This morning, it was time to pull out the caliper and step up on the scale for some measurements again. It’s been a week since I changed the diet (again) to keep the fat coming off. In short; I’ve been eating some extra carbs during and after my weight training sessions. And on off-days, I’ve been restricting carbs to veggies only (as usual). You can see the actual scheme in my last update, from August 5, complete with all the numbers.

This week has been kind of hectic. I and my business companion, Fredrik Carlsson, came back after a couple of weeks of vacation on Monday morning. We both had a lot of clients to attend to, especially those who will compete in the National Bodybuilding, Classic Bodybuilding, Fitness, and Body Fitness Championships on October 7 and 8. I also had some priority clients along with new requests of training- and nutritional programs. It’s easy to lose focus on your own diet and meal schedule when you are up over your ears in work and put every ounce of concentration into your clients.
Anyway, the week went very well. The extra carbs around my workouts seem to have helped in re-gaining some muscle mass. When it comes to fat loss, the 7-sites caliper readings show a loss of about 1 lb this week. This is not totally accurate, since I see a lot of improvement in other areas that isn’t measured; like serratus anterior, external oblique, deltoids, forearms and calves. Since it’s now getting a bit harder due to the stubborn deep fat, I’ll start taking some other reference readings for future reference, like medial deltoid, lower back, calves and biceps (pretty much like the Parillo formula, except for the delts).

The results now after a total of eight weeks (56 days), August 12:

Morning body weight: 165.66lbs (75.3kg), down another 0.44lbs (0.2kg) from last week and a total of 18.34lbs (8.3kg).
Body fat percentage: 6.83%, down from 7.4% last week and from 14.8% at the start.
Fat weight: 11.31lbs (5.14kg), down another 0.98lbs (0.45kg) from last week and a total of 15.89lbs (7.2kg).
Lean body weight: 154.35lbs (70.16), up 0.54lbs (0.25kg) from last week.
Waist measurement: 33.15” (84,2cm), down another 0.31” (0.6cm) from last week and a total of 3.65” (9.0cm)

Here’s a little diagram for all you number and statistic-junkies. (Click to open)

A new update with photos will be up next weekend.

Today is/was my scheduled re-fuel (or re-feed) day. That meant about 4000 to 4500 kcal with about 1000 kcal from protein and the rest from carbs. To tell you the truth, after my morning training session and a big post recovery protein-drink followed by some beef and pasta, I wasn’t really that hungry. I followed up with some bread and buns, which was a big mistake. Those darn starches and simple sugars filled me up bad with my insulin spiking trough the roof, only to end up way down in the ground. In simple terms; I’ve felt like a zombie on sedatives all day. So, if my English suck more than usual today, you know why. And yes, I can’t wait to go back to meat and veggies again tomorrow!

Anyway, that’s not really interesting, is it? So, how has the progress been this last week? Well, the fat loss is slowing down a little, but I re-gained some muscle. The week hasn’t been perfect, but pretty good all in all. No cardio at all, but four productive weight training sessions (upper- and lower body split).
Well, about the fat loss. The thing is that most of the fat I have left is “old stubborn interspersed fat” that I’ve collected since my younger years. After being very sick as a child I ballooned into a fat kid in my teenage years. I lost most of it between 16 and 17 (I went from a fat 187lbs to a skinny 123lbs). I re-gained some of it in my twenties, lost most of it again in the late 90’s; and was quite fit and muscular at 155lbs. Then I bulked up a bit over 200 lbs in 2000, which wasn’t very clever. After that I’ve been between 172lbs and 202 lbs, pretty fit at times, but never really lean (below 10% BF).
Anyway, I’m closing in on my goal. But I still have some fat around the shoulders, a little on the lower chest, some on my upper legs and some between my abs. And of course, some in my lower back as most men. So, it’s time to change things around a little to keep the fat coming off.

But first, the results after 29 days (since the last change in the diet) and a total of seven weeks (49 days), August 5:

Morning body weight: 166.1lbs (75,5kg), down another 0.7lbs (0.3kg) from last week and a total of 17.9lbs (8.1kg).
Body fat percentage: 7.4%, down from 7.96% last week and from 14.8% at the start.
Fat weight: 12.29lbs (5.59kg), down another 1.01lbs (0.44kg) from last week and a total of 14.9lbs (6.77kg).
Lean body weight: 153.81lbs (69.91kg), up 0.31lbs (0.14kg) from last week.
Waist measurement: 33.46” (85cm), down another 0.08” (0.2cm) from last week and a total of 3.34” (8.4cm)

And this is how I looked this morning (notice that I trimmed my belly, which just made me look fatter).

And a comparison of the progress (click to open)

Well, what I will do now is to add some carbs during and after my weight training sessions. Not much, only about 60 grams in all so I will get about 90 grams of carbs total on training days. My energy intake will be slightly higher on training days a well; about 1800 kcal. On other (rest) days, I will only consume about 40 grams of carbs from veggies only, just like the previous weeks. My energy intake will be a bit lower on rest days; about 1600 kcal.
Let’s see how this work out in numbers.

This is how the macronutrient breakdown has looked like for the last month:

Carbs: 40g (9 E%)
Protein: 160g (38 E%) (including 20g BCAA)
Fat: 105g (53 E%)
Energy: 1744kcal

And now it will look like this on training days:

Energy: 1800kcal
Carbs: 88g (20 E%)
Protein: 175g (40 E%) (including 20g BCAA)
Fat: 82g (40 E%)

And on rest days:

Energy: 1600kcal
Carbs: 39g (10 E%) (only veggies, mostly fiber)
Protein: 156g (40 E%) (including 20g BCAA)
Fat: 91g (50 E%)

That’s it for now. Next update on OP Lean Bastard will be in one or two weeks.

I’ve received several e-mails during the last week asking for examples of my daily planning and the “OP Lean Bastard” menu. Well, it’s not actually that exciting; it’s mostly lean meat, veggies and vegetable oils.

To make it as easy as possible, I’ll take you through an ordinary day with all the meals, its ingredients and some comments.

This is how a regular day may look like:

7.00 AM: 2 Ergogin pills with about 1 liter (0.26 gallons) of water.
8.15 AM: 5g BCAA and 3g creatine.
8.30 AM: Training session.
9.00 AM: Mid-session: 5g BCAA and 3g creatine.
9.30 AM: Doing some HIIT for 15 min or go home.
10.00 AM: Meal 1 and 1 Multivitamin and mineral pill.
2.00 PM: Meal 2.
4.00 PM: 5g BCAA and 3g creatine + 2 Ergogin pills.
6.00 PM: Meal 3 and 1 Multivitamin and mineral pill.
8.00 PM: 5g BCAA and 3g creatine.
10.30 PM: Meal 4.
11.00 PM: Zink, Magnesium, Vitamin-B6 and B12.

Examples of my meals for the day (calculated for a total of about 1740 kcal):

Meal 1 – liquid shake:
Whey and Casein protein powder: 35g
Natural Yogurt: 150g
Blueberries and blackberries: 100g
Whipping cream 40% fat: 50g
Omega-3: 2g (taken separately)

I mix the above ingredients with water and ice-cubes in a blender. This meal is very high in antioxidants, potassium and a bit higher in carbs than the other meals. It’s perfect after a workout. The whipping cream adds great taste and gives me some saturated fats. The yogurt gives some friendly bacteria for my intestines.

Carbs: 19g
Protein: 36g
Fat: 27g
Energy: 463 kcal

Meal 2 & 4:
Minced meat (beef) 4% fat: 100g
Cheese 23% fat: 40g
Vegetable mix: 250g
Olive oil: 4g
Flaxseed oil: 6g
Omega-3: 2g (taken separately)

My vegetable mix contains: spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, green and red peppers, haricots and various onions.

The minced meat is usually grilled as small hamburgers or simply fried in a coated frying pan. Most of the carbs are from vegetables and in the form of fiber, which is crucial in any diet. This meal is also high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. Most of the fat comes from vegetable oils with a slight favor for the Omega-3 rich flaxseed oil. The cheese is in there for flavor, protein, some saturated fats and for the calcium.

Carbs: 7g (mostly fiber)
Protein: 34g
Fat: 26g
Energy: 397 kcal

Meal 3:
Tuna: 125g
Vegetable mix: 250g
Olive oil: 12g
Flaxseed oil: 10g
Omega-3: 2g (taken separately)

This is only a variation of the above meal.

Carbs: 7g (mostly fiber)
Protein: 36g
Fat: 26g
Energy: 406 kcal

Total for the day:
Carbs: 40g (9 E%) (about 20g fiber)
Protein: 160g (38 E%) (including 20g BCAA)
Fat: 105g (53 E%)
Energy: 1744kcal

On off-days, my morning meal contains less yogurt and berries, and thus less carbs. It’s also a bit lower in fat. My energy intake on off-days tends to be around 1600 kcal. The BCAA and creatine are taken between meals with the last serving right before bed.

As you can see, it’s not that exciting. However, all the meals taste great and are as healthy as possible considering the low calorie and high fat intake. And remember, this is an extreme diet and it’s only followed for about 6 to 10 weeks.

Since you consume a lot of veggies, pretty much protein and a lot of fat, you’re never hungry on this diet. With very little carbs, my blood sugar is stable. When I work on programs, articles or other things that occupies my mind, I actually tend to miss meals with an hour or two; simply because I’m not hungry and my energy levels are stable. The BCAA do help a lot though; it keeps you sharp and focused (pretty much, anyway.)

And that reminds me, it’s time to eat. Thanks for reading!

Last week I visited my brother and helped him with some demolition work. Pulling things down and crushing mortar is fun, picking up all the debris afterwards and drive it to the nearest refuse dump isn’t. Anyway, my planned re-fill day actually turned into 2.5 days of less strict eating. Unfortunately I got more carbs that I planned. Working outdoors while the hours fly by isn’t exactly the best setting for following a nutritional plan. Neither is spending quality time with your family. Nonetheless, it was good fun and I’m not preparing for a contest so it doesn’t bother me the least.
What do bother me is that I spent a lot of energy on non productive exercise this week. First we worked our ass off on Friday and Saturday at my brother’s house (which was productive since it is heavy and hard work). But on my way home that evening I missed a bus and instead of waiting an hour I walked home with a backpack of 40lbs, which took roughly an hour. And when I walk, I walk like a frikkin’ sport walking athlete, otherwise I would be bored to death. The day after, believe it or not, I was in the same situation again. This time it was only 30 min to the next bus, but stupid as I was I said “f**k this” and I walked home once again. And a few days later I got persuaded into a “small stroll” with a friend that turned into a really long walk through the larger part of Västerås (it took close to two hours).
So, what did all this cardio do? Well, it seems like I lost 0.8lbs of lean body mass during these last nine days and my fat loss actually slowed down. Well, that’s what happens when you do too much cardio on too few calories.

The results after 22 days and a total of six weeks (42 days), July 29:

Age: 32
Height: 5′8″ (172 cm)
Morning body weight: 166.8lbs (75.8kg), down another 2.6lbs (1.2kg) from last week and a total of 17.2lbs (7.8kg).
Body fat percentage: 7.96%, down from 8.9% last week and 14.8% at the start.
Fat weight: 13.3lbs (6.03kg), down another 1.8lbs (0.83kg) from last week and a total of 13.9lbs (6.3kg).
Lean body weight: 153.5lbs (69.77), down 0.8lbs (0.37kg) from last week.
Waist measurement: 33.54” (85.2cm), down another 0.36” (0.8cm) from last week and a total of 3.26” (8.2cm)

So, what will I do during the next week? Well, first of all I will not do any pointless cardio no matter what situation I may end up in, that’s for sure. If someone wants to stroll around in the city, I’ll tag along in a cab. Second, and this I already did this morning, was to do a tiny carb-load during and after my lower body workout. I added 120 grams of carbs in two servings during and immediately after the training session. Other than that, the upcoming week will continue as previously outlined. New pictures will be taken next Saturday.
Until then, have a great week!

 
This fat loss journey is from 2006. The more recent OLB II can be found here and OLB 2008: Shredded here.

On June 17, 2006, I began yet another journey to shed some unwanted pounds. It was time for the fat bastard to get lean.

But before I throw in my stats, pictures and the diets I’ve used during these weeks and the results I’ve achieved, I’ll start out with some background info on myself.

It’s been a few years since I wrote about my training on the Internet, at least to the international public. Since a lot have happened, I’ll try to give you a short sum up of the last couple of years.
In 2003 I worked as Editor in Chief and designer/layout man for a sports and bodybuilding/fitness magazine. I also helped with starting up two gyms, supporting a supplement distributor, arranging a fitness festival and the Bodybuilding and Fitness Nationals. It was a crazy year – and I worked close to 500 hours overtime with periods of five weeks without a day off.

I early 2004 I paid the price and my body collapsed. I was burnt out and I catched tonsillitis followed by a double sided pneumonia. The latter lasted for six weeks and leaved me with even more scar tissue in my already damaged lungs (I suffered from severe asthma and allergies as a child and was near death on several occasions.)
I spent the larger part of 2004 to rehabilitate. During the first weeks in the summer I couldn’t even walk a flight of stairs without getting winded and cramping from lack of oxygen – and my head and vision was literally spinning.

In late 2005 I could finally weight train at almost full capacity again. I was doing upper and lower body splits since I couldn’t handle full body workouts. Still, the lower body workouts were a bitch with cramping and shortness of breath. At that time I managed to climb back to about 194 lbs (88kg) with 12% body fat. This is what I looked like at the start of 2006:

In February 2006 I started a new business (presented on this website) and also teamed up with Fredrik Carlsson and his Team reFORM (Sweden’s largest competition team for bodybuilders and fitness athletes). I moved from Eskilstuna to Västerås and opened a new office in the same building as reFORM Supplement Store. It was a couple of hectic months and in March disaster struck again.
I woke up with some kind of nettle rash, a sore throat, a light fever, heavy water retention and itching eyes and lips. After three visits to different doctors and several tests later, they still couldn’t figure it out and it was “labeled” as some kind of viral infection. My vision blurred and I couldn’t read for weeks. This is what it looked like after a week on antihistamines (May 20th):

I could hardly move at all for about eight weeks, and we all know what that can do to a body. Yep, that’s right Bubba; acute muscle loss and some fat gain. It’s the worst combination of them all.
It actually took close to 13 weeks before I could start exercise lightly again. That was in late May. After a few weeks of playing around in the gym I’ve had enough. It was time to get lean and into shape again. I needed to prioritize my health over re-gaining all my muscle, which at that high body fat percentage only would be a strain on my body due to more tissue to oxygenate. My goal is sub 6% body fat, and to tell you the truth, I haven’t been there since early 2000 (when I was about 6.5% BF).

This is how bad I looked on June 17:

My stats as of June 17:

Age: 32 years young
Height: 5′8″ (172 cm)
Morning body weight: 184lbs (83.4kg)
Body fat percentage: 14.8%
Fat weight: 27.2lbs (12.3kg)
Lean body weight: 156.8lbs (71.1kg)
Waist measurement: 36.8” (93.4cm)

During the first three weeks I rotated my carbs with a small carb load every third day.

A regular day looked like this:

278g protein (57E% and 1140 kcal)
87.5g fat (39E% and 770 kcal)
17.4g carbs (4E% and 71 kcal)
Total: 1981 kcal

This was divided into four regular meals and four separate supplement feedings between meals of BCAA (5 grams) and Creatine (3 grams).

Load days looked like this:

301g protein (44E% and 1234 kcal)
97.1g fat (30E% and 854 kcal)
177.4g carbs (26E% and 727 kcal)
2815 kcal

The extra carbs were added to my breakfast (before training) and directly after my training session as a post work-out shake.

I did this diet for about three weeks as a “gentle break in” to get my fat metabolism going and to bring me down close to 10-11% BF.

Training regimen:
Since my lungs are in bad shape I’m currently doing a classic “pull and push” 3-split. When I get better, I’ll go back to a upper- and lower body split. And no, I don’t waste time on isolation exercises or machines.
I will train 4-5 days a week. I will not do any direct cardio work. That’s right! NO FRIKKIN’ ENDLESS CARDIO!
Cardio doesn’t really burn that many calories to begin with. And worst of all, cardio have no EPOC (afterburning due to raised metabolism) to speak of. Weight training can lead to a 4 to 7 percent increase in the metabolic rate over a 24-hour period. Cardio will, well, do nada, my friend. And since my plan don’t include steroids, cardio would only chew my muscle mass away (and thus lowering my metabolic rate.)

The results after almost three weeks (20 days), July 7:

Height: 5′8″ (172 cm)
Morning body weight: 174.2lbs (79.2kg), a loss of 9.8lbs (4.2kg)
Body fat percentage: 11.2% (from 14.8%)
Fat weight: 19.5lbs (8.9kg), a loss of 7.7lbs (3.4kg)
Lean body weight: 154.7lbs (70.3kg), a loss of 2.1lbs (0.8kg)
Waist measurement: 34.8” (88.5cm), a loss of 2” (4.9cm)

Since my first measurement at the beginning of the diet measured me at a normal glycogen-filled state, and this measurement three weeks later measured me at a depleted state, the lean body mass measurement is a bit off. The loss is mostly due to glycogen and intracellular fluids.

This is what I looked like after three weeks:

At this point, since I was about 11% BF and it tends to get harder to keep the fat melting off once you go below 10% and approaching 6%, I changed the diet.
This time I tossed the carb rotation and threw in a re-fill day once every other week (my usual regimen). I also lowered my calorie intake and changed the macronutrient breakdown.

Since my basal (resting) metabolism is about 1690 kcal (derived from Harris J. & Benedict F. biometric study of basal metabolism in man), I will stay above that figure during the entire diet. In order to calculate a good target calorie intake I use my own formula of; 25 x Lean Body Weight in Kilograms (that’s roughly 11.4 x Lean Body Weight in lbs.). For me at this point, that is about 1759 kcal.
Remember, this is extreme dieting; it’s not for the beginner.

This is how the breakdown looked like:
Protein: 150g (35E%)
Carbs: 43g (10E%)
Fat: 110g (55E%)
Total: 1759 kcal

Since almost all of the carbs comes from veggies, a large part of it is fiber and thus lowering the total calorie intake a bit further.
The fat intake was split into roughly 40% saturated fats (to keep my testosterone flying), 30% polyunsaturated- and 30% monounsaturated fats.
I still divide my daily food into four meals. More than that is unnecessary in order to keep the body going, even though I prefer six meals. Also, on a low calorie plan like this, each meal would be too small anyway.
I also continued with my BCAA and creatine mix for four servings a day. That is a must at this low calorie and protein intake.
My re-fill day (every 14th day) is limited to about 4000 kcal from mostly clean foods (some sugars are allowed since I’m totally depleted).

Supplements I use:
Multivitamin/mineral formula: one in the morning and one in the evening.
Omega-3 capsules: 2 with every meal for a total of 8 a day (8 grams).
BCAA (5 grams) and Creatine (3 grams): four servings a day between meals. On workout days, 1 serving at the beginning of the training session and one in the middle (after about 30-35 min).
Ergogin (Ginko Biloba och Rhodiola Rosea): one dose in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Zink and Magnesium with B-6 and B12, before bed.

That’s it! No ephedrine, caffeine or any other kind of worthless “fatburner”.

The results after 13 days and a total of almost five weeks (33 days), July 20th:

Height: 5′8″ (172 cm)
Morning body weight: 169.4lbs (77kg), down another 4.8lbs (2.2kg) and a total of 14.6lbs (6.4kg).
Body fat percentage: 8.9%, down from 11.2% and 14.8% at the start.
Fat weight: 15.1lbs (6.86kg), down another 4.4lbs (2kg) and a total of 12.6lbs (5.5kg).
Lean body weight: 154.3lbs (70.14kg), down 0.4lbs (0.18kg).
Waist measurement: 33.9” (86cm), down another 0.9” (2.5cm) and a total of 2.9” (7.4cm)

Pretty good results if I may say so myself. No cardio except for 1 or 2 short brisk walks a week for 15 min directly after a workout. It all comes down to nutrition and weight training. Losing 4.4lbs and going from 11.2% BF to 8.9% BF in 13 days is pretty good. And if my clients complain about low carb days, I’ll smack them in the head with loaf of bread. I’m doing fine at only 30 to 40 grams a day. It’s easy if you keep the fats pretty high.

So, this is what I looked like after close to five weeks (33 days), July 20:

And here’s a little comparison (click it to open):

To get the body fat percentage we use Jackson, A.S., Pollock, M.L Fat Caliper equations with 7 sites. This is not entirely accurate. But one thing is most certain. I still have a lot more fat to loose!
I’ll continue to update once a week on Saturdays. New photos will be taken every other week.