Midday

So funny thing happened when I got my haircut. While I was waiting this dude sits beside me and starts eating a donut. The funny thing is: I didn't care.

Not eating solid food should be tougher as time goes on but I'm feeling stronger. I get to have my solid healthy food day on Sunday. I'm beginning to think that I don't really need to have it but according to the plan it is a MUST.

The funny thing about following a plan or instructions is that you leave yourself no room for excuses. I thrive best when I am in a structured type of environment. No thinking involved. Just actions. A lot of options likely leads to cheating a disaster.

I guess that is why people hire personal trainers. We give structure and strict guidelines of what to do and what not to do. Plus we keep you accountable as well.

What happens if you combine the support & accountability of a trainer as well as 11 other people? A recipe for success. I'm beginning to see why Bootcamps and group training is the next big revolution in Fitness.

When I talk about group fitness I'm not talking about step classes, yoga or any other form of useless type of aerobics. I'm talking hardcore, work your ass off, results based group fitness conditioning. Just a thought...

DG

Day 5 WAKE UP!

The inspiration behind the madness

Took 2 Hot Rox (Fat mobilizer) when I woke up but I will take only one (instead of 2 like last time) 6 hours after. Feeling a little jittery but nothing like last morning. I think the combination with the green tea I took right after was too much. I'm going to wait 3 hours until my green tea. Can't go without a green tea. I'm addicted.

I am up 1lb point 8 since yesterday. I'm kinda relieved because the weight loss was getting a little too rapid for me. I want abs but I don't want to lose too much in a short amount of time that my body wouldn't get used to it.

The weight gain I can attribute to taking in more calories than usual yesterday. Calories that I desperately needed when I train that I wasn't getting before.

Now as for the "Morning Mirror Test"...

Despite gaining a pound it looks like my body is actually losing more fat since yesterday. Either that or gaining more muscle. Probably both. The workout I did was friggin hard.

This is what I did:

4 reps/3 circuits/30 seconds rest inbetween sets

Dumbbell Lunge w/Shoulder Press
+
Dumbbell Hang cleans
+
Dumbbell Rows

Close Grib Barbell press
+
Standing Barbell Curl (I normally do not do biceps but I am following the diet and workout program exactly as it is outlined so I have no excuses)
+
Frontal Squats

Planks - 2 sets@90 seconds each

My workouts usually last a little longer so I was surprised and THANKFUL that they only lasted about 45 minutes. Then again I don't want to experience a crash like I did previously.

I got 2 clients today (one from yesterday that I had to cancel or pass out on). Usually on non training days I am perfect. So we'll see whats up.

I'm also getting a haircut so I should drop another pound or two. Har har har...I keed I keed.

DG

V-Diet - What this is all about

The Velocity Diet
A Radical Experiment in Rapid Fat Loss
by Chris Shugart

Warning: The diet outlined below is experimental. If you're looking to lose fat slowly but surely in a comfortable manner, there are several proven plans available in the T-Nation Diet Program section. If, however, you're looking for a way to quickly rip fat off your body, regardless of difficulty, the Velocity Diet may be for you. It's certainly not for everybody.

Do the Opposite

I see fat people. Everywhere I look, gluttony, excess and sluggishness. We are a nation suffocating from body fat. It makes me sick.

Fat has become the norm. Look around. "Normal" people are largely unhappy, overweight and unsuccessful. Screw. That. The last thing I want to be is average, especially if "average" means being obese.

Successful people make a habit of doing the opposite. If normal people don't lift weights, then do the opposite and lift weights. If normal people don't take risks, then take risks. If they're afraid to say certain things, then scream those things at the top of your lungs. And finally, if normal people are fat, rise above and be lean.

Bring the Pain

I know what it's like to be really fat. After being a chubby kid most of my life, I got downright rotund in college. I got sick of it and dropped the weight with a stupid plan consisting of starvation and running. By the time I was done I weighed a puny 159 pounds. I started lifting weights and learned how to eat properly. I even tried steroids once to see what that was like. Now it's 13 years later and I've learned enough and experienced enough to make a living in the body business.

But one thing has always evaded me: a state of extreme leanness combined with decent muscularity. Sure, I got up to the 230's when on steroids, but I was far from shredded. And sure, I was "thin" when I weighed 159 but I didn't have an ounce of muscle on me. I wasn't hard. These days I keep it around 200 with a decent muscular base. I'm not fat, but I'm not ripped to the bone either.

That's about to change...

Where it all started

Observation:

Do skinny people get cold easily? 8lbs down (probably 3 lbs of water weight). I'm noticing that I'm getting a little colder. Skinny people holla back at me! Is this true?

DG

Okay so this is the second big challenge.

I got cold sweats when I was training one of my clients. I had to cancel the rest of my appointments for the day.

So why did this happen?

Two things have come to mind:

1) I increased my dosage of the fat mobilizer I am taking by double. I had a little trouble with it in the morning and I took it an hour again before my client. These things are freaking potent. Most likely the reason why I ended up in cold sweats.

2) On training days I realized that I'm not taking in enough calories. I should be getting in 6 feedings a day at 1700 calories but I was getting only 5 feedings at 1400. BIG MISTAKE.

Modifications:

1) Decrease dosage by one fat burner. See how it affects my non training day tomorrow.

2) On training days I will stop being an idiot and take in the amount of calories I should be taking in. 6 feedings and 1700 calories.

I am going to stay strong and on the course. My thoughts are that when I start applying these slight modifications to the diet, I should be good to go. I am starting to wonder how I even survived my first day of training with only 1400 calories. Wow.

DG

Day 4 Wake up!

Okay so I said I wasn't going to post multiple times during the day. Well.....I LIED.

Now before I get into my results for this morning I just want to say this:

Public Service Announcement

Do not do what I am trying to do right now.

As I said before this is a 28 day experiment on myself. I do not know whether or not I'll reach my goals or end up in a hospital for malnutrition. Do not try this at home.

Okay so now that I got that out of the way...

I'm down to 178.8 lbs today. The weight is most likely half water weight lost due to my low carb intake. This is already my lowest weight I have ever hit, which is causing me to wonder if 28 days is too long. I'm already on the 5th day.

Forget the weight though. The mirror test was passed with flying colours.

I had some wacky vivid dreams last night though. I dreamnt I was a superhero battling other superheros. I also dreamnt that I ate a piece of chicken and it was so real that I thought I cheated on this diet. Weird. And no I'm not smoking crack.

I'm going have to keep a careful eye on my results and I may even have to cancel some social events because I fear I might just crash by staying up so damn late.

I don't mind being a social leper to see whether or not my experiment will work. Right now it takes importance over clubbing.

DG

Nighttime post

This is getting a little redundant but so far so good. I'm not starving, I'm actually satiated and I'm staying away from the home cooked meals.

Things I have observed

- Eating takes up a lot of my time. I feel like I have a lot of free time now that I don't have to prepare and eat food. 5 minutes to make a shake and 10 minutes to down it.

- We usually eat when we are bored. Boredom leads to snacking which leads to extra calories when you don't really need them. Our automatic response when we are not doing something is to grab the first thing around us that is edible and scarf it down.

Finally.....

"Bada Ba pa paaaa.....I'm lovin it."

I realized why the greater portion of our society is overweight! There is a food commercial every single time I turn on the TV. It's like a constant blatant attack on our subconscious minds to eat at the Mcdonalds, The Keg, Applebees, Farmers choice etc...

Every single channel I turn to there will always be a commercial of some sort about food. Crazy. Now I'm not putting the blame on the companies for the current obesity epidemic but they are a HUGE PART of the problem. It's like legal hypnotic advertising.

That is one of my realizations of the day.

I will start to update this blog only once every day. So for the two people who are actually reading this blog don't be surprised if I don't post during the day.

DG

Midday update

So I'm still feeling good. Around this time yesterday I was literally shaking in agony trying to prepare my shake after a bout with the grocery store and the bakery.

I'm thinking that that my fibre intake was low at that point and I may need to take my flax seeds a little earlier to avoid the shakies from happening again. Right now I'm feeling GREAT.

I'm kinda looking ahead to the weekend right now. Two big challenges lie ahead:

I'm going to a Shuffle party (a club where they mix todays hot music with yesterdays hits) on Friday and usually I would partake in a few drinks but I'm going cold sober drinking only water.

On Saturday I am watching the UFC fight at my friends house. Usually at his house is where my nutrition breaks down with all the food and beer that is lying around. It will be a test of my will so I'm bringing a shake with me to avoid breaking down.

At least I have my weekly meal to look forward to on Sunday.

I am quite literally on a liquid diet but I really feel satiated and full due to the protein shakes and fibre. I know it is only the 3rd day of doing this and everyone is a champ on the 3rd day of a cutting diet but I'm not suffering. Again I have to remember that this only the beginning of my journey. I expect more challenges in the future. Regardless I know I'll be able to finish it off and reap the rewards.

DG

An inner look at my program.....

****: how are those shakes doing?

me: Good good. Yesterday was tough but I got through it. Then I looked in the mirror today and was like "whaaaaaat" so yeah I'm stayin the course

****: hahahahh you anorexic freak! jj

me: hahahaha thanks. not to justify or anything but I actually think I'm getting in more feedings than the regular person

****: what does that mean "more feedings"

me: Everyone (especially obese people) usually only get 1, 2, or 3 servings of meals per day

I'm actually eating 5 meals a day but of good stuff

****: why do you get to eat more than them?

me: I was actually the opposite. Sometimes I would do 7-8 meals a day. On this diet I actually eat more frequently than most people. Which is good for my metabolism

****: aren't you just drinking shakes?

me: I'm drinking shakes. taking in healthy fats, using a fat mobilizer, milled flax seed

****: so do you even get to eat anything solid is what i mean.

me: What do people usually eat anyways? I'm sure I'm eating cleaner than most

I get to eat one solid meal per day

****: oh! i thought it was one solid meal per week!!!

me: oh no I actually mean one solid meal per week oops.

****: ahhh!!!! gross. so most days you are eating flax seads and shakes?

me: flax seeds, shakes and one table spoon of peanut butter at night.

****: i wouldn't be able to do it i hate shakes - even regular fat shakes

me: Coool. To be honest these shakes are actually tasty and I'm not even fiending that much

****: but to me - i figure you do it to experiment

me: Yeah most definitely. But you know me too: I've wanted to get super lean for forever. This is the first time I'm actually focused on it.

****: oh true - like have a true six/eight pack?

me: Yeah yeah. Next week when I do my solid meal we are goin out to eat

****: alrighty

me: We goin to the KEG baby!!!

****: hahahah ugh okee

me: whatever. it's my meal and we will go where I say we go.

Yeah I know I'm crazy for doing this. But really who wants to be normal anyways? :)

DG

Day 3

I EXTREMELY motivated now.

I went on the scale and another pound lost. I was like "Oh cool, whatever...."

Then I looked in the mirror and I was like, "Holy ****! Whaaaaaaaat. My stomach is actually getting flatter and whats this??? Abs???"

I know it's a little vain but c'mon now. We all want to look good nekkid ;)

Stay tuned...

DG

End of day update

Okay....NOW I'm feelin it.

So it's the second day and it was tough. I wasn't going to give in though.

My cravings for food kicked in when I decided (stupid me) to enter a grocery store to pick up some natural peanut butter. My sense of smell has been heightened due to the lack of real food.

So I got out of the grocery store as fast as possible and ended up passing by a bakery on the way to my car. The smell alone made my stomach start to rumble. I rushed passed to get to my car and make my shake. After that shake I was well satisfied and ready to roll.

BTW I just found out that when your stomach starts to rumble it doesn't mean that you are hungry. It's just your body passing food from one place to another. You can thank Men's health magazine for that one.

So today was still a success. I'm still strong and I think it was a tough day due to being out training. Yesterday I was at home all day and had control over everything. Today was on the go the whole time.

Today I was asked why I'm doing such an extreme type of diet. Well the reasons are:

- To be achieve a level of physical leanness I have never experienced.
- To break bad dietary habits that have been formed since I was a child.
- To challenge myself mentally and physically.
- To test out this diet and see if it actually works. Think of me as a scientist and a test subject all rolled up in one.

Anyways I can't type anymore. I want to shower and rest my brain. See you tomorrow.

DG

Midday report

So I just did my first workout under this nutrition plan and I'm pretty encouraged that I was able to keep my energy up before and after. I did get a little woozy when I took my recovery shake after but it was good.

I don't know if it is me or if I'm doing this whole thing wrong but I'm not suffering as much as I thought I would be. After reading other people's notes on the Velocity diet it seemed like I was going to go through hell for 28 days. Right now I'm thinking that this structured type of program is just what I needed.

The 4lbs drop in weight is cool. But the real cool factor comes in when I am not reaching for food whenever I'm bored. I reach for my water. I don't have to think about my caloric intake at all because it is all laid out for me before I even get out of bed (I prepare my shakes before I sleep).

It' s only the second day but I'm feelin good about this.

DG

BTW just a little note this program and other programs....

I have researched this nutrition program extensively and I intend to follow it to a T. No modifications of my own. Just following what I have researched exactly like it was outlined.

Now a lot of people who take on new programs like to add this in, take this out...basically bastardize the program to fit their own strengths/weaknesses. Just like this guy: www.velocitydiet.blogspot.com

"I've read the principles of the diet over and over again, and the more I study it, the more I'm convinced that it's the only way I can possibly lose the 10kg of fat hanging in my belly. Ofcourse, I need to couple the diet with rigorous physical training which I will also track down in this blog. I still haven't finalized my training regimen, but it would most likely include the following: weight-training (6 times/week), running (3 times/week), swimming (3 times/week), yoga (6 times/week). I know, I know it's fucking rigorous and I might just faint doing the regimen while on this diet---but I already have pledged to myself that I will *tweak* the diet (actually, quite substantially), by adding OATMEAL at every protein shake I will eat. In fact, I plan to add about 6 scoops of OATMEAL per shake, which will really up the carbohydrates level of the diet than it originally is."

If you look at his blog his first post was his last post. Now does that mean he wasn't successful? I can't assume such things but it leads me a question: If you decided to tweak a certain program then why follow the program in the first place?

You can't expect to see the same results that you are promised if you are doing your own thing. When I take on programs I always intend to do the program as is. Not more, not less.

The formula for success is:

1. Imitate the best
2. Understand where they are coming from
3. Come up with your own value system
4. Innovate on what you have learned

Now I can't say whether or not this guy has achieved his goals but if his blog is any indication of success I would say........probably not.

DG

Day 2

Okay so I woke up today and I couldn't resist going on the scale. From yesterday to today I am down 4 lbs. I kinda feel lighter too. Now a pound or two can be a loss of water but so far I'm pretty psyched.

Last night was a little trying. I'm usually guilty of eating at night so my hunger pangs came at that time. After the last shake I was good to go.

Just finished my first shake and I added a teaspoon of instant coffee. Tasted amazing! The shakes alone are okay but this one was the best.

I will update later on today with my progress. I have a ton of clients today so I'll see how my energy/sanity keeps up. If it is anything like yesterday I'll be okay.

DG

Okay so I'm about to make my last shake of the day.

Observations:

- I'm not as hungry or as deprived as I thought I would be.
- I haven't taken the last shake of the day but my energy is still good. I don't feel like crashing. I probably could do a sprint but on second thought....I'll just stick to the program.

What is the plan I am on? I was asked this by one of my clients today so I'll go over a brief overview:

- 5 shakes a day
- Staying within 1400 on non training days. 1700 on training days.
- Other supplements include: Omega 3's, multivitamins, fibre tablets, milled flaxseed and a fat mobilizer.
- One healthy meal a week
- 3 training days
- 5 days of 1 hour of NEPA (Non-exercise related physical activity ex. half an hour walking on a treadmill)
- No traditional cardio or intervals. If I did this my body would go into catabolism and I would wreck my muscle and metabolism.

I'm onto to day 27 right now and I'll be interested to see what happens with my workout. Right now I'm feeling good about this but then again I have 27 more days.

Keep posted...

DG

4:34pm and still going strong.

One thing I noticed about this diet is that my water consumption is up. I don't normally drink the amount of water I should be drinking but to counter act the hunger pangs I find myself grabbing my water bottle....a lot.

I feel good so far. I have to get used to the fat mobilizer I am taking (Hot Rox) but I'm not hungry or as desperate for food. I think doing this is actually better in a sense that I don't have to think about what to eat and the portion sizes.

I'll be back for a nighttime update. I'm training at 6:15pm and doing a NEPA walk at 7:45pm while I watch the Raptors game.

DG

Day 1

Today is day 1 of my 28 day velocity diet journey.

I expect this diet to be easier than I really think it is. I'm preparing myself for 28 days of hell. No basketball for one month. Strict but easy to follow diet guidelines and a test of my own will.

I will be posting regularly to show the physical, emotional and mental effects of this diet. I have researched and read about it thoroughly. It seems to be one of the only diets that can get rid of your adipose tissue, make you look lean and still be able to retain muscle mass.

Starting measurements

Weight - 186lbs
Chest - 36.25
Waist - 35.25
Hips - 38.25

So far so good. Took my first shake for breakfast. The Hot rox I took when I woke up made me a little jittery but after one hour I was fine. Will take another one in 6 hours.

Stay tuned.

DG