And So The Weight Cut Begins…….(Diet Plan)

As much as I really don’t want to, I have made the decision to try and compete at 205 lbs at the meet in July.  The lazier / hungrier side of me would rather compete at 230….which would mean just a 10 lb weight cut.  205 lbs means a 35 lb weight cut though…..ugh.

As of now, I’m sitting at 240 which is just too much weight at my age and height.   

The decision is not necessarily a competitive one.  Although at 5’4 – 5’5, I’m better suited to compete at 205 instead of 230, the real decision is based on my health and my energy levels.  Now with 3 kids and a busy small business, the demands on my energy levels are ever increasing.  I’ve been heavy and I’ve been light. There is no doubt that carrying around less weight means more energy and vitality.  

I know I’ll likely lose a little bit of strength in the process of dieting down 35 lbs, but I’ll deal with that when I get there.  As of now, I don’t really have any target numbers for the meet.  The primary purpose for me is to (1) Get me consistently training hard in the gym (2) Give me a target date for my weight loss goal.  Or, like everyone else who tries to lose weight – it will become a distant mirage somewhere on the horizon – ill defined and impossible to grasp.  

The Diet Plan

For now, I have set up 3 different plans:  a low, medium, and high carbohydrate day.  Protein is fixed at 250, and fat is minimal.  No “added” fat to the diet plan, strictly what comes as a by-product through my meat selections.  High and low carbs are always relative to the individual.  I have done enough dieting to know what is high/low carb for my metabolism which happens to run quite slowly.  Depending on how the weight loss goes I’ll rotate these 3 days appropriately over the course of the week, and will work in some strategic cheat meals as well.  

The overall strategy is quite simple.  

• 5 meals per day
• Each  meal with about 50 grams of protein per day.
• High carb days have 40-50g carbs at all 5 meals
• Low carb days have 40-50g carbs at meal 1 only
• Medium carb meals have 40-50g carbs at meal 1, 2, 3.  
• Minimal fat, no oils, nuts, etc

_{I’m not overly strict about weighing and measuring things out to be EXACT.  I only count the macros from their primary source.  In other words, I don’t worry about factoring in the protein from my oatmeal or the trace amounts of carbs from my whey shakes.  And I count all veggies as free foods.}    

The way I normally set the macros up is to set my protein right at my body weight, or just a little bit more.  So at 240 lbs,  250 grams of protein will work.  High carb days are generally about equal to the protein number or just a little under if you feel that body fat is really high.  For those with a faster metabolism, I might set the high carb day up at say 100-200 grams more than their body weight, possibly even more.  From there I just subtracted 100 grams for the medium day, and another 100 grams for the low day.  If the high day was higher, say 400g, then I might subtract 150 g for the medium day, and another 150 g for the low day.  Again, the faster the metabolism, the more carbs you get.  

This protocol has always worked for me and my clients, but as with any diet, sometimes you have to adjust based on the individual metabolism.   

Sunday was Day 1, and I started with the high carb day to give myself a little room to run.  For the rest of this week, I have and am going to stick to just the low carb day to see how much weight I can shed right off the bat.  

After just one day of low carbs and a bunch of water I dropped 6 lbs.  Down from 240 to 234. 

Here was the last two days:  

Sunday – High Carb

• 1 carton egg whites (50g pro) , 3/4 cup raw oats (measured dry)
• Protein Shake, 1 banana
• 6 oz chicken,  1/2 cup white rice (measured dry)
• Protein shake, 1 apple
• 6 oz chicken, 1/2 cup white rice 

Monday – Low carb

• 1 carton egg whites, 3/4 cup raw oats
• Protein Shake
• 6 oz chicken, vegetables (yuck)
• Protein shake
• 6 oz pulled pork

Excited to keep it going!