Travis Speegle's Fitness Journey

Time to Practice What I Preach.

Most fitness experts get really good at telling people what they should do to create significant changes in the way they look and feel, but few will actually lay it on the line and show the public what they can do for themselves. 

Over the past year, the demands over my time from new business ventures, significant travel and family responsiblities have increased tremendously.  In this case, I have to admit that I am human and have let my fitness level slip to a level that should be considered unacceptable for any legitimate fitness expert. 

I have always been able to produce dramatic physique changes in my clients in a relatively short period of time provided that they are truly commited to making radical lifestyle changes for at least some duration. This short term, faster approach certainly isn't for everyone and it's not the safest, healthiest or easiest way to improve body composition, but it is fast. 

Given that my typical lifestyle habits are very healthy and knowing that I will easily reclaim those habits at the conclusion of this program, I prefer to take the hard, fast road to shed this excess bodyfat aggressively over the next 4 weeks. 

On a daily basis, I will be sharing my personal experience.... the good, the bad and the ugly. 

Go ahead and subscribe to the feed, you will be interested to see the methods I utilize and you may find some inspiration that will help spur you to make your own changes. 

Day 1 - October 18

We just returned from a five day road trip in which we took business meetings in three different cities each roughly 300 miles apart.  This would be an easy time to say; "I'm too tired, I'll start this program on Monday" 

Coaching Insight -  A truly committed program never starts on Monday....  Successful programs start right now!

I got up this morning and went for a 30 minute walk. (it was just barely still morning.... we got home about 3am, in bed by 4:30am and up at about 9:30)  Not too strenuous, just a nice morning walk to get the blood flowing and start the process.   

First meal (if you can call it that) @ 10:30 AM is a scoop of egg white protein, mixed with water and flax seed meal.  Chased with a multi vitamin and a couple fish oil capsules.  This is the "go to" meal for today and most of my strict diet days. 

Second meal @ 12:30 same protein shake and fish oils + a small apple

Third meal @ 2:30  and the Fourth at 4:30 PM both protein shake with flax and fish oil. 

5PM  12 minutes of interval cardio on the bike.

6:30 dinner 5oz of turkey breast, mixed greens with balsamic vinegar. 

I'm very tired, I think that has a lot to do with the whirlwind trip.  No problems with hunger today, it was nice not to think much about food.... I was eating a bunch of junk during the trip, which wasn't making me feel very good anyway.

Overall a good start. 

In bed by 9:30pm

               

Day 2

Slept well last night.... I was really tired yesterday.

Got up, had my protein shake and fish oils before leaving for work. 

All day today, I simply mixed up a shake every 2 hours (about 30 grams of mixed egg white and whey protein, plus 2 Tbsp of flax seed meal)

Coaching Insight: The big key to being able to deal with this super low caloric eating throughout the day is to have your feeding planned out and easily accessible.  Today,  I had shaker bottles with the protein mixed and ready to go.... each time the clock hit the two hour mark, I simply added water shook it up and and knocked it back.   You can do that with complete meals as well, just pre pack them in to go containers and have them ready when it's time to eat.

Morning 10 minutes on the treadmill at 13 degree incline

Afternoon 12 minutes on the bike  4 min warm up, 4 min Tabata intervals, 4 min cool down

Dinner grilled pork loin 5 oz + 2 cups of Cauliflower and 1 cup of mixed greens

Decaf green tea. 

Overall, I felt OK today.... my energy levels had definite peaks and valleys.  I felt great for about a a half hour after each of my exercise sessions.  Next time I'm going to add some extra glutamine to my shake and maybe a piece of fruit after my interval session.   As long as I stayed busy and/or active I functioned well and felt good.  When I was idle during the day, I could feel some effects of the major caloric deficit. 

So far so good. 

Day 3

Alright!  I made it through my first 2 strict calorie restriction days.  Only half a day to go until I get to eat again. 

I woke up a little groggy this morning, I didn't sleep all that well last night.  Woke up throughout the night and had trouble getting back to sleep.  My body may think it's going to starve to death while I'm sleeping. 

I had my morning protein shake as soon as I got up and headed out to the office.  My first meeting ran very long and I missed my second morning shake (should have had that one pre-mixed).  By the end of that meeting and 2 extra cups of coffee, I was a feeling a little shaky and over caffeinated.  As soon as the meeting was over a ran for another shake, and I was back to normal. 

I took my mail out to the bike and read through while getting in a 15 minute low intensity activity session in.  That seemed to even out the energy levels. 

About noon it's time for my first heavy resistance training session:  Good news is I'll get to eat after the session :)

20 min EDT  Bench Press  and Dead Lift
5 min rest and 1/2 of diluted protein-carb drink
15 Min EDT  Barbell Push Press  and Supine Hip Extension with Leg Curl
5 min rest 1/2 dilute protein -carb drink
10 Min EDT Lateral Lunge and Dips

Post training shake carbs +protein  (I use Surge from Biotest) 

1 hour later - 1 cup of natural granola, with 1/2 cup blueberries and 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
                            3 oz of turkey breast

2 hours later - 4 oz pork loin + 1 cup cauliflower
                            1 piece of sprouted grain toast with homemade peanut butter.

2 hours later (8PM) 2 cups of steamed broccoli with 1 cup of turkey chili and 2oz of cheddar cheese.

Interesting when I hit the first of my post training feedings today, I felt a huge energy spike.  If you ever wondered why so many people compare food to drugs, this makes a compelling argument.

So far I feel like I'm on the right track.   

Day 4

This is my first full overfeed day.   

The toughest thing about this type of program is shifting mindset back and forth between strict calorie restriction and the over feeding. 

7AM Started the day with a full MRP shake (classic grow) (300 calories, 40 protein, 24 carbs, 4 fat)

9 AM out the door with another MRP shake and a cliff bar.   (we had to be in the bay area for a couple of meetings by noon) 

So far, I'm a little disappointed that I haven't been able to get any real food in.  Real life sometimes requires adjustments and convenience foods like the shake and energy bars can be appropriate when they fit into the overall scope of the plan. 

12pm Chipoltle for lunch - fajita burrito bowl with carnitas, black beans, rice, hot sauce, lettuce and guacamole.  (I'm one that usually skips all the extra rice, but that's one of the necessary elements of the overfeed in this plan)

1pm - it's my buddy's birthday and he wants me to buy him a birthday drink at our old hang out bar.  Here's the first big challenge of my program.  Grey goose martinis for him and club soda with lime for me... 2 hours of near torture, but liquor just won't fit into the program for me.  I'll take that as a win and chalk up it up to supporting the "iron will" necessary to make the kind of changes I'm looking for. 

3:30 a slice of organic Hawaiian pizza at the new Whole Foods market in Los Altos, CA.  I understand that this is currently the largest Whole Foods in the country.  This was an experience... everything seems to be done right; healthy prepared foods, departments with fresh, natural meats, sea foods, cheeses, organic produce and first class service.  Markets like this could make people actually want to consume healthier foods. 

7pm dinner  - Chile Verde with black beans,  a quesadilla and a small green salad.

It feels like I was eating all day.... I guess I was eating all day. 

Today was a successful day.  Plenty of food, no alcohol and still managed to enjoy the company of some old friends. 

Day 5

I was tired of eating yesterday, so I'm happy to be back to an strict day. 

Scoop of protein first thing in the morning. 

Another 2 hours later

Morning high intensity interval cardio.. I'm still on the road,  so this morning it's burpees in a Tabata protocol....  4 minutes of pure brutality.

A scoop of protein and and apple immediately following. 

It was a nice day so we went over to the coast to catch a few minutes of the professional surfing  tournament in Santa Cruz. We parked about a mile and a half away, so that made for a nice 20 minute walk each way.... that made up my afternoon exercise. 

Downtown for a late lunch at a favorite cafe.  Here was another moment that I felt the chink in my superhero armor.   I was hungry and this place makes incredible baked goods and serves breakfast all day.  I stuck it out and ordered a salad.  Mixed organic greens, sliced fresh veggies and grilled chicken with no dressing.  Turned out that I enjoyed the salad and was surprisingly satisfied in addition to feeling like I won another battle against my will that wants to keep that extra layer of fat. 

Back home for dinner.   I steamed up some cauliflower and broccoli and ate that with a little left over pork loin. 

I went to bed feeling a little hungry, but I took that as a sign that my body was getting ready to feast on the fat around my midsection.

This is starting to be fun.

Day 6

Woke up this morning feeling just a little groggy.  My sleep last night was not optimal as I woke up several times through the night.... I did drink a lot of water last night, which definitely contributed to the number of times I was up. 

protein/flax shake first thing along with the required cup of coffee. 

About an hour later I threw on the weighted vest for my interval cardio session.  Today I'm running stairs in Tabata intervals.  5 min warm up... 4 min of pure hell and 5 min cool down.  Less than 15 minutes and I feel lucky that I'm still able to stand somewhat upright.  I was still sweating from this 45 minutes later. 

As soon as I could breath well enough to drink, I consumed another protein shake and an apple. 

One more scoop of protein on the way out to the studio at about 1PM. 

Another shake at about 4 ....(As I write this, it seems a little funny to be eating nothing but protein powder, but it does fit within this plan that I created for myself ) 

5:15 I took 4g of BCAA and hit the Elliptical for 25 minutes of steady state cardio.  This is not my favorite form of exercise by any means.... getting through this is a big win for me. 

Back at home by about 8 and starving.  I cooked up a half dozen egg whites and served them with a big pile of organic mixed greens. A good clean meal that was surprisingly satisfying. 

About 9:15 I'm incredibly hungry.... by now I'm thinking about ice cream, pizza and anything else that will smother this uncomfortable hunger.  I get it.... this is the part that sucks!  I tell my self to "suck it up" and find the healthy way out. Going to bed this hungry will certainly affect my sleep  negatively.   The answer is a half a serving of roasted, unsalted almonds eaten one at a time.  (a half serving of almonds is only 8-12 nuts @ about 90 calories) 

By 10 I'm exhausted and out like a light.

Day 7

Yippee... I get to weight train this afternoon and then eat real food again.  Always something to look forward to :) 

I slept so well last night that the alarm clock actually woke me up.  (that's pretty rare for me) 

protein shake for breakfast

1 hour later, 4 g BCAA and 30 minutes of steady state cardio on the bike followed by another 4g BCAA and 3g of glutamine. 

about an hours later shake #2, then number 3 two hours later. 

I'm really looking forward to my afternoon training session.  I hate the steady state cardio so much that it really makes me crave the high intensity resistance training sessions.  It may not hurt that I know I get to consume a bunch of additional calories following that session.

Shake number 4 about 90 minutes prior to my training session. I'm up to about 500 calories for the day now.

4g BCAA immediately before training.  Todays session:

Superset Front Squats and Chin Ups  10 sets of 3
    5 min rest 1/2 dilute carb/protein drink

EDT 15 minutes      Bulgarian Split Squat and Bent Over Row
    5 min rest 1/2 dilute carb/protein drink

EDT 10 Minutes     Partial Pistols and DB Lateral Raise

Immediately downed a full serving of my favorite post training shake (Surge)

Followed by 10 minutes of Z-Health Neural Warm Up Mobility Movements

Ok.... I'm going to share a couple of secrets with you.  First, this isn't fun for me.  A lot of you think that as a fitness professional I must love to exercise.  Nope, this session was uncomfortable from begining to end.  If there wasn't a good reason to do it, I sure as hell wouldn't do it all.  I do enjoy the feeling of accomplishment, I love it when it's over, I love feeling and being physically strong and capable but the most compelling reason for doing what I'm doing now is that I HATE the feeling of my gut rolling over my belt. 

Sorry for the brief rant.... back to todays story.

Immediately after the post training shake, I felt incredibly full. Almost uncomfortably so. 

Two hours later I was home for one of my favorite meals.  A healthier version of chicken nachos. It was a similar volume of food to what I would normally eat a couple times a week for dinner, but this time I was absolutely stuffed.  (I'd never put the numbers together on this meal before, turns out it's about 900 calories) It fit into my overfeed schedule, but it didn't make me feel too good. 

By bed time, I'm still feeling full, uncomfortable and restless.  I tossed and turned for about 90 minutes before finally just getting up and turning on the TV.  2 hours of late night TV and I was finally tired and if actually a little hungry.  I ate about 3 oz of chicken breast and finally headed to bed for the night.

The First Week is Over! - Here's the Re-cap

It's been a successful week!  I feel like I have learned a great deal about myself and gained a slightly different perspective for the experience of our clients.  Thank you for your support. 

Key things about the week:

The overfeeds are harder than the strict underfeed days.  I've had to make extreme efforts to eat enough on those days.  It seems counter intuitive to eat more when you are trying to shed fat, even when I know how well this pattern works for me. 

The feeling of my gut rolling over my belt, brings back memories of the times in my life that being overweight influenced my life in a significantly negative way.  I HATE that feeling.  It feels great to know that I have the tools and the commitment to not have to ever live like that again.   

Nothing feels better than really being in great shape. NOTHING that I have ever eaten can compare with the feeling of having flat defined abs..... and I LOVE FOOD!  When you hear the cliche "nothing tastes as good as thin feels" it's flat out true. 

There are parts of training that I really don't like..... my cardiovascular fitness level sucks, so I have avoided that type of training for far too long.  I had gravitated toward exercises that I liked and avoided the ones that would produce the most change.  Doing what it takes to get the results I want is far different that doing what I like or what is fun.  I too, have to "suck it up" and do it!

Accountability is even more important than I have ever given it credit for.  I have a very strong will and commitment, but without making myself accountable to all of you I don't know that I wouldn't have thrown in the towel on this program already.  If you're the only one that has to buy into your excuses, you don't even need to put in the effort to make up really good ones. 

My energy expenditure work on the strict days has been far too low.  I've been letting myself off too easy, the purpose takes work, it has to be intense even though it sucks.  I'll do better next week.

My first few strict days were slightly too high in calories.  I had been switching between protein powders which vary slightly in calorie content.  Actually not all that slight.... one is about 110 kcal per serving and the other about 160.  When you add up the difference over 4-6 shakes it makes as much as a 300 kcal difference.   Over the course of this month 300 calories a day difference could be responsible for retaining almost 3 pounds of fat.  PAY ATTENTION! In a strict / quick program like this the little things can make all the difference.

I have been a little more reliant on the protein shakes than I would like.  Next week I will add in a little more whole food on the strict days.  With any luck, that will make the overfeed days a little easier.

I'd love to say that the fat is melting off already, but that's simply not the case.  All of this work and I can't really see any difference!!!  My pants are still tight (I'm actually wearing baggy shorts today, just to ease the pain) and my "personal" body fat indicator only shows a slight decrease. I'll have someone measure me and keep the results from me until the end, at this point I don't want to know.  I'm better off to make the changes that I recognize I need to make and sticking with the plan.

It's been a good week.... I'm proud of my ability to adhere to my commitment and appreciative of the people around me that all help me remain accountable to the program.

Stay tuned.... It'll get better.

****Disclaimer****  The way I have laid out this program is specifically designed for me.  I don't recommend that you try to follow this program. I have purposely left out important details of the program to discourage inappropriate use of this program. If you'd like to learn more about a custom designed program for yourself, please contact me directly. I have designed a nutrition program that is appropriate for most individuals and is available as an ebook at Stop Dieting.net

Day 8

Woke up this morning feeling fairly rested, even after last nights sleeplessness... Damn Nachos! 

Get to eat this morning and Oatmeal actually sounds pretty good.  Oats with a scoop of chocolate protein powder and a Tbsp of peanut butter makes a very tasty, healthy breakfast treat. 

About 2 hours later I go out to breakfast with Lisa... French toast with two eggs and bacon.  I eat this meal at least once a week during normal circumstances (only after a training session), but today it didn't agree with me.  This program is creating a significant intolerance for less nutritious foods. 

MRP Shake at about 1:30.    Hungry at 3 not much food around, had a serving of nuts..... off to find some food.