Here I share yet another sample week-in, week-out outlook within the life of CKD Keto’er; winter edition. In a budget constraint of $35 to $45 per week (sadly higher than last time due to a need for more supplemental aids).

Disclaimer

I wish to reiterate just as previously – that all this remains responsibly subjective upon the reader’s intent and purpose from simply out of reading and witnessing these thoroughly word-for-word. It does not necessarily call for any direct empirical messaging or any final judgments confidently concluding “this is what everyone definitely needs to do/follow.” 

Structure

This feature writeup are sectioned as follows.

1. SKD component – Monday to Fridays.
2. Carb Refeed component – Saturdays and Fridays.
3. Injury, training & Jeffersons as alternative compound training.
4. New Thoughts – Delayed Refeeding.
5. Closing thoughts.

Soon also, I will be publishing / writing another in conjunction article on my preliminary / thus-far interpretations; of using various NO-TROPics; all in the hope for assisting me throughout the day in, day out of winter blues.   

I wish to highlight here nevertheless; more on the 6×6 training aspects and my episodes of injury. Pain, blood, disc tears and bones. As I am now close to approaching my second year of persistently staying within this CKD / Ketogenic nutritive intervention it is of course; remains questionable when or how – should this ends or if another major event is yet to occur; convincing or rationalising me to re-transition to another format altogether.

SKD Mondays – Fridays

Breakfast

Before there’s breakfast; I have been focusing on supplementing MSM on as empty stomach as possible (which this supplement I have for years) for general joints and liver health support. Hence upon rising I head straight for a glass half of fluoride filtered water, down one and a half teaspoons worth of MSM alongside with either (my old and expired 200g of arginine) or about 200mg of Acetyl-L-Carnitine.

Then, off I go in creating the first meal. Cooked in either microwave on high for 2.5 minutes or panfried on a pan. Add the fats on top.

1. 30g of linseed meal (high fat version NOT protein rich version from coles®; buyer beware!),
2. ½ teaspoon of baking soda
3. ½ teaspoon of cream of tartare
4. 1 whole egg
5. 35g of liquid egg whites (if available)
6. 3-5g of spray worth of non-GMO canola cooking spray (if I’m making a pancake on the fry pan)
7. 2 boiled eggs (sometimes only one)
8. 40g of shaved leg ham (if available)
9. 21g of butter or 14ML olive oil
10. 16g of sour cream
11. Some ground parsley though only sometimes (for its vitamin K to complement the high Vitamin D intake).
12. Turmeric, garlic powder and himalayan salt.

Supplementations wise; as soon as I had my first bite of food; I’d immediately down ½ of my betaine HCL. Then halfway through eating I’m taking a high dose vitamin e followed by five (5) Vitamin D tablets (note: these are the mini 1000iu ones instead of the usual golden/ oblong ones). Then briefly after, my multi-vitamin or a B-complex. Lastly, after it all finishes – one & half tab of magnesium, further two (2) Vit-D and the last half of the betaine HCL.

Between at least 550 to 675 calories.  

Inbetween 2.5 / 3 hours later

A warm / hot tall glass of apple cider vinegar.…And then followed by Coffee, coffee and more coffee. My coffees are simply straightaway instant. No frills. Straight black instant with hot water. Sometimes with ginger + Citrulline Malate even; when things get really cold. Though sometimes, I’d like to cycle in green teas as well for variety. 

Alongside the above – I have been lately accustomed to drinking my 3/4 to at least 1 gallon+ of fluoride filtered water with straight creatine (yes as in straight powder) throughout the day. These would be more or less enough to keep me going for at least three hours.

Supplementation:  I am taking magnesium and zinc during these hours without solid foods plus chugging in the water. Otherwise, it is the coffee, 2g of creatine, bit of citrulline mallate (though sparing amounts because of its tart pungentness). 

Lunch

Next proper meal. 

1. 100g of beef liver / 100g of straight oven’d chicken breast  (yes, lately I have been experimenting with lower fat variety of chickens. Yes; Keto zealots I’m about to be flamed here but I am my own genetics and metabolic experimental individuality, and yours’ too; so stop idealising others on the basis of your own ideals).
2. Up to 50g baby spinach depending on the resource availability. On a 2L mixing bowl these would fill up to halfway. If I’m not careful could easily down an entire 500g in mere six days.
3. 100g of “riced” (no, not rice) cabbage or cauliflower. The legendary humble green; for all these years on HFLC –  never fails me. 1.5 minutes on high within the microwave.
4. 21g of butter or 20ML (3x heap teaspoons) of Olive oil
5. 15-20g of sour cream.
6. 1 boiled egg.
7. ½ a sheet of Nori seaweed.
8. Garlic powder, turmeric, himalayan salt and 2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.

Supplementations wise; as soon as I had my first bite of food; I’d immediately down ½ of my betaine HCL. Then halfway through eating I’m taking the multi-vitamin or a B-complex. Lastly, after it all finishes – one & half tab of magnesium and the last half of the betaine HCL. However at times when my betaine HCL is low I would combine several squeezes of lemon slice with ginger powder.

Between 450-550 calories. 

6×6 Training (4 days per week) / preworkout

Vince Gironda’s 6×6 limited rest = maximum productivity mantra still is, and remains; in my subjective and humble opinion – an inseparable part of fitness training within Ketogenic / HFLC regiment. Since late of 2016; I’ve been adopting and modifying various iterations of the limited-rest / high productivity / volume 6×6 – in 6×8, 6×5, 5×5 formats to sensibly cater towards the intensity of weights used…that is – advocating a little more rest timing (though no more than 30s rest) inbetween sets especially towards heavier compounds.

I still however, remain somewhat hesitant in doing cardio’s during much hotter days; as I believe that every Ketogenic practitioner MUST REMAIN AWARE OF THEIR water losses. Especially if one is sweating profusely. Water loss = severe electrolyte losses. If you feel any sort of fainting or vertigo-like coordinations whilst exercising during summer, immediately chug more water during exercise.

Failing that, be sure to have a salt/lite potassium salt grinder in your car. You never know when or wherever you may need it if you feel fainted.

I have for quite some time welcomed and embraced several new supplementation usages some of which are interestingly claimed for bearing NO-Tropic like effects. Two of the most significant here are Citrulline Malate and Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR for short; this to me provides the most NO-tropic like effect). These have been implemented towards my pre-workout regiment; in a form of using my (left-over) afternoon coffee with up to a gram of citrulline mallate, the 500mg of ALCAR and then with the existing creatine. 

Also what I have found during recent month/s of worthy addition – was to include in a bit of creatine (just a smidgen) with my drinking water for INTRA workout fluids; this I feel convinced that it is necessary for me to stay enduring throughout my 200+ reps fight for survival.

Thoughts on my injury prevention / Suspension of CKD Keto

My first “serious” lumbar spine injury (a moderately torn L5/S1) occured and persisted during March through to May/June. Not just one occurence or one incident but ANOTHER damage on the same site occurs soon after mild recovery of the first incident.

For those who aren’t familiar with what or how it’s like to live with a torn L5/S1 disc annular fluid – this is a real, living nightmare; embedded at your side within every seconds of bodily movement. Every inch of trivial movement could easily send a jolt of shock, that it wasn’t uncommon for me to take up to 15 minutes of bracing to do ANY noticeable amount of movements.

Imagine a feeling of brittling, “cold” and sharp paralysis-like shiver firing from the top of your spine; all the way to your feet. Then followed by a “hanging” lingering pain for hours and hours – without end. I was literally sweating cold and pale; in pain.

Intuitively, I have decided to forego Ketogenic intervention altogether. And see where it leads me. Weeks later and having judged from my above events and perspective – I feel it is conclusively worthy to finally ACCEPT that persisting on a Ketogenic nutrition; was not the *best* solution as part of tissue injury rehabilitation, after all.

I personally have found Ketogenic intervention very difficult to consume enough calories; especially withOUT enough superior digestive capacity needed to metabolise proteins and tissue regeneration. I am no physiotherapist but based from what I have been feeling – relying on my body’s own resorbption abilities remain dubious at best.

Hence “my” answer to this? Abandon the Ketogenic altogether for one full week. And reassess.

I was wholeheartedly convinced; it makes no evolutionary sense for any physiology to recover on a restricted energy intake. The body knows it is in pain. Pain therefore- is a healthy nervous response. It must know that it expects more than enough nutrients to accomodate further uncertainties. 

Insulin response through carbohydrate intakes helps makes things – assimilating things in greater food volume/s –  a lot easier. Yes, I know my weekly spending was over $50+…but sometimes pragmaticsm deserves its own place.

Eventually after much time has passed (one full week of Keto suspension, caloric surpluses); my injury has recovered satisfactorily. Although, not to the point whereby I am able to do any significant barbell squats yet.

Thus since from late May throughout this day (Early September) I began to sought and revise – my earlier forgotten compound alternative exercises, namely the Jefferson lifts.   

The Jeffersons as alternative compound exercise

Squats, benches and deadlifts ; in my opinion whilst very convincingly important, are downright obnoxiously praised, and overhyped for their strength-enhancing imagery.

If there are hundreds of variables over what makes a squat a “squat”; a deadlift a “lift”, or a benchpress a “press” –  then these arguments remains largely political rather than variably or intrinsically biological.

(My) execution and method.

Disclaimer #one thousand and one: this is not to be taken as an empirically nor an objectively representatively “correct” way of executing the Jefferson lift. Just like deadlifts and squats, “how” and in exactly what manner you “should” lift remains both politically and entirely dependent – on all your current biochemical and mechanical – conditioning and posturing. My principle remain pragmatic yet encourages inner resilience overtime.

For your first few weeks, start small. Absolutely no more than 80% of your total body weight. Build a mind-to-muscle “connection”; as you familiarise with the movement, leg positioning, hip brace positioning, the overall feel of the bar and grip (very important), etc. Find one combination or “configuration” that you feel most intuitive and pose the very least pinch pressure on L5/S1 of the lumbar spine. Then only when your ligaments feel adequately rehabilitated; work your way up.

I position my legs 90 degrees well and wide apart; formed in an ‘L’ configuration from eyes’ perspective.  I “Brace” my glutes, then hips, quads and hamstrings to prep myself cognitively in the mindset of “pushing” off the ground FIRST, then “pull” – the entire load up SECOND; and then extending my back all the way upright. Breathe out at this point. Lower the weight but not touching the ground, then lift up again.

That is one rep. No more than 30 seconds of rest later; staying true to a 6×6 regiment – I then rotate/flip the “L” orientation and brace myself again for that next set. 

Repeat for six sets of six reps. Although as I go heavier loads; I will inevitably lose much needed grip strength. Hence, many times I’ve resorted to reduce this exercise to five reps instead of six per set. Or when things get overly tough, I simply stop at four reps and begin the rest countdown as usual.

There are also other compounds I have constructed out from my own curiosity; namely Ass-To-Grass Dumbell Squats (as in bells sitting on top of your delts/shoulders and squat RIGHT DOWN to the floor). Consequently for lower body/leg training days – I have been combining Jeffersons alongside with leg presses on top of the usual calf raises and extensions (though I’d still shy away from lying leg curls) to minimise the pinching of L5/S1 region with satisfactory results. 

Postworkout proteins

Now my approach to postworkout proteins has been somewhat different than on summertime. Upon arriving home I am using just a teaspoon (about 4g) of pea proteins (that’s right – vegan source) with 2g of my expired arginine or 350mg of another ALCAR.

Then, soon after – onto my Protein fluffs. What I really like about these protein fluffs is that with handful of additional ingredients (plain soda water and xanthan gum) – you could actually feel satiated on only half the usual dosage; therefore prolonging your protein supplementation supply by about 200%.

1. 15g of WPC
2. 2-3g of xanthan gum
3. ½ glass of soda water (with potassium carbonate on it)
4. Optional / sometimes – 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk.
5. Optional / only during training days – 20g of frozen raspberries (this the lowest carb count fruit source I could find).

Using a handmixer and a large mixing bowl I started mixing with a low setting (Lv 1) then as things get slightly more clumpy then to the highest setting. I use an array of circular and tilting motions to “catch” as many of the mix as possible, disperse and repeat this process however many times required until two things occur – the entire volume has gained size AND distribution.

Despite what others claim; I find that I never need to keep on mixing for ten (10) straight minutes to achieve thick like consistency. What is important during mixing however is the choice of soda water (I find the potassium carbonate added ones work best), and the amount of xanthan gum (at least noticeably half a teaspoon). Further more – the longer you keep it in the fridge (particularly more than three hours) – the more likelihood it will lose its voluminous form. Be sure to eat it before then.

67-80 calories.

Dinner

Dinner starts about 45 minutes to an hour after the protein fluff.

1. 120g sardines / 100g beef liver / 100g chicken (basically a choice of three/ same as lunch)
2. Up to 50g baby spinach depending on the resource availability. On a 2L mixing bowl these would fill up to halfway. If I’m not careful could easily down an entire 500g in mere six days.
3. Occasional (though not always) up to 100g of sauerkraut.
4. 100g of “riced” (no, not rice) cabbage or cauliflower. The legendary humble green; for all these years on Keto –  never fails me. 1.5 minutes on high within the microwave.
5. 21g of butter or 20ML (3x heap teaspoons) of Olive oil.
6. 15-20g of sour cream or sometimes (if I’m rich) – up to 25g of walnuts.
7. 1 boiled egg.
8. Garlic powder, turmeric, himalayan salt and 2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.

Supplementations wise; as soon as I had my first bite of food; I’d immediately down ½ of my betaine HCL. Then halfway through eating I’m taking the multi-vitamin or a B-complex. Lastly, after it all finishes – one & half tab of magnesium and the last half of the betaine HCL. At times when my betaine HCL is low I would combine several squeezes of lemon slice with ginger powder.

Afterwards, I usually make a warm / hot cup of water with powdered ginger.

Between 450-550 calories.

Additional meal 1

Chances are – I still have more caloric window to eat to meet sufficient protein intakes (of course with fats). Hence at this stage I’d likely have up to 55g of cheddar cheese (with occasional burst of lemon squeeze and powdered parsley) Parsley in particular helps shuttle excess calcium away from the blood and into the bone; all thx to its Vitamin K. Between 200-240 calories.

Meal before bed

I will have the another same protein fluff but this time, using casein. Sometimes I’d like to add in a up to 45-55g of roasted pumpkin and heaped teaspoon of cacao powder.

Between 70-90 calories.

 

Overall Macros for a typical SKD Day

I find myself hovering more or less under 1900s calories; a bit lower than what I used to consume during summer. This which I attribute as there could be a rise (hypothetically speaking, which I am open to be wrong) – in metabolic rate during much warmer days than during the much cooler and drier – days. Sometimes I may go as high as 2000s, but I am yet to find any opportunity (given resource affordability and availability) to even reach 2100.

There have been plenty of moments; whereby I was persisting on under than 1700s calories. I know I’ve said this before yet even I cannot tend to fix my own mistakes – if you are in this ketogenic intervention for the sole aim of weight loss; you may need at times to have a reality check upon yourselves; sooner or later.

Living on restricted calories over prolonged periods is not ideal. Resilience sometimes makes us blind oversomething else underlooked before we know it. Especially when you factor in fitness training and out from it – all the wear & tear of every ligaments, and micro-traumas upon all tendons, and muscle fibres.

Experimenting with higher AND lower caloric intakes; ALONG WITH repriotising towards higher protein intakes therefore – seems applicably crucial.

The refeed / Saturdays – Sundays

Breakfast

Once again just like SKD mornings, upon rising I head straight for a glass half of fluoride filtered water, down one and a half teaspoons worth of MSM alongside with either (my old and expired 200g of arginine) or my recently acquainted Acetyl-L-Carnitine.

Then onto the meal. Unlike summer whereby one can down easily rice pops, cold lite milk, whey powders, plus palatinose powders; winters require some warmth and volume. Hence, I resorted back to the good old “bro-food” oats.

1. 100-120g oats. Dry weight.
2. 35g of WPC/casein combo.
3. Up to 10g of Myprotein® palatinose powder or up to 10g of normal dextrose monohydrate.
4. 250ml Lite milk or almond milk.
5. Up to 100g of roast pumpkin mashed in the oats mix during cooking.
6. 30g of raw unprocessed honey.

Supplementations wise; as soon as I had my first bite of food; I’d immediately down ½ of my betaine HCL. Then halfway through eating my multi-vitamin or a B-complex. Lastly, after it all finishes – one & half tab of magnesium. Notice any difference? Here I do not take my Vitamin E or even D at all (or at least minimise intakes of D). 

At least 700 to 800 calories.

Inbetween meals

Again, coffee. Though of course not as much as caffeine during the SKD days . Here I would drink no more than 2 cups for the entire day. Once again mixing in with a little bit of creatine and sometimes – citrulline malate or bit of ALCAR.

Meal 2 (about 2 – 2.5 hours after breakfast)

Next meal is pretty much the same as breakfast only half the amount.

1. 50g-60g of oats (dry weight).
2. 15g of WPC.
3. 100-150ML almond milk / lite milk.
4. Up to 80g of roast pumpkin.
5. 15g raw unprocessed honey.

Between 350 to 450 calories.

The lunch

Next meal only this time as proper. I usually have either pasta or a handful of potatoes with lebanese Kal flat bread. This bread is interestingly simple as it bears no fillers, thickeners, soy, etc to that of regular bread/s.  

1. 100g pasta (dry weight). Or 350g potatoes.
2. 80g of beans.
3. When resources allow – some lean meat proteins / 50g tuna / chicken breast, etc .
4. 1x whole Kal flat bread.
5. 100g of greek yoghurt.
6. 70g of tomato paste.
7. IMPORTANT: A splash of Apple Cider Vinegar (1 tsp worth)
8. Garlic powders, turmeric, some himalayan salt.
9. 100g cabbage / lettuce.

Between 650 to 750 calories.

Supplementations wise; as soon as I had my first bite of food; I’d immediately down ½ of my betaine HCL. Then halfway through eating my multi-vitamin or a B-complex. Lastly, after it all finishes – one & half tab of magnesium. When any of my betaine HCL is running low – I’d resort to use up to 2tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar to “pre-digest” these starches to be readily metabolised noticeably easier; at least only from my experience. 

Next inbetween meal

Between lunch (which is most likely late afternoons) to dinner (around 8:30 or 9PM) would have me consume anywhere between at least 800 calories to 1000 calories. It could be another meal of oats + 15g WPC + 150ML milk then followed by 400-500ML of almond milk + two scoops of whey shakes to drink throughout a number of hours.

I do consume fruits from time to time; although from my experience this contributed (though only as speculations) to several more water weight gain. Would I condone eating regular amounts of fruit in a strict re-feed protocol? I would say no. Though of course your metabolic circumstances may differ greatly from mine. 

An apple wouldn’t kill me for sure. I’d still eat them anyway. 

The Dinner

Good ol’ white Rice, nori seaweed, soy sauce, some beans and lean meats if available.

1. Half cup (dry weight) white rice. Equates to 300-350g of final cooked weight.
2. When resources allow – some lean meat proteins / 100g tuna / chicken breast, etc .
3. 70-100g beans.
4. Soy sauce.
5. 100g cabbage / lettuce.
6. Sometimes – squeezed lemon slices.

Between 500 – 600 calories.

Supplementations wise; as soon as I had my first bite of food; I’d immediately down ½ of my betaine HCL. Then halfway through eating my multi-vitamin or a B-complex. Lastly, after it all finishes – one & half tab of magnesium and zinc.

Meal #5

Here I would have a kal bread with anywhere between 50-70g of canned beans (be it butter, cannelini, red kidneys variants), 20g of peanut butter and yoghurt. Sometimes with the riced cabbage in there too. Between 350 – 400 calories.

Meal #6 / last

To call it a day I’d wind down casein shake with 200-300ML of almond milk / lite milk. Or sometimes a small oat meal with yoghurt and 15g of whey with cinnamon if I’m really up for another solid meal. Otherwise, I tend to prefer liquid based meals as I find that easier to digest as I feel it is too late digest wholefoods. Between 170-250 calories.

 

Overall Macros for a typical Re-Feed Day

Still under 4000 calories. My recent findings from my journalling indicates that there has been a much greater propensities for me to desire for more protein intakes; this I attributed perhaps to the fact that my body is still demanding its own continuing healing process from the prior massive injuries on the L5/S1 disc.

Perhaps the biggest difference between this Winter edition of re-feed to that of Summer has been the general need for more fibrous intake. Especially amongst oats than straight/simpler form of sugars from rice pops, cereals and the like.

Whenever the funds allow; there have been quite a few days when I decide to let go of dairy milk for a while and opt for almond milk / coconut hybrid milk instead for me to assess whether this would offer any digestive comfort. Thus far – I have had curiously more cases of (though not overly very bad case) of diarrheas / loose stools within as soon as my 6th or 8th of hour refeed window is reached if dairy-free milk is used.  Perhaps it is the handful / various vegetable derived gums or stabilisers that could have attributed to this; but nevertheless it served its purpose very well as a lower-calorie alternative than dairy milks. Quite convincingly so I must say – 50 calories (some have even less) in a full tall 250ML glass. 

This project and branding initiative after all – is never about on such a given, trivial and diversely hedonic; luxury. Given that almond milk goes at least twice more expensive over dairy milk; AND HALF the equivalent of yield (2L of dairy milk only buys you one litre) – consider it a periodized novelty.

As always cost & affordability – remains the deciding factor – by which in this case – if for the sake for reaching caloric surplus goals – dairy-free milk I believe may not be all that effective cost-per-usage wise.

As you likely need to really force-feeding yourself to achieve the same caloric amount; and however your digestive capacity may or may NOT – effectively interpret those gums, stabilisers, thickeners etc – into good use. Nevertheless these dairy-free milks offer hedonic variety for variety’s sake. 

Greek Yoghurts on the other hand ($3.50 for 1 kilogram), remain plentifully abundant and affordable. So that defenitely remains in my list of refeed days as it is extremely versatile item for condiments too. Though of course; hardly applicable within a Ketogenic context.

 

Delayed Refeed – my thoughts & concept

It has come to my attention that for some very few recent weeks have met me with some very strange circumstances within CKD; especially on between Fridays and Saturdays. There were many times and occasions whereby yes, I look and felt depleted (not to mention very painful DOMs). Yet ironically – I was not truly “hungry” yet for that big hit of a carbohydrate-rich meals until interestingly; only later during the early afternoons.

I again; have no scientific or medical literature to explain this phenomenon. But What if – should I am not hungry; yet if I need to somehow replenish just enough glycogen stores in a form of  early protein feeding; AND LATER during the day THEN – begin the consuming my first series of carbohydrate rich meals?

So instead of a 48 hour official carbohydrate feeding window – I turned that instead as 40-42 hour window, with the first section dedicated on protein intakes. This leads to a markedly reduced energy intake during the re-feeding windows; as per to my documented calculations – take somewhere between 3000 to 3300 calories. Up to 35% less intake likely attributed to the reduced time available for feeding.

For a number of weeks, I did and experimented exactly that. Upon rising on saturday morning instead of commencing with a carb rich meal; I instead made myself extra heaped serving of protein fluffs on top of my flaxmeal pancakes. Fats wise I’d reduce to allow gradual re-prioritising towards amino acids shuttling. ONLY THEN later during the day (around 2/2:30PM)  then I have my first carbohydrate rich meal.

Result? Very interesting. I was able to not only control my hunger pangs (which can run wild amongst refeed days) but also keeping fat percentages throughout the next subsequent SKD weeks lower than usual.

I do not wish to state any conclusions at this point; as these are quite preliminary and I am yet to fully understood everything of its effects on my physiology. Only until such time arrives whereby I feel confident that I am aware of every bits of effects (as well as how my current metabolic profile interprets these wave/s of change) – then I may be compelled to write further as separate follow-up thoughts soon in the future.

Closing Thoughts on this CKD sample (winter edition).

No “year” of any given lifetime it seems; has ever been forgiving. Despite my lingering hunger, that twice L5/S1 injuries inflicted, the on-going resource affordabilities and uncertainties; CKD Keto remains with me all along. It teaches me, my metabolic physiology – what to do and how to best respond with resilience; against two (2) sociological/socio-economic & environmental scenarios –

• 1 – During Days of Uncertainties (resource / caloric limitation / deprivations) .
  AND
• 2 – During Days of Abundance (resource abundant availability / anabolism / caloric surplus / tissue regeneration and repairs).

There have been many occasions I am gradually inching myself ever so closer to my own ‘deathbed’. Wherever that may be, under the squat rack, under the 230kg load of legpress, or even at a place where-ever I call ‘home’. Perhaps it’d be hidden beneath the hundreds and thousands of piled up of futile job applications; as I am increasingly dismissed as a fly-on-the-wall whose suit, tie and seven individual resumes – aren’t ever considered good enough. Or to die slowly from depression knowing that one day – my investment portfolio I worked myself years and years prior – continues purging itself away for me to survive on; little by little, as I’m writing this.

As my second year is coming closer from practising the CKD intervention; I feel that it is only appropriate that perhaps in some due time – there will be for a calling for yet another diet break altogether. I have been contemplating to consider transitioning to the exact 33/33/33 ISOCaloric split. Determining whether this is likely to be of another greater or worser stepping stone for my metabolic physiology – are yet to be considered.

Nevertheless summarising the differences between this (Winter Edition) and my last and prior feature writeup (Summer) can be perhaps condensed in one quote:

Besides from the unfortunate episode of my serious two (almost back-to-back) injuries which forced me to forego training for an entire week and having suspended full keto in that week; the biggest changes I believe is the extra surrounding supplementations needed on top of food/s. Nitric Oxide boosters, and NO-TROPICs.

However other than that – nothing has changed my mindset and outlook. Just pure, unchanged and relentless – grit. Day in. Day out.

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Again as always, my thoughts and well wishes remain to one and all during tough and uncertain times. Let me know your thoughts down below.