# Ripped to Shreds: Whatever It Takes!



## M.J.H. (Sep 19, 2005)

I have dedicated myself to becoming ripped to shreds, and I'm going to do whatever it takes. I just got a 2nd job at a local club doing security. And to be frank, the security guys are all in great shape, and they're all attractive to be in a way, on display for the ladies of the club. 

Now, a little extra flab straight up isn't going to fly with the attire that I'm going to be wearing. So a strict ketogenic diet is going to be a must for me, while I work here. I'm going to try and lean out at much as possible, drop about ~15 lbs. or so. Aiming from anywhere from 198-204 lbs.

I need your support guys, I can't be binging on this ketogenic diet like I always do. 

Last night I pigged out at a Chinese buffet and swore that that was going to by my last binge for a long time.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 19, 2005)

Monday; 9-19-2005​
*Arms --- 40 minutes*

Great workout today! Especially after all the damn food I took in yesterday, absolutely amazing pump in the gym today. Zero complaints whatsoever. Started off with 3 supersets of alternating DB curls and rope cable curls. And then I moved onto 3 supersets of skullcrushers and overhead rope extensions. Did 2 supersets of reverse preacher curls and hammer curls, then 2 supersets of pressdowns and DB French presses. Finished with 2 more supersets of BTB wrist curls and 4-5x up and down with the wrist roller. Did some rope crunches, called it a day. I'm probably going to run some springs later tonight after work. 

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 scoop of Swole, 25mg ephedrine, 200mg caffeine, 25mcg T3, multi-vitamin
*During Workout:* 1 cup of black coffee
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein
*Meal 1:* 1 bag of almonds 
*Meal 2:* bacon & cheese omelet 
*Meal 3:* low-carb breaded chicken + cheese
*Meal 4:* 1 scoop of whey protein + heavy whipping cream 

_Estimated Carb Intake: ~19g_

I've started creatine back up, ephedrine/caffeine combo, and I'm going to finish the rest of this bottle of T3. I'm also going to be running sprints 4-5x a week at a local park. So hopefully all of this together will help me achieve my goal in no time.

Sleep: 9 hours. 

Weight: 223 lbs. 

Pigged out last night at a Chinese buffet like a jacka*s. Whatever, I'm going to be back in the swing of things in no time.


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## Cold Iron (Sep 19, 2005)

C'mon Mike, tighten this sh*t up bro. 

No worries though, you'll reach your goals within the next 6-8 journals, no doubt.


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## PreMier (Sep 19, 2005)

So far all you've done is go up in weight on this "diet".  Whatever you do, there is support out there.  Just wish you would so something that works.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 19, 2005)

*Cold Iron:* Thanks dude, appreciate the kind words, I really do. I need all of the support that I can get anymore. I have overall lost a decent amount of weight its just so hard to stick it out and not binge. 

*Jake:* Eh, we'll see what happens. I might just have to start introducing refeeds into my diet, I'm not sure yet.

This is the kind of physique that I want to achieve, this A&F model has the bodyfat % that I want to be at:


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## DeadBolt (Sep 20, 2005)

Heya mike looks like your back at keto.  Honestly if this is going to be a long termt hing think about adding carbs back into your life.  I would suggest carb cycling.  I found that to be the best diet for me!

We all know you can go a day without carbs so if you try CC I feel you will see results, still consume carbs, keep a healthy state of mind, keep from binging, and not be so stressed out.  I got pretty shredded when I used it 

Honestly from a guy that knows exactly where your coming from try and stay away from this keto b/c its not the best idea I just tried it and thought the short term look is fine its not made for long term bud!  Seriously think about CC or something better then keto.


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## bludevil (Sep 20, 2005)

Yeah I would suggest Carb Cycling as well, if this is going to be long term. Long term keto diets is just asking for an all-out binge around every corner. Good luck in what ever you choose. By the way, the guy in the pics looks to be around 5-6% BF. Not an easily attainable goal to keep long term.


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## lnvanry (Sep 20, 2005)

bludevil said:
			
		

> By the way, the guy in the pics looks to be around 5-6% BF. Not an easily attainable goal to keep long term.


 I agree....very few people can hold less than 7% Lont-T.  I usually rest a 7% my whole life, but getting down on a permanent basis is almost impossible.  I do not know how experienced you are with dieting down, but getting that low (<7%) is weakening and tiresome.  Life is not easy with no BF.  No energy and your mood is different.


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## DeadBolt (Sep 20, 2005)

bludevil said:
			
		

> Yeah I would suggest Carb Cycling as well, if this is going to be long term. Long term keto diets is just asking for an all-out binge around every corner. Good luck in what ever you choose. By the way, the guy in the pics looks to be around 5-6% BF. Not an easily attainable goal to keep long term.


Nor practible....mike why do you think when people compete they 't have to diet down so much.  Your body isn't built to stay at that low of a BF % and it is very dangerous to do so.  He only gets into that shape for pictures and such I can almost guarentee that he doesn't stay at that level year round.  He may stay anywhere from 8-10% but no higher I'm sure.

I would strongly urge you to re-think what you want to do and think about this....you really wanna lose all the lbm you work so hard for?


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## M.J.H. (Sep 20, 2005)

*DeadBolt:* Hey man, I've tried carb cycling in the past and for some reason on the high-carb day I end up binging like crazy. Thanks for the advice though, man, I appreciate it. I think I'm going to end up incorporating refeeds into my diet eventually. I'm not sure when, right now I'm just trying to drop water weight and fat. 

*bludevil:* I'm thinking about introducing some form of carb cycling into my diet eventually. Maybe just periodic refeeds, but we'll see what happens. With a ketogenic diet I honestly drop rapid amounts of water and fat. And the problem with refeeds is that I end up gaining some water weight, so then mentally I don't want to refeed.

*lnvanry:* I'm honestly trying to get my bodyfat % down around 8% or so. Maybe not as ripped as the guys in the pictures. But as close as I can naturally get, that's for sure.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 20, 2005)

Tuesday; 9-20-2005​
*Chest --- 30 minutes*

Decent workout today, for some reason I didn't feel too good. Started off with 3 supersets of flat DB presses and cable crossovers. Moved onto another 3 supersets of pec-deck flyes and dips, then finished up with some incline DB flyes, and some seated cable flyes. Did some rope cable crunches, and called it a day. 

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 scoop of Swole, 25mg ephedrine, 200mg caffeine, 25mcg T3, multi-vitamin
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein
*Meal 1:* 1 bag of almonds
*Meal 2:* chicken salad 
*Meal 3:* bacon & cheese omelet 
*Meal 4:* hot wings + blue cheese, ceasar salad
*Meal 5:* filet mignon, grilled chicken, broccoli + cheese
*Meal 6:* 1/2 piece of low-carb cheesecake 
*Meal 7:* 1 scoop of whey protein + heavy whipping cream, 25mcg T3

_Estimated Carb Intake: ~28g_

Too high in carbs for my 2nd day of Atkin's, lol. 

Sleep: 8 hours.

Weight: 222 lbs. Down a pound from yesterday, at least I'm in the right direction. For some reason today I feel sick, I'm not sure why. Just some indigestion it feels like.


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## soxmuscle (Sep 20, 2005)

I don't know if its been asked before, but why on earth do you continuously fail on this diet and then go back to it?  have you tried other forms of cutting diets?


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## Riverdragon (Sep 21, 2005)

I know you hate cardio but I think it would make a big difference and you wouldn't have to eat so much fat.


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## bludevil (Sep 21, 2005)

soxmuscle said:
			
		

> I don't know if its been asked before, but why on earth do you continuously fail on this diet and then go back to it?  have you tried other forms of cutting diets?



Agree with this, Their's tons of diet schemes out there. From what I've read, you have a hard time staying on keto diet and binging so why would you want to keep using this diet. 



			
				Riverdragon said:
			
		

> I know you hate cardio but I think it would make a big difference and you wouldn't have to eat so much fat.



Agree with this also. It will be very hard to get sub 8% BF without sometype of cardio. Not saying it isn't doable, but will take a very stict diet with no binging what so ever allowed.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 21, 2005)

*soxmuscle:* I have tried every possible cutting diet that's out there, bro. Trust me, nothing works like a ketogenic diet does. On a ketogenic diet I literally in one week I can look noticeably leaner, and holding much less water. Even though it can be a b*tch sometimes, its hands down the easiest to stick to, as well.

*Riverdragon:* I disagree. Knowing my body I do not respond well to cardio at all. I used to do 45-60 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning and then postworkout. I didn't lose anymore fat doing that than just doing a ketogenic diet without cardio. My workouts are short, but they're very intense. And, I don't take rest days, because of how light I'm going in the gym. Zero signs of overtraining.

*bludevil:* I agree that it would take nearly zero binging to get to a sub ~8% bodyfat. I think a solid 4 weeks of a ketogenic diet would put my at nearly 8%, though. In the past when I've done this diet nearly 3 weeks I was extremely defined at probably 9-10%. We'll see how things go---I might start doing some sprints are night after I get off work and seeing if that speeds up my fat loss any.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 21, 2005)

Wednesday; 9-21-2005​
*Back --- 30 minutes*

Pretty good workout today, hit my back hard. Started off in the gym today with 3 supersets of bentover rows and seated cable rows. Then I moved onto another 3 supersets of BTN cable pulldowns with crossbench DB pullovers. Then I did a few sets of Hammer Strength rows, a few sets of CG cable pulldowns, and a few sets of stiff-arm cable pullovers. Then did some Hammer Strength crunches and called it a day. 

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 scoop of Swole, 25mg ephedrine, 200mg caffeine, 25mcg T3, multi-vitamin
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein
*Meal 1:* pepperoni + melted cheese 
*Meal 2:* chicken salad, coffee
*Meal 3:* ham & cheese omelet, 2 sausage patties, bacon
*Meal 4:* ceasar salad 
*Meal 5:* 1/2 bunless cheeseburger 
*Meal 6:* melted cheese + peppers
*Meal 7:* 1 scoop of whey protein + heavy whipping cream, decaf coffee 

_Estimated Carb Intake: ~25g_

Sleep: 8.5 hours.

Weight: 218 lbs. Down a good bit from yesterday, actually. Feeling pretty good about my weight right now. Hoping to get down under 215 lbs. by the weekend.


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## bludevil (Sep 21, 2005)

Good start , Keep up this rate and you'll be at target weight in no time. 
Your correct in nobody knows your body like yourself. Just stay disciplined and motivated and you might be the guy in the pics


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## DeadBolt (Sep 21, 2005)

bludevil said:
			
		

> Good start , Keep up this rate and you'll be at target weight in no time.
> Your correct in nobody knows your body like yourself. Just stay disciplined and motivated and you might be the guy in the pics


 well said my friend.

Mike no one knows your body better then yous o do what works for ya....I just figured I'd try and meet ya half way on this one.  But do what works man it worked for me for the month it lasted.  But I started to binge so I dropped it.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 22, 2005)

*bludevil:* Hey man, thanks for the support, I really appreciate it. I hope to have a physique like the guy in the pictures by the end of Ocotober. I mean we'll see how things go, but things are looking pretty good, lately. 

*DeadBolt:* Yeah I completely agree man. And if I feel like I'm really going to go all out and binge I think I am going to just do a binge-style extremely low-fat refeed. That way I'll get that out of my system, and not have to worry about binging.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 22, 2005)

Thursday; 9-22-2005​
*Shoulders --- 30 minutes*

Pretty solid workout today, even though I spent a little too much time talking. Today I started off with 3 supersets of seated DB presses and DB lateral raises. Then moved onto 3 supersets of WG upright rows and DB front raises. After this I did 4 sets of one-arm cable lateral raises. Then did a few supersets of DB shrugs and CG cable upright rows. Finished up with some rope cable crunches, and called it a day. 

*Preworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 scoop of Swole, 25mg ephedrine, 200mg caffeine, 25mcg T3, multi-vitamin
*Postworkout:* 1 scoop of whey protein
*Meal 1:* bacon & cheese omelet 
*Meal 2:* 1 bag of almonds 
*Meal 3:* 2 hot dogs
*Meal 4:* pepperoni + melted cheese
*Meal 5:* hot wings + blue cheese
*Meal 6:* 3/4 jar of peanut butter 

_Estimated Carb Intake: ~50g?_

Had somewhat of a low-carb binge tonight, but at least I stuck to my damn diet! 

Sleep: 7 hours.

Weight: 216 lbs. Nice to be down another pound or two from yesterday. I'm hoping that tomorrow I'm just under 215 lbs.


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## joesmooth20 (Sep 22, 2005)

did you end up throwing in some sprints? I always did them every night for a week before a fight and it really helped get the weight down and my stamina up.

70yrds 1way 

20sec jogg in place 

I would do about 15 to 20 of these and have a full cup of 2% cottage chesse before bedtime.

I really think this could be key in what your trying to do.


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## M.J.H. (Sep 23, 2005)

*joesmooth20:* I did some sprints on Monday I think it was, but every night Monday-Friday lately I've been walking a little over a mile with my co-workers. So this is going to help some I think. I break a good sweat doing this, and we walk pretty damn fast. So every little bit counts. 

Here's a pic of me today, 217.5 lbs. holding some water I think from last night's pig out:


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## bludevil (Sep 23, 2005)

I agree with joe, that cottage cheese is an excellent last meal. I assume you like PB (since you 3/4 a jar) so mix cottage cheese with PB. It's what I took while dieting down. Also, you haven't mentioned a lot about your water intake. While dieting, up water intake as much as possible.


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## tucker01 (Sep 23, 2005)

Why weigh yourself each day?  you are setting yourself up for mind games especially with how sporadic your diet it.

Set up a time once a week for weigh in


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## bludevil (Sep 23, 2005)

IainDaniel said:
			
		

> Set up a time once a week for weigh in



Agree with this as well. Weighing yourself everyday is a no-no. Once a week is plenty.


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## shiznit2169 (Sep 23, 2005)

mike didnt u read the BFFM ebook? Everything is right in front of you. It should be able to help you with your diet. My guess is you didnt read it and sort of "skimmed" through.


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## BigDyl (Sep 23, 2005)

You did not just start another journal.    

I'm going to have to beat you up.    

I live in MD you know.


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## bludevil (Sep 27, 2005)

Where you at man, how's the diet going?


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