Physique Clinic discussion for novagreg

Training Bodybuilding
701

[quote]gerardmarceau wrote:

Greg, I mean relaxed as in…relaxed. Not,“hey, I’m flexing my bodyparts like I’m in a comp being relaxed”. Just fucking stand there, stop shaving, changing positions, etc.

And yes, you should stop worrying about building muscle. You’ve built maybe 2 or 3 lbs of muscle in the last 5 months, so it’s that mentality of being big that had stopped your fat loss progress. You’re thinking about whether you got enough nutrients /calories to ensure muscle growth. If you didn’t worry about that, fat loss would be the only issue.

I see it with guys all the time. They get into this quasi-fat loss mode and the minute they look flat or small, they increase their food intake. When dieting, it’s about being anti-catabolic not anabolic.

If I’m nameless, then you’re faceless, pal. Funny enough, my handle is my name.

Advice: stop worrying about losing muscle. Face the fear of being under 200 lbs. You can build up later doing a clean bulk. You can be big again.

more advice: calories in vs. calories out. Sure, a calorie is not a calorie, but if you take more in than you expend during the day, you’re not going to lose weight, and depending on those calories, you may just stay at the same weight. It’s thermodynamics.

Helpful words of encouragement: be realistic. Grab that fat, realize it ain’t muscle. Stick your stomach out, see how the fat isn’t contributing to your bodybuilding goals. Lose it. Hunger doesn’t mean you’re losing muscle, it means that your fat is scared of leaving you. You’ve been friends for a long time, you took care of it by feeding it, and now it’s getting the boot.

You’re either the missing link or you ate too much to allow for fatloss to occur for months on end. Your progress is that of someone who didn’t do the work. You body wasn’t stubborn, your fat loss hadn’t stalled- you didn’t do the work. You know it and I know it. You made your bed tough guy, you’re gonna sleep in it.

I’m not comparing you to Chris or Gus. Those guys did what they did. You had a diet of, correct me if I’m wrong, 1900 calories at one point, low carbs, 2 cardio sessions, a fat burner, and weight training and it still wasn’t coming off? I would have gone to the doctor at that point.

I’ll go further than Shugs did: I know you didn’t stick to the diet. I know you ate extra food. I know you were hoping to come out of this with an extra 20 lbs of muscle and the fat would just come off.

I don’t like liars. I don’t appreciate people being deceptive, non descript, phoning it in, when they’ve been given an amazing opportunity.

I love this site and I have lots of respect for the people on it. I don’t like seeing people being taken for a ride.

And finally, out of respect for your friend, be a man. Don’t ever bring him into this again, you asshole. [/quote]

This is an excellent post for the most part, until one reads the final word. Calling someone an asshole takes the steam out of what had been a thoughtful, informative post.

Also, if you’d really been reading NG’s PC thread, you’d know that his very ill friend is female.

You give very, very good advice. Couching it in a little class would make it perfect.

702

Don’t forget to post a pic of your HSM…

703

[quote]gerardmarceau wrote:
You’re either the missing link or you ate too much to allow for fatloss to occur for months on end. Your progress is that of someone who didn’t do the work. You body wasn’t stubborn, your fat loss hadn’t stalled- you didn’t do the work. You know it and I know it. You made your bed tough guy, you’re gonna sleep in it.

I’m not comparing you to Chris or Gus. Those guys did what they did. You had a diet of, correct me if I’m wrong, 1900 calories at one point, low carbs, 2 cardio sessions, a fat burner, and weight training and it still wasn’t coming off? I would have gone to the doctor at that point.

I’ll go further than Shugs did: I know you didn’t stick to the diet. I know you ate extra food. I know you were hoping to come out of this with an extra 20 lbs of muscle and the fat would just come off.

I don’t like liars. I don’t appreciate people being deceptive, non descript, phoning it in, when they’ve been given an amazing opportunity.
[/quote]

totally agree.
1900 cals a day, 2 cardio sessions…and no result? Come on!

704


Hi Greg,

I’ve been lurking on this thread for a while just reading the comments.

When I saw the pic of the first HSM you had, I was surprised Chris or nobody else said anything about it.

Craisins are not really health food. They are loaded with extra sweeteners.

The mixed nuts you have appear to be the smoked variety which have additional salt, and are roasted with peanut or whatever other oil. It’s better to just have bulk nuts from the baking section, not from the snack section where they sell Pringles and potato chips.

I’m not sure if a bowl full of cottage cheese, nuts, and sweetened berries would be as satisfying as a big bowl of spinach salad and lean meat. The consistency sure isn’t solid.

The other HSMs look good though.

705

I just wish I could buy cottage cheese in tubs that big :slight_smile:

Biggest I can get in AUS is 500g which lasts 2-3 days max. Maybe it’s time to start making it ? :slight_smile:

As a suggestion I’ve found that grinding the nuts up in a coffee grinder can make a good alternative sometimes and really firm up a meal. 30g of nuts ground finely + CC + tuna + basil paste = delicious to me and it feel really filling.

706

Good posts by Fiction and gerardmarceau! IMHO this is how you hold someone accountable without attacking their character. (Except for the whole asshole thing) Greg has got some good momentum going now. Again whatever happened in the past is just water under the bridge, he needs to focus on finishing this strong and then deciding on where to go after this.

707

I will never be the best wordsmith for saying the right thing. More often than not, probably the opposite.

I always thought of trying to join the PC because I am pushing 45 and still fairly fit and workout 6-7 times a week with yoga, stretching plyo and lifting due to injuries.

I never read Nova’s posts because they are boring and I can’t believe the weight loss. Forget the V Diet! At 260 + pounds eating 1500 calories a day or less and working out that hard, he should have lost a lot of weight the first two months.

So, my faults kept me away. Maybe jealous I never tried to join because I probably would have failed and got murdered by everyone too.

I am sorry for Nova and at the same time my heart goes out for him because I think he wasn’t honest the first 2-3 months. I am 185 pounds and lost 10 pounds on that diet in 2 weeks.

But for Nova, I wish you well. I wish I was in your shoes to see if I could hold out on the work shugs and CT put you through. I am fighting age and wanting to stay cut, but I keep failing because of pizza or something silly.

I want to be 50 and have a 10% body fat and your early diet is about the only thing that worked for me. I just need carbs or I fall asleep!

Sorry ofr the semi mean e-mail, but I do wish you well.

708

[quote]gerardmarceau wrote:
Hey Greg, sorry about the asshole remark. Yeah, I be hatin’ a little, too.

I see your situation and I want to fix it, I want to figure it out. It baffles me. I’m thinking about where you’ll be after this clinic. Hopefully you’ve got some better eating habits going on when all is said and done.

I was completely sincere with my advice to you, but I got so frustrated thinking about this stuff that I spewed some evil in that post. Again, my apologies.

People have gotten lean before the V-Diet and they will get lean after it. Everyone can get to 6% bodyfat- it’s not pretty, but everyone can get there.

This hobby, this lifestyle can be such a mindfuck sometimes when things aren’t working. Sometimes, and I’m completely serious about this, all these supplements, these exotic routines, etc, etc. can make people forget what is fact and what is fiction. Effort reigns supreme when trying to accomplish goals, but knowing that things aren’t working and having an alternative strategy ready on the fly is what really matters. But above all, it’s consistency.

I would encourage you, after all this is done, to look into working with another guy who is the caliber Thibs and Shugs. Only, you’d actually be working with someone in person. If you’re a bodybuilder, pretend you’ve got a contest and go on a 12-14 week competition diet. Hell, throw some money into the mix with some buddies or family members. It’s this sort of positive pressure that is hard to replicate on the net. Although you’ve definitely had your fair share of it on the discussion forum.[/quote]

Excellent post, gerardmarceau. I’m not speaking for Greg obviously, but I just wanted it noted that it takes a man with real class to reflect on his actions and apologize and/or adjust as needed, so much respect to you.

I see you haven’t posted very much, but I would encourage you to post more. You obviously have a love for this lifestyle and you have some really excellent suggestions and ideas. I look forward to seeing some more of your thoughts around T-Nation.

709

Gerard,
Thanks for that last post, I appreciate all your advice man.

710

[quote]flacoman91 wrote:
Craisins are not really health food. They are loaded with extra sweeteners. [/quote]

Actually, the only ingredients in Craisins are cranberries and sugar and each tablespoon yields all of 6g carbs and 24 calories - hardly a junk food.

711

I think it was Shugart who once said, ‘Those who make excuses fail.’

If you can’t make progress with armfuls of free supps and two experts at your beck and call, what’s going to happen when the PC ends?

An awful lot of people in this thread are supporting you simply because they like the underdog. They want to be crusaders, who defend the weak with their (self-)righteous sword of justice. That means they think of you as weak. Except your redneck friend with the tribal tattoo, he’ll support you no matter what I’m sure. But until you admit you cheated on your diet, you deserve zero support.

I’m guessing the reason you’re so vague and brief in your posts is because you’re failing the diet and you know it. People who lose lots of weight can’t shut up about it and want to record every detail about it.

Your friend is ill? That’s terrible. But what does it have to do with you? Will slacking off help your friend convalesce quicker? Do you think your friend would want you to abandon your goals? Again, excuses. That Neya girl had her marriage break-up and is headed for Singleunwedmotherville, and she still managed to get leaner.

I’m not going to tag a ‘but I’m rooting for you!!’ at the end of my post like most of the others have so I can grab a bit of crusader glory. I know you’ve cheated on your diet, you won’t fess up to it, and when this PC ends you’re going to feel sorry for yourself and gain back all the weight and then some.

712

I see you’re eating a bunch of cottage cheese. I love it these days and whip it up with chocolate protein powder and freeze it for dessert. Sometimes I’ll add warmed peanut butter on top, somtimes I’ll whip it in. Almond butter is great whipped in.

I haven’t tried this one but a lot of people are saying if you put the time in you can get cottage cheese to be very close to ice cream…

713

if you strain the cottage cheese in a coffee filter so the whey drips out, you have a thicker cheese that can be used as a spread

714

Faint outline of AB’s there where is this line. Also there was no need to shave.

715

Had to make a post. Been following yourthread for a while and after doing thev-diet myself, I was kind of wondering about your HSMs, where are all the green free veggies…? a bunch of lettuce makes those meals just so much better :slight_smile:

716

Try this:

  • 100g Romaine Lettuce or more whatever fills your plate.
  • 40g prawns
  • 1-2 thin stripes of crispy bacon
  • 5-10 thin pieces of good parmesana cheese
  • a real small amount caesar dressing (just to get the taste in. Watch out for carbs in the commercial stuff, if you don’t make the dressing yourself.)

Break the crispy bacon to small pieces and mix all above together.

Finally add 100-120q of warm smoked salmon or grilled chicken. Try other proteins aswell.

Eat and enjoy :slight_smile: This is approx 400kcal, so skip a shake and the peanut butter.

717

[quote]Chucknorrislol wrote:
I think it was Shugart who once said, ‘Those who make excuses fail.’

If you can’t make progress with armfuls of free supps and two experts at your beck and call, what’s going to happen when the PC ends?

An awful lot of people in this thread are supporting you simply because they like the underdog. They want to be crusaders, who defend the weak with their (self-)righteous sword of justice. That means they think of you as weak. Except your redneck friend with the tribal tattoo, he’ll support you no matter what I’m sure. But until you admit you cheated on your diet, you deserve zero support.

I’m guessing the reason you’re so vague and brief in your posts is because you’re failing the diet and you know it. People who lose lots of weight can’t shut up about it and want to record every detail about it.

Your friend is ill? That’s terrible. But what does it have to do with you? Will slacking off help your friend convalesce quicker? Do you think your friend would want you to abandon your goals? Again, excuses. That Neya girl had her marriage break-up and is headed for Singleunwedmotherville, and she still managed to get leaner.

I’m not going to tag a ‘but I’m rooting for you!!’ at the end of my post like most of the others have so I can grab a bit of crusader glory. I know you’ve cheated on your diet, you won’t fess up to it, and when this PC ends you’re going to feel sorry for yourself and gain back all the weight and then some.[/quote]

Ouch!

718

[quote]Chucknorrislol wrote:
I think it was Shugart who once said, ‘Those who make excuses fail.’

If you can’t make progress with armfuls of free supps and two experts at your beck and call, what’s going to happen when the PC ends?

An awful lot of people in this thread are supporting you simply because they like the underdog. They want to be crusaders, who defend the weak with their (self-)righteous sword of justice. That means they think of you as weak. Except your redneck friend with the tribal tattoo, he’ll support you no matter what I’m sure. But until you admit you cheated on your diet, you deserve zero support.

I’m guessing the reason you’re so vague and brief in your posts is because you’re failing the diet and you know it. People who lose lots of weight can’t shut up about it and want to record every detail about it.

Your friend is ill? That’s terrible. But what does it have to do with you? Will slacking off help your friend convalesce quicker? Do you think your friend would want you to abandon your goals? Again, excuses. That Neya girl had her marriage break-up and is headed for Singleunwedmotherville, and she still managed to get leaner.

I’m not going to tag a ‘but I’m rooting for you!!’ at the end of my post like most of the others have so I can grab a bit of crusader glory. I know you’ve cheated on your diet, you won’t fess up to it, and when this PC ends you’re going to feel sorry for yourself and gain back all the weight and then some.[/quote]

Whatever Dude, your opinion means less than nothing at this point.

719

Nova, when your eating canned pumpkin and cottage cheese, how much are you eating? Just curious cause their are no measurements on those foods…

720

[quote]Brick Top wrote:
Hey NovaGreg,

How do you cook your turkey chili? I just started eating a lot of 97% fat free turkey recently and have yet to find a way to make it have some flavor.[/quote]

What seasonings did you put in it?

remember to use seasonings on the meat as you cook it before hand and more when you mix everything together to simmer.