Monday, January 18, 2010

High Protein / Very Low Carb Diet Plan - Day 7 of 7

It's the last day of the first, longer than normal low carb cycle - Day 7.  After today, I'll be switching to the alternating 3 and 4 day long low carb cycles prior to doing the carb reload.  By my calculations, I've consumed a grand total of 204 grams of carbs all week.  I'm looking forward to the carb reload at this point but did have a fantastic diet meal today that fit right in with this program.  It was so good, it felt like a cheat meal!

Here's that recipe and the rest of Day 7:
First, here's a quick recap of my goals for the daily diet plan:
Total daily calories in the 2,100 - 2,300 range.
Protein will be held in the 50% - 55% range of total daily calories.
Fat will be held in the 40%- 45% range of total daily calories.
Carbs will be held in the 5% range of total daily calories.


My weight came down a bit more today which I felt was related to the past two days carb intake of about 20 grams per day.  I definitely felt like my glycogen stores had been adequately depleted because I felt 'flat' with respect to muscle fullness.  I wasn't able to get the Ketostix in time to check where I was at in the morning but I'll get a reading at the beginning of Day 8 (first carb reload day) to get an idea of how things are.
I did take a body fat reading this morning however, and came in at 9.3%.  It's hard telling how accurate that is (I was 11%+ at the beginning of the week) due to how much water I may have been carrying subcuataneously, etc.  But, being that we can't ever really get a completely accurate reading, we'll stick with it for now. 

Scale Weight (first thing in the morning)

174.2lbs

Foods Eaten During the Day - Cals -- Protein -- Carbs -- Fat

9:35am -- 2 scoops whey protein  -- 240 -- 48 -- 6 -- 2
12:00pm -- 1oz plain almonds      -- 160 --   6 -- 3 -- 14
12:00pm -- 14 slices pepperoni    -- 140 --   5 -- 0 -- 13
3:15pm  -- whey protein 'shot'      -- 110 --  26 -- 1 -- 0
3:15pm  -- 1oz plain almonds       -- 160 --   6 -- 3 -- 14
4:30pm  -- 6oz 93% lean beef       -- 270 -- 34 -- 0 -- 13.5
4:30pm  -- 2 slices provolone       -- 140 -- 10 -- 0 -- 10
6:30pm  -- 8oz large shrimp          -- 200  -- 46 -- 0 -- 2
6:30pm  -- 2tbsp thousand island   -- 140  --  0 -- 4 -- 13
6:30pm  -- 1C broccoli                  --   30  --  2 -- 2 -- 0
8:00pm  -- Pre workout drink         --   25 --  2 -- 6 -- 0
10:30pm -- 2 scoops whey protein -- 240 -- 48 -- 6 -- 2
12:05am -- Pre-bedtime protein     -- 224 -- 51 -- 0 -- 1
12:05am -- 1tbsp Flaxseed oil        -- 135 --  0 -- 0 -- 15
12:05am -- 1tbsp whipping cream  -- 50  --   1 -- 0 -- 5

Totals                                  -- 2,264 -- 285 -- 32 -- 104.5

*** Clarification of some of the food items:
- The provolone cheese is melted on top of the seasoned 93% lean beef.
- The almonds and pepperoni are surprisingly tasty together! This is a full fat, pre-sliced standard pepperoni.
- The 'whey protein shot' is a pre-mixed, store bought vial of liquid whey protein.
- The shrimp, thousand island dressing and broccoli are all combined for 'Thousand Island Shrimp' - very, very good if you like shrimp!
- The Pre-bedtime protein is a pre-made combination of whey, casein, calcium caseinates and milk protein to cover the full spectrum of fast acting through slow digesting proteins.
- The tablespoon of flaxseed oil is mixed in with the protein drink. Flax oil is much better for you than other oils and I would recommend using this over vegetable oil.
- The whipping cream is just that and it's used to add additioal flavor, fat and calories to the drink.


The 'Thousand Island Shrimp' Recipe

This is one of my favorites from a local Asian restaurant!  While I couldn't get it to be exactly like theres (lightly battered and fried) I was able to get a very close approximation which was incredibly tasty, more than enough portion-wise and completely satisfying. 

Here's what I started with:

1/2lb bag of frozen Large shrimp
1cup of cut broccoli
2tbsp Thousand Island dressing

The broccoli went into a pan to be steamed until slightly tender.  A little olive oil and a small pad of butter went into a skillet over medium/low heat.  The 8oz of shrimp went into the skillet for about 3 to 4 minutes per side - these were good size shrimp!  Once they were done, the broccoli was just finishing up.  I strained the water from the broccoli pan, tossed in the shrimp and measured out 2 tablespoons of Thousand Island dressing that I put on top.  Mix it around until everything's covered then serve on a plate. 

Absolutely delicious! 

You can obviously adjust your shrimp portion based on your dietary needs and preference.  I'd also recoommend adding another half to one cup of broccoli - especially if you're using 8oz of shrimp.  Give it a shot!


Workout

Chest, back and abdominals today.  I had a fair amount of caffeine prior to the workout and felt pretty good.  My left shoulder didn't bother me too much and I was again able to progress.  This is where I could really feel the glycogen depletion.  While my muscles tightened up from the work being performed, they didn't get a complete 'pump' as you normally would with full glycogen stores.  This should change after the carb reload.  Interestingly, this workout felt like one of the best I've had in a while.  I found this a little odd since my carbs have been so low all week.  Nonetheless, I'm pleased with that because it's much better than dreading every second of it and feeling completely wiped out afterwards.
Since I was sufficiently tired after, I opted not to do any more than a 5 minute cool down on the stepper.  No HIIT cardio tonight. 


How I Felt Physically and Mentally

Metally, the most notable item I've seen over the past few days is irritability.  Little things become annoying very quickly and it's easy to bicker over just about anything!  Focusing on a workout helps out but it's easy to fall into a trap where you're either dropping things constantly, tripping on things, bumping into stuff, etc.  Ever had one of those days?  Sometimes it feels like the day fast becomes like that without sufficient carbs.  Beyond the irritability, there really haven't been any issues with regard to cognitive ability or staying focused.  Everything seems pretty normal, just more irritating!

Physically I felt great today.  No lack of energy to speak of.  The workout went great.  I was quite tired afterward but not to the point of being exhausted.  I probably could have done 15 minutes of HIIT cardio after the workout but opted not to. 

All told, this week was pretty easy.  I certainly am looking forward to the carb reload but I think things will continue to get much easier once I transition to the 3 and 4 day mini-cycles. 


Next up:  A Recap of the 7 Day HPVLC Diet Plan and an Overview of The Carb Reload - Don't Miss it!


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