Paradigm Shift

So I was talking to one of the other trainers, who is an NPC bodybuilder, about my training and problems and he threw my whole way of thinking about training & dieting upside down. Here are the changes he said I need to make in order to improve my contest prep:

-Remove all sugars: This includes bananas & other fruits, dextrose, maltodextrin, and waxy maize (even though malto & waxy maize aren't technically sugars, they take a long time to burn off).

-Increase protein: Before I was eating about 5oz of meat when I'd have my food meals, and he recommends 8-10 oz. I plan on staying closer to the 8oz mark when I have 6 meals a day, and 10oz when I can only get in 5 meals.

-Reduce reliance on protein shakes as meal replacements: Shakes are going to have too much sugar, and are not absorbed as well as real food.

-Increase veggie intake: On non-carb meals, eat 2 green veggies. Take out sugary vegetables (tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, etc.) completely.

-Change cardio: The 30-40 mins of moderate-high intensity steady state cardio probably burns too much muscle even though I supplement w/ anti-catabolic aids. New cardio: walking at an 8-10% incline at 3.5 speed and/or stepmill @ ~50 steps/minute for a combined 45-60 minutes. This should be done when possible in the morning on an empty stomach to optimize fat burning.

-Eliminate postworkout "meal": Before, I was having a postworkout shake w/ whey, dextrose, maltodex, & waxy maize, then an hour later having a meal w/ carbs & protein. I now take that meal out, and rely solely on the postworkout shake that just has whey. I am going to try adding some oats and he also suggested throwing in almonds as well, then wait about 3 hours for my next meal.

The basis of his changes are under the concept of the difference between offseason and precontest. They are two very distinct and different times, and I somehow have been going through a kind of hybrid of the two.

So here is my schedule for the week:

Sun: 60mins AM cardio/60 mins PM cardio
Mon: 50mins AM cardio/Back & Tris mid day/Hams & Calves PM
Tues:50mins AM Cardio/60 mins PM Cardio
Wed:30mins AM Cardio/Shoulders & Traps mid day/60mins PM Cardio
Thurs: 50 mins AM Cardio/Quads mid day/45 mins PM Cardio
Fri: Off Day
Sat:60 mins AM Cardio/Chest & Tris

That puts me on my regular lifting schedule, and gives me ~525 minutes of cardio for the week which should be pretty solid.

My weight has fluctuated a lot this week: between 185.5 and 189. I assume it's because I've added a bunch of sodium (tuna) to my diet, and since I don't have a postworkout meal I'm eating later at night (last meal at 9-9:30). Also, with the added food protein I haven't been as...regular...as before, even though I am having 8-12 servings of veggies along with 50-90g of oats. I googled it, and it seems like that is a common pitfall of the high protein diet.

On the plus side, I was 186 this morning and have a solid workout schedule for this week. If I can get down to 185 by next week that would put me on a good track 5 weeks out.