Hello, everyone.
Thank you for following along with my month-long November Project, where I have been documenting all of my meals and workouts for anyone to read. For the entire month of November I recorded all of my meals and all of my workouts to reveal how a long-time vegan athlete eats and trains to maintain muscle mass and strength. This reflects my personal approach and will not be considered as a representation of all vegan athletes. I follow a supplement-free diet (aside from Vitamin B12), for example, whereas many vegan athletes choose to consume and rely on various sports supplements.
With this month-long documentation, I have been sending a weekly recap once per week, and this is my 4th weekly summary of my meals, workouts, thoughts, and reactions. I am not suggesting, recommending, or advising anything. I am simply transparently sharing my daily meals and workouts that I really follow, and I think it can be fairly eye-opening to any reader, encouraging you to look inward and evaluate your own consistency, accountability, and transparency. I have been using Cronometer to track my caloric and nutrition intake as well as my caloric expenditure through tracking my basal metabolic rate combined with my activity level. The numbers will be estimations based on calculations and may not be 100% accurate, but will be as close to reality as possible, given the technology I am using, factoring lots of homemade meals which are tough to count exact calories.
My stats are the following:
Age: 36
Height: 5’11 ¾”
Weight: 202 pounds
Current exercise routine: Weight training 4-5 days per week for 60-90 minutes, occasional cardio for 30-45 minutes at a time
Vegan for 21 years (anniversary on December 8th)
Week 4 Summary – November 22-28, 2016
Here are my numbers that summarize Week 4, which I am referring to as my most disappointing week as far as my food intake that included more processed foods than usual, and my level of exercise which was at its lowest point for the month. I’m not beating myself up for it, nor complaining, I just acknowledge that I am disappointed with the following figures, and I know I can change behaviors and habits in order to reflect the outcomes I desire.
Week 4 Totals: (Note: Some totals might be off by a tiny bit due to some estimations using my Cronometer system, and due to some slight rounding throughout the 7 days, but this is as accurate as I can make it):
Total calories consumed = 21,287
Average calories per day = 3,041
Total from carbohydrates = 3,708 grams
Average grams of carbohydrates per day = 530g
Average percentage of calories from carbohydrates = 69%
Total from protein = 620 grams
Average grams of protein per day = 89g
Average percentage of calories from protein = 10%
Total from fat = 548 grams
Average grams of fat per day = 78g
Average percentage of calories from fat = 21%
Total water intake = 187 ounces
Average water per day = 27 ounces
Total calories expended = 18,138
Average calories expended per day = 2,591
Net caloric intake/expenditure = 3,149-calorie surplus
Average net calorie intake/expenditure = 450-calorie surplus per day
Total time spent weight training (5 out of 7 days) = 6 hours, 34 minutes
Total time spent on cardio (4 out of 7 days) = 2 hours, 44 minutes
Total time spent exercising = 9 hours, 18 minutes
Average time spent weight training per day over 7 days = 56 minutes
Average time spent on cardio per day over 7 days = 23 minutes
Average time spent exercising per day over 7 days = 1 hour, 19 minutes
Total amount of sleep = 49 hours, 30 minutes
Average sleep per night = 7 hours, 4 minutes
One of the things I am pleased with is that I managed to get to the gym for weight training workouts 5 out of 7 days during the Thanksgiving week while we were hosting family, including my 15-month old nephew. Holidays often throw a wrench in our schedules and we typically just brush it off and accept that our nutrition and training programs go out the window – not just for a couple of days, but often for the whole week due to travel or hosting family and friends (for many of us in the USA where this is a popular family holiday). This week of less-than-desired behavior could carry over into the next month with more major holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and it makes for a tough time for more than a month-long stretch for tens of millions of people regarding the areas of health and fitness. Our calorie intake often increases dramatically while our activity levels tend to decrease due to holiday gym closures, family or travel obligations, from colder weather keeping us indoors or inhibiting our commute, and from focusing our priorities elsewhere. There is certainly nothing wrong with reprioritizing, especially being present, enjoying the company of loved ones. But for those who have specific health and fitness goals, making it a point to remain active, even if just going for a walk, doing a home workout, performing some exercises like push-ups and squats in the comfort of a living room or bedroom can do the trick.
Like many people, I did partake in eating more processed foods such as a tofu turkey roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, and breaded stuffing – typical vegan Thanksgiving fare. My calorie intake went up and my activity level went down, but I still made it to the gym 5 times for weight training and tacked on 4 different cardio sessions too, so that was one positive aspect of an otherwise rather disappointing week of nutrition and fitness.
The reason I say it is a bit disappointing is because I have actual data from previous weeks. If I didn’t have that data from prior documentation, I could assume I’m doing a pretty good job without accurate information to support my assumption. But in relation to the first two weeks of the November Project especially, I was a little off my mark this past week. So what’s going on here? Well, for starters, my average sleep per night dropped by more than an hour from what is usual. That was partly due to hosting a 15-month old who wakes up hours before me, combined with my desire to get up earlier to spend more time with him – and from his wake-up calls of banging things around and crying. Operating on less sleep gave me more time in the day to do other things, but also left me feeling more tired and less likely to exercise, even on my own using dumbbells in the garage or going for a hike. Speaking of hiking, that is another thing that has almost vanished from my exercise schedule – due to the dropping temperatures, the amount of work related to producing this November Project, and from time spent hosting friends and being more involved with other activities. I will most certainly find myself on the hiking trails again soon – very likely within 48 hours of typing this recap. But if nobody is holding me accountable, I guess we’ll never know if I truly make it back out there anytime soon or continue to stay indoors, working on the computer until the wee hours of the morning.
My week of health and fitness wasn’t all bad, of course – I averaged about 70% of my calories coming from carbohydrates, 10% from protein, and 20% from fat, which tends to be typical. My caloric intake was just about 3,000 calories per day exactly, and that is a good number for me to maintain my body mass of anywhere between 198-204 pounds depending on the time of day. One area of concern is that my water intake was almost non-existent due to an increase in drinking yerba mate tea and other beverages. My overall fluid intake, including water consumed from a high intake of fruits, is still at an acceptable level. But evaluating my water intake exclusively, one will notice a significant decline and much more reliance on the caffeinated and sugar-laden tea – my main addiction I have a hard time kicking. One of the primary reasons for the low water consumption is due to the lower overall activity level. When I am hiking, using the Stairmaster, or sitting in the sauna, I drink a lot more water. And when I’m not drinking tea or juice or coconut water, I naturally drink more water too. Sparkling water tends to help increase my water intake, so you’ll likely see quite a bit of that this week.
Though there are always ups and downs, some much more obvious than the others, let’s go ahead and look at my actual daily breakdown of meals and exercises. I’m sure you’ll notice many patterns from my personal behavior, including specific foods that I focus on for days at a time, often based on what’s in season, what’s on sale, and what’s on my radar at the time.
Tuesday November 22, 2016
Slept from 1:00AM – 8:15AM = 7 hours, 15 minutes
8:45AM
6 ounces of water
9:00AM
Apple
Basket of raspberries
10:00AM
2 bananas
Mixed fruit salad
11:00AM
2 apples
12:20PM
2 bananas
2:30PM
3 boiled potatoes with mustard
8 ounces of yerba mate tea
3:30PM
Half a cookie (my grand-aunt offered me a vegan cookie, how sweet)
3 ounces of water
4:30PM
Bowl of salad with tofu and dressing
Bowl of brown rice with mixed vegetables and curry sauce
1/6 of a vegan burger (took a bite of my fiancee’s burger)
6:40PM
6 ounces of yerba mate
7:03PM
Exercise: Weight training workout from 7:03-8:36PM = 1 hour, 33 minutes
Warm-up:
Hip raises: 25, 30, 30
Arm and leg lifts (bird dog): 15, 15, 15
Push-ups: 20, 20, 20, 20, 20
Biceps and triceps workout:
Machine biceps curls: 70×16, 70×15, 80×12, 90×10, 100×10
Seated machine press downs: 120×17, 140×15, 160×9, 160×12, 180×8
Single arm high position machine curls: 40×12, 50×10, 60×6, 60×6, 60×6
Rope extensions: 75×25, 85×20, 95×20, 105×16, 115×12
Standing cable concentration curls: 35×15, 45×12, 55×6, 55×6, 55×6
Cable preacher curls: 50×8, 50×7, 50×7, 50×4, 40×10
Single arm high position triceps extensions: 50×8, 50×10, 50×8, 40×12, 40×15
Seated cable concentration curls: 40×12, 45×12, 50×8, 60×4, 45×10
Dips: 10, 12, 11, 12, 15
8:40PM
Exercise: 34 minutes on the Stairmaster
9:42PM
Small bowl of green salad
Small bowl of vegetable fried rice
3 boiled potatoes with mustard
Handful of raspberries
15 ounces of water
12:06AM
Orange
Totals:
Calories consumed: 2,889
Carbohydrates: 538g (70%)
Protein: 69g (8%)
Fat: 71g (22%)
Water: 24 ounces
Calories burned: 2,980
Net: 91-calorie deficit
Weight training: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Cardio: 34 minutes
Total combined exercise = 2 hours, 7 minutes
Notes:
For the first time in 8 days I burned more calories than I consumed today. That felt pretty good. I don’t add these numbers up until days after the fact, so I don’t try to manipulate my daily activities by attempting to reach some arbitrary daily goal. For example, I don’t monitor the numbers and avoid eating a final meal to ensure I burned more than consumed, nor do I try to cram in more food before bed to hit any targets. I have no idea what my daily numbers are until the end of the week – which is when I’m writing this recap, a week after this day took place.
I am really enjoying my arm workouts these days. I still primarily use machines and cables as I’m rehabilitating my lower back injury (torn disc in the L5-S1 area of my lumbar spine), and I aim to avoid putting stress on my spine by bending over to pick up dumbbells or other free weights. Of course, part of the fun from using cables and machines is developing the pump that is a byproduct of many of these typically high-repetition, squeezing movements on a balanced plane (smooth cable or machine designed to move up and down in a very manageable way – avoiding some of the awkwardness of picking up, balancing, and setting down dumbbells and barbells).
Raspberries are on sale right now. Bring it on.
Wednesday November 23, 2016
Slept from 12:30AM – 7:15AM = 6 hours, 45 minutes
7:45AM
6 ounces of water
4 ounces of yerba mate
8:15AM
Banana
10:00AM
Banana
11:20AM
Half a basket of raspberries
Apple
12:30PM
Banana
8 ounces of yerba mate
1:45PM
Bowl of rice and beans
Bowl of wheat crackers
2:15PM
Small bowl of chips and salsa
3:00PM
Exercise: 30-minute walk
5:00PM
Plate of vegan Thanksgiving roast, potatoes, carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, breaded stuffing, black olives, cranberry sauce, rolls
12 ounces of sparkling cider
8:00PM
Plate of Thanksgiving roast, potatoes, carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, breaded stuffing, black olives
8 ounces of sparkling cider
Small bowl of mango sorbet
11:00PM
Apple
Banana
6 ounces of water
Totals:
Calories consumed: 3,711
Carbohydrates: 635g (65%)
Protein: 123g (13%)
Fat: 91g (22%)
Water: 12 ounces
Calories burned: 2,336
Net: 1,375-calorie surplus
Weight training: 0 minutes
Cardio: 30 minutes
Total combined exercise = 30 minutes
Notes:
My family celebrated Thanksgiving today because tomorrow we’re going to be at a vegan ThanksLiving event, hosted by arguably the most popular vegan restaurant in the Phoenix area – Green New American Vegetarian Cuisine – hence my 1,375-calorie surplus today. Oops.
Today was quite enjoyable. My fiancée, Karen, prepared a vegan Thanksgiving meal for 5, and we enjoyed a dinner with my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. We also played 4 rounds of the board game Clue, and it was super, super fun to just relax and enjoy a fun time (as you might know, I’m somewhat of a workaholic and have a hard time relaxing – even when sitting out by our pool in the backyard I’m typically working online in one way or another).
Even on Thanksgiving Day, I have still followed my routine of no processed foods before noon for 24 consecutive days now, and each day I have started with water before consuming anything else.
Thursday November 24, 2016
Slept from 1:30AM – 8:00AM = 6 hours, 30 minutes
9:00AM
8 ounces of water
9:30AM
8 ounces of yeba mate
Bowl of oatmeal
10:00AM
Banana
11:00AM
2 bananas
1:00PM
2 bananas
8 ounces of yerba mate
4:00PM
Small bowl of mashed potatoes
10 ounces of water
7:00PM
Exercise: 30-minute dog walk
7:45PM
Plate of mashed potatoes, seitan “turkey”, breaded stuffing, corn, green beans
10:45PM
Plate of mashed potatoes, seitan, breaded stuffing, corn, green beans
1:00AM
5 pieces of vegetable sushi
8 ounces of sparking water
2:15AM
Basket of raspberries
Banana
6 ounces of water
Totals:
Calories consumed: 2,311
Carbohydrates: 358g (58%)
Protein: 83g (14%)
Fat: 72g (28%)
Water: 32 ounces
Calories burned: 2,312
Net: 1-calorie deficit
Weight training:
Cardio: 30 minutes
Total combined exercise = 30 minutes
Notes:
I know what you’re thinking, who eats sushi on Thanksgiving Day? Since we celebrated Thanksgiving the night before, I even squeezed in room for a few sushi rolls on Thanksgiving Day.
Today was a pretty special day because… WE ADOPTED A DOG! We welcomed our second rescue dog into our family. As we were working at the vegan ThanksLiving event with an exhibitor table for Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, one of the other exhibitors from the Humane Society of the United States had a dog up for adoption and we welcomed her into our lives and into our family. Her name is Ellie and she is absolutely precious. We love her.
There were nearly 2,000 people at the vegan ThanksLiving festival. Yep, you heard it right. On one of the biggest family holidays in America, 2,000 people showed up for a complete vegan Thanksgiving meal and to hang out on a beautiful sunny day at a truly inspiring event with probably 20 vegan vendors. So, yes, I actually worked all day on Thanksgiving Day, signing books, selling t-shirts and tank tops, answering questions, and giving a lot of smiling thumbs up poses for photos. You know how I roll. After working, we received a great vegan meal from Green and headed home with our new 5 ½-pound dog to meet her new big brother. After an introduction on a neutral sidewalk, we all walked for half an hour and went home and got to know one another.
Sorry in advance if my social media pages get flooded with new dog photos soon. Okay, I’m not really sorry. Trust me, you’ll love the photos of our new daughter.
Friday November 25, 2016
Slept from 2:45AM – 5:45AM + a 45-minute nap = 3 hours, 45 minutes
6:30AM
12 ounces of water
7:45AM
Banana
5 ounces of water
10:18AM
2 bananas
11:17AM
Bowl of mixed berries
10 ounces of yerba mate
12:24PM
10 pieces of vegetable sushi
2:20PM
Bowl of green salad
Bowl of dolmas
Plate of chips, guacamole, and hummus
4:00PM
4 ounces of water
12 ounces of sparking water
Plate of mashed potatoes, carrots, breaded stuffing, potatoes
5:20PM
6 ounces of yerba mate
7:15PM
Green salad with tofu
Grilled cheese sandwich
8 ounces of almond milk
6 ounces of water
8:42PM
Exercise: Weight training workout from 8:42-10:00PM = 1 hour, 18 minutes
Warm-up:
Hip raises: 30, 30, 30
Arm and leg lifts (bird dog): 15, 15, 15,
Leg workout:
Leg extensions: 55×40, 70×30, 85×25, 100×20, 115×18, 130×20, 145×15, 160×16, 175×12, 145×20, 145×20, 130×20
Seated plate-loaded machine calf raises: 90×60, 140×20, 115×35, 115×40, 140×20, 115×45, 115×50
Machine back extensions: 110×30, 150×20, 130×25, 130×20, 140×12
10:45PM
5 pieces of vegetable sushi
11:40PM
Apple
12:10AM
2 mandarin oranges
Totals:
Calories consumed: 3,368
Carbohydrates: 604g (69%)
Protein: 79g (8%)
Fat: 86g (22%)
Water: 39 ounces
Calories burned: 2,508
Net: 860-calorie surplus
Weight training: 1 hour, 18 minutes
Cardio: 0 minutes
Total combined exercise = 1 hour, 18 minutes
Notes:
Well, that was a rough night. One of the biggest weekends of the entire year for my brand, Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, is the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. To get an early jump on it, we worked until nearly 3AM preparing for our big launch and then we were up less than three hours later to announce our specials and to engage with audiences on social media platforms.
That rough start made for a long day, but I still managed to get to the gym for a leg workout. Thus far, my leg exercises are limited to ones that will protect my lower back, therefore, I am only performing a few different exercises, but it really is nice to be training legs again. I continue to take it easy as I recover from my lower back injury that kept me sidelined for months. I certainly don’t want to reverse any progress I’ve made.
Aside from some leftovers, I went back to my typical habits of yerba mate and vegan sushi. We (my fiancée and I) were out at a restaurant after watching the lighting of a holiday tree in our city center (to get out and about and do some non-work stuff during this crazy work-filled post-Thanksgiving weekend), and I ended up being quite tired and ate some warm and comforting food at a nearly all-vegan restaurant, opting for a large salad with a grilled cheese sandwich and some hot almond milk with hazelnut flavoring.
Saturday November 26, 2016
Slept from 12:30AM – 11:00AM = 10 hours, 30 minutes
11:45AM
6 ounces of water
12:05PM
2 sweet potatoes
8 ounces of yerba mate
2:34PM
20 pieces of vegetable sushi
3:15PM
Large bowl of Amy’s No Chicken Noodle Soup (1 ½ cans)
4:34PM
Bowl of Amy’s No Chicken Noodle Soup (1/2 a can)
6 ounces of yerba mate
6:13PM
Exercise: Weight training workout from 6:13-7:35PM = 1 hour, 22 minutes
Warm-up
Hip raises: 30, 30, 30
Arm and leg lifts (bird dog): 15, 15, 15
Push-ups: 20, 20, 20, 20
Shoulder workout:
Arm circles: 50, 100, 100, 100
Seated cable overhead press: 50×20, 60×17, 70×15, 80×10, 90×6
Machine shoulder press: 70×12, 80×12, 90×9, 100×5, 100×7
Neutral-grip overhead press: 70×12, 80×12, 90×8, 100×8, 110×7
Plate-loaded shoulder press: 90×15, 140×10, 140×10, 160×7, 160×8
7:20PM
Orange
2 mandarin oranges
17.5 ounces of coconut water
8:10PM
Mandarin orange
Handful of black olives
Avocado slices
9:00PM
Plate of brown rice, refried beans, avocado, tomato, lettuce, black olives
12 ounces of sparking water
12:30AM
Apple
1:30AM
2 oranges
Totals:
Calories consumed: 2,755
Carbohydrates: 547g (77%)
Protein: 72g (10%)
Fat: 40g (13%)
Water: 18 ounces
Calories burned: 2,522
Net: 233-calorie surplus
Weight training: 1 hour, 22 minutes
Cardio: 0 minutes
Total combined exercise = 1 hour, 22 minutes
Notes:
I caught up a little bit on sleep, staying in bed for a satisfying ten and a half hours after getting less than four hours of sleep the night before. Feeling a bit run down and tired from the general lack of sleep and elevated stress of running promotions during our most important revenue-generating weekend of the year, I gave into societal recommendations of consuming a vegan version of “chicken noodle soup.” Oh, the funny things we do. I had a couple of cans of Amy’s No Chicken Noodle Soup and headed to the gym for a shoulder workout.
Overall, my calorie consumption vs. expenditure was pretty even today, both quite a bit lower than usual, likely do to be awake for fewer total hours after the long slumber.
Today I consumed the highest percentage of calories from carbohydrates in a while, perhaps one of my very highest intakes all month at 77% of my calories coming from (mostly whole-food) carbohydrates.
Sunday November 27, 2016
Slept from 2:25AM – 9:25AM = 7 hours
9:23AM
8 ounces of water
10:20AM
Exercise: 40-minute dog walk
11:44AM
2 sweet potatoes
6 ounces of yerba mate
12:10PM
Bowl of vegetable fried rice
2:12PM
Bowl of brown rice, refried beans, black beans, guacamole, tomatoes
6 ounces of yerba mate
5:30PM
3 mandarin oranges
6:10PM
3 mandarin oranges
6:12PM
Exercise: Weight training workout from 6:12-7:24PM = 1 hour, 12 minutes
Warm-up:
Hip raises: 30, 30, 30
Arm and leg lifts (bird dog): 15, 15, 15
Back workout:
Lat pull-downs: 85×15, 85×15, 100×15, 100×12, 115×10
Reverse-grip lat pull-downs: 115×12, 115×12, 130×10, 130×8, 130×10
High rows: 140×12, 140×10, 160×10, 160×12, 160×10, 140×10, 140×12
Plate-loaded front pull-downs: 90×20, 110×14, 130×8, 130×8, 130×11, 130×12, 130×9
Machine rows: 90×12, 110×10, 100×12, 100×10, 100×12
Narrow-grip machine rows (super set): 90×8, 110×10, 100×8, 100×8, 100×6
7:30PM
Exercise: 30 minutes on the Stairmaster
8:50PM
Bowl of pasta with tomato sauce and black olives
6 ounces of yerba mate
9:30PM
Bowl of pasta with tomato sauce and black olives
11:50PM
12-ounce bottle of Jones soda
1:00AM
3 mandarin oranges
1:40AM
4 slices of bread with 4 slices of Follow Your Heart vegan cheese
2 handfuls of almonds
8 ounces of sparkling water
Totals:
Calories consumed: 3,879
Carbohydrates: 650g (63%)
Protein: 120g (12%)
Fat: 113g (25%)
Water: 16 ounces
Calories burned: 2,968
Net: 911-calorie surplus
Weight training: 1 hour, 12 minutes
Cardio: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Total combined exercise = 2 hours, 22 minutes
Notes:
Can you tell that mandarin oranges are in season and on sale? It looks like I ate 9 of them today. If I weren’t documenting this stuff in a transparent way, I’d love to forget about or hide the Jones Soda at midnight and the cheese sandwiches at nearly 2 o’clock in the morning, but that’s reality, so I reveal it. I had a very late night working many hours on the November Project, while also keeping our Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotions going strong to pay those new homeowner bills. I was hungry and wanted something heavy, so rather than just more mandarin oranges or other fruits, I went with something more calorie-dense, and soda and cheese sandwiches it was. I’m not super proud of it, but I embrace it, and it’s not that big of a deal in the big picture anyway, as we know all actions compound and there are lots of opportunities to eat healthier foods, burn more calories, and I have the opportunity to balance out my weekly and monthly numbers, and create a positive overall outcome.
Training back is always a joy, and my current favorite exercise (aside from decline barbell bench press) is the high row. High rows and plate-loaded front pull-downs are exercises I could do all day and not get tired of them.
Today I consumed a nearly 1000-calorie surplus, even with training for almost 2 ½ hours. That’s the power of processed foods. They sure pack a big calorie punch!
Monday November 28, 2016
Slept from 3:15AM – 9:30AM + 90-minute nap = 7 hours, 45 minutes
9:50AM
8 ounces of water
11:00AM
12 ounces of sparkling water
11:27AM
Banana
12:20PM
3 oranges
1:40PM
Bowl of brown rice, refried beans, guacamole, black olives
12 ounces of sparkling water
Bowl of Amy’s No Chicken Noodle soup
4:00PM
3 mandarin oranges
5:30PM
Apple
9:26PM
Exercise: Weight training from 9:26-10:45PM = 1 hour, 19 minutes
Warm-up:
Hip raises: 30, 30, 30
Arm and leg lifts (bird dog): 15, 15, 15
Biceps and triceps workout:
Rope extensions: 65×25, 75×25, 85×25, 95×20, 105×15
Cable biceps curls: 55×20, 65×15, 75×15, 85×12, 85×12
Machine biceps curls: 70×15, 80×15, 90×10, 100×12, 110×10
Machine press downs: 110×30, 150×15, 170×10, 175×12, 200×8
Single-arm high position biceps curls: 40×10, 40×10, 50×6, 50×8, 50×8
Single-arm high position triceps extensions: 40×12, 50×6, 40×15, 40×15, 50×8
Cable preacher curls: 50×10, 40×12, 40×12, 45×10, 45×10
Push-ups: 25, 25, 25
Seated cable concentration curls: 45×10, 40×12, 40×12
11:40PM
Small bowl of Amy’s No Chicken Noodle soup
2 slices of bread and 2 slices of Follow Your Heart vegan cheese
Plate of chips, refried beans, olives, guacamole, and hummus
12 ounces of sparkling water
1:08AM
Mandarin orange
4 ounces of sparkling water
Totals:
Calories consumed: 2,374
Carbohydrates: 376g (60%)
Protein: 72g (12%)
Fat: 75g (28%)
Water: 46 ounces
Calories burned: 2,512
Net: 138-calorie deficit
Weight training: 1 hour, 19 minutes
Cardio: 0
Total combined exercise = 1 hour, 19 minutes
Notes:
Today was my 4th day in a row in the gym doing a weight training workout and that felt pretty good to be able to stay active and focused on fitness with so much other stuff going on in business and in life. I certainly feel good about that, and it is also nice to finish out the week with another calorie deficit after so many major calorie surplus days. My water intake was also higher than any other day over the past week, so we ended on a good note there, even if my percentage of fat was higher than usual and my whole-food carbohydrate intake was lower than usual.
When I train arms, I can always cram in a lot of sets because I typically perform a biceps exercise immediately followed by a triceps exercise, resting the biceps while training triceps without taking a typical rest period of just sitting there waiting for the next set. I’ll bounce from one exercise to the next, often choosing machines or cables that are side-by-side. An example would be doing rope extensions for triceps on the high cable pulley and then immediately performing cable biceps curls on the low pulley on the same cable pulley station.
Well, that’s another week in the books! I’ll be back with one more update recapping the final two days of the month, while summarizing the entire month-long experience, including numbers from my entire month totals. It should be interesting to see how things ended up.
As posted at the beginning of this recap, here is the summary from Week 4 of the November Project: Week 4 Totals: (Note: Some totals might be off by a tiny bit due to some estimations using my Cronometer system, and due to some slight rounding throughout the 7 days, but this is as accurate as I can make it):
Total calories consumed = 21,287
Average calories per day = 3,041
Total from carbohydrates = 3,708 grams
Average grams of carbohydrates per day = 530g
Average percentage of calories from carbohydrates = 69%
Total from protein = 620 grams
Average grams of protein per day = 89g
Average percentage of calories from protein = 10%
Total from fat = 548 grams
Average grams of fat per day = 78g
Average percentage of calories from fat = 21%
Total water intake = 187 ounces
Average water per day = 27 ounces
Total calories expended = 18,138
Average calories expended per day = 2,591
Net caloric intake/expenditure = 3,149-calorie surplus
Average net calorie intake/expenditure = 450-calorie surplus per day
Total time spent weight training (5 out of 7 days) = 6 hours, 34 minutes
Total time spent on cardio (4 out of 7 days) = 2 hours, 44 minutes
Total time spent exercising = 9 hours, 18 minutes
Average time spent weight training per day over 7 days = 56 minutes
Average time spent on cardio per day over 7 days = 23 minutes
Average time spent exercising per day over 7 days = 1 hour, 19 minutes
Total amount of sleep = 49 hours, 30 minutes
Average sleep per night = 7 hours, 4 minutes
As always, thank you for your time. If you enjoy the information in the November Project, please consider sharing my blog with your friends and family. The direct link to my new blog is: https://robertcheeke.net/blog/
Wishing you all the very best with your health and fitness goals. Follow YOUR passion and make it happen!
-Robert
Daily updates on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganbodybuildingandfitness/
Robert Cheeke 