28 Days Later...

In late December of 2007 I was approached by a few clients who were interested in trying a new nutrition plan they had read about called the "Velocity Diet", or "V-Diet". This is a short term, low calorie, low carb, high protein diet. Sounds scary right? It is, but as it turns out so are the results. Can you get 6 pack abs in 28 days? We'll see...

I wonder how many shakes a day these guys drank

Needless to say I was intrigued. I had actually read about the diet before on T-Nation (one of my favorite sites), but was really too chicken to try it out. But since a handful of clients were going to try it, I thought what the hell. I also recruited a few more clients that I would work with one-on-one so I could have a bigger test group. First, let me tell you what the V-Diet is.

The V-Diet is the brain child of Chris Shugart. He essentially took an old concept (a low calorie diet), improved it and made it unique. He built upon a previous diet called the "Fat Fast" by Brock Strasser penned several years earlier. It was also a low calorie, low carb diet - but it had some flaws. Chris tweaked away (and continues to tweak) and the V-Diet was born.

Basically you calculate your maintenance calorie level, and then take 50-60% of that and stay within that caloric range for 28 days. All of the calories come from 5 protein shakes made from Metabolic Drive (a top-notch protein powder) along with fish-oil and ground flax seeds, spread throughout the day. That's it, nothing else. Yummy. You must also weight train 3 x week, and do some form of NEPA (Non-Exercise Physical Activity) work everyday. You do get one solid food meal per week. You are also allowed some peanut butter at night (there is a reason too), but you still must stay within your designated calorie range. There are a few other guidelines, but that's it in a nutshell.

Banana Creme - YUMMY

TRUE STORY: I went to one client and said "Hey, I was thinking you might like to try this insane diet with me." "Does it involve peanut butter?" He asked. "Why yes it does." I replied. "I'm in."

What is comes down to is you are consuming half of what you would normally. With calories cut that drastically one would normally see massive losses in lean tissue. This would also correspond to an equally massive drop in metabolism. This is combated by the fact you will be consuming 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight (minimum) and performing a training protocol designed to increase lean mass, drop fat and elevate metabolism.

I normally would not go for this quick fix type of thing, but the more I looked into it the more interesting the diet became. It is about more than just dropping fat: It is about re-shaping behaviors. I cannot tell it like Chris would, but during the 28 days you actually are training yourself to think of food differently. And that is the tip of the iceberg. That is what had me sold. I don't really have that many bad behaviors (nutritionally anyway) to start with, but like a good general I would not ask my clients to try anything I would not try myself. And so it began...

Peanut butter IS on the menu

On January 13th I started the V-Diet. This was actually a week later than I had planned, but a bout with the flu side-lined me for about a week. The first week was not fun. I was hungry all damn day, almost every day. I thought that was weird considering I love Metabolic Drive, and use it every day anyway. For me maintenance calories was just over 4000, so on this diet I was getting around 2000. Thus, I was hungry.

As hard as week 1 was, week 2 was a breeze. I had become accustomed to the eating schedule and levels, had created a routine, and all was well with the world. I found V-Diet Muffins to be a life saver (see below for the recipe). I also began to drink copious amounts of tea. A mix of Green Tea and Good Earth tea is my current favorite.

On T-Nation there is a very detailed log of a guy who is following this plan. In 28 days he lost 21.5 lbs, and dropped 5.5 inches from his waist. His results were amazing, but as I understand it not at all atypical.

There is a pre-planned transition phase, to ease you back into "normal" or should I say improved eating patterns. There are also "lite" versions of this plan that involve eating one solid meal per day, that have also yielded tremendous results. I know Chris Shugart has a full book in the works that should detail every aspect of the V-Diet, and I am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Is this diet for everyone? Hell no. It requires complete dedication and total commitment. A half assed effort will yield half assed results. You can consider it 28 days of intensive nutritional rehab, and when you get to the other side you are not only leaner, but re-educated and fired up. If you are interested check out the links in this article, or contact me and I will set you on your way.

And as I write this I am just over half way to day 28. And my results?
Stay tuned....

Joshua Carter
http://carterfitness.com/

PS: Anyone interested trying a modified version of the V-Diet please contact me. I am currently accepting 6 online clients.