Desserts make me wake up ripped

Over the last two years I’ve noticed when I eat desserts in the evenings I wake up ripped in the morning.  The pictures above are in chronological order from left to right.  It shows the progression throughout my Venus Index journey.

The very first picture on the upper left is when I started Venus Index two and a half years ago. The picture on the lower right was taken just a few weeks ago.

The pink bikini picture is the only time I purposefully manipulated diet and water to obtain a certain look.

There are constant “seasons”

Once you hit your fitness and weight loss goals and get close to the Venus Index Ideal you will find you go through seasons of change just like all other things in life.  Some things may work during some phases or seasons, then things change and your routine needs to evolve.

When I was in my big weight loss phase all that mattered was eat less and do the Venus Index Workouts.  Not much else mattered.  Once I hit 12% body fat and lower I had to learn to eat differently.  Simply eating less didn’t work anymore.

When I look back at what I did with nutrition up until April 2012 I realize that is no longer something I can follow.  I don’t completely understand why but I know it does not work for me anymore.

Last summer I finally tried something new that worked for me.  I started working out fasted.  Up until then I felt I couldn’t do it.  I realized once I adjusted to it that it was mostly mindset and allowing my body to adjust to something new.  It was hard at first, then I got used to it, then I loved it so much I couldn’t imagine any other way.

So skipping breakfast and working out fasted were the new routine that helped me keep my level of fitness and allowed me to eat at a level more appropriate for maintenance.

I noticed that desserts (complex carbs and sugar) make me wake up ripped

For the most part I don’t eat desserts except on special occasions or vacations.  I’ve noticed that on mornings after these special occasions I tend to wake up with ripped abs.

For years while I still had a lot of weight to lose I tried many diets that restricted carbs which only worked for me temporarily.  I always rebounded.   Lately I’ve felt compelled to try something new.  Because of how I’ve noticed desserts affect me and that many people seem to have some success manipulating carbs I decided to try an experiment.

I feel I can try this kind of experiment now because over the last several years I have learned the correct amount to eat for weight loss and maintenance.  Since I know I can be mindful not to eat too much I can try something new.  If all else fails I can fall back on the basics of simply eating the correct amount of overall food.

I am trying out John Kiefer’s Carb Back-Loading protocol in conjunction with the Venus Index Phase 3 Workout.  I started this experiment on April 13th.

I would not necessarily recommend this protocol (especially the low carb prep phase) if you have a hard time with restrictive diets or still have a lot of fat loss to accomplish.

This kind of experiment can be fun if it doesn’t drive you crazy, make you feel restricted, or if you have maintained fitness long enough to be comfortable with manipulating macro nutrients.  It may not work for you.  Everyone is different.

It seems to be working for me.  I’ve done it for several weeks now and on Wednesday this week I woke up with a fun and interesting new problem:

I woke up with an interesting and fun problem; My heart rate monitor only intermittently works because it doesn’t always make full contact with my skin.

There are a few things I like Kiefer’s Carb Back-Loading protocol

I find that the protocol fits perfectly with Eat Stop Eat and the Venus Index:

• Skipping breakfast is okay and actually recommended

Kiefer says that insulin sensitivity is highest in the morning making it the worst time to eat carbs, or any food for that matter.  John Barban says that your willpower is best in the morning and it weakens as you take on the stress of the day.

Many of us find that skipping breakfast helps us maintain a correct calorie budget for the day.  There is no scientific evidence supporting the statement that skipping breakfast is bad for you.  If you feel you need breakfast then by all means eat breakfast.

• Females especially, you need to lift heavy at the gym!

I love what Kiefer says about lifting heavy at the gym.  I’m paraphrasing here but he says you should not have to ask if you are lifting heavy enough.  Kicking butt at the gym is unmistakable.  I love this and it’s my favorite mantra lately “Kicking Butt at the gym is UNMISTAKABLE!”

This fits quite well with the Venus Index workout.

• Females will not be able to eat as much as men.
  

Kiefer says you don’t have to count calories for his nutrition protocol but most of us small females know that especially when it comes to high calorie foods such as most carbs, well, we pretty must have to estimate calories because there is not much room for error.

Here is a quote from “Carb Back-Loading 1.0” by John Kiefer:

Meeting the carb needs of a 130 lb female athlete takes far smaller
volumes than that of a 240 lb bodybuilding male. The amount of
carbs anyone can eat while Back-Loading depends on their quantity
of muscle mass. The average female athlete doesn’t have the muscle
mass necessary to get away with eating an entire box of chocolates
every night.

We can’t get away with eating an entire box of chocolates every night.  Yeah don’t we Venus girls know this.  It makes me laugh.  This is an understatement. I like it because it’s the truth.

If you really want to know how it works get the book

There are a lot of details in Kiefer’s Carb Back-Loading book.  Like Eat Stop Eat and Venus Index you really should read the book to get the most out of it and truly understand it.

Sometimes I get so many questions from people about Eat Stop Eat, Venus Index, and Carb Back-Loading that I finally have to say “Go Read the Book”!

Yes, it means you should go purchase the book.  I was frustrated when I was trying to follow it by just using the information I found on the internet and what friends told me about it.  It wasn’t enough.  I needed to purchase the book and read it.  I found it well worth the investment.  This is fair to the person who purchased it and who you are asking a lot of questions of, and it is fair to the author.

The carb backloading  is designed for men so I’ve had to make a few adjustments to make it work for me.  I’m willing to answer a question or two and then it’s time to go get the book if you want more information.

I decided to also trial Kiefer’s philosophy regarding cardio; HIIT and no more steady state cardio

At first I didn’t like John Kiefer’s style. I had read his article “Why Women Should Not Run” and being a long distance runner for over 30 years this really ruffled my feathers the wrong way.  I love running.

After I read his book I think he might be right.  I certainly think he is right about how insulin works; how you can eat to feed the muscle but not the fat and how eating carbs in the morning is about the worst thing possible for weight loss.  Kiefer is well qualified and he backs his statements with scientific data.

I like John Kiefer because like Brad Pilon and John Barban he sticks to facts and backs the facts with science and documented research, not opinion.

It makes me realize that even though I was successful at weight loss I did it the hardest way possible.  What I did proved that eating less and exercising are all that matter for weight loss, but it also proved how stubborn and persistent I was working against the odds.

I think Kiefer might be right regarding the cardio.  I recently finished a half marathon and even though it was my fastest ever at age 52, it did not help me get as lean as I wanted.  I continued to lift heavy at the gym with Venus Index Phase 2 Workouts but the long distance running seemed to hinder my “get leaner” goal.

Marin County Half Marathon on March 30, 2013

Since I’ve completed the half marathon and I’m doing Kiefer’s Carb Back-Loading for my nutrition plan I figured I might as well give his HIIT only cardio a try as well.  I figure why not give the program a fair shot all around?

So far the “Getting ripped with desserts” experiment is working well for me.  I can’t wait to see what happens next and write more about it.

If you are interested in seeing what I’m eating I keep a public food diary.  It automatically posts on Facebook and Twitter daily since there seems to be so much interest.

Until next time, it’s another great day to make good choices!

-Ro

PS If you are a Venus Index customer and you have a fun story to tell along with a picture contact roberta.saum@gmail.com