I’ll be starting the V-Diet at some point in early June. A bit about me:
-31-year-old male
-6’0", current weight 165-170
-Dedicated rock climber for 9 years
-Dedicated lifter for 5 years, although more time is spent climbing than lifting
Reasons for doing the V-Diet:
-I’ve never been fat by anyone’s definition of the word, but I’ve never been athlete-lean either.
-In the past two or three years I’m noticing that I slowly accumulate body fat over time. I typically address this 1-2x per year by watching what I eat for a bit, but I’m not always successful.
-This year I’m noticing a lot more cravings for unhealthy foods starting to creep in, as well as a greater desire to drink alcohol. I like the idea of “resetting” with the V-Diet. I also understand that it’ll take more than a 28-day diet to make these changes, but it’s a starting point.
I’ll get pictures and measurements posted soon!
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Here come the pictures and measurements. I have no idea how to pose or take good pictures.
Front relaxed
Front flexed
Side relaxed
Side flexed
Back relaxed
Back flexed
Legs relaxed (had the hardest time with this picture)
Legs flexed
Measurements (I’m American, so they’re in inches)
Chest 38
3" above navel 34.25
Navel 35
3" below navel 35.5 (this is confusing since I wear 32" waist pants and I need a belt to keep them up)
Bicep 13
Forearm 11.5 (I’m a climber, I can’t help it 
)
Thigh 22.5
Calf 13
I’m starting some time Saturday through Monday.
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Looking forward to seeing you kill this!
Day 1!
Weight: 165.8
It’s Saturday, which usually means climbing rocks this time of year, but today’s weather sucked, so the wife and I climbed in the gym. (I’m actually concerned about outdoor climbing days on the v-diet as I normally eat about 1000 calories while I’m out, and still feast when I get home.) We both had a good session. The winter’s training has made us strong! Today was not the best time to learn I don’t enjoy the taste of Metabolic Drive 
The silver lining is I think the unpleasant taste is helping me feel less hungry, although that could just be the magic of micellar casein.
I also took a cold shower, stretched, and meditated today. I’m hoping this will be a time for me to reset healthy physical and mental habits as well as dietary habits. Dinner was chicken breast, jasmine rice, and roasted broccoli.
I know things will get harder, but I’m glad the first day wasn’t bad. I’m excited to see what happens over the next 27 days.
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Day 2
Weight: 163.6 (daily change: -2.2)
Total weight change: -2.2
I lost an hour of sleep last night. I woke up around 1:30 with discomfort in my colon/rectum (really no other way I can think to describe it). It felt like something needed to pass. Nothing did, despite a couple attempts, and the feeling subsided in an hour. At that point I was able to sleep. I made Metabolic Drive pudding last night, and I wonder if that had anything to do with it. Maybe I shouldn’t be eating a bunch of water-absorbing powder with virtually no water in it right before bed, or at least wash it down better?
Sunday is usually a bike day, and I’ll also hit the gym briefly to do a few “extra” exercises to target weak areas and prevent climbing injuries. (For the past eight weeks or so, I’m only full-blown lifting once a week. I’m putting more effort into cardio and spending more time working my core, as these are both weak areas for me. I’m also dying on the inside worrying I’m losing strength and muscle.) Today was rainy again, so I did 10-10-10 treadmill “sprints” (10-second run EMOM for 10 minutes, 10 mph, 10% incline.) Sprints are in air quotes because it felt like more of a run for me, but I’m happy about how light, bouncy, and mobile I felt, and I’m also happy about not feeling remotely tired after finishing. After that, it was time for calves, tibs, rollouts, hanging leg raises, cable rotations, and finger extensors (done for climbing injury prevention).
So far, so tolerable.
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Day 3
Weight: 163.2 (daily change: -.4)
Total weight change: -2.6
My first work day on the diet went better than I thought it would! Sometimes mental fatigue at work makes me want to eat. After work was hangboard training (finger training for climbers) followed by a few circuits of ring pushups, DB bent-over rows, and ATG split squats. I was beyond shot after the day I had, but after my HSM I feel great again! I’m excited to end the evening with Metabolic Drive pudding.
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You’re going to smash this. I’ll be following.
Out of curiosity, what do your climbing workouts look like?
At the moment I’m hangboarding once a week. I’ll warm up by climbing, then I do 7-3 repeaters (7-second hang, 3-second rest) for one minute on, one minute off, for 3-4 rounds. I use a 20mm edge for this.
I also climb twice a week, ideally once on rock, and I don’t have a specific training plan for that. Typically indoors it’s three sets of doubles (two routes in a row) to warm up (5.10a-5.11c/d), then pushing into harder territory (5.12b-5.13a) for a handful of routes. Outdoors I might be working a really hard route, covering a lot of ground on easier terrain, or anything in between.
My training week has looked like this for a few years:
Monday: indoor climbing (lately hangboard training instead, which is pretty much climbing)
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: lift (full-body, mostly compounds)
Thursday: morning conditioning, or outdoor climbing if I can squeeze it in, evening indoor climbing
Friday: rest
Saturday: outdoor or indoor climb
Sunday: lift (although lately it’s been cycling as I’m focusing on conditioning. I think I’ll probably stick to Sunday cycling when the weather is nice, as it helps a lot with outdoor climbing)
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Day 4
Weight: 164.2 (daily change: +1)
Total weight change: -1.6
Today was a work day and a rest day. I felt totally fine for most of the day (530AM-230PM) but once 2:30 hit I felt hungry and worn out. Maybe that’s just how the days will go, which really isn’t bad at all. It’s 5PM right now and I’ll probably eat in 30-60 minutes and go back to feeling good again.
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Day 5
Weight: 163.2 (daily change: -1)
Total weight change: -2.6
This morning’s lift went well. I hit a few PRs, including benching 135 for 3x5. I’d love to be able to bench my pre-V-diet weight of 165, and I feel like I’m pretty close to that. I’d also love suggestions on ways I could change up my benching routine, since I feel like it’d be hard to progress at this point. Today’s reps were very hard-earned, although not sloppy.
I’ve been benching for the last six weeks, hitting three sets of 3-5 (adding weight when I get 3x5-6 reps), then one backoff set with slightly less weight for AMRAP. Perhaps it’s time to switch exercises, although I’m open to suggestions on how I can continue to bench without running myself into the ground.
Wednesdays are long days for me (up at 6, lifting, running errands, working 12P-10P). I was surprised by how easy the day went. I wonder if this diet will become difficult at any point. Also, the taste of Metabolic Drive is growing on me.
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Day 6
Weight: 163.0 (daily change: -.2)
Total weight change: -2.8
The weather’s finally nice, so I was able to get on my bike for the first time in a couple weeks! I took a brief morning ride and felt great. My wife and I climbed some plastic this afternoon, which also went great. At this point I’m used to feeling hungry for part of the day, and craving. I’ll take it as a sign the diet is working. I just hope I can stay composed for the full duration.
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Day 7
Weight: 163.6 (daily change: +.6)
Total weight change: -2.2
Today was the first hard day. The shakes weren’t filling me up like they normally have. I was very run down by the end of it. Strip steak and broccoli revived me. I hope my willpower will prevail for 21 more days, and that I don’t immediately start eating like a shithead when I’m done.
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Day 8
Weight: 161.8 (daily change: -1.8)
Total weight change: -4
Today sucked a bit less than yesterday. I worked, climbed plastic, and ate a delicious HSM. I can keep doing this.
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Day 9
Weight: 160.0 (daily change: -1.8)
Total weight change: -5.8
This morning’s bike ride was nice. I didn’t seem to have a “high gear”, so to speak. My top-end output wasn’t there. However, my endurance over the course of the 1:20 ride was steadier than it’s ever been, and I covered over 19 miles at an average pace of 14 on a hybrid bike, so I’ll take it! I also did a bit of core/calves/forearm extensor training this afternoon. Dinner was steak, broccoli, and sauerkraut.
I haven’t been this light in years, and when I was, I certainly wasn’t as lean at this weight!
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Day 10
Weight: 160.8 (daily change: +.8)
Total weight change: -5
Today was the first day switching my hangboard training protocol around. I was going to start out light today but decided to just go home early. It’s time I deload my fingers and forearms a bit. I’ll probably even wear straps when I lift on Wednesday. I also had absolutely nothing left by that time in the day. It seems there’s a time every day that I absolutely crash and burn. The extra rest isn’t a bad thing though.
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Day 11
Weight: 160.0 (daily change: -.8)
Total weight change: -5.8
Uneventful rest day today.
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Day 12
Weight: 161.8 (daily change: +1.8)
Total weight change: -4
Had a good lift this morning, then worked all day. Not a particularly challenging day!
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Day 13
Weight: 160.4 (daily change: -1.4)
Total weight change: -5.4
I touched rock this morning! It was great to sneak out in between the storms, and also great to float up routes I hadn’t climbed in years with a surprising level of ease. We got rained out after only three climbs. I also climbed a bit of plastic in the afternoon. Thankfully my wife left work early today, so we climbed from 2:30-4:30, before the inevitable daily suffering began. It’s 5:30 now and I’ll probably eat pretty soon.
It’s interesting how many fewer calories I actually need to do physical things than I once thought. The wheels are starting to turn on what I’ll do after this diet, since I’m sure as hell not going past the 28 day mark. I don’t want to continue to be strict, but I’m trying to think of ways to avoid rebounding. I guess it’s just good to know I don’t “need” 750 calories worth of Clif bars (essentially junk) every time I climb, or that I don’t “need” to eat in order to have energy at work. Now to iron out the details…
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