#TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs

February 1-7th, the HighFatHighProteinLowCarbapproach officially starts. There will be a weekly release every Wednesday of the month.

In each and every weekly chapter, there will be snapshot of my week, my weight, my strength level, my mood and my general sensations will be checked, analyzed and assessed.

At the end of the February trial, some comparative numbers, pictures as well as my body fat percentage will be displayed and compared in order to assess the Pros and Cons of the #TheHighFatHighProteinLowCarbs.

My weight: I weigh myself each and every morning as I get up, on an empty stomach.

I started the week on Monday the 1st of February at 87.5kg, heavier than usual. The reason being is that from Friday 29th to Sunday 31st of January, I ate, binged what I wanted, which include a lot of peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches (my favorite) and dark chocolate.

As you see I am not immune to cravings. Nevertheless my body was kind to me for 2 days.

In fact on Friday I weighed at 86.6kg, 86.1kg on Saturday and 86.6kg on Sunday. Despite having a bad Friday my weight went down on Saturday but as soon as the bad eating turned into a BAD HABIT, 3 days in a row, my body said "BASTA" and I started to balloon, the end result being 87.5kg on Monday the 1st of February, an increase of 1.5kg in 3 days.

Let check my week weight curve:

Tuesday: 86.9kg, dropped 600g

Wednesday: 86.4kg, dropped 300g

Thursday: 85.3kg, dropped 900g

Friday: 84.9kg, dropped 400g (EXTRA REST DAY)

Saturday: 85.6kg increased 700g (REST DAY)

Sunday: 85.6kg, maintained weight. NEVERTHELESS I LOST 1kg in comparison to Sunday the previous week.

My strength levels:

The exercises I use to check on my strength are the Back Squat, Good Mornings, Thrusters, Deadlift, Jerk press and Front squat.

Back squat: I work it in 3 different modalities

4 sets 1-3 reps 95% of 1rep max, I managed 4 sets of 3 reps with 120kg, Set 1, 2, 3 and 4. I did 2 reps had a break then the last remaining rep.

4 sets 6-8 reps with 3" pause at bottom of squat, I now managed sets of 10 with 90kg.

4 sets 10 reps 85-90% of 1 rep max, I did 4 sets of 10 102.5kg UNBROKEN. I CRIED IN 3rd set as it was challenging and I had to give my whole.

Good Mornings: I am now at 4 sets of 5 with 50kg and did 4 sets of 5 with 60kg on Sunday.

Thrusters: I was at 4 sets of 5 with 50kg on Thursday and did 2 sets of 3 60kg thrusters on Sunday.

Jerk press: I am now at 4 sets of 5 with 50kg.

Deadlift: I managed 4 sets of 10 with 80kg, so moved up to 3 5 95kg deadlift on Wednesday. Sunday I increased the wright and did 5 sets of 3 with 100kg deadlift.

Front squat is now 3 sets of 5 with 60kg.

My mood: has been great, I truly felt more positive about everything. I didn't have to worry about food. I did overeat because of a lack of planning and not because I was hungry or desperate to eat.

Feeling good helped to spend better quality time with my almost 4 and 2 yo boys Milo and Noah. I can enjoy better the time with I spend with my wife and I am more focused in my BJJ and my work in general.

My conclusion and general sensations:

Nutrition:

It has been a very positive week, with a better control of my food intake. The number one rule is plan, then divide your days in meals and allocate a calorie top for each meal.

In my case, a breakfast, a post workout meal, a lunch, 2 snacks and dinner, and the calorie allowance for each meal is as follows.

1000 calories for my dinner, it is my most important meal, the one my wife cooks, so I want to enjoy.

Breakfast and lunch 700-800 calories each.

Post workout and snacks 250-400 calories.

My daily calorie intake oscillates between 3150-3550.

These number are slightly below my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) so in the long run I will still be losing weight anyway.

The dairy:

I need to double check if the increase in my consumption of full fat milk and cottage cheese is upsetting my stomach. I have felt slightly different this week, more "GAZY"...

I will on Saturday cut my dairy intake and see if is the source of my discomfort

Energy levels, fitness and strength:

I was simply on fire, super motivated and felt really strong and "alive". All my training sessions were positive.

I lifted more weight, I was stronger and faster in the classes, winning almost all the possible workouts in the HIIT and Kettlebell class.

All that being sleep deprived, I slept less than usual as I had many posts to write for my blog, I filled all my personal training slots and I am spending more quality time with my sons and I swear they are demanding and noisy like their Dad and Mum.

In the end I decided to reward myself with an EXTRA REST DAY to make sure I start next week as well as I finished this one.

Mental health and sleep:

I am eager to learn, to be productive and the little sleep I have is quality. I sleep less than five minutes after I lay in bed.

Daddy Kabuiku