19 Days to Go – 2nd April 2013
Hi guys, sorry Ive not been updating with the blog. I have undertaken more roles within Pro-Fit that have taken up more of my time. However now I have a new pattern, I have created more time for the blog.
19th March
3 Low Days – 260g Protein / 250g Carb / 50g Fat
1 High Days – 260g Protein / 600g Carb / 40g Fat
This week went well with compliance to nutrition and training. I started weight training twice per day, with cardio on some days to hit more depletion. However I noticed my recovery was poor and muscle definition was becoming flat and undefined.
During this week my 100% commitment started to wane as the toll of dieting took its effect. I started to crave more and more bad foods. I stayed strong and kept 100% however these urges began to build.
So I countered this with sitting down and writing out new goals, creating a calendar to stick in my room and write how compliant I was each day. Knowing that if each day was 90% or above I would reach my destination. But one thing I did realise was that to be this tolerant of the lifestyle and sacrifices I have had to make, you definitely need a goal that means a lot to you or a competition at the end to keep you focused.
So I asked Brian for advice, as my Quads, my pride and joy had disappeared. He advised I was over training and needed to cut down on the frequency. The amount of calories I am taking in does not suffice for optimum recovery, so to be training twice a day is too detrimental to muscle mass and cortisol levels. Leading to slower fat loss and decreasing muscle tissue.
A few days after following this new regime and, hey presto, my muscle density was back!
25th March
4 Low Days – 220g Protein / 200g Carb / 40g Fat
1 High Days – 220g Protein / 650g Carb / 30g Fat
I saw Brian again this week, he measured me up to see my progress and adjusted aspects of the diet. He downed my Protein by 40g, Carbs by 50g and made a clear point to keep my Fats under 40g. Also I would complete 4 Low Days followed by 1 High Day which he increased. So I followed it to a tee.
However this period I found very very difficult. My energy was so low, my training was affected. My moods were yo-yo-ing, high and low, I became very intolerant and snappy. But worst of all easily angered. So I stuck to my guns knowing my high day would be amazing! However the Low Day after the High was back to miserable Zac. My sleep patterns become ridiculous, waking at 4am wide awake (so AM cardio was no problem). Something just had to change, it was affecting my training sessions, my PT sessions and at the end of the day this is an experiment.
Is the depressive nature of this stage worth it?
Each day become an uphill battle, I was on the brink of giving up each day, only the support of friends got me to stick to the plan. So I decided to stick to this new nutrition until the next cycle of low days to see how I am.
2nd April
Low Days – 220g Protein / 50g Carb / 120g Fat
Medium Days – 220g Protein / 200g Carb / 90 Fat
High Days – 220g Protein / 700g Carb / 60g Fat
In the end my energy and moods just become unbearable. I had to change something. So I worked out how many calories I actually need to consume per day to maintain my mass with my current activity level (training, work style, etc). Per day I need to consume 3,500kcal, my new nutrition was 2,100kcal! A 1,400kcal deficit! This was just too much. To drop weight you only need a 500kcal deficit, and this will be enough to lose fat and maintain muscle mass.
So I increased my macro nutrient (Protein, Carbs, Fats) to a new amount. However, I am still in a deficit of around 900kcal, but my mood and energy is so much better. The way I have structured my new routine is:
2 Low Days (Sun, Mon)
4 Medium Days (Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri)
1 High Day (Sat)
Now this is a little different to the standard carb cycling rules. However, this is an experiment after all so I thought why not give it a go and see what results I can achieve. The increased fats keep me full for longer with the benefits of cycling carbs.
I have learned a lot in the last 2 weeks:
- Low Fat intake is a killer unless carbs are extremely high (standard western diet)
- But I do consume what we consider clean/allowed carbohydrates.
- How dropping macros to quick can really affect mental and physical performance.
- Also just how important goals really are. If you want to achieve great results you need a great goal. It’s simple. It strives you on when you are feeling low.
This has been my training split for the last 2 weeks.
Training Split:
Monday – Chest and Triceps
Tuesday – Back and Abs
Wed – Off
Thursday – Legs
Friday – Delts, Traps and Biceps
Saturday – Hamstrings, Traps, Delts
*45-60mins Fasted Cardio (no food before) first thing in the morning. 6 Days per week. Not on leg day.
**3 Walks are in the gym, the other 3 are outside near my home. Different routes each time.
Results
Sorry about the last picture, it was taken when I got up before my morning walk.
I only have a few weeks left, so let’s see what results I can get with the new nutrition which will help me mentally more than anything.
I will admit I’m apprehensive over what results I will get in the following 19 days due to me increasing my macro intake. It is in the back of my mind that I will not get the fastest results I could potentially achieve. However as I keep reiterating, this is a experiment and learning process so lets see what can be achieved.
Summary
I know now that keeping lean all year around is vital. If you do want to compete in the future, it makes life and dieting easier when it comes to contest prep. If you stay sub 10% body fat year round, by the time is comes to cutting you only need to drop 4-7% and therefore diet can be less drastic and more tolerable.
I plan to carry on with this style of eating up until July/August, slowly increasing my macros weekly building into a mass phase. However I will monitor body fat regularly so I do not gain much body fat and I can cut back on food if I reach a saturation point where body fat starts to accumulate.
It sounds obvious to stay to lean year round, however it requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication to keep a low body fat % all the time. We are humans at the end of the day, and there will be periods where focus and nutrition slips behind a little. But keeping fresh and consistent goals will keep you on track!
Follow Me on Twitter
@ZacCotton
Thanks for your time and support
Zac Cotton – Personal Trainer in Bolton
The post Zac’s Body Transformation Update appeared first on Pro-Fit PersonalTraining.co.uk.
