Go for 2-3 days with no fat, very few carbs (maybe some fruit or rice cakes post-workout) and the rest of my food is just protein. Chicken, tuna, fish, beef and egg whites. After those 2-3 days, I usually give into the cravings and eat about three loaves of bread, six bowls of cereal, a lot of fruit etc etc and writhe around on the floor for the next few hours in agony.

But.... there's exactly 14 days before I go back home to my home-town of Esperance, WA for holiday.... all my friends are there, and it's on the coast so I want to look my best. I've decided that I'll use these 14 days as a real focal point in my dieting, and be as strict as I possibly can to try and lose as much fat as I possibly can.

I know it's only a short time, but what would you all recommend? Advice on diet, training and cardio all welcome. I can't afford supplements, so that's out of the question.

Everyone's advice is welcome and appreciated. Thanks for your time!

But I can't find any info. Well, I can.... but nothing specifc. If anyone knows of a ketonic diet on the web, please direct me to it. I'd like to give it a try.

I don't think two weeks will damage my long-term health significantly.

Thank you.

Basically your diet consists of nothing but fat and protein at a 1 gram of protein to 1 GRAM OF FAT ratio with little or no carbs.

You can eat eggs, bacon, hard cheese, beef, steak, heavy cream, butter, etc.

YOU ARE NOT TO CONSUME MORE THAN 20 GRAMS OF CARBS A DAY (carbs consist of sugars, bread, pasta, root vegetables, fruit, candy, etc).

You can not cheat on this diet, if you do, you can end up gaining weight.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

An ECA (ephedrine/caffeine/aspirin)or a yohimbe/caffeine stack on an empty stomach before aerobics may help to speed up fat loss.

"Does the Adkins Diet work?"

it's got a link to some basic info on keto diet.

Would the diet work as effectively WITHOUT the huge fat intake? I just don't feel right eating such fatty foods.

If I can endure the lethargy and low energy levels, would it work if I cut out the fats as well? Or would that mean my calories are so low that my metabolism would slow to a stop?

What do you think about replacing the fatty foods with lean, protein foods? So I'm eating almost 100% protein? Would that work?

Ooooh boy! Better get the old constipation relief and haemorrhoid cream out.

Look, bro. I do understand how you feel about being seen by your friends back home, that is why I decided to get in shape. But you are an extreme case. I hope you were sarcastic when you gave us a glimpse of your diet.

You say you can only last 2-3 days with low carbs and you dive into a bakery(might as well) but you are considering a keto diet? Are you kidding me?

This is why you dont see a light at the end of the tunnel. I would crave carbs like crazy on your diet too. Learn how to diet first(40/30/30 to start) and workout. Then stay fit year round and not have to worry about crash dieting so you wont be ashamed of your friends seeing you.

We both know that you know better. Find a motivation to start...I think you already have one.

I'm not SHREDDED, but I'm reasonably lean as you can see in these two photos:
www.geocities.com/momhitler/picpic1.jpg www.geocities.com/momhitler/picpic3.jpg

I've lived in a different town from my family and friends for a year now, and I just wanted to make the most of the last two weeks before I came home again. Nothing about being ashamed, more about trying to maximise results by seeking advice.

I'm down to 8 days now, so time is running out.... but I'm happy enough with how I look.

The diet I spoke of isn't one I would consider for any length of time. In fact, as soon as I get settled back home, I'm going to start on the carbs again and be a bit easier on myself in terms of dieting. I do stay in pretty good shape all year round.... I just don't see anything wrong with losing a bit of fat for summer.... and I think most would agree.

I've discovered something, though- low calorie jelly (or jello as North Americans call it).... it's tasty, fills me up and has only 68 calories/kg.... I'm pretty much drinking a litre of water without even knowing it. In the last two days, that's all I've eaten along with grilled chicken breasts and steamed fish fillets (and my vitamin/mineral of course).... so we'll see how it goes.

So until the 8th of December, it's gunna be 100% protein for me and zero carbs (except one rice cake post-workout).... hopefully I won't lose too much muscle that way.

Anyway, thanks for everyone's opinions.

------------------
"TCB, baby." -- Elvis

Veni, Vidi, Vici

The King, I like your 2nd signature, LOL!

------------------
"TCB, baby." -- Elvis

Veni, Vidi, Vici

This is kinda how my diet goes:
As soon as I wake up, I have one cup of black coffee with no sugar which tastes like shit. Then I go to the gym. After my workout, I do 20-30 minutes on the treadmill. Then I come home, have a rice-cake and maybe some diet yogurt (not much) and about an hour later, a protein meal of grilled chicken breast, or steamed fish fillets. How much I have and how often, depends on how I'm feeling that day.... but I seriously doubt the amount of calories I'd take in from my chicken or fish would be more than I expend throughout the day. I might have anywhere up to 3 litres of sugar-free jelly (jello) but usually one or two throughout the day. And most nights I go for a 20 minute walk about an hour before bed.

This diet doesn't do much for water retention, because I'm pretty watery at the moment but I don't really mind. And I have concerns that it might be quite catabolic at times, but somehow I've made better muscle gains on this diet than I have in my life. So I'm pretty happy with it.

The only thing is being disciplined enough to stick to it, and not cave in to the carb cravings like I usually do.... but I think 7 days is a close-enough goal for me to push myself through it. Had I started at the beginning of the year, I'd be dead in the water. But now I can push aside my carb cravings with affirmations of "Only 7 days to go, only 7 days to go" instead of saying "Only 11 months and 17 days to go!"

As for blowing out with the carbs? Well.... I think I will. But I'm only going to be back home for six days before I go overseas for a month. After that, I don't really care how I look. I'll start another bulking phase and be a bit less strict. I just want to be able to enjoy myself with my friends and eat fish and chips down by the foreshore. I don't think I'll blow out too much in only six days.

I do take in some carbs, but very few. See, even DIET products that use artificial sweeteners still have some carbs.... and while it's usually less than 1%, that's still something. The only other carbs I take in are post-workout.... usually one rice cake, and perhaps some diet yogurt if there's any around.

I'm feeling SO lethargic already, though. It's 1:30am and I'm wide awake (probably because of all the Diet Coke I've been drinking at work) but my body is completely exhausted. Just standing up feeling like I'm doing a 200lb squat. But I guess that's all part of it.

In regards to the coffee and apartame, these will not kick you out of ketosis. There are no studies showing that aspartame raises inulin levels. Its a sweetner that is 150-200 times more sweeter than sucrose. Sweetness has no effect on insulin. Now, it does have 4 Kcal/gram just like sugar, but in order to take this amount (just for 1 gram) and have it knock you out of ketosis, it would take a lot. Therefore, in less you are on a mission to drink a lot of diet cola, then don't worry about it. I have used plenty of Equal packets also and not had a problem with ketosis.

By the way, there are approximately 104-225 mg. of aspartame in a 12 oz diet cola (depends on company). That means you would have to drink at least 4-10 cans of soda to even get 1 gram of aspartame (1 gram = only 4 calories).

Also, in each packet of Equal, there are approximately 37 mg. of aspartame, which means you would have to use 26-27 packets just to equal around 1 gram (1gram = 4 calories).

****1000 mg = 1 gram. (just in case)

In regard to the rice cake and yogurt, it's only one rice cake, and about four spoonfuls of diet yogurt (which has aspartame also). I only use it to refill at least some of the glycogen stores after exercise. I don't want to be getting too catabolic.

I forget the name of whoever wrote about aspartame, and high fat.... thanks for your response, but I really can't eat fat. It just doesn't feel right. I would feel so guilty, and if the only function a high-fat diet serves is to keep you full and kerb your carb cravings, then I don't need it. I think torturing myself is half the fun. It'll make me appreciate the day I come off my diet ten times more. Same goes for aspartame.... if I can handle the carb cravings, I don't see any reason to stop taking it. Artificially sweetened food fills me up for a while at least with very few calories.

I had a piece of bread post-workout today because I ran out of rice cakes, and also a glass of diet cordial (which is 25% fruit juice). And that's all the carbs I'll have for the rest of the day.

P.S. I don't take protein shakes. No supplements at all.

I don't think I'm losing much fat anymore, and I'm probably starting to lose muscle.... but that's okay because I come off my diet on Saturday and that's when I start my new, completely carefree bulking phase.

Call me masochistic, but I'm actually having a lot of fun torturing myself like this. I'm exhausted and lethargic 24/7, and my family keeps bringing home the nicest foods.... like rice porrige, fruit salad.... all the stuff I love. Tonight I came home from work to see two pizza boxes on the living room floor, with half an uneaten pizza in both. It's agony to resist.... and I find myself walking up and down the isles of the supermarket just looking at all the food I'd love to eat. And then walking away. I guess I like doing it because it excites me, and I know I'll appreciate the day I can come off my diet more if I torture myself more.

So really, I don't think it has as much to do with my physique anymore. I would certainly love to lose the last of the stubborn fat and for my skin to tighten up.... but with four days left, I'm happy just to maintain how I am now.

But from the moment I wake up in the morning to when I go to sleep, every step feels like a 200lbs lunge.... every movement feels like a 90lb barbell curl. That's hard too. But it's also fun. I don't know why I like punishing myself. I guess you could liken it to a kid in the snow with a sled- the higher the hill you climb, the further you'll have to ride.

Next time I'm due to cut myself up, I think I'll try some more conventional methods. At least ones which are more widely used. Perhaps try a high-fat diet to go with my high protein one. If I'm already fat, what would I have to lose?

One thing I found to be very interesting, though.... maybe someone can explain it to me. I'm urinating fine, but I haven't needed to go #2 since Tuesday. And it's now Sunday night. What's with that? It's not that I'm constipated.... I just haven't had the urge to go. Very weird, I think.