I'll round out all of that information here in this recap and discuss:
- Supplements I was taking
- Keys to successfully sticking with the low carb regimen
- How you can liven up your protein shakes and meals
- Other benefits you can experience physically, mentally and financially
Supplements
As you surely noticed throughout the week, I relied on protein supplements to help get enough of this macronutrient throughout the day above and beyond what I could get with food while insuring a very low carb intake. Beyond the whey protein and pre-bedtime protein mix I was using, I used the pre-workout drink and also utilized these supplements:
- Multivitamins, Vitamin C and Essential Fatty Acids or EFA's (fish, flax and borage oil in a single capsule)
- Glutamine powder
- Branch Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) powder
Supplement Dosing
Here's how I structured my supplement dosing throughout the week:
Multivitamins: 1 taken with my first meal and another taken anywhere between 5pm and 7pm
Vitamin C: I added additional Vitamin C after each workout and before bed on workout nights (1gram pills)
EFA's: 4 taken with my first meal and another 4 taken anywhere between 5pm and 7pm
Glutamine powder: added to my whey protein drink post workout every time and often with my pre-bedtime mix on workout days. Depending on how I felt, I'd add it to the morning drink on the non-workout days
BCAA's: added to my intra workout drink and post workout drink every time
The Intra Workout Drink
There are many intra workout drink supplements out there and most of them contain a carbohydrate referred to as waxy maize. This is a unique form of carbohydrate as it can essentially bypass the normal digestion that carbs go through to be immediately used for energy and glycogen replenishing. In my experience, I'm able to workout longer and harder while drinking these. The problem however, is that the keep your body in a 'use carbs for energy' mode instead of allowing for fat stores to be utilized for energy. I enjoy these intra workout drinks and wanted to have something other than plain old water to drink while working out. Instead, I used:
- Calorie and sugar free diet green tea powder mixed with 5g BCAA's
This was mixed with approximately 20oz of water and is consumed during the workout. It tastes better than plain water, has a little caffeine and hides the bitterness of the BCAA's. This has become my staple, low carb intra workout drink.
Regularity / Fiber
A concern for many people on these kinds of diets surrounds regularity due to the high protein, fat and cheese content. During the first seven day down cycle, it is recommended to not eat a whole lot in the way of fibrous carbs. I adhered to this strictly and didn't experience any negative side effects as it relates to regularity. I find that the body becomes quite effecient with digestion once you get on a high quality, strategic eating plan.
Now, as I begin the 3 and 4 day mini cycles, I'll be adding in more green, fibrous vegetables on top of the current meal plan which will contribute even more fiber to the diet. This will help to slow the digestion and absorbtion of the protein as well as help continue a regular cycle of efficient metabolization of the foods.
Keys To Success
Preparation: preparing foods well ahead of time is essential to insure you can stay on track. Every night, I would measure out what I would be eating while at work the next day so it's just a matter of grabbing it in the morning and going.
Meal Timing: timing your meals or food intake so that you're always eating prior to getting hungry makes it so much easier. There were only 2 or 3 times all week where I could honestly say I felt hungry in the sense that you'd normally experience hunger. Beyond that, I was always eating on time and never had any cravings. This is great for you mentally because you're always just a short time away from eating again. It's nothing like a 'starvation' diet where you're purposely trying to avoid food. You can actually eat quite a lot while on this plan.
Consistency: make it easy on yourself and keep your diet consistent. If you're looking for variety every day it'll be that much more difficult to shop, prepare, calculate, etc each meal and every days totals. I find it's easiest to figure out which meals you like and rotate them in and out throughout the week.
Take A Day Off Between Workouts: give your body time to rest. You don't need to be working out every day and doing so will just negate your process. Give you body and mind a break by planning on not working out every day.
Sleep: I'm the biggest hypocrite in this department. You need to try and get as much sleep as possible - I wish I could! This is the one area I would change in my plan so I could consistently get more sleep. Always shoot for a minimum of 7 hours and average of 8 hours sleep per night.
Other Benefits
No Leftovers! You should never have any leftovers. You're preparing and planning to eat exactly what you need at any given time. This is the utmost in financially efficient eating! Whatever you spend at the grocery store, none of it will go to waste.
A Quick Way To Liven Up A Protein Drink
When you're drinking a bunch of these during the week, they can begin to get pretty bland. A couple of additives you should take into consideration to liven things up a bit are: whipping cream and mint oil.
The whipping cream adds a little texture, fat and additional calories while the mint oil can really enhance the flavor. Play around with them a bit and you'll surely find a combination that works good for you!
So that's it for a recap of the initial seven day low carb down cycle. The posts over the past seven days are really a concise roadmap for you to follow if you're interested in this kind of total body transformation diet. Everything you need to know along with tips, tricks, recipes and advice is there. All you need to add to the mix is you willingness to try it.
Give it a shot - I don't think you'll be disappointed and I'm sure it'll help you in achieving your personal total body transformation goals!
Stay tuned for an overview of Day 8 - The Carb Reload and the effects it has on the body !
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