I have a question for the forum here… What would the difference be between taking very High dosages of Aminos and BCAA instead of supplementing with Protien shakes? Would you still get the essentials needed to preserve LBM, while letting your body burn fats and carbs as fuel? Would this be a way to lose body fat and retain lean muscle, or is it not possible? What would happen? I hope this is not a dumb question, but I am really curious. Thanks again for all of your help. You are all great!
I think the main problem with that plan (other then the outrageous cost of buying that much AA’s and BCAA’s) is the time it would take the stomach and small intestine to absorb free AA’s. Amino acids in free form would be absorbed so readily and would cause such a dramatic increase in blood AA’s but these levels would fall off rapidly. Large peptides provide enough work for the stomach enzymes to provide a steady release of AA’s into the blood and thus a prolonged period of anabolism. Additionally, the osmolarity of a free AA drink with equivalent amount of AA’s as real protein would be very high most likely resulting in GI discomfort.
Jason: I did such a diet recently (ECD Diet). Took 8 to 10 grams of aminos (Beverly International/PRD) every three hours, before and after workout and before bed. Ate one solid meal (dinner), usually about 1/2 pound of lean meat w/ fruits and vegetables only (no “bad” carbs). Lost about 2-3 pounds of fat per week (four weeks), no lbm lost. Used no andro but used thermos and fish pills and other supplements. The cost of all these supplements was a little bit over of what I would usually spend on food during cutting cycles.