My Diet
Currently, my new diet started with Atkins Induction (2 weeks of depleting carbohydrates). Due to my high intensity workouts, this didn't feel 100% awesome lol. So I would screw up. After screwing up, I looked up what to do after a "carb binge" which opened up a research project into the science of staying in a "fat burning zone."While doing so I discovered "carb cycling." So as of right now I have a planned cheat day and intake moderate carbohydrates at specific times and in specific combinations to enhance fat burning. And it appears to be working and I feel better on workout days. The drawback is not having the same side effects as Atkins such as reduced cravings. This is still a work in progress but here is a breakdown of the changes I've made so far are.
Water - 1 ounce for each pound of lean body mass. For me that is about 130 ounces. I switched from bottled water to filtered tap water whenever possible.
Calories - I aim for 1300-1500 calories a day. I track my calories rounding up or down, not exactly. Although I do plan on becoming more precise as I tweak what works for me.
Protein - I aim for 130 grams of protein per day, 1 gram for each pound of lean body mass. That's 520 calories from protein sources of my 1300-1500 total calories allowed, and about 30-40% of my planned total daily caloric intake. I'm not uptight about it though.
Carbohydrates - For low to moderate activity days, I aim for 20 grams of NET carbohydrates (total carbs MINUS fiber grams and sugar alcohol grams) with half coming from high fiber, low starch, raw vegetables and the other half from cheese, eggs and other sources. However, sometimes I go over. When I go over, I firmly avoid going over 65 grams of NET carbohydrates in a day. Then every other high activity day I load carbohydrates before and after I work out. On days I intentionally eat more carbohydrates, I still try to be reasonable taking in only an extra 20 grams before working out and an extra 20-30 grams afterward. So on higher carb days I still try to not exceed 130 NET grams (1 gram for each pound of lean mass). On "cheat days" I eat WHATEVER (sometimes hundreds of active carbs).
Fats - The rest of my calories I take fats. I get those fats from eating peanut butter or taking doses of coconut oil (usually in my coffee.)
Fiber & Sugar Alcohol - Apparently (and thankfully) my body sort of ignores sugar alcohols. So I liberally use alternative sweeteners in supplements etc. I use low carb whey for instance (artificially sweetened) vs. unsweetened. I also use stevia (raw, organic, Trader Joes) and Xylotiol (sp?) and sometimes "Splenda with Fiber" packets. As for fiber, I try to eat mostly very high fiber sources of food where half of the carbohydrates come from fiber (or more). Although I admit, I make exceptions. I also use Benefiber.
Except for on CHEAT DAYS/MEALS... or emergency post high intensity loading, the following apply:
NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
NO WHEAT AT ALL
LOW GLUTEN
NO JUICES (not even vegetable)
LOW FRUITS
LOW 'sweet' vegetables
LOW 'sweet' anything
NO Rice, Noodles, Potato or other 'starchy' foods
NO PROCESSED FOODS (except very specific supplements)
NO PRESERVATIVES
LOW COOKING (except meats)
RAW FOOD
LOW GMO, mostly organic
MOSTLY CLEAN/PALEO
NO COW 'milk'
NO SUGAR: inc. CAKES, BREADS, CRACKERS, COOKIES, CANDY, SODA, etc.
ABSOLUTELY NO CORN or CORN PRODUCTS
Low SOY
My diet is mostly:
MEATS, FISH, EGGS, POULTRY, TOFU, CHEESES, CREAMS, NUTS, SEEDS, RAW VEGETABLES and similar
Some techniques employed are:
*** 3 Day, 14 Hour Fast - Stop eating at 9 p.m. except water and ice. Skip morning meals and eat at 1 p.m. Eat all calories within the 10 hour remaining window. Stop eating at 9 p.m. Continue for 3 cycles. I mainly do this after my "time of month."
*** 3 Day, Post Binge, Carb Depleting - Eating less than 20g of carbohydrates per 24 hours, mostly from cruciferrous vegetables. No calories can come from starches or alcohol. Double water intake. Do this for 3 days. I usually do this after my cheat day or after a screw up.
*** Cheat Day - 24 hours where anything may be eaten so long as total daily caloric intake is equal to or less than the daily caloric requirementof 1300-1500 calories. This can be cake, pizza, whatever. Still try not to have more than 50 grams of carbs at a sitting though.
*** Pre-Intensity Load - 100~ calorie snack that has a little protein, typically including 15-25g carbohydrates. For me this is usually 1/2 cup skim milk OR 1/2 scoop whey with a "juice shot"...
*** Post-Intensity Food Window - The four hours following at least 30 minutes of intense exercise is the safe zone for eating carbohydrates. So I try to eat 10 grams non-fat protein within 1 hour (half scoop whey or few tbsp cottage cheese). Then after the first 90 minutes post workout, eat non-fat protien & carb meal.
In addition, I use supplements such as whey isolate, vitamins & minerals and various herbs and things which I'll blog about.
Exercise
High Intensity Intervals - Do any activity at full intensity for 1 minute, reduce to half intensity for 1 minute, reduce to low intensity for 1 minute, increase to half intensity for one minute. Repeat 4 minute cycle 3 or more times. I generally do this sparring, walking, jogging/running and dancing. I try to do 1 session a day of at least 12 minutes.Weight Training - I aim to go to the gym for 5 hours a week, doing 1 body region per work out for 1 hour.
Walking - I walk a lot, at least 2-5 miles 3-5 days per week.
Please note: I'm actively tweaking my regimen and being my own lab-rat. This could all change and probably will. Follow this blog for progress and updates. So far my plan has yielded me an average 2.5 lb loss per week and I feel great.
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