I just finished my third week of chuck roasts for breakfast, and they were an amazing 3 weeks, with chuck roasts typically being pretty inexpensive. Tri Tip roasts can be cut into tri tip steaks. If you have a Costco membership, the boneless leg of lamb is a stupidly good deal, at $5.99 per pound, and I did 3 weeks of breakfasts off those and they were delicious. Same can be done with a Picanha roast. Those are all the ones I have personal experience with, but really, the principle applies to literally all roasts. People will cut ribeyes out of rib roasts, sirloins out of sirloin roast, etc.
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5.16.25 Push
Bench
135 x 8
170 x 6
200 x to 4
225 x 2 (supposed to be 230)
260 x 2
DB Incline
75 x 10
80 x 8
85 x 6
Did the above during my last class and had about a 20 minute break before resuming.
Seated DB OHP
45 x 10
55 x 8
60 x 6
65 x 6
DB Fly
40 x 10 x 2
Seated Lat DB Raise
25 x 10 x 2
Cable Press Down (plate loaded)
60 x 15, 10, 10
Picked up two more flat iron steaks on sale for $9.99/lb and a chuck roast that was $5 or $6 per lb. Cooked one flat iron and the sirloin I bought Wednesday. Flat iron is better. Sliced them up for meal prep but Iām sure they wonāt last the weekend thanks to the kids. Samās looks like the way to go for the cheapest steak option via chuck roast at $6.24/lb or bottom round roast at $5.19/lb.
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5.18.25 Pull
Working my second job as a part-time police officer in a town with no stoplights, so I hit the gym. Something about a pull-only day that doesnāt have deads or some sort of clean type pull seem kind of lame, but itās where I am in life.
Lat Pull-Down
160 x 10
170 x 10
180 x 8
190 x 6
200 x 4
210 x 3
220 x 3
Single-Arm Cable Row
(chest supported by an adjustable bench)
60 x 10 too light
100 x 10 still too light
130 x 10 x 2 still light but made sure to get a stretch on each rep
Single-Arm Rev Fly
30 x 10 logged this and saw I did sets of 15 last time - oops
30 x 13
30 x 10
Single-Arm Cable Curl
upper arm up high like youāre flexing
50 x 10 x 2 sets ea
Fin
Lunch
flat iron steak and scrambled eggs - delicious
Edit: I forgot I sprinkled in some abs with the pull-downs. Not worth logging the details.
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5.19.25 Legs
Seated Leg Curl
90 x 10
110 x 10
130 x 10, 10
Leg Extension
130 x 15 hurt right knee
145 x 15 hurt right knee
160 x 15 no pain
Single-Leg Squat from Box
BW x 15 ea leg
Push Sled
Ethos Sled
+160 x 25m down & back (1:32, rest 2:04)
+135 x 25m down & back (close to 1:30 again, goofed on the watch so lap time + rest totaled 2:54)
+90 x 25m down & back (1:06, rest 1:23)
+90 x 25m down & back (1:17)
Total Time: 10:18
I wanted to compare this to the M4 Tank Sled. I initially thought they were similar but this was way harder. The first 20m felt similar, but that return trip sucked.
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5.20.25 Diet Attempt
Here we go. Iād like to call this like day 1.5 but I had a few carbs yesterday. Iām going to attempt 3-4 weeks of the Max Definition Diet. Timeframe depends on results. I already have some ideas to combat my pitfalls.
Also probably not even going to bother with final pics for T-ransformation as Iāve failed miserably. You can tell by the effort I put into my photo how I feel about my current look.
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Iām excited for you dude! No matter what, this will be a learning experience.
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I havenāt ādietedā in several years as a result of my obsession with things in the past. Iāve cut weight by just backing off or throwing in some intermittent intermittent fasting (not a typo, I intermittently implemented it 
). Iāve never tried something like this where I just remove a macro for a few days and then refuel. No counting or measuring. Itāll be different.
As I said yesterday, Iām kind of excited for the freedom of it. Iāve been inducing some anxiety, shame, and guilt lately by trying to cut things like chicken tenders and fries and then failing. Iād come to work without lunch planning to āfastā. Iād be hungry at lunch and there it was - delicious free fried comfort food. Some days Iāll hold the line; others Iād eat. And then there were days I was like āIāll just have one chicken tenderāā¦ yeah right. I ate it all; I just spread it out over a slightly longer period. And then I hated myself for it.
I havenāt said it out loud, but Iām sure one could glean it by browsing the years of posts Iāve made, but I struggle with alcohol. I managed to behave last week Monday - Thurs and then had a few beers Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. That was a win compared to what Iāve been doing (anyone else like rum?). No carbs means no beer or rum, period. No waffling or thinking āIāll just have a coupleā. Last night was busy, but we have beer in the fridge. It never crossed my mind. Having a hard line drawn in the sand helps me quite a bit.
Looking forward to cleaning up my act in more ways than one in the next few weeks.
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Thatās absolutely outstanding dude. I can totally relate to what youāre saying. I thrive with hard limits and struggle so hard with moderation and fuzzy lines. People refer to that as abstainers vs moderators.
It will be interesting to see how the adaptation process goes for you. Becoming fat adapted really is a game changer as far as ability to fast goes. I used to be someone that HAD to eat something every 30 minutes. I was just always in a perpetual state of hunger. Now I can do 20+ hour fasts without thinking about it. The āfood noiseā is gone. Curious if youāll experience the same. 3-4 weeks is a short time to try to get there, but it may start nudging you in that direction if nothing else.
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Donāt they say you need at least 21 days for something to start becoming a habit? Fine, Iāll commit to the full 28 days you recommended!
Iām still holding on to my pledge to avoid squats, deads, and clean movements til June so it appears I have at least a small amount of restraint. Iām sure I can carry that on over to this eating plan.
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100% In fact, coinciding with Vinceās nutrition, he wasnāt the biggest fan of those movements as it related to physique building, so youāre really aligned there.
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Whatās your take on the long list of supplements with the diet? I saw you post something about what youāre taking, and it seemed like a much shorter list.
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Vince goes on in great detail in his book to explain the role of all of these supplements and their function. My background is in POLITICAL science and philosophy, so Iām in no way smart enough to evaluate what he says against reality. For myself, I know that beef liver is a nutritional powerhouse, and I make a point to eat that everyday, and given how much he hypes of liver tabs, I feel like Iām meeting the mark there. With all the BioTest supplements I take, I imagine Iām doing pretty good there too.
Whole eggs (especially pastured ones) are another nutritional powerhouse out there, full of some great nutrients. And red meat has a great nutrient profile as well, grassfed even moreso. Going by how I look, feel and perform, Iām doing what I need.
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5.20.25 Push
Elliptical
15 minutes 2:1 interval
Kind of threw this in thanks to Wendler advocating for easy conditioning days.
Bench
135 x 8
170 x 6
200 x 4
235 x 2
260 x 3
This is about the only lift going well right now. Todayās weights and reps were from the row with a 290 lb max. I hit all the reps so I get to move to the next line.
DB Incline
75 x 10
80 x 8
85 x 6
90 x 3
The first set was a challenge.. The next three were maxes.
Seated DB OHP
50 x 10, 6, 5
Apparently wrecked after incline.
Lateral DB Raise Drop Set
20s x 20 + 15s x 10
20s x 15 + 15s x 10
Cable Press Down
Double Rest/Pause
130 x 21+9+6
The family is going to the track teamās end of season BBQ for dinner in a bit. That will consist of hotdogs and lots of sides and desserts. I had my wife grab some 1/4 lb burger patties for me. Wonāt have any eggs but Iāll manage.
Edit
The BBQ was a success and failure all at once. Success: I didnāt eat carbs or any of the delicious treats I love. Fail: I forgot to take seasoning, salt, anything to put on the burgers. I ate four patties which was about 19 oz according to the package. Plain 80/20 beef with nothing on it. I think thatās the first time Iāve experienced eating for necessity with no pleasure.
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Dude, this is a double win. Learning how to enjoy meat just for the flavor of meat is huge as far as re-mastering hunger and satiety signals. Granted, salt gets a pass, since itās a mineral rather than a seasoning (itās all I use), but otherwise, the more you can learn to appreciate these simple flavors, the better. Proud of you for sticking with the plan.
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Iāve never really had a problem with steak or roast, but something happens with ground beef that makes it ask for assistance (or maybe itās just conditioning). I was told the cooking would be done on a grill, but we had the Samās version of the Blackstone griddle. I could have had eggs! Lunch is two patties covered by six over easy eggs. Egg yolk definitely dresses the beef up!
Iāve mostly been skipping breakfast for the school year (and probably longer), so Iām eating lunch and dinner. If I start to struggle with hunger, then I suppose I could start eating breakfast, but I donāt feel the need right now.
Itās an absolutely wonderful combination. Iām not sure if youāre familiar with Hawaiian BBQ, but youāre close to a Loco Moco there
Hamburger steak topped with a sunny side up egg. Of course, they put some beef gravy on it, and pair it with rice and mac salad, but I got them ala carte with the gravy on the side when we order out. Gironda approved Hawaiian BBQ, haha.
I think that fasting approach you have is a solid idea. No need to eat if not hungry. For the sake of nutritional modeling and family bonding, I eat a breakfast in the morning with the family (itās also after I train, which is nice) and the same with dinner, but if left to my own devices, Iād just have one big meal at midday and call it good.
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I was not, but I love it! We have a local burger pub here and I always get the egg burger. I donāt know about the results, but I think I could survive on the meal pictured for as a standalone diet for a bit.
While being difficult, eliminating carbs most of the time is doable, but Iām a little disappointed about keeping the carb meal free from protein and fat (if possible). There are so many carb treats that have one or the other! My weekly cheat meal on āThe Abs Dietā back in college was always pizza. Going all out on a pizza once a week kept me sane while I was eating raw carrots and broccoli as a snack during my college classes (ask my wife, sheāll verify lol). I initially thought I could go for cheese pizza Friday (wife will be out of town, end of the week, easy pizza night for dad alone with his three kids). It looks like Iāll have to settle for pasta with red sauce only or pancakes. I love both, just not quite as much as pizza.
I will say I flat out to NOT comply with that part of the instructions. For me, itās a family meal, and it tends to have plenty of fat to go with the carbs. Tuna casserole, spaghetti with meat sauce, lasagna like dishes, etc. And baked goods, made with butter and eggs. Iām still seeing results. Iām sure Iād see BETTER results executing it as Vince lays out though.
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Have you dug into any of the research he cites or claims he makes - specifically the way the stomach digests fat and and protein vs carbs? Iāve never read about digestion or how carbs digest in an alkali state which is different than protein and fats so Iām completely ignorant on the subject. Vince said a lot of things Iāve never heard. I have no reason not to believe him, but with the current state of the world, I always know to fact check something before I go repeating it (which I havenāt done yet). For the sake of this journey, I figured Iād just try to follow the basic premise and not worry about the science (not enough head space right now).
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I donāt dig into any research ever. One is me doubting my ability to have the capacity to be able to understand the science well enough to be able to distinguish good science from bad science, and the other part is a lack of faith in how rigorous nutritional studies are conducted to be able to extract meaningful information.
All THAT said, there are observable PATTERNS in terms of the advice given by successful people, and THAT Iām comfortable observing. The idea of āeat carbs in isolation of fatsā as it relates to glycogen loading/carb cycling is notion thatās been espoused by Justin Harris (carb cycling) and Skip Hill (Skip loading). Shelby Starnes also used carb cycling, but Iām not sure about how specific his method was regarding isolating fats from the carbs. And then Jamie Lewisā Apex Predator diet also worked in this manner. Oh yeah, and we saw this with Dan Duchaineās āBody Opusā as well, with a 2 day carb bender on the weekends that involved basically drinking liquid sugar at the start and working up to more solid carb sources before FINALLY having some meals with fat in them at the end of the weekend.
Irrespective of the discussion on alkali state, we recall why Vince wants the high carb meal: to restore glycogen stores. This tends to speak to the idea of wanting the carbs to digest QUICKLY. When we pair fats with carbs, we actually blunt the digestion process and make it slower/more gradual. John Meadows would actually do this intentionally: eating a pre-workout meal that was a combination of carbs AND fats (SUPER forbidden to most people) so that he didnāt get a carb crash during the workout, but instead a slow sustained release of energy.
And then, along with that, there is this notion that, in the absence of fats, carbs themselves will NOT add to bodyfat stores. This relates to the notion of insulin being a storage hormone and, when paired with fats, insulin will store fat in the fat cells, but in the absence of fat, all the carbs do is fill up glycogen reserves, to include the liver and the muscles. Justin Harris is very precise in the amount of carbs he prescribes, because the intent is to ONLY fill up these stores and not spill over via the process of de novo lipogenesis.
Vince is less precise in his prescription, but Justin had dudes like Dave Tate eating 800g of carbs on their high carb days: no one is going to accidentally eat that much in one pasta meal.
All this to say: Vince may have been right about what he said, or he may have accidentally been right, attributing the wrong thing to the right outcome. But either way, there IS precedent for not pairing carbs and fats together when the goal is to replenish glycogen stores.
Edit: @FlatsFarmer , whenever I post a diatribe like this and I see that you liked it, I legit get the feeling that a dog must get when itās master pats it on itās head. āDid I do good?ā Haha.
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