Triple Fit!

I just lost a half inch on my waist.  Seems I’m starting to plateau.  I’ve decided to do cardio six days a week.  According to the "Body Code" book I’m reading, it suggests my type, oddly called the warrior-type as well, needs more cardio than other types.  I’m willing to give it a shot to see if it’s true.  I can honestly say that I really love the way it feels when my heart rate is in the 70-85% zone.  I really need that burst feeling.  On the days I don’t do a Hitt, I  get pretty bored.

Regarding the warrior diet, I’m loving it even more.  During the day, I’m flying high.  If someone would have told me I’d have more energy on an empty stomach, I’d have laughed at them.   Dinners are turning out to be a pretty fun activity.  I do three courses…salad, appetizer followed by main, and a desert platter.  I make sure to incorporate as many flavors as I can.   Truth be known, I still track my calories to make sure my macros are in check.  The reason that my energy increased this week is because I eat more carbs during my main meal (between 40-50 percent).  My body type needs more carbs and less protein.  I was a bit hesitant at first.  I’ve been carb cycling, but I noticed I was getting a little sleepy in the afternoon.  The moment I shifted to more carbs, my energy level increased.   I highly recommend  the book, "The Body Code."   It really makes a lot of sense because not every diet works for everyone.
I’m starting to understand why the Warrior diet works so well for me…I’m not carb sensitive.  I think for people that need more protein, this type of eating plan wouldn’t work.  But…if you’re the type that doesn’t need to eat during the day and gets pretty hungry at night, consider it.

I got back from my trip on late Saturday and am happy to report I stuck to my diet…for the most part.  I had a huge Indian dinner on Friday night…but I maintained my fast during the day and felt great…aside of the jet lag.  I  brought along a couple of power bars and tons of fruit to munch on during the day.   So…yes, fasting is definitely the way to go for my body type.  I have to say, my energy level has doubled since I started this.  My mother says, perhaps maybe even a bit too much energy.  LOL.  

Today, I just went in and did a full body workout with high reps.  I didn’t want to over do it on my first day back.  I decided to go with a personal trainer, one session every three months.  I just don’t have the time to read and get a whole new routine ready.  

Other than that, I’m back and ready to hit it even harder.

I just started reading "The Body Code" by Jay Cooper. I was intrigued because I believe not all diets work for everyone.  Trying to figure out my type wasn’t easy.  I was either an adrenal or thyroid-type.  After doing a lot of thinking and looking back at the type of foods I ate as well as looking my progress pictures, I realized I was adrenal dominant.    Now I know why being a vegetarian feels natural to me.  When I ate meat, I often times felt sluggish.

The good news is incorporating the Warrior diet with the types of foods for my body-type work well.  The bad news is I have to cut down on monounsaturated fats.

Tonight, for my main meal:

Dark Green leafy salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Chick Pea Korma
Bowl of Couscous with one tbsp. parmesan cheese
Whey custard with grain sweetened chocolate chips

I have more energy than last night.  The only  difference is I didn’t have the couscous last night.  Instead, I had a cabbage and carrot salad with sunflower seeds and a handful of walnuts a little later.

I also have to limit my egg yolk consumption.  I’ll probably cut down the egg yolks when I make my custard next week.  

Regarding exercise, my body-type supposedly needs more cardio…at least five days worth.  And my body type should also not lift as heavy.  Oddly enough, I was thinking of starting a circuit training program upon my return from my trip.  I felt that lifting heavy wasn’t right for me.  It’s amazing.  If we really listen, our bodies tell us exactly what we need.

Another aspect that blew my mind was the author had cancer, and he believed it was because he had an tendency to over extend himself.  I had a similar thought when I was diagnosed with cervical cancer.  I’m a typical type A.  I always thought I could handle everything.  But in the end, I’d get stressed and tired.  On the fateful day when I took my test, I was exhausted.  When I got the results, I wondered if it was because I was stressed out.  Stress does weaken the immune system.  

When I got better, I vowed to take better care of myself.  Now, if I get tired, I’ll sit down and meditate for a few minutes or lie down on the couch and listen to some soothing music.  When I go to the gym, I work out but stop short of pushing myself to exhaustion.  I make sure to leave the gym feeling refreshed.  When I work on my writing, I try not to be too over critical of myself.  Moderation is the key to a healthy life.

As I never follow anything blindly, I always listen to opposing sides.  The study below is interesting; however, it doesn’t make me want to stop my current way of eating.  The type of foods the subjects ate isn’t even mentioned.  I’m not too worried as I eat a little protein during the day…along with fruits and veggies.   I also listen to my body.   It tells me I found the right way to eat for the time being.  

ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2008) — The health consequences of eating one large meal a day compared with eating three meals a day has not been established. Now two recently published journal articles are among the first to report the effects of meal skipping on key health outcomes, based on a study involving a group of normal-weight, middle-aged adults.

The study analyses were authored by scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Md., and colleagues at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Intramural Research Program in Baltimore, Md.

For the study, a small group of male and female volunteers participated in two eight-week meal-treatment periods. The study’s crossover design meant that each volunteer completed both of the treatment diets, enabling them to serve as their own controls.

Volunteers were divided into one of two groups during each treatment period. They consumed either all of their required weight-maintenance calories in one meal a day or in three meals a day. ARS physiologists David Baer and William Rumpler and NIA neuroscientist Mark Mattson designed the study.

The first study analysis showed that consuming a one-meal-per-day diet, rather than a traditional three-meal-per-day diet, is feasible for a short duration. It showed that when the volunteers were "one-mealers," they had significant increases in total cholesterol, LDL "bad" cholesterol and in blood pressure, compared to when they were "three-mealers."

The changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors occurred despite the fact that the one- mealers saw slight decreases in their weight and fat mass in comparison to when they were three-mealers. Those findings were published in the April 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Further analysis of the study group showed that when the volunteers were one-mealers, they had higher morning fasting blood sugar levels, higher and more sustained elevations in blood sugar concentrations, and a delayed response to the body’s insulin, compared to when they were "three-mealers." Insulin is required to lower blood sugar levels. Those findings were published in the December 2007 issue of Metabolism.

I woke up hungry.  This made me realize that over eating really has merit.  In the past, when I’d over eat at night, I’d wake up still feeling full.  That was because I also ate throughout the day.   I also didn’t have any of the next morning weight gain.  I think Ori may be on to something.

On the downside, I just found out that wheat gluten is estrogenic.  So now I have to avoid seitan as I do soy.  It may explain why my weight loss is slow.  I’ve been eating a lot of seitan lately. I’m going to take it out of my diet and see if there’s a difference.  If not…I’m going to re-introduce it.  It’s harder to be a vegetarian these days.  Luckily I can get my protein from dairy.

I didn’t lose any weight this week; however I dropped some inches and gained some muscle.  A good thing!   I can’t stress the importance of skin fold calipers.  Without them, I was flying blind.  I could tell as I was doing the pinch, where I lost.  It’s pretty easy to get accurate with these things.  Still…I don’t think they tell the whole story.  I just  use them to gauge my progress.

I lost in my hips, thighs and calves.   I really want lean legs, so I’m happy.  As I’m starting to see what I have to work with, I’m realizing I’m smaller framed than I previously thought.  Time will tell what measurements will work best for me.  For the time being, I’m happy with the results.  I’m moving slow…but at least I’m not stagnant.

Today will be my last workout session for a week.  I planned my rest period to coincide with my trip to LA.

I started the Warrior Diet today after reading through most of the book yesterday.  It was a pretty redundant read.  You can get the whole diet from the  website.  Regardless, it’s the best eating plan I’ve tried…for my body-type.   I already feel more energy and really enjoyed  working out on an empty stomach.  

Contrary to what you’ll find in the majority of bodybuilding.com forums, the over-eating phase of the diet doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want.  It stresses eating natural and organic foods..perfect for a Taoist Vegetarian such as myself:)  

Fasting Phase

During the fasting, you only eat live foods such as fresh fruit (low GI) and veggies.   Also, you can have a pre and post workout shake and a helping of protein such as yogurt, kefir or cottage cheese.

Over eating phase:

1.  Start off with a green leafy salad.
2.  Have your protein meal.
3.  Finish the meal with either grains OR potatoes OR nuts and seeds  OR a sweet dessert (made without sugar or artificial sweeteners).
4.  Stop when you feel more thirsty than hungry.

For some reason the author is against combining nuts and seeds with grains.  I’m not really sure of his reasoning.   But anyway, that’s the idea.  If you want to burn fat, he suggests ending with nuts and seeds rather than carbs.  You can also cycle them week to week.  It’s a pretty flexible plan.

I don’t think this diet is for everyone.  Every diet works, but I feel we each have to find the one to suit our individual natural cycles.  For instance, I tried the V diet.  It was awful for me.  But many people do really well on it.    

When I first heard about the Warrior diet, I knew I’d handle it well because:

1.  I usually have to force myself to eat during the day.
2.  I always feel deprived at night.  

I really enjoyed my BIG meal tonight…and I didn’t go crazy either. I stopped when I was satisfied.  It’s now 11pm, and I feel relaxed and craving free!  That alone is one of the reasons I think this one’s a keeper for me.

Menu for the day:

Breakfast:  Bowl of Strawberries and coffee

Mid morning:  Nectarine

Post workout:  Whey Shake

Afternoon:  Apple

late afternoon:  handful of sunflower seeds (seeds permitted in afternoon)

Dinner:  

Big bowl of steamed Broccoli - plain
Bowl of baby carrots

Took a break for thirty minutes and then moved on to my protein meal:

Four egg omelet (2 without yolk) made with one tbsp. butter, tomato sauce, olives and parmesan cheese.

lots of raw almonds and a five dried apricots

Home made whey custard dessert with 2 tbsp. grain sweetened chocolate chips.

I want to get more veggies in.  Shopping day is tomorrow, so I only had broccoli.  I really wanted some peppers for my omelet.  Oh well.  Tomorrow is another day!

It’s now 11pm, and I feel satisfied.  I still find it hard to believe that I can eat so much in one sitting and lose weight.   I found it hard not to measure my servings.  I still do because I want to know how many calories I’m getting in, so I can tweak if I need to. I’m going to do a carb cyle with this plan.  Maybe I’ll only have carbs on weekends.  

I’m going to LA on Monday, and I purchased a handful of protein bars, which I don’t need now…LOL.  I’ll just brings some whey shake packets and buy some fruits and Veggies at Trader Joes when I arrive.  My hotel has a kitchen, so I can stock up on nuts, seeds and grains.  So…I’m pretty much good to go.  Sticking to this diet on vacation will be so easy now that I know fasting comes natural to me.

Eleni