Diet/Training Program (start)

After browsing through a great website of Lyle McDonald's, reading a book called Warrior Diet and checking out Leangain blog by Martin Berkhan I decided to give Intermittent Fasting (IF) a try.

So...

I started on Monday, July 20, 2009 with the Warrior Diet - one big meal once in 24 hours (around 8-9 pm) with undereating/fasting phase inbetween (with minimum veggies, fruits and some protein).

In the first three days undereating was hard. I felt kind of disoriented, in a way. Bouts of hunger were not overly intense but they were nonetheless quite annoying. Surprisingly I wasn't feeling too hungry by the time of the big meal and I ended up eating less than I had expected. I felt less tired although I had short periods of subtle sleepiness during the day. One other thing I noticed is that I felt very good after a meal even though it was pretty big - I felt energetic and not tired at all - which was quite different from my experience before.

So what are my goals?

My intent is to bring my bodyfat % down to single digits (let's say 9%). With that I'd like to maintain my bodyweight at around 195-200 lbs, which I think will look good on my 5'11" frame. Which means I'll need to add about 10 lbs of muscle and shed 17 lbs of fat.

I also intend to find a nutrition/training combination which will feel natural, without subjecting my body to heavy abuse or severe deprivation. I intend to go all natural without any artificial supplements, other than possibly protein powder and some vitamins/minerals. I intend to avoid overtraining which - as I understand now - used to be my curse for years (I tend to overdo things more often than not). I intend to make my exercise program feel natural and fun without having to spend half of my life at the gym and without turning my nutrition program into a chore. I intend to make it into a lifestyle that I will be able to enjoy and that will not turn me into a social pariah. I intend to have my energy levels high and feel healthy and radiant both in the gym and outside it.

I intend to discover an "intuitive" approach to health and fitness and I believe that it exists if you only learn to listen to your body a little more than you listen to loud fitness gurus and "Ten things you should know"-type articles in popular fitness magazines. I understand that it may not be "the ultimate truth" but it will be true for me and possibly some other people. I intend to attain a great six-pack without killing myself with hundreds of sit-ups each and every day.