Just a note about how things are going lately in shedding the roughly 15 pound gain I reported about in this recent post. Back down to 180 as of this morning, three pounds off since AHS, and things are moving well. Some moderate carbs but not excessive, my morning Huge Fat Bomb smoothies, doing intermittent fasting of 24-30 hours 1-2 times per week, fasted simple heavy resistance training of about 20 minutes 1-2 times per week, 1-2 20-minute dog walks per day, standing most of the time when I work rather than sitting (like right now), and trying to eat BIG on non fasting days, including grazing and munching into the later evening. I’m trying to roughly approximate a very high fat diet with moderate protein and moderate carbs.
I plan to add sprints or intervals on the elliptical machine after each workout beginning Monday.
Also, staying away from restaurants as much as possible. When we do go out — see below — it’s a steak and a bit of veggies for me, or just a steak a-la carte. Wednesday evening I began what turned out to be a 28-hr fast with this meal around 4pm.
Grassfed Beef Massaman Curry & Cinnamon Rice in Chicken Stock
This was after my Liquid Fat Bomb earlier in the day. The fast was broken with a 10oz. filet, asparagus, and a scotch.
Nicely Grilled on the Outside
Perfect for Me on the Inside
So in terms of self experimentation, I have no idea what’s contributing, what’s not, or even what might be hindering progress while still progressing overall. Too many variables and too complex to judge, but it’s roughly what I did in the past, so I’m just sticking with the program.
One thing new is the daily cup or more of high fat coconut milk in the smoothie each morning (ref: Liquid Fat Bomb Smoothie, and the impressive science behind it). I’ve always used some coconut milk, but that was in cooking, maybe once every couple of weeks on average. I must say that I am extremely impressed with the thermogenic as well as satiating effects when taken in the morning (usually between 9-10 am). This just may become a regular staple of life.
I can’t see a shot of a thick juicy steak and a neat scotch without thinking of my favorite TV libertarian, Ron Swanson. Not sure he’d approve of the asparagus, but I’m sure he’d be glad to pass along a claymore for home defense purposes.
what flavor of scotch?
JW Black Label, in this case, because they didn’t have Red.
Mmm…Scotch. I’ll be enjoying a Macallan 18 this evening. Cheers!
Richard,
Thanks for sharing. I’m somewhat hitting a plateau currently and am looking for ways to kickstart further fat loss. What’s your rationale for these BIG meals on non fasting days?
– Martin
Avoiding chronic under eating, given the fasting, which may result in lowering your resting metabolism as well as scavenging lean mass. You’ll lose weight but could actually end up being less lean.
Seems to me that your success with intermittent fasting is evidence that an overall calorie deficit is necessary to lose weight. Calories In/Calories Out is relevant.
I don’t doubt it’s relevant. Resistance training alone without doing anything with diet over the first few months stopped my gain and got me about 1 lb loss per month. Going paleo over the next few months kicked the loss up to about 3 lb per month and then in the first 5 weeks of employing IF, loss accelerated to 4 lb per week, then leveled back off to about 2-3 per month until I hit 180lb.
I wish you a lot of luck with your weight loss Richard! You know whats up. Scotch… I would go with a glass of red wine instead! If I find that coconut milk without guar gum then I will have to make that fat bomb smoothie! I could use a bunch of coconut oil too. I enjoyed a smoothie this morning with almond milk, avocado, strawberries and maca powder. So damn yummy.
Perhaps 4oz heavy cream and 4oz coconut oil to approximate something like 8oz coconut milk?
Ah, well, I am better off with coconut milk then I am heavy cream. At least this is what I believe. I used to suffer with severe acne and cutting dairy prior to going primal was HUGE! But, who knows what the exact factor was. I used to drink 4-6 glasses of pastuerized 1/2% milk daily. That’s a shit load of lactose (48-72 grams!) not to mention all the grains too.
I tend to breakout when I eat dairy outside of butter and whey. So, my theory is that I am very lactose intolerant. Heavy cream is low in it and I’ve never tried it but I think I’d rather stick with drinking coconut milk once in a while and experimenting with that – its been a while.
I may try some butter instead of heavy cream…
FWIW, one tablespoon of coconut butter mixed with a cup of warm water = a cup of coconut milk
Congratulations on your progress, Richard. That’s a nice looking steak, too.
I still can’t thank you enough for sharing that smoothie recipe, they’re really helping me get the calories I need right now. I think they’ll become a staple for me too.
You have inspired me. I am down about 120 lbs overall with maybe 20 lbs of excess fat to go.. not sure though, haven’t really ever been completely lean in my 50+ years of life. The weight came off with little effort and I have enjoyed just staying at the same weight for two years now without hunger between meals or portion control.. such a life change to eat until I am satisfied every time and then just forget about food (after a lifetime of always feeling hungry.) I am ready to experiment and tweak what I am doing and get that last amount of extra fat used up. Thank you for that inspiration.
By the way.. coconut milk is
oops…Coconut milk is fantastic!
Curious here, whatever happened to your work with Martin Berkhan and his LG approach?
Got a bad njury in December. Had to drop it.
It’s no conclusive whether my LG workout regime caused it. Occam’s razor: I’m 50.
I eat a whole can of coconut milk with my eggs most days to break the fast. I fry the eggs in butter and cover them in cinnamon and turmeric, then I whip up some separated coconut cream and maybe add a bit of stevia/vanilla. So delicious.
Sounds like a solid weight loss plan.
Yea, cutting out restaurant food is key in my opinion. Lot of omega-6 and trans fats that don’t help weight loss at all.
LOVE all things coconut, btw. 🙂
Yes, making your own food should be a big help. You really don’t know what’s being added to your food when you eat out. I’ve been doing 24 hour fasts and use Martin’s protocol at LG for fasted resistance training (ie, only consume 10g BCAAs prior to training) & break the fast for real with a nice bone-in rib eye steak. Good luck with the weight loss plan, it sounds like you have a solid plan!
How do you incorporate the IF in your program?
I wrote it generally in the post, ie 1-2 times per week, 24-30 hours, typically on workout days because I always lift fasted. Overfeed if you can on other days. any specific questions?
Just wanted to know of you did it after breakfast or dinner? I have tried the fat bomb for breakfast and it kept me satiated until dinner
The fat bomb is always for breakfast
Do you fast after a specific meal? I have used your fat bomb with great results. It was very satiating. It is hard to find full fat coconut milk. Everything is always light
Fasts ar usually breakfast and late lunch, like 2ish, to dinner the next day. My preference.
Good progress. It would be useful to know what foods and eating patterns did you reintroduce to gain those 15 lbs. Did you also stopped slow walking when injured ?
I have been doing 16h IF *every* single day during 6 months and now I want to change it this pattern for a while. This liquid fat bomb will be my breakfast: Fast, easy and satiating.
Way excessive restaurant eating, like all the time. I just didn’t feel like preparing amything.
Yeap, who knows what oils they use to cook.
Speaking about heaving training and avoiding injuries I have found that Jim Wendler´s 5/3/1 method is more appropriate for older people (I just turned 41). It is also centered around big compound lifts, but you never train with your 1RM and you have a deload week every 4-5 weeks. Maybe progress is slower, but I have already done 2 cycles and I feel much more rested than before. As a bonus, these guys at elitefts.com are just superb. Check out their youtube channel. Worth watching (specially the “so you think you can squat” series”). Tate, Wendler et all are just fucking strong.
If you need any help with the paleo diet check out my website @ , I have guides, recipes and great exercise info. Let me know What you think about my latest Paleo blog post.
Really?