Day 75...Yes, it is time for our questions

Day 75...

Well that in itself is amazing.  But now we are planning to enter into the real world in another 15 days and my head is spinning with all of the questions I have to ask... so ask I will.  Time to hit the question thread but I will outline it here first.

I dont think Brent was questioning your Guru.  We all are witness to the power of this program but I think it is fair to start asking questions about the real world and how we can live in harmony with it.  With less than 15 days to go I am starting to think about it and finding myself in client dinners again that touch the boundaries of the evil world.  I am hoping to learn the plan now so I can build for it.  Buddhism has three main philosophies for three different kinds of people... the Big Wheel, the Little Wheel and the Hidden Wheel....So here are my questions;

Diet;
- Temptation.  Today we were given an indulgence day of 1000 calories.  We know at this stage that a Big Mac is 650 calories and we know that the average non-PCP-er is eating between 2000 to 4000 calories a day.  That implies that there is a lot of temptation out there.  How do we manage it?
- Start with our PCP Diet... I still do not really understand Chen's magic.  What was the secret formula?  Patrick said we should all fire him at the end of the program but I want to understand the secret formula and how it relates to me, and in some cases the people around me.  Some of it is obvious from the time spent on the program... Eat carbs in the AM and afternoon, but not at night.  Carbs are slow release energy so will keep you in even energy through the day.  To encourage lean muscle eat protein, especially egg whites, and do this especially after a work out when you need protein to get the muscles to grow.  Protein all day long and again before you sleep to rebuild.  Once your body is stable and you are not starving it to bring down the fat, eat as many vegetables as you would like.  Milk and yogurt are great snack foods and so is fruit.  BUT how were all the portions determined?  Why do we need to know?  Because...of the temptation
- Normal Diet.  Walking into City Super or if you are in Japan, National Azabu... you are left with a ton of questions.  Food choices are amazing.  Vegetables-easy.  Meat, Fish, Foul, Eggs-easy until you get into things like sausages that have cheese in them...never again?  But then it gets harder.  Milk, yogurt and dairy-Are we expected to never have fruit yogurt again or normal milk?  And if we do how do we compensate for the increase in fat and sugar? Cereal-never again? Noodles-only whole wheat? Crackers-is there fat free crackers? Cheese-on top of crackers-Cheese...oh I love cheese! Then of course there is the chips, nuts, snacky type food section.  Sugar section-guests coming for dinner and you want an ice cream desert? Now what about alcohol...planning to have a bottle of wine with dinner?  Beer at a party?  Whiskey at the end of a long day?
- Balance. I am sure that we will be having some indulgences during our remainder on the face of the earth so the question is the balance.  What is the formula?  Chen, speak up. Its not having an indulgence day once a month at 1000 calorie meal.  That is not sustainable when our strata of social class is eating way above this every time we eat at a restaurant, friends house, mom`s cooking.  So, if I have a good fish dinner with healthy veggies (so far PC-compliant) but serve rice on the side to my dinner guests (carbs at night time!), cheese and crackers before dinner (ouch), 2 bottles of red to capture the moment and ice cream desert - IT BEGS THE QUESTION... how do I now find the balance?  Starve myself back to 2 egg/1 apple dinners for 3 days afterward and add 30 min of cardio on to the rest of the weeks work out? Normal eating (which we are now calling an indulgence day) equals what level of diet/exercise to compensate so that we maintain all that we have earned.  Yes, I am aware of the 25 year old DNA types that can eat anything they want but that is not us... so what is the maintenance mode required?
- Practical reality.... I was eating a late lunch with a friend the other day and decided to push the envelope a little. We both ordered Fettuchini in a tomato sauce with ham.  By the time it came I realized the mistake.  There was very little ham (missed my protein target), the tomato sauce was clearly commercial and made with extra salt and sugar, and the pasta was as Pat points out 4x the normal portion (not to mention made from processed flour).  I ate very little.  My friend guzzled and I felt bad for him... there was nothing of value in that meal!  So then what do you do... Go back to the office and order a salad with tuna?

I think you are getting the line of questions that I am focused on.  So now....

Training;
- Fitness level.  We will all agree that our fitness levels have increased like magic.  I use a Heart Rate monitor and have watched the fitness level increase.  The interesting question is how to keep it increasing to compensate for the 2 bottles of red mentioned above?  An hour work out 2 months ago would burn 650 calories.  Now its 500 calories and I am working out harder.  Good news, body fitness levels are increasing.  Bad news, I need them to continue to increase.  Do I isolate my training?  Increase time in the gym?  Start HIT training?  I believe I know the answer but I want some more details that are in line with the 15lbs Pat has already helped me burn off...and thanks for that Pat, I am a big fan of PCP.
- Rest.  Back to the HR monitor... it has told me for 5 weeks now, at the end of every week, that my "training is incomplete - rest week needed".  We know that we need sleep but now that the program is almost finished and we are coming back to reality, dont we also need rest days for the body to recover?  In the Army I even had a rest day with no PT.
- DNA.  Pat has highlighted that we may not have gotten to where we want to in our body sculpting goals.  One thing to do is have a normal few months (based on a normal diet, which I dont yet understand) and then hit it again to try to get that 6 pack.  He also mentioned that we may not get that 6 pack.  I didnt get my 6 pack but I feel great and look trim as hell so am happy.  But, I still want to try to get that 6 pack.  And yet I may not be able to get one and I am happy if that is the case but I have to give it one more try.  I pulled out old photos of my old man when he was in his 20's.  No 6 pack and he was a university footballer, runner and skier.  Maybe its in my DNA but I am going to give it one more try.  How do we prepare for this second push?

So again my apologies for asking these questions now, and so many, but frankly speaking I am thinking about them now.  I am already planning to stock my refrigerator, fill the cabinets and increase the wine celler.  Yes, I will buy whole wheat pasta, organic peanut butter, fresh food but - to be honest, my life LOVES Cheese, Corn Chips, Nuts, Whiskey and Wine (and I am happy that I only crave these foods and not sugar).  How can I make sure that I get that balance and keep my both my corn chips and my lean muscle mass?

14 days and a wake up to go....