Kyle Estle
Total Posts: 6254
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02-02-05 03:01 PM - Post#71643
Hello IOL. Although this is my first post (and it's long), I've done a lot of reading here and thought I would share my tuna & water experience. Dave's recent newsletter on the subject was timed perfectly for me. I just started my first cutting phase after a three-month bulk. First a little background. I'm 41 and have been lifting religiously for a little over two years. The first year was a lot of trial and error, flailing but not failing, and slow progress. Year two brought more trial and error, better form and intensity, and better results. I normally carry 185lbs on a frame of 5' 11". I started bulking in late September and peaked at 198lbs in mid January. My split right now consists of weight training every other day, cardio, stretching, and a 12-15 minute ab routine on days I don't lift. I started the diet on a Monday and allowed myself a couple of modifications. First, I train in the morning and need early energy. The thought of a can of tuna at 5:30am didn't sit well, so I started my day with a 23-gram scoop of whey protein mixed with water. I also allowed myself one cup of black coffee. Supplements included my regular multi-vitamin/mineral tablets, 500mg of calcium, an 81mg baby aspirin (cv disease runs in the family), and starting on day two, 3-tblsp of fiber laxative. As it turns out I ate six cans of tuna each of the three days. For variety, if that's possible, I alternated chunk light and solid white, some packed in oil, most just water based. The water part of the diet wasn't a problem. I am a notorious water guzzler and just made sure to keep a glass, mug, jug, or trough close at all times. Monday: Did my normal chest, shoulder, arm workout. Uneventful really, the lack of carbs doesn't manifest until later. By mid-morning the energy level begins to wane, so I munch down a half can. This helps for about 15 minutes. The morning goes quickly; a full can and 30-40 oz. of water get me to late afternoon. The low energy level morphs into grumpiness so I close my office door rather than pick a fight with a co-worker. Any of you who have been carb-deprived can probably relate. Hunger hits: another half can, another 15-minute respite from this "daze" I have been feeling for a few hours. After a hearty dinner of tuna & water, I try to do some reading but have trouble concentrating. An early bedtime was planned but sleep doesn't come easily. My brain's foggy but doesn't want to shut down. When sleep finally arrives it is interrupted twice by a bladder full from the gallons of water. Tuesday: Fumble through the ab routine and think about coasting through my cardio work, but after about five minutes I'm feeling chipper and give it a good push. I normally get a decent sweat but today I am drenched. A 20-minute full body stretch completes the workout and I feel great. During my drive to work I felt almost euphoric - at one point the hair on my arms raised up with excitement. This is going to be a great day! I climb the stairs to my second floor office, just like every other day, only today I feel somewhat winded. It's only two stories for Pete's sake; I must be worn down from the excellent cardio work. Around 10:00am it hits. "It" is a solid brick wall and I've hit it head first. A day and a half without carbs, coupled with two hard workouts has taken its toll. My eyes are droopy, my brain is on auto-pilot, and my attention span compares favorably with that of my 4-year old son. This isn't what I signed up for. A half can of tuna, another 15-minute respite from what feels like impending brain damage. After lunch I had a quick meeting with a couple of clients. It was quick on my account; with tuna breath and an IQ about 20 points lower than it was two days ago, I didn't want to stick around too long. After a lovely dinner of tuna & water, sleep comes easily but is interrupted repeatedly by the over-worked bladder. Wednesday: Legs and back day. I've learned my lesson and decide to scrap the normal routine for today and try my hand at "instinctive" training. I lighten the load and flow through a decent workout, moderate exertion with a decent pump. Overall energy levels improve today, but the foggy brain syndrome persists. Without a doubt day two was the worse. Thursday: Cardio & abs today. Substituted oatmeal for my morning can of tuna. The best oatmeal I ever ate. Took it easy of course - gotta save my energy. Lunch is tuna, a salad with extra virgin olive oil, and a quart of water. Dinner is the same. I still can't fully engage mentally but the energy level is up. Friday: I am officially done with tuna & water and look forward to getting all my faculties back. While bulking I kept my daily calories at about 3,200, maintenance for me is around 2,700. My plan now is 2,200/day, with a focus on protein and good fats. Results: The first day of the diet I weighed 195lbs. My weight the following Monday (7 days) was 190.5. My energy and focus are back - no permanent brain damage. I have a rope that is cut to my preferred waist size. I wrap it around my waist at its largest point, and if the ends touch I'm happy. At the end of the bulking phase, the two ends were a good inch apart when wrapped around my now larger mid-section. By the end of the tuna & water week the two ends are just a hair away from touching. These are excellent results for one week, but it certainly wasn't easy. My mental state is well documented, but I need to add that I was never "hungry". Whenever I felt the need I just popped open a can and ate it. The protein and fat kept my insides happy. If I try this again I will lower the workout intensity and begin my intake of laxative fiber prior to starting the diet; my bowels went on holiday for three days as my bladder worked overtime. Live and learn..... Kyle E.
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Stingo
Total Posts: 12873
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Great narrative Kyle! It's been a long time since I've heard anything like this on IOL... I could relate to the "Best Oatmeal" from my first show-prep last year... Yams tasted pretty darn good too... ;~)
~ Stingo ~
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Laree
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Thanks for taking the time to write that up, Kyle. It's a head trip, isn't it? A major victory when you hit Wednesday night and realize you did it, finished a really tough project that few others will do, and that you could have easily bailed on numerous times the previous couple of days. Congrats.
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Ken Friberg
Total Posts: 266
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Yes, anything that isn't tuna tastes SO good aftward. And I vividly recall wanting to leap atop my cubical and shriek "give my high fructose corn sweetener, or give me death!!!". But I was always afraid my cow-workers would oblige. Either by force feeding me a Mountain Dew or killing me. Ken F
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zim
Total Posts: 1072
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Kyle, congrats on the tuna n water, i started doing these almost 3 years ago after reading one of Daves articals on the wonderful things that happen to someone durring 72 hours of tuna and water. Watch out you can get hooked on them very easily. Any time that i need a jump-start on my training I go back to the tuna. This happens several times a year. If there is a "secret weapon" for dieting and geting your mind off of the food fixation that many of us struggle with, i am convenced that you just experienced it. great job!! zim
"If a pig officially becomes a hog at 180 pounds, why do I tolerate weighing 195"??
zim 4/11 |
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lawpal
Total Posts: 66
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I am on my third day of Tuna and Water. Tobasco sauce helped A LOT. I am also eating at least one package of Metamucil wafers per day (actually - they are pretty tasty) for some fiber.
So far, so good. My energy levels have been fine, but we shall see how the legs workout tonight will go. My ability concentrating on reading is tough for some reason.
I am down from 250lbs to 243lbs as of this morning, and I suspect more tomorrow.
I did substitute some tuna steaks for tuna out of the can last night. It was a great decision. Tuna Steaks, with peppercorns and salt, grilled rare. Very very tasty with some lemon juice. Plus, they taste a hell of a lot better than Tuna straight out of the can.
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Lisa
Total Posts: 1757
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Nice narrative, Kyle - congratulations! I've been meaning to try tuna and water - just to try it - no other reason....
Keep checking in to let us know how things go!
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t-roy
Total Posts: 1002
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Quote:
lawpal said:
Tobasco sauce helped A LOT
I hear ya there. I load my tuna down with a vitamin T. Oh yeah, and my eggs. And chicken. Ok, if it isn't red meat, it gets tabasco'd. Gotta be the most versitile flavoring out there.
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Kyle Estle
Total Posts: 6254
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Quote:
Laree said:
It's a head trip, isn't it? A major victory when you hit Wednesday night and realize you did it, finished a really tough project that few others will do, and that you could have easily bailed on numerous times the previous couple of days. Congrats.
Thanks for the comments. I really didn't realize what I was getting into at the start. How hard could three days be? I will definitely slow the workouts down next time.
Kyle E.
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Kyle Estle
Total Posts: 6254
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Quote:
Ken Friberg said:
And I vividly recall wanting to leap atop my cubical and shriek "give my high fructose corn sweetener, or give me death!!!". But I was always afraid my cow-workers would oblige. Either by force feeding me a Mountain Dew or killing me.
Ken F
I really didn't want to say anything to anybody. I was afraid I would just be babbling incoherently.
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Kyle Estle
Total Posts: 6254
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Quote:
Stingo said:
I could relate to the "Best Oatmeal" from my first show-prep last year... Yams tasted pretty darn good too... ;~)
Everything tasted great the first couple of days after. My salad at lunch with plain olive oil dressing was incredible.
Kyle K.
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Kyle Estle
Total Posts: 6254
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Quote:
zim or sarah said:
Any time that i need a jump-start on my training I go back to the tuna. This happens several times a year.
I doubt that I could handle it "several times a year", but would definitely do it again.
Kyle E.
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Displacedtexan
Total Posts: 6779
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Good to hear about your experience, Kyle. I've decided to give the tuna and water diet a go next week to clean up after 3 weeks of less than strict low carb, so your post was very timely. BTW, I, too, started lifting at 39 and have been at it for 3 years. It's still some trial and error, but the experience is great. Keep at it.
| “I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.†Banksy |
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Kyle...thanks for sharing that with us....good job.
The first time I did the Tuna and water I started the Metamucil the day before...I read Dave's suggestion and took it to heart.
If Tuna Tony ever comes back he can tell some stories about tuna dieting....I'm not sure but it sounded sometimes like he was on a perpetual tuna diet...lol. He loved the stuff.
As a verity you can drain the tuna very very well and then ad back in olive oil..and a touch of Hot Sauce....
Art V
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lawpal
Total Posts: 66
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Ok, I finished my third day of tuna/water. Really not that bad. It helped to accent the tuna with Tuna Steaks on the grill at the end of the day.
I am down 10 lbs. after 3 days. Mostly water weight I suspect, but still pretty good. I am going to stick with the Tuna for the foreseeable future, and add in some salads and some chicken and meat after a week.
I don't know what it is, but it just felt like instinct to stick another 6 cans of tuna in my lunch bag today.
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Kyle Estle
Total Posts: 6254
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I like the hot sauce idea. I eat a lot of tuna, even when not on the strict tuna & water, so I will give it a try.
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lawpal
Total Posts: 66
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Just a thought, but anyone interested might also want to look at www.gotmercury.orgThe online calculator at that site will allow you to evaluate your mercury intake with tuna, as well as just about any other type of seafood, based upon bodyweight and amount ingested. I cannot vouch for the accuracy. The numbers are based upon assumptions derived from FDA and EPA guidelines, and therefore are probably plausible. I typed in my body weight (240) and amount of tuna ingested in a week 180 oz., and was told I had eaten appx. 2460%+ of the suggested mercury. I was wondering about those headaches and the weight loss. Just food for thought.
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Diggity Dave
Total Posts: 1
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Hi, this may be just a coincendence, but i started eating alot of tuna this week. Between Monday & Wednesday I ate aproxiamtely 15 cans of tuna. Wednesday night i woke up with a stomach bug, i am pretty sure it was some type of food poisoning. Has anyone heard of getting food poisoning from eating to much tuna?
Thanks
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Chris McClinch
Total Posts: 8538
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You won't get food poisoning from eating too much tuna for three days. However, all it takes is one bad serving of anything Could be the tuna, could be the mayo you mixed it with, or it could be pure coincidence--a mild touch of the stomach flu. This is cold and flu season, after all.
The more I eat and the heavier I train, the better my genetics get.
If you're not paraplegic and not squatting, please kick your own ass for me."
"Do you really think that the reason most guys don't have big arms is purely because of a lack of doing curls?" --Alwyn Cosgrove
"There is only one gram of carbs in STFD and no carbs at all in STFU." --Byron Chandler
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Kyle Estle
Total Posts: 6254
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Since the tuna and water diet is coming around again for some people I thought I would bump this one just for fun. Kyle E.
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Gabster
Total Posts: 4382
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04-12-10 12:31 PM - Post#617318
I had to bump this one since I discussed it when I came here a few days ago...
Since I showed up, been reading a lot...Posting a little...
Dave's Q and A is good...
This is a great read LOL... Confirms what was mentioned by first person who addressed it for me...
GAB
"I live, I lift, I ache, I am." -
"I don't mean to be rude, but...junk is for jerks"
"No pain, no gain' isn’t a nursery rhyme, and 'only the strong survive" ...Etc...
Had to put in this quote...
Current Quote
"Eat better, train harder, be tougher, think surer and rest morer."
~ Draper
Dave Draper
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Age 73
Semper Fi...
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Kyle Estle
Total Posts: 6254
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04-12-10 07:54 PM - Post#617459
I still do these every so often. It seems to get easier after the first couple of times.
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Gabster
Total Posts: 4382
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04-29-10 01:21 PM - Post#621350
Ok, I am going to keep this going for a while...
Mayo in tuna? Hmm, not, I'd put eggs in it and avocado though...Some nice salad dressing that is not loaded with anything but olive oil and vinegar...
So if you go at it with a few items that will keep your blood sugar up, something like a glass of OJ in the middle of the day???
But, I am not sure your body would go into the proper grove, to lose the weight fast???
I believe DD gave us the secrets and others just don't want us to lose those 10 big ones in 3 days or so...Hmmm
Still maintaining right amount of liquid so not confusing, if it is chubby or water???
What about a little salt also??? 
Regards,
Gary
"I live, I lift, I ache, I am." -
"I don't mean to be rude, but...junk is for jerks"
"No pain, no gain' isn’t a nursery rhyme, and 'only the strong survive" ...Etc...
Had to put in this quote...
Current Quote
"Eat better, train harder, be tougher, think surer and rest morer."
~ Draper
Dave Draper
****
Age 73
Semper Fi...
GAB |
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04-29-10 10:26 PM - Post#621483
Be very carefull of heavy metal poisoning such as mercury. When I was in the hospital with kidney stones there was an anorexic woman in a wheel chair who lived off of tuna. She had so much poisoning from contaminants that she had to be in a home for 12 months to walk again. She was fine after 12 months but I only eat tuna teice a month and I get the high quality stuff.
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Gabster
Total Posts: 4382
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I'll add to this been some time since it has been addressed.
Dave is really into tuna and sardines, the correct, smaller ones, young hence small, then you don't worry mercury, I have read...
Buy the products that are not from locations that go for the big older tunas...My thoughts...
Shopping on line, at least reading the information available, make good decision on what you eat is best...Lots of information here, just read a lot of the mentions and you will be fine...
Gary
"I live, I lift, I ache, I am." -
"I don't mean to be rude, but...junk is for jerks"
"No pain, no gain' isn’t a nursery rhyme, and 'only the strong survive" ...Etc...
Had to put in this quote...
Current Quote
"Eat better, train harder, be tougher, think surer and rest morer."
~ Draper
Dave Draper
****
Age 73
Semper Fi...
GAB |
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TylerGrip Son
Total Posts: 8
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10-06-10 04:41 PM - Post#651159
If I'm stacking up on good proteins like tuna (and a lot of it) I make it a habit to eat a few handfuls of Almonds along with 2 spinach salads a day. Tons of nutrients and a bunch of fiber (which is good when you're not getting a ton with the tuna/high protein bulk diet) and it's got next to nothing in terms of calories. Plus, it makes you a bit more "full" so in between meals I'm not scarfing unnecessarily...
Also, a read a study recently that stated people eating sushi cut their mercury absorption by HALF simply be drinking black/green tea during the meal. I'll try to find a link but this may help on the tuna/water diet for anyone that's a bit wary of the mercury warnings. I remember Sly Stallone using the tuna/water diet to perfection. He's 62 and still swoll...crazy...
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lab rat
Total Posts: 3746
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10-06-10 05:23 PM - Post#651167
But remember, the T&W diet is scheduled for only 3 days. No lethal levels of merc there. Long term - maybe something different. Many different souces of lean protein for the basic diet afterward.
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Mongo
Total Posts: 9
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10-06-10 10:47 PM - Post#651221
Three days of tuna, just to "man-up" and then switch to chicken breasts. I've done the tuna 3-day three times and each time I'm done, ALL other food tastes AMAZING! I can live on chicken and oatmeal, with a banana here and there, for months.
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