View Full Version : Matt's Dieting Adventure
Dieting sucks. Strength goes away, and all your fat muscly goodness shrinks to nothing.
I started around 100kg (220lbs), and as of today I am the lightest I've been since early 2003, weighing in at 85.1kg (187lbs)as of today.
Strength is roughly maintaining, but has still dropped sharply compared to what I can do at my peak. This pisses me off, but sacrifices have to be made.
My rough dieting schedule:
Mon/Weds/Fri - 250-300g protein/100g carbs/50g fat/2000 cals
Tues/Thurs - 250-300g protein/<30g carbs/50g fat/1600 cals
Sat/Sun are "free" days, meaning eat whatever, just keep total amounts of food low.
So far this is working well, though I'll probably have to switch to something more complicated in a few weeks like UD2.0 if I don't want to waste away to nothing.
Training is a M/W/F schedule, with an alternating A/B split partly stolen from DC Training and partly from 5x5.
Looks like this:
A
Bench Pressing
Shoulder Pressing
Tricep reps
Pullups/Chinups
DL
B
Biceps
Forearms
Calves
SQ/FrontSQ
The big lifts rotate through on a heavy/light/maximal wave with each session, which gives about 5 days between each session instead of 3x/week with a normal 5x5 routine. This seems to help out a little better w/ recovery while dieting.
Today:
EZ Curl - 30kg + bar x8+4+3
Zottmans - 15kg x6+5+4
Did both standing, didn't feel like using the preacher curl
Leg press calves, 4Px12, slow and paused stretch
SQ, warmups then 145x2
depth jumps 2x8
Pretty shitty squat session, but I'm not expecting much right now. Body weight was down to 85.1kg, from 86.3 a week ago. 1kg/week is a little faster than I'd like, and strength losses are not a good idea just yet, so I might have to jack the cals up a bit during the week.
Isaac Wilkins
07-06-2007, 01:48 PM
Despite my rock-like metabolism, I find that I do better if I keep my calories high (for me) and incorporate more movement as opposed to slashing calories as I used to do and relying on just strength training. I actually get stronger as I get leaner. I'm sure this would end at some point but I've dropped 8-10% bodyfat at times while gaining strength the whole way.
Note: In this type of diet iteration I DO include a few days (usually two) of nearly PSMF-style dieting. This is obviously where I drop a lot of fat. I generally have a little more fat in there than a true PSMF (~50g), but otherwise 250-300g of protein and very few carbs.
Despite my rock-like metabolism, I find that I do better if I keep my calories high (for me) and incorporate more movement as opposed to slashing calories as I used to do and relying on just strength training. I actually get stronger as I get leaner. I'm sure this would end at some point but I've dropped 8-10% bodyfat at times while gaining strength the whole way.
Note: In this type of diet iteration I DO include a few days (usually two) of nearly PSMF-style dieting. This is obviously where I drop a lot of fat. I generally have a little more fat in there than a true PSMF (~50g), but otherwise 250-300g of protein and very few carbs.
I experimented w/ a more PSMF like approach last week, was doing like 250-300g protein, 75g carb on training, none on off days, and 50g fat every day.
That shit sucked. Strength was down, felt like crap, recovery was awful, etc.
This week I bumped it back to 100g carbs on training days and about 30-40g on on the off days, also not being so strict w/ my food choices. Added in more cardio activity. Felt a ton better overall.
Friday's always the refeed day, I don't really count carbs just try to get a ton of them while keeping fat moderate, which helps too. It's funny I go into a feeding frenzy on Fridays, eat "bad" foods on Sat/Sun (just low quantities overall) and I'll come in on Monday weighing the same, if not less.
Weight and visible body fat are trending downwards, and with the exception of this squat workout, the weights have been staying pretty stable even increasing a little, so it's cool for now. I'm going to see about getting a little more carb today and tomorrow and see if that helps w/ the strength any.
Today:
Bench, 85 (187) 5x5
Push Press, 55 (121) x5, 60 (132) x5, 65 (143) x5
Dips, x18+6+5
Chest/tricep stretching stuff
Pullups, 4x6
DL, 150 (330) 15 singles
BW was back up to 87kg after the weekend carb-bender.
Today:
Bench, 85 (187) 5x5
Push Press, 55 (121) x5, 60 (132) x5, 65 (143) x5
Dips, x18+6+5
Chest/tricep stretching stuff
Pullups, 4x6
DL, 150 (330) 15 singles
BW was back up to 87kg after the weekend carb-bender.
Nice pulling, 15 singles is alot of singles lol
Not a bad push press either.
Kyle
Blah. Push press is weak. Everything is weak.
Squats - warmed up with 3 sets, then hit 115 (253) for 1x4. This was hard as fuck, and since I was supposed to be doing 5x5 I knew it wasn't happening. So I switched to singles and did 10. This may have to be the staple for the time being, I don't think I can support heavier 5s anymore.
BB Curl, 80lbs x8+5+3
Seated Calves, 60 (132) x10, 70 (154) x8
Alt DB Hammer (LOL) Curls, 40lbs x12+6+4
On the diet front, weight was back down to 85.4kg (just under 188 lbs) after being 87 on Monday from the carb binge, probably explaining some of the squat suckiness. This what quite interesting since I'd had a good 100g of carbs beforehand, which included such awesome clean foods as iced coffee and three cheeseburgers from McDonald's. Cals for today will end up being around 2300, about 200 cals and 50g carbs higher than I'd want normally, but fuck it. Weight loss is on track.
Dieting is gay, but at least I make the most of it.
Went in to do some "cardio" today, but got lured over to the OL platforms since I hadn't done any of that stuff for a bit.
Warmed up w/ the bar for some pulling and OHS stuff, then did my best impersonation of a snatch using some technique cues I've gotten.
Good things - wider stance definitely helps me get lower and into a better overall pulling position. This makes the transition from 1st to 2nd a lot easier.
Bad things - for some reason I'm wanting to catch the bar out in front, and as a result I missed a lot of lifts. I don't know if it's because I'm not following through on teh 2nd pull (likely) or because I'm getting scared about the catch and dropping into a full squat (equally likely).
Basically just did 40, 45 for 3 singles each, then 50 for 2 singles, then 55 for one really goddamn ugly single. I was at about 50% for "passable" catches vs. "almosts" that I had to ditch at the bottom.
Followed that up w/ some Hang SnPulls + Hang Sn (3+1) for four sets at 40.
Then I came home, depressed. Oh, also weight was down to another record low, 84.8kg (186.5 lbs).
This is starting to worry me, which means either a diet break is due soon, or I'll have to switch over to something more recomp-ish sooner than I'd thought. 180 lbs is my absolute limit of how light I'm willing to go.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d175/shannonadams/LOLFACE.png
Suck it Shannon.
Supposed to go lift today. But I feel like a train wreck, so to hell with that. I'm going to rest and enjoy carby goodness.
Went in to do some "cardio" today, but got lured over to the OL platforms since I hadn't done any of that stuff for a bit.
Warmed up w/ the bar for some pulling and OHS stuff, then did my best impersonation of a snatch using some technique cues I've gotten.
Good things - wider stance definitely helps me get lower and into a better overall pulling position. This makes the transition from 1st to 2nd a lot easier.
Bad things - for some reason I'm wanting to catch the bar out in front, and as a result I missed a lot of lifts. I don't know if it's because I'm not following through on teh 2nd pull (likely) or because I'm getting scared about the catch and dropping into a full squat (equally likely).
Basically just did 40, 45 for 3 singles each, then 50 for 2 singles, then 55 for one really goddamn ugly single. I was at about 50% for "passable" catches vs. "almosts" that I had to ditch at the bottom.
Followed that up w/ some Hang SnPulls + Hang Sn (3+1) for four sets at 40.
Then I came home, depressed. Oh, also weight was down to another record low, 84.8kg (186.5 lbs).
This is starting to worry me, which means either a diet break is due soon, or I'll have to switch over to something more recomp-ish sooner than I'd thought. 180 lbs is my absolute limit of how light I'm willing to go.
Take your video camera with you next time you go do the OL stuff.
We should a video coaching thread in the OL forum for people to pick apart form flaws and help people.
Kyle
meh, I'll see. The days I usually end up doing the OL stuff are the days I don't have my camera girl there, but I'll see if I can rig something.
I took off the last few days cause I felt like crap. No motivation to lift and felt burnt out, so I didn't.
Came back in tonight, decided to take a break from the dieting a bit. Nothing serious, just not going to worry about calorie totals and what not. Was back up to 86.8kg (191ish) today as well. Just gonna take it easy and lift how I feel like this week.
Tonight:
Bench, 90 (198) 4 sets of 4
BB Row, 90 4 sets of 4
Shoulder raises, 10 (22) 2x10, rear delts 2x10
DB tricep extensions, 15 (33) x15
DB curls, 15 x12
Lifting N Tx
07-16-2007, 11:58 AM
Matt, I believe that you mentioned getting down to no lower than 180. What dieting goal(s) do you have? Are you targeting a certain body fat %?
I'm a bit curious about the macro totals mentioned early in the journal, too. I don't know how you keep protein really high and carbs unregulated on the refeed day without calories going way high. I have to say, though, that while I've browsed Lyle's forums for a while I know a lot more about training than about dieting. I've been slowly dieting for months and tried a carb refeed one day a week for the last 2 weeks with a goal of getting 250+ carbs over a few hours but it puts me at or above maintenance cals for that day. As I say, not that I know anything about this stuff...
Anyway, good luck in getting to your goals with this.
Matt, I believe that you mentioned getting down to no lower than 180. What dieting goal(s) do you have? Are you targeting a certain body fat %?
I'm not sure exactly.
My grand plan at the moment is to diet to as low as I can tolerate weight-wise, which is 180 right now. After being in the 210-220 range for several years, that's about all my fragile ego can take.
Then I figure I'll start alternating between slow/fat-free mass gains and periods of dieting like this (moderate to slow losses) to avoid losing muscle.
It'll take awhile, but the ultimate goal would be 200-210 at a sub-10% bodyfat. From there, I'll see what I want.
How well I'll stick to this is anyone's guess, mind you.
I'm a bit curious about the macro totals mentioned early in the journal, too. I don't know how you keep protein really high and carbs unregulated on the refeed day without calories going way high. I have to say, though, that while I've browsed Lyle's forums for a while I know a lot more about training than about dieting. I've been slowly dieting for months and tried a carb refeed one day a week for the last 2 weeks with a goal of getting 250+ carbs over a few hours but it puts me at or above maintenance cals for that day. As I say, not that I know anything about this stuff...
Main thing is I just don't care, haha
I bloat up a little over the weekend, but by Wednesday or so I'm back down to where I was Friday or less, so meh. As long as that keeps working I won't sweat over the details.
I'm contemplating switching to a UD2 format in the next week or two, to stave off any muscle mass losses, but I really don't want to. I hate not being able to lift the way I want. Then again, since I'm not exactly setting things on fire right now, I doubt it matters. More a mental hangup than anything.
Went in a bit ago to make up for last night's missed workout.
DL - couple of warmup sets, then 10 singles with 160 (352 lbs, 60s rests, 3-4 minutes after the first 5), followed by 5 singles with 120 (264 lbs, 30s rests)
Single Leg press, 1P 2x10, 2Px10
superset w/ single leg calves, 1P 2x12, 2Px10, 2Px stretched hold
I love DL singles. They make me feel so fast and stuff.
Today -
Bench, 95kg (209 lbs) 6x3
Chinups, BW+20kg 6x3
Dips, x20
BB Curl, 80lbs x10
These fast-heavy workouts always make me feel better after the fact than I did going on.
Andrew Smith
07-19-2007, 08:27 AM
Matt, how long did it take you to get the CSCS? I'm considering working to get mine after I finish this last year of school. I'm majoring in a non science field so the amount of time I'd have to spend preparing would be significant. I'll probably go ahead and get my CPT as soon as I can get some time off of work in order to devote a little time. Just thought it'd be good to get some input from ya. Haven't seen you over at WBB in quite awhile btw.
I'm probably the outlier when it comes to the CSCS, because I did almost zero prep work for it. I really think the most I did was look into the NSCA position on a few things like periodization, plyos, etc. Otherwise I went into it cold.
The test itself was not hard to me. I finished in a hurry, and ended up scoring in the mid 80s on both sections, which I didn't think was terribly bad to walk in off the street. They left space for us to challenge questions if they weren't clear or were retarded of whatever, so I made good use of that :D
Andrew Smith
07-19-2007, 09:28 AM
Haha very nice. You're much more well read on a lot of these subjects. When I looked at the NSCA CPT questions, I felt they were pretty easy. When I looked at the CSCS questions, I felt they were much more difficult. Did you major in a science in school, or is your knowledge on most of these subjects self taught?
I've got a bachelor's in criminology, which was somewhat science-oriented, but most of it is self-taught yeah.
Andrew Smith
07-19-2007, 12:06 PM
Appreciate it Matt. BTW, what the hell are you doing in Aussie Land?
Down here visiting with the gf until October :)
Felt pretty beat up today, DLs Weds + chinups last night did a number on the back, hammies and glutes still felt pretty out of it to so I didn't really feel like any lifting
Went with Di anyway, just did some light isometric/eccentric stretching stuff for a light day
Did two pressing, two pulling movements and a single leg press really light for 60s isometrics, then did some loaded stretches for the pressing and pulling stuff.
Still feel kinda trashed esp in the back region, but loosened up a bit after that.
Andrew Smith
07-20-2007, 10:24 AM
You date an Aussie chick? You're my hero haha.
Kiwi actually (from New Zealand). She's working here at the moment though.
Lifting N Tx
07-21-2007, 04:45 PM
Sounds like you see the potential for a permanent relationship with this girl. If so, wise of you to take the time to spend with her, and cool that you can do so. There's really no substitute for lots of face to face time in these things.
Going back a couple of days...
Today -
Bench, 95kg (209 lbs) 6x3
Chinups, BW+20kg 6x3
Dips, x20
BB Curl, 80lbs x10
These fast-heavy workouts always make me feel better after the fact than I did going on.
I assume that format is sets x reps here...
Are you aiming for a weight that you can do explosively or just get through all the reps? I wasn't sure if the "fast" part meant short rests or rep speed. Probably implied in your WO outline near the first of the journal, but if so I missed it.
Yeah I wouldn't go by any workout outline I posted, I change that shit so much it's ridiculous.
It's rep speed, I'm doing more volume/speed type workouts at the moment, although it's higher %s than you'd figure for normal "speed sets". I want the weight to be heavy, but still light enough I can move it fast.
Tonight:
Bench, 90kg 5 sets of 4
BB row, 90kg 5 sets of 4
Side raises 10kg 2x10, rear raises 10kg 2x10 to get my sizzle on in my shiz-oulders and keep 'em guessing
DB extensions 15kg x15
DB curls 15kg x15
I was all bro'd out after all this bro work bros
Today:
DL, warmups then 165kg (363 lbs) 10 singles
Done with no belt...no suit...no straps...all bro
Farmer's walk, 4x40 feet(ish) 40kg+the handles
Single leg press 1Px10, 2Px10
ss w/ single leg calves 1Px10, 2Px12+stretched hold
Today:
Bench, 95kg (209lb) 7 triples
Chinups, Matt+20kg (~232lb total), 7 triples
Nautilus incline bench, 3 sets pyramiding up, 12-18 reps per set
HS Iso Row, same
pushdowns, some shit 2x10
BB curl 80lbs x10
Nice barbell curls Matj ;)
Kyle
Quiet fatty.
Today:
Bench, 90kg (198lbs) 6x4
BB Row, 90 6x4
DB curl, 20kg (44lbs) 3x5
Db extensions 20kg x overhead stretching
Today:
Box Squats w/ weight releasers, 60kg (132lb) x6, 60+40WR (132+88) 3x1, 100+40WR (220+88) 3x1
DL, warmups then 180kg (396lb) 5x1
Leg Press, 1Px10 single leg, 3Px20 two leg
superset w/ leg press calves, 1Px12 single leg, 3Px20, 4Px12 two leg
p-funk
07-31-2007, 07:40 AM
How do the weight releasers feel? I have never used them before. Are these the ones from elitefts.com?
patrick
cycomiko
07-31-2007, 06:33 PM
probably the ones from www.getstrength.com
Ya, it's those. Same thing though.
They were nice. A little awkward having the weight hanging off the bar like that, which is why I didn't want to put more than 20kg/side, but I'd expected that anyway.
I think I had them set a bit too low, since I kinda had to rock forward GM style once I set on the box to make them unrack.
Being able to only do singles can be a bonus or a drawback depending on how you look at it.
Overall, nice to play with. It was kinda freaky having the heavy descent then poof, the weight on your back is 40kg lighter.
Today:
Bench, 95kg (209lbs) 8x3
Chinups, BW (86.6kg/190.5lbs) 5x5, then 25x1 (max-stim)
Nautlius OHP, 2x10
Nautilus seated row, 2x10
Today:
SQ (high bar OL), 60+40WR (132+88 lbs) 3x1
DL, 180 (396 lbs) 7x1
Seated calves, 40 4x9
Explosive leg press, 1P 2x10, single leg 1Px10
Almost didn't go today as I had one of those not really horrible, but feel like you just didn't sleep good hangovers, but I took some stimulants and hydrated so I was ready to go.
Right knee is still being a motherfucker, and this hurt a lot more than the wider-stance box squats on Tuesday, on the eccentric at least. These were a bit more awkward with the WRs though.
Yesterday:
Bench, 80kg (176lb) 10x3
Dips, 5x6
Tricep pushdowns, 2 sets one handed, 2 sets with the rope
Today:
Box Squats, 100kg (220lb) 5x2
DL, 140kg (308lb) 15x1
Pullups, 2x10
BB Curl, 80x8
ddegroff
08-08-2007, 07:14 PM
I hate working out hungover, so I don't do it anymore. Thats some good work going in anyway, how water and stimulants can work wonders!
Yeah I really try to avoid it myself, but sometimes life happens, and meh, I enjoy that a little more I think.
Today:
Bench, up to 100kg x5
Nautilus OHP, 2x10
Side raises, 2x10
Rear raises, 2x10
Skullcrushers, 2x10
One-arm pushdowns, 1x10
Bench, 80kg 10x3
Low incline db flyes, 3x15
alternate db ohp, 1x6
pushdowns, 2x15
DL, too embarrassing to mention
Leg Press, 4 sets up to 5Px16
Pullups, 1x10, 3x5
Seated Calves, 5x7
BB Curl, 2x5
Heisman
08-14-2007, 10:10 PM
So how's the dieting going? Did it affect the deadlifts?
TheDeliverator
08-15-2007, 12:19 AM
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p64/sentientdevice/lolcat/animated017.gif
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p64/sentientdevice/lolcat/animated017.gif
LMFAO
Kyle
Oh, nice cat laser.
I did SFP yesterday and today I felt like a complete train wreck. I went to the gym, everything felt slow and tight, not to mention that feeling of "impending sickness" that all happen when I know I've pushed a little too hard.
Bench, up to 105kg (231 lbs) x2 <-- the set before this is where the neck/trap fuck up on the right side flared up again, so the workout was downhill from here.
Close grips, 85 (187) x5
One-arm OHP, 22.5 (49.5) 1/2/3x3
Oh, nice cat laser.
I did SFP yesterday and today I felt like a complete train wreck. I went to the gym, everything felt slow and tight, not to mention that feeling of "impending sickness" that all happen when I know I've pushed a little too hard.
Bench, up to 105kg (231 lbs) x2 <-- the set before this is where the neck/trap fuck up on the right side flared up again, so the workout was downhill from here.
Close grips, 85 (187) x5
One-arm OHP, 22.5 (49.5) 1/2/3x3
That sucks bad.
U sure do have some pain issues eh?
Kyle
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