January 10th: Kickoff

I'm sitting here drinking a low-carb protein shake blended with ice water and milled flax seeds. It's pretty darn tasty, which is good because I'll be consuming about 135 of them over the next month and only four solid meals. If all goes well, I'll be the leanest I've ever been and won't lose an ounce of muscle in the process.

This is the Velocity Diet, my updated version of the old Fat Fast Diet T-mag published five years ago. It's designed to rip fat off your body is record time in a simple manner. Simple, but not necessarily easy.

I'll be using this thread as a diary over the next 28 days or so. If you'd like to read about the origins and planning of this crazy diet, see my previous web log thread HERE. If you haven't read the complete article and diet outline yet, you can find it HERE.

First Day Observations and Plans

This morning I got up, drank my allotted single cup of java, popped some Maximum Strength HOT-ROX, donned a CD player containing an audio book, and went for a rapid two mile walk in a fasted state over semi-rough terrain.

In the world of Stephen King's epic Dark Tower (the book I'm listening to), Roland and Eddie are matching their six-shooters against the mafia's machine guns. The gunslingers are winning of course, because the bad guys have forgotten the faces of their fathers. And because Roland is a bad, hard caliber motherscooter.

I got back and made my first protein shake: Low-Carb Grow! mixed with cold water and two tablespoons of milled flax seeds. Since I want to drink a lot of water during this experiment, I used around double the H2O I normally do in the shake.

About three hours later I drank another one, and yes, I'm pissing like the famed Russian racehorse. But I'm not suffering. . . yet. The shakes, so far at least, are more filling than I thought they would be (due to the micellar casein?) I almost forgot to drink the second one. I'll be slamming another one about 4PM.

Gunning Down Bad Habits

I realize already that this diet is going to force me to make some changes. It's already breaking me of a bad habit: snacking when I'm not hungry. As a writer and editor, I spend a lot of time in a chair and I do a lot of work from my home office. Sometimes I want to take a break and so I go into the kitchen and snack.

Can't do that anymore. No nibblies allowed on this plan. So I've been catching myself standing up, walking into the kitchen, standing there like a dork, and walking back to the office. After doing this three times, I grabbed a soccer ball and went outside to practice juggling. Hey, at least I was taking a calorie-using break instead of just standing in the kitchen like a lost puppy.

This is good though. After 28 days (if I make it that far) the habit of snacking while bored or when wanting a break should be broken.

Back to the Weightroom

In a few hours I'll be going to the gym. Although I've been training at home for a couple of months now, I'll be doing most of my workouts at a high school weightroom that I have access to during this experiment. I need a change of exercises (been doing stiff-leg deads for a while now and need to switch to ham curls for variety) plus this makes it easier on my old training partner, who lives close to the weightroom. I have a feeling I'll be needing a motivated partner in the coming weeks, so I really want to train with him.

Today's planned workout:

Pull-up: 10 x 3 weighted
Bench Press: 10 x 3
Squat: 3 x 8
Hamstring Curl: 3 x 6
Calf/Biceps/Triceps exercises, 1 set each 6-10 reps
Ab exercise: anything goes

I don't expect the intensity of my low-carb diet to affect today's workout. It's too soon. And I'm hoping that consuming Surge during and after will minimize or outright squash any potential problems anyway. We'll see.

It Begins

I plan to pop in at least once daily to let you know how it's going. Although I'm doing this diary thing for myself to help me write the second half of the Velocity Diet article, you're welcome to peek in. Or don't. Like Jake told Roland when the gunslinger dropped him into the abyss -

"Go then, there are other worlds than these."

Holy cow! I'm full!

Had an interesting thing happen last night. Had a good workout, drank my Surge, then got caught up answering email and forgot about my next shake. When I remembered, I had two shakes to go and only 3 hours before my planned bedtime!

Maybe it's the Max Strength HOT-ROX controlling my appetite. Or maybe the milled flax seed shakes are more filling than the flax oil shakes the original Fat Fast used. Or is the micellar casein, because of its slow rate of absorption, that much more satiating?

Of course, I am consuming 350 more calories on weight training days compared to Brock. Still, the last thing I expected to do was forget to eat! Pleasant surprise.

But, let's remember, that was the first day. I may be gnawing my Nikes by day 28!

To Vest or Not to Vest

Yesterday's weight training went well. I ended up switching the chest exercise from the planned bench press to weighted dips. That way I don't have to lug my 40 pound Xvest with me every training day because I've paired the weighted dips with the weighted chins.

I did my walk Monday without a weighted vest; today I did it with 20 pounds in the Xvest. I don't think it will interfere with training load, but using a vest on non-weight training days may be a neat idea. No vest on lifting days; 20 to 40 pound vest on non-lifting day. In other words, the cardio portion will be easier on weight training days and a little tougher on non-weight-training days.

It's an idea. I'll see how it works. Probably no big deal either way since my energy systems work is separated from my lifting by 8-9 hours.

And so begins day two.

Charlie the Chew Chew

Here's a weird thing I'm doing on this diet: I'm chewing the first few mouthfuls of my protein shakes.

I got this idea from an old interview of mine with Dr. Ken Kinakin. Dr. K noted that digestion begins in the mouth, and chewing, even if you don't need to, may aide in the digestion process. Here's an excerpt:

Dr. K: That chewing motion creates salivation within the mouth and is able to "tag" the different enzymes within the actual protein, therefore you'll be able to break it down better. If you're a person that has gas after ingesting a protein shake, then just chew the liquid and you'll probably solve that problem. Chew it about five or six times, just enough to get the stimulation going.

Does it really improve digestion? I don't know. I don't have any gas issues with Low-Carb Grow! anyway. But the idea makes sense on the surface so I'll do it. Hey, it doesn't cost anything to "chew" the first few swallows of a protein shake, so why not?

Day Three

I'm drinking shake #12. I just finished morning cardio session #3. This evening I'll perform weight workout #2.

Cardio: The fasted calorie drain this morning went okay; the wind was cold and gusting so I think I burned a few extra calories fighting it. But this is yet another advantage of outdoor cardio walks: once you're out there, a mile or two away from home, you ain't got nothing to do but come back.

A person on a treadmill might be tempted to just turn it off and quit when fatigue or boredom sets in. If you do it outside, even if you quit you have to make your way back to the house. As long as you make it halfway, you're forced by geography to finish the session!

(I suppose you city folk could hail a cab, but then you'd have to die with the knowledge that you hailed a fucking cab instead of finishing your planned cardio session!)

This morning I got sick of the wind and a little bored of Mia and Susannah's protracted conversation about the Crimson King, Walter, and the "chap" growing in their collective belly. (Although I love the Dark Tower series, sometimes it can get boggy. What can you expect from a seven volume novel?) So, bored, cold and annoyed by the damn wind, I completed my planned three miles anyway.

Diet: Again I'm shocked by how satiated I am. Last night I didn't even want my last protein shake. I drank it only because I wanted to meet my protein and calorie goals for the day. My personal daily calorie range is between 1400 and 1700, depending on whether it's weight training day or not. I thought of skipping that last shake, but that would have thrown me down too low, under 1300.

This is unexpected. I was ready to battle starvation and cravings, but now I'm finding myself perfectly sated and wondering if I should drop my calories lower. No, I won't do that, not yet anyway. And again I have to remind myself that this is day 3 on a 28 day diet. Everyone is a badass with ironclad discipline and resolve on day 3 of a cutting diet. They are seldom badasses by day 10.

And now that it's hump day, I'm starting to think about this weekend. Weekends for me mean running around with the family and at least one restaurant meal. Am I going to skip family outings? Am I going to bring a protein shake into a nice restaurant and watch my family eat tasty stuff I can't have? Will my scheduled Saturday morning oatmeal and berry solid meal make all this okay? Or will I turn into a grumpy son of a bitch during family outings? I guess we'll find out Saturday.

Bad Stuff: I don't know if this is diet/training/supplement related, but my sleep has been shit for the last two days. I go to bed perfectly exhausted from a day of working, exercising, and daddying, but I just can't fall asleep.

Am I taking my Max Strength HOT-ROX too late? I am purposefully taking my last dose later in the day, mainly because that was when I expected to be the most hungry. I figured a delayed dose might help me battle the nighttime munchies. Well, I'm not having any nighttime munchies, but I'm not sleeping well either.

Today I'll take my last dose of HOT-ROX earlier, just in case. It doesn't have a strong stimulant effect anyway (no post-ephedrine fat loss product does, except for the ones that throw in tons of excessive caffeine then have the audacity to charge housewives 50 bucks a bottle for it) but it does give you a little boost. I'll back up the last dose.

Weights: Today's planned workout:

Deadlift: 10 x 3
Rack Pull: 3 x 3-5
Flyes: 3 x 8
Overhead Press: 10 x 3 standing, cleaned from floor
Calf/Biceps/Triceps exercises, 1 set each 6-10 reps
Ab exercise: anything goes, but different than previous session

But wait, aren't flyes for wieners? Yes and no. I believe flyes can hit your chest in a way that bench presses can't. I held the "flyes are for wussies" belief for years but I noticed a very big jump in my chest development after bringing them back into the exercise arsenal.

And remember, I'm using a high frequency approach where I train each muscle group three times per week. So along with the "wussy flyes" I'm doing weighted dips and bench press on the other two days.

Let's just hope the lack of sleep won't screw up today's workout too badly. I may take a shot of Power Drive 40 minutes before.

Fiber efficiency: Let's just say the milled flax seeds and the occasional chewable fiber tablet are working.

Onward.

Excuses, Excuses

Picture an impoverished kid in the streets of Tres Coracoes, Brazil. At his bare feet is a ball of rags tied with a piece of string. Every chance he gets, the kid kicks this "ball" around and dreams of being a soccer player. By age 15 he's one of the best players in Brazil. By the time he's 17 he's the best player in the world. Today, Pele is a legend.

Answer this question for me, would you? Do you think Pele looked for excuses so he didn't have to practice his sport?

Hell no. He didn't even let the fact that he didn't own a real ball stop him.

Not many people have this insatiable internal drive. They give lip service to their goals and not much else. They say they want to get into shape, build muscle and lose fat, but they don't even take that first baby step toward their goal.

They have everything they need too: knowledge (hundreds of free programs right here at T-Nation.com), enough money for gym memberships, healthy foods and supplements, and the time to do it. And yet they do nothing but sit around and get fatter. Usually while feeling sorry for themselves. O', woe is me. Boo hoo.

Of course, not many of them want to cop to their pathetic laziness, so they come up with thin excuses designed not to deceive others but to placate themselves:

"I don't have time." And yet they seem to have plenty of time to watch reruns of Friends and can tell you exactly what happened on Desperate Housewives. Hmmm.

"I don't have the money for supplements." And yet they can afford a case of Coke a week, Direct TV, beer, and $50 video games. Hmmm.

Pele didn't own a fucking ball or a decent pair of shoes and still became a legendary athlete. And yet you can't lose 15 lousy pounds? Hmmm.

I'm writing all this because I had to lecture myself about it yesterday. Yesterday evening I was suffering from lack of sleep so I felt like crap as the day wore on.

(Hmmm, should I skip my workout?)

I drove up to the weightroom and realized I'd forgotten my key.

(Great reason to miss a workout!)

Drove back home to get the key and realized my wife had it. And she wasn't going to be home for hours.

(Gotta miss that workout now! I need sleep! And hey, American Chopper is on!)

Wife got home, I got the key and drove back up to the gym. Setting up the deadlift bar for the first set, I smashed three fingers against a dumbbell rack sitting nearby.

(Oh, that's it, gotta miss the workout now!)

Shook up my Surge for a mid-workout sip and the top came off the cheap shaker bottle I got for free at the Olympia and I lost one-third of my drink. Gee, thanks for the quality bottle, Muscle Milk.

(Just go home! Start fresh tomorrow!)

But I didn't. I stayed. The only thing I could think about was how everyone else in my situation would just quit. And that made me not quit.

A few minutes later, a couple of friends came in. These guys work rough physical labor jobs all day and were still wearing their jeans and work boots. They'd worked overtime and didn't even bother going home to change. They drove from work to the weightroom and started lifting. One of them had a hand the size of a baseball glove where he'd smashed it with a hammer earlier that day. He used a lifting strap to reinforce his grip and trained anyway.

That was the last bit of inspiration I needed. I finished the workout. No, I didn't exactly set any PR's, but I got it done.

People who are bullshitting themselves about their goals look around for excuses to miss their workouts and cheat on their diets. People who are serious stick to the plan, even if they have legitimate excuses not too.

Do it because you're serious about your goals. Do it because you're introspective enough to see through your own excuses. Do it because most people won't.


Day Four

Feeling much better today. Finally got some quality sleep after popping some ZMA. Missed my cardio session this morning because my wife is sick and I had to get the kiddo off to school. So after I write this I'll go get it done. It won't be in a fasted state, but that's okay. I'll just add a mile.

Meant to weigh this morning but got sidetracked fixing kiddo's breakfast. I expect I've lost a few pounds already, mostly water weight as is common with the first week of a low carb diet. My first week's official weigh-in and measurements will be on Monday morning.

I gotta go cardio.

Day Five

I jumped the gun and weighed today. I've lost 6 pounds in five days. Of course most of that is water weight, as is common with the first few days of a low carb diet -- even, apparently, a low carb diet that allows for a 49 gram bomb of much-needed carbs right after training (Surge).

And while I know it's mostly fluids, it's still nice to see the upper abs start to get more defined and the jeans to loosen up. I'll officially weigh-in and do some other measurements on Monday.

Sorry I'm Not Suffering More

I know many of you are reading this because you're sadistic and enjoy the suffering of others on a sexual level. I have to apologize to that segment of the readership because this diet is still a piece of cake.

I too expected to suffer more. And of course it's not over yet. Hell, it's barely begun. But I'm just not rolling in agony.

Yesterday while getting a haircut I was in a shopping center surrounded by fast food places. I even went through the Taco Bell drive through to get my kiddo something to drink. While I thought to myself, "Boy, I bet that new 14 pound steak and potato burrito is tasty" I was surprisingly in control and not really tempted. Yet.

The Three Levels

The funny thing is, I am starting to experience some longing for solid foods, but get this: I'm only thinking about healthy stuff. Really. Yesterday I had a pretty good hankering for a salmon steak and a salad.

I have a theory about this. When most people go on a diet, they go from fast food and sugar to healthy food. Well, I eat healthy foods 95% of the time even when not on a diet. So I think of foods in three categories related to this diet:

Level #1 Crap non-foods most people live on: fast food, junk food, comfort food, convenience foods, and yummy fried sugar.

Level #2 Healthy food: lean beef, chicken breasts, veggies, fish, fruits, etc.

Level #3 Velocity Diet Super Foods: Low-Carb Grow! and healthy fats (fish oil and flax seeds)

Most people go from Level #1 to #2 when dieting, last about a week, then go back to #1 with a vengeance. Well, most of us on this site spend much of our time on level #2, with level #1 being an occasional treat or cheat, and level #3 being supplemental. Well, I'm on level #3 all the time, so a "cheat" for me would be a banana and a tuna fish sandwich on whole grain!

Maybe this will help kill my sweet tooth. After all, if I train myself to think that level #2 foods are treats, then maybe I can stay away from level #1 foods when coming off the Velocity Diet. Sort of a paradigm shift.

We'll see. Tomorrow comes the real test.

Weekend Update

Saturday is over and I've survived! I had a few worries waking up Saturday morning. Will the weekend change of schedule affect training and diet plans? Many people do fine with their diet and nutrition plans until something comes up, usually some kind of schedule change or alteration of their usual daily activities. Even the weekend change of pace can do it.

Well, Saturday is "family day" here at the Shugart Ranch. We take our weekly baths, get gussied up, and go into town for a hootenanny! Sometimes I play spoons and get free shots of rotgut!

Okay, not really. But we do leave the house for most of the day, catch a movie or take the kiddo somewhere special, and eat at a restaurant. I've been surprisingly in control at home and in the office: no real cravings, no bad temptations. But could I go to a restaurant and sip a protein shake that I'd sneaked in while watching my family eat "real" food? Or should I just drop myself off at a Starbucks or something while the family enjoys their weekend restaurant meal? Or should I just stay at home and become a social hermit?

Well, Saturday morning I got up and drank my first Low-Carb Grow! shake with milled flax seeds. Then I remembered, today is the day I get my scheduled solid meal! Crap! I'd forgotten! My plan is to eat one solid, healthy meal per week on the Velocity Diet. I think this would reduce cravings, be psychologically useful, and be a healthful addition to a 99% liquid diet.

The ideal meal, I reckoned, would be old fashioned oatmeal (no kiddie packet stuff) with some blueberries thrown in. That would give me a big shot of fiber, some healthy nutrients, and a nice dose of good-for-you carbs. The rest of the day I'd go back to shakes.

That's still a good idea and I'll do it on at least a couple of the weekends coming up during my month-long diet. But when I write Part II of the Velocity Diet (which will outline my experiences and offer tips and variations), I'm going to throw in this option: a weekly healthy restaurant meal.

I'm hesitant to do this because I want to keep the diet simple. A lot of readers, especially those new to T-Nation, want an exact plan. "Just tell me exactly what to eat!" they beg, and they don't want any confusing options. They are the Opus Dei of dieters: they want rules and they better be simple and strict!

Problem is, this kind of enthusiasm often leads to burn out. I've always described this as, "burning bright, burning hot, and burning out." A slow burn approach is better. So that would be a good diet and training program 90% of the time that lasts a lifetime, as opposed to a 100% perfect program that lasts two weeks before it's back to the couch and the pastries.

(Sorry, I'm thinking out loud again, bear with me.)

But the advantage of a weekly healthy meal at a restaurant is powerful for many: It's more rewarding than a home meal of oatmeal and fruit. And it means you don't have to be a social leper: you can eat during family outings, dates, or business lunches -- at least once per week.

So here's what I did yesterday:

1) I had a breakfast shake.
2) I had a lunch shake.
3) I had a healthy, solid meal at a restaurant with family (lean steak, dry sweet potato, veggies, unsweetened tea.)
4) I had another shake before bed.

So, let's examine this "restaurant meal option."

First, note that it was healthy. This was not a cheat meal or a binge (although it was goddamn tasty). My worry here is that some people, after consuming shakes all week, wouldn't be able to handle ordering a healthy meal. I eyeballed the basket of rolls placed on the table myself as well as the dessert menu - but I resisted. I hope others who choose this option can too. If not, hey, nothing I can do other than suggest they stick to the original, more strict plan: a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and berries at home.

Second, note that I tried to include things in the restaurant meal that I was missing in the normal diet, like veggies. Regardless of where you do it, your solid meal should include either fruits or veggies (maybe a little of both ideally), a protein source, and some other healthy carbs.

Third, note that I didn't consume the usual five shakes per day. I knew that although my restaurant meal was healthy and "bodybuilderish" it also contained more calories than a low carb protein shake. So I simply reduced the amount of shakes I consumed that day. The same should be done if you choose the "oatmeal at home" option.

I found the solid meal hugely filling. Maybe my "stomach had shrunk" as they say. It was no problem cutting two shakes this day because I was full anyway. I'd say you should cut one or two shakes on your scheduled "solid meal day." However, if the solid meal sets off a bunch of craving for more and more food, keep the shakes in the schedule.

Next week I plan to stick with the original "oatmeal and berries on Saturday morning" plan. I do want to experience what it's like to pack a few shakes with me for the rest of the day. I know many T-Nation readers who try the Velocity Diet will have to do this for work, so I need to experience it so I can offer some tips or point out some pitfalls.

But I do think the restaurant option is cool for many people, and it will not interfere at all with the diet if you choose wisely and don't let it derail you. Today I'm back to shakes with no regrets. In fact, the steak and veggies have really helped. The oatmeal and berries would have had to same effect I'm sure.

As for weekend training, I'm doing my walks on both days and that's it. No weight training until Monday. I hope that goes okay. I'm experiencing some unexplained shoulder pain that's getting worse. I don't remember hurting myself in the gym last week, but for some reason I'm got a bad pain in my left shoulder, like someone whacked me on the bone with a bat, and it's getting worse. We'll see how it feels for Monday afternoon's weight session.

I'm off for my walk and my daily audio interaction with Roland, Eddie, Jake, Susannah and Oy. I hope the Beam holds a little longer. The Dark Tower can't fall until I've at least finished this damn diet!

Week One Results

Today makes one week on the Velocity Diet. Well, I named it correctly, that's for sure. It's fast! I've lost about 6.5 to 7 pounds in only 7 days.

I know much of this is water. Drop your carbs below 100g a day and you'll drop a few pounds of water the first few days. I've been averaging 45 to 70 grams of total carbs per day. (Yes, I'm counting all carbs for the sake of simplicity although much of my carb intake comes from fiber sources.) I expect a slowdown in weight loss now that the excess water has been flushed.

My training partner said he could see the loss in my face already. Hell, I didn't know I had a puffy face, but I'm glad to hear it's leaning out. My pants are getting loose and this weekend I had to tighten the belt a notch. Abs are more visible and they're starting to become more defined from the top down. I always keep a "four pack" but maybe in three weeks I'll discover if I really do have two more lower ones.

I busted out the tape and was thrilled to discover I'd lost about an inch off my "love handle" area. If you followed the "Planning" web log entry, you'll remember that I measured across the love handle area all the way around rather than relying on "waist" measurements where the jeans fit (at least normal fitting jeans.)

About 7 pounds down and 1 inch off the middle. Not a bad first week. Three weeks to go.

Food Commercials are Porn for Fat People

Dammit. I experienced by first real suffering last night. The blame? TV.

When I watch TV at home, which is rarely, I flick through the channels and never see commercials. Last night I was at the in-law's house and therefore not in proper control of the remote. And, get this, I swear it's true, they watch the commercials! I kid you not.

And so I sit there for an hour watching Applebee's commercials, fast food commercials, people performing sloppy fellatio on drizzling cheese sticks, Prego commercials with butter soaked breadsticks sopping up spaghetti sauce. . . This must be how Michael Jackson feels when watching a Little League game.

I didn't give in to this craving, but I pined for crappy foods for the first time on this diet. I drove home and quickly drank a shake (my last scheduled one for the day) so all was fine after that. But damn, those Prego commercials are evil incarnate.

The Article is Up!

For those who bookmarked this web log and may have missed it, the full article with all the details has been published. Check it out:

http://www.t-nation.com/...ic.do?id=546491

And please feel free to post questions for me in the above article thread.


Two Extra Hours!

I think this diet has given me an extra couple of hours in each day. I never realized how much time I spent preparing and eating food. And the irony is that healthy foods generally take even longer! With a shake-only diet, I'm getting those hours back.

Those people who are put off by most T-Nation diets because they require a lot of cooking and meal prep should love the Velocity Diet!

A Tip from Dr. Lonnie Lowery

I've been getting lots of tips and suggestions from T-Nation contribs and readers. How dare they suggest things to me! I've published hundreds of articles! I've been on TV! I know everything!

Ha ha. Funny, I really did know everything when I was 17 and reading Muscle & Fitness. Now I don't know shit. Reminds me of that "Strong Words" quotation we put up the other day:

"Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing. Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." Will Durant

Boy, that's true. Only the very young or very stupid think they're knowledgeable and have things all figured out.

Anyway, Dr. Lowery told me that if I was worried about losing muscle with my fasted morning cardio that as little as a mouthful or a quarter scoop of protein beforehand will prevent it. I'm not too worried because 1) my "cardio" is just walking and 2) the MS HOT-ROX will prevent muscle loss.

However, as the diet progresses and I get "deeper" into it, I think I'll take his advice. I like my single morning cup of java, so I might just either add some instant coffee to a spoonful of Grow! or just toss a bit of protein powder into my Joe.

If those of you reading this are doing the diet or thinking about, and you're worried about muscle loss with the morning cardio, then take Lonman's advice and have a smidge of protein before your cardio session.

A Tip From Me

Minute Maid Light is a fruit drink with only 10 calories and 2 grams of carbs per can. Basically, it's non-carbonated water with 3% fruit juice. These make for a nice "change of taste" during this diet. I've been drinking a few cans of it a week.

Today I even used this drink instead of plain water for a protein shake. Blended with vanilla Low-Carb Grow! it tastes like a tropical drink. All it needs is a little paper umbrella. Good stuff, but remember to count the calories and carbs and don't overdo these drinks.

And don't use paper umbrellas or you'll turn gay.

A Reflection on Cogitation

sum peeple cant think wel on low crab diets. not me. i thik real good on low crab diets. no mentall foggyness at all. 4 real. I feel grate an real smart. i going to prescribe to Muscular Devleopment now. that maggyzine rulez. pretty pitchers!!!!

Oh and wrestling is reel.

And ronny coleman is cleen.

And I reely enjoy rap music.

And I totaly get Nader now.

peece out yo


I'm kidding, I'm kidding. So far I don't seem to be experiencing any mental fogginess or lack of energy because of the low carbs. Yesterday I even went for an extra walk in the evening.

Remember, I tried the original Fat Fast five years ago and quit after three days because of the cognitive effects. Basically, I didn't feel well and couldn't think clearly. Maybe I should've just toughed it out and hoped it was a transition period I'd come out of, but as an editor and writer I couldn't afford to be mentally clogged.

So why am I not having these problems on the Velocity Diet? Why am I, in fact, feeling pretty darn energetic? I think the main reason is that the carb intake, while low, isn't so low that it causes brain fuzz. I'm averaging 50 to 75g carbs per day (not counting the Saturday solid meal) and my upper limit is 100g. That's not much, but it's amazing how much better most people feel compared to, say, an Atkins introduction plan of 20 grams per day.

I think the Saturday solid meal, which is healthy but fairly high carb, is helping. The Surge during and after training is playing an important role here too. Training is going well. Strength isn't suffering, though I doubt I'll try for any PR's during this diet.

Eyeballing Progress

I'm on day 11 of the diet now. Yesterday morning I got in front of a full length mirror and did a visual evaluation. I'm definitely popping into summer shape as the winter flab melts off. I can really see the one inch loss in the love handle area.

As I've written before, I do have a little damaged skin there from a massive weight loss around 12 years ago. This sucks because this loose, damaged skin can't be dieted off, trained off, drugged off, or supplemented off. Surgery is the only option. So I'm always a little disappointed as I lean up for summer because I know my waist will never be super tight given the damaged skin. But still, my waist is visually smaller in just eleven days of the Velocity Diet and the abs are coming in nicely.

Definition in my upper back is really looking good. Chest seems a little flat but that's expected given the low carbs and the fasted morning evaluation. My upper body, especially with a lat flare, is actually looking bigger because the muscles are easier to see and the waist is smaller. A small waist always makes the upper body look bigger. Overall, I'm pleased. I'll weigh and measure again on Monday.

Flava Flav

About a dozen people have PM'd me asking about protein shake flavoring. Do I get tired of just chocolate and vanilla? No, not really.

One of the major components of dietary compliance is taste. Eat something that taste bad and you'll fail eventually. Human beings don't have much capacity for repeating things we find gross. This is why I've mostly stopped sleeping with fat grannies, but that's another story. So you must absolutely choose a protein drink you like on this diet. Well, I love Low-Carb Grow! Nothing else comes close to quality and taste.

But a little variety never hurt anyone, especially when you're drinking five of these things a day. The key to changing the flavoring is to choose non-caloric or very low calorie and carb additions. The Minute Maid Light tip I gave above involves the most cals or carbs I'd want to add just for the sake of flavor.

Here are some other ideas:

1) Peppermint extract in vanilla. Just a drop or two will do. Learned this one from TC. Good stuff.

2) Cinnamon in vanilla. I like making this with very little water and lots of ice. Blend until the blender smokes and you get an slushy or ice cream texture. Eat with a spoon.

3) Herbal tea. Steep some tea in a glass. Berry and fruit flavors are good. Pour the steeped tea into your Grow! and water. It makes a very lightly flavored shake. Mint green tea ain't bad either.

As you can see, vanilla is more versatile in this regard. You may want to buy more vanilla than chocolate if you plan on tweaking the flavoring.

Try these if you get bored of chocolate and vanilla. And maybe soon those rumors of a new Grow! flavor from Biotest will come true!

Progress Update: The Halfway Point

Today marks the halfway point in the diet! I'm two weeks in with two weeks to go. Scale weight lost this week: 3 to 3.5 pounds. That makes for a grand total of about 10 pounds lost in only 14 days! Waist measurement is down about another half-inch too.

So far, I'm experiencing about what I expected: a larger loss in the first week and a smaller loss in the second week. (The first week's losses included some water weight; that happens with every reduced carb plan.)

Now, I have a decision to make. How much longer do I keep this up? Remember, I wasn't exactly "fat" to begin with. Sure, I needed to drop some winter flub and I wanted to get leaner than I've ever been for summer. . . but as of right now, I'm already leaner than I've ever been!

I always fluctuate between winter and summer, but my scale weight hasn't been this low for years! This is a four week diet, but do I need to keep going for two more weeks?

Introspection time. (Hope you don't mind if I do this out loud.)

* Chris, you're almost 6' tall. You'll look too thin if you keep going. Sure, you'll have the best abs you've ever had, and that will be great this summer when you take the kiddo to the water parks and the pool, but remember, you've always hated the "greats abs, but can't tell you lift when wearing a shirt" look. If you take this too far, you'll look like that! Be careful!

* Chris, you also hate those fat guys who strut around because they're "big." You know, the guys with big but shapeless, meat-slab, chunky arms. Sure, they're strong, but you have to look closely to figure out if they're lifters or just plain ol' fatties. And do you want to be big if "big" means having man boobs?

* But Chris, isn't the ideal physique somewhere in the middle of those two?

* Sure, but I've got "fat guy genetics" and don't use steroids, so I'm not sure I'll ever reach that perfect state. I think I may need to choose between being really lean or really bulky and take the bad that comes with the good. And besides, part of Former Fat Boy Syndrome is damaged skin around the middle. Don't get it in your head you can diet that off. You can't. So be careful.

Decision

Okay, I'll do the diet another week and evaluate after that. Maybe I'll stop at week three (next Monday) and skip the fourth. Or maybe I'll do the fourth week and purposefully take it too far to see what I learn? Hmmm. . .

The good news here is that the diet is so fast and effective, I might not need the full 28 days! Pretty cool.

My Evil Wife

This is my evil wife, deep in thought, no doubt coming up with evil ways to torture me. Think her eyes are glowing red because I forgot to turn on the camera's red eye reduction? Nope. The real reason they're glowing red? Evil.

Evil things she's done so far during this diet:

1) Broke my blender while cleaning it. I'm drinking five protein shakes a day and she breaks my one and only kitchen tool. Evil!

2) Baked cookies. They were for some kind of school function for my daughter. . . but still. I'm not only on a diet, but a very limited, low carb diet, and she bakes cookies?! Evil!

3) Denies me sex-on-command. All I ask for is sex four or five times a day, but nooooo . . . she keeps coming up with flimsy excuses like, "We're in the middle of Wal-Mart" or "My mother is in the room." Evil!
4) Had the nerve, the nerve, to toast a bagel until it was crunchy, smear it with natural peanut butter and eat it. I mean, can't she wait until I leave the house? Can't she go masticate somewhere else? Clearly evil!

But the fat loss must be really starting to show up on me, because the evil wifey, who at first told me I was crazy for doing this diet, is now wanting to get on it right before summer bikini season. I may try to talk her into doing it a little earlier than that so I can document her progress in an article.

She doesn't want to do it exactly like I'm doing it, and that's fine. I think the Velocity Diet can be successful with many variations. For example, she wants to have a healthy solid meal every day rather than just once per week like I'm doing. That's cool. I considered that myself.

It would be interesting to see a female's results. Remember, the first Fat Fast required the use of prohormones so most women didn't try it. Those who did failed miserably. Maybe my variations plus the latest supplements can help women be successful on this plan.

So, in the future you may see "The Velocity Diet: T-Vixen Edition." (Although honestly, anyone - male or female or other - could do it.) Hey, if it'll make more women choose bikinis instead of one-pieces this summer, then I'll do it. Nothing beats an evil woman in a bikini.

How Much, Chris?

I'm getting a ton of emails and PMs about this diet, and it looks like this is the most viewed web log thread I've ever had. Cool. I appreciate the interest.

Here's one of the most common questions I'm getting:

"Chris, here's my situation and stats, how much will I lose on the Velocity Diet?"

Now, obviously, there are so many variables here it's impossible for me to give a person a number. But we can make some guesses based on some broad generalizations. So here we go:

1) The fatter you are the faster you'll lose. And the fatter you are, the "safer" it is for you to lose fast. (By "safe," I mean without losing too much muscle mass.)

Berardi wrote about this a while back, but it bears repeating. Take two people. One guy gained 7 pounds of flubber in the winter and needs to rip it off real fast. The other guy is just plain fat. He needs to drop a good 40 pounds of adipose tissue.

The really fat guy, assuming he does everything right, is going to lose much faster and much more per week than the regular guy. He might drop 6-7 pounds in a week on the Velocity Diet, and not just in the first week when a lot of water is purged.

This may seem like too much, and it would be for the second guy who only has 7 pounds to lose. But the fatter you, the faster it can come off without risking lean muscle loss. Cool. I mean, it sucks being fat, but it should be comforting to fatties to know that they can get rid of a lot of it very rapidly.

The second guy may only lose 1 pound a week on a regular diet, and only 3 pounds a week on the Velocity plan. Any more than that (not counting water weight) and he might be risking muscle loss.

So in two weeks, the really fat guy may drop 15 pounds. The leaner guy may drop 6 or 7. And the closer both get to their goals, the slower the fat loss will become. This is normal and isn't necessarily because "the diet is stopping working."

Man, that's general. Sweepingly. But it gets the point across.

Individual variables can still change the numbers up though. And don't forget that scale weight may be thrown off by muscle gain, which is why I recommend you also use a tape measure and take progress pics.

And remember, if you change the diet up radically, don't use the supplements I recommend, and have the willpower of a stray dog in a sausage factory, then your results will definitely vary!

Thinking Out Loud: Misc. Topics

* At the very least, this diet has proven to me that I (a guy who has to watch his carb intake closely - part of Former Fat Boy Syndrome) am able to use a high carb post-workout drink like Surge after training without slowing fat loss. I always assumed that to be true and this diet has proved it even in the most extreme case.

* I really really want to have sex with Jessica Biel.

* This diet has crushed some bad dietary habits of mine, like snacking when I get really busy with work. (It's healthy snacking, but those calories can sneak up anyway.) Like anything else behavioral, if you can stop doing it for a few weeks, you can usually stop doing it forever. Unless it's having sex with Jessica Biel.

* Although the diet isn't over yet, I'm not seeing any losses in strength or visual losses in muscle. Yet I've doubled or tripled the "acceptable" rate of fat loss. So far at least, the supplements have proven themselves.

* I have discovered my serratus anterior. Hello, serratus anterior, aren't you cute! Who's the bestest serratus anterior in the world? You are! Yes, you are! Who's Daddy's most special new muscle group? Right again, you are!

* For some reason, I'm not motivated by really ripped up guys. I'm motivated by really shredded females. Maybe it's just a horny bastard thing. Or maybe it's because I know that getting really lean and muscular is more difficult for a female than a male. So when I see an actress (like Jessica Biel, sigh) get ripped for a role, I'm even more impressed.

* Have I mentioned how much I want to have sex with Jessica Biel?

Progress Update: End of Week 3

Today marks the beginning of week four, the last scheduled week of the diet. Last week I lost another 3 to 3.5 pounds, bringing the grand total to about 13 pounds lost in only three weeks!

Major observation this week: The third week was easier than the second. I think week one is easy because the diet is new and self-discipline and determination are at their peak. Week two is more of a struggle, but by week three bad habits are being overcome and good habits are being established. By week three you also start to lose cravings.

Now, last week I had a bit of a dilemma. I wondered if I should keep going with the diet. I'd lost all the fat I'd planned on losing, after all. In fact, I was already leaner than I'd been in years! After some introspection, I realized that what was freaking me out was what I call "round number phobia." I'd reached a scale weight I hadn't dropped below in a long time. In my mind I thought dropping below this number would be going too low.

But then I realized that I could easily drop some more fat. I had to work from a visual base and not focus on arbitrary numbers. Visually, I'd look ever better with a few more pounds of fat burned off. If you think about it, this is exactly what women do. Do you think they look at a buff guy and think, "Oh, that guy isn't attractive. He's weighs under 200 pounds. I shall refrain from moistening my panties." Hell no! All they see are abs, a lean face, and defined muscles!

I need to be visual like that too and forget about dropping below a certain scale weight. Hey, if you still have love handles or a fat gut, then does it really matter what your scale weight is? Once I got my mind straight and stopped freaking out over numbers, I realized I'd look even better with a few more pounds ripped off. Now that those few pounds are gone, I can see that I was right.

(And yes, I wrote a whole rant about how we as weight trainers bug out too much over scale weight. It's guaranteed to piss off the fat, round faced, triple-chinned lifters out there. I'll post it further down the road.)

Go There

But now it's the beginning of week four and, well, here we go again. Do I keep going another week? I'd planned to do four weeks in the beginning, but I never thought the fat would fly off this fast. Do I need to do another week? When is enough enough?

Stop it, Chris. Don't even bother thinking about it this week. Look at it like this: the only way to find out is to do it.

Maybe I'll look a little too lean in another week. Who cares? I can take care of that easily enough. Sometimes to find out how far is "too far" you just have to go there. It's sort of like the concept of overtraining. You have to experience it at least once or you'll never know where that point is for you.

So, I'm staying with the Velocity Diet for another week. Seven more days. Down to the wire. It begins. . . now.

Setbacks or Excuses?

There are setbacks and there are excuses. The first you should expect and not worry about too much. The second must be recognized and avoided or you'll fail at everything and be a loser all your life and die unhappy and fat.

Where the heck am I going with an introductory paragraph like that? Well, that little micro-rant came to mind when I was thinking about two things:

1) This diet has been a huge success.

And. . .

2) I've been clobbered with setbacks and little life annoyances during the whole damn thing!

At first, these two points don't even seem to go together: success and setbacks? Yes, success and setbacks. During my three week weigh-in described above, I'd lost a total of 13 or 14 pounds and at least an inch and a half off my love handle area. That's success. But here's a list of just a few of the things that happened to me during that three weeks:

1) Injured my finger so badly I had to wear a strap on some lifting exercises and drain the pus from it before I went to the gym.

2) Lost access to some gym equipment. Had to make do with less.

3) Got a nasty cold.

4) Injured my shoulder.

5) Had an out-of-town trip where I had to pack my Velocity supplies with me.

6) Had a ton of work to do and deadlines to meet.

7) Wife and daughter both got sick.

8) Had computer problems.

9) Weather has been cold and rainy.

No, nothing major, but lots of little annoyances. Here's the thing: many people are actively looking for excuses to quit their diets or skip their workouts. To them, any of the above would've been a good reason to stay out of the gym or eat something they shouldn't.
Cold and rainy weather? Hey, that's a great excuse to skip the planned outdoor cardio! Busy at work? Hey, no time to make shakes and count calories. Bring on the fast food! Out of town trip? Just eat at McDonalds for convenience and skip training! Computer problems? Life sucks; pie will make me feel better! Minor injury? Well, can't do that hard weight stuff now can I? Wheeee!

Pathetic. Sure, I've had to rearrange the schedule a little. I've had to miss a cardio session and make it up later. I've had to switch some exercises around and make some substitutions. And maybe this caused me to have 2% less success on this diet. But I didn't quit. And as silly as this sounds, not quitting is the first and most important step. Obvious? God yes. Then why don't more people succeed in achieving their goals?

I guess the message is this: shit happens. Get over it and keep on truckin'. You probably won't be able to do this diet and stay perfect with your training and nutrition plans 100% of the time.

So what?

Aim for a consistent 90% and you'll still kick everyone's fat ass around you.

Toxic People

I got an interesting PM from someone already trying the Velocity Diet. While the diet was going well, the PM'er was being called "crazy" and "stupid" by his family for doing it.

Only in America.

It's funny that a person who eats rancid fat (fried food), drinks sugar (colas) and doesn't move off the fucking couch (the average person) is "normal," but a person who eats healthy and trains is "stupid." I know the Velocity Diet is extreme, but I'd pit its nutritional worth against the typical fat American's diet any day of the week. Believe it.

Anyway, it reminded me of something I wrote a while back for T-Nation that hasn't been published. I think these people in the PMer's life could be toxic. Maybe not, they could just be ignorant. What do I mean by toxic? Here's the article excerpt:

The Saboteur

The concept of "toxic people" was popularized by Lillian Glass, PH.D. in her book by the same name. A toxic person is basically anyone who cuts you down, holds you back, makes you experience negative emotions, and general makes you miserable. They may do this on purpose or they could just have "issues" of their own which adversely impact you just because you're around them. A toxic person can be a co-worker, a family member or, sadly, a girlfriend or spouse.

In Glass's book, she outlines 30 different types of toxic people including The Mental Case, The Fanatic, The Accusing Critic, The Instigator, The Opportunistic User and the Smiling Two-Faced Backstabber. After reading the book, I came up with a couple of my own related to diet and fitness. My favorite (or least favorite actually) is The Saboteur.

The Saboteur seems to be out to ruin your diet and/or training program. The Saboteur can do this overtly or covertly, and through physical or emotional manipulations. Let's go through some examples:

* A co-worker who knows you're dieting keeps offering you junk food. This person could even go as far as coming into your office and handing you a doughnut.

* Your spouse tries to talk you out of going to the gym or makes you feel guilty for going: "You can go later. Stay with me." "Why can't you spend time with me and the kids instead of running off to the gym?" "We're strapped for cash and you drop $60 a month on a stupid gym membership?" "Are you seeing someone at the gym?"

* A family member cooks your favorite cheat food or encourages you to cheat on your diet. "Oh come on, a couple of slices of pizza aren't going to hurt." (While it's true that a little pizza won't hurt you much, it's the pattern of this type of behavior you have to watch out for. Ask yourself: Is this person doing this to me on a daily basis?)

* A friend drops seemingly casual but negative comments about your goals. "Yeah, you've lost some weight, but you ain't exactly Brad Pitt, bro!" "Yeah, you're getting big, but all that muscle will just turn to fat when you get older." (Note: There's no such thing as a "casual" negative comment. Watch for these and keep an eye on the person doing it.)

* Your training partner is always trying to hold you back or talk you into quitting early. He may show up late, talk too much between sets or make negative comments about your strength. Maybe he's just a crappy training partner, but he could also be purposefully poisoning your efforts in the gym.

As you can see, The Saboteur is usually not a recognized "enemy," but a person close to you. Co-workers can be notoriously toxic, but I'd say The Saboteur is most often a loved one!

Okay, so why do they do it? Keep in mind that The Saboteur may be doing this consciously or unconsciously. It's done out of hatred or competition sometimes, but it can also be done out of fear. Example: Dana sees her boyfriend getting more muscular. His body is looking great. She's afraid he'll leave her for a better looking girl, so she tries to sabotage his progress in order to "keep him."

By the way, the most extreme example of this I've ever seen was with a married couple. The husband was insanely jealous. His method of controlling his wife and keeping other men from paying attention to her was to keep her pregnant. After all, a pregnant woman was less desirable to other men. Her being pregnant also displayed his ownership. (Yes, he had major issues and I feel sorry for his four kids.)

Along with fear, the most obvious motivating factor for The Saboteur is jealousy. Let's look at the co-worker example. She sees your body changing because of your discipline and hard work. She's failed at fat loss many times in the past and she's jealous of your achievements. Her sabotaging may take the form of nasty comments, tempting you with bad foods, or spreading rumors that you're "on something." She does it to make herself feel better.

Nothing pisses off these types of people more than seeing you succeed!

Another reason for this type of behavior actually doesn?t have much to do with you. Glass refers to this type of toxic person as The Self-Destroyer. If you have dreams and goals for financial success or for a great body, avoid the Self-Destroyer at all costs.

This is the type of person who's hell-bent on making the worst possible choices for himself. These unstable and often out-of-control people seem to be doing everything possible to destroy themselves out of a sense of self-loathing. They may do it with food, alcohol, drugs, money, sex, stupid risks, or by getting involved with other nasty people (a self-destructive woman may get involved with a string of physically abusive boyfriends for example.)

The Self-Destroyer isn't really out to sabotage you personally, but just being associated with this type of person will thwart your efforts. A common example of this is the guy who gets involved with the beautiful but self-destructive girl. Maybe he's trying to "rescue" her or maybe she has him dancing on a string like a puppet because of what's between her legs, but ultimately he quits training and wrecks his diet because of her.

The best advice? Run. Run like the wind from self-destructive people or they'll take you down with them.

A quick note: Sometimes the so-called Saboteur is doing the right thing. Example: The anorexic who weighs 97 pounds and whose hair is falling out because of malnutrition, will often attack those trying to get her to eat. In her mind, they're just trying to sabotage her. Another example: The 17 year steroid user is convinced other people are just jealous because they tell him not to be juicing at his age.

So, you have to be careful when labeling someone a Saboteur. You just might be the one in the wrong.

The lesson here is to be aware and on the lookout for The Saboteur. Just recognizing The Saboteur will keep you from becoming his or her victim. A co-worker can often be ignored, but you'll eventually need to confront a close friend, girlfriend or family member if their behavior continues. You can do this with humor or with anger, but I suggest a straightforward approach:

"Why do you always try to keep me from going to the gym? Why do you offer me cookies when you know I'm on a diet?"

If this is a spouse or girlfriend, try to get her involved. This will make you more of a team instead of being opponents. If she's a hopelessly self-destructive Saboteur, kick that bitch to the curb.

It's Over! Final Results

The diet is over (or will be officially in the morning.) For four weeks I consumed nothing but healthy fats, high quality protein and fiber: all in the form of liquid meals. During this four weeks I've only had four solid meals, one every Saturday of the diet.

The results? 16 pounds lost and about two inches off the waist! No noticeable loss of muscle or strength gains. I've even had to buy new pants!

This blog has really helped me stay on target and "think out loud" about this diet. It's also helped me write Part II to the diet as well, which should be published in a week or so. The article will:

* Outline my results.

* Provide a plan for coming off the diet.

* Discuss any minor changes.

* Offer tips.

* Provide a plan for a one-solid-meal-per-day version.

Thanks to all those T-Nation readers who asked me great questions in the Velocity Diet thread or PMed me. It looks like there's a Velocity Diet Support Group forming now:

http://www.t-nation.com/...ic.do?id=558428

That should be handy. I'll start a new blog thread soon to cover my coming off phase.

And the bodybuilding adventure continues. . .