying some of the exercises, my pain ceased.  I then lost my focus and returned to my incorrect posture.  

I’m applying the principals of a neutral spine in my lifting…and it made the workout a lot more intense.  My suspicions of little aches and pains being caused by an arched back and tense shoulders were proven today.  I always knew about keeping a pelvic tilt position in exercises such as crunches, but it seems that every exercise needs to be performed in that stance.  

When I was on the gravitron, (yeah, I can’t do pull-ups unassisted…yet), I concentrated on pulling up with my lats.  I kept asking my husband what it should feel like and I never quite got it…until today.  Wow, I can’t believe the added strength the lats give to the lift!  It felt great.  By focusing on a neutral spine and my shoulders back and down, I was able to isolate my back and feel the stretch.  It was very exciting.  

The interesting thing about flexing the muscles while doing the reps is that you don’t need as much weight to get the job done.   I remember thirty pound curls being too light for me last week…and I was in proper form.  Today…I squeezed the biceps and maintained a neutral spine position and kept everything steady and phew!  What a major difference.  When I left the gym today, I was feeling a nice burn without the pain.  I’m relieved I found a gentle way to get strong.  

I had another back spasm.  This time, I know it’s because I haven’t been drinking enough water.  Tired of the pain, I did an internet search and came upon this site:

http://www.drbookspan.com/clinical.html

I’ve started really concentrating on my posture…not only when reaching for things but when sitting and driving as well.  I have felt instant relief on my neck and shoulders when I started this.  I’m hoping this will prevent further attacks as I have slight degeneration of one disk in my thoracic vertebrae.  

I’ve taken this pelvis forward, head straight posture to the elliptical for my hit today and wow, did it make a difference.   It took the pressure off my knees.  I did notice my head doing the forward bend every so often.  I would quickly bring it back to position.  

The other added benefit is that if the posture is correct, the abs get a constant workout.  The site also discusses how crunches are harmful for the posture.   While I agree that full crunches, even done correctly, place stress on the lower back, I see no problem with crunches where the lower back remains on the floor.  In fact, if done properly, the burn is intense.  I knew this way back in the eighties when I taught at Jack La Lanne/Bally’s.  We NEVER did full sit-ups.  Still, I am interested to see their take on what a good ab workout is.  The more exercises the better!

And another pound comes off.  Yeah!  It means I can keep eating the way I am. I’m glad  three HITTS a week is enough.   I feel better now that I alternate cardio with weight training.  

I’ve been having carb cravings in the PM.  I’ve since introduced mono-unsaturated fats.   I’ve read in Prevention Magazine, how they help reduce body fat…. both subcutaneous and visceral!   I’ve  made sure to put a half serving  in each meal.   They  have lessened my cravings a lot…and I also seemed to have lost more inches in my waist this week.  So right on!  I got myself some semi-sweet chocolate chips to throw into my evening protein custard.   Love those monos!  I’ve always believed eating right shouldn’t be difficult.  

Here are my current stats:

Body fat:  18%, down from %20
Fat loss:  2.86
Lean Mass gain:  1.8

Waist, chest and hips have dropped…as well as my shoulders .  I’m hitting my delts hard!  Everything else has stayed the same.

I had to adjust my caloric intake for my drop in weight.  It’s pretty minor.  I’m going to continue alternating between a 20 and 30 percent caloric deficit during the week and re-feed on Saturday…which is when I enjoy my cheat meal.  I’m really glad I’ve read Tom Venuto’s "Burn the Fat, Feed the muscle.  It’s really helped me lose consistently.  

I started a four day split yesterday.  I did my cardio after weigts today and felt awful.  This definitely isn’t the right combo for me.   I like to take my time and do yoga after cardio.  With all the rushing to get my girls out of the child care room, I  exhausted myself.  It just isn’t worth it.   I’m going to finish off my four day split and then go back to three days.  I’ll then do three HITTS on my off days.    If I have to add another day, I’d rather go to the gym seven days than go through what I did today.    Phew….

I still weigh 134, but I knew I lost inches.  I was glad to see more coming off my trouble spots…hips and waist.  The waist has always been the hardest for me.  At my lightest, I was 27.5 and that was when I was teaching aerobics.  I’m curious to see what my optimum size will be.  I know I have a straight-type figure with naturally broad shoulders….even though they’re shrinking…LOL.  Hopefully my tackling pull-ups will help bring them back up.

I’m losing in my chest.  I’m happy about that!  

Here’s my breakdown:

Using skinfold calipers I am currently at 20%.  Online calculators place me between 22 and 24%.  As I’m getting accurate with the calipers, I’ve been using them.    It makes more sense that I’m losing fat as I’m pinching less each week.  It was definitely a good investment.   I take each measurement three times to make sure I’m spot on.

Fat weight:  26.8  (down 1.34 since last measurement
Lean Mass:  107.2  

Even though I lost inches, my caloric deficits remain the same because my weight hasn’t changes.

20% - 1669 calories
30% - 1460 calories

I alternate between 20 and 30 percent during the week and go up to maintenance on Saturday and decrease on Sunday to ready for the week.

Next week I will be adding an extra day of cardio to see what happens.