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...