I’m calling all superheroes to help me with Phase 10. Forecast for Vancouver needs to get a little warmer for cycling.

Mutant Diet Phase 10 Pre-Show
Last night I sort of celebrating 3 years since I started the Mutant Diet by drinking beer. I know, right?

It was March 22, 2016 I took my first photo with my first trainer.

I am now three years into this and I have a fitness habit. I was away in Orlando for a vacation and I did use the hotel gym twice. This was a record-breaker as I’ve never used a hotel gym before and I’ve travelled heaps. Also, there was a ton of walking around the Universal parks, which was offset by too much eating.

Phase 9 was not good because I was sick and could not focus on the diet. I also think the sense of futility crept in. I can’t seem to make dent in the weight. Although this thinking I’m about to describe falls into the category of “just try harder” I do think it’s time for a short experiment. I was working on 2500 calories per day and I want to see if I can do 2000 calories per day for 2 weeks. This isn’t about keto, by the way. Long ago I realized a calorie-reduced diet simply is impractical with any meaningful number of carbs. Plus no one ever died from not eating bread while eating salad instead.

This will mean a much stricter measuring and counting process and will require some mental strength not seen in nature. There’s the risk that if I lose anything, I’ll be at risk of getting pissed off and putting it back on.

Regardless, it’s time to change the process. I also could not likely sustain this for a full three month phase, but for two weeks, you can say, “hey, it’s just two weeks”.

What are the hallmarks of the two week experiment?

  • 2000 calories per day from non-refined sources. I.e. sugar, wheat, rice, corn and potatoes are banned.
  • 11 PM bedtime
  • 8 PM to 8 AM fast
  • Strict weighing of food in advance of meals
  • A mini cheat with sushi on Sundays
  • Meditate. 10 mins per day using an app
  • 3 L of water per day
  • No alcohol
  • Blind weigh-in via the trainer on Tuesdays
  • Current gym routine plus – weather permitting – getting back on the bike

The biggest risk is my battle with negative self-talk. I have to keep that battle going as it’s poisoning my mind.

I also have to accept failure (i.e. no meaningful weight loss in the 2 weeks) as a win because it will prove a suspicion that my body is really not willing to lose weight. I also want to keep the strength training on full tilt because if I lose weight, I want it coming from lard, not muscle.