milk sugars take longer to digest, but they won't slow down absorption of the other proteins you ingest with them.

Alcohol is completely different; it slows down protein synthesis in the body and keeps you from rebuilding tissue. It's why the one of the worst things you can do after exercising is go out and drink. NSAIDS have similar effects.

3/20/2012 1:28:14 PM

I haven't heard anything negative about using milk for mass gains. I mean, what do baby mammals drink when they are trying to grow? Milk

Furthermore, there has been some pretty conclusive studies done that have found that there is nothing more anabolic than whole milk, barring AAS. Now, if you are trying to stay lean, whole milk is probably not the best choice.

Yes, I will be using intermittent fasting during my cut. Generally eat a large dinner around 7-9pm, break the fast with a skim milk + whey shake pre and post work out around 10am-12pm. Have a large lunch at around 1-3pm.

I will be minimally snacking, and if I do it will be high in protein.

Supplements: Whey protein, fish oil, vitamin d, multi v, creatine. When I need to sleep deep: a combo of ZMA, Melatonin, and/or 5htp.

In about 3-4weeks when the cut gets hard, I'll probably pick up Burn Pills from TrueNutrition and some BCAA powder. The burn pills are fucking miracle workers at mitigating hunger and increasing energy.

I am also contemplating experimenting with yohimbine HCL.

[Edited on March 20, 2012 at 1:34 PM. Reason : moar words]

3/20/2012 1:31:15 PM

the day i have to give up milk for my diet is the day I decide its prob not worth it anymore.

3/20/2012 1:54:36 PM

okay i just texted him and he said it was basically just hard on your digestive system so he cuts it out. i could swear there was more to it than that sorry.

Yes, I've heard of the GOMAD diet for "hard gainers". Basically you drink one gallon of whole milk every day along with your usual food intake for a month. Supposed to gain like 20 lbs in a month. A lot of fat with your muscle but it's anabolic and if you're one of those 155 lb kids who can't seem to gain weight its a great method supposedly.

It sounds like hell so I've never tried it personally. Can't imagine the havoc it would wreak on your acne and stomach. And milk is fairly disgusting to drink in large quantities.

I was going to start my cut this week as well, but that was dependent on State losing this weekend. I want to be able to drink beer during the games because if i drink liquor i get too wasted to enjoy the game sometimes. As soon as we get knocked out im going to try to go a few weeks only drinking liquor for the cut.

Not everyone is going to get as good of results as you, because obviously your lean muscle mass will be a huge aid during the cut. But if you combine fasting with low carb while lifting weights anyone can lose 10lbs of almost pure fat in a month. It really does drastically change your appearance.

[Edited on March 20, 2012 at 2:04 PM. Reason : a]

3/20/2012 2:01:54 PM

Milk tolerance is variable by the individual. If you can't stomach lactose, then milk is probably not a great option.

10lbs of pure fat is very hard to lose in a month. That's a calorie deficit of 35,000calories from only body fat. Over 1,000 calorie deficit per day. So if you wanted to do that, it would require about a 1,000-1,2000ish calorie consumption per day.

Your body will hate you, you will feel like shit, and your strength will drop. It's doable, but not something I recommend.

There are a lot of physiological changes when you start losing significant levels of body fat. Some of them being: lethargy, moodiness, mental fogginess, extreme hunger, weakness.

A lot of that can be mitigated with intermittent fasting, carb cycling and/or CKD diets. They are pretty effective.

I generally recommend, as a rule of thumb, to aim for 1-5lbs of weight loss a week. That's about .25-2lbs of fat loss.

[Edited on March 20, 2012 at 2:17 PM. Reason : ed]

3/20/2012 2:15:02 PM

okay i should have said 10lbs in a month, a lot of which is fat.

Hell, most people just by dieting correctly for 2-3 days will lose 3 lbs of impacted feces.

3/20/2012 2:18:05 PM

damn....my goal of 10lbs in a month sounds like im pushing it too much then.

I'm running ~800 cal deficit/day. so if i can cut 24k cals in a month, that's about 7lbs lost, 2-3 maybe fat.


ugh. that's like 1.5% bf loss for me. My goal was 4-6. This is gonna be tough. whyyyyyyyyy!!!

3/20/2012 5:51:26 PM

slow and steady > binge dieting

the closer you approach 10% the slower it will come off...even slower at sub 10%

just focus on this being a lifestyle change of eating less food overall, you shouldn't stress out about it so often, I wouldn't weigh in but once a week at most. Try and use the same circumstances each time you weigh in to better gauge your results. I.e. Post-dump at 7am every Monday

also, you may be like me. Being a former fatty and for a long time, your skin may be pretty loose as you get closer to your goal BF and your abs may not be where you want them to be. For a long time I just wanted to look good naked, 6 pack etc... but now my goals are just to live healthy and happy. The looking good part is a side effect of my hard work at dieting and exercise, I plan on living forever

3/20/2012 6:26:39 PM

ya i've noticed the loose skin thing towards the lower half of my abdomen. It's not bad, i'm hoping itll tighten up a little over time, but its' somethign i gotta learn to accept.

or have plastic surgery


I've already had to accept the fact my stretch marks on my stomach will never go away


[Edited on March 20, 2012 at 7:44 PM. Reason : af]

3/20/2012 7:43:46 PM

i bought some creatine, yohimbine hcl, caffeine, and vitamin d today.

Already take bcaa, whey protein, glucosamine, fish oil, flaxseed oil, multivitamin, calcium, ginkgo biloba, and korean ginseng.


I've taken creatine in the past but for whatever reason never re-started when i started lifting again this year. Seems to have been a mistake as it seems to be necessary for weight lifting. I still haven't gotten my bench press to where it was 8 years ago when I was 20-25 lbs lighter.

Yohimbine and caffeine are new for me but I figured what the hell summer is close and I'm still fatter than I thought I'd be now.

3/21/2012 12:55:15 AM

did intense squats last night (heavy plus reps)


legs jello today.

3/21/2012 9:37:27 AM

I'd wait on the yohimbine hcl until you've lost the fast & easy weight. It's really more for "trouble spots"

3/21/2012 10:53:51 AM

http://www.theninjachallenge.com/

3/21/2012 11:30:37 AM

just buy bulk yohimbine Hcl powder on the internet, mix it with DMSO, and apply it topically before working out. Much more effective.

3/21/2012 11:37:12 AM

^Do you have experience doing this? I am interested.

3/21/2012 11:46:13 AM

I'm going to take the BCAA+creatine right before lift (i lift fasted) then after I lift take the yohimbine and walk three miles.

Then post workout I'll take the whey + creatine + carb refeed meal.

On non-lift days I'll take the yohimbine before I walk and the creatine with my first meal of the day usually around 3-6 PM.

Caffeine will be daily upon waking up.

The rest I usually take in the evening when I have more food in my stomach.

Food will be low carbs except after lifting. Lots of spinach and broccoli each day. Protein sources mostly beef, chicken, egg whites. Going to make a lot of crockpot recipes to keep things fresh.

Cut will probably go for 8 weeks. Going to try to avoid beer at all costs only drinking whiskey at night.

3/21/2012 12:12:13 PM

yeah, I've done it before and saw results. I am actually considering starting back up a regiment of it here soon, since I'm getting lean enough now that I want to target some areas on my stomach and lower back.

There used to be a product on the market called Yohimburn that was similar, but they used tea tree oil instead of DMSO for a transdermal agent since some people respond adversely to DMSO. That, and Tea Tree oil smells a lot better than DMSO. It was so much cheaper to make it yourself though. Yohimbine HCl is about $20 for 10g at some places, which would be about 1-2,000 doses depending on body weight. DMSO is about $10 per 8 ounces or so. Compare that to anything you've seen in the stores and think about it.

When you think about it, why would you want to use Yohimbine systemically when you could localize the actions? It's mode of action is by blocking the alpha-2 receptors on fat cells so that fat can be released for fuel, so why would you want to use that systemically when the fat is just going to come just the same as it was genetically predisposed to if all the cell are getting the same signal? If you applied it topically to stubborn areas, those cells would respond faster to fat release. Blood flow through fatty tissues is so slow that you don't really have to worry about it going systemic before the local fat cells respond to it. Apply it topically and then proceed to go to the gym and do slow cardio for a couple of hours to burn off what's being released.

3/21/2012 12:18:36 PM

^^That's actually a pretty good set up. You'll probably get better results by reducing alcohol AMAP.

^ The reason I was going to do the oral yohimbe route is because that is what lyle mcdonald recommends. After reading most of his books, and recognizing the amount of time he spends fact checking and reviewing research, I tend to trust his guidance.

Your comments on topical application seem valid though. I may give it a go in a couple weeks.

##

I'm down 6lbs from Sunday. Will probably trim up the manbearchest and snap some new photos this evening.

3/21/2012 12:39:30 PM

damn dude 6 lbs already haha.

Does yohimbine affect TOTAL fat loss? I know it can help with the trouble spots like my belly fat which is what I'm going for... but does it reduce total fat loss?

I guess I'm asking because you said to wait before you start taking it. I've got visible abdominal muscle but they aren't really separated a lot yet. Most of the man boobage and upper body fat is gone though except the muffin top area.

3/21/2012 2:40:48 PM

http://examine.com/supplements/Yohimbine/

3/21/2012 3:23:27 PM

I just ordered my weight-loss stack from truenutrition:

Caffeine Capsules
Yohimbine HCL
BCAA Plus Mix
Burn Pills

Going to probably start that in a few weeks, after the easy weight is lost.

I plan on doing taking the BCAAs pre work out to mitigate fasted training catabolism.

Burn pills will be taken mornings I have to get up before 6am, when I usually am on my feet for about 5hours straight training people.... Those things are wonderful to wake you up and mitigate your hunger.

About 3weeks (7weeks from now) away from my target end date, I will end the burn pills and then start the yohimbine hcl + caffeine + l-tyrosine stack. The yohimbine will be dosed .2ml/kg of body weight either in the morning or pre cardio/light activity.

3/21/2012 4:29:37 PM

6lbs pretty impressive. I'm down 4 since i started monday. Prob most water weight though.

3/21/2012 5:15:53 PM

Quote :

"6lbs pretty impressive. I'm down 4 since i started monday. Prob most water weight though."

Yeah there is pretty much no way you can lose 6lbs of fat in a week unless your maintenance calories were something outrageous and you were extremely overweight.

3/21/2012 5:26:50 PM

I just used some leftover Cell-Tech that i bought who knows when probably 8 years ago haha. Now I remember why i stopped using creatine in the first place that stuff sucks. 75g of sugar per serving too god. No wonder you gain weight.

I just want to go ahead and get the creatine in my system so i have a base before my order gets shipped and i start my cut next week.

While cutting you need to lift heavy and reduce the volume of sets right? Otherwise you'll burn out and/or lose a lot of extra strength on the cut...

My goal is to lose almost no muscle, I'd rather lose a little less fat than a ton of muscle. At 6'0, 175-180 I don't need to lose more than 15 lbs over the 8-10 weeks.

[Edited on March 21, 2012 at 5:48 PM. Reason : a]

3/21/2012 5:48:08 PM

Not sure how much I have lost total yet as I haven't weighed myself in over a week, but my pants keep getting looser and looser. I think I am only about 5 pounds away from my minimum goal weight if I'm guessing right... and I think I have lost at least 2 inches in my tummy area since cutting out dairy. But my hip still hurts so working out the way I would like to is hard - I can really only focus on my arms before feeling the pain. Bah.

3/21/2012 6:15:48 PM

be careful hip pain can be a warning of a serious injury. It may just be inflammation but if you've had it for several weeks that's not a good sign might want to consult a doctor.

3/21/2012 6:21:56 PM

My goals for the year were more performance related rather than appearance; I wanted to be largely pain-free for the first time in years, and have mostly been able to accomplish that.

In addition, I've shifted gears back towards an endurance focus since focusing on strength all of last year, so in that light I'm leaving tomorrow for the Bataan Memorial Death March http://www.bataanmarch.com/ with a team that's competing in the Military-Heavy Division, so we'll see if this pays off.

3/21/2012 6:41:12 PM

I'm pretty sure it's not good but I'm too stubborn and too busy to see a doctor right now. I think it happened during taekwondo one day and has just gotten worse - though ever since I have been doing more squats (basic with just free weights) to strengthen the muscles it has felt a little better. And I have cut out my taekwondo kicks :\ Whenever I would do an inside or outside crescent kick, it would hurt very badly and feel like something was catching..

[Edited on March 21, 2012 at 6:48 PM. Reason : and I've had it for more than just a few weeks now]

3/21/2012 6:47:51 PM

March 21st check in, 185 on the dot



I should probably go head and shave that pathetic shit on my chest, too. Give me about 5 seconds.

3/21/2012 7:02:38 PM

Lookin good! (Minus the random patch... no offense or anything Why don't you let it grow out?)

3/21/2012 7:08:00 PM

Thats all I got! 27 years and thats all I got! Time to Nair that mess once and for all.

3/21/2012 7:09:03 PM

Looking good Slave!

Sam you need to post new pics

3/21/2012 8:08:07 PM

Cut update... I am down ~8lbs since Sunday! Weighed in at 173.5 today. I will be strict for the next 36 hours, then go a little crazy for the basketball game tomorrow night. Go pack!

Shaved off the manfur, to my girlfriend's dismay. I can already tell a difference from a little fat, and a lot of water, loss. I have a feeling this cut is going to be much easier this year






After viewing the pictures side by side http://thewolfweb.com/photo_folder.aspx?user=12989&folder=Cut+Log+2012&filter= , the difference after 4 days is pretty outstanding... I am happy



[Edited on March 22, 2012 at 11:00 AM. Reason : gallery]

3/22/2012 10:53:09 AM

Dude you look like you hardly even need to cut. Lookin solid, drop a few lbs of fat and you will be shredded.

On a side note I am finally cutting again. Loved the strength gains I made but I feel like at fatass walking around at 6'2" 230lbs. Going to try and drop down to 210 or so. Once I get there I am going to try stay below 215 and get my strength back up to at least where it is now. I think the increased endurance will help overall and my strength won't be hurt too much.

[Edited on March 22, 2012 at 11:00 AM. Reason : .]

3/22/2012 10:59:45 AM

Thanks! I didn't go overboard on my mass gain this year, and it has helped considerably.

I want to get down to around 9% to be a walking advertisement for my gym this summer. It is a huge advantage to be your own testimonial and proof of quality.

3/22/2012 11:05:25 AM

I hear that. I would definitely be more likely to want to listen someone who walks the walk as well.

3/22/2012 11:21:22 AM

Nice update, but you look high as hell in that first pic

3/22/2012 11:31:00 AM

looking good Matt!!!!!

3/22/2012 1:48:41 PM

how tall are you matt?

3/22/2012 2:39:57 PM

^ are you asking b/c he blurred out his wang in the last set of pictures?

3/22/2012 2:57:29 PM

5'7.5''

3/22/2012 3:59:26 PM

that extra half inch makes all the difference. It really accentuates your physique

3/22/2012 5:15:04 PM

I think at one point I was 5'7.75 or 5'8'', but I may have fractured an end plate in my spine trying to be greedy on my dead lift before knowing proper technique

3/22/2012 5:24:52 PM

Man, people look tall in pictures.

3/22/2012 5:53:23 PM

OMG you mean you can break your back w/o doing CF???

3/22/2012 5:56:56 PM

Quote :

"It is a huge advantage to be your own testimonial and proof of quality"

The first thing that came to mind

Quote :

"Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake! BEEFCAKE!!!"

3/22/2012 6:12:27 PM

Quote :

"OMG you mean you can break your back w/o doing CF??? "

Yep... lifting like a dummy.

I tried to take my max DL from 225 to 400 in about a 6week time span, weighing a whopping 165lbs soaking wet. That was about <2.5years ago.

The injury was sort of a blessing in disguise... It got me in to corrective exercise and mobility training, which led to a bunch of knowledge and ability in analyzing human movement.

[Edited on March 22, 2012 at 8:31 PM. Reason : words]

3/22/2012 8:29:22 PM

I dodged a bullet too. Won't be needing surgery to remove that ruptured disc after all. Don't know how I managed to dodge this, but I'll take it! I still have full range of motion on most movements, BUT I don't do them.

Deliberately staying away from running, squats, deadlifts, other Oly lifts as well. I'm OK with this my health comes first now. I am still not 100%, I would say 90-95 though.

I still get good cardio from walking uphill at 3.0 on the treadmill. Just don't want to bounce off anything right now.

3/22/2012 8:41:24 PM

I ran a calorie deficit in a kick ass way today. Fasted til 2 PM, two BBQ chicken breasts for lunch, pan-seared bacon wrapped scallops w/greek salad for dinner, cottage cheese, chocolate cheesecake a little later.

3/22/2012 8:47:43 PM

^^Some of the best training advice I've learned: If it hurts, don't do it!

Do you live in Raleigh? Once my training center gets cranked up, I can take a look at some of your movement patterns and maybe see if there is a corrective exercise solution.

^You are doing it right bro! That is what I love about IF. You can maintain a calorie deficit, while still eating like a champion.

3/22/2012 8:58:46 PM