Post Velocity Diet - 3 weeks

It is three weeks now since I completed the diet! Here are my current composition stats:

Weight: 187
Waist: 34"
Neck: 15.50
Bicep: 14.25
Body fat: 15% (Navy Tables)

I am up two pounds (rounding up) from last week; my waist measurement is the same and my bicep is bigger. I feel good and happy to be adding ,what seems to be, lean mass.

I continue to use the thermogenics but I will quit when this last bottle is empty.

I am doing a fair job keeping Berardi's 7 habits although I seriously slipped up this past weekend. I blame great friends, excellent wine and good cheese. Not my fault!

My training for the upcoming TSC is going well and this post-diet goal seems an excellent compliment to the diet itself. I think that stepping up the training level encourages the body to put the extra calories to good use. Just speculating.

Post Velocity Diet - 2 weeks

It is two weeks now since I completed the diet! Here are my current composition stats:

Weight: 185
Waist: 34"
Neck: 15.50
Bicep: 13.75
Body fat: 21.9% (bathroom scale)
Body fat: 15% (Navy Tables)

So the numbers have not really changed since last week. This is great because I continue to eat about 2700 calories a day and it feels like a LOT! This is solid evidence that my metabolism did not tank over the course of the diet. I am certain the quality calories, lots of protein and frequent eating are helping to maintain and boost my metabolism.

I must have become addicted to the morning weight-vest walks (39lbs) during the diet. I still get in about two miles a day and really look forward to starting my day this way.

I have decided to train for the upcoming Tactical Strength Challenge in March. I have just a few weeks but it seems like a good idea to set some sort of physical goal after completing the diet and the TSC is perfect for this. I have baseline numbers from last year and hope to see improvement.

Post Velocity Diet - 1 week

Its been one week since I completed the diet! Here are my current composition stats:

Weight: 184.5
Waist: 34"
Neck: 15.50
Bicep: 13.75
Body fat: 21.9% (bathroom scale)
Body fat: 15% (Navy Tables)

In the past week I have gained a couple of pounds and 1/2 inch on my waste. I actually thought I would gain more than this since I assumed that I had lost several pounds of water given the low salt and carbohydrate content of the diet.

I have probably transitioned back to my maintenance level of calories (~2700/day) too quickly but the composition of my diet is much better than it was. The biggest changes are those recommended by Berardi:

5-8 meals a day, veggies/fruit with each meal , at least 200g protein, etc.

This seems to be working for me so I'll continue and keep monitoring. I just ordered a pair of calipers since there seems to be consensus that this is the most accurate mechanism short of paying for a submersion test.

Velocity Diet - Last Day!!

I have completed this 28 day diet! Here are my ending composition stats:

Weight: 182
Waist: 33.5"
Neck: 15.50
Bicep: 13.75
Body fat: 21.2% (bathroom scale)
Body fat: 14% (Navy Tables)

I lost 13 pounds and 2.5 inches off my waist. I reduced my body fat percentage by 3-4 points so I probably lost about 8 pounds of fat; the rest of the weight being water. I lost very little if any lean mass based on my stable bicep and neck measurements and the fact that I actually got stronger over the course of the diet.

I really could not be happier with the results. My goal was to lose fat and spare lean mass; something I have had a very hard time doing in the past. This diet did deliver on its promise.

But, the V-Diet is tougher than I thought it was going to be. I would certainly do it again if I had to but I hope that, with proper planning and better habits, I never do. Many have reported no hunger whatsoever while on this diet but I was hungry; real hungry; a lot! I also got pretty grumpy.

So, going forward, here is my eating plan based on John Berardi's "7 healthy habits":

• I'll eat clean and 5-8 times a day
• Each meal will include complete protein (minimum of 200 grams a day)
  
• Vegetables and/or fruit are the primary source of carbs and included with each meal
  
• 25%-35% of calorie intake will be from good fats

Since you cannot manage what you do not measure, I will make assessments/measurements periodically and adjust my plan accordingly. I'll report back whether I continue to make progress or tragically slide backwards. :-)

Velocity Diet - Day 25

I am nearing the end of this diet and starting to think about what's next in terms of an eating plan. I have been doing a lot of reading and I have decided to apply the diet and nutrition concepts of Dr. John Berardi. Dr. Berardi has a strong following among strength athletes and he backs up all of his views with science.

I will ease off of this diet and and into regular meals while trying to establish his "seven habits" which are:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.
2. Eat complete, lean protein with each meal.
3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.
4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.
5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).
6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.
7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).

So, nothing groundbreaking here. It seems pretty straightforward and a good place to start. Once I have settled into this I will think about applying more of his concepts. He believes that it is pretty much a waste of time to worry about any other aspects of diet until these rules are followed 90% of the time. He also suggests many can attain their health, fitness and strength goals by following these guidelines alone.

Three days to go! I had an extra solid meal over the weekend and another few days of shakes should be a piece of cake.

Velocity Diet - Day 22

Nurse Sandy is holding a realistic model of five pounds of human fat! More on this later.

I completed the third week!

Here are my updated composition stats:

Weight: 184
Waist: 34.25"
Neck: 15.50
Bicep: 13.50
Body fat: 21.7% (bathroom scale)
Body fat: 16% (Navy Tables)

I lost another two pounds but the body-fat measurements are less than encouraging. The bathroom scale says I am down another 1/2% but the Navy tables put me a full point higher than last week. Based on this, fat loss has slowed down or stopped although this might be attributed to measurement error. I am hoping that my metabolism has not tanked.

On a positive note, I hit a personal best in one of my lifts this week. This is pretty surprising being three weeks into a calorie-restricted diet. I was able to press a 32kg kettlebell for five reps with each arm and do this three times. My previous best was three sets of three.

Another positive note. I am down 11 pounds now and I can safely assume that at least 5 of it is pure fat. My doctor keeps a model in his office of five pounds of human fat. It is a great visual and shocking really. He was nice enough to let me drop by and snap a shot of it.

This week was full of ups and downs. As I reported previously, I bonked while skiing over the weekend. I have been sleeping well but yesterday I broke out into a cold sweat around dinner time and felt pretty nauseous. This is the second time this has happened over the three week period and it is no fun. I am sure that some would call this a cleansing reaction or healing crisis; I have no idea really.

Just 7 days left! Lets see, thats about 38 shakes, 28 tables spoons of flax seed, 42 fish oil capsules, 28 tablespoons of almond butter ...

Velocity Diet - Day 18

Well, I learned another big lesson over the weekend. Extended, intense activity is impossible for me with amount of carbohydrates allowed for in this diet. In fact, it really hurts.

I went skiing this weekend with my wife and son. On Saturday, my wife and I skied hard for a couple of hours an I just bonked. I dragged myself back to the room and had a piece of toast but it was too late and I felt like crap for the next 24 hours. I guess that I just did not see this coming since my lifting has been going so well. But, now it seems obvious. My workouts are brief, intense and accompanied by a big serving of carbs in the form of a shake (Biotest Surge). I am sure I could have avoided this with a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast before skiing.

I would caution others on this diet to modify their caloric and carbohydrate intake to account for any significant increase in activity.