I just found this site. Its awesome! Thanks John for cataloguing your progress, its a real motivator.

I have a couple questions:

What do you guys think about diet colas? Are they detrimental at all or can they be counted as neutral (or like water)? Same question for coffee or tea with artificial sweeteners?

Its mentioned in the FAQ that John undercut his calorie intake in his first weight reduction phase and that he might have had better results if he had not done so...How can those results be argued with? What progress was lost? Does he mean lean muscle loss or faster weight loss? If anything that data argues (for me) that the calorie limits he used were spot on. Thoughts?

I've been struggling with weight for a long time. I do weight training and some cardio but mostly cut calories. Currently I'm plateuing (fun) at 230 (I'm 6'1" and 32 yrs old, I started at almost 300lbs - that took a year or so). I feel I could be comfortable and look good (for my height) at 190-200 so I'm kinda in the home stretch. Any advice?

I'm also an old devotee of pyramid training. Can anyone comment on how hard it was to switch to MAX-OT? Should I be doing that during my cutting phase?

Thanks! :bb:

Diet soda and artificial sweeteners- go for it. I think if you need the sweetness, it's the only way to go.

As for pyramids, if you're doing an up and down pyramid (reducing weights after doing higher intensity) you are probably wasting time. There are a lot of articles out there (more articulate than the Max-OT pdf) that explain why this is not beneficial. Read up, but you are better off training at high intensities with heavy weights, low reps. I think that's what most people around here do. Do some reading, and you'll be better off.



I just found this site. Its awesome! Thanks John for cataloguing your progress, its a real motivator.

I have a couple questions:

What do you guys think about diet colas? Are they detrimental at all or can they be counted as neutral (or like water)? Same question for coffee or tea with artificial sweeteners?

Its mentioned in the FAQ that John undercut his calorie intake in his first weight reduction phase and that he might have had better results if he had not done so...How can those results be argued with? What progress was lost? Does he mean lean muscle loss or faster weight loss? If anything that data argues (for me) that the calorie limits he used were spot on. Thoughts?

I've been struggling with weight for a long time. I do weight training and some cardio but mostly cut calories. Currently I'm plateuing (fun) at 230 (I'm 6'1" and 32 yrs old, I started at almost 300lbs - that took a year or so). I feel I could be comfortable and look good (for my height) at 190-200 so I'm kinda in the home stretch. Any advice?

I'm also an old devotee of pyramid training. Can anyone comment on how hard it was to switch to MAX-OT? Should I be doing that during my cutting phase?

Thanks! :bb:

What do you guys think about diet colas? Are they detrimental at all or can they be counted as neutral (or like water)? Same question for coffee or tea with artificial sweeteners?

Outside of sodium intake not being good for you (and if you buy into the evil artificial sweetner hype) - they're ok. Water should be your major intake but if this kind of stuff helps you stay on track - I say everything in moderation.

Its mentioned in the FAQ that John undercut his calorie intake in his first weight reduction phase and that he might have had better results if he had not done so...How can those results be argued with? What progress was lost? Does he mean lean muscle loss or faster weight loss? If anything that data argues (for me) that the calorie limits he used were spot on. Thoughts?

John could answer you this better than anyone - but I think what his point was he cut down fast and furious in the beginning and probably did scrifice a lot of lean mass along with the fat.

I've been struggling with weight for a long time. I do weight training and some cardio but mostly cut calories. Currently I'm plateuing (fun) at 230 (I'm 6'1" and 32 yrs old, I started at almost 300lbs - that took a year or so). I feel I could be comfortable and look good (for my height) at 190-200 so I'm kinda in the home stretch. Any advice?

Keep doing what you're doing if its working for you. Stalls are normal in any kind of training. The MAX-OT is probably not a bad idea if you've been reading up on it and understand the principles behind it.

I'm also an old devotee of pyramid training. Can anyone comment on how hard it was to switch to MAX-OT? Should I be doing that during my cutting phase?

Breaking the pyramid habit is not that challenging. If you do Max-Ot by the book - you'll have noticeable gains and 'feel' it just as much if not more than pyramids. I'll let RTestes pipe in - he'll square you away on your routine. :tu: