Let the Cutting Begin

I am a firm believer of getting stuff done the way it should be done.  No half-assing, no giving it a try, either you do it or you don't.  I take the same approach to weight.  You should actively gain(bulk), actively lose(cut) or actively maintain.  Notice that the word actively is included here.  That means that you are making an effort at each one of these phases and not just letting them happen to you. 

Over the past few months I maintained after a good bulk from August to December, where I went from 285 to 310.  Since then I have tried to maintain the weight of 310 with some fluctuation that was due to added activity that I did not account for.  Now it is time to cut and when it is time to cut I don't like to take a slow approach to it.  I want it done now and I want it done right.  I think that Dave Tate's philosophy of Blast and Dust is a good way to describe it. 

It started yesterday at a body weight of 311.  It is a modification of a diet given to morbidly obese patients by their physicians so they can drop weight to have surgery.  Basically it consists of tons of protein, lots of fiber, fish oil and one refeed a week.  The refeed is put in to help reset leptin levels as well as keep the body out of ketoacidosis.  It is similar to the Velocity Diet, which I have done twice in the past.  This time I had a client of mine show me the original plan and I modified it to suit my needs and schedule.

I will eat 6-7 times a day, get 400-450g of protein (1.3 g/lb of bodyweight), 35+g of fiber, 3000-6000mg of salmon oil and copious amounts of water.  All this with less than 50g of carbohydrates, excluding the fiber.  The plan is to lose 20-25lbs over the next 28 days. 

The last time I did this I kept the weight off for over 6 months, lost no muscle mass, and maintained strength levels.  To boot, I think I have the opportunity to lose even more this time within the same time-frame. 

During this time I will do very little traditional weightlifting.  I will keep with my throwing drills so that the weight difference doesn't affect my throwing in a negative manner (like it could get too much worse at this point).  There will be some added cardio, but nothing to write home about.  Lots of inclined walking and maybe some weighted walks. 

Well, wish me luck.  This is the hardest 28 day cycle I've ever experienced.  The first week the brain suffers a little because of the switch between fuel sources.  The second week is great because you are burning a ton of energy and you actually feel really good about the whole process.  Week three you get absolutely sick of eating the same friggin' thing day in and day out.  Finally, in week four you've lost a good bit of weight and think about stopping every time you go to eat because, well, you've already lost a considerable amount of weight.

Here goes nothing...

What Planet Did This Garbage Come From?

I did a little tour of a couple of gyms here in town and I REALLY got pissed off by one of them. The reason I got pissed is probably not reason you were thinking of.  We'll call the place (I'm refusing to call it a gym) PF. 

Yes, they have the lunk alarm.  Yes, they have all purple equipment.  Yes, everyone there was either a pencil-neck or looked like they were smuggling bags of loose nickels in their pants.  The culture of the "place" was what killed me.

This judgement free zone dog-squeeze is exactly what is wrong with society as a whole.  Disclaimer:  The next four sentences should be read with your best "whiney-bitch" voice.  If you are weak, no one should be stronger than you.  If you are stupid, no one should be smarter than you.  If you are lazy, no one should have better work ethic than you.  If someone makes more money than you it is because they were luckier than you were.  This type of mentality is exactly what you should stay away from.  It is no one else's fault that you are stupid, weak, or lazy.  It is your fault you are that way.

Guess what?  There are supposed to be stupid people, there are supposed to be weak people, BUT there are supposed to be intelligent people, and there are supposed to be strong people, and there are supposed to be successful, intrinsically motivated people.  If you want to be one of those that are strong, intelligent, or successful, you have to work at it.

You know what drives me nuts?  Dodgeball and trophies.  Dodgeball drives me insane.  Why?  It is non-existent today because of the same mentality that keeps PF in business.  But Matt, someone will have to be picked last for teams and some kids will get knocked out of the game first.  Guess what?  It is a lesson for life that every kid needs to learn.  Trophies are handed out like candy for kid's team sports.  You came in last place little Johnny, so here is a trophy.  What the hell is that?  I remember being in sixth grade and we just lost the last game of the season, which happened to be the championship game for the athletic association.  When we had the team party we got trophies and I can specifically remember thinking, "Why did we just get trophies for losing".

You shouldn't be angry that someone is better than you in any way, shape, or form.  That sort of thing should drive you to become as good, if not better, than that person you are looking at.  When I see other guys throwing better than me in the Highland Games it makes me angry.  Not because they threw higher or farther, rather I get angry at myself for not being able to match or beat their marks.  It is not their fault that they are better than I am, hell, they are working just as hard as I am to throw the way they do.  Which brings us to an old saying that I will probably butcher:

"Nothing worth having comes to you without hard work."

So, next time you encounter someone that is more successful than you at anything, don't run home, put your head down in the pillows, and turn on some Morrisey or The Smiths.  Make yourself better so that the next time you encounter that person you are more successful than they are.  Then you get to walk away looking like this guy:

All in all, don't be a sniveling piece of crap.  If you think you "deserve" better, think to yourself, "Have I EARNED better?".  No one deserves anything, you have to earn.  If you want stop being a worthless vagoo, drop the PF mentality and grow a set of testicles.  Little bit by little bit the world will become a better place for you and it will keep my blood pressure down.  At least until I find the next thing that lights a fire under my ass.