BRATTLAND

So! I had only lost 10lbs (scale weight) from Jan 1st to April 1st. In the last 2 months (April 1 to June 1st) I gained 3lbs. There has been a change in body composition. Less fat and more muscle. But it’s time to get the scale moving down again. Eating the way I did when I lost all that weight before is no longer working. Time to get some carbs back in my life. The diet I used for 5 months last year was kind of an extreme bodybuilders cutting type diet. I don’t think it was meant to be followed for that long. However, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! It worked and I stayed with it until it didn’t. It was a no fat, low carb, no salt or dairy, mostly vegetables and lean protein eaten 5X/day diet. Pretty much followed the same since with a little more volume to account for the higher intensity exercise I’ve been doing. Not losing weight though.

I ordered Precision Nutrition by Dr. John Berardi. Those links take you to two different sites. Pretty much already following all of his rules. He prescribes higher calories than I’ve been eating. Will get it in about a week. Have to say I was and still am completely blown away by the support you get at the Precision Nutrition site when you are a member. Not just with nutrition but also with exercise. Extra helpful when you don’t have anyone like minded in your life. Not to mention he and his team are like mentors which is very valuable and increases your chances of success without a doubt. I will be reviewing it and telling you all about it as soon as I get the package and spend some more time there.

Then a few days later I read up on Joel Marion’s Cheat to Lose Diet. The paperback version just came out and is only about $12 at amazon. I bought the book. I’m very excited and I’m going to give it a shot. Very close to Precision Nutrition. In fact, John Berardi provided a load recipes for the book! I will of course be sharing the experience here.

The following was added a day later (Wed. June 4/08)

A huge and important factor in my success with the “diet” (6 Week Body Makeover) that started my weight loss was the simplicity of it. Little to no measuring, NO calorie counting, just do it. Then, I found a web site for bodybuilders and started reading about macros! Macros is a term used to describe varying percentages of macro nutrients in a diet. I believe it is usually listed in the order of carbs/protein/fat but I’m not sure. They look like this: 40/30/30 or 20/30/50 Just what an analytical problem solving mind does NOT need to be dabbling in smack in the middle of a weight loss “journey”. I totally let it side track me. I discovered FitDay and started tracking everything I ate. Another bad thing for me and my progress. There are a million ways to manipulate your diet, even when it is limited to a “clean” whole foods diet. When trying to lose a large amount of weight less thinking more doing! It doesn’t need to be hard and complicated. 6WBMO is so successful because it is soooooo simple.

So I’ve tried every combination of macro nutrients I could find on that bodybuilding site within the low to almost no carb range. Carbs always stayed low (just veggies). It’s varying amounts of meat and fat that I’ve experimented with. I figured since the creator of 6WBMO was by a bodybuilder (Michael Thurmond) and since it was basically a cutting diet, these guys must know what they are talking about. And they do. But I’ll say it again: When trying to lose a large amount of weight less thinking more doing! Keep It Simple Stupid! Later on, if I decide to become a competitive bodybuilder (not likely), I will have the knowledge and support at that bodybuilding website (T-Nation, the best one!) to manipulate my diet and my body in the way a bodybuilder needs to. Until then my only goal is lose fat and maintain what muscle and strength I currently have. Being a newbie to weightlifting I’ll probably be able to gain a little muscle even while losing fat.

I got caught up in what I see as a big problem with the low carb craze (which is EVERYWHERE!). It demonizes carbs as a whole and blames them for making people fat. PORTION SIZES, INACTIVITY and PROCESSED FOODS are making people fat, NOT carbohydrates! Vegetables and fruit are carbs! They are the best food you can eat! Don’t fear the carbs! Sadly I have grown to fear the carbs. Even fruit : 0 which is sad and ridiculous. Cheat to Lose Diet will be my therapy : ) as it includes healthy and whole carbs like fruit, sweet potato, legumes, oats, etc.

I realized I needed to stop counting calories, experimenting with macros and reading about nutrition. I already know what to do and how to do it. Precision Nutrition and the Cheat to Lose Diet both follow the same principles and DON’T involve calorie counting. They will help me get on track (lose weight a little faster) by helping me to stop thinking so much and measuring and analyzing. Re-focus! Step away from the computer Bratt!

The bottom line is I have been, and will continue for the rest of my life, eating a whole (real not packaged) food diet 95% of the time. Lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts and beans pretty much sums it up. I’ve got the exercise/activity level right. The fat WILL come off this way. It’s just a matter of how fast : )