My NEW body transformation commandments

So, with a hiatus from slow carbing for the time being...probably around 2 weeks and if it goes well, maybe more...I do need to sort out some sort of eating plan to keep me going towards my getting ripped goals!


I won't be counting calories (still!) but I will be monitoring my protein, carb and fat intake properly. I will be aiming for a ratio of protein:carbs:fat of 40:30:30 on training days and

Week 4, day 1

Cheat day of course!!

I completely forgot to take any sort of supplementation which was a bit reckless of me but I think it made sense as I was allegedly supposed to be taking a break one day a week anyway and hadn't done that yet.

So how did cheat day go?

Breakfast:
- 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg cooked in a bit of ghee
- Rocket salad
- Can of hot & spicy beans

Bootcamp session

Breakfast 2:
- 80g porridge, 200ml semi skimmed milk, 2 scoops of whey protein powder
- 95g bag of chocolate covered

Day 20: Dominoooooo

Oops. Really understood the idea of domino foods for the first time today. I was a bit peckish and decided to treat myself to 10 almonds.

Unfortunately within an hour that 10 became something like 80. Don't know what came over me - I'm only 2 days from cheat day and its not even like I was that hungry or anything.

Day 15: Now THIS is a binge!!

Man I didn't think I was capable of it, but I have somehow managed to get up to 5000 calories today. Enjoyed every second and very deliberately overdid it to minimise the chance of cravings bugging me by Tuesday like they did last week.

So how did I get to the dizzy heights of more than twice my normal daily calorie intake?

What will be different in week 3

I wanted to get these thoughts down as I was thinking fresh about them. I am writing this before I get my week 2 results sorted (although posting after), so it isn't dependant on what I did in the last 7 days, but just what I think could be changed up to help me on my way.

1. Cooking in bulk
I have realised (finally!) how much easier it is to make a huge batch of things and keep them in the fridge. It would help my discipline on this plan infinitely, as I have found over the couple of days. Definitely needs to be done I think. My Sunday morning at least is going to be spent cooking.

2. Stopping the peanut butter!

Slow carb: Cauliflower, broccoli and kidney bean curry

I experimented a bit and came out with this gem of a recipe. I like my cauliflower and broccoli a lot more mushy, so pre-boiled it, but you can use uncooked if you want to give it that texture.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• few sprigs of cilantro/coriander, chopped
• an inch of ginger, chopped
• cumin seeds
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 drained cans of kidney beans
• 500g broccoli
• 500g cauliflower
• salt
• turmeric
• garam masala
• cumin powder

1. Heat ghee

2. Add garlic, ginger, onions, coriander, cumin, green chilli and allow to cook until fragrant

3. Add tomatoes and other spices and continue to cook until the oil starts to separate out

4. Add kidney beans, broccoli and cauliflower and stir well

5. Add water to the level of the vegetables in the pan and simmer

6. Increase heat to dry out water

7. Enjoy.

The ghee really does work wonders for the flavour. And it is slow carb friendly (see the section on macadamia oil in Tim's book).

Day 12

Really didnt feel hungry today. I felt really full after breakfast, so ended up with a late lunch and a late dinner. I just can't seem to get my hunger levels up any more.

Day 11

I swear Im still not getting enough calories in on this plan based on my physical activity and fitness level. I know we're not meant to be counting calories on this plan, but surely you need a certain minimum to put on muscle (following conventional science) which I don't really think I'm doing

Breakfast: 250g Quark cheese and 100g of lentils - for some reason can't stomach most vegetables at breakfast. 237 calories

Had a circuit workout, moderate intensity.

Day 10 - 2nd lunch and dinner

Got into a sticky situation with peanut butter. My 2nd lunch - more like a snack, was some lentils, and a protein shake. And I was feeling a bit hungry, so allowed myself 2 tsp of peanut butter.

Got to dinner time, had my stir fried veg, lentils and cottage cheese and felt pretty full. A bit later though I felt a tiny grumble in my stomach, forgot about my earlier indulgence and proceeded to have 2 more tsp of the gooey delicious stuff.

Complete withdrawal is the only way forward I think. D'oh!

Day 9

I for no apparent reason decided to try tracking calories today, just to see how many I was getting in to my system out of my own curiousity. Before I started slow carbing, I was probably having 25-2600 calories a day MINIMUM, often still feeling hungry, with the intention of trying to put on some muscle. More on my findings shortly.

Days 6 & 7

I somehow completely forgot to update yesterday!! Whoops. Must give myself a slap on the wrist for this sort of slip or it will keep happening.

I think day 6 yesterday was ok, stuck to the plan as I was meant to and felt fine. I think I am still going a bit OTT with the whey protein, although I think it is important for keeping up protein intake. Also peanut butter - I keep craving it. I know it is meant to be ok in tiny quantities, but NOT 3 fairly generous teaspoons and certainly NOT everyday.

Day 5

I felt pretty good today. Stuck to the plan with absolutely no problem and didn't feel hungry.

Started the day with some leftover pork, lentils and green leafy salad.

I was then beasted around a personal training studio by my trainer - I really felt a difference in my own energy levels today and really could push myself more. Must be something in what I am eating taking effect. Plenty of work on strengthening my shoulders, cardio through rowing, some barefoot running and finished with some barbell squats. Loved it.

Lunch was a bit late - some leftover roast chicken, refried beans and a load of fresh spinach. Really filling. I also trialled a recipe for slow carb brownies, which I will share soon.

I was still stuffed by the time dinner came around so had a light meal of some cumin spiced chicken and salad - I didn't have the space for any legumes tonight.

Main thing today is that I really felt like my system was cleaner and a bit cleared out today - major difference from Monday and I am grateful for it.

Still not sure about weight/inch loss, but I will find out on Saturday - that combined with it being my cheat day is a big reason to look forward to it! :)

Slow carb chocolate pudding

Be careful with this one - we are allowed avocado but in limited quantities so don't overdo it with these.

This recipe makes...well the amount that was in the photo.

Review of days 1 and 2

Day 1 - 1 Jan 2011


I for some reason unknown, decided to kick off my body transformation with a disgusting, uncontrolled, no holds-barred binge day.

I got up and had a slow carb meal of turkey bacon rashers, pinto beans and salad and didn't really indulge until 11-11.30 when I went in for a huge bowl of porridge oats made up with milk and a load of no cal sweetener. Savoured every spoonful.

What followed was a bit of blur,

The first 3 days

Thursday 30 December and Friday 31 December I used as trial days to see how I would cope with the eating plan - it wasn't really a test of whether the eating plan works or not but just whether I would find it generally easy to cope with.

And based on my 2 test days, I think the answer is a pretty comfortable yes. I have a list of about 15-20 meals I like, if I make them up in big batches that sees me through for the week.

Personal favourites at the minute:

Test Day 2 - 31 December 2010

Tricky stuff , seeing as it is new years eve and I will be out tomorrow night. Will do my best, but no guarantees of anything. That is the beauty of my 'Test' days, before I launch properly...on Saturday...new years day...with a binge day....


Anyway plan for Friday 31 December, test day 2:

• Wake up
• 2 glasses of ice cold water
• Breakfast: Omelette - couple of eggs, green onions, salsa, mushrooms
• Fitness bootcamp @ Strictly Bootcamp
• Brunch: Turkey rashers, green salad, refried beans
• Late lunch: Grilled prawns, guacamole, black beans, spinach
• Dinner: Tough one. I will do my best to stick to lean meats, salad and vegetables but I am out, don't know what I will be served and what the ingredients are. Hmmm.

Test Day 1 - Meal 4

Pretty simple meal of lentils, cottage cheese and okra/ladyfingers.

310 calories
44g carbs
30g protein
3g fat

Meal plan for Week 1, w/c 1 Jan 2011

I know it is unusual to start a week with a Saturday, but first day of the month, first day of the year, seemed a logical starting point, right?


Anyway I have set out my intended meal plan for the next week below. What you need to know is that for religious reasons I don't eat meat, egg, etc 3 days a week - Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and I don't eat beef at all.


So basically I have got 3 "vegetarian" days, 3 "normal" days and 1 binge day in a week. So I think

Test Day 1 - 30 December 2010

The plan for my 1st test day:

• Wake up
• Go for a 30 minute jog
• Protein shake
• Cold shower