30-By-30 & Super Shred Diet

30By30_PinkWeight: 181 lbs

Instead of the usual 30 By 30 update this week, I’m going to talk about “the plan” for the next few weeks.

I’m obviously stuck in a rut.  My workouts are a bit irregular but getting better.  My nutrition is great some days and iffy to poor other days.  Something drastic needs to happen.  I mentioned this week that Rob and I are embarking on a plan together.  Starting tomorrow, we are doing our own modified version of the Super Shred Diet (SSD) from Dr. Ian K. Smith.

SuperShredDietI blogged once about hit original book, Shred: The Revolutionary Diet, with a pretty poor outlook for it.  While there are still many things I disagree with in this book, I can now see how with enough common sense and previous health knowledge, you could make it a healthy way to lose weight.*

Without going into too many details, here are the things Rob and I will be doing for the next 4 weeks:

  • We will follow SSD’s meal schedule and calorie restrictions along with meal requirements.
  • We will modify meals and snacks to follow a mostly-Paleo diet with dairy added (Primal Diet).
  • We will not be afraid of fat (the diet in the book seems to be based on a low fat diet).
  • We will eat the whole egg (not just the whites!)
  • We will not be adding in the suggested or required fruit juices, diet sodas, or caloric beverages.
  • Otherwise, we will do our best to stick to the SSD guidelines including workouts, meal timing, and calories.

At first, I was concerned some of the days were too low in calories but I quickly realized it was because he was Calorie Cycling (in the book he calls it Intermittent Fasting but I think he has his definitions mixed up).  Calorie Cycling is when you vary your daily caloric intake, some high days and some low, so that you body never really gets used to a fixed point.  This is supposed to stimulate your body to burn fat for energy.  (Intermittent Fasting to me is when you extend the number of hours between eating times – he does this also.)

Since I was freaking out over the lack of calories, instead of tracking my food on a tracker like My Fitness Pal or Spark People, I am instead going to track either in a notebook and/or simply take pictures of my meals for a visual record.  This will keep me from stressing about calories (too much or not enough) and will instead have me concentrate on how I feel (Am I hungry?  Am I satisfied?  Do I have enough energy?).

To avoid any major hunger crashes, I am going to concentrate on getting enough protein at meals, which helps curb hunger.  I am also going to expect to be hungry most nights and mornings (this great article from Fitocracy reminded me that this should be expected).  It is about managing the hunger rather than avoiding it completely.  The downside of weight loss.

Finally, I just have to remind myself that it is only 4 weeks!  I can do 4 weeks.  Besides, with the support of Rob doing it with me, it will make things much easier.  It will be challenging but I am excited to give it a try!  If it goes well, maybe I will reconsider the plan in the Shred Diet book and think about making that my regular routine?

Have you ever followed a diet?

I have actually never “dieted” to lose weight – I restricted calories but still tried to eat healthy.  We all know “diets don’t work because they don’t teach you how to live”.  The nice thing about this book is that it has the potential to teach you to live a healthy lifestyle, how to pick healthy foods, how often to eat, how often to exercise, etc.  While the exact plan is not sustainable in this book (which he emphasizes – this is his “event” or “goal” diet based on healthy living), his original Shred Diet very well can be sustained and followed.  And by following it, you are learning healthy habits that can be carried through the rest of your life.  It is about healthy living and healthy eating, not about a crash diet.  If you are smart about it, this “diet” could be a good thing.  A better review to come at the end of the 4 weeks Winking smile

*Sorry for “flip flopping” somewhat from my original review of the Shred Diet.  My dislikes of the book still stand but now I think with enough smarts, you could make it work.  I just worry about the people who might take his suggestions to the extreme!

Don’t forget to check in with Kristen.  Her goal is to lose 30 pounds by her 29th birthday in July!

8 thoughts on “30-By-30 & Super Shred Diet

    1. The book advises against 4 weeks on his “Super Shred” so our plan is to do the 4 weeks, relax for a week (but not too much!), and then do his 6 week regular “Shred” from the other book!

  1. I get so overwhelmed by all the ‘best diets’ out there that I just focused on eating real food that makes me feel good! That usually keeps me in a healthy weight range as long as I don’t eat to much of that healthy food 🙂

    1. My problem is that I got too far away from my healthy habits that I need a kick in the butt to get back into them. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit so 4 weeks is just right! Then hopefully I can do it myself 🙂

  2. My new goal is to eat when I am hungry. Lately, I have been eating just because (and a lot of emotional eating) even though I have been within range, I still want to be more aware.

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