10:30am - 3 BCAA, 1 HotRox, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA, multi-vitamin, 2 scoops Vanilla MD w/ 1tsp coffee
1:30pm - 2 scoops Banana MD
5:30pm - 2 scoops Strawberry MD, 3G EPA/DHA, CLA, 1 HotRox
8:30pm - 1 scoop Strawberry MD, 1 scoop Vanilla MD
9:45pm - 3 BCAA, NEPA walk @ 3.2mph on a 4 degree incline for 60 mins
11:30pm - 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxmeal, 1tbsp p-butter, 3g EPA/DHA, CLA
1:00am - 3 BCAA, calcium, magnesium, zinc

Woke up later than I wanted to this morning, so instead of doing morning NEPA, I performed it in the evening. Shakes were standard today, pretty much effortless after preparing them in the morning. I should mention that in the evenings is when I have the greatest urge to munch on something. Anything. Oh no, just writing about it is making my mouth water for some grilled chicken breast or steak. I also experienced some minor hunger pangs today when approaching shake time. I felt slightly bloated yesterday from both the whole meal and the Surge, maybe the creatine too, but today felt much leaner and lighter. Jawline looks better everyday. I’m pretty excited about conquering Week 2, and witnessing the daily changes.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

8:30pm - 2 HotRox, 5 BCAA + NEPA walk @ 3.2mph on 4 degree incline (60 mins)
9:45pm - 2 scoops Vanilla MD + 1tsp instant coffee, 3g EPA/DHA, multi-vitamin
12:30pm - Solid Meal - 4 eggs scrambled, pan-fried shrimp, 2 cups steamed broccoli, olive oil.
5:00pm - 2 scoops Banana MD + 3g EPA/DHA, CLA
8:00pm - 1 scoop Vanilla MD, 1 scoop Strawberry MD
9:00pm - 5 BCAA tabs
9:30pm - Gym - 10×3 Routine (bulgarian squats, good mornings, db bench press, db rows)
10:15pm - 1 serving of Surge, 20g creatine
1:00am - 1tsp peanut butter
2:30am - 3 BCAA, calcium, magnesium, zinc

Woke up a little earlier this morning to get my progress information, NEPA walk, solid meal, blog updates, and shakes prepared before going into work this afternoon. It required some sleep sacrifice, so I only slept about 5 hours, which is unlike my usual 8 hour slumber. For some reason I thought it was Saturday today, so I expected the treadmills to be buzzing, but fortunately it’s Friday so it was empty. Great walk as usual, good sweat from the HotRox. I’ve been really enjoying the 80’s power ballads on my iPod lately, so I’ve been feeling especially upbeat and optimistic lately.

My end-of-week solid meal was enjoyable, but not as spectacular as I imagined in my mind. I think I prepared a little too much, because I was stuffed afterwards. Stuffed, but not lethargic, which is often the case from unhealthy solid meals. The shrimp might have been too much. The thought of solid food got me too excited. The eggs and broccolli were good, so I’ll keep them for next week also, unless I end up eating out for my solid meal. In any case, I know the caloric count must have been high, seeing how I used about 6tbsp of olive oil in total (for cooking the eggs and shrimp and drizzling on the broccoli), so I decided to cut one MD shake from the daily total.

Now that the first milestone has been reached, I feel like I am now officially committed. Between Day 2 and Day 4 I was cynical towards myself. “Anybody can do this for a few days” were my thoughts. Even though I took the diet seriously, those first few days felt like an eternity. Now that it’s Day 7, I realize how quickly the last couple of days have passed. I have a feeling that Week 2 will be easier, now that I know how to manage situations with my trusty cooler, and now that I know, more or less, what to expect in general.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

Measurements and photos were taken on Day 7 upon waking, hence the sleepy look.

Weight: 217 lbs (-6lbs)
Neck: 16.5″ (0)
Chest: 43.5″ (-1″)
Torso: 39.25″ (-1″)
Belly: 40″ (-1.5″)
Waist: 38″ (-0.75″)
Arms (L/R): 14.75″/15.5″ (+0.5″)
Forearms: 12″/12.5″ (-0.5″)

Week 1 has been very interesting. I guess it’s my sense of instant gratification that has caused me to doubt my progress many times over the past week. I know I shouldn’t expect miracles in the first week, and I didn’t, but deep down inside I was hoping for something more drastic to occur. Regardless, I know that consistency is the key to this diet, so despite my marginal losses in weight and girth measurements, I have confidence that they will continue to compound over the next 3 weeks. I am only 25% complete, however, so there is still lots of time to melt away the blubber. I look forward to comparing Week 2 with Day 1.

This update was brought to you by Project Phatko

1:00pm - 2 HotRox, 5 BCAA, 1 scoop whey + NEPA walk @ 2.8kph on 4 degree incline (60 mins)
2:30pm - 2 scoops Vanilla MD + 1tsp instant coffe, 3g EPA/DHA, multi-vitamin
4:00pm - 1 HotRox, Diet 7-up
6:00pm - 2 scoops Banana MD + 3g EPA/DHA
9:00pm - 1 scoop Banana MD + coffee and Splenda
11:00pm - 2 scoops Strawberry MD
1:30am - 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxseed meal, 1tbsp natural peanut butter, 3g fish oils
2:30am - 1 melatonin, calcium, magnesium, zinc

Woke up a bit late. Morning (or early afternoon) walk went as planned and felt good as usual. I had one scoop of whey isolate (120cal) before morning walk. This was offset by removing one scoop of MD from one of my afternoon shakes. Otherwise everything else was pretty standard. I had some minor hunger pangs, but they usually come about 30 mins before the scheduled “shake time”. Psychological resolve is strong. I had a talk with my brother about the nature of toxic people and other topics regarding discipline and training. We watched a movie together in the evening (”Bank Job”, the worst movie ever, seriously), but I packed a shake with me, so no trouble there. I was anticipating some resistance from the theater staff (for bringing a cooler in with me) but luckily there was no static from anyone. If there had been, I would have told them I am diabetic.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

10:30am - 2 HotRox, 5 BCAA, 1 scoop whey + NEPA walk @ 2.8kph on 3 degree incline (60 mins)
11:30am - 2 scoops Vanilla MD + 1tsp instant coffe, 3g EPA/DHA, multi-vitamin
3:00pm - 2 scoops Banana MD + 3g EPA/DHA
5:00pm - 3 BCAA, coffee with Splenda
6:00pm - Muay Thai training (1hr)
7:00pm - 1 serving of Surge
9:00pm - 2 scoops Strawberry MD
12:00am - 1 scoop Strawberry MD, 1 scoop Vanilla MD
1:30am - 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxseed meal, 1tbsp natural peanut butter, 3g fish oils
2:30am - 1 melatonin, calcium, magnesium, zinc

Woke up a bit earlier today and had a great morning walk. Muay thai was amazing. We did mostly knees, elbows, and footwork drills, mixed up with some great conditioning drills. Most of the condition is done via calisthenics (pushups, crunches, bodyweight squats, etc.) and plyometric exercises (jumping jacks, burpees, etc.) It was nice and rigorous but I especially enjoyed the Surge afterwards.

I went to the circus with my little brother immediately afterwards, but I prepared ahead of time by packing a shake in my training bag, so I sipped on that midway through the show. The self-discipline is beginning to feel really good. I noticed my face was very lean before I went to bed.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

1:00pm - 1 HotRox, 3 BCAA + NEPA walk @ 2.8kph on 3 degree incline
2:30pm - 2 scoops Vanilla MD + 1tsp instant coffe, 3g EPA/DHA, multi-vitamin
6:00pm - 2 scoop Strawberry MD
7:00pm - 1 HotRox, 3 BCAA tabs
9:00pm - 1 scoop Chocolate MD, 1 scoop Strawberry MD
12:00am - 1 scoop Strawberry MD, 1 scoop Vanilla MD
2:00am - 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxseed meal, 1tbsp natural peanut butter, 3g fish oils
3:00am - 1 melatonin, calcium, magnesium, zinc

Woke up late today. Did morning NEPA on an empty stomach with HotRox and BCAA inside me. The mental clarity and almost euphoric feeling from HotRox made for a great hour of reflection. It was a good opportunity to strengthen my resolve.

Shakes are made every morning, right after the walking, and are stored in my fridge for no-brainer feedings. Today was a unique real-world challenge. There was a hockey game on TV, so I watched it over at a friend’s house. It was as easy as simply throwing one of my pre-made shakes into a small cooler and storing it in my friend’s fridge until the time was right to take it. Worked like a charm, and no slips. Looking forward to muay thai class tomorrow.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

8:30am - 2 scoops Vanilla MD + 1tsp instant coffee, 1 HotRox, 3 BCAA tabs, 3g fish oils, multi-vitamin
12:00pm - 1 scoop Chocolate MD, 1 scoop Banana MD
3:30pm - 1 scoop Strawberry MD, 1 scoop Banana MD
6:30pm - 2 scoops Strawberry MD
9:30pm - 1 HotRox, 3 BCAA tabs + NEPA walk @ 2.8kph on 3 degree incline (60 mins)
10:30pm - 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxseed meal, 1tbsp natural peanut butter, 3g fish oils
11:30pm - 1 melatonin, calcium, magnesium, zinc

I think the variety of protein flavors is essential to remain sane. It definitely breaks the taste pattern. The teaspoon of instant coffee with vanilla MD is really good for a morning shake. Takes the extra-sweet vanilla edge off.

I had a great 10×3 workout yesterday. I’ve been doing so many circuit workouts with moderate weights in the past few months that it felt really good to lift heavy and take appropriate rest between sets. I’m thinking of splitting the remaining workouts on the V-diet into 1 heavy 10×3 day, 1 muay thai training class, and 1 lactate workout day. That way I have a good mix of heavy lifting, conditioning, and circuit training on a weekly basis.

Feeling good. Still have my sanity.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

9:00am - 2 scoops Vanilla MD + 1tsp instant coffee, 3 BCAA tabs, 1 HotRox, 3g fish oils, multi-vitamin
12:00am - 1 scoop Banana MD, 1 scoop Strawberry MD
3:00pm- 1 scoop Chocolate MD, 1 scoop Banana MD
6:00pm - 2 scoops Banana MD
7:00pm - Black coffee with a little Splenda
9:00pm - Gym, 10×3 Routine (DB presses, lat pull-downs, lunges, good mornings @ 80% 1RM)
9:45pm - 1 serving Surge
10:00pm - 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxseed meal, 1tbsp natural peanut butter, 3 BCAA tabs, 3g fish oils
11:30pm - 3 BCAA tabs, calcium, zinc, magnesium

Day 2 was easier than Day 1, I don’t know why. Must be the initial enthusiasm. I only crave solid food when I think about it. I have a 2L bottle of water within reach at all times, so that curbs hydration. I find myself urinating regularly, probably due to the diuretic effect of the coffee combined with all the water. Right now my whole focus is on what I will look like at the end of 28 days. Might sound crazy, but I already notice some differences in the mirror. It’s definitely motivating.

This post is brought to you by Project Phatko

Day 1 is over. I technically started this whole diet on a Saturday because my supplements came on the Friday, and I didn’t want to lose any days, so the first day of the weeks for me will be Saturdays, and Fridays will be my whole meal days.

8:30am - 2 scoops Banana MD, 3 BCAA tabs, 1 HotRox, 3g fish oils, multi-vitamin
11:30am - 2 scoops Vanilla MD
2:30pm- 1 scoop Vanilla MD, 1 scoop Strawberry MD
4:00pm - Coffee with a little Splenda
5:30pm - 2 scoops Banana MD
7:00pm - Diet Pepsi
9:30pm - 2 scoops Chocolate MD, 3tbsp flaxseed meal, 1tbsp natural peanut butter, 3 BCAA tabs, 3g fish oils
10:30pm - 3 BCAA tabs, 5g melatonin

The day went pretty good. I had some serious gas and indigestion at the beginning of the day, but it’s probably because I forgot to take my fiber in the morning. The Hot-Rox gave me a warm feeling for most of the day, and later I found that after taking my sweater off, my undershirt was wet. At least something is working.

I’ll try to limit the weigh-ins to once a week, first thing in the morning, on my whole meal days (marking the end of weeks.)

Here are the starting stats and photo:

Weight: 223 lbs (Height: 6′1″)
Neck: 16.5″
Chest (around nipples): 44.5″
Torso (bellow chest): 40.25″
Belly: 41.5″
Waist: 38.75″
Arms (L/R): 14.75″/15″
Forearms (L/R): 12.5″/12.25″

Next progress update will be Friday, March 14th.

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko

I’ve been planning to do a strict Velocity Diet for some time now, but have always delayed for some reason or another. This month (March) won’t be a busy month for me, and my work schedule is concrete and predictable. Plus, Biotest recently had a promotional sale, so naturally I stocked up for the challenge.

my groceries for the month

I got Metabolic Drive, Biotest BCAA tablets, and a bottle of Hot-Rox Extreme in order to follow the Velocity Diet (V-diet) strictly. I also bought some extra shaker bottles and a larger lunch cooler, locally, to accommodate all the bottles. I have a total of 13 bottles of Metabolic Drive protein powder, 3 bottles of Biotest BCAAs, and 1 bottle of Hot-Rox. I also have my usual Metamucil fiber supplement on hand, supply of flaxseed meal, and natural peanut butter in the fridge. For the odd craving at work I have a box of Splenda which I use in black coffee (limit 1 per day) or at home I have bottles of Diet 7-Up (limit 1 per day).

being prepared for work, school, or social events is crucial

In the week leading up to my first day, I pretty much finished off all the whole food in my fridge. I now have just some leftover eggs, a couple of cans of tuna, and condiments. No temptations.

home base is my safe haven

To make things easier on myself, I have several mini plastic containers for taking supplements with me on the go. I also have old egg carton trays that I use to measure out my servings for fish oil and CLA. Each pocket has the equivalent of 3g DHA/EPA and 500mg CLA. Three servings a day should keep me near the recommended dosage of Flameout (the Biotest omega-3 supplement w/ CLA in it).

my aids for making supplementation easy

For my weekly healthy solid meal I plan to either have broccoli and eggs at home, or the lemon-pepper halibut entree at a local restaurant (halibut on a bed of spinach, with a side of broccoli instead of mashed potatoes). For the 3rd or 4th week, I may go to a steak restaurant, we will see.

For training I will do the Waterbury “10×3 for Fat Loss” twice a week (Monday and Friday), with Thai boxing (muay thai) on Wednesdays. It should be a good combination of conditioning and resistance training. For daily NEPA (non-exercise physical activity), I’ll be doing treadmill walks at 2.4mph and 5 degree 3.2mph and 4 degree incline for 60 minutes.

In the week leading up to my first V-diet day, I stayed very low carb, so I should be retaining very little water by the time the diet starts. On the day prior to Day 1, I will have only 1 solid meal and 4 shakes, as an induction to my first day.

My current weight fluctuates around the 220 lbs mark depending on the time of day, but my goal for this challenge is to reach the 200 lbs mark. I think it is achievable. I think at that target weight, I will look like a new man. Not only that, but I think that my improved insulin-resistance and leanness will allow me to drop down even further to my ultimate goal of 190 or 185 within the following month of the diet. It should be quite a ride.

For full information on the Velocity Diet, check out the following two links:
The Velocity Diet
Velocity Diet, Part II

This post was brought to you by Project Phatko