My Best Body Plan

New Routine + Re-Induction (2 Weeks)

2013-08-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Starting tomorrow 8/9/2013, I'm going back in for another 2 weeks of Ketosis Induction + I'm going to try a new routine. I'm starting off at 140 lbs (today- 8/8/2013). Not sure if it will help but we'll see. So far my methods have steadily resulted in average of upwards 2 lb loss per week.

Note: Don't copy my food intake unless you're doing the same exercise routine. My diet assumes I'm burning 1000 calories a day by exercising and walking (about 3-5 miles a day) in addition to my normal activities.

Daily Food Allowance

Up to 2000 calories, Up to 30g Net Carbs

5 cups raw green leafy vegetables
1 cup of colored raw vegetables
2 cups cooked vegetables
9-15 ounces lean tofu, meat, poultry or fish
up to 1/4 cup flax seed meal
up to 1/8 cup oils (butter, coconut & olive)
1 Snack Bar (if needed) [3g net carb or less]
up to 3 ounces of hard cheese (0 carb)
1 ounce kefir
up to 6 egg whites and 3 yokes
4 cups of (green) tea or black coffee
up to 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
unlimited raw celery
unlimited sugar free gelatin
up to 1 tbsp zero cal dip/dressing or topping
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon each of turmeric, garlic, chilli, parsley, ginger, cinnamon, ginseng
other spices and herbs as desired
64 ounces of water

Post workout: 1 serving unsweetened whey isolate + 1/4 cup passion fruit juice

Water Infusion: white tea, blackberry, cucumber, apple skin, mint

EXAMPLE
3 cups Red or Romaine Lettuce 1.8 nc, 24 cals
2 cups Spinach .8 nc, 14 cals
1 cup Cucumber 1.8 nc, 15 cals
1 cup Cauliflower 2.9 nc, 27 cals
1/2 cup Red/Orange/Yellow Bell Peppers 2 nc, 12 cals
1/2 cup Zucchini 1.2 nc, 10 cals
2 cups Celery 2.8 nc, 32
8 ounces baked chicken breast 0 nc, 280 cals
4 ounces broiled white fish 0 nc, 145 cals
3 ounces grilled steak 0 nc, 159 cals
1/8 cup olive oil 0 nc, 210 cals
1/4 cup flax seed meal 1 nc, 140 cals
3 ounce sharp cheddar 1.5 nc, 150 cals
1 ounce kefir 1 nc, 35 cals
6 egg whites 1.5 nc, 102 cals
3 egg yolks 1.5 nc, 165 cals
4 cups green tea 0 nc, 20 cals
1/4 cup heavy cream 0 nc, 200 cals
1 serving box gelatin, 0 nc, 8 cals
dressing 0 nc, 0 cals
condiments, 0 nc, 20 cals
TOTAL = 19.8 Net Carbs, 1768 cals
+
1 scoop Whey 2 nc, 150 cals
1/4 cup passion fruit juice 18 nc 8.2 nc, 31 cals
POST WORKOUT 10.2 NET CARBS, 181 cals

TOTALS 30 Net Carbs, 1949 cals

Workout Schedule

Friday 8/9 - Lower Body + Insanity
Saturday 8/10 - Upper Body + Insanity
Sunday 8/11 - REST + 300 calorie CHEAT MEAL!!! (Rice Pudding!) [beach, swimming?]
Monday 8/12 - Legs + Intervals + Cardio
Tuesday 8/13 - Arms/Back/Chest
Wednesday 8/14 - Abs + Ripped
Thursday 8/15 - Legs + Intervals + Cardio
Friday 8/16 - Arms/Back/Chest
Saturday 8/17- Abs + Yoga
Sunday 8/18 - REST + 1000 calorie CHEAT MEAL!!! (PIZZA!) [beach, swimming?]
Monday 8/9 - Legs + Intervals + Cardio
Tuesday 8/20 - Arms/Back/Chest
Wednesday 8/21 - Abs + Ripped
Thursday 8/22 - Legs + Intervals + Cardio

45 Minute Advanced Interval Post-Lifting FASTED Cardio Routine (Elliptical)

2013-08-08T22:54:00.002-04:00

The objective of this routine is to trigger the release of catecholamines which are 'fight or flight' hormones released from the adrenal glands. These hormones convert to other hormones (dopamine, noepinephrine and epinephrin) which stimulate your aft cells to release fatty acids into the bloodstream where the
*** 30 Minute Paced Moderate Intensity Elliptical Cardio (below) can burn those fatty acids instead of recycling them.

This is best performed in a fasted state (at least 6 hours, 8+ is even better...such as first thing in the morning before breakfast but AFTER your typical 30-90 minute weight training session)....*whew*

When doing a long workout like weights + long cardio, it's been discovered that taking a 20 minute break every 45-60 minutes actually benefits a workout. Just no snacking until 30-60 minutes after you're done with your entire routine.

1. Weight Training

2. Intervals + Cardio

5 Minute Warm Up Paced Moderate Intensity
--
30 Seconds Low Intensity
30 Seconds High Intensity
--
30 Seconds Low Intensity
30 Seconds High Intensity
--
30 Seconds Low Intensity
30 Seconds High Intensity
--
30 Seconds Low Intensity
30 Seconds High Intensity
-
5 Minute Very Low Intensity
-
*** 30 Minute Paced Moderate Intensity

Note to corset wearers: lace within 10 minutes of returning to your normal heart rate. re-esterfication (re-storing left over fatty acids in the blood stream) begins shortly after your heart rate returns to normal.

Burn 1000 Calories FAST At Home In Under an Hour!

2013-08-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

To lose 1 pound you have to burn 3500 calories.

This routine assumes you weigh 150lbs and are over 25 years old in moderately good shape. Actual calories burned will depend on your weight, conditioning and intensity of your workout. This workout should take about 12-15 minutes if you glide from one exercise into another. You have to do this workout FOUR times. You can do it back to back or you can break it up through your day such as: Upon Waking before Breakfast, Before Lunch, Before Dinner and an hour Before Bed. :) Don't forget to breath correctly, use good form and try to squeeze during muscle contractions.

You'll really get burning if you do some of this routine holding small (2-5lb) dumbells. Don't do this routine with heavy ankle weights (protect your knees) and wear good sneakers ;)

:)

50 Jumping Jacks, fast as possible
50 Front Punches (alternating sides), paced (about 2 punches per second... 1 mississippi 2 mississippi )
25 Jump Squats, slower and GO DEEP
-- 12 second rest if needed --
25 Sidekicks left leg, paced, squeeze at top of kick
25 Sidekicks right leg, paced, squeeze at top of kick
25 Jump Lunges (alternating sides), slower and GO DEEP
25 Front Kicks left leg, fierce and fast (like your kicking the crap out of a sandbag!)
25 Front Kicks right leg, fierce and fast (like your kicking the crap out of a sandbag!)
-- 12 second rest if needed --
50 Jumping Jacks, fast!
25 Squats, slowwwwwwwwww and GO DEEP
25 Burpees, FAST AS POSSIBLE
25 Pushups, slow and squeeze upon contractions
-- 12 second rest if needed --
25 Second Plank
25 Mountain Climbers, fast
25 Second Plank
25 Second Superman (floor)
1 Minute Walk in place
1 Minute Jog in place
1 Minute High Knee Lifts, fast!
1 Minute Jog in place, slow breathing pace
1 Minute Walk in place, breath deeply, cooling down
Stretch Out

Increase Strength and Your Muscle's Contractile Capacity

2013-08-07T12:07:00.002-04:00

Athletes use more muscle than the average person because they've conditioned their muscles to do more. So here's a tip I learned to get more from my workout without adding weight or doing more reps/sets. SQUEEZE. Yup, when working out a muscle group, squeeze it. And yes that means when working the butt, squeeze your butt cheeks together HAHA. Here is precisely how:

Whenever you do an exercise where you push like leg presses, push ups, shoulder presses, squats, tricep pushdowns, etc. HOLD the position at the TOP and BOTTOM of the movement for a few seconds (but especially the bottom!) and squeeze the muscle you're working. And whenever you do an exercise where you pull like pullups rowing, leg curls, bicep curls, shrugs, etc. hold the postion at the top of the movement for a few seconds. That's it. This one little change in your workout can help increase your strength over 20%!

Am I On The Atkins Diet? Yes and No...

2013-08-07T10:55:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine who's impressed with my progress asked me where she should start to get on track with her weight management. My initial thought was to suggest Atkins, since I use its philosophy as a base for my current regimen. But the truth is, I've been studying longevity management since I was young, when my father had his first heart attack. And I've had a lot of failures and done a lot of damage to myself - even on so called healthy diets like being totally vegan: in an effort to learn how to avoid his fate AND in effort to learn about reversing his condition. Everyone claims to be an authority on the subject of fitness but guess what, nobody yet has avoided dying. So with that said, my PERSONAL philosophy is BALANCE. And to achieve balance, knowledge (about what I'm balancing) is key.

For instance, if I have too much sodium in my diet I can either (a) reduce sodium OR (b) increase potassium and other nutrients OR (c) do both. If too sedentary, get up. If overworked, sit down. It's pretty simple. But knowing how to properly identify imbalances is a HUGE LIFELONG effort. For example, "Listening to your body" during an "Insulin Spike" is a BAD IDEA. Lol. Almost aspect of our existence has a balancing factor. My path is learning to identify and control them (to re-balanced them) in my body (and life).

To digress, I think Atkins is a good place to start and I've used it (and still do) but I don't think it's lifestyle choice for ME (or anyone really); even the maintenance phase; even the "NEW" Atkins. In fact, I feel that way about any "program" out there. They all can't argue with a balanced diet. But what that is for each person is DIFFERENT. And it will change as you change. Each diet has it's strengths and each has it's weaknesses and every person has their strengths and weaknesses to offset. For me, I like to take what I recognize as strengths from the programs I study and reduce the weaknesses for MY situation. And my best advice is make a choice to learn about yourself and the resources you need to maintain yourself personally. Atkins is a solid place to begin learning and losing weight. And the fat loss will be a motivation for you. But don't stop there is all I'm saying. :)

Notes To Self: L-Arginine & L-Citrulline

2013-08-07T09:23:00.002-04:00

I've been doing some research into the components of GNC's Force Factor supplement and the primary way that this product works is by increasing blood flow using L-Arginine and L-Citrulline. Using food to get these in my diet would involve eating about 6 cups of Watermelon cubes (rind included) at 66 grams of carbs and eating 1/2 can (5 ounces) of black beans at about 57 net carbs. Lean chicken breast (about 15 ounces) and canned white tuna (about 2 cans) are also good sources of L-Arginine. Peanuts too, but the calories of how many I'd need are just unreasonable (as is cow's Milk). My Whey Isolate powder already offers some L-Arginine too. Luckily I already eat chicken breast and tuna in my regular regimen. But considering my goals, it may be something to keep in mind as far as being sure I'm getting at least half the desired dose of these elements in my diet.

Cloud Bread, a waste of eggs and cheese.

2013-08-06T22:21:00.000-04:00

Standard Cloud Bread

A few weeks ago I decided to make Flax Bread because I really wanted a 'grilled cheese' sandwich. The Flax Bread was a fail (it didn't rise, no enough liquid) but it tasted great. Still, someone suggested I look into cloud bread since it already contained cheese. So I looked into it and found a recipe online. It was burning away on my fridge for over a week. So today I decided to give it a try. I went out of my way and bought the eggs ($3), cheese ($2) and cream of tarter ($4) to make cloud bread. Well, it came out perfect. However, there is only one problem. I don't like it. LOL.

Cloud Bread does have a bread-like texture. But it was incredibly BLAND and between the subtle flavor notes and smell, it just crossed me as a scrambled egg sponge. I'm going to eat them because I made them and spent the $9 for the ingredients. But I will not be making these again, at least not according to the recipe as it stands.

Cloud Wraps

Because the cloud bread was unimpressive, I took the rest of the batter and flattened it (by mixing it like crazy) and added flax-meal, herbs, salt and a ton of garlic. Then I poured the batter onto pans like a pancake and made these cloud wraps. Again, unimpressive. The only difference is these are flat and the aftertaste is of the herbs and garlic.

For less than 1 carb per piece, I guess there is no room for complaint. Wait, hell yes there is. Why bother making processed food if the end result is something you have to tolerate? No not me. I won't be making omelet sponge anymore. The flax bread made more sense to me at a couple active carbs per piece. And they tasted like living food. This stuff, I'm not even sure if it's biodegradable.

Sorry rain on the cloud bread parade. This low carber can do without. Back to the drawing board.

Tip: ALWAYS do your weight training BEFORE your cardio/intervals!

2013-08-02T06:01:00.000-04:00

Here's a cool tip from Shaun Hadsall, Body Transformation Expert, Fat Loss Coach and Body For Life Grand Champion 1st Runner-Up 1998.

"NEVER perform intervals and/or cardio before weights...ALWAYS do it after."

So here's the science. If you do your cardio first, you may deplete all the glycogen in your muscles before lifting, which is energy you need to lift weights. So the likelihood of you breaking down and burning muscle tissue are higher and your performance will suffer meaning less progress. It's better to use your stored energy to hit the weights as hard as you can FIRST. Then you get a really challenging workout that yields RESULTS. Then by the time you do your cardio, your body is depleted of glycogen and is more likely to rush over to your fat stores to fuel the cardio portion of your workout. :)

Food Diary For: Thursday August 1, 2013

2013-08-01T19:19:00.000-04:00

Analysis & Tweaks 1. Use less cream in coffee 2. Use 5 egg whites instead of 3 whole eggs 3. Don't need extra butter or coconut in eggs, just olive 4. Limit onions, higher carb than suspected 5. Skip almonds, prepare lunch next time 6. Drink dunkins coffee black 7. Add more raw veggies, today was a BAD day for vegis lol...

Morning	Calories	Carbs	Fiber	Protein	Fat	Sugar
Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 2 cup (8 fl oz)	5	0	0	1	0	0
Hood - Heavy Cream, 2 TBSP	100	2	0	0	10	0
Eggs - Whole, raw, 3 large	221	1	0	19	15	1
Trader Joe's - Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 1 tbsp	120	0	0	0	14	0
Butter - Salted, 0.5 tbsp	51	0	0	0	6	0
Trader Joe's Organic - Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tbsp (15mL)	120	0	0	0	14	0
Onions - Raw, 0.5 cup, chopped	34	8	1	1	0	3
Bell Pepper - Green, Raw, Organic, 0.5 cup, raw	15	4	1	1	0	2
	666	15	2	22	59	6


Afternoon
Trader Joes Nuts - Almonds Raw (W/ Potassium Info), 6 Almond Nut	42	1	0	2	4	0
	42	1	0	2	4	0
Mid-Afternoon
Dunkin Donuts - Large Iced Coffee With Cream and Splenda (Sugar Free Flavor), 16 oz	70	0	0	1	6	0
	70	0	0	1	6	0
Dinner
Steak - Grilled, 4 oz.	300	0	0	23	16	0
Chicken Leg Quarter - Baked Chicken Leg Quarters , 1 leg quarter	210	0	0	20	13	0
Onions - Raw, 0.5 cup, chopped	34	8	1	1	0	3
Hood - Heavy Cream, 1 TBSP	50	1	0	0	5	0
Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz)	2	0	0	0	0	0
	596	9	1	44	34	3



Totals	1,374	25	3	69	103	9
Your Daily Goal	1,384	69	16	138	61	28
Remaining	10	44	13	69	-42	19
	Calories	Carbs	Fiber	Protein	Fat	Sugar

Science says, "Human DNA can be be reprogrammed using language at certain frequencies..."

2013-08-01T09:44:00.002-04:00

Something popped up on my Facebook feed this morning. It was an interesting article from Collective Evolution about the ability to reprogram DNA using language at certain frequencies. The article spun off into a pitch about the significance of this in relation to the collective consciousness. (um......lol) However, I can't help but be enthusiastic about the original headline. Take a look here.

And for edutainment value...

Bits of Mystery DNA are Hardly Junk, by NY Times
Major changes in our DNA lead to major changes in our thinking
Emotions can change our DNA
How exercise can change your DNA ***************
Caffeine changes your DNA the same way Exercise does, says study... YAY!
QiGong and how sound can heal your DNA
How music can repair your DNA
Changing your mind = Changing your DNA
Are GMO's altering our DNA?
ALIENS: Our Ancestors? (just kidding...but read it if you're interested.)

I had breakfast...

2013-08-01T06:34:00.000-04:00

Today I thought I'd try to be diligent about logging at MyFitnessPal. To start my day I had too much breakfast, lol. Over 600 calories! Okay so maybe I didn't need the extra fats but it was yummy. Today marks day 1 of my next carbohydrate depleting cycle. (Yesterday I took an early "cheat day"...) I aim for roughly 20 grams of active carbohydrates, but as long as I stay under 50 grams I'm good. So breakfast was: 3 eggs, fried in... 1 tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp butter 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup onions, chopped 1/2 cup green peppers, chopped spices 16 ounce coffee with 2tbsp heavy cream MyFitnessPal calculates this was 15 grams of carbohydrates. Dare I ask "where?" I'm going to have to manually check on the validity of their nutritional data. :-x I'm still debating if I'm going to the gym today or taking an off day. I worked out pretty hard for the past 2 days and don't want to go catabolic. Decisions decisions.