Yeah, I'm using hyperbole in the title again to make you click; tricked you!
'Real', non-water weight loss this time was 4.6 lbs if you count from the end of where I left you with the last diet log. Again, we used a modified version of Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss diet - modified to be less hardcore, for various reasons.
Diet in Depth
Again, please read the source for the full details behind the diet and the supplements. At a high level: eat enough protein to fill your requirements (personally, I aimed for 1g/1lb of lean mass daily), throw in a few essential fats, and carbs should be avoided (with a few exceptions - pre-workout and "cheat meals" which are quite obvious in my chart).
| Date | Calories | Carbohydrates (g) | Fat (g) | Protein (g) | Dietary Fiber (g) | Weight (lb) | Workout? | Bodyfat % |
| 06/09/14 | 1264.4 | 31.90 | 58.13 | 150.08 | 5.56 | 165.4 | 10.00% | |
| 06/08/14 | 1299 | 17.01 | 70.57 | 139.74 | 3.91 | |||
| 06/07/14 | 1393.7 | 24.67 | 72.68 | 146.91 | 2.42 | x | ||
| 06/06/14 | 1489.75 | 70.12 | 74.58 | 151.16 | 2.70 | 165.8 | ||
| 06/05/14 | 1007.75 | 29.02 | 43.25 | 121.46 | 1.70 | 167.2 | ||
| 06/04/14 | 1653.29 | 37.55 | 91.79 | 141.20 | 1.93 | 168.8 | ||
| 06/03/14 | 1916.75 | 92.25 | 105.83 | 132.01 | 14.00 | 171.8 | x | |
| 06/02/14 | 1560.2 | 91.86 | 73.45 | 126.23 | 5.49 | 173 | ||
| 06/01/14 | 3229.3 (Haha) | 516.73 | 86.73 | 125.36 | 9.43 | 170 | ||
| 05/31/14 | 1768.4 | 72.90 | 66.18 | 185.68 | 8.80 | 168.4 | x | |
| 05/30/14 | 1775.65 | 22.88 | 90.65 | 187.85 | 3.67 | 170.2 | ||
| 05/29/14 | 984.5 | 13.99 | 36.10 | 139.78 | 0.50 | 169 | ||
| 05/28/14 | 1183 | 50.47 | 46.35 | 136.36 | 3.00 | 170.8 | ||
| 05/27/14 | 1164.28 | 16.59 | 53.78 | 142.29 | 2.15 | 170.2 | ||
| 05/26/14 | 1298.8 | 30.13 | 76.53 | 113.75 | 3.64 | 170.2 | x | |
| 05/25/14 | 1004.85 | 9.57 | 49.76 | 113.94 | 1.88 | |||
| 05/24/14 | 2252 | 184.52 | 116.85 | 111.50 | 10.00 | |||
| 05/23/14 | 174.6 | 12.00% |
The caliper measurement of 12% was carried over from the end of the last diet, and the 10% was taken on the morning of the 9th. The math on that? 149.6 lbs of lean mass coming into this phase, 148.86 coming out - so I lost some muscle, but I lost another (awesome) 3.86 lbs of fat during this phase. Not bad results for this sledgehammer of a diet.
My averages weren't as good as last time - it's tough staying motivated as you inch towards the single digits of body fat! 1,543.86 calories, 77 grams of carbohydrates, 71 grams of fat and 139 grams of protein a day. If you take out the cheat days - 1406/47/68/140.5. If you followed more closely, you'd be pushing those fats and carbohydrates down to the 20s-30s range - making this diet work even faster.
Why Diet Like This? Isn't it Too Much?
I've actually been following a similar plan for years - try to work out hard when it's long sleeve shirt season, then pivot for beach weather. I don't quite understand the typical American approach to diet - "oh, well I'll try to 'cut out' <insert food> for a while" only to inevitably panic over the 'failed diet' and overeat after a single bite of the forbidden thing. Of course, talking to the standard citizen about diet is sort of like talking to the apocryphal overweight, smoking doctor about healthy habits!
But really, my philosophy on diet is like tearing off a bandaid - dieting isn't supposed to be fun, so I try to get it over as quickly as possible so I can go back to full fat milk, butter, and bacon in my diet. Look - this diet was only active for 31 days in total, with a week off halfway. I lost 13 lbs (if you count water weight, which you only should while bragging or trolling for article clicks since it comes back, call it 19.6!). Only 1.9 lbs of it was lean mass/muscle - the other 11.1 was fat.
How can you hate those results? Here's the chart that drives it all home (I do all my tracking on Livestrong, for the record):
What's Next?
Well, it's still summer. So, dieting of some sort in the meantime - but I won't update you again until the end of summer, since I do want to post some finance articles here on this finance site. But, hey, at least I'm making charts for you.
My goals are modest, in the grand scheme of things - probably 8% minimum on the body-fat side - which, as some of your folks know, is harder than just getting to 9.999%. There is no need for an engineer to go to 5-6%, although it is possible to maintain that sort of level year round, contrary to the opinion of many so-called 'experts'. So, a quick break, then back in the game for a few rounds of a different diet! I'll try to toss up a few calculators for you folks to help you visualize/quickly calculate the importance of some of these things in the meantime.
How are your fitness plans working out this year? Ever tried a diet like this? Did you find it hard to workout once the low-carb feeling kicked in?
