So where to start.... I'd always been skinny-fat, then once in college after a few (ok, more than a few) pizzas, coupled with working a full-time stressful job while in school (so I was usually running on 4-6 hours of sleep during the week), I got plain fat. Started working out, lost weight, but could never seem to get 'lean'. Finally decided to not worry about that, gained size (both muscle and around the waist), so I can't wait to see what'll happen with Indigo-3G.


Current stats as of this morning (will get some pictures up later today or tomorrow):
6'4 271 lbs
Waist: 46.25" (yikes!)
Chest: 50.25"
Neck: 19"
Legs: 27" (L), 27.5" (R)
Arms: 17" (L), 17.5" (R)

The plan:
Today I'm doing a pulse fast to hopefully kickstart things a bit, then tomorrow start with I3G. I was thinking of doing something along these lines (times are just rough estimates):

6am - Indigo-3G followed by 30 mins incline walking (burn a few extra calories, but I also find it helps wake me up)
6:45 - shower
7am - breakfast
11am - Indigo-3G
noon lunch
7 pm - Indigo-3G
8 pm - workout (currently doing CT's star complexes, and plan to continue doing that -- also why I'm working out a bit later so that I don't have to worry about equipment availability)
9:30 pm - dinner


Foodwise, for this week, I have an assortment things prepared:
Chili (homemade of course, so just has lean ground beef, onions, kidney & pinto beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, some green chiles and jalapenos, plus spices) -- NO corn starch or such.
Ground beef w/ zucchini
Eggplant in meat sauce

For breakfast, basically a mixture (for lack of a better term) of eggs, egg whites (for some extra volume), turkey sausage, onions, tomatoes, salsa, and spices)

My thoughts are to get most of the carbs peri-workout (at least initially), though I'm not that worried about the carbs in the chili, since they should mostly be coming from the beans and from what I can gather, this should not be a huge deal. After a week or two, I may look at adding more carbs in the morning depending on progress (based more on measurements & appearance than scale weight).

Peri-workout, my thoughts were:
1 FINiBAR,
3 scoops ANACONDA, 3 scoops MAG-10, and 2 scoops Surge Workout Fuel -- this should get me right around 100g of carbs

As a failsafe, I'm going to leave a tub of Metabolic Drive Low-Carb at work -- this is just to make sure there's always something good handy and to prevent bad habits from surfacing if I suddenly find myself hungry between meals, though hopefully I will not need to use it much.

Other misc info:
The last week of the 6 week run I will be on vacation, so it'll be interesting to see what impact it has by that point. Though I'll be at the beach, and pretty active most of the day (as opposed to sitting at a desk at work), so historically, I've never really worried about inflicting too much damage (the increased sustained activity seems to largely mitigate it).

At some point in the next 2-3 weeks, there's going to be 2 lunch activities for work that I will need to attend (but that should be it). Not sure what will be served, but probably nothing good (health-wise), so I will probably be utilizing that tub to curb my appetite, while participating.

Starting in the next few weeks, my Sundays are going to be rather packed w/ band practices basically taking up most of the afternoon and evening (couple with probably > 100 miles of driving that day getting everywhere), so I will need to think of what sort of activities I can fit in.

I think you have too much ANACONDA and MAG-10 in periworkout. I would cut that down to 2 ANACONDA and 1 or 2 MAG-10

Err that should be 3/2/2. I took the recommendations in CT's 6 week to superhero program, and just added an extra scoop of Surge Workout Fuel. Last thing I saw (unless I'm misremembering things) was that the recommendation with I3G is to get 100g of carbs peri-workout. So adding the extra scoop of Surge Workout Fuel + the FINiBAR should take care of that. I can always adjust it if necessary.

The rest of the day (at least for the first 7-10 days) there should be <50g of carbs (total) across the 3 meals, and all of those are from non-starchy vegetables + fruit (tomatoes), so I think I'm alright there.

Ok, some crappy photos...

Front



Side



Legs



Couldn't get a decent back shot..

At 268 this morning (I'm going to let the tape measure & mirror be the judge, so I'm not really worried what the number on the scale is -- just curious to see the fluctuations).

Took my first dose of I3G this morning, followed by 30 mins of walking on the treadmill 3mph @ 8 deg. Enough to feel 'warm' and sweat a little, but not tiring by any means.

With preparation, breakfast was about 75 mins after taking I3G. Since I believe the point of waiting 60 mins before eating was to allow it to be absorbed as much as possible, my hope is the extra 15 minutes shouldn't blunt the effects any.

Breakfast was a mixture of eggs, egg whites, ~4 oz turkey sausage, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, salsa, and a little bit (just as much that you can grab with the tips of your fingers, < 1/4c) of cheese. Quite tasty.

I did start feeling warm about 10-15 mins after I finished eating (but not jittery, no elevated heart rate, etc.). Not sure if that was due to I3G or not. Regardless, not a huge issue. Just noting it. Since summer has arrived in town (along with the swamp-like humidity), I was blasting the a/c on the way into work, and now no longer feel it.

Set up reminders for taking I3G so I don't get distracted at work and forget :)

I3G @ 11am, lunch @ Noon. Chili was particularly spicy, my mouth is still slightly numb :)

So slight change -- since I will be doing my workout relatively late, instead of then eating a full meal even later after that, I'm eating dinner now. That should hopefully still allow a couple of hours before the next dose of Indigo-3G (and not interfere with it), followed later by the start of the peri-workout carbs, and then of course the actual workout.

I'll be following this, just fyi. I'd love for you to see some awesome results and shed some body fat and do a whole re-comp thing with Indigo-3G.

Me too :)

I have to admit, I am a bit nervous with so many virtual eyes on me, but if I can get up in front of a bunch of strangers and have them applaud me (in a band), I can handle this :)

Took final dose of Indigo-3G for the day about 10 minutes ago. Now to wait to start the peri-workout carbs. Can't wait to see how things go tonight :)

I should add, I'm definitely suspecting that the water in my fat cells is starting to flush. Seems the trips to the bathroom have been more frequent as the day's gone on.

Looking forward to following your progress jason, especially on the superhero complex

I really like them, I just hope I'm not screwing them up too much :)

So workout completed. When I first got there, it was like walking into a steam bath since the a/c apparently couldn't keep up with all the people there, so that added a bit of an extra challenge :)

Top half overhead press - 190lbs x {5,2,3,3}, 180 x 3
Military Press - 155 x {4,3,2,3}, 145 x 3
Push Press - 155 x {3,3,2,3}, 145 x 3
Speed DB Press - 30s, 25s, 25s, 20s, 20s, 20s

I got over zealous after the 1st circuit and rested all of probably 20 secs, which killed me on the 2nd circuit (and a little on the 3rd as well). I added a bit more rest on the last two circuits, but also had to lower the weight on the 5th circuit a bit.

Top half Squat - 405 x 5, 455 x {5,5,5}
Front squat - 135 x 5, 155 x {4,4,4}
Power Snatch 0, 155 x {2,2,2}
Jump Squat - 95 x {10,10,10,10}
Vertical Jump - 9,10,10,8,8

On the first circuit as I was adjusting the plates to go between the top half squat and front squat, I didn't notice that some idiot had not properly reracked a 35lb plate -- it was either leaning against the rod, or barely on the edge -- either way, the vibration from racking the plates caused it to fall onto my foot. Thankfully it was only a few inches off the floor. After a few loud explectives and wanting to rip the head off whoever did that with the plate, I proceeded on, but was so annoyed (to put it mildly), I completely skipped the power snatch without realizing it the first time. On the plus side, it made me angry enough that the next circuit was a lot easier, even after increasing the weight :) And no pain or tingling, or any other signs of lasting injury, so I think it's ok.

During the front squats, I did notice a bit of pain on the inside of my left knee right next to the kneecap. It went away quickly after finishing the front squats, and wasn't present when doing any of the other exercises, so not sure what the deal is, but will need to keep an eye on that. I'm terrible at front squats (obviously), so might just be inexperience (but no better time than the present to get good at them -- using straps really has helped -- previously I could only get 2-3 reps with a rather light weight before it felt like my wrists were going to snap off). I'm wondering if doing as many reps as I can without the straps and then switching to them after that would help improve my flexibility there.

The last circuit while physically I felt like I was ready to go, but mentally I was having a hard time making myself start. I ended up resting a bit longer and that seemed to do the trick, and the last circuit was done without struggling or feeling drained.

One other note, I did feel that drinking the 2nd half of the peri-workout drink (about 1000ml) was a bit much to do at once (probably too much fat preventing my stomach from expanding enough) in the middle of the workout as originally suggested. I am wondering if perhaps spreading it throughout the workout might allow me to consume it easier (I want to be sure I'm ingesting enough, just would prefer to avoid feeling like it's going to come back up whenever I burp if possible).

Last update for the night...

Had some MAG-10 earlier, and then Metabolic Drive Low-Carb w/ some natural peanut butter a few minutes ago before bed along with a dose of ELITEPRO Minerals. Given that I'm about to go to sleep, and since I just started Inidgo-3G today, I thought it wise to avoid carbs this late at night (at least initially), since I already ingested the 100g during my workout. I do feel great, nice, calm and relaxed.

One other thing I noticed, often if I do a particularly intense workout, it will have a *ahem* flushing effect, I never really knew if this was a good or bad thing, but whatever. Happened tonight, and I'm pretty sure there was a bit of unabsorbed Indigo-3G (as Tim had warned) there.

Slept pretty good last night, though didn't quite feel like it was long enough (though part of that might have been getting up 4 times to use the bathroom), but no middle of the night calls tonight.

6am: I3G then 30 mins incline walking, 3mph @ 8deg.

Felt cold when I woke up. ISTR that can be a sign your body wants more carbs, so possibly a good sign, though I'm still going to be cautious and consume the bulk of them peri-workout. If it's consistent for a few more days, I'll look to perhaps add a finibar with breakfast, or have some oatmeal. Once I finished the incline walking, the cold feeling went away.

Breakfast (eggs, turkey sausage, onions, tomatoes)

My foot appears to be slightly bruised from last night, and is a bit tender to pressure applied to the top of it, but doesn't appear to be any pain when walking or otherwise putting weight on it, so probably nothing major.

Still felt pretty good this morning, legs feel a bit sluggish (for lack of a better term) going up the stairs, but nothing bad.

11am: I3g, Noon: Lunch (chili again). Not much else to report for now.

Per Tim's request:

My attempts at a back pic were laughably unusable, if the ones I do have don't tell enough, I can make a few more attempts tonight or tomorrow and see if I have any better luck.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1) Height: 6'4

2) Weight: 267lbs

3) Number of years training seriously: Probably 7-8 -- prior to that I was pulling constant 18-20 hour days for several years, so I don't think I could consider my efforts then serious. I did do too much vacillating between trying to lean down would make some progress but would stall out, adding carbs, removing carbs didn't seem to make any forward progress, so I'd get frustrated and try to go for adding size instead.

4) Training experience, including current program: been doing CT's star complexes (or at least as close as I can get w/ what's available at my gym, hopefully keeping with the spirit of the program)

5) Olympic-lift variations you know how to perform: I can do hang cleans if that counts, but never been had an opportunity for any instruction, so probably not very well :)

6) Athletic background: None unless you count basketball as a young kid

7) Primary fitness goal (choose one): recomposition body

8) Secondary fitness goal (choose one): gain muscle

9) Days per week you can train: 4-6 usually

10) Amount of time available to train each workout: 60-90mins, longer on Saturdays usually, very little on Sundays due to prior commitments

11) Time of day you train: currently around 8pm, mostly to allow for greater chance of equipment availability

12) Do you have certain days available for twice-a-day workouts? Could probably do Saturdays (morning & afternoon or early evening assuming that's sufficient time separation)

13) Your daily schedule:
M-F
Up at 6am, I3G
Incline walking 30 mins, 3mph @ 8deg,
Shower
Breakfast (this works out to a little over an hour after the I3G dose)
Work 8-8:30am,
I3G 11am
Lunch noon
Dinner 4:45 - 5
Home 5:45-6
I3G: 6:30
Workout: 8
Weekends I tend to wake up later (9-10am). Saturday's I'll workout around 4-5pm (though it may shift earlier or later depending on activities going on). Sunday's are busy with band practice most of the afternoon and evening. Since praictice is in BFE, I have to leave for it by 1-2pm (depending on the exact starting time), and by the time I'm back home (it's a good 35-40 miles away), the gym is already closed. Starting in a couple of weeks, there'll also be another practice (different band) that evening after the first practice, so 1-10pm will be spent with that (I can obviously fit in time to eat in all of that of course, just no training).

14) Current injuries (if any): none that I know of

15) Lifts (if any) you need to avoid due to safety issues:

16) Do you currently have trouble falling asleep at bedtime? Normally yes -- unless I'm moving around all day (unfortunately I sit at a desk for work), my body tends to not want to fall asleep until 1-2am. I will note that since I've started doing star complexes, this has not been as extreme an issue -- while I still don't fall asleep as early as I'd like, it tends does tend to be earlier than without.

17) When you wake up in the morning, are you an easy starter or you do
need some extra time and stimulants to start your day? I definitely need the extra time and occasionally will use spike tablets (just one) if I'm really dragging.

18) Health issues (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.): None that I know of

19) Total calories consumed on training days: ~2700

20) Total calories consumed on non-training days: not sure, been bad about this in the past (I know :(), but have started tracking for this, just haven't had any non-training days yet)

21) Total grams of carbs consumed on training days: 150g, 100 peri-workout

22) Total grams of carbs consumed on non-training days: not sure (see above), though will be tracking that going forward.

23) Describe in detail your workout nutrition:
T-90: I3G
T-30: 1 FINiBAR; 1/2 of: 3 scoops Anaconda, 2 scoops MAG-10, and 2 scoops SWF w/ 2L of water.
workout: rest of above drink -- was taking it @ the halfway mark, but am going to try spreading it out more to reduce bloating feeling.

Dinner: 5pm Eggplant in meat sauce, turned out better than I expected, which is always a nice surprise

6:30 Indigo-3G dose
7:30 FINiBAR + 1/2 workout drink
8 workout:

Top Half BP: 250 x {5,5}, 285 x {5,5}, 250 x 4
BP: 195 x {5,5}, 245 x {4,3}, 195 x 5
Speed BP: 165 x {5,5,5,5,5}
Medicine Ball Throw: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Pylo Push Up: 10, 8, 8, 9, 7

Rack Pull: 495 x {4,5,5}, 405 x 5
Deadlift: 315 x {4,4,3,3}
Power Clean: 135 x {3,3,3,3}
Jump DL: 135 x {8,8,7,8}
Broad Jump: 8,7,6,6

Post workout: 2 scoops of Metabolic Drive Low-Carb.

I think I'm overdue for a NC workout. The last 2 circuits of the DL complex while I found myself physically not very fatigued (going just on general feel, but some indirect indications like heart rate and perspiration rate were also dropping quickly after finishing a circuit), I found myself feeling a bit schizo in that part of me was just not wanting to budge to start the circuit again while another part of me was angry I was still resting.

I've been trying to keep the rest periods both between exercises in the complex as well as between circuits as minimal as possible while still allowing me to perform, but the last circuit I found myself having to take a lot of time before I started it. I also had a lot of problems starting the rack pulls, which usually isn't a big problem, and ended up having to drop the weight down the last set.

So tomorrow, I think NC workout + possibly some back + bicep work depending on how things feel.

hmm.. thought I posted this morning..
So usual routine (so far):
6am I3G, 30 min walking, shower, breakfast
11:30am I3G (meeting ran over), 12:30 lunch (ground beef w/ zucchini)

I think I forgot to document it previously (since it's habit at this point that I don't even really think about it), but I normally also take 4 caps of Flameout w/ lunch, and have continued to do that.

Wondering if perhaps utilizing some Power Drive might also help tonight (I use it on occasion, but not regularly). Side note: I had forgotten how useful it can be for non-athletic activities -- while doing the pulse fast on Sunday, I (as always) had band practice, and did pretty well, even managing to pull off some stuff I normally can't. Might just have to start using it for practices & shows too :)

6pm I3G, drove home (1.5 hr meeting ended up being 2.5 hrs, thankfully, I just brought one of the bottles to work in my desk)
7pm: FINiBAR
7:15pm 1/2 of: 3 scoops Anaconda, 2 MAG-10, 2 SWF
7:30-7:40 (didn't check the clock) started workout.
Like a dumbass, I forgot my log book. I'm annoyed enough at myself that this will not happen again. So details might be missing or slightly off:

Neural Charge:
Pylo push ups
Vertical jumps
Push Press
Broad Jump

the pylo push ups were dropped first, followed by push press on around the 3rd set. Did a 4th set of just the jumps.

Back & Bicep workout:
I admit I've been slacking a bit here prior to this, so I expect the next time through to go better.

This was based on CT's recommendation in another live spill, but I screwed up by not having what I was planning to do with me, so this has some unintentional modifications.

I was a bit conservative with the weight since there was so much volume, it was still challenging, though I think next time I should be able to bump things up more.

5x:
Straight Arm Pulldown w/ Bar x 8-12 90lbs
Rope pulldown x 8-12 90lbs
Rope Row to chest w/ 2s hold x 8-12 90lbs

5x:
Face pull to top of head: 8-12 (cannot remember weight used here)
Face pull to chin: 8-12
Face pull to upper chest w/ 2s hold 8-12

Medium grip bent over BB row w/ 2s hold: 4 x 135 x 8-12 (I wanna say the sets were in the 10-12 range the whole time, but not 100% sure)

Lat Pulldown w/ 2s hold: 4 x 130 x 8-10

5x:
2 arm pinwheel curl 25lb dbs x 10-12
2 arm hammer curls w/ 2s hold x max (ranged from 6 - 12 reps usually, numbers decreased as the sets progressed)
Low pulley rope curl 8 - 10 50 lbs
Low pulley reverse curl 8 - 10 50 lbs
Low pulley car curl 8 - 10 50 lbs
Close grip BB curl 8-12 40 lbs
Wide Grip BB curl 8-12 40 lbs

In general, I would still feel like I put forth a good effort after every set, but recovered rather quickly. I'm not sure if this was due to going a bit on the light side with the weight, or due to other effects. I plan to do this again (in the originally intended manner) on Saturday, so I should have a better idea then. The only reason I actually stopped when I did was I needed to get home so I could still eat dinner and get to sleep at a reasonable hour, otherwise I felt both physically and mentally I could keep going until the gym closed :)

One other possibly embarrassing note, I know more frequent urination was to be expected the first few days (and in fact, I've experienced that, though it's not quite as frequent now, though I'd still say a bit more frequent than normal).

However both Monday and today (but not Tuesday), about an hour after the workout my body seems to have decided to ummm... use the other exit to expel large quantities of liquid (to hopefully not be too graphic) -- 4 times tonight so far. I've had this happen on occasion in the past due to very large amounts of physical activity (several hours of sustained activity), but never this frequently (both intra and inter day), and never after feeling this good after a workout. I'm mostly just concerned if it indicating I'm doing something wrong. If so, I want to understand and fix it. If it's just an annoyance, I'll not worry about it and just accept it.

6am: I3G, incline walking, shower, breakfast

When I woke up today, I didn't seem to be dragging at all like I normally do, and the walking went by very quickly. Was also noticeably hungrier when I woke up, despite eating dinner a bit late last night (around 9 pm after working out -- eggplant w/ meat sauce).

Now that I'm in the office, I still feel warmer (though not as significantly as others have experienced), usually if I've felt anything, it's gone by now.