Every now and then you hit a plateau and you just have to bust through it.  In fact, I just wrote about this very thing here.  I feel like I’ve hit that plateau and thought I’d try something a bit different to get past it.

Starting today, I’m doing the Men’s Health TNT Diet written by Ph.D. Jeff Volek and Adam Campbell MS CSCS. TNT stands for Targeted Nutrion Tactics and it includes the TNT diet and a complete workout routine designed by Alwyn Cosgrove. 

As I sit here eating my salad with tuna, onions, and cheese (anybody wanna kiss me?), I thought I’d share my thoughts on the book and the plan so far…even if this is only my first day on the plan!

The TNT Diet Premise

The TNT Diet is a low carb diet.  There really are no calories to count…just a list of acceptable foods depending on the program you choose.  There are four programs you can choose from based on your goals.  I really want to cut down so I’m following Plan A (for losing 20 lbs or more and reducing waist size by 4 inches or more).  The other plans have similar goals.

There are three eating time zones in the plan: 1.) The Fat Burning Time Zone   2.) The Reloading Time Zone  3.) The Muscle Building Time Zone.  The plan you choose dictates what time zones you use.  Since I’m following Plan A, I only use the Fat Burning Time Zone and the Muscle Building Time Zone.

Low carb diets have proven to be an effective weight loss method.  This is because your body burns carbohydrates before it burns fat.  If your body doesn’t have any carbs to burn, it goes straight to burning fat.  That is an extremely concise explanation of the theory behind low carb diets and why they work.  It is, though, the core of the theory.

The TNT Workout Routine Premise

I have to say that when I found out Alwyn Cosgrove designed the routines, I was sold on giving this program a try.  If you have read any of my other blog posts, you know how highly I think of Alwyn and the effectiveness of his programs.

I was first introduced to him when I purchased New Rules of Lifting.  After finishing the Fat Loss II routine for the first time, I could was absolutely drenched in sweat, nauseous, and could barely drag my butt into the locker room.  It was REALLY that hard.

So, this morning, I went through the first workout and remembered just how brutal Alwyn’s routines can be.  He is a true believer in the power of the full body routine and this one, while not as taxing as the aforementioned fat loss routine, was still very challenging and a great workout overall.  He incorporates many compound movements that leaves no muscle untouched.  If you’re looking for a curlz and nose crusher routine, this is not for you!

I expect good things from this routine and can’t wait to update my progress.

Readability of the Book

I never start a program until I’ve completely read the material…sometimes twice.  Let’s face it, how exciting can you make a book about a diet and the science behind it?  However, in my opinion, the authors did an exceptional job of keeping the material interesting, relevent, and even fun.  The science behind the diet is explained in such a way that even a novice can understand yet is still interesting no matter your level of experience.  The layout is logical and flows smoothly from topic to topic with a good deal of anecdotal information added amidst the solid scientific data. 

It really was a good read and I feel like I’ve gained a new perspective on low carb eating.

So, that’s what I started today.  I plan to post weekly updates on my progress so I don’t plan to bore you with the day-to-day play-by-play.  Wish me luck!