V-Diet Log for This Puffy Chick

Training Beginners
1 
I'm new to this forum, so firstly, hi.  My current stats are female, 5'7", 141 pounds, and what I would describe as puffy... my Tanita scales randomly tell me I'm 29% to 32% BF.

“Normal” people think I look great. They don’t see me naked. After years of dance training, I know how to suck it in. I also know how to dress to flatter my shape. It’s my birthday in 22 days. I’ll turn 27 years old. What better motivation?

I am sick of being average, or slightly better than average. I want to be exceptional. I want to get rid of my tummy once and for all. Problem is, I have absolutely no willpower. You know how people manage to get through the first 3 to 5 days of diet because they’re so motivated and excited? I’m lucky to get through the first 4 hours! Seriously.

Which probably makes it seem odd that I’m choosing to go with the V-diet, right? Well, I’ve been trialling the ketogenic diet lately, which I had moderate although slow success with, and I made a few mistakes which hindered things.

I seem to work best with an all or nothing approach. I also have trouble with food intolerances and sensitivities, and about a billion and eight cravings. It thus seems logical to me to trial a short term, strict, and bland diet that will hopefully shred fat, shred cravings, and rebalance my system. Sort of like resetting my body to start from scratch at the end of the program.

I will be purchasing everything I need today, and I will take measurements and photographs and post them this evening. My intended plan is:

M/W/F (1219 cals)
5.5 shakes
4 servings of flaxseeds
5 fish oil tablets
1 cup juice

T/T/Sun (1109 cals)
5.5 shakes
4 servings of flaxseeds
5 fish oil tablets

Saturday
Real meal - protein & veggies/fruit depending on where I am
3 shakes

I’ve worked out my calories to be min 1100 and max 1300, with around 140g protein. The juice is taken during and directly after my workout, instead of the supplemented carbs.

My workouts at the moment consist of full body movements with the highest dumbbells I can lift to failure on the last rep. This is just a sample of what I do, as I make it harder and change up different exercises each workout. I have very little rest between sets.

Sample of M,W,F:
Box jumps 3x15
DB press 5x5
DB squats 5x5
Pullups 5x5
One leg squats 3x5
Moderate intensity cardio 12 to 20 minutes

T/T/F/S/S:
Fasted cardio, moderate intensity, 45 minutes

So that’s the plan. Hopefully posting here will help to give me the momentum to start and succeed. Measurements & pics to come. Any comments, suggestions, and hellos are most welcome.

2

Rarity, in order to make lasting changes you need to find an eating and exercise plan that you can live with for the long term. Throw out the idea of dieting all together. You can not eat the way you have described and remain healthy. In the long run it will backfire on you and you will be in worse shape than before.

How did you work out your calories? Where did you get the idea that this was a good way to et?

Stu

3

I think you’re making the same mistake that my GF made the last time she dieted.

You are restricting Kcals too much, you will see dramatic loss of weight for a few weeks and then you WILL plateau. The weight will stop dropping off, you will become fatigued, your workout intensity will decrease, your lifting sessions will become useless or even counterproductive.

Eventually your BMR will reset to a MUCH lower value and as you become too tired to continue working out, you will begin to put on weight again. After completing this cycle you will wind up a couple of pounds lighter with significant loss of muscle. Your muscle-tone will be worse and you will look “puffier” than you do now. Congratulations, you are now skinny-fat.

Where did you calculate your caloric intake? According to exrx (a site trusted by many professionals as well as amateurs) your BMR is near 1400. With added exercise this will approach 2000. Subtracting 500 from this amount(a reasonable amount of caloric restriction that should avoid crashing your BMR) yields around 1500 Kcals on WO days.

Here is the calculator link try it out.
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

Since your goal is fat loss, don’t be afraid to cycle Kcals. Increase Kcals on days that you lift and decrease on cardio and rest days. DO NOT work out seven days per week. Take at least one full day off per week for rest and recovery to avoid fatigue. You don’t have to sit on your but all day, but vigorous exercise should be avoided. For example, instead of running go for a long walk instead.

I’m sorry if this comes off as a bit rude, but I and others here at T-Nation want you to succeed in your goals and you plan is a recipe for failure.

Revise your plan and post it. There are many knowledgeable folks here who will help you reach your goals.

Good Luck
MC

4

[quote]MC sp3 wrote:
… Subtracting 500 from this amount(a reasonable amount of caloric restriction that should avoid crashing your BMR) …[/quote]

MC, I agree with everything you’ve said with 1 amendment. 500 calories is a good rule of thumb for men and larger women but for small women, as in this case, it’s too much. A better rule of thumb would be up to 20% reduction. So in this case, up to 400 calorie reduction.

Stu

5

[quote]stuward wrote:
MC sp3 wrote:
… Subtracting 500 from this amount(a reasonable amount of caloric restriction that should avoid crashing your BMR) …

MC, I agree with everything you’ve said with 1 amendment. 500 calories is a good rule of thumb for men and larger women but for small women, as in this case, it’s too much. A better rule of thumb would be up to 20% reduction. So in this case, up to 400 calorie reduction.

Stu[/quote]

Ya Stu, you’re right.
I oversimplified things a bit. I got a bit emotional on this one. After watching my sweetheart torture herself with a similarly fruitless routine, it’s hard to listen to someone planning the same thing for herself.

The real crime is that there are tons of magazines and websites that recommend this kind of rubbish to people.

6

I agree with these guys. I just started a weight loss program about 4 weeks ago. 2 weeks in I really started to work on my diet plan. I got a food scale and started keeping detailed diet logs. At first I was real enthusiastic, I kind of saw where I wanted to be and was like I’m going to do this. When the reality of actual doing it set in, I got a little burned out.

Now, I’ve slowed my row a little bit and everything is starting to settle in. I got my staple items I get at the grocery store, but I try to pick up a new veggie or find a sauce that doesn’t have half a sodas worth of sugar in 2 tbsp every time I go. I’ve been cooking up new meals, experimenting with what I have to work with.

I’ve been playing around with my calorie intake, to see what gives me the most energy for a good workout, which builds muscle and burns fat. I’ve realized its going to take me awhile to get where I want to be, and I’m going to be working out and eating this way day after day after day… hopefully for the rest of my life.

I like your workout plan. I’ve been doing something pretty similar, except I change it every workout. I found this article today, http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1624757, which is basically what you are doing. Another good site I like for these types of workouts is www.crossfit.com. If you’ve never tried dumbbell swings, I think you should give them a shot. You can probably find a demo video on crossfit, and they are great for fat-burning.

Thats my thoughts. Keep at it, stay strong, and you’ll be where you want to be before you know it.

7

squat, with a bar.

8

I’ll second what’s said here. I think the V-Diet is great, and I applaud your effort to begin to take steps towards your goal.

I think you will be benefitted by a more modest eating plan, nurturing healthy eating and training as habits before you jump into something as extreme as the Velocity Diet.

Oh, and dump the juice. Dr. Berardi has an article up currently about the evils of fructose, which is most fruit juice.

The Velocity Diet is good. Many people have had positive experiences with it. But it is both very difficult and expensive. I think there are cheaper ways to make mistakes and learn from them.

9

Oh, and squat. With a bar.

10

[quote]stuward wrote:
Rarity, in order to make lasting changes you need to find an eating and exercise plan that you can live with for the long term. Throw out the idea of dieting all together. You can not eat the way you have described and remain healthy. In the long run it will backfire on you and you will be in worse shape than before.

How did you work out your calories? Where did you get the idea that this was a good way to et?

Stu
[/quote]

The Velocity Diet gives all the guidelines here:

http://www.musclewithattitude.com/article/diet_and_nutrition/the_velocity_diet_for_women&cr=mwaDietAndNutrition

She eats this way for 28 days and then transitions back to eating solid meals for 2 weeks or so after that.

The Velocity Diet is hard but if you have the discipline to stick with and follow what Chris has laid out. She will find herself better off.

11

[quote]rarity wrote:
My workouts at the moment consist of full body movements with the highest dumbbells I can lift to failure on the last rep. This is just a sample of what I do, as I make it harder and change up different exercises each workout. I have very little rest between sets.

Sample of M,W,F:
Box jumps 3x15
DB press 5x5
DB squats 5x5
Pullups 5x5
One leg squats 3x5
Moderate intensity cardio 12 to 20 minutes

T/T/F/S/S:
Fasted cardio, moderate intensity, 45 minutes

So that’s the plan. Hopefully posting here will help to give me the momentum to start and succeed. Measurements & pics to come. Any comments, suggestions, and hellos are most welcome.[/quote]

Curious as to why you’ll be doing moderate intensity cardio on your non-lifting days where everything I’ve read in regards to the V-diet indicates you should be doing low intensity. Perhaps I’m confusing what you consider moderate intensity? Chris Shugart suggested NEPA walks every day during the week which is a 3.5-4MPH walk for 20-45 minutes while not a slow walk is definitely not what I’d consider moderate intensity. I would personally be hesitant to deviate from the guidelines Chris laid out. My wife and I are currently on Day 7 and trying to follow what he laid out to a T and I just dont think I’d have it in me to do that much cardio. In this case more isn’t better.

Nice program you put together did you see the program that Chris had outlined for V-Dieter’s in the Physique Clinic? It doesn’t look that challenging but it’s deceptive. You can find the advanced program at the bottom of this page.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readPhysClin.do?id=1852678&pageNo=1

I don’t think you’d need to the beginners routine looking at your background.

Best of luck.

12

The V-Diet works, the Physique Clinic proves it everyday. Step by step. Welcome to T-Nation.

13

Thanks for all your replies.

I’m not looking at this as a long term change. I’m looking at it as a crazy, “perhaps it won’t work, perhaps it will” kind of plan that I stick to for 29 days, and then slowly transition off.

Look, it can’t be any worse than what I’ve been doing to my body for the past few years. So I eat oddly for the next 29 days? Big deal! If it helps remove my cravings and gives me control over food, rather than food controlling me, then it’s done me a massive favour. And if I fall off the wagon and eat everything in sight in three days time, then honestly, it’s nothing worse than what I’ve done to my body a million times before.

And if that’s what happens, then I get back on a sensible eating plan and do it “the right way”.

If the right way was so easy, by the way, then I would have done it years ago. :slight_smile:

Re: moderate cardio. That’s probably more of a mindframe thing for me than anything, so I apologise if it’s misleading to anyone. If I say “low intensity walking” then I’m concerned I’ll go outside and stand in the one spot! I’m sure my energy levels will dictate how hard I push things. Also, I did find more articles, updated, on the diet and programs after I posted, so I’ll perhaps alter things slightly based on the newer information.

Stu - thanks for the comment re: 500 cals. I’ve always thought that everyone doing their maintenance calories minus 500 was too harsh for most small females. I’ve never understood the logic behind bigger guys eating 3000 cals who back to 2500 (17% change) suggesting a female eating 1900 cals to cut back 500 also(26% change).

That being said, I’m giving the V-diet a whirl. I’m highly aware that I’ll get a similar response (“Are you CRAZY?”) in the real world. I’m aware that it’s going to be supremely tough to follow. I expect energy crashes, fuzzy heads, and I expect to question my own sanity on a daily basis.

It’s been suggested that I head over to the MWA forum, and I didn’t realise there was more than one forum, so I’m going over there now to check it out.

Rarity

14

[quote]Otep wrote:
Oh, and squat. With a bar.[/quote]

I really can’t drive this point enough.

15

Do you just really like squats with a bar? Or am I missing an in-joke?

16

Hey if you need any help with the V-Diet I did a few weeks of research to prepare myself, i’m on day 4 right now.

Just leave me a message on my thread
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1972094&pageNo=0#1976302

17

[quote]rarity wrote:
Do you just really like squats with a bar? Or am I missing an in-joke?[/quote]

You mentions in your first post that you do Db Squats. You will never be able to work your body the same way with dumbbells as you can with a heavily loaded bar on your shoulders. So, yah, we all really like squats with a bar. I’m sure there’s a joke there too but I’m to nieve to get it.

Stu