This is my Mexican Experiment. A trial in Caloric Daily Intake. It’s very hard for me to do this because I HATE gaining fat or even risking gaining fat. I like to have abs year round. I let the sharpness of those abs vary a bit but I like to have a set and still maintain a pretty normal lifestyle.
A recent poll from you, my readers has shown that you need more info on nutrition and eating. I realize how true this is now seeing how confusing and conflicting all the information is out there.
Starting in January I starting messing with my caloric daily intake according to different methods I have learned over the years as a trainer. I usually just follow my instincts when not on a specific diet but I really wanted to crank it up a bit so I decided to do it by the book.
It has NOT been working lately. This is the start of the Mexican Experiment.
These bodyfat measurements are quickie machine Impedance type. Not the most accurate but still reflective of what is going on. The readings are just confirmation of what the mirror is showing me and what my body is feeling.
Weight 173.2 @ 11.8% on January 6/10 @ 4:00PM 152.76 LBS lean mass 20.44 LBS of fat – This is where I was sticking to 2100-2400 calories and keeping it clean. Not measuring caloric daily intake all the time but checking with a spreadsheet once in a while out of curiosity.
Weight 175@13.2% on January 31 @ 6 PM- 151.9 LBS lean mass 23.1 LBS of fat
RMR=1750 for caloric daily intake
Daily activity burn = 2100 + 600 exercise = 2700
Nutrition level = 2
50/30/20 pro/carb/fat
This is where is really all started going downhill. Started doing a VERY popular system everyone see on TV out of curiosity and lifting fast and not so heavy.
Now March 1 2010 183@14.9% 155 LBS lean mass 28 LBS of fat
This is one full month of higher carbs and calories based on ISSA, International Sports Science Association Caloric Daily Intake formulas.
I gained almost 10 pounds.
Primary New Course Of Action?
- I am going to stick with Very Complex sources of carbs daily mostly from veggie sources and not try and meet standard mainstream suggested carbohydrate totals.
- Increase healthy fats.
- Stop measuring intake but keep it around 2000 for my caloric daily intake.
- Walking cardio included.
- Once or twice a week sprints.
- Heavy 5×5′s training on compound movements.
I’ll keep you posted as I progress good or bad. If you don’t want to miss any updates, I’ll be sending out notification of new blog posts via email. Just sign up below.
UPDATE: It all worked out awesome in the end with a 5% bodyfat lot and a pretty decent set of abs. The video explains a little more:
This is going to be interesting!
Can’t wait to see the update! Thanks, Ray.
Only a couple of days in and I can tell you guys that you’re going to love this. Also got a client on the same schedule to make sure it’s not just “MY GENES” lol
Hi! Bodybuilders do need to do aerobic exercise, and running is an excellent choice if not overdone. I usually will run for a few months and then switch to a different form of aerobics, but find what works best for you.