5:00pm – 5 BCAA, 2 HotRox, NEPA walk (3.3mph,4deg incline) @ 60 mins
6:30pm – 2 scoops Vanilla MD + 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, multi-vitamin
9:30pm – Solid Meal – 2 chicken breasts w/ lemon-pepper seasoning, side of fresh spinach
1:30pm – 1 scoop Vanilla MD, 1 scoop Banana MD, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, 3 BCAA, 1 HotRox
4:30pm – 2 scoops Banana MD
8:45am – 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxmeal, 1tbsp p-butter, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA
9:30am – 3 BCAA, calcium, magnesium, melatonin

These daily whole meals are a very nice treat. It’s weird to admit, but I almost feel guilty after coming off the strictness of the V-diet. Also, at this point I’m pretty much on my last 3-4 bottles of Metabolic Drive. Last week I placed an order with Biotest for 6 more bottles to cover the rest of the transition. Afterwards, when I begin Thibaudeau’s fat loss program, I’ll keep only a couple of bottles on hand for pre-bedtime shakes. Thirteen more days until I’m completely back to whole food. I can’t wait.

My morning walks have basically become a ritual at this point. The first things I do every morning are: go to washroom, wash face, get dressed in shorts and t-shirt, take Hotrox and BCAA, grab water bottle from fridge, iPod from kitchen table, then I’m out the door. It’s like clockwork. The heart-rate increase, light sweat, and roughly 1L of fresh water consumption really does something special to my mind and morale in the morning. It really sets a positive and optimistic tone for the rest of the day. I’ll frequently also bring along some printed articles and do some reading during my walk. If I don’t, then when I return from the gym, following my shower and shake, I’ll grab a book and read for 20-30 minutes. It’s an amazing habit that I will continue long after this diet is finished. What better way to start each day.

In the past, many times I would avoid doing cardio because I’d always rationalize to myself that the machines would all be occupied. Well, it has been the case at times over the past month, but I can honestly say that it has been probably happened only 3 or 4 times in the past month. On those occasions, I would simply ride a stationary bike (those are always free) until a treadmill became freed up. I’ve never waited longer than 10 minutes, in which case I also benefited from a light warm-up. Bonus.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

{ 0 comments }

5:30pm – 4 BCAA, 2 HotRox, NEPA walk (3.3mph,4deg incline) @ 60 mins
6:30pm – 2 scoops Vanilla MD + 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, multi-vitamin
9:30pm – Solid Meal – 2 chicken breasts w/ lemon-pepper seasoning, and side of fresh spinach
1:30pm – 1 scoop Strawberry MD, 1 scoop Banana MD, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, 3 BCAA, 1 HotRox
4:30pm – 2 scoops Banana MD
8:45am – 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxmeal, 1tbsp p-butter, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA
9:30am – 3 BCAA, calcium, magnesium, melatonin

Today was my first transition day. I began with a morning walk, followed by a regular shake. During my walk on the treadmill, I endured a good 30 minutes of gourmet cooking on the TV because someone chose to watch the Food Channel in the gym. The dishes looked amazing, but I didn’t get the same physiological mouth-watering that I used to get, probably because I no longer consider those foods and option. Now to transfer the same logic to other aspects of life.

Three hours later I had my solid meal, which was very satisfying and flavorful. I used 1tbsp of mayo with the chicken and 1tbsp of ranch dressing for the spinach leaves. No carbs (outside of the fibrous kind in the spinach.)

Back on night shift. Tomorrow should be almost identical to today in almost every way. Legs are a bit sore from lunges yesterday, so walking up even a flight of stairs is taxing. Energy levels are high though and resolve remains solid.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

{ 0 comments }

4:45pm – 4 BCAA, 2 HotRox, NEPA walk (3.3mph,4deg incline) @ 60 mins
6:30pm – Solid Meal – 14oz New York Steak, ceaser salad, diet coke + 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, multi-vitamin
8:50pm – Gym- 10×3 Routine (lat pull-downs, standing one-arm db shoulder press, lunges)
9:30pm – One serving of Surge, 10g creatine
1:15pm – 1 scoop Strawberry MD, 1 scoop Banana MD
4:30pm – 2 scoops Vanilla MD, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, 3 BCAA, 1 HotRox
8:45am – 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxmeal, 1tbsp p-butter, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA
9:30am – 3 BCAA, calcium, magnesium, melatonin

Well, the hard part is over. The strict phase of the Velocity Diet is done and I’m feeling good. I will be doing a full write-up with regards to my Velocity Diet results and journey, so instead I will just talk about today.

Began the day with the usual morning walk, followed by my weekly solid meal, which was steak once again. You can probably tell from the photo that it was cooked more to the medium side as opposed to well. Very juicy, however, I prefer drier. As a result of the big steak meal, I decided to go with 3 shakes instead of 4 or 5. It was manageable, especially with the post-workout shake I consumed early on in my day.

Tomorrow begins the first day of my 2 week transition period. During the first week, I’ll be eating 1 solid meal per day, along with 4 shakes. During the second week, I’ll be eating 2 solids meals per day, along with 3 shakes. That makes my final day of the velocity diet April 18th. What makes it even better is that I’ll be flying to UFC 83 in Montreal the following day to watch the first UFC event ever in Canada! What a nice way to end the diet. However, starting that Monday (April 21st), I begin my 7-week journey on the the “Destroying Fat” program to prepare me for my trip to Europe in June for Euro Cup 2008.

I predict that by the end of the transition period, I’ll be just below 205, but probably not exactly at my goal of 200. Even still, if I fall between 200-205 lbs, I’ll consider that a huge success. 200 on my 6′1″ frame is nice indeed, but 190 would be much better. I can’t wait. It’s just around the corner.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

{ 0 comments }

Although I still have 2 weeks left of transition to complete, I thought I’d post a photo evolution of that last four weeks, with a couple of first and last day comparisons. Very interesting.

Day 1 vs. Day 28 (Front/Back)


Day 1 vs. Day 28 (Sides)


Weekly Evolution (Front/Back)

Weekly Evolution (Sides)

I’ll do something similar when the final 6th week is complete.

This update was brought to you by Project Phatko

{ 4 comments }

Measurements and photos were taken upon waking.

Weight: 208 lbs (-4lbs) (15 lbs total)
Neck: 16″ (-0.25″) (-0.5″ total)
Chest: 43″ (+0.25″) (-1.5″ total)
Torso: 36.75″ (-0.25″) (-3.5″ total)
Belly: 37.25″ (-0.75″) (-4.25″ total)
Waist: 36.5″ (-0.5″) (-2.25″ total)
Arms (L/R): 14.75″/15″ (0) (no change total)
Forearms: 12″/12″ (0) (-0.75″ total)

Total weight lost: 15 lbs
Total inches lost: 12 inches (not including forearms)

Scale weight was down more than expected along with overall measurements. Inches were lost from most areas except the chest, which is fine with me in terms of aesthetic proportions. The drop of 4 lbs this week concerned me at first, but when I thought about it, it could very well be that I had food in my system somewhere. In any case I’m not disappointed with the Week 4 results. Comparing them with the Day 1 photos blows my mind every time. Four weeks has flown by in no time, yet I look and feel like a new man. My neutral facial expression comes off more as a scowl now as a consequence of the weight loss, but I assure you, I’m not as cranky as I appear. I will elaborate more in my final analysis of the diet, where I will also provide some stunning side-by-side progress picture comparisons.

This update was brought to you by Project Phatko

{ 0 comments }

3:40pm – 5 BCAA, 2 HotRox, NEPA walk (3.3mph,4deg incline) @ 60 mins
4:45pm – 2 scoops Vanilla MD w/ 1tsp instant coffee + 3g EPA/DHA, multi-vitamin
10:00pm – 1 scoop Strawberry MD + 1 scoop Banana MD
12:00am – 1 scoop Banana MD + 1 scoop Vanilla MD, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, 4 BCAA
2:30am – 1 scoop Strawberry MD + 1 scoop Vanilla MD
5:00am – 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxmeal, 1tbsp p-butter, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA
6:30am – 3 BCAA, calcium, magnesium

Felt very sore and tight today, which was most likely a combination of Mondays workout and yesterdays thai boxing. Made sure to drink lots of water. Had one small black coffee with splenda around mid-day as a little treat. As a result, I skipped the single HotRox serving for the afternoon. Aside from the soreness, energy levels are still high along with motivation and resolve.

I realize now that I seriously underestimated the amount of fat I’d have to lose in order to be satisfied. My original ultimate goal was 190, but I’m starting to think that maybe 180-185 would be more appropriate. I have confidence that I will reach 190 for my Euro Cup vacation in June. I strongly believe that Coach Thibaudeau’s program is capable of taking me to that goal. Not only will it benefit my aesthetic goals, but no doubt will improve my performance and stamina in martial arts.

Four week progress pics and measurements tomorrow!

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

{ 0 comments }

3:00pm – 5 BCAA, 2 HotRox, NEPA walk (3.3mph,4deg incline) @ 60 mins
4:30pm – 2 scoops Vanilla MD w/ 1tsp instant coffee + 3g EPA/DHA, multi-vitamin
6:00pm – Muay Thai Training – Half serving of Surge
7:00pm – Half serving of Surge
9:00pm – 1 scoop Strawberry MD + 1 scoop Banana MD, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, 4 BCAA, 1 HotRox
1:00am – 1 scoop Strawberry MD + 1 scoop Banana MD
3:30am – 1 scoop Strawberry MD + 1 scoop Vanilla MD
5:00am – 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxmeal, 1tbsp p-butter, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA
6:00am – 3 BCAA, calcium, magnesium

Bulgarian squats from Monday really fried my glutes, so I found todays morning walk to be quite a chore at 3.3mph for the first 10 minutes before they warmed up. Other than that, thai boxing was really good because I got to train with the advanced students for the first time. By the end of it I was completely gassed and drenched with sweat, so it was a great workout.

In the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that after I take my post-workout shake, I still feel very very thirsty, so it’s been extra important for me to have my 1.5L water bottle with me at all times, because my mouth just gets dry very easily. When I told my brother about this, he told me that in biology class he learned that water is essential in the breakdown of fat, so when you r body is in “fat-burning” mode, it requires more water! I was blown away because it made perfect sense. I was wondering why my hands, face, lips, and mouth have been so dry in the past couple weeks. Now I know.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

{ 0 comments }

2:15pm – 2 scoops Vanilla MD w/ 1tsp coffee + 3g EPA/DHA, multi-vitamin
5:00pm – 3 BCAA, 2 HotRox, NEPA walk (3.3mph,4deg incline) @ 60 mins
6:15pm – 1 scoop Strawberry + 1 scoop Banana
10:15pm – 1 scoop Strawberry + 1 scoop Banana, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, 4 BCAA, 1 HotRox
1:30am – 1 scoop Strawberry + 1 scoop Banana
4:30am – 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxmeal, 1tbsp p-butter, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA
5:30am – 3 BCAA, calcium, magnesium

Woke up earlier than I would have today, because I wanted to catch some Champions League soccer. As a result, NEPA wasn’t upon waking, but rather 3 hours after waking. Today there were two stretches where I went without a shake for about 4 hours. It’s funny, in the first 2-3 weeks I had to tolerate hunger pangs, but now it’s actually quite easy to ignore them. I have to be aware of the time in order to feed myself frequently. Maybe it’s just a freak day, I don’t know. What I do know is that any future diet will pale in comparison, difficulty wise, with this diet. When I finish the velocity diet transition phase, I’ll be starting Christian Thibaudeau’s “Destroying Fat” program, which I tried last year, but with half-assed compliance. The fact that I will even be able to eat whole food throughout the entire program seems like a treat instead of a chore like before. I feel like if you can follow through with the Velocity Diet, you can follow through on anything.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

{ 1 comment }