Alissa:  Hello!  I realize that we posted progress pictures only about a month and a half ago, but the progress we have seen in that time with carb cycling and the ketogenic diet have been so remarkable that we wanted to share new pics with you.

December 2010 - January 1st, 2012 - February 12th, 2012

At first I was concerned that this diet would be difficult to follow, or that it would cause all sorts of strange side effects.  After doing it though for a month and a half I can happily say that I have not had a hard time at all.  I actually really enjoy my low carb days.

I have tried a lot of things over the years to lose fat and this has by far been the most successful thing I have done.  My original goal was to get to 138 pounds and 18% body fat.  I am successfully at 138.8 pounds currently but still have about 2% body fat to lose to get to my goal.  This will most likely put me around 136 pounds.  I am very pleased with my results thus far and look forward to reaching a goal I wasn’t ever should I would!

Gabriel: And now for my pictures. . .  Which are both depressing, and inspiring.  The first photo is from when I was obsessed with long duration cardio / endurance training, so while I was very thin, my body fat was higher than I wanted. . .  Around 8.5 – 9%.  Before getting started in bodybuilding, I was down to a lean 7%, but had so little muscle mass that I looked silly.

And then we got to where we were in the last post, when I was part way through cutting the fat off so that I could see the muscle that I built. . .  I was cutting the traditional way, with additional cardio and just eating less than my TDEE.  I was seeing results, but not the way I wanted–  I was losing a touch of muscle along the way, and the results were not that fast.  Enter carb cycling, and now I have leaned out immensely. . .

December 2010 - January 1st, 2012 - February 12th, 2012

But now I can see where I’m lacking muscle the most.  In my quest, I’ve gained 14 pounds of muscle, and I think only 1/2 a pound went to my chest, which is an area that I work constantly, have seen tremendous strength gains, but not the size gains to go with it. . .  It makes no sense.  Outside of that, I’m decently happy with the progress I’ve made–  I’ve added 5 inches to my shoulders, an inch and a half to my arms, 2 inches to my thighs, and have seen plenty of progress elsewhere–  I’m currently at 10.2% body fat, and once I get down to the 7% I’m looking for, I’m going to do another bulking cycle to get my chest up to speed–  I may abandon my belief in full body workouts in favor of a day of mostly chest. . .  We’ll see.  It’s also worth noting that carb cycling is my friend–  Since I’ve started carb cycling, I’ve lost 3.5 lbs. of fat while gaining one pound of muscle.

I’m also on my way toward my goal of a “Four plate Dead Lift.”  (405 lbs.)  Right now I’m rocking 350 lbs., and expect to add more soon.

Filed under: Body Building, Personal by DeVinePhysiques
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If ever you talk to me, or if you’ve read our posts, you’ll hear / see the term “nutrition plan” often, but what will be absent, is the term “diet.”  I abhor this word as it is the reason why people can’t seem to get in shape, and if they manage to, they can’t stay in shape.  It all has to do with what the term diet has come to mean. . .

No longer does it mean what your consume on a regular basis–  Now, it has come to mean, “Which [gimmick] do you subscribe to?  Atkins?  South Beach?”  That normally would be too much of an issue, except that I’m not “on a diet.”  I choose to eat healthy on a regular basis, and don’t intend to change this.

The other issue beside this is the inherent problem with all of those “diets.”  While I’m no expert on fad dieting, they all seem to have a finish line–  A point at which you will “achieve” your “goal,” and you can stop dieting.  Does no one see the problem with this while they’re doing it?  If it took you all of this effort to get to a point, what makes you think that you can stop this “diet” and maintain.

This, is my second problem with the word “diet.”  A “diet” should not have a finish line–  Rather than define it as “What / how you eat to lose weight for a period of time,” it should be defined as “The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.”  Because of these misconceptions, I only use the term “Nutrition Plan,” which keeps people from asking how many “points” I’m at for the day.

I am sure you have all heard the phrase you are what you eat, and it is true.  If we eat the foods our bodies really want we will have lean strong bodies.  It is only when we start eating things in excess that our bodies start to have excess.  So, my wish for you is that you can start to really listen to what your body wants, and only feed it that.  No more refined foods, no more unnatural sugars, less carbs, more fat, and more protein.  At first you may crave the bad foods, but after you wean your body off of them you will most likely never crave them again.  Good luck!

Filed under: Health, Nutrition by DeVinePhysiques
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Lately, I’ve seen this picture floating around on facebook a lot:

"Which one weighs what? You have the option of 120 lbs. and 140 lbs.

I’m actually very happy that this is floating around, because it demonstrates what today’s blog is about, and something that is unbelievably important:

When most people talk about dieting and getting in shape, they only think about “losing weight.”  Well, what weight do you want to lose?  Most people only concern themselves with the number on the scale, and do obsessive amounts of cardio to “attain” their “goal.”  Without any focus on weight training, the body will catabolize (read: eat) muscle for energy rather than your fat stores, and while you will “lose weight,” you won’t look any more lean until you’re on the verge of looking emaciated from lack of muscle.  The high cardio approach only works for those who are excessively overweight, and only initially.  You need a balance of cardio and weight training, and they need to be done at optimal times.

We need to “Lose Fat,” rather than “Lose Weight.”

When are those optimal times?

Glycogen has everything to do with fat burning.  You want to weight train when you’re not hungry, and when your glycogen stores are stocked–  This will ensure a quality workout and will keep your muscle from being catabolized.  That’s simple enough–  Just eat a short while before going to the gym. . .  Now, when you’re doing Cardio, there are only two times you should really do it if you’re looking for it to be effective:  Immediately upon waking up, and immediately after weight training (Though, with this second option, you shouldn’t do more than 15 minutes).  Why is that?  At these points, your Glycogen stores are depleted and your body is chemically correct to separate the fat and burn it for energy.  If you do Cardio at other points throughout the day, you’re burning off food that you ate throughout the day, which will prevent it from being converted to fat, but it won’t burn the existing fat on your body.  A word on post workout Cardio:  If you’re going to do cardio and weight training together, be sure you do the cardio after–  This will cause your body to burn fat for fuel since weight training depleted your Glycogen stores.  If you do the cardio first, you’re going to burn muscle for fuel as your Glycogen stores were already depleted from the cardio, and you’re body can’t readily switch to fat for a fuel source during anaerobic activity (read: Weight Training).

Remember, muscle weighs more than fat (Something the picture above is pointing out), and there’s no such thing as “toning;”  If you want to look lean, you need to build muscle, then preserve muscle, while burning fat.

So, the next time you, or anyone else says “I need to lose weight,” just ask yourself what exactly you’re trying to lose.

In the coming few posts, we’re going to do some new progress pictures, and will have a Vlog soon!  Stay tuned!

*Obligatory Disclaimer: It’s worth noting, and is fairly obvious, that this is not our photo.*

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health by DeVinePhysiques
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This is a short and sweet entry.  I just want to remind all of you that you can achieve your goals if you never give up.  Health/fitness can be very frustrating at times, it can leave you feeling hopeless and like all your efforts are for naught.  But if you keep on learning more, experimenting, and loving yourself you will succeed!  You are amazing, remember that!  Only you can determine your level of success, why settle when you can conquer the world?

Two thumbs up for you!

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