E-zine #12: Bigger and Leaner for Summer

By now, most of our IRONMAN readers have learned that experimentation and constant change are key factors in developing a productive training routine. Well, the same holds true for diet. There's probably not one single diet that will work equally as well for all individuals. Also, when it comes to cutting up, periodic changes usually play a major role in producing results.

The following schedule is the diet that I followed last year for my cutting phase. I had actually been dieting for a few weeks before this, so this is just the final eight weeks (in three phases). It wasn't for contest preparation, but I was getting ready for some photo shoots, so it was very close to what I would've done if I were preparing for a show. When you think about it, a photo shoot is probably more meaningful because those images are permanent. The benefits of photo shoots over, however, are that there's a little less stress involved and you can usually adjust the schedule based on how you look'with a contest you have one day as your goal.

Weeks 1, 2, 3

Meal 1, 6 a.m.
5 egg whites, 1 whole egg, scrambled
Hot cereal (10 grain), 1 serving
Honey, 1 tsp.
Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp.
Supplements: multivitamin-and-mineral capsule, 1; Omega Stak, 4

Meal 2, 9 a.m.
Muscle Meals, 1 packet
Pro-Fusion, 1 scoop

Meal 3, 11 a.m.
Tuna, 6 oz.
Brown rice, 1/2 cup
Green beans, 1/4 cup
Supplements: Omega Stak, 4; AnaVol-R (with ribose and creatine), 1 serving

Meal 4, 1 p.m.
Chicken breast, 6 oz.
Brown rice, 1/2 cup
Green beans, 1/4 cup

Meal 5, 3 p.m.
Muscle Meals, 1 packet
Pro-Fusion, 1 scoop

Meal 6, 5:30 p.m.
Postworkout shake
Met Max, 1 1/2 scoops
Metabolol, 1 1/2 scoops
Cort-Bloc, 4 capsules

Meal 7, 7 p.m.
5 egg whites, 1 whole egg, scrambled
Hot cereal (10 grain), 1 serving
Honey, 1 tsp.
Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp.
Supplements: Antioxidant, 2; Omega Stak, 4

Calories: 2,600
Protein: 313 grams (48 percent)
Fat: 74 grams (26 percent)
Carbs: 180 grams (26 percent)

Weeks 4, 5, 6

Meal 1, 6 a.m.
5 egg whites, 1 whole egg, scrambled
Hot cereal (10 grain), 1 serving
Honey, 1 tsp.
Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp.
Supplements: multivitamin- and mineral capsule, 1; Omega Stak, 4

Meal 2, 9 a.m.
Muscle Meals, 1 packet
Eliminate Pro-Fusion*

Meal 3, 11 a.m.
Tuna, 4 oz.*
Brown rice, 1/4 cup*
Green beans, 1/4 cup
Supplements: Omega Stak, 4; AnaVol-R (with ribose and creatine), 1 serving

Meal 4, 1 p.m.
Chicken breast, 4 oz.*
Brown rice, 1/4 cup*
Green beans, 1/4 cup

Meal 5, 3 p.m.
Muscle Meals, 1 packet
Eliminate Pro-Fusion*

Meal 6, 5:30 p.m.
Postworkout shake
Met Max, 1 1/2 scoops
Metabolol, 1 1/2 scoops
Ribose Size, 2 scoops**
Cort-Bloc, 4 capsules

Meal 7, 7 p.m.
5 egg whites, 1 whole egg, scrambled
Hot cereal (10 grain), 3/4 serving*
Honey, 1 tsp.
Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp.
Supplements: Antioxidant, 2; Omega Stak, 4

Calories: 2,300
Protein: 251 grams (44 percent)
Fat: 68 grams (27 percent)
Carbs: 171 grams (29 percent)
*Indicates calorie reduction.
**Indicates supplement addition.

Weeks 7, 8

Meal 1, 6 a.m.
5 egg whites, 1 whole egg, scrambled
Creamy brown rice cereal, 1 serving***
Honey, 1 tsp.
Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp.
Supplements: multivitamin- and- mineral capsule, 1; Omega Stak, 4; ECA fat-burner, 2**

Meal 2, 9 a.m.
Muscle Meals, 1 packet

Meal 3, 11 a.m.
Tuna, 4 oz.*
Brown rice, 1/4 cup*
Green beans, 1/4 cup
Supplements: Omega Stak, 4; AnaVol-R (with ribose and creatine), 1 serving

Meal 4, 1 p.m.
Chicken breast, 4 oz.*
Brown rice, 1/4 cup*
Green beans, 1/4 cup

Meal 5, 3 p.m.
Muscle Meals, 1 packet
Supplements: ECA fat-burner, 2**

Meal 6, 5:30 p.m.
Postworkout shake
Met Max, 1 1/2 scoops
Metabolol, 1 1/2 scoops
Ribose Size, 2 scoops
Cort-Bloc, 4 capsules

Meal 7, 7 p.m.
7 egg whites, scrambled*
Creamy brown rice cereal, 1 serving***
Honey, 1 tsp.
Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp.
Supplements: Antioxidant, 2; Omega Stak, 4

Calories: 2,176
Protein: 246 grams (45 percent)
Fat: 60 grams (25 percent)
Carbs: 163 grams (30 percent)
*Indicates calorie reduction.
**Indicates supplement addition.
***Substituted for its lower calorie content.

You can see that, as my calories got lower, I began adding more supplements in order to fight off muscle loss. This was also the first time I'd ever tried getting lean without using any form of aerobic work, though our training intensity was quite high. I opted to try simple calorie reductions instead. While it was basically a success, I still felt as though I may have lost a bit too much muscle.

That's not to say this isn't a good diet plan. I just think I went too low in calories while training so hard. This can still serve as a fine guideline for anyone trying to get lean for the summer, or even a contest or photo shoot. As stated previously though, it's best to experiment and see what works best for you.

We've already begun our cutting phase for this year, and I'm trying something a bit different this time. I'll report back in the next e-zine to let everyone know what I'm doing differently, and how well it's working. So far I'm very happy with the results, but I'll wait a couple more weeks to give a full report.

To follow the ITRC training program in 'Train, Eat, Grow', grab the latest issue of IRONMAN. For more on POF training go to www.ironmanmagazine.com

This special report was submitted by Jonathan Lawson
From the IRONMAN Training & Research Team
www.ironmanmagazine.com

The ITRC Training Newsletter is not intended as training advice for everyone. You must consult your physician before beginning any diet or training program. You may forward this email to as many friends as you want, but do not photocopy or reprint this report in any format without the written permission of the copyright holder.

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