MonStar's Journal: Ripped to Shreds

[M.J.H.]

I decided to keep a journal here at IM, even though I am going to keep a journal at Avant Labs and Fortified Iron as well. Just trying to see the environment that I like the most.

I am going to be focusing primarily on FAT-LOSS in this journal. I have really let myself get overboard lately with my diet and I gained some serious flab, and now it's time that I drop this flab once and for all. My goal is around 8% bodyfat, whatever that takes. Currently I would say I am in the 15-17% range. I can see my abs, but I have a lot of flab covering them. I'll be sure to post some pictures soon.

My diet is basically going to be low-carb, ketogenic style wtih periodic refeeds. I am thinking maybe every 4-5 days I am going to refeed. But I am honestly not sure yet at this point. It really is going to depend on how I feel. I personally prefer shorter more intense feeds, NHE style, versus an entire day used for a refeed. Just personal preference.

My training is going to be very simple, 3 days on, 1 day off. Basically a simple push/pull/legs/rest split. So nothing too extreme. Volume is going to be kept moderate since on low-carbs my glycogen stores are going to be pretty damn depleted.

I am going to be posting my weights in my journal and all that---but my main focus is fat-loss, like I said. Size/strength gains are most likely going to be nonexistant.

Feel free to post comments, suggestions, support, etc.

 

[M.J.H.]

8-31-2004​

Push

Flat DB Presses
2 sets of 5 with the 125's
2 sets of 3 with the 135's
1 set of 12 with the 100's

Nautilus Pec-Deck Flyes
2 sets of 12 with 140
2 sets of 8 with 160

Smith-Machine Overhead Presses
2 sets of 5 with 175
2 sets of 8 with 145
1 set of 12 with 105

DB Lateral Raises
4 sets of 10 with the 35's

Skullcrushers
2 sets of 12 with 95
2 sets of 5 with 125

One-Arm DB French Presses
3 sets of 10 with a 35

Good workout today, my diet yesterday was very high in carbs so my training session today basically kicked a*s. I trained in a different gym because my gym is currently shut down for renovations. This gym had DB's all the way up to the 135's which was nice. I have never used over the 120's before. I felt very strong with the 135's for 2 sets of 3 today on flat DB presses, not too bad. The Nautilus pec-deck was definitely a little weird, but I got used to it.

Hit my shoulders pretty hard with some OH presses, not too bad. And then some nice DB laterals. My shoulders were exhausted. For my triceps today I did some skullcrushers, didn't go extremely heavy. And then some one-DB BTN extensions. Good sets, honestly. My triceps were fried.

Workout today lasted 1 hour and I finished with a total of 25 sets. Not too bad.

Diet:
- scrambled eggs + cheese, bacon
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout
- 2 hot dogs
- cheese
- pork rinds
- bunless cheeseburger + mayo
- tuna + mayo
- low-carb choclate milk

Sleep: 7 hours.

Weight: 234 lbs. Wow, I am totally not used to being this heavy. I have really been pigging out lately. Last night I went to a Chinese buffet, lol. That wasn't the greatest idea. I ate for about 90 minutes straight while I was there. Whatever, I should drop some weight pretty quick on low-carbs.

Day 12 today of 6-OXO, 2 capsules 2x per day.

 

[fantasma62]

You go for it kid....

I'll be pulling for you

 

[M.J.H.]

fantasma62: Hey man, thank you so much! It's really really great when I know that no matter what choices I make someone is going to support me. Really makes it all worthwhile. I am going to try my hardest to stick it out this time though eating low-carb. Thanks again for stopping by.

 

[atherjen]

you need your butt kicked.

 

[BritChick]

Is this really another one?

 

[M.J.H.]

Jen: I am going to stick this one out Jen, I promise.

BritChick: Yes, it is. My main focus right now is nothing but fat-loss. Strength, size, and all my other goals are going to be completely put on hold. I am tired of feeling flabby, and fat, etc. I havn't weighed 230+ in over a year. This is ridiculous.

 

[BritChick]

Once again good luck! Stick with the program AND the journal!!!

 

[Saturday Fever]

Stability is the key word. Stick to something. Anything. I only came here because you asked. Meeting Jen and Dan has been a blessing in disguise. And while I enjoy everyone's company, you've been my friend for almost 3 years now. I want you to succeed. And the key to success right now is stability. Make your goal to have one aspect of your training/diet be stable for one week, and then add something to that. Be stable with your training for one week, then add stability in your diet. Then add stability in when you go to bed, whatever. But be strong in what you do and stick to the friends who have stuck by you as just one more thing to be stable with.

Don't jump forums to try to change things. Stick to the folks who support you. Even when they seem upset or whatever at a new journal (and I'm guilty) they are there for you. Let that be the first stable thing in your training/diet. And build from it.

 

[PreMier]

Damn that was a good post.

Good luck Mike. Again

 

[M.J.H.]

BritChick: Thank you. And I will, trust me this time. I have more motivation now than ever before.

SF: Great, great post man. I really appreciate you taking the time to type it all out. And I agree completely that the bottom line at this point---and what I really need to focus on is stability. And like you said no matter what kind of stability that is, I need some kind of stability. Lately I feel like my stability has been in my training. I have been pretty good at push/pull/legs/rest lately and havn't been jumping around and all that. I just need to stick to it, that's it. I am not going to forum hop its just tough because I know I am telling everyone again and again and again that I am going to stick it out, and I never do. It's almost like a pride thing in a way, I feel like I am letting everyone down, don't ask me why. Everytime I start a new journal I hate it. Maybe it's an obsessive compulsive thing when I start a new journal, I guess to start on a clean slate like I have said before.

I am going to just force myself, not matter HOW BAD my cravings get, to stick it out on this diet. My goal is fat-loss, I have nothing else in my mind right now except for a ripped and well-defined midsection. It is my main focus no questions asked. I know that sounds crazy to a strength obsessed maniac like yourself, though.

PreMier: Thanks for stopping by man, I appreciate it.

 

[atherjen]

Stability is the key word.

STABIILITY THATS THE WORD!!

 

[JerseyDevil]

Great post SF. You are a true friend.

Mike, why do you think we don't support you? Switching forums is just a easy out. Stay here with your friends. They may not always say the things you want to hear, but hey, real friends are going to say what they think.... because they care. Good luck man .

 

[ncgirl21]

8-31-2004​

Diet:
- scrambled eggs + cheese, bacon
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout
- 2 hot dogs
- cheese
- pork rinds
- bunless cheeseburger + mayo
- tuna + mayo
- low-carb choclate milk

Hey Mike! Good Luck with this one hun, but I know you can do it. Like SF said- just try one thing at a time, and you know your training is right on so focus on your diet One little suggestion though- you need some veggies!!! Their low carb too babe!

 

[Rocco32]

Great post SF! Yeah, stay around Mike. I don't go to Avant anymore so I won't be able to read your journal and feel bad about myself if you moved I agree, stability is the key. I'm like you though, every week I change my diet or training routine. We both need to pick something and stay with it though. Good luck

 

[dianas05]

Hey Mike,

My name is Diana. I'm not new to this forum, but new to posting. I've just started a journal here, and I have read yours as well. You should definitely make a commitement to accomplish one goal, and if you complete it, move on to another. It's easier said than done (I know from experience), but you can do it if you want to achieve your goal(s)! Try as hard as you can to stick through the tough times because there will be plenty of them to come. We're all here for you! :bounce:

 

[sftwrngnr]

Hey Mike,
For what its worth, I definitely am here for you as well, and support you in your endeavors. SF, you, and Jen are a tremendous inspiration to me. I would be disappointed if you suddenly disappeared!
-Dan

 

[M.J.H.]

Jen: Agreed. Stability with my training, stability with my sleeping habits, stability with my eating habits, etc. I just don't want any more rollercoasters.

JerseyDevil: Agreed---SF is a great guy, that's why I asked him to come to IM in the first place. Not only because he knew more about training methods and exercise physiology but because he's a really nice guy as well.

And it's not that I don't think you guys support me at all. It's just that when I put myself in your shoes I think about someone saying again and again and again that they're going to do something and over and over they don't do what they're going to say, it would just get old after a while. But I am going to stick it out here at IM, this is where I want to be.

Andrea: Great suggestion Andrea about the vegetables. I always forget about them on a low-carb diet. On NHE (Natural Horomonal Enhancement) Rob stresses how much vegetables and mixed nuts are allowed and encouraged on the diet. Even though they're always not THAT low in carbs the benefits of them overway the few carbs.

rock4832: It's really nice that someone else struggles from the same kind of thing that I do. I am not even sure what to call it, it's basically BED (binge eating disorder). Because the reason that I drop diets and all that is to "allow" myself to binge that night since that's supposedly my last night before I start something new and strict, lol. It's an entire mindset, that I need to break the habit of doing.

Diana: Hey there! Thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it. It's always great to see new faces here in my journal. And welcome to IM by the way.

I'll definitely be checking out your journal---keeping a journal is the best thing that I have ever done. Even if I don't keep up with it all the time. It helps me concentrate on my diet and sleep more, along with my training. I mean there are so many benefits to it, IMO. Thanks again for the support.

sftwrngnr: Hey man, thanks so much for chiming in here, means a lot. Nice to see so many people respond when I really need them to. I am not going anywhere though man, you can count on it.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Hey again Mike,
For what its worth, I think you are too quick to "pull the ejection handle" and abort whatever it is that you are doing, in terms of diet/exercise/sleep. Then you start something else, and the second you either don't follow it exactly, you get mad and throw that out as well. I would suggest that you make a concerted effort to "stay the course", even after you've binged/missed a day/whatever. I'm no nutritionist or behavioral psychologist, but I think that if you honestly want to change your behavior, you've got to stop being so hard on yourself if you mess up on whatever specific goal you are working on. Hell, I basically took a month off in July... did it show in my lifts?? YES! Zero, and I mean ZERO progress. Am I going to take another month off again in the near future? FRICKETY NO! If you feel the need to binge/party/whatever, do it, and then refocus when you're done. Dude, you're 20 years old... you've got your whole life ahead of you. Have some fun for hell's sakes!
-Dan

 

[M.J.H.]

sftwrngnr: Hey man, thanks a ton for the post. I completely agree and I know exactly what you're saying. Basically that we all hit road bumps and that we just need to move forward. I tend to take a big step back, and focus on what I did wrong, etc. Instead of just looking past the road bumps and moving forward, I focus on them way too much. We all cheat from time to time, and we all don't have flawless diets. But at the same time it's one thing to cheat and another thing to go on an all out binge. I just need to focus on what's important to me, and stop being so immature and creating a new journal every other day. It's really getting ridiculous.

 

[M.J.H.]

9-1-2004​

Pull

Bentover Rows
2 sets of 10 with 255
2 sets of 5 with 325
1 set of 8 with 275

CG Cable Pulldowns
4 sets of 6 with 160

Nautilus Pullovers
2 sets of 5 with 300
1 set of 12 with 220

Bentover DB Lateral Raises
3 sets of 12 with the 25's

Alternating DB Curls
2 sets of 7 with the 50's
2 sets of 4 with the 65's

Nautilus Reverse Curls
3 sets of 9 with 80

BTB Wrist Curls
3 sets of 12 with 115

Really good workout today! Especially considering the fact that I am running on barely any carbs. It's only day 2 of low-carbs but I can always feel it right away when I cut out my carbs. Started off today with some bentover rows, good sets there. Really beat up my lats pretty well. Moved onto some CG pulldowns at this other gym where 160 felt heavy! Finished lats up with some laterals, good sets there.

For my rear delts I did some quick bentover lateral raises, nothing too extreme. Focused on feeling it in my rear delts more than anything else. Moved onto some alternating DB curls, really great sets. This guy in the gym today made me feel GREAT! He came up to me and said that he's only seen one other guy in his entire life ever curl the 65's, and that was some NFL wide receiver who he got to train with in California. Damn, did I felt great!

Finished up with some reverse and wrist curls. Workout today lasted 1 hour and 5 minutes, and I finished with 25 total sets.

Diet:
- scrambled eggs + cheese, bacon
- V-12 preworkout
- whey protein postworkout
- tuna + mayo
- low-carb shake
- bunless bacon cheeseburger + mayo
- pork rinds + french onion dip

Sleep: 9 hours.

Weight: 224 lbs. Now that's a hell of a drop in weight, dropping 10 lbs. on the same scale in one damn day! Talk about holding massive amounts of water yesterday, jeez.

Day 13 today of 6-OXO, 2 capsules 2x per day.

 

[BritChick]

Great workout, great post... keep it up!!!

 

[dianas05]

You're welcome. I'm looking forward to seeing both of our progress. I do admit I have the same problem as you with the binging and goal setting, but somehow I know it's a matter of mental & emotional strength (my journal title ). Thanks for the greeting, by the way. It's good to see your training and diet is a bit more focused. Keep it up!

 

[M.J.H.]

BritChick: Thanks for the support!

Diana: Yeah I am definitely going to be checking out your journal, so you can count on that. Great to have someone else striving for similar goals, etc. I completely agree that it is purely a metter of mental and emotional strength. Great point. Dieting is 100% mental and it all depends on how well you can deal with cravings, etc. Thanks for the post.

 

[atherjen]

Mikster you have all the right attitude that attribute to sucess.. you just need to FULLY apply that to decication and sticking with one thing. Once you choose a goal never second guess it and jump from one plan to another. FOCUS.

great workouts as usual and as Andrea said, eat some damn vegetables.

IMO, you want to make the best of the lc diet... get rid of the bacon and mayo and whatnot and get some EFA's. Fish oil caps. These help with fatloss believe it or not. And leptin, blood glucose, aids in the liver to utilize stored fats, depression, etc. Just a suggestion.

 

[dianas05]

Anytime! Great advice Jen, as always!

 

[chiquita6683]

wheres those pics mister?

 

[M.J.H.]

Jen: Thanks for the post I really appreciate it. I will try and take it easy on the bacon and all that but for whatever reason that's what makes the diet so easy to stick to. I have been trying to incorporate some oils and all that into my diet on regular basis, but it gets kind of tough. I am not sure why. It's definitely a good point though Jen, thanks for bringing it to my attention. Even tonight binging and all that went through my head. Basically just to binge tonight and then tomorrow start over eating clean and all that. It's just that stupid cycle that I am in the stupid habit of. Luckily I talked myself out of it.

Diana: Agreed. That was some good advice.

chiquita6683: I am going to get some up in a few weeks when I start to lean out some. We'll see what happens. I just need to stick it out with this low-carb eating. Even though it gets difficult at times. Thanks for stopping by.

 

[Saturday Fever]

To disagree with Jen a bit (and yet agree, how's that work), you need healthier fats for a healthier result. But calorie-wise, fat is as efficient as it gets. You want to hit the weights and you want utilize the ability to build your basal metabolism as much as possible. And to that end, fat is fat. It is an efficient source of energy that will keep you able to work longer which will allow you to develop muscle more effectively. And more muscle equals accelerated basal metabolism.

But, clogged arteries are also clogged arteries. And no time in the gym is going to help that to any appreciable degree.

 

[atherjen]

To disagree with Jen a bit (and yet agree, how's that work), you need healthier fats for a healthier result. But calorie-wise, fat is as efficient as it gets. You want to hit the weights and you want utilize the ability to build your basal metabolism as much as possible. And to that end, fat is fat. It is an efficient source of energy that will keep you able to work longer which will allow you to develop muscle more effectively. And more muscle equals accelerated basal metabolism.

But, clogged arteries are also clogged arteries. And no time in the gym is going to help that to any appreciable degree.

you explain it better!


Mike- you want to be healthy in the same process. You cant be eating those harmful things everyday, fatloss or not! Did you happen to watch Oprah yestarday???