Mike’s Metabolic Typing, Carb Cycling, With a Cheat Day Meal Plan
by Mike Westerdal
A few people have been asking me specifically what my diet was like when I managed to drop so much body fat in just 8-weeks.
Seriously, you guys saw my before and after pictures. I’m not ready to step on stage by a long shot but the difference in just 8-weeks is something I’m proud of.
It’s true, I do train hard and I love doing so. But I do have something to admit.
When it comes to cooking, dieting, and counting calories I’m pretty lazy.
I don’t know why. I’d much rather perform an extra workout than pull out a measuring scale every time I have a meal.
I’m so blessed that my wife is a great cook and enjoys preparing food. Yes, I help (sometimes). Don’t get me wrong, she does have her limits though. If I told her I had to eat a certain number grams of this food and certain grams of that, she’d lose her patience quick. I’d have full time kitchen duty and the whole nutrition plan would fall apart on me real fast.
We’re getting a little off track here, I regress. I did have help with my nutrition. I hired Eric Talmant and he introduced me to Metabolic Typing. When I started eating right for my type, I stopped getting the weird cravings and I was staying full longer and sustaining my energy better.
Even without counting the calories I have a pretty good idea that I was eating less calories than before I started. Here’s a breakdown of what my weekly eating plan looked like. Remember when I started I was weighing 239 with 27% body fat….youch!
Mike’s Metabolic Typing, Carb Cycling, With a Cheat Day Meal Plan
How’s that for a mouthful?! Okay a couple points worth mentioning. With the metabolic typing diet I switched to mostly organic foods for the first time in my life. For the most part I quit all grains, artificial sweeteners and sugar.
Note that on Thursday nights I have a workout that falls on a level 5 on the hybrid spectrum. I have another level 5 workout from the hybrid spectrum on Saturday mornings. So I would eat more carbs on Thursdays and Fridays to make sure I had enough energy go perform my best for those intense power workouts.
I had to keep meal plan sheets to turn in. Here’s a typical day, but of course I don’t eat the same thing everyday. Sorry don’t know the exact portion sizes.
Monday (lower carb)
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 4 strips of bacon, ½ handful of black beans, cup of coffee
Midmorning snack: 4 slices of turkey, piece of provolone cheese
Lunch: Backed chicken, green beans, water
Dinner: Salmon, asparagus, lentils
Night Snack: Peanut Butter, celery
Tuesday (lower carb)
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3 sausages, ½ handful of black beans, spinach, cheese, cup of coffee
Midmorning snack: Protein shake
Lunch: Chicken salad
Dinner: Marinated Ribs, no carbs after dinner.
Night Snack: Protein shake
Wednesday (lower carb)
Breakfast: 4 eggs, 3 bacon strips, ½ hand ful of black beans, spinach, cheese, coffee
Midmorning snack: Hummus and carrots
Lunch: Tuna, cheese, little mayo.
Dinner: Bunless Burgers, green beans, milk
Night Snack: unsalted nuts
Thursday (my heavy workout at night, carb up)
Breakfast: 3 egg omelete with ham, sausage, spinach, black beans, cheese, coffee
Midmorning snack: Protein shake with fruit and peanut butter.
Lunch: Burrito bowl with veggies, beans and cheese
Dinner: Chicken, yam, asparagus, milk.
Night Snack: Get home from workout, eat leftover dinner again.
Friday (heavy workout coming up Saturday morning, carb up)
Breakfast: 3 egg omelete with ham, sausage, spinach, black beans, cheese, coffee
Midmorning snack: Protein shake with fruit and peanut butter.
Lunch: Chili with everything in it! Lots of it!
Dinner: Steak, shrimp, baked beans, salad, potatoes.
Night Snack: unsalted nuts
Saturday (lower carb + early am workout)
Breakfast: 4 eggs, 3 bacon strips, ½ hand ful of black beans, spinach, cheese, coffee
Midmorning snack: None, still working out.
Lunch: Turkey, tuna and egg whites, water
Dinner: Chicken drum sticks, milk
Night Snack: peanut butter celery
Sunday (total cheat day to watch football and not workout)
Breakfast: 3 hard boiled eggs, coffee
Midmorning snack: none
Lunch: Pizza or Chili or Cheese Burgers
Dinner: same
Night Snack: same
Did I just get lucky? I mean I didn’t have this all calculated out to the point. Maybe a little, but I think eating right for my type helped a lot. This controlled my appetite and gave me energy for my workouts. If you can’t tell by my diet I respond best to fat and protein as well as carbs like vegetables and beans.
My workouts were kick ass. I do believe that the hybrid training I was doing combined with the other lifestyle changes I made including sleeping more, minimizing stress, and putting myself in a positive training environment all had a cumulative effect on my hormones and the ability to build muscle and burn fat in the same training cycle.
I was definitely eating higher carbs before my heavier workouts. Plus I had a huge cheat day on Sundays. I’d have to say I was even staying away from carbs that are high on the glycemic index.
You guys have helped me this entire journey and I’m going to ask for your feedback again. Have you heard people talking about Joel Marion on the Internet lately?
He sent me a review copy of his “diet program” and asked if we would share it with you guys. I went to the page and he gave me at http://www.mycheatday.com and I have to admit I was a little turned off. It kind of reminded me of a weight watchers site or something.
It definitely came across a little “soft”. We’ve got a pretty rugged group over here and I wasn’t sure if this was something that would be a good fit or not.
….But the more I read, I started to notice this meal plan wasn’t too far off from what I was actually doing when I lost so much fat. It’s definitely a carbohydrate rotation plan and it has a cheat day just like I had, plus it pays close attention to the glycemic index.
You guys know where I stand. I think everyone’s different and just because a meal plan works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. Maybe the best thing to do is figure out your metabolic type and than combine that with a diet similar to Joel’s that helps you map out calories and cheat days.
So let me know the verdict. Thumbs up or thumbs down? http://www.mycheatday.com The cheating part sounds good. I think we all agree on that at least.
Oh and I’d also like to hear your thoughts on cheat days and meals. I think we’ve all agreed that we like them, but do they help you burn more fat? If you think they do, is it just a mental trick or do they help keep your body guessing? Let me know what you think. I’m curious to know if my Sunday cheat day has been helping or hurting me.
Strength Training
November 24, 2009
6:04 am
Your meal plan is delicious dude, lol. I really like how your mealplan is for the most part all natural yet the food examples look like restaurant meals. I like a lot of Joel’s stuff and how he manages to work towards what a lot of people want; theyre overall health theyre looks. For me personally though, my cheat days come rarely. The reason I don’t have alot is becuase ever since I started to eat healthier I didn’t crave so much “cheat” foods; but when I have one I go all out. My preference is a bacon double cheeseburgers with a side of some crusty yet colorful pepper covered fries nd prolly a beer or a chocolate milkshake. Just to add in case I’m not talkin to much is that I recently heard a chat between Elliott and Zach Even Esh where Elliott did a carb cycling routine according to his schedule and I found it amazing how the body worked in Elliot’s case. Keep up the good work man and remember go hard or go home. My friend tells me that all the time.
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November 24, 2009
6:09 am
Thanks Brothers and I mean that! I think you guys look great, it’s a great plan and I already eat similar. Weight training and health have to be a life style commitment. It has it’s ups and downs but it’s worth it. We all have different bodies with different needs and proclivities but we can with commitment work to our own personal best. I love you material and thank you for some of the brotherhood that I found here. I am sorry I cannot at this time invest in your program. I am on a pension and have had setbacks in this economy but still really appreciate everything you have shared.
Dano – Chicago
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November 24, 2009
8:12 am
I don’t know how you can pack all the food in. I am lucky if I can finish my oatmeal, that is, three quarters of a cup of coarse oatmeal, a tablespoon of ground nuts, or, in turn shelled sunflower seeds, a tablespoon of oat bran, seasoned with cinnamon and ginger, and sweetened with either honey or some brown sugar. It takes me an hour to eat that–I eat slowly to fool my stomach to imagine it is getting a lot of food. Ah! did I forget the ground flax seed I sprinkle after it is cooked, yeah, I add that, too.
Okay, there are some homeopathic meds, a combination of some herbs, Borage oil, shark cartilage, a magnesium-calcium compound I take for my knees, add to that Omega 3 and q-10. Then . . . the hypertension pills.
I don’t know what that does to the metabolism, then again, I don’t train as hard for all sorts of reasons. One of them is that my trainer is “very much by the book”.
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November 24, 2009
2:04 pm
Mike,
No lecture, only honest inquiry: what are your thoughts on the high saturated fat content of your breakfasts? My training is a sort of hyrbid (not “hybrid training”) of Jeff Anderson’s CTF, Jon Benson’s 7MM, and Nick Nilsson’s GTM along with his daily specialization (pullups). My results speak for themselves: I’ve dropped about 9% bodyfat in 11 weeks, but only lost 8lbs. I’m no expert but I understand how to put things together. My current nutrtion is based on CTF, in which if I have sausage or bacon it’s in my cheat meal and usually on a pizza!
I’ve often heard that while you can lose alot of weight on a high saturated fat diet, the long term ramifications on your cholesterol and your heart and just not worth it. I’ve had far too many things that I “know” challenged and revealed to be false lately to be dogmatic about fitness or nutrtion, so I’m very curious to hear your thoughts. I do love those breakfast meats.
Best,
Tyler
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leanhybr Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Hey Tyler, I had the same concern at first. However I listened to Eric my metabolic typing advisor and had blood work done and my cholesterol levels are perfect even though I’ve been eating this way. In fact my cholesterol has improved since I started eating this way. I used to eat mostly lean protein and unsaturated fats with limited carbs. I don’t know if this is the best “fat burning” meal plan, but when it comes to being “healthy” I think saturated fat is fine for you in moderation. I’m sure Elliott can expand on this subject and I’ll ask Eric as well for us. MIKE
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Tyler Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Dude thanks! I appreciate your response, and am also looking forward to any thoughts Elliott and Eric have as well!
Best,
Tyler
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Elliott Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Tyler,
I’ve read most of this guys boos:
http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm
It offers some interesting information about cholesterol, give it
a glance when you’ve got some time.
-Elliott
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leanhybr Reply:
November 26th, 2009 at 1:59 am
Tyler, I found another interesting article written by someone that had a similar experience as me when they started eating right for their type. http://naturalbias.com/metabolic-typing-the-last-diet-youll-ever-need/
After thinking about your question, the answer would be it depends on your body and your metabolic type. What is healthy for one person may not be for someone else. Just like one training style may work for one person and not another I believe nutrition is the same way.
If you’re really interested in this get the Metabolic Typing book by William Wolcott. Besides the fat loss Im so happy that I have more energy, I’m less irritable and just feel better. MIKE
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November 24, 2009
2:48 pm
It would help if we knew what your body type is. Those with different types would know that this may be less than ideal for us. Or would it still work more or less for different body types?
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leanhybr Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Well my metabolic type is a fast oxidizer. As for body type. You can see my before pic. When I was younger I struggled to put weight on and considered myself a hardgainer. Now I gain weight easy, both muscle and fat I think. MIKE
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November 25, 2009
4:02 pm
I know you didn’t measure it, but any idea or guidelines on the ratio of protein – carbs – fat for your high carb days and your low carb days? I’m thinking of shooting for 50% P – 30% C and 20% F on low carb days. But I’m not sure about the high carb days. Either 20 P – 60 C – 20 F or more of a balanced 40 P – 40 C – 20 F?
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leanhybr Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
This is how I would estimate it.
Low carb days. 50% protein, 35% fat, 15% carbs
High carb days. 40% protein, 20% fat, 40% carbs
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November 26, 2009
5:01 am
@Tyler, relax, there is absolutely no correlation between dietary saturated fat and cholesterol and heart disease. The Lipid Hypothesis is proven to be bunk. Sat fat is good for you, between 60-80% of calories, remember to restrict carbs and keep protein to the remaining 40-20%. After all that adipose tissue around your belly is only sat fat and is your bodies storage medium for its preferred fuel. Eat this way for 6 months and your cholesterol and triglycerides will drop dramatically.
Alan.
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November 29, 2009
4:15 pm
@Tyler – Eric wrote me back. Here’s his reply to your question about cholesterol. I’m glad I asked him!
Okay. The “cholesterol part” of this question would require a 30 minute or so lecture. Basically, each healthy person has an ideal cholesterol level. Without natural cholesterol from the liver, we cannot properly manufacture hormones for more processes of the body than I can count. Just because the American Heart Association sets a number or a guideline does not mean that that guideline applies to everyone. My grandmother is 97 years old.
Her cholesterol level has been close to 400 for the last 20 years. The American Heart Association would have thought she would have died of a massive heart attack by now. However, she is one of the healthiest people I know. Why? Because in truth-and this may come as a shock to many-there actually is not any causal relationship between cholesterol levels and heart disease. Zip. Nada. None.
The drug companies and doctors that are in bed with them would have you believe that there is-but the truth is that there isn’t. They prey upon the ignorance of the masses. Just do some medical journal searches and you will find this fairly quickly; but those companies know Americans are lazy and that they won’t do the research for themselves.
So, check out this link http://www.29billion.com/ and then Google the book 29 Billion Reasons to Lie About Cholesterol. This will open the eyes of many…
Now, on the matter of “losing weight when eating saturated fat”. That would primarily happen IF saturated fat was the fuel of choice for that person. For a fast oxidizer like you and me, it is a great fuel for us. It will balance our Fundamental Homeostatic Controls, which will build health and thus-eventually-allow us to naturally lose unwanted body fat. However, neither you or I know whether the person that wrote to you would use saturated fat like we do. We don’t know what his Metabolic Type is and thus how his metabolism functions and what fuel he needs to become vibrant and healthy; and as a byproduct lose weight.
It is interesting that he mentions how some dogmas that he thought to be true in nutrition have proven to be false. This is EXACTLY WHY I do what I do. We don’t have that problem with MT because we NEVER generalize
Hope this helps!
Eric
CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS
http://www.erictalmant.com
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November 30, 2009
4:42 am
WOW!!!
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January 24, 2010
2:34 pm
hey mike i was just wondering why you quit eating grains? i could understand white bread and white rice etc but what about wholemeal grains?
btw real nice work with the fat loss-you and elliot also
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January 26, 2010
4:14 am
@Eric – Wow, Eric I’m not sure how i missed your reply here. Thanks for that.
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November 7, 2010
12:04 pm
Great looking diet…especially on cheat day Sunday!!
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September 10, 2011
5:27 pm
I took the test and I am protein type.I have been eating high protein-fat diet for the last 3 weeks and I must say I do feel better I am not sleepy anymore during the day etc and I already lost 7 pounds.My workouts are great even though I don’t eat carbs(the only carbs I eat are low glycemic vegetables).The problem is that I don’t want to be skinny and I would like to know if I can build muscular body without eating carbs,without cheat days just eating high protein-fat diet or do I have to break the rules of the diet and throw in carbs to get bigger muscles?
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