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I ate from a restaurant menu tonight and the only modification I requested was “hold the cheese”. Some of you know what a win that is for me! Lol. No it wasn’t a salad! And don’t come along telling me it probably had canola oil on it! Just let me be happy! Lol 😝 (Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo8KMaOHUxp/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kn92yr8u95qb

Almost missed Caturday! A big hello from Tiny!!! (Knoxville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo5j163HVXu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=10usnckks1of3

Focus on the funk! (Planet Earth) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo2rvZhHMaD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7ucxmgsyu4tn

Water Seed at Vinyl in ATL. It’s good to be back with more funk 😎❤️🔥 (Center Stage - The Loft - Vinyl) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo0BazyHWTP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=z52kdvtasnj9

Hitting the road and ready to spread the message of positivity through music 🎶 (New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/Boy56ZWnJC9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dssxlvtyaa5w

All I need is a bushy tail. (Blue Nile) https://www.instagram.com/p/BosyFikHYNu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1fns574izbl10

Day 30: Done and done! I hope the info these past 30 days has been helpful and inspiring. Use #jentlemansharpchallenge to see them all. While I didn’t cover everything, I met my goal of addressing most of my biggest personal challenges and common questions I am asked. Most of the insights were universal to fasting. Some were specific to liquid fasting. Here’s what I hope you take away. 1. You’ll enter a fasted state about 6 hrs after your most recent calorie intake 2. Anything which creates an insulin response will break the fast 3. Stay hydrated; water, potassium and electrolytes 4. Be active with mindful intensity 5. Rest rest rest; cool room at night 6. Keep stress low; decompress 7. Know where you’re calories will come from ahead of time 8. Know your limits regarding temptation (will power/commitment) 9. Anticipate your physical limits 10. Forgive people for trying to get you not to fast. Just remember how crazy and dumb it sounded to you before you chose this lifestyle. Stay tuned for the next challenge! Holla, holla, holla, holla, holla!!!! (New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/Boa9xI6n0oo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=domeswrnt3cs

Day 29: Preparing to break a fast. One day left officially. However it’s completely ok to extend the fast if you’re enjoying it. It’s also ok to break the fast the long way by reintroducing the omitted foods over a longer period of time. You may even stay away from certain foods from now on because you’ve either lost the desire or you’ll not appreciate the way you feel after having it again. Get some nice, watery fruits and have those first. Avoid salt for the first few days. Allow the fruit to account for a part of your water intake for now. So drink when you feel the desire to drink. Don’t sweat meeting a water quota for these days. When you feel ready, have some dense fruits. You may crave veggies quite specifically. I recommend choosing soft and easily digested ones for now. Otherwise, carefully cook them without salt or oil. Your tummy may take less food to feel food by now. Eat slowly and take breaks. Avoid forcing your tummy to expand. Supplement the hunger with the same measures you’ve used during the fast. Savor the experience! (New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoaD121nQEh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fkeyvftzpxhc

My form isn’t perfect. I was set back some years ago by a serious vertebral injury. Even after healing, I was afraid to do squats. I’ve come a long way and I’m happy with my growth. Can you spot the tweaks to my form between the two sets? I’m ever mindful to protect my knees, neck and back. As much as I’d love to squat my max and feel like a beast, I aim for volume instead. I use a weight where I can only do 5 reps with good form. And I do 4 sets. I perform an anaerobic rep buy inhaling before the movement and exhaling when I return to the start. I engage my core to protect my spine. I use a glute focus with my ankles directly below my knees, toes forward and making sure I hit 90 before using my heels to power back up. And I turn my elbows downward. An additional set would be failure. But instead I move on to do 150 pull ups with varying grips. Then I clean up with weighted back extensions. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. (New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoYX8cBHg72/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=chr7c2zdaap0

Day 28: A brief word about calorie deficit. It’s simple. Let it be simple. Take in less calories per day than you burn. Yes there are clever models that can be followed. But at their core they represent this basic idea. So what might that look like? Here are some points to remember. 1. Aim for a 500 cal deficit. 2.You’ll burn about 2,000 cals a day without exercise. Eat less than that and you’ll lose weight. 3. If you want to eat more, just burn more. It will require physical activity. Burn 500 more than you consumed. Sounds appealing because the idea of eating 1,500 cals a day is blowing your mind. You may not think it’s satisfying or a good idea. Cool. 4. Yes. You have to count the calories. That’s only until you get the hang of accurately estimating calories without reading or weighing. It takes time to learn. And figure out how many calories are burned by the workouts you do. Or use machines that add it for you. 5. Determine your Resting Metabolic Rate. 6. Get your heart rate up to about 160 for short intervals. Keep moving a bit while you rest in between. 7. Exercise before eating. And wait a little bit after to eat your first meal. 8. Or you can just eat way less calories and sleep a lot. No exercise. But that doesn’t jive with most people’s schedules. Just try it on the days you can. See what happens. There’s more info and multiple schools of thought. But believe me when I say that you have to spend more energy than you consume to create a deficit. Cuz science. (New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoVlLdtnJrx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12stvo6m2j86h

The practice can transform you. As zen master says “It is not enough to suffer”. Now I have to rest my face from all the smiling and laughing we shared at temple tonight. Powerful insights from lifelong practitioners. Now that’s a funky Friday night! A flower for you; the Buddha to be! (Tam Bao Temple) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoTOCF3HIVi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mqmi0of31ehi

Day 27: (late post) Fasted training is an amazing way to burn fat. Unfortunately, there are two pervasive attitudes about fat burning. 1. Vanity weight loss. Not a bad thing. But it tends not to focus on the true health benefit of ridding the body of toxins that happen to be in fat. The flip side is people scoffing at fat loss to support their narrative that they aren’t vain. Never mind our varied opinions of what’s attractive. Optimal health is the goal. Detox involves fat loss. If you lose more than you wanted, it’s so much delicious fun putting the size back on. So don’t sweat it. No. Wait I mean...DO sweat it! 2. Build muscle and do cardio. It’s true that more muscle will help burn fat. But it addresses detox way too slowly. You can get jacked as all heck and still carry too much toxic fat. And cardio, unless it’s HIIT can be an impractical, long way around to fat loss. It can also be hard on the body hormonal. Did you know you have to run 40 miles to lose a pound of fat? I love my playlist like anyone. I’m just not trying to run 40 miles for a pound and put the wear on my joints when I can do 4-8 30 second rounds of max effort sprinting 3 times a week and get cut like Christmas. Just saying. Speaking of hormones, work out in the evening fellas. It’s better for us hormonal. And as much as I just dragged the treadmill, it’s excellent for menstruating women. An appropriate pace, incline and duration can alleviate some associated discomforts. By appropriate I mean your body will tell you what’s right if you try it. I’m not telling women what to do with their bodies. Nope. Not the kid. It’s just a tip I learned from women who figured it out and shared it with me. When training fasted, it can be quick and simple. Choose a movement which engages the quads. That’s where excess glycogen is likely stored for most of us. Even though you may visually determine that you are carrying a bit of weight some place else. Engaging the quads will circulate available testosterone which is essential for both men and women. One method is to lift 80ish% of your normal max weight. Something you can only lift about 2-3 times and have to quit for the day. Then do HIIT cardio. (New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoR2MmmHa5Y/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ja1cty6yogqj

Hollywoooooooood! Hollywood city 🎶🎵 (Hollywood) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoQXSchn_Xy/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1v6o813bdn22p

Day 26: (late post) Sweating is good. It’s an essential part of detox. During your fast, do things that cause you to sweat such as brisk walking. Take the hottest showers you can stand. End it with a quick cold rinse to close the pores. You must replace the fluids. And of course the potassium and electrolytes. Getting that gallon of water down can be a task. Especially since you’ll want to drink about a liter at a time. More than that can be taxing and in some cases counterproductive. Aim to get the water down within a 4-8 hour window of your waking hours and at least 4 hours before bedtime to decrease the likelihood of waking during the night to tinkle. For an added bonus, the first bit of that water soon after waking can be hot. It’s great for the system in the morning. (New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoPYw-qn-NF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rgkszi8ml4ew

Funktimus Prime. (Blue Nile) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoN-4ORHj6X/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1gt2j1pylao5e

Day 25: (late post) Hormones are a funny thing. Our bodies are amazing in how they are able to produce just about everything we need to survive and thrive. Food, water, rest, movement and sunlight are catalyst for what the body knows it needs to process and produce. Without going into the science of it, most of you will trust me when I say that laughing is one of the healthiest and most amazing things you can do. Laugh every day. If you don’t feel like it, I challenge you to look for the funny until you find it. Fasting, like life, is better when you laugh. So...why did the strawberry buy a guitar? Anyone? (New Orleans, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoM_Qn2HX32/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dtkrlm8ihamq