This is the diet I have been researching recently. Apparently it's one the best to try if you are wanting to lose body fat and keep muscle mass. Well
that's me alright! Below is the diet explained, this article has been taken from bodybuilding.com. many thanks to the original authors.
Click here to check out my Keto Blog.
In recent media, low carbohydrate diets have been THE fad for almost everybody wanting to lose weight. From your secretaries, elementary school teachers, and desk clerks, to bodybuilders, models, actresses, and athletes.
However, there is a huge difference between those who follow an Atkins plan and those who follow a cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD). Atkins is a low carb plan for those who are quite sedentary, walk maybe 3 times a week at the most, and just follow normal everyday activities. So forget Atkins here. The CKD is for those who’s main concern is true fat loss and muscle preservation, muscle for sports and high intensity activities.
My opinion for those who practice Atkins is that while they do lose fat, there is much water loss and most importantly muscle loss. Something we athletes do not want. A CKD is a true fat loss diet that works undeniably, if followed properly and strictly. Yes, low carb diets can be hell at first, but after two to three weeks, there have been anecdotal reports from many dieters that the cravings for carbohydrates decrease. This route to fat burning is unlike any traditional diet all the low-fat diet authors and FDA people have been advocating in history.
I got turned onto this diet a few years back when I got tired of cutting fat and still not being able to lose those last percentage points of bodyfat without losing hard earned muscle. I would start a low-fat diet, and be a either a social misfit (not going out with my friends to party or not going out to eat). Or in the worse case, feel so deprived of delicious junk foods I missed and bail out on the diet all together. One advantage to this diet is that there is no true restrictions on food. One may eat anything labeled a "food"! Well, almost. I?ll explain later.
How the diet works.
The science behind the CKD is simple. Carbohydrates in the diet cause an insulin (a "storage" hormone) output in the pancreas. It is used to store glycogen, amino acids into muscles, while causing excess calories to be stored as fat. So common sense asks me, "How can one try to break down fat, when your body is in a storage-type mode?" Difficult to do, indeed. That is why it makes perfect sense for step one to be cutting carbs.
The next thing that happens in your body is the rise in catecholamines (a "fat mobilizing" hormone), cortisol (a "breakdown" hormone), and growth hormone. Now your body realizes there’s no more carbs to burn for energy, so it must find another energy source: fat.
This usually happens during a metabolic condition called "ketosis." This is when your liver is out of glycogen and starts to produce ketones (by-products of fatty acids). You can check your status of whether or not you are in ketosis with urinalysis strips you can pick up at any local drug store called "Ketostix." Just urinate and see if it turns color. If so, you have ketones in the urine.
When the body is fed fat and protein, it will use dietary fat along with bodyfat for energy with protein going towards repair.
As a side note, there is another reason why this diet makes the most sense to use while keeping muscle. When one follows a high carbohydrate, low-fat, reduced-calorie diet, there’s a point when some bodyfat is burned, but when the body is still in a carbohydrate burning metabolism while trying to lose "weight," it will strip down precious body protein to convert to glucose for energy.
On the other hand, during fat metabolism, protein cannot be converted into free-fatty acids for energy. Although there is no scientific research done on this, there have been reports from followers that there truly is a "protein-sparing" effect. It makes sense doesn’t it? Where else would the body look for fat energy when all dietary fat is burned? Bodyfat.
Diet Requirements Mon. to Fri.
The phrase "working smarter, not harder" applies here more than any diet one has tried. One must fully understand what they must do in order to optimize their goal. To set a CKD up, one cannot just expect to cut all carbs in the diet, train hard, and lose fat! Although some have come up with variations to this plan, the one stated in this article, I have found, has worked for myself (it got me to 6% BF), and other clients I’ve trained to the leanest, hardest they’ve ever been.
First, to set up the diet, write down your lean mass weight. Not your total weight, dough boy. If you weigh 200, but have 20% bodyfat, your lean mass weight would be around 160 pounds. Multiply this by one, getting your grams of protein requirements for a day. Make sure you eat at least one gram of protein/pound of lean mass! This is important in recovery from workouts and enough nitrogen retention to keep muscle. Next, multiply by four, to get your protein calories. Here, it is 640.
The rest of your caloric requirements for the day should be fat. Here is the catch: you must eat fat to burn fat. There’s no way around it. There are many advantages to dietary fat on this diet: Feeling of fullness since fat digestion is slow (less hunger), tastes great, and lowers blood glucose levels (lowering insulin and allow all the fat burning hormones to do their job).
So how much fat? I always recommend starting out with a 500 calorie deficit from your maintenance calories. If you don’t know, it is usually 15 times body weight (full body weight here) depending on an individuals metabolic rate. So here, the example would need 3000 calories a day to maintain weight, and 2500 calories to begin fat loss.
2500 minus 640 (protein calories) is 1860 which works out to be around 206 fat grams a day. Now as you go deeper into the diet, and find the need to restrict calories more, you must cut fat calories, not protein.
The Weekend Carb Load
Since muscle glycogen is the main source of energy for anaerobic exercise such as weight training, we cannot simply deplete all stores while working out and not fill them back up. If that does happen, be rest-assured that the body WILL use protein for fuel then. But this won’t happen on the CKD.
Your one and a half days of "freedom" allow you to do two things: First, reward your carb cravings from the previous days, allowing you to enjoy pleasures like pizza, pasta, breads, etc. Second, eating these things are physiologically rewarding as insulin levels run high, storing amino acids and carbs, as glycogen, into the depleted muscle allowing you to be able to workout again the following week.
Your "carb-up" should begin Friday night and last until around midnight Saturday. Now the next important issue to address is how many carbs. Some lucky individuals find that they eat whatever they want for the 24-30 hour time interval and receive perfect glycogen compensation, while others rely on a better statistical number.
What has been recommended by other authors of the CKD is 10-12 grams of carbs per kilogram of lean mass. Again, time to do math. Our example had 160 pounds of lean mass, so divide that by the conversion factor of 2.2, and we get roughly 73 kg.
100 Grams of easily digested liquid carbs along with around half as many grams of carbs in protein (here 50) as a whey shake or something of that nature should be taken right after the last workout (which I will address in the workout section of the article) when insulin sensitivity will be at its greatest.
A few hours later this individual will start to spread the remaining 630 grams of carbs, along with the important number of 160 grams of protein (remember, keep this constant) during the remainder of the compensation period.
So what about dietary fat? I know you’re reminding yourself, "Didn’t this guy mention pizza?" Yes, I did. And here’s why. During the first 24-30 hours of carbing up, the body will use all dietary carbohydrates to refill glycogen, protein for rebuilding, and get this: fat for energy. Still?
Just like the previous five and a half days. Makes sense. When all the carbohydrates are being used for more important functions (muscle), what else is there to be used? However, you can?t just eat all the fat you want. Keep grams of fat intake below your body weight in kilograms. Again, here our example will keep is fat below 73 during the carb-fest.
By anecdotal reports, this should keep fat regain minimal to nil. Keeping fat intake extremely low has even caused some extra fat burning during the carb up!
As stated before, some dietary fat should be eaten to slow digestion and keep sugar levels stable. Whether it be saturated, unsaturated, or essential fats, is the dieter’s decision. All have nine calories per gram. (Note: there is a claim that essential fatty acids such as flax seed oil increase insulin sensitivity within the muscle cells, in turn, increasing glycogen intake.)
In Case You Missed It
So here’s how it breaks down during the week: Sunday through Friday afternoon , you will follow the low carb diet outlined above. Eat fat and protein all day everyday except on workout days because after workouts, you will need to consume strictly just protein no fat or carbs.
Some have found to enjoy a protein shake afterwards because they are easily digested. Do whatever works for you. But fat is not logical since you want the protein to fuel the healing process as quickly as possible and fat will only slow it down.
Friday afternoon, around two hours before your last workout of the week, eat two to three pieces of fruit. This will get your body/liver ready to start the carb loading and give you some energy for that final, dreadful workout (trust me, during the first few weeks, you will not want to do that final workout, but you must). Then from Friday night until Saturday at midnight or until bed, eat those carbs!
This information was taken from.....Bodybuilding.com
My KETO Blog - March 2009
Cyclical Keto Diet (AKA- CKD)
Week One
Day One – Monday 09.03.09 – Weight 12:11.2 st
OK so I thought I’d have a pop at the Keto Diet that I have read so much about (read above). It’s Monday so what better time to kick start this attempt. Firstly I would like to say that my knowledge is still growing about this diet plan and I am already finding it difficult to pump up the fat percentage needed. A little bit more nosing around should solve this. Another stumble block is the cost! With 90% of this diet coming from meats, it’s not going to be cheap. I did a few price comparisons to try persuading the wife that we could actually afford it, especially with things being what they are at the moment.
It’s currently 9.00pm and so far I’m feeling ok, not quite my normal self but ok. I’ve just had my dinner which consisted of chicken breast, a cup of steamed broccoli and cauliflower. My lunch today consisted of a whole roasted chicken, some cheese and dry roasted peanuts in the afternoon. I am experiencing a small sense of light headiness and my guts are making some interesting noises. I have kept my water intake up and it must be approaching the 3 litre mark today, I have been more thirsty than normal. The only fault with my Keto diet today is probably eating an apple this morning at break time. I didn’t realise that it was such a high carb food (21g). I have read that there are certain initial fall backs with this diet plan including an overwhelming hunger, fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, constipation etc. Nevertheless I am still in a confident mood and am more than willing to press on. I will record any further unusual feelings and experiences as the days go by.
I had a modest workout after work consisting of 835 calorie session including 10 minutes HIIT cardio and an Abs and Oblique routine followed this. I am not feeling as tired as I usually would after this workout.
Day Two – Tuesday 10.03.09 – Weight 12:9.4 st
After a good night’s sleep I am feeling ok today. I don’t know if it’s too early to tell but my weight was unusually down by a massive 2lbs today. Coincidence? No tiredness or hunger pangs though, which I thought I’d might have. I have energy and am up for my lunch time swim. I am finding it hard however sorting foods for this diet. Just trying to work out which fatty foods to consume is a nightmare. If they are not pure meats then they are likely to contain carbohydrates. Having not prepared anything for break time this morning I have had a last minute idea and dashed over the to the cafe across the road. I thought perhaps I would be able to grab an omelette with bacon, cheese and sausages. Unfortunately they didn’t do omelettes and couldn’t do a takeaway meaty breakfast because they had no plastic containers. I ended up having a protein shake. I need to rethink this.
OK so now it’s 2.00pm, I have had my swim (44 lengths) and my lunch. I managed to buy a pack of those ready cooked mini party sausages, I got some full fat mayonnaise and a little bag of mixed salad. It was nice at first, but got a bit repetitive after a while. Still it has filled a hole and it is quite high in the fat area which is ideal. It’s so weird looking at the labels of food completely opposite to how I used to. Does it have a good portion of fat? Is it very low in carbs? How much fibre? Protein?
I still feel fine, usually after my Tuesday lunch time swim, I may feel a little be bit knackered, but I can safely say I feel quite good. Where’s this so called cloud of tiredness?
Day Three – Wednesday 11.03.09 – Weight 12:8.2 st
Following last night’s workout (back & delts) I can now say...Yup, I have found the cloud of tiredness this morning. Although initially after my workout I felt ok and most of last evening too. It’s this morning! I woke up and was surprised NOT to see a truck laying next to me. Well perhaps I am exaggerating that a bit, but my muscle soreness does feel a little more potent compared to most post workouts. I did a bit more research last night and discovered that gym goers who take part in this diet tend to do their toughest work out early on in the week following the carb reload period. In my case that would be Monday. As energy declines during the week, trying to do a full body workout later on in the week would be very difficult. This makes sense.
I managed to get my fat intake to 100g yesterday, not quite up there at 180g but it was the best I could do. My carbs were sitting at 56g, a little high for this diet, but as I have said earlier, keeping the carbs down to a minimum is very hard. 20g’s of carbs comes from the Protein Shakes alone. I will try harder.
On a positive, my weight is has dropped yet again, it is now down another pound at 12:8.2 stone. This does seem quite a dramatic drop compared to my usual weekly weight fluctuations.
Update: 10.30pm – Tiredness meet Dan, Dan meet tiredness. Tonight’s gym session was horrible. I had little enthusiasm as my energy level was seriously lacking! It was a leg session and I only managed half the amounts of sets I would normally do. My cardio heart rate was really low too. I had to really push it to get up to 150+. From this afternoon onwards I have felt light headed, not really with it so they say, cruising and well, a little stupid really. In the gym I needed a drink and walked right up to the water cooler, then scratched my head in wonder as to why I was standing there. I headed off in the direction to do more cardio by walking past the gym door when I wanted to hit the weights. I think they call this being ditzy?
This evening I managed to get down a rump steak topped with cheese, cauliflower and the usual “broccoli”. I must admit the thought of more broccoli sent a shudder down my spine, I knew it was going to get tough and thinking of new low (practically non-existent) carb food has become a uncontrollable habit, unfortunately my lack of imagine is this department could win awards. I am finding this difficult indeed, although I did stumble across walnuts this afternoon. They are very good for you when participating in this diet. Taste like shit though!
Overall today has been my first ‘mixed bag’ feelings with this diet. I don’t know if the lack of energy both physical and mentally have questioned my intentions with this diet, but whatever has happened, before I go to bed tonight I will be polishing that dent in my willpower in an attempt to start a fresh tomorrow.
Day Four – Thursday 12.03.09 – Weight 12:7.2 st
Woke up this morning with just the usual muscle fatigue in my legs, not too bad actually, but then again I didn’t really push it during last night’s session. Let’s see how my legs feel while I’m swimming lunch time. Mentally I feel ok this morning, refreshed after another quality night’s sleep. I feel able to put yesterday’s wobble to one side and get back to concentrating on the diet. I have already set out today’s meals. My weight has dropped another pound this morning!
I don’t know if it’s worth mentioning but my typing has improved tenfold, I know longer need to look at the keyboard.
Update: 3.00pm - My swimming session went well. I did half a mile in 30 minutes. My legs held up ok, much better than I thought they would. I managed to get an egg & cheese omelette down my neck for lunch and have a handful of walnuts for afternoon break. It’s weird eating this stuff, but manageable, just... feeling good though.
Update: 10.00pm – This evenings chest work out was much more positive. My energy levels were back to normal and I was able to push all the way through it. I even managed a PB on the Flat Bench Press 80KG for 5 Reps. Previously this was my one rep max.
My post workout meal consisted of a large chicken breast, broccoli and cauliflower. Compared to last night it was a lot easier to swallow. Perhaps it’s the thought that tomorrow I will be able to eat something different and begin introducing carbs again. I can already taste the chilli wedges, sirloin and steak sauce.
So all I need to do now is have a Casein Protein shake and hit the hay. Today has been much more constructive for me.
Day Five – Friday 13.03.09 – Weight 12:6.6 st
I have the usual DOMS from yesterday’s Chest workout. By the end of the day they will really kicking in. I woke this morning feeling fine, full of energy and raring to go. Looking back at this week, apart from one day, I actually didn’t mind getting up. Normally this is something I find very difficult “grumpy old bastard” is what I have been called on many occasions, but not this week. It maybe because each day holds it’s own challenge and giving me something to stride for?
Anyways, enough of the jibba jabba. Today will bring the start of my re-feed 36-48 hours which I was, no, I am looking forward to. I say was because there is a little anticipation within me that wants the scales to keep dropping but I know the carb intake will push it up. Anymore low carb days will probably lead to muscle decrease so I know it’s all good, just got to get my head round it. The re-feed starts a couple of hours before tonight’s workout when I will introduce some sugary carbs back into my system to prepare my liver for the re-feeding of carbs. I think an apple or some fruit will do.
I feel that I have done well this week. I have never been so strict with myself – EVER, I just hope all this hard work pays off.
Day Six – Saturday 14.03.09 – Weight 12:6.4 st
A full re-feed day begins. I feel fine today, to be honest it’s like most past Saturdays, Crunchy Nut for breakfast, Pie n Mash for lunch and a pizza planned for later. Nice A? Only this time I don’t feel bad.
Day Seven – Sunday 15.03.09 – Weight 12:8.8 st
This morning my belly doesn’t feel as tight as it did last week. The flabby ring I have around my midsection (especially when sitting) feels like it’s full of water. Very jelly like. Still feel ok though. I am enjoying being able to eat the carbs, toast never tasted so good. One thing I have noticed is that I don’t seem to be as hungry for them as I thought I would. My appetite has declined quite a bit during this diet. I thought I would be ravenous but I am not.
Week 2
Day Eight – Monday 16.03.09 – Weight 12:8.0 st
Ok so it’s week 2. I am actually excited by the thought of this week. Following my weigh in this morning I have managed to lose 3.2lbs in one week. I will take some myotape measurements later to make sure that it’s coming off the right areas.
I thought the weekend’s carb loading phase would have energised me a bit more than I am feeling. We’ll have to wait and see when I hit the gym later. I will have to be a bit careful because last Friday’s Bicep and Triceps workout left me with a nagging shoulder over the weekend. Not sure what I did.
Update: 10.00pm – My gym session this evening went very well. I felt quite tired before going, but once I was there I felt like I could of gone on forever, 800 calories came and went on the cross trainer and I finished off with a good routine for my obliques and abs. It felt like I had buckets of energy.
However, as dinner time approached (around 8pm) I noticed a massive dip in energy levels and my mood changed drastically. With a click of the fingers I became very irritable and agitated. The thought of more broccoli and dull cauliflower didn’t help much. I really must shake this up a bit if I want to succeed.
I’m feeling so much better now, the food has obviously kicked in and levelled off my mood swings. I am currently researching more low carb keto friendly foods on the internet and have just discovered clotted cream and strawberries. Things are looking up!
Day Nine – Tuesday 17.03.09 - Weight 12:9.0 st
I am still finding it hard to gather enough food ideas to get through this diet. It is getting me down. I was wondering around Tesco’s today reading labels, going back and forth viewing various meats and vegetables. People around me (CCTV operator included) must have thought I was a crazy mad man, I mean even I thought I was going bananas. I ended up settling on.. guess what? Yes you did guess correctly. Roasted Chicken, again. Hey but this time I had it with coleslaw.
I keep reading on the internet all the different recipes for low carb diets, but most of these include a reasonable amount of carbs, perhaps not separately but added up through the day would calculate to a more then required amount if on the CKD diet. Plus they are mostly American and the ingredients are not familiar to me. I did a bad thing and ended up skipping my afternoon snack, hopefully the protein shake pre-workout will be sufficient.
Energy levels were ok today. I managed 50 Lengths in the pool during my lunch hour and put in an explosive chest workout and HIIT session after work. I have been eating less than 30g of carbs for the last two days so my body must be using something other than carbs for energy. I measured my arms today and they have actually increased in size from 12.25 inch to 12.50 inch.
If last week is anything to go by I expect my energy levels to decrease tomorrow.
Day Ten – Wednesday 18.03.09 – Weight 12:7.0 st
I think I’m going to call Wednesday’s “Wobbly Wednesdays” from now on. Like last week I have suffered a god awful day of weird tiredness and carbohydrate cravings. Brain fog has set in again, example; finding a clerical error and then telling my bank manager to re-read my statements again and again when all along I was in the wrong. Any other day, that would have not happened.
This evening I skipped the gym and cleaned my car instead. It’s not that I couldn’t face the gym. I just thought I would listen to my body as the signals I awoke with this morning were not great and continued throughout the day. Both my shoulders are now giving me some jip. They feel like they are going to lock, but then there is a sharp painful click and they release freeing the movement. Again, a little weird considering I haven’t changed my routines in anyway.
I also feel a little down as I write this. A bit depressed I suppose, but nothing I can think of in my immediate surroundings could be the cause. Perhaps it’s another side effect of ketosis? Anyways, I will continue this diet and ignore the thoughts of baked beans, bread, ketchup, mini eggs, pasta, potatoes, noodles, rice, dip, chilli sauce, curry, cereal, parsnips, pretzels, yoghurts, fruit, beer, wine, pizza, milk chocolate, crackers.... see where I’m coming from?
Day Eleven – Thursday 19.03.09 – Weight 12:7.0 st
Today has been a much better day. There must something about Wednesdays (or day three on low carb days), because the mind fog has disappeared, the hunger pangs for carbs has vanished and I’m in a much better mood. My energy levels have returned and I had one of the most awesome workouts with “The Robster” at the gym. I feel totally pumped this evening.
To confirm my body is in a state of ketosis, I purchased some Ketostix from my local pharmacy. These are little sticks of plastic with a coloured cotton type fibre at the end. The idea is to wee on them and the fibre turns a different colour. You wait 15 seconds and when the colour has changed you match it up on a chart to determine how deep in ketosis you are. I did this late last night, and there it was, the fibre turned a pinkish brown – meaning I am officially burning fat for energy. This may sound sad to some people, but it really cheered me up. The feeling of knowing that my little diet experiment is a success!
Day Twelve – Friday 20.03.09 – Weight 12:5.8 st
It’s 10.35am I am feeling fantastic this morning. Again I don’t whether it’s because I am going back to carb eating or it’s just because the weekend has arrived. To be honest with you I don’t really care for carbs at the moment. Strange turn around huh? I have some slight DOMS from last night’s brutal legs and biceps workout but other than that I feel on top of the world and along with my tight stomach and weight drop down to 12:5.8 this morning I feel almost euphoric!
Day Thirteen – Saturday 21.03.09 – Weight 12:5.8 st
Cheat day, re-feeding is going well. I have noticed that I don’t have as much energy as yesterday though. I even had a nap this afternoon as I couldn’t shake off the massive dip. I was wondering if it’s because of the cross-over back to carbs? Anyways I’m off to enjoy the starchy stuff and the weekend.
Day Fourteen – Sunday 22.03.09 – Weight – 12:7.4 st
My weight crept up this morning. I am not surprised; it usually does at this point in the weekend. All the typical cheat foods play a part as well as the calorie intake. I expect it to be the same, if not a bit more tomorrow morning. We’ll see. Energy levels are ok today, they seem to consistent, no dips or mood swings. It’s the afternoon so I am already preparing for carb restrictions.
Day Fifteen – Monday 23.03.09 – Weight 12:8.6 st
As predicted my weight has increased slightly and with the amount of water I have consumed today I expect it to rise even further. I have never had a thirst like it, I had drunk 2 litres by the end of work, then there was the usual litre at the gym and another couple of pints at home this evening. So yeh, I think I am officially hydrated!
In an attempt to avoid frustration especially during the brain fog patch I have done most of this week’s Keto shopping already and have set out food plans for the week ahead. Hopefully this Wednesday won’t be as bad as last week’s near suicidal experience.
I had a good session at the gym this evening, it consisted of a heavy duty chest and biceps work out with abs and oblique’s thrown in at the end. I feel ok this evening, I have eaten my usual chicken, broccoli and cauliflower dinner and am looking forward to some double cream with strawberries a little later on. My calorie deficit is ok at 2200 and that’s not including the workout.
Day Sixteen – Tuesday 24.03.09 – Weight 12:9.2 st
Yup, another predicted weight gain, just a little increase today. I expect it to begin to start dropping as from tomorrow. My body feels very tight today, I can see bits and pieces in the mirror I didn’t know I had. People have started to comment on my physical appearance, there is obviously a change happening. Excellent!
Day Seventeen – Wednesday 25.03.09 – Weight – 12:7.8st
The weight has started to come off, just like this time last week. It is wobbly Wednesday but I don’t feel too bad compared to last week. The carb craving isn’t half as bad as last week. It is there though.
My overall weight compared to last week is actually a tad higher but only by 0.8 of a pound, nothing to be too concerned about. My appearance and waist Myotape measurement is very positive. I have lost half an inch around my waist and gained a quarter of an inch on my biceps.
I have had two good sessions at the gym this week, consisting of chest and biceps with abs & oblique’s on Monday, and yesterday I swam half a mile and hit my legs and triceps while resistance training. Tonight’s session will be a low intensity 40 minute aerobic cardio session and abs & oblique’s once more.
Day Eighteen – Thursday 26.03.09 – Weight 12:7.0 st
Another predicted drop in weight came today. Feeling ok this morning, not as energised as last week, but enough to get on with the day. I have a swimming session planned for lunch time today as well as a back and trap workout planned for this evening. Salmon, cauliflower & broccoli dinner awaits tonight cuisine and for once I am actually looking forward to it. I have not suffered the brain fog this week, I think my body may be getting used to the idea of low carbs during the week. I hit ketosis last night following another wee test with ketostix.
Day Nineteen – Friday 27.03.09 – Weight 12:6.2 st
I don’t know why but I thought I’d check again this morning for keytones in my urine. The results were positive, a little stronger than last night. I had a late night last night and feel quite exhausted today. I have a funny taste in my mouth and a few aches and pains from yesterday’s back workout but plan on pushing hard again tonight to deplete all my energy storage before re-feeding on the carbs.
My weight is down once more this morning and looking in the mirror gives me a smile. I even took a cheeky picture using the crappy camera on my iPhone. It’s this time of week when doing the CKD diet that I feel at my best, it just seems a shame to spoil it and load up my weight with carbs. I feel very tempted to carry on, but that would be more like the Atkin’s diet and I don’t want to lose muscle mass.
Although my weight is a little higher than last week (not by much) my body feels extremely tight today. I did think that I would be constantly losing weight on this diet but it appears that I am LOSING body fat and INCREASING muscle mass. I plan on confirming this at the end of next week and it’s at this stage I plan on re-evaluating this diet and the direction it’s taking me. I am going to come clean and admit this diet has been very tough for me, a little depressing and confusing with its restrictions in place. I have not cheated in any way and do not plan on doing so until I reach the end. I am not perfect at this and I know I could improve the weekend’s re-feed by being more accurate with the carbs and fat per calories, but this is an experiment for me and has been all along, more of a “suck ‘em and see” kind of thing
Day Twenty – Saturday 28.03.09 – Weight 12:5.0st
Today has been a relaxed day. My weight was a surprise this morning. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as low, but the tight feeling confirmed it. I took some pictures and added them to my gallery. I treated myself to a couple of beers and some pie n mash. It was yummy. I also carb loaded with lots of bread, cereal and pasta.
Day Twenty One - Sunday 29.03.09 – Weight 12:6.0 st
I may have continued my carb load a little further than I should. Today I enjoyed a nice chicken roast dinner with roast potato’s (cooked in olive oil), parsnip, carrots, leeks and peas. It was the best roast I’ve has in ages. It also taught me that Bisto gravy can be used within a low carb, even CKD diet. This is handy, because I can now juice up some of my week meals. Not so sure about the two glasses of white wine though. Tut tut.
Day Twenty Two – Monday 30.03.09 – Weight 12:7.2 st
Well my weight increased this morning as expected, but I thought it would shoot up. I didn’t wobble yesterday, I just thought sod it – lets enjoy a meal. It will probably increase tomorrow now I said that.
I am feeling nicely re-charged today, which is a good job. I have a brutal legs, bicep and tricep workout planned for later. I may even chuck in some cardio afterwards.
Day Twenty Three – Tuesday 31.02.09 – Weight 12:6.6 st
There’s a shock! My weight dropped again today! This is unusual compared to the past week’s pattern. Could there be something else happening? Has my body become accustomed to the new diet? Have I become a fat burning machine?
Day Twenty Four – Wednesday 01.04.09 – Weight 12:6.2 st
It’s 9.30pm and I am waiting for my dinner to kick in (steak, cheese, egg omelette and broccoli) as I am feeling quite low and very tired this evening. I have been suffering once more. It’s that bloody Wednesday thing innit! My cardio workout was tough, I wanted to stop quite a few times, but managed to push through until the end. I can’t wait for that Fat fuelled energy to kick in. C’mon!
Day Twenty Five – Thursday 02.04.09 – Weight 12:5.8 st
Wow what a day. I took the afternoon off work and hit the gym following a half mile swim at lunch. My energy was back to normal today. I think a good night’s sleep helped that. With the cardio, weight training and swim I must of least created a 1000 calorie deficit. I have also found some pleasurable (ish) low carb snacks and guess what? One is chocolate! Green & Blacks Organic Dark 85% Cocoa Chocolate is an amazing 5g carb per 25g. Some people find this chocolate bitter and unpalatable, but I think it’s delicious. I have officially added it to my CDK midweek diet. Thank god!
Day Twenty Six – Friday 03.04.09 – Weight 12:4.8 st
Another end to a good week on the Keto diet. Tonight’s final weight session will consist of a tricep, abs and oblique’s work out. I am looking for ward to my steak and wedges this evening to help begin the carb re-feed.
Day Twenty Seven – Saturday 04.04.09 – Weight 12:5.0 st
So far I have eaten Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, toast and marmite and a banana and it’s only 10.30am. I am going to buy a big bag of chips for lunch and have an Indian Meal planned for this evening. I thought I would try re-feeding these carbs big willy style!
Day Twenty Eight – Sunday 05.04.09 – Weight 12:6.0 st
My god do I feel rough today. I went on a bit of bender last night and didn’t roll in until 4am. My head hurts and I feel sick. Just thinking about food makes me feel queasy. I now know why I don’t do this anymore. It’s not big and it’s not clever.
Day Twenty Nine – Monday 06.04.09 – Weight 12:7.0 st
As expected my weight increased today, I have taken the day off work as we have some new furniture arriving. My thoughts about the diet have changed today and I have decided to give it a break for a couple of weeks. I am not going to revert back to eating loads of carbohydrates. I will maintain a low intake, probably around 100g per day and they will be based around my workouts. I will opt for low GI carbs of an evening and keep my fat intake down to a minimum.
It’s been a long hard month on this diet and I have achieved some great results. I will post my new Myotape measurements soon so I can compare before and after.
