Dub

Energy level was high again yesterday, every day since my last free meal (Sunday) I've felt great. Chins 2x6 Squat 2x5x265, was leaving backoff set 8x205 till the end of workout - last week I almost lost my balance & fell forward when I went for it right after work sets . Someone was using the only power rack in my gym after I finished everything else so I just dropped it. DB Press 2x6x55, 8x40 I wasn't really feeling like doing all my curls today, so I subbed in one more set of chins to failure. Chins 1x4 Barbell Curls: 1 x 8 x 70 Biked 12 easy miles, 3 to gym, 9 after. Meal 1: 1 t psyllium 1 c True Protein Gemma Pre-Workout: 10g creatine .5 T sucrose w/lemon juice & water Meal 2: 3 c Lettuce 12 oz seitan Green onion 1 T Flax oil 600mg calcium 1200 mg magnesium Source of Life multivitamin Meal 3: 10 oz tofu 2 c spinach 1 c bok choi 1 T nutritional yeast .25 t coconut oil 600mg calcium 1,265 cal 33.9g fat 51.8g carbs 197.2g protein

Meal 1: 1 t psyllium 8 oz tofu 3 c kale w/garlic, fried in cast iron skillet w/trace olive oil Salsa 600mg calcium 1200 mg magnesium .5 t potassium salt Source of Life multivitamin Meal 2: 1 t psyllium 1 c true protein gemma Meal 3: 15 oz seitan, grilled with mustard, pepper & dill baste ~2 c cauliflower mashed potatoes w/ flax oil & roasted garlic - YUM! 1,418 cal 33.5g fat 77.0g carbs 215.2g protein I read that seitan is deficient in lysine so I had a couple of 500 mg tabs today…I know amino acids can be converted/rebalanced by the body so I don't know if this helps. Anyone know? Biked 8-9 easy miles getting stuff done, walked 1 mile, 2 hour yoga class. I feel super-refreshed after two days off from lifting & am stoked to get back in the gym tomorrow.

Yerba mate is really fun, even if it only helps a bit.

the second one sounds cool...i have help seeds & some plain gemma that needs to be used. i'll let you know how they turn out.

Thanks for the tips Ruz. I am doing one carb refeed & one free meal per week. This week is lowest calorie I've gone during the cut so hopefully that keeps my metabolism up. My wife is dieting with me for the next week so at least until I get adjusted she'll be helping me stay on track. Do you have a recipe for the gemma crackers? My LBM is ~ 165 lbs. Yesterday was a rest day, only 20 minutes walking. Also I had my first free meal last night, perhaps 2 desserts was a bit much but they were damn good! Meal 1: 1 T psyllium 16 oz tofu 2 c broccoli 1 T flax oil 1 T nutritional yeast Forgot vitamins today Snack: Clif Builders Bar Meal 2: 8 oz seitan 4 c bok choi 1 T nutritional yeast Snack: 1 T psyllium .75 c true protein gemma Meal 3: Amy's Roasted Vegetable Pizza 12 oz silken tofu 2 T maple syrup 2 T Cocoa powder Carmel Pecan Bar 3,117 cal 111.1g fat 317.4g carbs 243.8g protein

I don't know how I would keep my calories low enough without seitan, unless I consumed a lot more protein powder. I know some people don't digest it too well but I seem to do OK. Once I complete this cut I will diversify protein sources when I can. DB Bench Press 2x3x100, 0x100 - I had been getting the 95s up relatively easy, so did 100s today. First time I've ever gotten a 0 rep when I had completed sets prior. DL attempt 385, 3x365 - I was overreaching a bit to attempt 3x385, but I completed 3x375 on Tuesday so I thought it was worth a try. I got the first one off the floor but my back started to flex just after liftoff so I set it back down. Calf raises 3x8x115 easy, will bump weight next time Bar Holds 3x255 Dips 2x12 DB Bench Press 8x70 I didn't feel very strong on the first two work sets but recovered nicely for the lighter stuff. I think I suffered from not having my breakfast digest properly...I was out of psyllium & this caused some issues. There's also the possibility that its just optimum to lift only 2x/week during the cut. If so I will definitely be taking advantage of the free time to enjoy the spring outside the gym. Meal 1: coffee - continued throughout day 8 oz seitan 4 c. chard 1 T flax oil 1 T nutritional yeast 600mg calcium 1200 mg magnesium 1 t potassium salt Source of Life multivitamin Pre-Workout: 10g creatine .5 T sucrose w/lemon juice & water Meal 2: 1 T psyllium 10 oz tofu 3 c baby bok choi .5 T nutritional yeast Garlic powder Chili powder salt Meal 3: 1 T psyllium .75 c true protein gemma 3 oz silken tofu Meal 4: 8 oz grilled seitan Frozen mixed veggies with edamame .5 T nutritional yeast 600mg calcium 1,486 cal 39.0g fat 79.9g carbs 215.6g protein

I'm trying to keep calories as low as I can without tanking my energy level. I had a full break last week but before then I was often in the 1600ish range, I'm interested to see how my body reacts to going this low. If I feel like garbage I might try adding ~200 cal back in.

Thanks for welcoming me! I've never had a log online before, seemed like a good time to start one. These boards are full of great people so this is the best place to put it. Also my before side photo is gonna skew the results a bit, my belly was very full & sticking out a bit more than usual. No matter, its all about the path. I walked ~6 miles today, yeah spring! Yesterday was a refeed & I ate a ton of foods, getting late so I don't want to copy it all in from fitday Here's today's cuisine. Meal 1: yerba mate - continued throughout day 1 T psyllium .75 c true protein gemma 600mg calcium 1200 mg magnesium 1 t potassium salt Source of Life multivitamin Meal 2: 10 oz grilled tofu 4 c baby bok choi 1 T nutritional yeast braggs garlic powder ginger powder cayenne dash apple cider vinegar Meal 3: .5 t psyllium .5 c true protein gemma Meal 4: 10 oz grilled seitan Green onions 3 c lettuce 1 T flax oil Lemon juice/salt from preserved lemons 1 T nutritional yeast 600 mg calcium 1,276 cal 33.8g fat 44.4g carbs 206.3g protein

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/effects-of-soy-protein-and-soybean-isoflavones-on-thyroid-function-in-healthy-adults-and-hypothyroid-patients.html cliff notes: moderate amounts (<25g) soy protein is fine for those without pre-existing thyroid problems. adequate iodine is more important to thyroid function when consuming high amounts of phytoestrogens.

Background: I started lifting again in August 2008 after a long layoff from fitness. I was eating too much because I just rationalized it by being vegan & eating organic. I’d never done much basic barbell training (mostly machines/isolation prior) & was interested in getting back into resistance training in a different way. I bought Starting Strength to learn about the squatting, deadlifting & pressing. I was a very out of shape 216 lbs, 6’1”. I wasn’t too concerned with dropping fat at first, I just wanted to get in the weight room 3x/week, get strong, and spend some time on my bike regularly. On March 1 I had gotten a lot stronger & put on some weight too, up to 228. I decided to go on a weight loss program to drop some fat before summer. I did my first caliper bodyfat % test & was surprised that I was 27.5%, this was much higher than I would have guessed, but at least I had an idea of how much work I had ahead of me. I organized my nutritional goals & started getting 1g/lb protein while keeping other calories low. As of today I’m 211, 19%-23% BF depending on the caliper method I use. Current: My goal is to get to 200 or below by June 28, while maintaining lean body mass. I’ll be doing a vegan low carb diet, getting my protein from seitan, tofu & lots of gemma. I will be eating lots of green veggies, nutritional yeast & 1 tablespoon flax oil daily. Daily calorie intake will be below 1500, except I will be doing a once/week carb refeed & once/week free meal. I’ve been trying to lift 3x week, but I’m had some pretty intense DOMS the past few weeks that has shut down my 3rd workout. This week I started taking 800mg Ibuprofen 3x day in hopes I won’t be too sore for my Saturday workout. I don’t know if it helps DOMS, but I also started supplementing Potassium & Magnesium this week, which gave me a lot of energy. Future: Ultimately I want to get down to 10% BF, which should be in the 180s. This will probably be an August goal, I will have to re-assess after I get sub 200. After that I will start bulking, & am considering entering my first powerlifting meet in October. I really enjoy PL lifts, ultimately I'd like to get a 300 bench/400 squat/500 DL. Exercise: I go for afternoon bikes occasionally & also get to yoga 2-3x/week. I live in close in SE Portland so I bike for transportation most of the time too & get plenty of low intensity cardio this way. Since cutting I’ve pared down my two weight workouts. I have had some modest strength gains but I’m just trying to maintain what I have. Here are my workouts for Tues/Thurs this week, omitting warm-ups: Tues DB Bench Press 3x3x95, 8x70 Deadlift 3x375 Calf raises 3x8x115 Bar Holds 3x255 Dips 2x12 Thurs Squat 2x5x265, 8x205 Seated Overhead DB Press 2x5x55 Press 8x95 Chinups 2x6 Barbell Curls: 2 x 8 x 70 Saturday will be a repeat of Tuesday. Pics 5-21-09 http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii442/pokerdub/Side.jpg http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii442/pokerdub/front.jpg http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii442/pokerdub/Back.jpg Pretty obvious from photos some general fat loss will do me a lot of good, I will worry about details after that If you read even half of this, thanks! Dub

I've been cutting since March, with breaks. I was doing starting strength but have cut back my volume ~50% during the cut while still focusing on squatting, deadlifting, bench, chins & dips. The past couple of weeks I've had some unexpectedly intense DOMS, so I cut back weights from 3x to 2x week. I bike/walk regularly & practice yoga 2x week & I don't know what has changed. Any suggestions on getting rid of the DOMS? I'm hoping there's some magic vegan elixir from the slopes of Mt Hood that can cure me Thanks Dub

Is steroid use a victimless crime? I think that because major sports are such huge industries that create role models, that the actions of those role models have profound effects on society. These people's lives are saying "I'm a big success, I have fame & money, & you do it by taking these drugs." One could argue that this is consistent across society as elective drug use is widespread & in many cases endorsed by the FDA & drug corporations. But there is an inherent contradiction here. Competitive sports are conveyed to children as a path to well being, and ideally that path exists throughout our lifetimes. If the most heralded practitioners of each sport are using performance enhancing drugs, then the message that sports are a path to well being becomes somewhat hollow. If competitive sports were characterized as any other career path then this contradiction would not exist, but there is a large element of society that puts sports stars on a pedestal. In this situation the victims are the young athletes who look up to those stars, because to achieve that level of excellence set for them as an ideal, they must do things that are probably quite unhealthy for them. I don't have kids of my own or know much of the side effects of steroid use. I also believe in personal responsibility. Despite what I don't know IMHO the pervasiveness of the sports industry through mass media is going to cause people to make some mistakes with steroids, and I think these mistakes would be more widespread if their use was regulated.

Kennedy School is not luxury but I think its nice/romantic in a unique way: http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=57&id=79 I've stayed at the Marriott @ 520 SW Broadway before, nice views from the upper floors. http://www.marriottportland.com/ You could probably find many suitable chain hotels with luxury accommodations in southwest downtown. Also anything in this neighborhood is walking distance to Blossoming Lotus. If you're not wanting to spend much time in a car that is probably the best area IMO.

I posted this on another board just after NYE: Now that winter is over I have a few reflections on my self treatment described above. I found that the light therapy, vitamin D, sunlight & exercise have a cumulative effect: if I am consistent daily with these activities then the SAD symptoms are essentially gone. Conversely, if I miss a few days, one day back on track is not going to make me feel 100%. Also, heavy lifting seemed to help consistently & immediately, deadlifting & squatting FTW! One regimen I would like to implement next winter is to get on my bike & ride every morning, rain or shine. For me, I am much happier getting out in bad weather than I would be if I only exercised indoors. Since it doesn't snow or freeze here frequently, I would recommend anyone concerned with winter depression make their peace with the rain & bike or run every AM. Its not bad, its actually great here, I agree w/thendanisays on all the amenities & cultural advantages. I was resistant to moving to Portland from Hood River, OR but in 2006 my wife got accepted to the master's program in Public Health @ Portland State. We've been here for almost three years now & are quite settled in. Despite my challenges with SAD I think the move was well worth it & am content to stay here for the foreseeable future.

Thanks guys. I've been wanting to go try Loprinzi's a few times, nice that you don't have to commit to anything there. Its good to be here Robert, been lurking for several months, def some good folks here.