... we salute you.
So, today is the big day.
I've spoken about this before, but have been a little touch-and-go with following through. My half marathon is over. We're packing the house to move to St. Petersburg, Florida. And I found some shorts that are a size 30" waist. I actually was able to fit in them.
Now, I maintain a fairly decent body fat year round ... my "comfortable" weight has been at around 200 - 205. I've never been obsessed with staying low body fat or shredded, but on the same token, I am also human. It seems like whenever I have extremely stressful periods of my life (such as making a major move) I put on a little bit of that "stress flab" that I see many of my clients struggle with as well.
So, while I've talked about doing a cutting in the past (I even hired another trainer to set up a program for me, but then decided it was way too much protein and far more restrictive than I cared for), this time I've made a contract.
Yup, that's right. My wife and I decided it would be a good time to set some new goals, and getting cut again is one of them. This time, I want to see how long I can maintain the low body fat ... basically, by taking what I teach in the 5 Keys to Healthy Eating and applying it to the right nutrition to stay lean.
Make no mistake, for me, cutting to low body fat is NOT a lifestyle change. I have to get fairly restrictive with calories and do some manipulations. My specialty is coaching people to make lifestyle changes, but I do receive a few clients who really have made the change but hit ap lateau and want to lose that "last little bit." This is where I do have specific experience, because I've cut many times and learned a lot about increasing metabolism and ramping calories down. But I have to add the caveat that this becomes a DIET and is a TEMPORARY program until you reach the goal, and then find something more lasting. So, we are doing what it takes to get there, but the REAL challenge won't be hitting low body fat — I've done this many times before — it will be creating a new lifestyle for myself that I can enjoy and is balanced and keeps me lean.
The last time I stayed lean for a prolonged period was back in 2001. I was on a bulking phase and went from 178 up to 195 and could still see abs. I leaned down a few times, went on vacation and actually got in better shape while I was on vacation (see the Jamaica picture). When we returned, it was days before September 11th. After that, things changed.
I was coordinating a major charity event. 90% of the attendees cancelled due to the changes in travel. The stress of this, mandatory overtime, and many other factors became my excuse to slip and gain back some weight. I trimmed back down, gained a bit, trimmed again, gained a bit, and have maintained at just above 200 for a few years now.
It's time to reset that maintenance point to 180!
So I wrote a contract, following the principles that I teach my coaching clients. I didn't just set goals. I described the reasons behind those goals. I wrote the bad habits I will eliminate because they are obstacles to my goals. I wrote the good habits I will implement to reach my goals. I signed it, shared it with my wife, and now read it morning and night.
This is a great opportunity for me to share the process with you. So, in addition to business and other items, I'll be sharing my daily successes right here. If you want to know the nuts and bolts of how I manage fat loss ... not the lifestyle transformation coaching that I do, but the technical manipulation of calories and training ... then stay tuned to this blog as I'll lay it out for you!
So, first thing is first ... making the decision. As I mentioned, I've committed half-heartedly to cut again a few times and haven't followed through. Yesterday, however, I made the decision ... not at the surface, but the deep, burning commitment and desire. I verbalized it, I wrote it down, I created a contract with myself.
I have a lot of reasons to do this ... I know it will help others, I know I always get excited when I'm lean and project more effectively in my business, I can connect with more people, and most importantly, it is leading by example. Who wants a coach that expects you to do something your coach wouldn't? So I've demonstrated that I live a balanced, healthy lifestyle ... now let's get down to the raw world of cutting (as losing enormous amounts of body fat is referred to in the bodybuilding world).
You can see the picture of what I look like at over 200 right here. Not a physique to complain about, but also not the shredded level that I've been at in the past. Obviously, the side shot is because the abs aren't much to look at over 10% body fat (hey, being honest here). That's an older picture, here's a more recent one with a shirt on (again, there's no need to look at abs that aren't defined).
Okay, so we know where we're coming from. How to get to the goal? Much of what people struggle with is the discipline and focus. For me, that is there — I'm ready to follow my plan. So my challenge isn't motivation or inspiration or knowing I will be on plan, etc, it's simply to come up WITH the plan.
First, nutrition. To reach low body fat, I like to be a bit more precise than the online nutrition program provides - it is great for general fat loss, but not as specific as I want to reach low body fat. So, instead, I fire up my old friend, DietPower
. This software was introduced to me by former EAS champions Scott Nelson and Harry "Hank" Johnson, Jr. back in 2000 and I've been using it to get photo shoot ready since then. Again, not a long term, lifestyle solution, but a powerful tool when cutting.
DietPower is unique in that it calculates your "budget" based on your goals (which a lot of software does) but then adjusts this based on your results. In other words, it "learns" your metabolism. If you aren't losing as fast as its computations felt you should, it will adjust its estimate of your metabolism. It is very cool to see how your metabolism can change based on the type of exercise you engage in, amount of protein, etc.
So, I fire it up and set my goal: 180 pounds by September 5th, 2005. Why 180? I know that is this around when I am really ripped. I may be heavier or lighter, I don't know, because I could have gained muscle (or perhaps lost it) since the last time I was this lean. However, it is a goal to shoot for and then I can adjust as I get closer if necessary.
Based on this, DietPower tells me I have chosen a difficult (hey, it's better than extremely difficult) diet, must lose around 2.43 pounds per week, and have a budget of 1426 calories per day.
1426! Most people are freaking out and screaming "STARVATION DIET" right now.
Hardly. This is for days I do NOTHING. I'll post the menu I came up with in a minute. When you add in activity (400 calories of cardio + 400 calories of weight training, for example) this will go up to 2200, which is a very comfortable range for me. As I reach my goal, my metabolism will probably slow down a bit and I'll have to increase cardio and even have a week or two at higher calories to raise it ... but this is what we're starting with. By the way, DietPower has guessed my metabolism to be 2643 on average (this is sitting around not doing anything). As I enter my weight, meals, and exercise, this will automatically update. I consider the first two weeks with DietPower a "learning" period, and don't pay as much attention to the fluctuations because it's figuring out my body. After a few weeks, it will be more accurate.
Here is my meal for today, a low calorie, sedentary day:
Breakfast was an omlette with 5 egg whites, 1 whole egg, diced green pepper and onion, and a dry slice of whole wheat toast.
My next snack was a Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch Clif Bar.
For lunch, I had a banana with a container of raspberry yogurt.
Dinner will be a 4oz buffalo pattie with a slice of Colby cheese and a cup of green beans.
Before bed, I'll have a protein shake with 2 tbsp of half and half. Normally, I'd be putting heavy whipping cream or healthy fats (i.e. flaxseed) but we're out of both, so I'm adding it for flavor only.
So that takes care of the nutrition side ... I'll keep you posted with that day by day as time permits.
So what about training? Here is where I simply use our online training software. I decided that I wanted to do my own cardio routine, so I asked the software to just design me a strength training program. I asked for 4 days of workouts at an elite level. I will log my cardio, but developed my own routine because I want to get some distance in.
So, first the cardio. On upper body days, I'll do a 20-minute high intensity cardio session as a prelude/warm-up to my workout. I know, it means not as much energy left for my training, but I'm really going for some major body recomposition here and the last thing I want is to run 20 minutes of high intensity cardio with noodle arms. I will start with one-minute intervals like this: 5mph, 6mph, 7mph, 8mph and repeat those and finish at 9mph then cool down and train. By the end of the 12 weeks, I'll work my way up to 7.2mph, 8.2mph, 9.2mph, 10.2mph intervals (that's gonna be smokin fast and a lot of calories in a short period of time).
Normally, I do low intensity cardio when cutting low. I've heard so much rah rah debate around though, I just couldn't resist doing this for this program to see how it feels and how I recover.
In addition, I'm doing two run days ... one a medium distance (3 - 5 miles) and one a long distance (5 working up to 10 miles by the end of the 12 weeks). I don't want to lose my endurance. I'm not worrying about pace at all for these runs - just focusing on distance.
My weight training is two lower and two upper per week, each designed a bit differently. The software does a superb job of balancing the routine and delivering. My workout for tomorrow looks like this:
The sets are in pyramid fashion, keeping the same weight but dropping reps from 12 to 10 to 8 to 6. The exercises are: concentration curls, bar curls, bent-over barbell row, flat bench, flye, incline bench, back extension, and bench dips. The other upper body workout will emphasize triceps, do a little bit of chest to balance the row and then focus on back instead of chest.
So ... this is it. A long post, but I figured some of you reading this wanted to see the anatomy of how this type of program plays out. So what does a typical schedule look like? For me, it'll be like this ...
5:00am wake up, have a high fiber shake (pre-workout fuel)
5:10 - 6:10 am meditate, focus on positive energy for the day
6:10 - 7:30 am - workout
7:30 - 8:00 am - post-workout breakfast, etc
8:00 - 12:00pm - coaching calls (both as a coach, and being coached by my own mentors)
The rest of the days is appointments, etc. However, I have several habits I will integrate into each day, such as:
* reading my contract each day
* daily prayer and bible study
* personal development (read part of a book or listen to a CD)
* 20 minutes minimum devoted to my Fitness Therapist certification that I'm taking
I will also be getting to bed between 9 - 10 pm for 7 - 8 hours of sleep.
I love how the MyNaturalPhysique software tracks vitals, so I can keep track of my weight (was 209.5 this morning), heart rate (50 beats per minute this morning, usually is between 46 - 48), and how much sleep I had (I notice with less sleep, my resting heart rate is slightly higher).
The weight is probably going to drop quickly after today, because I had some chips, ice cream, and other indulgences last night before officially starting, so some of that is water weight from the salt/carbs.
Okay, it's time to hit the hot tub and enjoy the warm water (it's cold outside today - 55 degrees) and then relax the rest of this evening.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
So, today is the big day.
I've spoken about this before, but have been a little touch-and-go with following through. My half marathon is over. We're packing the house to move to St. Petersburg, Florida. And I found some shorts that are a size 30" waist. I actually was able to fit in them.
Now, I maintain a fairly decent body fat year round ... my "comfortable" weight has been at around 200 - 205. I've never been obsessed with staying low body fat or shredded, but on the same token, I am also human. It seems like whenever I have extremely stressful periods of my life (such as making a major move) I put on a little bit of that "stress flab" that I see many of my clients struggle with as well.
So, while I've talked about doing a cutting in the past (I even hired another trainer to set up a program for me, but then decided it was way too much protein and far more restrictive than I cared for), this time I've made a contract.
Yup, that's right. My wife and I decided it would be a good time to set some new goals, and getting cut again is one of them. This time, I want to see how long I can maintain the low body fat ... basically, by taking what I teach in the 5 Keys to Healthy Eating and applying it to the right nutrition to stay lean.
Make no mistake, for me, cutting to low body fat is NOT a lifestyle change. I have to get fairly restrictive with calories and do some manipulations. My specialty is coaching people to make lifestyle changes, but I do receive a few clients who really have made the change but hit ap lateau and want to lose that "last little bit." This is where I do have specific experience, because I've cut many times and learned a lot about increasing metabolism and ramping calories down. But I have to add the caveat that this becomes a DIET and is a TEMPORARY program until you reach the goal, and then find something more lasting. So, we are doing what it takes to get there, but the REAL challenge won't be hitting low body fat — I've done this many times before — it will be creating a new lifestyle for myself that I can enjoy and is balanced and keeps me lean.
The last time I stayed lean for a prolonged period was back in 2001. I was on a bulking phase and went from 178 up to 195 and could still see abs. I leaned down a few times, went on vacation and actually got in better shape while I was on vacation (see the Jamaica picture). When we returned, it was days before September 11th. After that, things changed.
I was coordinating a major charity event. 90% of the attendees cancelled due to the changes in travel. The stress of this, mandatory overtime, and many other factors became my excuse to slip and gain back some weight. I trimmed back down, gained a bit, trimmed again, gained a bit, and have maintained at just above 200 for a few years now.
It's time to reset that maintenance point to 180!
So I wrote a contract, following the principles that I teach my coaching clients. I didn't just set goals. I described the reasons behind those goals. I wrote the bad habits I will eliminate because they are obstacles to my goals. I wrote the good habits I will implement to reach my goals. I signed it, shared it with my wife, and now read it morning and night.
This is a great opportunity for me to share the process with you. So, in addition to business and other items, I'll be sharing my daily successes right here. If you want to know the nuts and bolts of how I manage fat loss ... not the lifestyle transformation coaching that I do, but the technical manipulation of calories and training ... then stay tuned to this blog as I'll lay it out for you!
So, first thing is first ... making the decision. As I mentioned, I've committed half-heartedly to cut again a few times and haven't followed through. Yesterday, however, I made the decision ... not at the surface, but the deep, burning commitment and desire. I verbalized it, I wrote it down, I created a contract with myself.
I have a lot of reasons to do this ... I know it will help others, I know I always get excited when I'm lean and project more effectively in my business, I can connect with more people, and most importantly, it is leading by example. Who wants a coach that expects you to do something your coach wouldn't? So I've demonstrated that I live a balanced, healthy lifestyle ... now let's get down to the raw world of cutting (as losing enormous amounts of body fat is referred to in the bodybuilding world).
You can see the picture of what I look like at over 200 right here. Not a physique to complain about, but also not the shredded level that I've been at in the past. Obviously, the side shot is because the abs aren't much to look at over 10% body fat (hey, being honest here). That's an older picture, here's a more recent one with a shirt on (again, there's no need to look at abs that aren't defined).
Okay, so we know where we're coming from. How to get to the goal? Much of what people struggle with is the discipline and focus. For me, that is there — I'm ready to follow my plan. So my challenge isn't motivation or inspiration or knowing I will be on plan, etc, it's simply to come up WITH the plan.
First, nutrition. To reach low body fat, I like to be a bit more precise than the online nutrition program provides - it is great for general fat loss, but not as specific as I want to reach low body fat. So, instead, I fire up my old friend, DietPower
DietPower is unique in that it calculates your "budget" based on your goals (which a lot of software does) but then adjusts this based on your results. In other words, it "learns" your metabolism. If you aren't losing as fast as its computations felt you should, it will adjust its estimate of your metabolism. It is very cool to see how your metabolism can change based on the type of exercise you engage in, amount of protein, etc.
So, I fire it up and set my goal: 180 pounds by September 5th, 2005. Why 180? I know that is this around when I am really ripped. I may be heavier or lighter, I don't know, because I could have gained muscle (or perhaps lost it) since the last time I was this lean. However, it is a goal to shoot for and then I can adjust as I get closer if necessary.
Based on this, DietPower tells me I have chosen a difficult (hey, it's better than extremely difficult) diet, must lose around 2.43 pounds per week, and have a budget of 1426 calories per day.
1426! Most people are freaking out and screaming "STARVATION DIET" right now.
Hardly. This is for days I do NOTHING. I'll post the menu I came up with in a minute. When you add in activity (400 calories of cardio + 400 calories of weight training, for example) this will go up to 2200, which is a very comfortable range for me. As I reach my goal, my metabolism will probably slow down a bit and I'll have to increase cardio and even have a week or two at higher calories to raise it ... but this is what we're starting with. By the way, DietPower has guessed my metabolism to be 2643 on average (this is sitting around not doing anything). As I enter my weight, meals, and exercise, this will automatically update. I consider the first two weeks with DietPower a "learning" period, and don't pay as much attention to the fluctuations because it's figuring out my body. After a few weeks, it will be more accurate.
Here is my meal for today, a low calorie, sedentary day:
Breakfast was an omlette with 5 egg whites, 1 whole egg, diced green pepper and onion, and a dry slice of whole wheat toast.
My next snack was a Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch Clif Bar.
For lunch, I had a banana with a container of raspberry yogurt.
Dinner will be a 4oz buffalo pattie with a slice of Colby cheese and a cup of green beans.
Before bed, I'll have a protein shake with 2 tbsp of half and half. Normally, I'd be putting heavy whipping cream or healthy fats (i.e. flaxseed) but we're out of both, so I'm adding it for flavor only.
So that takes care of the nutrition side ... I'll keep you posted with that day by day as time permits.
So what about training? Here is where I simply use our online training software. I decided that I wanted to do my own cardio routine, so I asked the software to just design me a strength training program. I asked for 4 days of workouts at an elite level. I will log my cardio, but developed my own routine because I want to get some distance in.
So, first the cardio. On upper body days, I'll do a 20-minute high intensity cardio session as a prelude/warm-up to my workout. I know, it means not as much energy left for my training, but I'm really going for some major body recomposition here and the last thing I want is to run 20 minutes of high intensity cardio with noodle arms. I will start with one-minute intervals like this: 5mph, 6mph, 7mph, 8mph and repeat those and finish at 9mph then cool down and train. By the end of the 12 weeks, I'll work my way up to 7.2mph, 8.2mph, 9.2mph, 10.2mph intervals (that's gonna be smokin fast and a lot of calories in a short period of time).
Normally, I do low intensity cardio when cutting low. I've heard so much rah rah debate around though, I just couldn't resist doing this for this program to see how it feels and how I recover.
In addition, I'm doing two run days ... one a medium distance (3 - 5 miles) and one a long distance (5 working up to 10 miles by the end of the 12 weeks). I don't want to lose my endurance. I'm not worrying about pace at all for these runs - just focusing on distance.
My weight training is two lower and two upper per week, each designed a bit differently. The software does a superb job of balancing the routine and delivering. My workout for tomorrow looks like this:
The sets are in pyramid fashion, keeping the same weight but dropping reps from 12 to 10 to 8 to 6. The exercises are: concentration curls, bar curls, bent-over barbell row, flat bench, flye, incline bench, back extension, and bench dips. The other upper body workout will emphasize triceps, do a little bit of chest to balance the row and then focus on back instead of chest.
So ... this is it. A long post, but I figured some of you reading this wanted to see the anatomy of how this type of program plays out. So what does a typical schedule look like? For me, it'll be like this ...
5:00am wake up, have a high fiber shake (pre-workout fuel)
5:10 - 6:10 am meditate, focus on positive energy for the day
6:10 - 7:30 am - workout
7:30 - 8:00 am - post-workout breakfast, etc
8:00 - 12:00pm - coaching calls (both as a coach, and being coached by my own mentors)
The rest of the days is appointments, etc. However, I have several habits I will integrate into each day, such as:
* reading my contract each day
* daily prayer and bible study
* personal development (read part of a book or listen to a CD)
* 20 minutes minimum devoted to my Fitness Therapist certification that I'm taking
I will also be getting to bed between 9 - 10 pm for 7 - 8 hours of sleep.
I love how the MyNaturalPhysique software tracks vitals, so I can keep track of my weight (was 209.5 this morning), heart rate (50 beats per minute this morning, usually is between 46 - 48), and how much sleep I had (I notice with less sleep, my resting heart rate is slightly higher).
The weight is probably going to drop quickly after today, because I had some chips, ice cream, and other indulgences last night before officially starting, so some of that is water weight from the salt/carbs.
Okay, it's time to hit the hot tub and enjoy the warm water (it's cold outside today - 55 degrees) and then relax the rest of this evening.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
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