Make me Bionic!

[Blackah]

Hey Blackah, sugar-free Jell-O has aspartame, which is an artificial sweetener. Before you start going crazy with that stuff, you should do some research on the cons of artificial sweeteners (digestive issues, metabolic syndrome, etc…). Now, if you want something sweet that is completely safe, you should try liquid stevia. This stuff is amazing! Here’s an idea for you:

Meringues:
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. vanilla
A few drops of stevia, depending on how sweet you want them

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add in stevia, vanilla, and cream of tartar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; Bake at 250º for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on top. Baking time really depends on how hot your oven gets. Let them cool and peel right off the parchment paper.

Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for the heads up on Jelly. Fortunately I'm only going to use it for the next week or so! I've just made up a batch and it smells far too sickly sweet, even for me!

Tell me, what is Stevia??

[Blackah]

Weight: 126.5lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1200 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Cutting

Weighed in today at 126.5lbs

Well I'm pretty much there now. I measured waist this morning and it did come in at 25.5 inches which, when combined with new low weight and the other calculations I use, does bring me in at 8%... just!

But I'm not celebrating yet and I'm certainly not bringing cut to a end. At this point I know that if I just had a single cheat meal scale weight would go back up to 127 and I'd be back on 9% (again according to calculations). So I'm going to continue cutting until next Friday as planned to make sure I've secured current level. I'll then have reached a point where I'll feel comfortable and confident to start what looks like being an 8 month bulk.

I ate sugar free Jelly (Jello) last night with an excited expectation. Unfortunately I was a little disapointed. It did meet the main objectives of the exercise, i.e. it did fill me up and was only 16 calories, but it was so sickly sweet that even sugar addicted palate struggled to cope. It also left an after-taste in mouth that I'll probably have until next Christmas. Also I can't say that I felt particularly healthy after having eaten it. I'll think I'll stick to an apple!

I had a good Arms & Abs workout this morning switching focus from arms to abs.

Until tomorrow.

[ldematto]

Thanks Katie for the recipe! Sounds yummy!

[Blackah]

You're welcome, ladies and gent.

Blackah, here is some light reading about stevia:

http://www.answers.com/topic/stevia-sweet-herb

I get it in liquid form from NOW Foods. I find the powdered stevia to be very bitter.

Thanks Katie!


Weight: 126.5lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1200 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Cutting

Weighed in today at 126.5lbs

I didn't go for a run this morning. This was kind of planned as part of new regime of taking 1 day off a week and, although this wasn't supposed to start until after I'd finished cutting, I've made such good progress in the last couple of weeks I feel I can introduce this now. Besides, legs are still sore from Thursday's leg set and a day off at this stage is probably going to do me more good than harm.

Bizzarley enough I woke up this morning feeling absolutely starving. You would have thought that after 10 weeks of cutting metabolism would have moored up somewhere off Tailand. But no, I've been feeling more hungry than usual for the last two weeks and even sacrificed the possibility of a lye in this morning, just to have some breakfast!

diet has been kept absolutely rigid since wife returned from her business trip, more so than at any previous point during this cut. I know this is why I've made such good progress since then and, as diet has cleaned up, cravings for sugar have gradually dissipated. For example, wife was out for her first "Friday Night drink with colleagues" last night which was a perfect opportunity for me to enjoy some sugar indulgences. A few weeks ago that would definitely have been the case and, although I did allow myself to briefly visualise the contents of the childrens' food cupboards, I didn't follow thoughts through to their expected destination. Instead I had a banana (I would have had an apple but we'd run out) and made myself a cup of Japanese Black Tea, a drink I'm still really enjoying.

I think point is, and I know I've made this point a number of times before, the longer you can go without indulging in your most craved food or drink, the easier it becomes to stay off it. When wife returned from her business trip and I got back on cutting diet I was just sooo desperate to quit and continue eating the foods I had been devouring the previous week that I became desperate to finish cut. But, two weeks on, I feel I could continue this cut for the next three months! I can honestly say that I currently have no interest in desserts, cakes or chocolate and, if they were never dangled in front of me again, I could probably stay off them for the rest of life. Unfortunately, as with beer, popcorn and pizza, they're a part of our social network and very difficult to avoid completely. I subsequently know the minute I do enjoy those foods again cravings will be right back where they were 2 weeks ago.

Talking about social networks, we're supposed to being going out for lunch today with parents, making this weekly cheat day, however eldest boy is sick and is still in bed, so I'm not sure what we're going to do. I know it's nothing serious but it wouldn't be right for us all to jump in the car and drive for an hour to a restaurant if he's not well.

Anyway, until tomorrow.

[Blackah]

Weight: 127lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1200 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Cutting

Weighed in today at 127lbs

We eventually decided not to go out yesterday as was the plan. eldest was really too sick and, as it turned out, was ill all day. As is often the case with children he woke up this morning his normal cheerful self, so all is back to normal.

I was so put out at having missed what would have been perfect restaurant food, probably very similar to a couple of weeks back, that I started looking for ways to make up for the loss. I went to the supermarket to stock up on fresh fruit and veg and deliberately strayed into the Nuts and Chocolate sections. After studying the calorie levels of both I was so shocked that I left with just the fruit and veg. The large packet of peanuts that I really had eye on contained over 1200 calories in total! That's current daily amount in one relatively small bag. And the chocolate was over 500. I knew that were I to really enjoy both I would have to eat the lot but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

With a feeling of despondency over elation; despondency over having defeated myself and elation over having defeated myself (...!), I returned home to consume an apple. wife saved the day by digging out a cake from the freezer and the eating began. I spent the rest of the day happily eating whatever I fancied. Nothing very unhealthy, just a lot more than normal.

I had an easy run this morning, just a quick 3 miles, and am back on strict cutting diet today. This will only continue now until end of play Friday when 2009 cut will officially end. I'll be taking and posting progress pics at that point and not at the end of the month.

All being well we are all going away on Saturday to attend a wedding during which time I'll eat whatever I fancy. The week after I'll increase calories by 200 a day. I won't be taking a break in training as I feel I've had more than enough rest recently.

On a final note it looks like I'm going to have to shift training into the late afternoon from Monday. wife is starting to work a very early shift so she can liaise with Japan and, as keen as I am, I'm not training at 5am! I'm therefore planning to do weight training Monday through to Thursday, take Friday off and do morning run on Saturday and Sunday. It's a dangerous time for me to make such a change to routine. When such a change happened last year I basically quit. This year I'm going to carefully plan it in to day and work hard to make sure it quickly becomes new routine.

Until tomorrow.

[Blackah]

Weight: 127lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1200 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Cutting

Weighed in today at 127lbs

I'm writing this having NOT done usual morning weight training session. The idea for the next few weeks is that I train in the late afternoon whilst wife works an early morning shift. Today that should be around 5pm. I don't have to change eating plan much to accomodate this, I'm simply going to postpone afternoon protein shake until just before I train. I would prefer to have this immediately after but, for this week at least, I'm going to need as much energy as possible for training. The energy I'm hoping to get from the protein shake is of course not from the protein but the sugar that goes with the drink. I make up own protein drinks using Unflavoured Whey Protein which I add a small amount of low fat chocolate powder to for taste.

youngest has just been sick all over the carpet. I guess he now has the same bug eldest had on Saturday. I've just finished cleaning it up now and used up extra calories doing so. Yes, the glass is always half full in this house, even if his stomach is now completely empty.

Oh the joys of parenthood!

Until tomorrow.

[Blackah]

Weight: 126.5lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1200 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Cutting

Weighed in today at 126.5lbs

I gave up waiting for wife to return from work yesterday. Some of you may know that home gym is in the far corner of our living area so I decided to simply barricade myself in using the dinning room chairs so the children couldn't get through. This worked very well and they simply sat on the chairs switching their attention between me and the TV.

main concern with training in the same room as them is the risk of hurting them and therefore having to keep half attention on their exact whereabouts. Well, with the barricade in place, I was happily able to focus 100% and subsequently I had a perfectly good chest and tricep workout. I did have to tell them that Daddy couldn't talk when he was doing his exercises but they seemed to understand this. I'll definitely be doing this again. It means I can train exactly when I want to without waiting on anyone. I still prefer the morning but this will do for now.

Apart from last Saturday's lapse, and considering I've already achieved current goal, I'm surprising myself at how well I'm managing to stick to cutting diet during this final week. Hopefully I'll hit 126lbs by Friday and be able to call it a day with confidence. This Saturday's wedding will hopefully be a great time to feast but I know it won't be a particularly relaxing time. I know from experience that attending a wedding with 2 small, and rather bored, children is just more hard work really. Still, we're both looking forward to the opportunity to dress up and help celebrate the very beginning of an old friend 's voyage into married life.

Until tomorrow.

[oscarmadison]

I use stevia in oat meal with cocoa. love it

with a quarter cup of lemon juice a quart of water and ice two packets of stevia and bobs yer uncle great lemonade no calories!

I'm working on a no bake cookie with oatmeal the stevia has no bulk so it gets trickier baking with it.

If i recall correctly in japan lots of products are and have been sweetened with this plant extract for a long time.

In the west we sheeple are subjected to diabolic schemes to keep the largest corporations in piles of our cash. to our very own detriment like Hearst screaming about the evils of hemp and getting it banned while alcohol and tobacco enjoyed huge subsidizes and killing millions more people!

maybe THE MAN didn't realize what the intertubes would evolve into ? I dunno but with the information superhighway choked full of information previously hidden THE MAN better watch out for us sheeple we are coming and we are going to eat his !

[Blackah]

Our lives in the west are completely governed by the mass media. Us sheeple will do anything and everything we're told!

I agree that the internet is a great resource to encourage free thinking but I think only free thinking people will ever make the most of it.


Today's Journal

Weight: 123lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1200 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Surviving

Weighed in today at 123lbs

I've been very ill over the last couple of days. I caught the same bug both children had and have had system completly cleared out. I've had zero energy and, until this morning, had only managed to eat bread, water and a couple of bananas.

On a positive note I've had plenty of rest as I've been in bed since Tuesday night and this morning I'm feeling much better. I'm far from 100% but can at least function as human being again.

I wasn't suprised at scale reading this morning. I now have to gradually start eating normally again. This won't happen today but hopefully by tomorrow diet will be back on track.

It goes without saying that 2009 cut is now over. Not exactly in the way I was expecting (!) and at a much lower weight than was planned but at least it is done.

Until tomorrow.

[Blackah]

Weight: 123.5lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1500 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking

Weighed in today at 123.5lbs

health today seems just about back to normal again. I still feel a little weak but probably more due to lack of substantial fuel. I'll be doing weights later on today so if that goes OK then I'm definately back on track.

I'm also attempting to get diet back on track today. This statement would normally be followed by me saying that I'll now be eating less, but as I've eaten so little over the past few days I'll be attempting to eat a lot more. I'm also attempting the first stage of bulk by increasing calorie intake by about 200 a day, up to around 1500. Apart from this weekend I hope to keep this up until next Friday and then increase by another 200 for the following week. This weekend is a cheat weekend with a wedding to attend and I had hoped to completely stuff face, but with how I feel at the moment I'll be lucky just to eat a normal daily amount!

I'll be taking End of Cut progress picture later on this afternoon and will post it this evening.

Until tomorrow.

[Blackah]

Weight: 124lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1500 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Phase: Bulking

Weighed in today at 124lbs

This is the first journal entry in the next phase of fitness journey as I endeavour to bulk up without becoming the Incredible Bulk (aka Captain Blubber). So, although I'm going to be gradually eating a little more each week (200 calories up to maintenance and then 100 up to bulking level), it's pretty much business as usual. I'm going to be eating exactly the same foods and training with the same intensity.

I will be relaxing diet slightly over the weekends by indulging in the occasional healthy cake, and I might even have a beer or two on a hot summers weekend evening, but I'll be keeping things very much in control during the week.

I'm hoping to only put on 2 lbs a month and I plan to do this until February 2010. Therefore I should only put on around 16lbs between now and then to weigh in at around 140lbs when I'm finished.
What I'm most looking forward to, at this stage, is to have more energy during the day and to start making gains in strength again. I'm deliberately trying not to look forward to eating more food, especially the sweet stuff, as I don't want to think of this as an exercise in how much more I can eat. failure to bulk last year without things getting totally out of control has made me very wary of letting sweet tooth take control of eating habits.

This is the longest planned training program I've entered into so "Routine = Consistency = Success" will again be mantra. As always I'll be charting daily progress here with picture updates once a month.

This weekend is an official Cheat Weekend so I won't be updating again until Monday morning.

Until then!

[Blackah]

Weight: 127lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1500 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking

Weighed in today at 127lbs

We went, we ate and we came home again. Don't you just love weddings! I'm not sure I've ever eaten quite so much in one day before. I think in the first round between The Bionic Man and the Incredible Bulk, the Bulk won hands down. And then we had breakfast as part of the hotel deal which I enjoyed even more! I think breakfast is definitely favourite meal of the day and I definitely had the largest I have ever had. I enjoyed it so much I'm going to give you a run down of exactly what I ate:

Full British Fried Breakfast including 2 sausages, baked beans, 2 rashes of bacon, 2 fried eggs and tomatoe ketchup.
5 pieces of toast with butter with raspberry and blackcurrant jam
1 bowl of Alpen (Muesli)
1 bowl of Kellogg's Fruit n'Fibre
1 cup of filtered coffee.

If I hadn't have had the coffee I could have eaten more!

Anyway we all had a really good time and it was great to get away from home for a while. The children were extremely well behaved (as always) and we even managed to get them both into the hotel swimming pool to give them their first ever experience of swimming. The pool was completely empty and felt more like our own private pool. I'm sure their memories of swimming now will be positive and it will be easier for me to take them to the local pool more often. I'm very keen for them to be strong swimmers and have water as a natural and fun part of their lives.

But it's time to focus again with diet back in check and a chest and tricep workout waiting for me this afternoon. I'm curious to know if the 200 extra calories this week will have any noticeable impact on lifting this week. I think this week will be the hardest as 200 additional calories is hardly anything. Next week should be a lot easier.

Until tomorrow.

[ldematto]

Sounds like a truly nutricious breaky - guess you deserved a cheat

I didn't see a post of your end of cut pics?

[Nokie173]

Gosh.. Im Hungry now!

[Blackah]

Sounds like a truly nutricious breaky - guess you deserved a cheat

I didn't see a post of your end of cut pics?

Hi, yes, I can't work out how to post pics. Can anyone help me??


Today's Journal

Weight: 125lbs
Daily calorie intake approx: 1500 calories over 7 meals a day
Current Body fat percentage reading: 8%
Training Platform: Bionic Training Program
Training Phase: Bulking

Weighed in today at 125lbs

Yesterday was quite difficult for me to get myself mentally back on track. This is why cheat days and holidays can be so dangerous to anyone sticking to a rigid diet and training program. I just didn't feel like it! How sad is that. I had enjoyed rich foods and lazy weekend far too much and half of me was tempting myself to just let it continue.

Fortunately I didn't cave and stuck rigidly to normal clean diet and had a good chest and tricep workout in the afternoon. I did have 1 extra coffee at around 5.30pm just as a little low fat, low cal treat to keep myself going before evening meal. I was rewarding with scale weight dropping 2 pounds of water weight in just 24 hours.

Wimbledon has started which us Brits always enjoy. Grass Court Tennis in the summer epitomises everything that is British and it's one of the few times I'll watch sport on TV. I think the main reason I enjoy it so much is because it is clearly such a mental game. They're all incredibly talented but the individual with the strongest self discipline, self control and and self belief always seems to win the day. And it's exactly the same with this diet and fitness game we all play. Our ability to succeed lies, pure and simply, in our ability to govern and control our own thinking. Before you can guard against what you put into your stomach you must first guard against what comes into your thinking and to act only on the thoughts that will take you to where you want to be.

Watching the players I always find it interested that you can spot those who have clearly dedicated the days, weeks and months leading up to this event by following a strick diet and training program - and you can spot those that haven't! I was watching one British player in particular who was clearly overweight! I'm not saying that tennis players need to have particularly low body fat percentages but I'm also pretty sure they shouldn't be carrying around a gut either! I have no idea how this player expects to stand a chance of being successful at mastering such a mental game when "the player" clearly doesn't have the mental discipline to loose 10 pounds of pointless fat and get some speed up around the court.

Anyway I need to continue playing own mental game this week. The extra 200 calories is hardly noticeable so I need to make sure I don't cave until next week and another 200 cal daily injection.

Until tomorrow.[/img]