My V-Diet Progress

Diet and Nutrition
1

Stats:

Age: 33
Weight: 208
BF: 25%
Height: 5’8"

Goal: 20lbs

My first day of the V-Diet was yesterday and I am following it to the letter. The only item which is changed from Shug’s update is I am using the regular HOT-ROX because the HOT-ROX Extreme was out of stock until the day after I made my purchase (go figure).

Just as a quick aside: FedEx sucks. My shipment got here in 2 days, but since it was 3 day delivery they held the package the extra day and of course that would put it into the weekend forcing me to start on a Tuesday rather than on a Monday.

Observations on my first day:

The combo of 4 HOT-ROX and low carb gave me a case of “swimmy head”. Nothing major, but just that odd feeling of not being all there. Chris mentioned this will pass and just to be sure I am breaking up the HOT-ROX dosages from a 4x2 to a 2x4 spread over the course of the day.

I didn’t have a problem with any cravings or hunger. Things went smooth, but the milled flax seed will take some getting used to. I may pick up a mini blender tonight at Wally World to see if that will help the texture of the shakes.

One thing about this diet: you have enough fiber in you to feel like you can poop and end table.

I also started CW’s 10x3 For Fat Loss program to go along with this. Doing the diet and then deads/front squats in the same day was a bit of a pain. If I were to do over again I would probably get adjusted to the diet for a few days, but at least I have a good schedule now.

I didn’t sleep that well last night. I attribute that to the 10x3 deadlifts. My back was pretty tight and I am sure that contributed to not sleeping as well as usual.

The Metabolic Drive really rocks. I was skeptical even though there were so many positive reviews. I really like the taste of this stuff. I did several combos of flavors yesterday and I can say there really isn’t a bad flavor among them. A chocolate/banana shake is a great combo.

Surge was ok. Didn’t taste great and didn’t taste bad. I guess I am pretty neutral on that right now. I can’t tell if I had a great workout due to the Surge, doing 10x3, or a combination of both.

I’m also keeping a detailed log of the diet. One page is for meal entry and calorie/intake counts, one for my exercise log, and one page (or more) per day of notes such as how I feel throughout the day and observations. This will help to see if I develop any patterns over the course of the week that I might need to modify (i.e. HOT-ROX intake).

I will do my second Biotest order next week and hopefully I will be able to switch to HOT-ROX Extreme for the second half of my diet.

Here comes a leaner 186!

2

Good luck. How many HOT-ROX did you order? All together I think you need 4 bottles for the diet AND the transition(still a great fat burning period). All-in-all, the Extreme kind werent around when the diet was written and starting on a tuesday instead of a Monday isnt going to change ANYTHING.

Focus on the big picture, not the little things. It will kill you. Let us know how you did in about 6 to 8 weeks.

3

I just went with 1 bottle of HOT-ROX so I didn’t end up wasting them. I’ll be getting the Extremes next time around.

4

I started it yesterday too… and I must say, it’s kicking my ass. My workout today was pretty good but I’m definitely “dull” today. I’m already looking forward to my first real meal when I’m done with this.

Just out of curiousity, are you taking any extra supplements? I never made it a habit to take a multivitamin when bulking, but I picked one up the other day for this diet as it seems pretty lacking in a lot of ways. I also got a greens supplement.

5

Good luck. Though it seems like you have the right mindset (e.g., you’re not changing shit to make the diet easier), so I think you will succeed.

[quote]brianmat wrote:
Stats:

Age: 33
Weight: 208
BF: 25%
Height: 5’8"

Goal: 20lbs

My first day of the V-Diet was yesterday and I am following it to the letter. The only item which is changed from Shug’s update is I am using the regular HOT-ROX because the HOT-ROX Extreme was out of stock until the day after I made my purchase (go figure).

Just as a quick aside: FedEx sucks. My shipment got here in 2 days, but since it was 3 day delivery they held the package the extra day and of course that would put it into the weekend forcing me to start on a Tuesday rather than on a Monday.

Observations on my first day:

The combo of 4 HOT-ROX and low carb gave me a case of “swimmy head”. Nothing major, but just that odd feeling of not being all there. Chris mentioned this will pass and just to be sure I am breaking up the HOT-ROX dosages from a 4x2 to a 2x4 spread over the course of the day.

I didn’t have a problem with any cravings or hunger. Things went smooth, but the milled flax seed will take some getting used to. I may pick up a mini blender tonight at Wally World to see if that will help the texture of the shakes.

One thing about this diet: you have enough fiber in you to feel like you can poop and end table.

I also started CW’s 10x3 For Fat Loss program to go along with this. Doing the diet and then deads/front squats in the same day was a bit of a pain. If I were to do over again I would probably get adjusted to the diet for a few days, but at least I have a good schedule now.

I didn’t sleep that well last night. I attribute that to the 10x3 deadlifts. My back was pretty tight and I am sure that contributed to not sleeping as well as usual.

The Metabolic Drive really rocks. I was skeptical even though there were so many positive reviews. I really like the taste of this stuff. I did several combos of flavors yesterday and I can say there really isn’t a bad flavor among them. A chocolate/banana shake is a great combo.

Surge was ok. Didn’t taste great and didn’t taste bad. I guess I am pretty neutral on that right now. I can’t tell if I had a great workout due to the Surge, doing 10x3, or a combination of both.

I’m also keeping a detailed log of the diet. One page is for meal entry and calorie/intake counts, one for my exercise log, and one page (or more) per day of notes such as how I feel throughout the day and observations. This will help to see if I develop any patterns over the course of the week that I might need to modify (i.e. HOT-ROX intake).

I will do my second Biotest order next week and hopefully I will be able to switch to HOT-ROX Extreme for the second half of my diet.

Here comes a leaner 186![/quote]

6

[quote]kevbo wrote:
I started it yesterday too… and I must say, it’s kicking my ass. My workout today was pretty good but I’m definitely “dull” today. I’m already looking forward to my first real meal when I’m done with this.

Just out of curiousity, are you taking any extra supplements? I never made it a habit to take a multivitamin when bulking, but I picked one up the other day for this diet as it seems pretty lacking in a lot of ways. I also got a greens supplement. [/quote]

I am taking just what was listed in Shug’s article. The only change is the lesser HOT-ROX. Other than that, it’s by the book.

7

Day 3:

Last night I was feeling a bit like stir fried crap. The low-carb headaches were pretty rough throughout the day and I had a general upset stomach feeling during the day.

I ended up passing out around 9:30 because I felt so poorly. This caused me to miss my last shake of the day. When I woke up I was ok, but about 30 minutes after waking I was ready to gnaw a Nike. I took 4 HOT-ROX upon waking and about 10oz of water. Once I got my morning shake in me things got a bit better.

It also appears this will be the week for the “back to school” germs in the office. Every year about this time I seem to catch a cold (and I attribute it to not having that parental immune system). I am not sure what I should/can take on the diet, but for the moment I am taking some Zicam and Airborne. Not sure if vitamin C would be a good idea or not since it can be a bit harsh on the stomach.

Even with this going on, I will not let any dietary sabotage occur. Tomorrow at the gym I will do my first post-diet weigh in. I have a self imposed rule about daily weighing. I don’t want to get caught up in the “I wonder what I weigh since lunch” mindset.

“Quitting is not a choice and failure is not an option”

8

[quote]brianmat wrote:

I am taking just what was listed in Shug’s article. The only change is the lesser HOT-ROX. Other than that, it’s by the book.[/quote]

Keep in my mind that I didn’t use HOT-ROX Extreme either during my early experiments with the diet; I used Max Strength as well. So you’ll do just fine. I do prefer Extreme these days, but it wasn’t around when I first wrote the V-Diet.

Either/or is fine. Most people try both and pick a favorite. Both will give you a great edge with this diet though!

Keep us updated!

9

Thanks Chris. I didn’t think the HOT-ROX would be a make or break item on the diet, but I would like to get the most out of it.

Also, this Metabolic Drive is some really good stuff (can’t stress that enough). I am still shocked at how well it is formulated. I am used to protein powder tasting a bit like sawdust and water, so those Biotest guys are really earning their paychecks.

10

[quote]brianmat wrote:
Day 3:

Last night I was feeling a bit like stir fried crap. The low-carb headaches were pretty rough throughout the day and I had a general upset stomach feeling during the day.

[/quote]

It’ll get much easier. I’m down 16 pounds on day 17. I don’t even miss solid food anymore.

11

Start of day 4.

Bad news this morning: I have another upper respiratory infection and this time it looks like the tonsils will be coming out. The doc informed me that this is not the same 2 day deal you get when you are 7. It turns out that doing this as an adult is a major pain in the ass.

I’m back on Avelox for the URI and anyone who has been on hardcore antibotics knows how they will tear your stomach apart. I’ll just chalk this up to another v-diet challenge.

Good news: The scale this morning read 203. I was a bit shocked to say the least. I know most of this is water, but still - that was a big difference in just a few days.

I’m going to rest up today and see how much I can get done in the gym tonight.

“That which does not kill you will only come back later to try again”

12

Odd experience at the gym last night. I hopped on the scale that I typically use and it read 200 on the nose. Now, I know something is up there since there is no way I can do 8 lbs in 4 days. My guess is that must have weighed heavy at the 208, but all I remember having is my clothing and MP3 player (the same as last night).

Lesson: it really pays to have your own scale at home. Chalk this up to an “If I could do over” item.

I had to make a slight modification today. The Avelox is notorious for killing about anything it comes into contact with and this also includes the normal bacteria present in the stomach. I have added a few spoonfulls of plain (as plain as you can get) yogurt.

The active cultures are good when you take very powerful antibiotics. Overall this will only have about a 110 calorie increase in the diet and it still keeps me in the correct caloric range. I know this was not outlined as part of the original v-diet, but after a few days of the Avelox it would be pretty painful.

I am sure this could be so much easier when not sick, but so far so good.

My bodyfat hasn’t budged a bit in 3 weeks which bothers me. I’ve been doing Waterbury’s Big Boy Basics for about 6 weeks now, so I would expect something to change a little bit. I’ll check back again in a week. I know something has changed because I lost one more notch on the belt so far. For the record, this was the electronic device and not a caliper measurement.

Outside of falling ill right when I started, I feel good. I am not walking around hungry like I had expected. My workout did suck pretty hard last night, but I really did have to drag out in the first place. Hopefully I will be feeling a little better tomorrow and will have a better workout.

The bottom line is this: I am seeing some progress and that makes me happy. I may disagree with little Mr. “Electro-body-fat-thingy”, but as long as I can see some numbers drop and feel better about myself that is a win.

13

First week done (almost - 1 more shake to go)

Hit the scale today and I was 198. First week netted 10lbs from the scale at the gym. Now, some of this might be attributed to being sick, so take it with a grain of salt.

I decided to go a little harder today since my workout was total crap this weekend when I was really under the weather. I was able to hit a personal best 305 of deads (no laughing - and I mean you in the back snickering - stop). While that isn’t anything to turn heads, it was a nice increase for me and I am there to lift for me and not everyone else who is on thier 30th set of concentration curls.

I think tonight was actually one of my strongest workouts. I think part of it is a challenge from a friend. I should have done the math before I accepted, but after the v-diet is over we have to pick one exercise and see who can lift the most (adjusted for bodyweight). That’s even more incentive to lose, and maybe I can sneak some Special Dark chocolate in on her to narrow the gap.

So, first week is over. Headaches are gone and I haven’t craved anything. The addition of the yogurt during the diet was a necessity with the medicine, but I don’t see it making enough of an impact to make major adjustments. The one serving a day falls within my numeric ranges.

I will say it will be nice to eat meat on a regular basis again. We didn’t spend thousands of years evolving to sneak up on a leaf (or in this case protein powder), but I can hang for 21 more days.

I expect the losses this week to taper dramatically, but I am well on my way to my 20lb goal and it looks like I will probably beat that.

This really is an awesome diet even though nobody seems to wrap their head around the 20,000 foot view of the v-diet. I swear, you say “liquid diet” and they think you only drink water for 28 days.

Anyway, I await the slower progress, but so far I am pretty pleased.

Now I just wish I had remembered to do “Before” pics. Dammit.

14

Let’s do this together.

I started a few days after you (7 October), like you, to the letter but without HOT-ROX. 16 shakes down, 124 to go. So far so good. I’ve been a fairly low carber for quite a long time now so it’s not as painful for me but I do miss real food big time.

Anyway, I’m aiming to get under 10% for the first time since… well ever. I’m about 15-16% now. Don’t know if I’m being unrealistic but who wants to be realistic anyway.

Anyway, I’m pulling for you - let’s get this thing done.

Cheers.

15

I started the same day as you.

At the start I was 5’9" and 189 lbs. I am now at 182 lbs and man is it hard. I can’t wait to have some good buffalo wings and some pizza when this is over. I am a healthy eater normally, but man not eating real food has me craving the really bad stuff.

I’ve never craved taco bell before but when the commercial comes on my mouth waters. I get to have my 1 meal tomorrow and can’t wait.

good luck, i know i’m gonna need it.

16

[quote]beantown_lifter wrote:
I started the same day as you.

At the start I was 5’9" and 189 lbs. I am now at 182 lbs and man is it hard. I can’t wait to have some good buffalo wings and some pizza when this is over. I am a healthy eater normally, but man not eating real food has me craving the really bad stuff.

I’ve never craved taco bell before but when the commercial comes on my mouth waters. I get to have my 1 meal tomorrow and can’t wait.

good luck, i know i’m gonna need it.

[/quote]

Any idea what that meal is going to be?

I actually dreamt last night that I cheated (lots of ham) and when I woke up I was so pissed off with myself… until I realised it was a dream. This, like so many things, seems to be driven be a loathing for disappointment rather than a desire for success… maybe they’re the same thing.

Good… errrr… discipline.

17

[quote]will-of-iron wrote:

Any idea what that meal is going to be?

I actually dreamt last night that I cheated (lots of ham) and when I woke up I was so pissed off with myself… until I realised it was a dream. This, like so many things, seems to be driven be a loathing for disappointment rather than a desire for success… maybe they’re the same thing.

Good… errrr… discipline.[/quote]

Day 8

This is not easy, at least for me. But I like the results so far and want to take this to the end.

As for that meal I’m going to a japanese restaurant. So, I’m sure I’ll have some beef of some sort and some rice and lots of veggies. I can’t wait. Though I have to make sure not to binge. I don’t know what Chris was talking about when he said the first week isn’t that bad. It’s killing me. I have cravings for solid food quite a bit. I’m wondering how the 2nd week is going to be.

I’ve got less and less desire for unhealthy foods, I have really been thinking healthy stuff lately because I want to keep the fat off and actually continue to slowly lose more. We’ll see what the 2nd week brings. The HOT-ROX is an absolute must for me, without it I couldn’t do it. It’s a great appetite suppressant. I’m hoping in the next 3 weeks I can drop 8 or so lbs. I’m down about 6-7 right now. We’ll see how it goes.

Using Spike before a workout has made a huge difference, I have so much more energy to finish out my workout. On workout days now I only take 2 HOT-ROX (i have the maximum strength one, not extreme) in the morning and then the Spike an hour before my workout.

18

My meal was a steak with steamed broccoli and water.

Best damn broccoli I ever had too.

19

Dude, on the bright side, if your tonsils DO come out then that should get you at least another lb or 2 weight loss :wink:

20

Ugh, don’t remind me. I have my ENT consult on the 17th.

At least I know I like Metabolic Drive - I’ll be drinking a lot of it when these bad boys come out.

I can’t say I miss solid foods at the moment. While I do enjoy the weight loss and the cravings/hunger are not even close to what I had braced myself for - I damn sure could use a steak or some chicken.

Question: what’s the best way to recover from missing a daily “meal” on the v-diet? Yesterday was a madhouse and I completely missed my lunch shake and fell completely behind. I didn’t want to just double up a shake if it would have no real benefit. Do we just wing it through those days or is there a good approach to “catching up”?

Finally, offically count me as one of the “Surge neutral” members of T-Nation. It’s not bad, but I also don’t think it is quite as good as some people make it out to be. It just tastes different in a neutral sort of way. I’ll keep using it though because it feels like it works.