Thursday, September 6, 2012
28 day Fat Loss with the Modified v diet Pt 2: mc's exact shake concoctions
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In part 1 of this post on what Ken Froese and i describe as "the modified v diet" where one has one real food meal a day, and the rest of the day it's all protein powder and associated supplements. I noted in part one that i was rolling my own potions for the protein powder part rather than using the prescribed products from the Velocity Diet website, but was very much taking on board their guidance around amounts of Stuff and additional sups. You can again check the details of those recommendations at the Velocity Diet v. 3 site.
I offer the following descriptions of exactly what i had and what was in it, therefore, just as my *single* *iteration* of this diet/process - i'm not prescribing it as what to do - it's just what i did for 28 days. And while we're robust and can survive almost anything , markers of health, well being and cognitive performance seem to suggest i've not just survived but thrived on this approach - at least for this brief a period.
As also said in part 1, i'll talk about the adaptation process i have from my notes. For instance, i'm calling "28 days" of this approach "brief" - on coming off an all food all the time approach down to one real meal a day, that first weekend is, well, challenging and 1 day never mind 28, feels pretty durn challenging.
Double V'ing: Work out Day; Less Work Out Day. And so, for information, this is the approach i took. There are two versions folded in here: the main version takes into account full on training days 3-4 times a week, and then there is the non training version. Effectively that means a few less things drunk on non-training days.
Here again this diet mirrors most normal nutrition practices though it gets all sorts of names from carb cycling to calorie zig zagging to stuff i know i'm missing. But the priniciple is simple: working out more; take on board *some* more fuel to support that. Do so and fat burning also works better.
Ok, without further ado, this is what i adid. Details of specific products follow mixes.
PRE ANYTHING 5:30 am Before morning workout at 6am:
WORKOUT SHAKE in the 1L Eddy Bottle to sip during and at end of workout:
Faster Cardio Time: If i don't work out, i don't have the above - just the green tea with a half spoon of matcha mixed in, and if i'm going for a fasted cardio stint a la lonnie lowery, i'll add in the EAA's and maybe a g of creatine.
Breakie Shake (around 7:30, 7:45)
Time to break out the blendtec - for the ice mixing!
9:30 at work a couple times a week on a work out day usually: cup of coffee with shot of chocolate milk. I almost can't believe i did that. Strangely compelling. And yes, in as much as it is, there is the ocaisional shot of REAL food in the protein day, proving one can succeed at a diet without being totally OCD about it.
The LUNCH SHAKE
In a strane way this is the simplest and most surprisingly satisfying shake of the day. I think it's so satisfying because i usually have it while folks are having their real food lunch at work, and my simple low cal shake is lasting longer than their lunch, and i'm quite happy just to sip it. That's a surprise.
All tossed up in a blender ball bottle (these are awesome) - and another reason to shop at TrueNutrition - best prices on blender bottles. oh ya.
Mid Afternoon - Occasional
If i get peckish in the afternoon, i'll have
REAL FOOD DINNER around 6 or 7 pm
Oh wow, this meal - this food - gets my complete respect. It's so precious - the proteins - the veggies - the CONDIMENTS like hot sauce (remember the cholula! and thermogenic properties of chilli?), balsamic, olive oil, himalayan salt, mutlicolored pepper corns. WOW. Every bite is precious, savoured and hence enjoying the savoury. I have come to so appreciate seasoning to bring out the tastes of foods. I'm only sad at still how quickly that meal can be over even when really chewing that food one precious bite at a time. MM MM Good! what a gift!
If not eating oily fish, 1T Fish Oil Liquid after dinner; CoQ10 part two after dinner; R-Fraction Alpha Lipoic Acid before dinner.
Post Dinner Micro Fruit
Over the summer with the abundance of available from the farm fresh fruit, around 8pm, having some fresh fruit - like a sliced peach or apple is such a treat. And thanks to Ron Ipock from over on the Precision Nutrition forums, i've connected with Ceylon Cinnamon - fresh filed off a grater - it's a more subtle flavour than casia (the usual north american spice that passes as "cinamon") and again, does it ever make the flavours in fruit (and may other things) just pop.
And of course, there's the single natcho chip. I have a craving for the salty i think, and one chip is just fine by me.
If Hungry before Bed
Back to zero cal EAAs and L-Glutamine - and not alot as i don't want a lot of liquid in me before trying to sleep.
If i'm feeling really peckish, i'm happy to add in some coconut oil or almond butter and shake the heck out of it.
And for Sleep / Recovery
Zinc, Magnesium (glycinates), Co-enzyme B complex, 5-HTP, L-tryptophan for good measure. And this is all supposed to be simpler to manage than real food for 28 days, eh?
I like it.
Kenneth Jay of the new Kettlebell Institute introduced me to the Sun Warrior protein and i promised to myself i'd try it when i got to the states. IT has a terrific protein/amino acid profile, and claims suggest that it's highly bioavailable. And after a month of multi-uses in a day, i'm happy with it. When i say it i mean "rice protein" - not necessarily Sun Warrior. I'll also say i've now had both Chocolate and Vanilla Sun Warrior - i cannot taste the difference.
Indeed, what i do not know about brown rice protein is the difference between stuff that says its explicitly sprouted (sun warrior) and stuff that says nothing about sprouting (True Nutrition) as they have similar profiles and claims on absorption.
As an alternate to the Rice, I also tried pepto pro hydrolysed caseinate - an uber version of an all the rage protein kinda thing - and really, i didn't notice a difference. That's not to say perhaps there mightn't be one at some blood uptake level - i just don't know that i felt it in my performance in the gym at 6am.
And Caffeine?
I'll tell ya what i did notice: if i missed doing a caffeine pill. That's a little disturbing. I could really tell after a while that if i didn't take the caffeine hit in the AM the workouts did not feel as crisp. That kinda sux.
TMG
Just cuz that is part of a beverage Lonnie Lowery was sipping to stop from losing protein/going catabolic when doing his fasted cardio (along with the hydrolysed casein and citruline malate). In a capsule, it's cheap and easy to test. Can also get it as a bulk powder from some suppliers but i'm not ready to commit. And would i jump off a bridge if lonnie lowery said to? Maybe if i watched him do it first, and saw the data for the depth of water, current, displacement and anabolic benefits as with the TMG.
And the rest of the ECA?
Well that's interesting. In leu of the no-research-shows-this-stuff-burns-fat-really of Hot Rox in the V-diet, I explored old skool ECA I'm canadian: you don't need a passport to get either it or cold remedies in the Great White North.
I explored EC with very little and occasional A based on what i'd read with interest in Lyle MacDonald's Rapid Fat Loss handbook. That tome has more than i could go into here about the pros and cons of the approach, and i'd recommend reading it. What i also did in consultation with someone way more experienced than i in this approach is to get to a minimum effective dose for me. How did i figure that out? that's a good question. ECA is mainly to make sure in the event of metabolic slow down from reduced caloric intake and (in lyle's approach) reduced activity, the ECA keeps the metabolism from dropping - more or less. The help i got from this it is not what one might usually think: i don't think my metabolism ever slowed down: my calories weren't that low and i was very active, doing full workouts, and likely not really going ketogenic either.
So what the ECA seemed to do for me was, initially, in the first few days,
L-Glutamine is harmless, and potentially good, and when i get the natural lime flavour from True Nutrition it's a nice flavour hit to mask terrible stuff like unflavoured citruline malate or beta alanine or the horrible betaine hcl.
On the plus side, it's been used to help folks settle gastric issues, and there's one (one!) study so far that says if you're on it for a month, it reduces the intensity of DOMS. Likewise, folks in nutrition behind the CSCS have been saying for years, and now it's coming out of other places too that it's a good muscle cell volumizer, and keeping muscle volume up is apparently a Good Thing for those cells' health. Sure creatine has a cell volumizing effect, but it has other roles too, and i don't tend to take it to feel full. Now, John Berardi on his Get Shredded Diet has reommended that when cutting calories way back doing Creatine with BCAA's can stop one from getting all mean and nasty - so perhaps similar effects from a different angle
As for the EAA rather than BCAA's
I got turned onto these by Bioletic's MD Rick Cohen (of the cholesterol numbers translation) when my initial bioletics blood work showed i was surprisingly low in my essential amino acids. Since i'm actually interested in maintaining all of me, not just my muscles while low cal'ing in particular, i'd rather have the complete and very bioavailable amino acids.
That may just be me; your mileage may vary, but i'm happy and my body seems to be happy too. How do i know? Blood work at 6-8 month intervals. And tuning into my body more since doing the blood work to get the signs of what seems to be working and what doesn't.
Citruline Malate and Beta Alanine?
Just because? Actually over the past five years i've read and heard good things about both of them, and the price has come down on both, so why not give it a shot? especially when real food intake of Good Things is low.
ALA
There's an increasing amount of research about ALA not only as a thermogenic aid (what the hell isn't a thermogenic aid these days - see first para here for refs) - but also around insulin management and all sorts of good things for glucose to muscles when working out. Just take a look at the list of articles on this topic about insulin uptake. It's also got anti-oxidant qualities, and apparently can help decrease the rate of macular degeneration.
There are two kinds of ALA - stuff labelled just ALA and stuff called "r-fraction" ALA. The r-ALA is supposed to be more bioavailable and show better muscle test results - in rats. In either case, ALA takes about a month for its effects to show up, so taking it for a 28 day diet thing is really future-proofing.
Creatine Monohydrate
There's so much good research on this i'll not go into it here. Get the excellent creapure micronized powder and be happy. Again, being low on real food intake and so real sources of CM also lower than normal, seems a no harm no foul, could be a Good Thing. So low risk, low cost, get a few extra reps, protect my ATP. If that last sentence made no sense, skip it and just stop at "good thing" for now.
Green Tea
Well known now fat mobilizer. Great to do for fasted cardio with the BCAA's or EAA's and a hit of creatine - maybe that's just me. And that's only after i've had it on its own first for the flavour and warmth - and with a shot of matcha powder whisked in for good measure.
Iron?? Really?
Again, when away from food food, and as a gal, i just don't want my iron levels to drop. That way leads to fatigue and a host of other crap i can ill afford. In terms of absorption i like spatone because it's what ya might call food based, even though its naturally sourced iron-rich water. You can read more about how it works, here. Having done pre/post blood work with it, i think it's simple, great, and if i don't put it in a morning shake it makes an interesting shooter in the morning on its own when chilled in the fridge.
MISSING: CLA
I can't be bothered. It's in flameout (a velocity diet sup) but so what? the sources on CLA in the research are largely by the company that produces it and the amount to which it contributes to fat loss, i dunno.
90% of the supplements and proteins come from True Nutrition (formerly True Protein).
So Rice Protein, pepto pro casein, l-leucine, l-tryptophan, citruline malate, beta alanine. All TN.
I've dealt with them for five years; colleagues i trust have recommended them. We all keep coming back. Good value for good products to GMP standards. They are all variously flavoured with their premium NATURAL flavours (that means good sources for flavour and stevia for sweetening). Because EAA's (and BCAAs) taste like pants, i now get a double hit of flavouring. I also order additional L-Tryptophan - another EAA but the TN blend, while fabulous in amounts of EAAs overall for some reason is missing the tryptophan. and i like it - especially for sleep. No biggie.
If you order from True Nutrition and want a 5% discount on our order, my discount code is MCS110. Use it, and if i have X amount of protein sales credited to that code i get free protein - that hasn't happened yet - but if it does i'll give it to a local food bank or school lunch program.
The rice protein i aslo have i also have Protease added improve absorption as per this overview. Maybe that's silly since its so absorbable on its own and is not whey, which is where the tests have been conducted. But, that's what i love about True Nutrition: you can have it *your*way.
Other Bits
- Genmaicha Tea: Teavana
- sun warrior rice protein - amazon
- Matcha: Doi Organic through amazon, or in the UK, love me some Teapigs matcha.
- glucomanan - Now Foods - amazon
- Ceylon Cinnamon - Indus sticks, organic, amazon
- The E in ECA - cavedogs supplements in Canada
- Greens +, canadian version: London Drugs, Canada (bricks and mortar)
-- Greens RX (when in the UK) from bodykind (i kinda prefer the taste and darker greenness of this
- Fish Oil (Nordic Naturals), TMG, CoQ10, Vitamin D (Now 5000IU's), R-Fraction ALA, all from Swansons. Also got individual magnesium, zinc, 5-htp and co-enzyme b complex there, too. Again when not eating real food much and want to sleep, not messing around with the stuff that lets us recover.
- Caffeine - Prolab Advanced Caffeine with Chocamine and the new rage of green coffee extract too. From vitamin shoppe - (bricks and mortar). Thanks again to Kenneth Jay for recommending this one.
- Iron - spatone - amazon.co.uk
In terms of additions to protein, if you check the Velocity Diet site, you'll see that there's a lot of similar stuff going on here to what they suggest there. Where they have a lot of stuff pre-packaged like flame out that does fish oil and CLA combined with some other secret sauce, or their recovery drinks have the protein and carbs and electrolytes all pre-blended, i tend to like mixing up my own stuff. The one place i break that is usually on carbs and electrolytes. I like what Cytomax does in terms of carb/electroltye/special sauce blend. It's not necessary, but i just like it. That they don't put silica gel packets in their big jars bites, but i can add those myself.
Why i Blend. I like controlling what amount of beta-alanine or creatine i have when. I also like putting together my own ZMA - with the most aborbable versions of Z, Ma and B i can find - when i need it, i want it to work with the least amount of product being optimally effective. Some people (i can think of one right next to me), such blends finikityness drives them crazy. Understandable. But this is the way i roll, i guess.
Main point: you have options. You can do bit by bit mixes like this or get combo products. When getting combos, ZMA is a typical example, you may want to check for what kinds of minerals are used. Are they chelated, for instance? That is, are they put into a particular amino acid delivery form that allows them to be absorbed when they're delivered outside of food?
As per part 1, the above approach worked, and seems to continue to be working.
It worked steadily, not crazily, as the weight graph on part 1 shows, and works well within normal parameters. Just like when eating real food.
5-8 engagements with Fuel Ups beyond the Single Meal
As you can see from the above list of when i'd consume anything, there are 8 on a work out day and 5 on a non workout day possible engagements with fuel ups of one kind (no calories) or another (low calories) from supplements to whole food. One is not starving.
And to go back to Ken Froese's point from part 1, there is a certain simplicity to doing these low cal beverages during the day (effortless kcal control), and then really really (really) enjoying both the food and the company of a reasonable, tasteful, happy evening meal.
More on this restorative and pleasurable experience in Part 3. We'll also talk about the transition from food to - well - a lot less real food, and why doing that has been worth while, not only or even mainly now for the weight loss, but the attitude, and possible health benefits.
thanks for reading.
Part 1 - what is the modified v diet and what does it do for fat loss?
Part 2 - mc's roll your own modified v non whole food bits (you're reading that)
Part 3 - coming up (not posted yet): what's the process like going from real food all the time to once a day?
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Need Some Big Powder Love for this 28 day protein fiesta. |
As also said in part 1, i'll talk about the adaptation process i have from my notes. For instance, i'm calling "28 days" of this approach "brief" - on coming off an all food all the time approach down to one real meal a day, that first weekend is, well, challenging and 1 day never mind 28, feels pretty durn challenging.
Double V'ing: Work out Day; Less Work Out Day. And so, for information, this is the approach i took. There are two versions folded in here: the main version takes into account full on training days 3-4 times a week, and then there is the non training version. Effectively that means a few less things drunk on non-training days.
Here again this diet mirrors most normal nutrition practices though it gets all sorts of names from carb cycling to calorie zig zagging to stuff i know i'm missing. But the priniciple is simple: working out more; take on board *some* more fuel to support that. Do so and fat burning also works better.
Ok, without further ado, this is what i adid. Details of specific products follow mixes.
The Shakes - Hand Rolled
By the way, in 28 days, at least for me, there are no cheat meals, no carb up meals, no nothing. Just follow the plan, stan. If your mileage differs, it differs. It just didn't seem necessary, and i didn't really crave it. And if i did a bit, well, ignored it. That's an option, too. More on such options experiences in part 3.PRE ANYTHING 5:30 am Before morning workout at 6am:
- -- 80 degree C japanese genmaicha green tea - nice flavour and fat mobilizer
- -- one scoop EAAs
- -- a teaspoon of L-Glutamine -
- -- bit of creatine
- -- one caffeine pill (it's 05:30!) as part of ECA stack - yes i experimented with this to find a minimal effective dose.
WORKOUT SHAKE in the 1L Eddy Bottle to sip during and at end of workout:
Camelback Eddy Bottle 1L - Super Sipping during workout. Awesome |
- -- 3/4 scoop of Brown Rice Protein Or you might prefer pepto pro hydorlized caseinate.
- - some citruline malate
- - a dash of beta alanine
- (citruline malate and beta alananine - great on their own - possibly very cool together)
- - a dash of creatine monohydrate
- - a bit of extra leucine - because i'm hedging my muscle building bets. It's like throwing a pinch of salt over the shoulder to add 500-1000mg
- - recently, TMG
- - a dash of cytomax (like 2-3g) - mainly as a bit of carb to help the creatine do its thing trusting that that work cited by John Berardi about creatine's uptake being helped by pro/cho is still true.
- - pour in remaining L of green tea
- - add ice, shake like mad, fill to brim with water
Will it blend Modified V, Oh ya Ignore the Fruit in here, this BlendTec WildSide is wicked on Ice, Cacao Nibs and all sorts of protein powder concoctions described below. And for those making real food shakes, it works for that too. Apple Demo |
Faster Cardio Time: If i don't work out, i don't have the above - just the green tea with a half spoon of matcha mixed in, and if i'm going for a fasted cardio stint a la lonnie lowery, i'll add in the EAA's and maybe a g of creatine.
Time to break out the blendtec - for the ice mixing!
- - Once more to the full scoop of rice protein,
- - a wee scoop of L-Glutamine - why the L-Glutamine in a moment.
- - trader joe's roasted flax seed
- - a drizzle of organic cacao nibs for flavour and of course other super food goodness
- - a scoop of either greens plus (canadian version) or greens rx - both similarly research validated
- - 2g of glucomannan - makes it more filling and add fiber - the actual v diet recommends fiber pills.
- A TMG pill (not thrown in)
- CoQ 10 (also swallowed as a pill 100mg qsorb)
- Spatone Iron Supplement
9:30 at work a couple times a week on a work out day usually: cup of coffee with shot of chocolate milk. I almost can't believe i did that. Strangely compelling. And yes, in as much as it is, there is the ocaisional shot of REAL food in the protein day, proving one can succeed at a diet without being totally OCD about it.
The LUNCH SHAKE
In a strane way this is the simplest and most surprisingly satisfying shake of the day. I think it's so satisfying because i usually have it while folks are having their real food lunch at work, and my simple low cal shake is lasting longer than their lunch, and i'm quite happy just to sip it. That's a surprise.
- - It's just a scoop of yes, rice protein powder - about 22 rather than 30g actually.
- - Then a hit of EAA's
- - some L-Glutamine
All tossed up in a blender ball bottle (these are awesome) - and another reason to shop at TrueNutrition - best prices on blender bottles. oh ya.
Mid Afternoon - Occasional
If i get peckish in the afternoon, i'll have
- - EAA's
- - L-Glutamine
REAL FOOD DINNER around 6 or 7 pm
Oh wow, this meal - this food - gets my complete respect. It's so precious - the proteins - the veggies - the CONDIMENTS like hot sauce (remember the cholula! and thermogenic properties of chilli?), balsamic, olive oil, himalayan salt, mutlicolored pepper corns. WOW. Every bite is precious, savoured and hence enjoying the savoury. I have come to so appreciate seasoning to bring out the tastes of foods. I'm only sad at still how quickly that meal can be over even when really chewing that food one precious bite at a time. MM MM Good! what a gift!
If not eating oily fish, 1T Fish Oil Liquid after dinner; CoQ10 part two after dinner; R-Fraction Alpha Lipoic Acid before dinner.
Post Dinner Micro Fruit
Over the summer with the abundance of available from the farm fresh fruit, around 8pm, having some fresh fruit - like a sliced peach or apple is such a treat. And thanks to Ron Ipock from over on the Precision Nutrition forums, i've connected with Ceylon Cinnamon - fresh filed off a grater - it's a more subtle flavour than casia (the usual north american spice that passes as "cinamon") and again, does it ever make the flavours in fruit (and may other things) just pop.
And of course, there's the single natcho chip. I have a craving for the salty i think, and one chip is just fine by me.
If Hungry before Bed
Back to zero cal EAAs and L-Glutamine - and not alot as i don't want a lot of liquid in me before trying to sleep.
If i'm feeling really peckish, i'm happy to add in some coconut oil or almond butter and shake the heck out of it.
And for Sleep / Recovery
Zinc, Magnesium (glycinates), Co-enzyme B complex, 5-HTP, L-tryptophan for good measure. And this is all supposed to be simpler to manage than real food for 28 days, eh?
A word about the (possibly) a-typical Supplements
Why Rice Protein Powder?I like it.
Kenneth Jay of the new Kettlebell Institute introduced me to the Sun Warrior protein and i promised to myself i'd try it when i got to the states. IT has a terrific protein/amino acid profile, and claims suggest that it's highly bioavailable. And after a month of multi-uses in a day, i'm happy with it. When i say it i mean "rice protein" - not necessarily Sun Warrior. I'll also say i've now had both Chocolate and Vanilla Sun Warrior - i cannot taste the difference.
Indeed, what i do not know about brown rice protein is the difference between stuff that says its explicitly sprouted (sun warrior) and stuff that says nothing about sprouting (True Nutrition) as they have similar profiles and claims on absorption.
As an alternate to the Rice, I also tried pepto pro hydrolysed caseinate - an uber version of an all the rage protein kinda thing - and really, i didn't notice a difference. That's not to say perhaps there mightn't be one at some blood uptake level - i just don't know that i felt it in my performance in the gym at 6am.
And Caffeine?
I'll tell ya what i did notice: if i missed doing a caffeine pill. That's a little disturbing. I could really tell after a while that if i didn't take the caffeine hit in the AM the workouts did not feel as crisp. That kinda sux.
TMG
Just cuz that is part of a beverage Lonnie Lowery was sipping to stop from losing protein/going catabolic when doing his fasted cardio (along with the hydrolysed casein and citruline malate). In a capsule, it's cheap and easy to test. Can also get it as a bulk powder from some suppliers but i'm not ready to commit. And would i jump off a bridge if lonnie lowery said to? Maybe if i watched him do it first, and saw the data for the depth of water, current, displacement and anabolic benefits as with the TMG.
And the rest of the ECA?
Well that's interesting. In leu of the no-research-shows-this-stuff-burns-fat-really of Hot Rox in the V-diet, I explored old skool ECA I'm canadian: you don't need a passport to get either it or cold remedies in the Great White North.
I explored EC with very little and occasional A based on what i'd read with interest in Lyle MacDonald's Rapid Fat Loss handbook. That tome has more than i could go into here about the pros and cons of the approach, and i'd recommend reading it. What i also did in consultation with someone way more experienced than i in this approach is to get to a minimum effective dose for me. How did i figure that out? that's a good question. ECA is mainly to make sure in the event of metabolic slow down from reduced caloric intake and (in lyle's approach) reduced activity, the ECA keeps the metabolism from dropping - more or less. The help i got from this it is not what one might usually think: i don't think my metabolism ever slowed down: my calories weren't that low and i was very active, doing full workouts, and likely not really going ketogenic either.
So what the ECA seemed to do for me was, initially, in the first few days,
- act as a diuretic - that seemed to stop very quickly.
- act as an intense appetite surpressant - nice - wasn't expecting that and was more intense right at first than enduring but still noticeable when not on it.
- caffeine (more than described here) gave a perk to the morning workout for sure. bummer.
L-Glutamine is harmless, and potentially good, and when i get the natural lime flavour from True Nutrition it's a nice flavour hit to mask terrible stuff like unflavoured citruline malate or beta alanine or the horrible betaine hcl.
On the plus side, it's been used to help folks settle gastric issues, and there's one (one!) study so far that says if you're on it for a month, it reduces the intensity of DOMS. Likewise, folks in nutrition behind the CSCS have been saying for years, and now it's coming out of other places too that it's a good muscle cell volumizer, and keeping muscle volume up is apparently a Good Thing for those cells' health. Sure creatine has a cell volumizing effect, but it has other roles too, and i don't tend to take it to feel full. Now, John Berardi on his Get Shredded Diet has reommended that when cutting calories way back doing Creatine with BCAA's can stop one from getting all mean and nasty - so perhaps similar effects from a different angle
As for the EAA rather than BCAA's
I got turned onto these by Bioletic's MD Rick Cohen (of the cholesterol numbers translation) when my initial bioletics blood work showed i was surprisingly low in my essential amino acids. Since i'm actually interested in maintaining all of me, not just my muscles while low cal'ing in particular, i'd rather have the complete and very bioavailable amino acids.
That may just be me; your mileage may vary, but i'm happy and my body seems to be happy too. How do i know? Blood work at 6-8 month intervals. And tuning into my body more since doing the blood work to get the signs of what seems to be working and what doesn't.
Citruline Malate and Beta Alanine?
Just because? Actually over the past five years i've read and heard good things about both of them, and the price has come down on both, so why not give it a shot? especially when real food intake of Good Things is low.
ALA
There's an increasing amount of research about ALA not only as a thermogenic aid (what the hell isn't a thermogenic aid these days - see first para here for refs) - but also around insulin management and all sorts of good things for glucose to muscles when working out. Just take a look at the list of articles on this topic about insulin uptake. It's also got anti-oxidant qualities, and apparently can help decrease the rate of macular degeneration.
There are two kinds of ALA - stuff labelled just ALA and stuff called "r-fraction" ALA. The r-ALA is supposed to be more bioavailable and show better muscle test results - in rats. In either case, ALA takes about a month for its effects to show up, so taking it for a 28 day diet thing is really future-proofing.
Creatine Monohydrate
There's so much good research on this i'll not go into it here. Get the excellent creapure micronized powder and be happy. Again, being low on real food intake and so real sources of CM also lower than normal, seems a no harm no foul, could be a Good Thing. So low risk, low cost, get a few extra reps, protect my ATP. If that last sentence made no sense, skip it and just stop at "good thing" for now.
Green Tea
Well known now fat mobilizer. Great to do for fasted cardio with the BCAA's or EAA's and a hit of creatine - maybe that's just me. And that's only after i've had it on its own first for the flavour and warmth - and with a shot of matcha powder whisked in for good measure.
Iron?? Really?
Again, when away from food food, and as a gal, i just don't want my iron levels to drop. That way leads to fatigue and a host of other crap i can ill afford. In terms of absorption i like spatone because it's what ya might call food based, even though its naturally sourced iron-rich water. You can read more about how it works, here. Having done pre/post blood work with it, i think it's simple, great, and if i don't put it in a morning shake it makes an interesting shooter in the morning on its own when chilled in the fridge.
MISSING: CLA
I can't be bothered. It's in flameout (a velocity diet sup) but so what? the sources on CLA in the research are largely by the company that produces it and the amount to which it contributes to fat loss, i dunno.
Sources for the Stuff
90% of the supplements and proteins come from True Nutrition (formerly True Protein).
So Rice Protein, pepto pro casein, l-leucine, l-tryptophan, citruline malate, beta alanine. All TN.
I've dealt with them for five years; colleagues i trust have recommended them. We all keep coming back. Good value for good products to GMP standards. They are all variously flavoured with their premium NATURAL flavours (that means good sources for flavour and stevia for sweetening). Because EAA's (and BCAAs) taste like pants, i now get a double hit of flavouring. I also order additional L-Tryptophan - another EAA but the TN blend, while fabulous in amounts of EAAs overall for some reason is missing the tryptophan. and i like it - especially for sleep. No biggie.
If you order from True Nutrition and want a 5% discount on our order, my discount code is MCS110. Use it, and if i have X amount of protein sales credited to that code i get free protein - that hasn't happened yet - but if it does i'll give it to a local food bank or school lunch program.
The rice protein i aslo have i also have Protease added improve absorption as per this overview. Maybe that's silly since its so absorbable on its own and is not whey, which is where the tests have been conducted. But, that's what i love about True Nutrition: you can have it *your*way.
Other Bits
- Genmaicha Tea: Teavana
- sun warrior rice protein - amazon
- Matcha: Doi Organic through amazon, or in the UK, love me some Teapigs matcha.
- glucomanan - Now Foods - amazon
- Ceylon Cinnamon - Indus sticks, organic, amazon
- The E in ECA - cavedogs supplements in Canada
- Greens +, canadian version: London Drugs, Canada (bricks and mortar)
-- Greens RX (when in the UK) from bodykind (i kinda prefer the taste and darker greenness of this
- Fish Oil (Nordic Naturals), TMG, CoQ10, Vitamin D (Now 5000IU's), R-Fraction ALA, all from Swansons. Also got individual magnesium, zinc, 5-htp and co-enzyme b complex there, too. Again when not eating real food much and want to sleep, not messing around with the stuff that lets us recover.
- Caffeine - Prolab Advanced Caffeine with Chocamine and the new rage of green coffee extract too. From vitamin shoppe - (bricks and mortar). Thanks again to Kenneth Jay for recommending this one.
- Iron - spatone - amazon.co.uk
In terms of additions to protein, if you check the Velocity Diet site, you'll see that there's a lot of similar stuff going on here to what they suggest there. Where they have a lot of stuff pre-packaged like flame out that does fish oil and CLA combined with some other secret sauce, or their recovery drinks have the protein and carbs and electrolytes all pre-blended, i tend to like mixing up my own stuff. The one place i break that is usually on carbs and electrolytes. I like what Cytomax does in terms of carb/electroltye/special sauce blend. It's not necessary, but i just like it. That they don't put silica gel packets in their big jars bites, but i can add those myself.
Why i Blend. I like controlling what amount of beta-alanine or creatine i have when. I also like putting together my own ZMA - with the most aborbable versions of Z, Ma and B i can find - when i need it, i want it to work with the least amount of product being optimally effective. Some people (i can think of one right next to me), such blends finikityness drives them crazy. Understandable. But this is the way i roll, i guess.
Main point: you have options. You can do bit by bit mixes like this or get combo products. When getting combos, ZMA is a typical example, you may want to check for what kinds of minerals are used. Are they chelated, for instance? That is, are they put into a particular amino acid delivery form that allows them to be absorbed when they're delivered outside of food?
Overview
As per part 1, the above approach worked, and seems to continue to be working.
It worked steadily, not crazily, as the weight graph on part 1 shows, and works well within normal parameters. Just like when eating real food.
5-8 engagements with Fuel Ups beyond the Single Meal
As you can see from the above list of when i'd consume anything, there are 8 on a work out day and 5 on a non workout day possible engagements with fuel ups of one kind (no calories) or another (low calories) from supplements to whole food. One is not starving.
And to go back to Ken Froese's point from part 1, there is a certain simplicity to doing these low cal beverages during the day (effortless kcal control), and then really really (really) enjoying both the food and the company of a reasonable, tasteful, happy evening meal.
More on this restorative and pleasurable experience in Part 3. We'll also talk about the transition from food to - well - a lot less real food, and why doing that has been worth while, not only or even mainly now for the weight loss, but the attitude, and possible health benefits.
thanks for reading.
Part 1 - what is the modified v diet and what does it do for fat loss?
Part 2 - mc's roll your own modified v non whole food bits (you're reading that)
Part 3 - coming up (not posted yet): what's the process like going from real food all the time to once a day?
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3 comments:
Great tips and advise. I think the weight loss program you are in makes a lot of sense. You cannot be too careful about what you take in and it is good to hear that you can mix and match what you want for the day. Do you still do calorie counts on this?
Thanks for the question. No, i don't count calories. The use of protein shakes takes all measurement out - and that's one of the biotest advantages when they say "buy our stuff" because when they say "two scoops of X" - it's all done for you. so nothing to do but count scoops.
But ive been doing this for awhile so as said, roll my own to the same proportions.
As for the one meal a day rather than per week, again there are heuristics for that too. YOu can check out the v diet site for those, or do this: privilege protein and green things and especially, remain slightly hungry by the end of what you eat
best
mc
PS
i rarely count calories - it's a rather failed strategy for most people in most circumstances and way low on the priorities for getting one's eating house in order.
Hence valuing precision nutrition as foundational (free overview here (pdf).
mc
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