Thread: MonStar's Road to a Shredded 200 lbs.

good luck!

good luck. anything different here compared to last journal?

I would suggest getting down to 198 and just so up at some deadlifting meet and smashing your state record ( if it's anything like NC's record). It wouldn't take any extra traing for you.

buildingup: Thanks bro!

soxmuscle: Different split, and I'm thinking about refeeding but I am not sure yet. I end up dropping much more fat without refeeds.

ihateschoolmt: Eh, I don't know how much strength I'll maintain at 198 lbs. Even though I am curious I might shoot for just under 200 lbs. I know I wouldn't have the size all around like I have now, though.

Monday; 8-29-2005

Training

Push day! For the next week I'm going to be working out at a different YMCA because mine is closed for renovations. I decided to change up my split and start working my legs again. Today I started off with a 3 trisets of flat DB flyes, dips, and then pec-deck flyes. Moved onto 3 supersets of overhead DB presses, and seated DB lateral raises. Finished up today with 2 supersets of skulls and overhead rope extensions.

Diet

So far today I've had a scoop of whey protein before and after my workout, and then some pork rinds and ranch dip. Then I had some low-carb chili, and a bunless cheeseburger. Tonight I had a bacon and cheese omelet.

Then later tonight I had 2 hot dogs, and then some sausage balls.

Miscellaneous

Sleep: 8 hours.

I'm definitely feeling fat today, lol. Last night I went out to Denny's for a late night feast. Ended up eating a bunch of desserts, chocolate chip pancakes, etc.

Good luck amigo!

Clothing fluctuates, why not just aim for 195 naked? I always weigh naked, first thing in the AM before any food or liquids.

SF: Thanks bro! Appreciate the support. I think I am going to shoot for 195 lbs. afterall. Even though thats really light for me, I think I'll be more confident just under 200 lbs.

Mudge: Thats a great idea, actually. Since you're a moderater could you be so kind as to changing the 200 lbs. in the name of my journal to 195 lbs.? I'm going to aim for 195-198 lbs. first thing in the morning when I wake up, after using the restroom, without clothes.

Tuesday; 8-30-2005

Training

Legs! Wow, I haven't trained legs in months, and this really beat me up today. Started off with 3 supersets of leg extensions and leg presses. Then I moved onto another 3 supersets of DB stiff-legged deadlifts and leg curls. Finished up with some standing calf raises and then a triple dropset of leg extensions. Decent workout, overall.

Diet

Very low-carb as usual, started off with a scoop of whey protein before and after my workout, then I had for lunch a ceasar salad and a bunless bacon cheeseburger with mayo. This afternoon I'm going to have a bacon and cheese omelet and some sausage balls.

Tonight I had some mozarella cheese and roasted peppers and oil, and some macadamia nuts. Then I had some wings and blue cheese, and some low-carb fudge we made.

Miscellaneous

Sleep: 7.5 hours.

Feel okay today, the first 3-4 days are always the hardest on a low-carb diet. Hopefully I'll hang in there though this time around. I am shooting for 4 weeks to get to 195-198 lbs.

Originally Posted by MonStar

ihateschoolmt: Eh, I don't know how much strength I'll maintain at 198 lbs. Even though I am curious I might shoot for just under 200 lbs. I know I wouldn't have the size all around like I have now, though.

The record here is only like 550, doubt you loose 100 pounds on your deads. Good luck with your weigh loss though.

Originally Posted by MonStar

Feel okay today, the first 3-4 days are always the hardest on a low-carb diet. Hopefully I'll hang in there though this time around. I am shooting for 4 weeks to get to 195-198 lbs.

You aint kiddin man....I'm on day 3 and its gettin harder heh. I think its just b/c I'm such a big eater if I don't wantch I'll eat to much fat and protein and actually gain weight heh. I'm coming in at around 180lbs right now...I'd like to hit 170-175 before my next bulk in october!!

ihateschoolmt: Damn, only 550, huh? That's not too bad at all, honestly. I think I might be able to pull that when I'm down around 200 lbs. Today I just weighed myself and I'm tipping the scale at 217.5 lbs. This is first thing in the morning of course. I need to stop pigging out late at night, even if its on low-carb foods.

DeadBolt: Dude I'm telling you! The first few days of a lower carb diet are horrific! They're not easy at all. A real pain in the a*s, IMO.

Wednesday; 8-31-2005

Training

Pull day! Nice workout today, energy level wasn't too bad at all considering. I really think that coffee during my workout helps me a lot on a ketogenic diet. Started off today with 3 supersets of bentover rows and seated cable rows, not bad. Then 2 supersets of BTN pulldowns and crossbench DB pullovers. Moved onto some BTB shrugs in the Smith-machine. Did 2 supersets of alternating DB curls and rope cable curls and called it a day.

Diet

So far today I've had a scoop of whey protein before and after my workout, and then a bunless cheeseburger, and a low-carb bar. This afternoon and evening I'm going to have some sausage balls, and a bacon and cheese omelet.

Tonight I ran to the grocery store on the way home and ended up having somewhat of a low-carb feast. So I ended up having some mozarella cheese and roasted peppers and oil, and then some low-carb ice-cream. Then I had 1/2 of a bacon, egg, and cheese omelet.

Miscellaneous

Sleep: 7.5 hours.

Not bad at all, considering. I really need to make sure that I keep getting a good amount of sleep every night, no matter what.

Thursday; 9-1-2005

Training

Push! Nice workout today, started off with 3 trisets of flat DB flyes, dips, and cable crossovers. Beat the hell out of my pecs. Decent pump, considering I'm on such low-carbs. Moved onto 3 supersets of seated DB lateral raises and BTN Smith-machine OH presses. Then I did 2 supersets of seated French presses and rope cable pressdowns.

Diet

So far so good today. Trying to keep my calories on the lower side. Since lately I've been having these late night low-carb feasts. Today I've had a scoop of whey before and after my workout, and then some mozarella cheese and roasted peppers. Then I had a bunless double cheeseburger with some mayo.

Tonight after work I got WASTED. Maybe I'm a lightweight but I had a ceasar salad, hot wings and blue cheese, and then 1/2 and egg omelet. For alcohol I had 2 tequila shots, 3 Micholob Ultras, and a Sambuca shot.

All day today I probably had around 40-50g of carbs or so.

Miscellaneous

Sleep: 7 hours.

Feel pretty good today. I took a progress picture today and I was actually pretty impresed with how my midsection looks compared to how it did a month ago.

I looked up the APA delaware mens open record and it's only 540.

Originally Posted by MonStar

DeadBolt: Dude I'm telling you! The first few days of a lower carb diet are horrific! They're not easy at all. A real pain in the a*s, IMO.

You aint kiddin bro....I'm gettin on edge bro any little thing sets me off!!! But I am leaning out nicely so its worth it!

Hey Mike, have you ever considered going with a diet that includes a moderate amount of carbs? I mean, you seem to always end up giving in and binging hardcore on your low carb diets. Perhaps they just aren't good for you in that respect. If you really counted your calories, but included a moderate amount of carbs, then I bet you could reach your goals anyway. I know I couldn't do the no or low carb thing.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Hey Mike, have you ever considered going with a diet that includes a moderate amount of carbs? I mean, you seem to always end up giving in and binging hardcore on your low carb diets. Perhaps they just aren't good for you in that respect. If you really counted your calories, but included a moderate amount of carbs, then I bet you could reach your goals anyway. I know I couldn't do the no or low carb thing.

I'm a big fan of doing it the way you suggested pimp. I really hate doing keto but I don't have the time for that long drawn out cut right now.

I'm the same as mike with binging and I thought I had gotten over it until I've started keto again. I've been at it for a week and its bringing me right back to the verge of binging...I don't know how he can manage this for a prolonged period of time.

Originally Posted by DeadBolt

I'm a big fan of doing it the way you suggested pimp. I really hate doing keto but I don't have the time for that long drawn out cut right now.

I'm the same as mike with binging and I thought I had gotten over it until I've started keto again. I've been at it for a week and its bringing me right back to the verge of binging...I don't know how he can manage this for a prolonged period of time.

You can lose just as much fat on a standard balanced diet as a ketogenic diet. The difference comes in water retention. You're just going to gain back that water weight in the end, when you return to your normal eating habits, so there really isn't much point in my opinion.

ihateschoolmt: 540 really isn't too bad at all. I really think that might be possible when I get under 200 lbs.

DeadBolt: I completely agree with you bro, when you're on a ketogenic diet you really have to pay attention to your mood because any little thing will set you off. But honestly, no other diet even comes close to this for fat loss, IMO. I have tried everything from the Anabolic Diet to the Ultime Diet 2.0 to N.H.E. to an isocalorie diet, etc. And with a ketogenic diet the first few weeks you drop such a solid amount of water and fat.

CowPimp: I have done a clean diet in the past, but when I'm consuming carbs, even clean carbs, I tend to overdo it. For whatever reason when I'm eating clean I end up eating a LOT, all day. And thats obviously not the best idea when I'm so self-consious about keeping my bodyfat % down. When I get to the % of bodyfat on a ketogenic diet that I'm happy with I'm going to start working refeeds into my diet. Most likely they're going to be short (4-6 hour) and I'm going to take some ALA with them.

Friday; 9-2-2005

Training

Legs! My legs were still sore from the other day but whatever, I still worked them pretty damn hard. Started off with 3 supersets of leg extensions and DB lunges. And then I moved onto 3 supersets of leg curls and hyperextensions. After that I did some seated calf raises and called it a day, for today. My legs were aching, and I worked them pretty damn hard. Total of 15 sets, not too bad.

Diet

So far today I've only had a scoop of whey protein before and after my workout, and I'm going to have some hot wings and ranch dip in a few minutes. This afternoon I'll have some hot wings, and some pepperoni and cheese.

Miscellaneous

Sleep: 8 hours. And a short 20-minute nap after my workout.

This morning I weighed myself after using the restroom and I weighed 212.5 lbs.

I'm shooting for just under 200 lbs. without clothes first thing in the morning.

Originally Posted by MonStar

ihateschoolmt: 540 really isn't too bad at all. I really think that might be possible when I get under 200 lbs.

For sure. Make sure you give yourself enough time to recover from the keto, though. I get the feeling you arn't very feeling very strong right now.

why no squats?

ihateschoolmt: I'm not sure yet what I want to do. I really am enjoying this diet, although its not all that satisfying. Its so damn easy to stick to I can't imagine not doing it at this point, for whatever reason. And the amount of fat/water weight I keep dropping on it makes me never want to go off it.

soxmuscle: No energy, zero carbs.

Originally Posted by MonStar

CowPimp: I have done a clean diet in the past, but when I'm consuming carbs, even clean carbs, I tend to overdo it. For whatever reason when I'm eating clean I end up eating a LOT, all day. And thats obviously not the best idea when I'm so self-consious about keeping my bodyfat % down. When I get to the % of bodyfat on a ketogenic diet that I'm happy with I'm going to start working refeeds into my diet. Most likely they're going to be short (4-6 hour) and I'm going to take some ALA with them.

I understand where you're going with this. That's why I eat practically the same thing each day. However, what I have been doing lately (Well real lately I've just kinda been eating more freely) is eating at the low end of maintenance and having some free calories to eat what I want. Like 400 calories per day of whatever I want. I usually keep it pretty clean though. Like tuna noodle casserole, some lean beef, etc.

I'm not really trying to change your mind now, but you should consider laying out a regimented diet like that if you have trouble with the way you're trying. I hope it works out for you keto style.

Pimp I dont wanna clutter mikes journal or anything so I'll keep em short.

I understand where your getting at and with anyone else in the world I would argue your point to the death!! I'm a very big believe in those theories but for myself I don't react the same. I don't react very well to carbs even complex clean carbs....it is very hard for me to lose weight at the speed I need to. Trust me I have tried every thing imaginable and for my goals right now this is the best way for me to go. If this were ment to be any longer then a few weeks for sure I'd have carbs or refeeds in my deit!!

And the time issue is very tuff for me right now. I'm lucky I can find 5-6 hours a day tos leep let alone cook a bunch of carbs. I need simple and easy for the next week or so till I adjust to my new school schedual!

I wouldn't have even bothered with the suggestion if it weren't for his binging history. Like I said, just something to consider if he has trouble with this diet. I hope it works out for him as is!

Maybe look into Ultimate Diet, works well, and you get to eat a boatload of carbs on the weekend.