Let's talk diet, the good, the bad and the ugly

[Tatyana]

Hey ladies (and gentlemen visitors),

I am moving into what I call a phase one of my diet for next year.

I am bascially experimenting with the Anabolic diet, which was developed my Dr. Mauro Pasquele, a powerlifter, and as he puts it, to find a way to use food that will result in steroid like gains.

It is very similar to Dan Duchaine's Body Opus diet and Lyle MacDonald's Ultimate Diet 2.0, and it also bears some similarity to Rob Faigen's Natural Hormonal Enhancement diet.

I know a few others on the board are playing around with this as well.

Basically, it is a five day low carb (less than 30 g/adjust for various individuals) then carb up/eat what you fancy (high carb/high fat) on the weekends.

I have started counting calories again this week, and I am hovering around 2000 kcals/day on low carb days.

I am going to be counting calories this weekend,and I have been really naughty on the weekends for the last two and a half months.

This is what I think will really work for me (as I also want to pack on as much muscle as possible before I start to diet again)

- eat much higher calories when I am on low carbs, so closer to 2500 kcals/day at least.

- eat far fewer calories on high carb/fat days (maybe drop the fat a wee bit as well) so around 1800-2000 kcals/day.

The good
Despite my body fat being in the normal girlie range, and that I have put on 6-8 kg/13-18 lbs/around one stone in the last two and a half months, I still have a muscular shape to my body, which I have never had before at this weight and bodyfat.

The bad
A couple of bad habits I have that I am hoping someone else has dealt with: I eat too much sugar free gum. Sugar free does not mean carb free, and I probably add an extra 10-20 g/day some days. That is a lot of gum.

The ugly
I am probably eating upwards of 4000 kcals on the weekend, and I have eaten everything that I have had a craving for in the last year.

I love my healthy carbs, but I do think that if anything is going to make me binge, it is going to be the carbs.



So what is good, bad and ugly about what you are putting in your mouth?

 

[Tatyana]

I am weighing and counting calories in the toast I am having, and with me doing sensible servings for the first time (10 g of butter, 10 -15 g of jam), just two pieces of toasties is 460 kcals.

That amount of butter or peanut butter or honey, looks really, really small.

I knew it was high, but jeez!!!

I am not going to be super restrictive this weekend, just figure out what I have been eating.

It is loads, and I have loved every minute of it.

 

[Thandie]

I think pretty much everyone knows I'm very disciplined.

The Good: I eat pretty good. I count my macros even off season. Once in a while and when I go out to eat I don't count. However, I know pretty much by eyeballing it.

The Bad: I don't eat enough vegetables. I have never been one to eat tons of it. So my carbs are mostly starchy.

The Ugly: I love dates and keep bying them. I'm pretty good where I eat a couple once in a while, but if they're in the house is hard to keep them away. Lately has been 1 date here and there, but last night was 10 again. I GOT TO STOP!!!
Most likely, at this point I'll cheat on Thanksgiving and Chrismass. After that NO MORE CHEATING FOR ME....

 

[Tatyana]

No cheats for Christmas?

I think that the only thing you can do Thandie to wean yourself off that hard stuff (the dates) is to try something similar but less hardcore, like figs, then dried apricots.



I have timed my training so I will be off training (and I will go off the diet as well) for a week.

Ok, well really, I am only dieting on the weekdays right now.

This is the last weekend for me on the food that doesn't work that well for BBing.

As well, I am going to start to have things like red lentils, other beans and starchy veggies as my carbs.


I think the idea of planned dieting breaks is a really good idea.

I am ok with this, I did have almost two seasons of unsuccessful comp prep dieting, so this is a combination - get it out of my system - and - see if this diet will suit me.

When I do have the calories at a decent level on the weekends, it will also be a way of practicing carbing up nearly every week and figuring out what carbs work best for this.

 

[Thandie]

No cheats for Christmas?

I think that the only thing you can do Thandie to wean yourself off that hard stuff (the dates) is to try something similar but less hardcore, like figs, then dried apricots.



I have timed my training so I will be off training (and I will go off the diet as well) for a week.

Ok, well really, I am only dieting on the weekdays right now.

This is the last weekend for me on the food that doesn't work that well for BBing.

As well, I am going to start to have things like red lentils, other beans and starchy veggies as my carbs.


I think the idea of planned dieting breaks is a really good idea.

I am ok with this, I did have almost two seasons of unsuccessful comp prep dieting, so this is a combination - get it out of my system - and - see if this diet will suit me.

When I do have the calories at a decent level on the weekends, it will also be a way of practicing carbing up nearly every week and figuring out what carbs work best for this.

No, I said, I WILL cheat on Thanksgiving and Chrismass. There's no way I'd go though those holidays without cheating; I woudn't want to.
Figs I like, but I rather have dates b/c they are very sweet. I'll stop. I didn't have them the entire time I was prepping for comp. Apricots, I don't like. See the pattern; very sweet tooth..

 

[Tatyana]

No, I said, I WILL cheat on Thanksgiving and Chrismass. There's no way I'd go though those holidays without cheating; I woudn't want to.
Figs I like, but I rather have dates b/c they are very sweet. I'll stop. I didn't have them the entire time I was prepping for comp. Apricots, I don't like. See the pattern; very sweet tooth..

Ooooop, my bad reading comprehension.

I do think we have been physiologically adapted to want to eat sweet stuff over the millenium.

I find that when I first started eating for BBing, going back to eating any sugar just made me want to binge on it, so I would avoid it.

I then went to having some dark chocolate and then allowing myself to binge ( a bar a day for three/four days).

The last time I was off season, I was able to have a bar in the house and just have a few squares every night.

Really, that is the way to go, but I think we do have to admit that comp prep is a wee bit like a starvation diet, and that some of the things like binge eating are just a natural physiological response, nothing wrong.

I am just working out if I am going to binge a bit, what foods are the healthiest, or have a 3000 kcal cut off (I can eat for England).

 

[Thandie]

Wow Thandie... DATES?! Whoduthunk that DATES would be anyone's downfall?! Not, ho-hos or moonpies or icecream but DATES?!

Me, I am just trying to eat enough food period. I was never able to eat a large quantity and now that my stomach is better I had a bit of fun eating all kinds of things. But ultimately I physically feel better if I eat a bit less than too much of anything and I REALLY feel awesome when I eat clean.

Other than the occasional glass of wine with a meal I really don't see me drinking. It's getting colder so I KNOW that miller chills will be out of the question (even in 100 degree heat I would ask to have them room temp before I would drink them). I lost the taste for vodka coupla weeks back.

I had SUCH a tremendous workout last night and my husband wanted to go to our local hang out: the cigar bar. I really REALLY didn't feel like drinking but I had one vodka and one glass of wine in the bath when we got home. Boy did I regret it.

That's why I said I'm very disciplined. I love sweet so I used to have desserts, but I knew I had to find a healthy alternative and I found dates. But it's still too much sugar in them. I would not do like Tat and have a piece of chocolate every nite. That's tempting yourself. I'm discipline because I stopped doing just that; a little bit here and there.
I know it sounds like dates are the big evil, but I went from desserts to sorbet to dates.

I feel soooo good being clean most of the time; I wouldn't change it for the world. Besides, when I'm competing, I can wip my body into shape a lot easier then those who are cheating here and there. I want to look good ALL the time, not just for a competition. Competitions are just 2 minutes on stage. Even if you win; you go home and it's all over. It's not just about gaining a few lbs, it's about having great skin, tight skin and looking good all the time. I want to look fabulous at 60, 65, even 70. There you have it. That's why I do what I do..

 

[Tatyana]

How did you develop your discipline Thandie?

Can you remember as I realise you have had it a long time.

 

[Thandie]

How did you develop your discipline Thandie?

Can you remember as I realise you have had it a long time.

I developed it one day at a time.
For instance, 20-25 years ago I lived on pasta twice a day. Once I started training and learning about healthy eating, I cut the pasta to one a day, then 3 times a week. At the same time I was cutting all the sugar/butter I used on my oatmeal. Changed the sugar to Equal at the time (now is Stevia); and so forth. The trick is not to allow anyone to tell you "having pasta once a week or dessert once a week won't hurt you". Or whatever it is. You know you're working yourself to a better you. The cleaner you eat, the healthier/better shape/better skin/feel better then if you would be allowing all those chemicals/bad fat/sugars that makes us age and feel crappy. I hope I'm making sense. If you see my skin in person, you'd be shocked. It's smooth like glass, I have no wrinkles and better yet, no sagging. Almost everyone I know have some sagging and signs of toxic on their skin. I'm always in good shape and NEVER overweight. Do I allow myself to just do things I normally don't do? YES, but is once a a while. I have Pizza once every two years. I don't count the time, but like clock work the craving comes in two years, and that's because I'm more used to eating clean then not.

Look at alcoholics and smokers; after not drinking for, I believe is 4 or 5 years, they lose the taste or cravings for it.

Just remember that if you want to make it better, keep on making it cleaner and cleaner. That's how I got to dates. People say "dates, for Gods sake?" But I've been better and better and although dates are healthy snaks, they're loaded with sugar, which is poison to my skin. I should have 2 or 3 and that would be a healthy dessert, but 10-12, that's indulging on sugar.

I used to drink Champagne every time I went out. I cut it to 2 glasses twice a week, then one glass a week. Now is one glass every couple of months. I'm looking to cut it to just holidays and eventually none. Why? because I feel a hell of a lot better when I don't have any alcohol. But I believe is more succesfull to do it this way then say "I'll never have...."again" because we know is not true, but by working it one step at a time and being consistent, we can make lifetime changes in our lifes to a better "us"
Don't allow anyone to stop you from making those changes, which is why it took me so long. There was alaways a friend saying "One drink is ok or dessert". They can't do it, and that's why they don't want you to do it either. I learned the hard way.
I hope this helps someone!!

 

[Thandie]

My sentiments exactly... I fully understand what you are saying and am slowly on that path as well.

We spent several hours at a motorcycle show yesterday in Dallas. OMG I can't tell you how many women we saw who had pretty much maintained their slender shape but GOOD GOD! Their skin and their faces!!! It was as if they died but someone forgot to tell them. And these women were not *hard-core* biker chicks, the ones that spent most of their lives hooked on crystal meth and only LOOK old. These gals were mature women but seriously, their faces were SCARY.

What good is a reasonably attractive body if your face looks like that of a corpse?

There is nothing wrong with getting older, especially considering the alternative but goodness. Please don't tell me I HAVE to look like those women if I didn't leave the planet at the age of 25!

The sad thing is that plastic surgery will NEVER correct the skin of someone who had 'damage' from lack of taking care of themselves. Only by taking care of it from the inside out. Then, you can work on the outside later, if needed.