I wondered that the other day you know. On paper this diet looked harder than my previous ones but i’ve had great compliance on this one compared to my other. I’ve also not had the other issues of feeling rubbish on this diet for some reason.
There are a few talking points though which i think have helped with success this time:
A simple plan
Less focus on Protein
Cheat meals that aren’t cheat meals
Diet coke/ lemonade
Alcohol
A simple Plan
I basically took the Family Mans V diet and modified it slightly to get a similar diet. A shake for breakfast and lunch and a big family dinner. I added in some snacks to get my shakes from 40g protein to 60g in total but the snacks were things like Greek yogurt or milk that were healthy and fit my macros.
A simple plan is easy to achieve and it means that if i replace a meal, i know roughly what calories i have to play with. When i’ve had work lunches as well (which are often sandwiches in meeting rooms (rubbish really)) i’ve made sure i eat a smaller dinner. Previously i’d still eat a big dinner just because it was my big dinner allowance.
Less Focus on Protein
I think i was obsessed with protein previously. So even on a diet, if there was a spare chicken breast or pork chop, i’d eat it thinking more protein is better…but i was forgetting that those items still carrying 200-300 calories. On this diet i’ve only aimed for around 180g protein per day and i’ve made sure i’ve not gone massively over it (as that would also carry me over on calories).
Cheat meals that aren’t cheat meals
This has been a game changer for me. Previously my cheat meals were proper cheat meals that i didn’t deserve and also with the added protein above, took me out oif a calorie deficit most days i think.
My cheat meals recently have been things like a chocolate bar, with some berries in a big bowl of Greek yogurt or a protein pudding (from aldi, 150 calories & 20g of protein). Both feel like a cheat and both are 100% still in my total calorie plan.
I have had a couple of proper cheat meals but i’ve made sure that i’ve left around 1500-1800 calories for that cheat and basically had a shake for the rest of the day.
Diet Drinks
This is just obvious but having a chilled glass of diet lemonade in a wine glass stopped me having a wine with dinner. 5 calories vs 105 calories. Easy win here.
Alcohol
I’ve actually stopped drinking on a regular basis. I still have a binge every 4 weeks or so at a social event (like i’ve got this Saturday) but i’ve stopped having other drinks really. This hasn’t been as deliberate as i thought but since my operation last February i’ve actually had less of an appetite for drinking.
Those are all awesome points! Definitely share it out in the bigger forum at some point.
I think the first two points are ones that folks who care about fitness are particularly poised to miss: we set up something “perfect” that is too complex to execute in the real world and we get so OCD about inordinate amounts of protein that we forget how to eat.
There’s so much benefit in this and it makes things a million percent easier for me too. Having such a small list of things you allow yourself during those hours makes it so easy to adhere to. Whenever the food list is bigger, there are too many opportunities to go wrong. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little more porridge, just one biscuit with your cup of tea, a muffin in the office. Nope. “Shakes and if I’m struggling only this but nothing else”.
I feel that knowing that you can have pretty much whatever you want (within reason) later in the evening makes it easy to stick to rather than multiple meals that don’t touch the sides anyway. All that seems to do for me is stimulate my appetite several times a day so I feel unfulfilled 3-4x over. Protein pulsing and just looking forward to later is surprisingly easy to get through in my neurological makeup.
Awesome response and write up, be great to have you write up the whole with with the program and the diet along with the progress charts, insights about how you felt etc… You are doing an awesome job at something lots of people really struggle with. Well done sir.
Incline HS Press
50kg each side x 9 (5-9 target)
45kg each side x 10 (10-12 target)
Chest supported DB Rows
26kg DBsx 9 (5-9 target)
24kg DBs x 12 (10-12 target)
Dips
BW plus 20kg x 9 (5-9 target)
BW plus 10kg x 11 (10-12 target)
Neutral Grip Pull Downs
77kg x 9 (5-9 target)
70kg x 12 (10-12 target)
Up-right Row
40kg x 6 (5-9 target)
30kg x 10 (10-12 target)
Cable Bicep Curls
5 weight x 12 reps (10-12 target)
6 weights x 10 reps (10-12 target)
OH Cable tricep extensions
5 weight each side x 12 reps (10-12 target)
6 weight each side x 10 reps (10-12 target)
Hammer Cable pump curls
9 weight
x 16
x 14
x 13 plus a drop set
Metal bar pushdown pump tricep extensions
11 weight
x 20
x 17
x 17 plus a drop set
Weight loss stopped so far this week, but i’m holding 215.6lbs. Overall i didn’t realise but my weight loss has been a good average of 2lbs per week. Which hopefully means i’ll drop another 2lbs before the end of the week but as its Thursday i might have hit a plateau.
I also have my annual rugby club golf day on Saturday which basically involves drinking all day, i don’t actually play golf and will make no attempt to do anything other than smash the ball as hard as i can on Saturday. I will definitely be consuming a lot of calories Saturday though.
I did 1h 45m of rugby training last night. It was basically HIT training the whole time. My body aches, hip on my right side (where my backs been hurting) is in bits but i loved it.
There is nothing quite like a group of lads putting in some hard graft together. I hadn’t been rugby training for over 9 years (i think) but i loved every horrible second of it.
Supposed to train legs tomorrow…we shall see how that goes as of right now i can barely move!
I didn’t really do much to be honest. I went to the gym, i stretched, i stretched some more then
Hack Squats
0kg x 6
40kg x 6
80kg x 9
80kg x 9
80kg x 6
Leg extensions
25kg each side x 13
30kg each side x 12
35kg each side x 11
40kg each side x 9
Kneeling ham curls
45kg each side x 12
45kg each side x 11
45kg each side x 10
45kg each side x 9
That’s all. i ached so called it a day. Going to go home and stretch some more.
The first team coach was interested in my coming back to play full time which was nice to hear although i wont’ be able to as my body just wouldn’t allow it. Nice to dream though.
You don’t think you could trade off some lifting and do it? If you were able to impress having not played in nearly a decade, maybe you could hold up with a little lead-in time?
I just don’t think my back and hips could take the level of physicality that’s required to play rugby week in week out anymore. Even if I stopped the intense training I don’t think my old joints would recover to be honest.
BB Incline
80kg x 6 (5-9 target) - This was really poor, from the first rep i felt like i hadn’t warmed up enough and i knew in my head i’d struggle to get more than 5 reps. Should of stopped and warmed up more. Lesson learned when i’m tired.
70kg x 10 (10-12 target)
Hyper-extensions
x 15 (15-20 target)
x 15 (15-20 target)
x 15 (15-20 target)
x 15 (15-20 target)
HS Close Press
42kg each side x 9 (5-9 target)
37kg each side x 10 (10-12 target)
Lat Pull Down
80kg x 9 (5-9 target)
73kg x 11 (10-12 target)
Lateral Raise Machine
80kg x 6 (15-20 target)
70kg x 10 (15-20 target)
DB Bicep curl - palms up
14kg DBs x 12 (10-12 target)
16kg DBs x 8 (10-12 target)
French Press DBs
16kg DBs x 12 (10-12 target)
18kg DBs x 10 (10-12 target)
Pump DB curls
10kg DBs
x 20
x 15
x 15
Pump Tricep metal bar pushdowns
10 on machine
x 20
x 18
x 13
Felt rubbish this morning, but that’s all due to my day long drinking session on Saturday. I will be getting my diet back on track although its hard to balance work social events to build my careers and network etc., spending time with the family and also dieting so not drinking really.
Squat machine thing (photo below) - It didn’t hurt my back and felt like i could get a good position in general. Might be my go to movement for a bit until my back settles completely.
No idea what the base weight is so only counting the plates i put on, i managed to move more weight than the hack squat though.
160kg x 9 (5-9 target)
80kg x 12 (10-12 target)
Seated Hamstring curls
75kg x 9 (5-9 target)
68kg x 12 (10-12 target)
Leg extensions
30kg each side x 15 (15-20 target)
25kg each side x 15 (15-20 target)
Calfs standing
35klg (15-20 target)
x 13
x 11
x 10
x 8
Leg raises
x 10
x 10
x 8
x 8
6.Abductor 2 second hold on each rep
80kg x 9 (5-9 target)
75kg x 12 (10-12 target)
Really unhappy with my body weight. Last week was the first week i didn’t actually lose any weight. Then after my weekend i seem to have not been able to drop that extra water weight extra. I’ve not given up and i’ve been back on plan but i’ll continue as is for this week and if i don’t see any changes i’ll have to start doing something different.
I hope it is just water weight and when i’ve been eating (last night i didn’t eat until about 9) so was just full of food in the morning.
Duuuuuude. Come on. You know this stuff isn’t linear, it doesn’t mean you have to change things up. If you know you are doing the right things a plateau isn’t a plateau. If you look at my log I think I went 10 days without any loss at all and then 2-3lbs just disappeared overnight. You’ve found a method that works for you and you’re considering trying something different because 1 week on the scale hasn’t reflected what you expected?
Don’t let your emotions dictate your actions.
Check out some videos on youtube of the woosh effect. Some people literally go 3 weeks or more where nothing happens and then the weight bungee jumps down on the scale.
This is coming from someone who felt exactly as you did now. If you know you’re still in that deficit, I guarantee you that drop will come. I mean, you’ve only got to look at your own graphs 17th-27th June.
Everything @cdep89 said
Several posts ago you were talking about how using your process you’ve had some pretty awesome results. This dieting game does have you stall at times it’s just part of the process. It’s also on a stall of days not weeks. If you were still the same in a couple of weeks I’d look at a diet break (although I’m sure you’re going on holiday soon?) or add some extra conditioning in. You may also want to consider not weighing in daily if the scale weight plays on your mind.
Squat machine thingy
140kg x 7 (5-9 target)
100kg x 10 (10-12 target)
Seated Hamstring Curl
77kg x 9 (5-9 target)
70kg x 10 (10-12 target)
Leg Extensions
30kg each side x 11 (15-20 target)
20kg each side x 15 (15-20 target)
Leg Raises
x 15
x 12
x 10
x 10
Adductor
85kg x 12 (5-9 target)
85kg x 12 (5-9 target)
I went to rugby training last night. Really enjoyed myself but definitely made me feel 37 when trying to keep up with the 20 year old lads.
Weight has dropped slightly so down to 214.8lbs. I actually feel chubbier around the hips than i did when i was heavier but i’m guessing i’ve lost some other fat further up. I’ve got a week left before holiday and i’ve not achieved my visual weight loss target but i’m really proud with what i’ve done.
Half of me wants to cut again after my holiday but half of me wants to get back to building muscle. I’ll probably see how ‘fat’ i feel after my holiday.
Some people believe the fat cells can empty and fill up with water leaving you actually feeling chubbier and softer right before a big drop. If this is a more recent feeling, this is what could be keeping weight on the scale despite you actually losing fat.
It may sound a bit psycho-somatic, but I swear my belly felt way looser when going through a “stall” period. I actually noticed myself pissing more for 1-2 days and that’s when the drop happened.
