The Final Push - Diet Evaluation.

[BennyC]

Right my last 3(almost) weeks of my cut and it's time for an all out effort to really melt as much fat off me as possible. I've been going since January for those that haven't been following when I finished my bulk at 90KGs/198lbs.

I've got a bodyfat reading of 15.9% @ 84KGs/185.2 lbs today. This gives me a LBM of 70.6KG/155.8lbs which makes my MBR = 1895 calories per day.

(370 + (21.6 x LBM in KG) = MBR.)

Every other day is now:

20 Minutes HIIT on the rower + 2 7 phase barbell complexes + 6-8 minutes of circuits ( 30 seconds skipping, 30 seconds mountain climbers, 30 seconds high knees on the spot jogging, 30 seconds alternate toe touchers/jumping jacks, 30 seconds rest x 4.)

I'm going to add in 20-30 minutes extra cardio on the cross trainer on my Resistance days which is currently a rolling full body push/pull. So 10-15 minutes before and after as a warm up/cool down but also to see 250-300 calories extra gone.

The most important part 'The Diet':

Breakfast:

3 x Large Free Range Eggs - 300
100mls SS milk - 50
salt, pepper, ketchup - 40?
2 x tsp Olive Oil - 80
1 x tsp butter - 40
1 x Apple - 100

Approx 610 cals

The apple may well be shifted to between lunch to have as a snack.

Lunch:

The following is divided into 7 Portions to last the week:

2 Whole Cooked Chickens
3 Cans of Tuna
400grams of Turkey Breast
1 x Can of Salmon
2 x 'Curly' Lettuce
200 - 300 Grams of Spinach Leaves
1 x Bunch of Celery
3-4 x Grated Carrots
1 X Whole Cucumber
1 x Red Pepper
1 X Yellow Pepper
1 X Green Pepper
2 x Avocado's
+ 2 Tomatos each portion

It works out at around 500 grams per portion possibly a little less.

This portion will now likely be consumed in two stages due to lack of food volume! So half and then 90-120 minutes later the other half

Dinner

Always 250 grams of mixed veg - 250
Ketchup - 50

With:
2 Chicken Breasts - 300
100 grams Mackerel - 250
100 grams Salmon - 160
250 grams Mined Beef - 440
250 grams Minced Turkey - 250

Meal varying between 450-750 calories

Post WO & Pre Bed Shakes
Post WO:
25 grams whey + tsp cinamon + 20 grams oats- 200
Pre Bed:
25 grams Pharma Blend 6-8Hr - 100

300 calories total.

Depending on my evening meal for the day I could add in 25 grams of whey as a pre workout or a snack.

Snacks
Humous & Celery/ Carrot sticks - ?
Mixed Nuts - Not if I can help it! **** loads of calories!
Canned Mackerel fillets - 250
Tangerines/Satsuma's - ?

Total: 1860-2160 per day dependant upon evening meal, without snacks. Most days I am now in the workshops on my feet all day. Including a 15 minute walk there, mostly uphill.

I intend to fill up on Tea too. As I find warm drinks tend to make me feel quite full. Usually 1 heaped teaspone of sugar which is something like 15 calories.

Thoughts, comments, suggestion & calorie corrections welcome!

 

[BennyC]

I'll do a serious reply later, but my breakfast is currently close to 1k cals!

Grrrr I could happily eat 5k cals a day!

 

[BennyC]

Personally I'd ditch the oats in the pre-bed shake. Carbs aren't needed before sleep surely.

I'd ditch the apple as well, no value in it. (fruit sugar...carb)

There aren't any oats in my pre-bed shake

Care to recommend something suitable as a replacement for the apple? I don't really want to be going 4 hours or so without eating, I want to keep my metabolism nice and high.

Not very helpful, but something you might want to consider: supermarkets do bags of cheap pollock/fish for about £3. If you're eating little and often, it might come in handy as an extra especially considering that you're a student.

I know some bodybuilder ate a lot of this cheap fish and rice-cakes prior to competition to cut down on his bodyfat.

Thanks for that, I'll see what I can find next week

Unable to train this and next weekend as its my Advanced Instructors course however I may well be used as a model for certain CV & Resistance methods. Might be able to sneak in some cardio at the end of the day if I have time.

Edit: At the weekends I can snack on mixed veg that's not a problem as I can get a reasonable volume yet be sub 200 calories. When I'm in the workshops I don't have much choice really. All we have up there is a kettle & a microwave.

Actually just thought, don't know why I forgot about that, I can take some soup with me and nuke it.

 

[BennyC]

Thanks for the replies chaps.

I do have some nuts but they're just really high in calories and when I'm trying to stay within a set amount they'll bump me right over!
The pre bed Phd Pharma Blend is an awesome mix of slow digesting stuffs.

Today's been pritty good. I've been Level 3 training all day today and haven't had any uncontrolable hunger or even felt that hungry really!

Now I'm busy it's not a problem. Boredom & hunger go hand in hand however!

Thanks for the tips on the sauce. I think ketchup is similar and I've got a massive bottle of it. I'll just try to use as little as possible/bare minimum. My estimates are just guess work for calories for ketchup.

Certain numbers are probaly/over under so I have a bit of tolerance to play with.

 

[BennyC]

Been having a re-think for my diet. Whilst I'm happy with the initial structure my lunch meal seems to be a bit calorie heavy I've found.

I have an issue where I need to feel like I've eaten lots in order to feel full. My answer for this is...

To go crazy on spinach leaves. A £1 300 gram bag which is pritty big, provides 25 calories per 100grams. So there's plenty of volume and hardly any calories. I'm thinking half a bag per day gives me, call it, 40 calories. If I say I want to take in 400 calories at lunch this leaves me room for either some canned makerel fillets/ 1 or 2 cans of tuna/ handfull of cooked chicken/turkey and then a small portion of pepper/celery/carrots/cress etc.

I just think that my lunch meal is probaly a bit big and might be able to cut some calories out. Alternatively I could just tripple scoop some whey with SS milk

Ketchup will be dropped appart from with breakfast. The olive oil & butter will also go too.

Don't get me wrong what I've posted up is a good clean diet a template I'll deffinatley use for when I begin my bulk but I want to try and cut out as many unnecesary calories as possible. Olive oil & butter don't really make much difference in regards to filling me up (they do for balancing fat macro's) but its roughly 100 extra calories I could drop.

 

[BennyC]

Diet is good imo. Just get the green tea down you

You staying off the booze completely for this final push?

I've been off the booze since January Only been out once this semester!

Not because of being 'hardcore & devoted' to this, which I am, but because I've not really felt like going out and socialising. If I'm honnest I've enjoyed Uni but am quite looking foward to going home and starting my life. The fact I spend a lot of money on food doesn't help

 

[BennyC]

Just drew this up now. This is a 'theoretical' plan. Something I may or may not do but obviously would like opinions.

I lost 2.5lbs last week so something is working so my diet may not need changing. So we'll see how the next week goes. The last 5-6 days before heading home I might do this as a final charge.

I'm not sure on the macro's, obviously low carb, but could probaly do with some more fats. I could loose 100calories if I halved the pre-bed shake and replace these with some from milk. I could also drop some olive oil & butter into the scrambled eggs.

I just wanted to see what would need to be done if I wanted to get calories even lower.

Obviously no snacks on this plan, if I did it'd probaly be more spinach leaves carrot/celery sticks, apple, tomato etc

Apples & Tomato's would probaly find their way in anyhow.

 

[BennyC]

Are you sure you need to cut your calories down so much? Did you calculate your RMR (no activity) vs your BMR (including activity)? Just be careful you don't get to a stage where you're starving your body.

Yeah this is what I want to be careful of going 'too' low and being counter productive.

The revised plan would allow me room for a few snacks through out the day but yet still maintain 1900cals or under (which is what my BMR came out as).

Though just now I've weighed in at 83.1KG from Saturday @ 84.5KG. I don't want to loose it too quickley.

I'm aiming for 82KG with 15% or less BF, currently 13.08 stone with a target weight of 12.9. Stone we shall see!

 

[BennyC]

Gonna be getting into proper pre contest style cutting soon mate with such low cals

Oooo errr.

For the last week I'll do this. Not only to maximise fat loss but because I'm heading home halfway through the week and works out cheaper/means I won't be having to throw out so much food (or eating it all).

I'll probaly make calories upto 1800 on days when it's below with snacks as like we've said I don't want to go into starve mode.

 

[BennyC]

Are you going to do any re feeds at all? Might be beneficial if you wanted it.

Could add some low sugar fruit in like strawberries.

Also could get some casein for before bed, I find it keeps you fuller for longer, could use it in the day as well as night.

http://www.phd-supplements.com/store/p/39/1/blend.html

That's what's in my pre bed shake so it's a good mix.

I've found spreading my lunch meal and eating 2/3rds and then the last 3rd 2 hours later works quite well. As I can eat a sufficient enough to keep hunger at bay and then top it off again a few hours later.

Currently having an apple as a snack and a tangerine. Tiny bit of humous and a few celery sticks.

I've been on my feet all day today. Up at 7. Walk to the workshops 15minutes fast pace, then milling & working wood (some vigorous hand sanding). Then some HIIT, Complexes & Circuits just now.

Feeling pritty worn out! Though the last 2 days I have trained 2-3 times a day as it was my Level 3 advanced resistance methods. So they were short but frequent sessions. Quite intense methods too. I think most of it is also a psychological battle, once I'm busy I'm fine.

Yeah I'll probaly do a biiiiig carb on on friday as I've not really had one. Just tossed in 100grams of couscous with dinner every now and then and then had some nutella in pitta's/strawberries covered in nutella as a treat

Just pack on more muscle, it'll necessarily lower your body fate (providing your BF doesn't increase at the same time though! )

That's the plan The next cut should be even easier. Whilst I've been cutting since January it's only been the last 4 weeks since I cleaned up my diet and went really low carb (for me). Dropping 2.5KG in the last 2 and a bit weeks. With a gradual comedown 90KG to 85.7KG from Jan to end of Feb.

Quite excited now I have some decent knowledge as to how my body responds to certain nutrition/methods/macro's.

Going to break the 83KG barrier tomorrow!

 

[BennyC]

You should journal this

And so I shall It begins:

20 Minutes HIIT on the rower. Peaking 1:28/500m, recovery 2:40/3:00/500m.
First 5 minutes 20:40, then 2 x 30:30 followed by 3 x 20:40 twice. Then I did 20:40 until the last 2 minutes where I wen't 20:10 x 4

2 Barbell Complexes @ 20KG x 10 reps. No specific order just changed it each time. Squats, SLDL, BB Curl, Hang Clean, Military Press, Barbell Press ups, B.O.R's.

Circuits:
30 seconds skipping, 30 seconds mountain climbers, 30 seconds high knees, 30 seconds alternate toe touches/Jumping Jacks x 4. 30 seconds rest inbetween. Last 2 sets 4th phase was JJ's.

Spent. Feeling quite tired as I've had a busy day. Think it's effecting my brain as I keep putting things back in the wrong place like milk in the cupboard and mixed veg in a draw Think I'm re-entering ketosis too as I'm farting lots and they really smell!

Push Split tomorrow. Will update my evening/morning weight tomorrow. I've logged the last 4 weeks AM/PM if people want to see them.

 

[BennyC]

Good man, will follow with interest

I've got a journal over on ESN 'Bennys Big Three', though am loosing interest in it but is a good place to record your progress and look back on. Lots of usefull knowledge on that board.

 

[BennyC]

Yeh ESN is a good board but I've hardly posted at all. Skim through it daily though as its a very good source of information as you say.

I feel somewhat 'small' in terms of knowledge on that board so I do like you and just skim and generally lurk in the shadows.

 

[BennyC]

PM weight: 85.1KG
AM weight: 82.7KG

Quite a lot of 1's and a 2

 

[BennyC]

Todays exercise:

Walk to workshops via town. @ 8:30. Spent till 2 in the workshops. Gym at 4.

I decided to crack open the tub of V-max under my bed as I felt the need for it today, something to get me through my workout seeing as I haven't properly carb re-fed for a while. Didn't get much of a pump seeing as I'm working a fullbody push/pull split but deffinatley helped me through. Think this might also be due to glycogen depletion. Or the fact it's sort of been open for quite some time, don't ask.

Tomorrow as I've got a group meeting I'll bang 200 grams of couscous in with lunch and then have 200grams of pasta for dinner.

Push Split:

10 minute X-trainer, manual, level 14.
Flat Bench
Back Squats
Seated Military Press
Incline DB Press
Leg extensions
High incline DB shoulder press
GCBP
Dips
Lying tricep extenions
Cable Push downs.

10 Minutes 2km run @ 2% incline. 5 minutes 11kph, 1 minute 12kph, 1minute 13kph, 2 minutes 30s 14kph, 30s 16kph.

Don't know why I went for a run, guess the x-trainer looked a bit boring!

All 3 x 10 or as much or stopping short if I fatigued. Tried partialing today so just the first half of the rep until the triceps begin to kick in, am also adopting a suicide grip as I seem to find it working the anterior delt more.

Contemplating popping up a snap I took this morning that I'm quite happy with

 

[BennyC]

It's in the Gymratz thread somewhere. That's the push split. Basically just compounds in the order, chest, legs, shoulders, chest, legs, shoulders, tricep isolations. Legs being quad dominant exercises.

Pullsplit is something like:

Deadlifts/SLDL
Pullups
Raises
B.O.R's
Flyes
Facepulls (going to try so upright rows)
Shrugs
Pullups
Bicep Isolation.

Quite simple and nice and quick. Done with a days cardio inbetween.

 

[BennyC]

PM weight: 84.2KG
AM weight: 81.9KG

Expecting to be back into mid 82's tomorrow as I'm going to refeed around 2-300grams of carbs today.

Found it difficult to sleep last night as I was excited to see if I'd break into the 81's this morning!

 

[BennyC]

20 Minutes HIIT, 2 BB complexes, Circuits & some DB windmills today.

Went a bit carb crazy today, 200grams of couscous, 200grams of mixed veg, wholemeal bread, nutella and also a protein flapjack which I probaly didn't need to eat but fancied it!

Next carb re-load won't be that heavy. Probaly half that minus the nutella & bread and the flapjack!

 

[BennyC]

PM weight: 85.5KG
AM weight: 83.2KG

Not suprising after an indulgent reload!

Be back into the 82's tomorrow hopefully!

 

[BennyC]

Good session today. Pull split. Started using some pyramids.

Pyramided DL's from 150KG x 8 upto 180KG x 2
B.O.R's from 70KG x 10 upto 90KG x 5
Tri-Set of raises for Delts.
DB Curl *shudders* from 16KG x 10/10 upto 22.5KG x 4/4

All in all felt good and strong. I'm dead excited about bulking again!

Some sneaky preview shots. Nice and small so as not to give too much away Ab deffinition isn't usually this high some good lighting and looking fuller from my carb reload.

2 weeks and there'll be some fullsize shots in the same lighting/place as my x-mas photo's. I'll put them side by side for comparison.