KoolDrew's journal

[KoolDrew]

9-18-08

Bench Press - 3x8 @ 195
Rows - 3x8 @ 185
Lateral Raise - 1x8 @ 30
Biceps - 1x8 @ 45
Triceps - 1x8 @ 55

Finally got the 3x8 @ 195.

 

[KoolDrew]

Status Update - 9-19-08

Checked my weight this morning and I'm at 203.4. That is 1.4lbs heavier than last update, but I did start taking creatine so that's probably why. My waist measured 33.5", which is an inch lost since last Wednesday, so I know I'm still losing fat. I'm going to start taking measurements every Friday morning since it makes more sense and just to keep things consistent. On 3rd of next month (a month after I posted this journal) I'll do what I did in the original post, take all the measurements and take pictures for comparison. I'm probably not going to look much better than I do now, but I'm getting closer to my goal so that's all that matters. Once I start getting around 10% and lower I should start noticing a lot of changes.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Yes, I'm making a journal. Something I definitely need. I know my goals and how to accomplish them and I've made very good progress in the past. However, for over 6 months my goal has been to get down to 8% bodyfat before I begin bulking again. It hasn't worked out at all. I'd lose bodyfat, gain it back, lose bodyfat, gain it back. I just haven't been able to stick with it at all. I haven't been able to stick to a workout routine during that whole time either as the lack of strength gains while cutting is discouraging. So in the meantime I've just gotten smaller and not getting any closer to my goal.

Hopefully by posting a journal it will help a little with motivation, as that's pretty much my only problem right now. Hopefully once I get cutting out of the way things will be easier, as I know they were the last bulk I did. However, I didn't track what I ate last time I bulked and gained a bit too much fat. This time I'll try to track what I eat to get enough protein and don't have calories too high.

Now that my story is out of the way, lets get to the plans/stats/pics etc.

Stats:

Weight - 205
Height - 6'2"
Bodyfat - 15.82%
Waist - 35"
Hips - 38"
Chest - 38.75"
Arms - 15.5"
Forearms - 12.5"
Thighs - 25.25"
Calves - 16"

Some of them may be off as I took all the measurements except weight as I'm posting this. Weight was taken this morning so it is accurate. Normally I take all measurements in the morning and will continue to take at least weight and waist weekly. The bodyfat measurement is just estimated using my neck, waist, height and weight. Probably not very accurate, but I find I really suck at using calipers so this is my best option. It's not very important that it's dead-on anyway.

Some starting pics:

Front Relaxed
Side Relaxed
Back Relaxed
Front Flex
Double Bicep
Back Flex
Quad
Side Flex

Not very impressive, especially compared to how I used to look (bigger and leaner). Before that I was a 265 fatty though.

For my routine I'm starting with just very low volume upper/lower split 3x a week. It's actually the same routine out of Lyle McDonalds books for the PSMF. I'm not doing cardio right now, but it will eventually be added in. Right now I'm just concentrating on lifting and eating right, adding cardio as needed.

Here's the workout, M-W-F switching between the two.

Upper:
Bench Press - 2-3x6-8
Rows - 2-3x6-8
Lateral Raise - 1-2x8-10
Biceps - 1x2-8-10
Triceps - 1x2-8-10

Lower:
Squat - 2-3x6-8
RDL - 2x3-6-8
Calf Raise - 2-3x6-8
Weighted Crunches - 2-3x6-8
Back Extensions - 2x3x6-8

My first upper body workout will be in the next post.

How long have you been doing the Stronglifts program?

 

[KoolDrew]

How long have you been doing the Stronglifts program?

I never did the Stronglifts program...

 

[KoolDrew]

9-23-08

Bench - 2x6 @ 200lbs
Rows - 2x6 @ 190lbs
Lateral Raise - 2x10 @ 30lbs
Hammer Curls - 2x10 @ 45lbs
OH Tricep Extension - 2x10 @ 55lbs

Felt pretty good.

 

[KoolDrew]

9-25-08

I was supposed to do my lower body workout today, but I just wasn't in the mood for RDL's, calf raises, abs and all that junk. I just did squats (2x6x225) and I messed around with some rack pulls and maxed out at 455. Made me realize again how much more I enjoy lower reps and heavier weight.

 

[KoolDrew]

Status Update - 9-26-08

Weight - 202.6 (-0.8)
Waist - 33.25 (-0.25)

My calorie average for the week was around 2266 calories. I guess my maintenance calories are quite a bit lower since I switched jobs. When I was cutting before I was losing quite a bit more weight at around 2500 calories. I'll lower my calorie intake to 2000 and see how that works out. I'd add more activity but I hate cardio.

 

[KoolDrew]

9-26-08

Bench - 3x8 @ 200lbs
Rows - 3x8 @ 15
Lateral Raise - 2x10 @ 11
Hammer Curls - 2x10 @ 50lbs
OH Tricep Extension - 2x10 @ 60lbs

I decided to do my upper body workout today since I won't be able to make it to the gym tomorrow. I also did cable rows as opposed to barbell rows since my lower back is a little sore from yesterday. I switched to using the lateral raise machine as well and will keep it that way since it seems to be a lot more effective for me as opposed to using dumbells.

 

[KoolDrew]

This weekend wasn't that great. Went to my younger cousins birthday party and had a bunch of pizza, cake, ice cream, etc. I jumped right up to 209 pounds from water weight this morning.

 

[KoolDrew]

Yesterday marked a month since I started my cutting phase. I'm guessing my bodyfat is around 12, maybe up towards 13%. My measurements are as follows, with the difference from a month ago in parenthesis)

Weight - 201.8 (-3.2)
Waist - 33" (-2)

Weight loss isn't the best indicator of progress because of the fact that I started taking creatine after I started my cut so I gained water weight. I did run out of creatine though so my weight will soon drop quite a bit throwing things off again. Until I get more anyway.

Here's what I look like now. Pictures were taken today.

Front Relaxed
Side Relaxed
Back Relaxed
Double Bicep
Front Flexed
Back FLex
Side Tricep
Quad

Now my goals for this next month. I made decent progress last month, but I do feel there are a few things I could work on.

1) Be more consistent with my lifting. I missed a lot of lower body workouts last month. I'm going to make sure I go to the gym every M-W-F.

2) Start eating breakfast every day, even if it's just a shake. I find without eating breakfast it makes getting enough protein for the day harder, which is definitely a problem I'm having. If I can get even 50 grams of protein out of the way right when I wake up it'll be a lot easier.

3) Start thinking about things on more of a meal-to-meal basis. This is for the same reason as #2, I find most of the time I'm trying to get all my protein in at the end of the day, making it quite a bit more difficult. If I plan 4 meals and aim for 50 grams per meal, it'll be a lot easier.

4) Stop buying so much fast food. Last month I had fast food nearly everyday. I still tracked what I ate so I made sure I didn't go over my calorie goal. However, it does sometimes make it difficult to get enough protein. Another reason I put this as a goal is that I find I' spend too much on fast food every week.

Eventually I may end up raising my protein, however I don't feel it would be a good idea now since I'm having enough trouble getting 200 grams. I'm also gaining strength so I'm not too worried about it. If I stick to #2-4 it should be a lot easier to get more protein so I will up it though. I may also add cardio eventually. I was thinking more GPP type work such as sled dragging, tire flipping, sledgehammer work, etc. Anything but running.

Anyway, that's it. Come November I should start to really show a difference.

 

[TecHNooB]

I've been having Qdoba almost twice a day for the past month 😛 Luckily, I'm on the bulk. And yes, it's hard to get 200g of protein a day, especially when you barely have time for breakfast and the last thing you want is protein shake in your teeth.

 

[KoolDrew]

Well, it doesn't look like this week is going to be all that great either. Yesterday I started getting sick. It's just a mild cold, but I'm thinking it would be best to just rest, gets lots of fluids and eat at maintenance calories for now.

 

[KoolDrew]

10-10-2008

Bench - 2x6 @ 210
Rows - 2x6 @ 185
Lateral Raise - 2x10 @ 12 (on the machine)
EZ-Bar Curls - 2x10 @ 95
Tricep Pushdown - 2x10 @ I don't remember

I didn't have a notebook and pen with me or anything so I wasn't able to write crap down, but oh well. It was a good workout. Bench was pretty easy though. I should have no problem with 215 next time.

 

[KoolDrew]

A bit of an update - I've still been dieting, making sure to get around 2,000 calories and 200g of protein a day. I haven't really paid much attention to my weight, but I definitely think I'm still going in the right direction. As for my workouts - I missed my lower body workout yesterday because my school was closed. Tomorrow I have my upper body workout. Also, since I don't really update my journal much and I believe I should I'm going to start recording my diet in here as well. Since diet will be the key factor is whether I lose weight or not I feel I should put it in my journal. I won't go into depth and write down everything I ate in a day (I do that already on thedailyplate), but I will post a breakdown of calories and macros. To make things easier for me while dieting I just worry about getting enough protein and calories, and I just let fats and carbs fall where they may. However, when I get leaner this may change and I may switch to more of a low carb approach.

So here it is for today:

Diet:

Fat: 106g
Carbs: 135g
Protein: 208g
Calories: 2310

Supplements:

10x fish oil caps (for a total of 3g EPA & DHA)
3x a day multivitamin

I went over my calorie goal by about 300, but it's not a huge deal especially since I've been a bit under my calorie goal the past few days. So everything should even out. Even if it doesn't, it will result in about 1/10th of a pound in progress, which I'm not going to worry about.

 

[KoolDrew]

Yesterday I did go to the gym and get my upper body workout in I just didn't get around to posting it.

Upper Body

BB Bench Press:
215x6
215x6

I struggled a bit on the last rep, but overall it felt pretty good.

BB Bent Over Rows:
135x8
155x8
155x8

Rows haven't really felt right recently so I decided to bring the weight down and work on my form. I feel these sets were pretty solid. I just have to concentrate on really pulling my shoulder blades together and sticking my chest out.

DB Lateral Raises:
20x8

I dropped the weight on this as well while also lowering the tempo a bit.

DB Seated Curls:
35x8

Same here. I lowered the weight and concentrated on strict form.

Diet:

Fat: 67g
Carbs: 159g
Protein: 205g
Calories: 2045

Supplements:

10g fish oil
3x multi-vitamin

 

[KoolDrew]

Today I wasn't able to track calories since I had some home cooked chili my mother made. I kept portions smaller than I normally would have and it was all lean beef so I probably didn't do too bad. I still got my fish oil and multi-vitamins in though. Tomorrow will be my lower body workout.

 

[KoolDrew]

The past few days I did essentially a 3-day refeed and today I began a PSMF.

Diet:

Fat: 30g
Carbs: 21g
Protein: 269g
Calories: 1354

Supplements:

10g fish oil caps
3x multivitamin
1g of potassium
500mg magnesium
1200mg calcium

I'm going to be doing a full body workout tomorrow. Also, I will start taking 25mg of ephedrine along with 200mg of caffeine 3x a day once my order of ephedrine comes in. I also ordered some yohimbine to test out once I get my bodyfat down below 10%. I figure there's no need to try it out now, it'd just be a waste.

 

[KoolDrew]

I've been following the PSMF and doing pretty well, a bit on the low side for protein two of the days, but not too bad. Today my ephedrine came in the mail and I must say, I forgot how much of a difference the EC stack makes. Hunger is pretty much non-existent and energy levels are a lot better.

 

[KoolDrew]

Diet:

Fat: 22g
Carbs: 20g
Protein: 278g
Calories: 1420

Supplements:

10g fish oil
One-a-day multivitamin
990mg potassium
500mg magnesium
1200mg calcium
200mg caffeine (3x)
25mg ephedrine (3x)

 

[KoolDrew]

Diet:

Fat: 18g
Carbs: 19g
Protein: 272g
Calories: 1410

Supplements same as normal, except only 7g of fish oil as I ran out.

 

[brikis98]

Damn man, why do you feel the need for something as hardcore as PSMF? Are you in a hurry or in some competition or something?

1400 calories a day and just 19g of carbs for an active 200lbs man seems absurdly low. I suppose the caffeine and ephedrine are the reason you aren't hungry and tired all the time, and I guess you're taking an array of supplements to compensate for the giant holes your diet must have... But what is your motivation for going on a diet that can't be reasonably done (for any length of time) without drugs?

I mean, ephedrine side-effects (especially when coupled with caffeine) aside, doesn't it bother you that you are using a diet intended as a last resort for the morbidly obese (and at that, only for relatively short periods of time)? Can you be sure your body is absorbing the same nutritional value from your supplements that it would get from real food?

I'm honestly not trying to be insulting, but genuinely curious why you've picked this extreme approach? Do you actually feel alert, energetic, full and, well, *healthy* during the day? Are you experiencing any negative side effects?

 

[KoolDrew]

Damn man, why do you feel the need for something as hardcore as PSMF? Are you in a hurry or in some competition or something?

For several reasons. First of all, I've had great results with it in the past and actually find it rather easy to stick to. I'm not in a hurry or anything, but who enjoy dieting? Doing a PSMF allows me to acheive much more rapid fat loss. By following a PSMF for 11 days, followed by a 3 day refeed and a 10-14 day diet break it allows me to split up dieting, rather than following a moderate deficit for a long period of time. In the end, with the diet breaks and all fat loss isn't going to be all that much faster I admit. However, it allows me to diet for only 11 days, seeing very fast results almost day-by-day and then go back back to eating "normal" (still tracking calories though, eating at maintenence ensuring to get plenty of carbs) for 10-14 days before I do another cycle.

It's more of a mnetal thing and allowing myself to stick to it better. Like I said, since I'm not obese I can't follow the diet for too long without a diet break (because of metabolism and other things), but it allows me to think "Ok, I only have 3 days left" (which is right now) as opposed to "Ok, I just have to keep this up for another 2 months). I'd rather suffer for a short period of time and then eat normal rather than suffer moderately for a longer period of time.

Low carbohydrates does wonders for stubborn fat loss as well, which is another reason I chose to finish my dieting with a PSMF. It's not necessary to bring carbs as far as I did to have the same effects, but for the reasons above I decided to do a PSMF and this is just an added bonus.

1400 calories a day and just 19g of carbs for an active 200lbs man seems absurdly low.

The key to being successful on a PSMF is reducing activity. Doing a lot of activity on such a diet is horrible idea and would just cause an even more rapid drop in metabolic rate without really adding to fat loss. This is why I'm doing no cardio and just two full body workouts a week. I may add cardio on my next cycle, but only a little bit of low intensity work to help with stubborn fat (I'm going to test out some yohimbine as well), which will likely only be 2-3 20 minute sessions a week.

I suppose the caffeine and ephedrine are the reason you aren't hungry and tired all the time

That and the fact that I'm eating a shit load of lean protein.

and I guess you're taking an array of supplements to compensate for the giant holes your diet must have...

I recommend taking fish oil and a multivitamin regardless of diet. Calcium, besides it's obvious benefits, has been shown to help with fat loss. The rest are mainly just for fatigue.

I mean, ephedrine side-effects (especially when coupled with caffeine) aside

I've never experienced any side effects.

doesn't it bother you that you are using a diet intended as a last resort for the morbidly obese (and at that, only for relatively short periods of time)?

Plenty of non-obese individuals use it with great results. Many for the reasons I've stated above. Many incorporate use this diet in between short bulking cycles to keep fat gain down as well.The key to making it work is respecting it for what it is and lowering activity and incorporating refeeds and diet breaks. Trying to run with the diet for an extended period of time is a sure way to fuck things up.

Can you be sure your body is absorbing the same nutritional value from your supplements that it would get from real food?

Which is why the diet is based around whole food sources. Most of my protein comes from whole food and you're supposed to get plenty of vegetables as well (I say supposed to since my vegetable intake could be better). I also, in addition to the calcium supplements, make sure to get at least one serving from a whole food dairy source (mainly cottage cheese).

Do you actually feel alert, energetic, full and, well, *healthy* during the day? Are you experiencing any negative side effects?

Surprisingly, I actually do very well on low carb diets. I'm fine and function perfectly normal without any negative side effects. I admit some people simply do not handle low carbs well and for them I would not suggest such a diet. However, I find it rather easy to stick to and I've gotten great results from it.

 

[brikis98]

Hm, I can definitely understand the argument of not wanting to suffer through a long diet essentially non-stop. It's still a pretty extreme diet, and I personally don't think going to such limits is worth it, but you certainly have a better understand of diet/exercise than most people and it looks like it works for you.

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
The key to being successful on a PSMF is reducing activity. Doing a lot of activity on such a diet is horrible idea and would just cause an even more rapid drop in metabolic rate without really adding to fat loss. This is why I'm doing no cardio and just two full body workouts a week.

Heh, I think I'd personally find it harder to do so little exercise for 2 weeks than just eating less for a long time 🙂

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
I recommend taking fish oil and a multivitamin regardless of diet. Calcium, besides it's obvious benefits, has been shown to help with fat loss. The rest are mainly just for fatigue.

I take a multi-vitamin and fish oil myself, but I've always been of the opinion that they are there as a backup source in the (relatively) rare cases where my diet is lacking. On a diet as extreme as PSMF, it seems like the supplements you take (multi-vitamin, potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc) would be the primary source, as your diet is going to be lacking many essentials (fruit, dairy, etc). Of course, without knowing what you actually eat, that's not necessarily the case. Moreover, since you said you only do this for a 2 week cycle, it's probably not too big of a deal.

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
I've never experienced any side effects.

Heh, well, that's the way side effects work. Some people get them, some don't, but it doesn't mean it's not risky. I have no clue how prevalent it is, but I definitely remember reading that ephedrine, especially when combined with caffeine, can have a whole bunch of nasty side effects including stroke, heart attack, etc. It's probably more likely for the elderly or those with pre-existing cardiovascular problems, but it's still worth taking care.

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Surprisingly, I actually do very well on low carb diets. I'm fine and function perfectly normal without any negative side effects. I admit some people simply do not handle low carbs well and for them I would not suggest such a diet. However, I find it rather easy to stick to and I've gotten great results from it.

I've never tried anything this extreme, but I always feel exhausted & sluggish when my macronutrient breakdown is not well balanced (such as 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat) for a long period of time. However, I suppose the body could get used to almost anything. Has this kind of diet always worked for you or did it take you some time to get used to it?

 

[KoolDrew]

Heh, I think I'd personally find it harder to do so little exercise for 2 weeks than just eating less for a long time

You could increase the lifting to 3x a week and just switch between upper & lower and perhaps even more cardio, but recovery ability is very individual. On such a diet it's better to do too little exercise than too much though. As long as intensity is kept the same it doesn't take much weight lifting to maintain LBM and since cardio burns so little calories compared to the huge deficit a person is already in a PSMF, it really doesn't serve as much of a purpose except helping stubborn fat a bit (taken after a yohimbine dose most of the fat lost should be from "trouble areas") and diet adherence. Many people actually eat better when they exercise frequently, which I think a lot of people here could agree with from personal experience. On the other hand, there's also people who feel they can pig out because they exercised that day...

On a diet as extreme as PSMF, it seems like the supplements you take (multi-vitamin, potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc) would be the primary source, as your diet is going to be lacking many essentials (fruit, dairy, etc).

I still get about 1-3 servings of dairy calcium and try to get plenty of vegetables throughout the day.

Heh, well, that's the way side effects work. Some people get them, some don't, but it doesn't mean it's not risky. I have no clue how prevalent it is, but I definitely remember reading that ephedrine, especially when combined with caffeine, can have a whole bunch of nasty side effects including stroke, heart attack, etc. It's probably more likely for the elderly or those with pre-existing cardiovascular problems, but it's still worth taking care.

Ephedrine has been studied for nearly two decades has been shown to be very effective with minimal side effects. However, it is still a stimulant, and if you don't respond well to them you may not want to take them or at the very least start with a much smaller dosage and access your tolerance. Also, it is not recommended if you have pre-existing conditions. Both of these should be common sense. Also, just like any other drug, people are idiots and abuse it. Doubling the standard dosage is not going to double the weight loss effects. When used safely and intelligently the EC stack is very safe. The problem is most people don't use it intelligently.

If you want to read more, head over to drumlib as there's a lot of information dealing with ephedrine.
http://www.drumlib.com/dp/000028.htm

Also, keep in mind some people may notice a little bit of jittereness at first, but those side effects should go away after about a week of use.

I've never tried anything this extreme, but I always feel exhausted & sluggish when my macronutrient breakdown is not well balanced (such as 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat) for a long period of time. However, I suppose the body could get used to almost anything. Has this kind of diet always worked for you or did it take you some time to get used to it?

A few days into the diet, when the body shifts to mainly using ketones for fuel, the diet is a bit better to adhere to. I've never really had any problems with it though.

 

[KoolDrew]

Day 8 - 196.0lbs

Fat: 12g
Carbs: 26g
Protein: 284g
Calories: 1380

I also did a full body workout today.