Carbs Cycling Experience

Nutrition
641

[quote]JamesBrawn007 wrote:
In terms of training, Berardi recommends any type of strength session lasting 1.5 - 2 hours performed 4-5 times per week, with 15mins low intensity cardio after the weights. Personally, I cannot envisage such a long workout. So, borrowing from Thibs’ articles I have adopted his training protocols for low-carb dieters. Thibs advocates splits a la Poliquin but I have a slight lower back issue at the moment so my leg volume has been cut enabling me to accommodate this on one whole body session. As the back progresses I will look to split the lower body into a separate session. In summary a week looks like:

JB[/quote]

He recommends that much on this diet?? I’m really surprised by that

[quote]JamesBrawn007 wrote:

Sunday - strength session; whole body (50-60mins)
Monday - walk (60mins)
Tuesday - walk (45-60mins)
Wednesday - lactate (30mins); followed by 15 mins cardio
Thursday - as Tuesday
Friday - as Sunday
Saturday - walk (or off)

The strength session looks like this:
A1) Bench Press 5 reps
A2) Fly 6-8 reps
B1) Pull-up 5 reps
B2) One-hand DB Row 8-10 reps
This is performed A1, no rest, A2. Then take 2 mins rest then B1, no rest, B2. Rest 2 mins then back to A, etc, for 5 supersets.
C) Bulgarian split squats 3x8-10 in normal straight set fashion

The lactate session looks like this:

  1. Bulgarian split squat (12 reps)
  2. Push up (15 reps)
  3. High pull (12 reps)
  4. Step up (15 reps)
  5. Lying DB row (12 reps)
    This is performed circuit style 5 times with no rest between exercises and taking 1.5mins rest between circuits.

During the first 2-3 weeks I was doing more lactate sessions because I had the energy for it. However, I’m now at the stage where I’m sensing that would probably be counter-productive and it’s best to scale back on them due to the continued negative calorie/carb balance. 8 hours uninterrupted sleep per night is also a must.

JB[/quote]
Ok so 2 full body per week, no direct arm work, and this low of calories without muscle loss. Why the hell are my calves and arms getting so much smaller even while I’m gaining strength! Fuck.

[quote]JamesBrawn007 wrote:

Regarding your own situation, if you have been dieting for a while already this diet may hit you harder to start with. So the idea of a diet lay-off for 2 weeks might be a better suggestion? As stated earlier, I have suffered no strength deficeit to date.
It is quite an unsociable diet because there is only scope to let your hair down every 14 days. However, I think it was Dave Tate who said of GSD ‘give it 28 days, just 28 days…’ I have done so and feel pretty good that I’ve gotten here. I’ve also been impressed enough to stay on it seeking more progress.

JB[/quote]

Yea I do feel some time off would be necessary and beneficial in my situation. Like you my strength hasn’t suffered with what I’m doing (it’s been going up pretty well), but my measurements are smaller and I’m not leaner so idk. I do want to try this diet though and will likely start it after my 1-2 week break. As for routine I’ll keep strength as a focus and do 2 metabolic workouts which is basically like the lactate workouts but according to CT are the evolved version of them

642

You’re losing mostly fat pumped. Unless you’re preparing for the Arnold Classic don’t worry about muscle loss. Inches off your calves and arms are probably a good thing, not to mention waist, hips, thighs, etc…

Losing muscle is too many people’s main concern. As long as you are able to retain your strength/muscle memory, you’ll get lean mass back once you increase cals again.

It’s basically up to you whether you want to be sloppy and “big” or lean and strong.

643

[quote]phatkins187 wrote:
You’re losing mostly fat pumped. Unless you’re preparing for the Arnold Classic don’t worry about muscle loss. Inches off your calves and arms are probably a good thing, not to mention waist, hips, thighs, etc…

Losing muscle is too many people’s main concern. As long as you are able to retain your strength/muscle memory, you’ll get lean mass back once you increase cals again.

It’s basically up to you whether you want to be sloppy and “big” or lean and strong.[/quote]

I wish it was but I’m almost positive a significant amount is muscle. The only slight reassurance is that strength is going up but thats about it.

-my calves and arms are significantly smaller. Theres almost no fat on calves or arms, much less on calves, so the measurements shouldn’t be going down in those areas much at all
-I’ve lost 7.5lb. in 16 weeks (yea, slow cut) and there’s no way I’m at 13% right now which is where I’d be if it was all fat. According to the skinfold measurements only a little over half has been fat (not much if any was water/glycogen because I was already low in carbs). All was good until about 7 weeks ago…since then I’ve lost 3.5lb with strength going up yet skinfold measurements have stayed almost exactly the same.

I still haven’t tested how this last approach with more intense cardio and no carbs around workouts has gone so I’ll see that on saturday but I can’t say I look better. After that week off hopefully my metabolism will get a bit of a jump and then the GSD will have a better effect.

644

You could have lost water/glycogen weight. This wouldn’t change your BF% of course and would make you lose some size as well.

645

[quote]elusive wrote:
You could have lost water/glycogen weight. This wouldn’t change your BF% of course and would make you lose some size as well. [/quote]

That would be what I thought it was if I had started from a higher carb diet however I had already been on low carbs. Now when I dropped that 3.5lb. with no loss in caliper measurements I had gone from 150g of carbs on workout days (3 days a week) to 100g so its possible there was more some glycogen depletion and at that point was when my arm size went down like 1/4in. but its not like 50g less 3 days a week will make a huge difference and at the end of my carb ups my measurements are still as low

I’m interested to see what my measurements for arms, weight, and composition will be after the week of higher calories (although carbs will be at 100-150g a day)

646

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
elusive wrote:
You could have lost water/glycogen weight. This wouldn’t change your BF% of course and would make you lose some size as well.

That would be what I thought it was if I had started from a higher carb diet however I had already been on low carbs. Now when I dropped that 3.5lb. with no loss in caliper measurements I had gone from 150g of carbs on workout days (3 days a week) to 100g so its possible there was more some glycogen depletion and at that point was when my arm size went down like 1/4in. but its not like 50g less 3 days a week will make a huge difference and at the end of my carb ups my measurements are still as low

I’m interested to see what my measurements for arms, weight, and composition will be after the week of higher calories (although carbs will be at 100-150g a day)[/quote]

Your concerns are common. I used to feel the same. The fear of losing hard earned mass when dieting is tough to take.
I’m currently 172lbs after 31 days on GSD. My bicep is 15-1/8th ins. My biceps were 15-1/2 when I was 184lbs. However, I was too fat for my liking. Further, I was finding it very hard to gain more mass probably due to insulin resistance issues. So I decided I was going on a anti-lard mission and opted for GSD.

The last time I dieted down to the 172lbs mark last year my biceps were strugling to break the 14-1/2 barrier, so I’m more than 1/2ins better off now. My belief is that getting lean is going to aid me getting bigger when it’s time to revert back to mass building. However, until that spare tyre goes that goal is not going to happen.

I also have to say that the words of the late, great Arthur Jones come to mind when he said most bodybuilders who want to gain 10lbs of muscle would be better off losing 10lbs of fat - then they’d actually look like they had gained 10lbs.
After losing 1-3/4 ins off my waist so far and seeing some abdominal definition appear, I can see what he means.

JB

647

[quote]JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
elusive wrote:
You could have lost water/glycogen weight. This wouldn’t change your BF% of course and would make you lose some size as well.

That would be what I thought it was if I had started from a higher carb diet however I had already been on low carbs. Now when I dropped that 3.5lb. with no loss in caliper measurements I had gone from 150g of carbs on workout days (3 days a week) to 100g so its possible there was more some glycogen depletion and at that point was when my arm size went down like 1/4in. but its not like 50g less 3 days a week will make a huge difference and at the end of my carb ups my measurements are still as low

I’m interested to see what my measurements for arms, weight, and composition will be after the week of higher calories (although carbs will be at 100-150g a day)

Your concerns are common. I used to feel the same. The fear of losing hard earned mass when dieting is tough to take.
I’m currently 172lbs after 31 days on GSD. My bicep is 15-1/8th ins. My biceps were 15-1/2 when I was 184lbs. However, I was too fat for my liking. Further, I was finding it very hard to gain more mass probably due to insulin resistance issues. So I decided I was going on a anti-lard mission and opted for GSD.

The last time I dieted down to the 172lbs mark last year my biceps were strugling to break the 14-1/2 barrier, so I’m more than 1/2ins better off now. My belief is that getting lean is going to aid me getting bigger when it’s time to revert back to mass building. However, until that spare tyre goes that goal is not going to happen.

I also have to say that the words of the late, great Arthur Jones come to mind when he said most bodybuilders who want to gain 10lbs of muscle would be better off losing 10lbs of fat - then they’d actually look like they had gained 10lbs.
After losing 1-3/4 ins off my waist so far and seeing some abdominal definition appear, I can see what he means.

JB
[/quote]
I totally agree with the idea of losing fat so you can continue to build muscle. The problem is when you lose the muscle you worked hard to achieve in the first place with some fat gain…it ends up being a continuous circle going no where. I thought you said your arm loss was about 1/8in. not close to 1/2 but ok. So is your only judge that you didn’t lose muscle that you kept your strength? Have you tried to increase it and it just ended up staying the same? Mine has been going up pretty well but like I mentioned the measurements are smaller.

Whats weird for me is that I can’t believe how drastic I have to get to lose bodyfat now. It’s been so long since I’ve “bulked” too (mid january…definitely a very unsuccessful dragged out cut lol, I’m gonna try to keep it short and sweet in the future). I’ve gotten to 11% or so in the past and at about 2300 calories. I’m at 15% and was eating 2300. I guess when I was near the end though in the past I was doing 4-5 longer cardio sessions as opposed to the 3 30min walks I was doing this time prior to the last 1.5 weeks in which I’ve added the more intense cardio and lowered calories a little.

edit: does anyone know if theres a GSD discussion thread like they have now for all the other articles?
edit 2: nvm I found it lol

648

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
elusive wrote:
You could have lost water/glycogen weight. This wouldn’t change your BF% of course and would make you lose some size as well.

That would be what I thought it was if I had started from a higher carb diet however I had already been on low carbs. Now when I dropped that 3.5lb. with no loss in caliper measurements I had gone from 150g of carbs on workout days (3 days a week) to 100g so its possible there was more some glycogen depletion and at that point was when my arm size went down like 1/4in. but its not like 50g less 3 days a week will make a huge difference and at the end of my carb ups my measurements are still as low

I’m interested to see what my measurements for arms, weight, and composition will be after the week of higher calories (although carbs will be at 100-150g a day)

Your concerns are common. I used to feel the same. The fear of losing hard earned mass when dieting is tough to take.
I’m currently 172lbs after 31 days on GSD. My bicep is 15-1/8th ins. My biceps were 15-1/2 when I was 184lbs. However, I was too fat for my liking. Further, I was finding it very hard to gain more mass probably due to insulin resistance issues. So I decided I was going on a anti-lard mission and opted for GSD.

The last time I dieted down to the 172lbs mark last year my biceps were strugling to break the 14-1/2 barrier, so I’m more than 1/2ins better off now. My belief is that getting lean is going to aid me getting bigger when it’s time to revert back to mass building. However, until that spare tyre goes that goal is not going to happen.

I also have to say that the words of the late, great Arthur Jones come to mind when he said most bodybuilders who want to gain 10lbs of muscle would be better off losing 10lbs of fat - then they’d actually look like they had gained 10lbs.
After losing 1-3/4 ins off my waist so far and seeing some abdominal definition appear, I can see what he means.

JB

I totally agree with the idea of losing fat so you can continue to build muscle. The problem is when you lose the muscle you worked hard to achieve in the first place with some fat gain…it ends up being a continuous circle going no where. I thought you said your arm loss was about 1/8in. not close to 1/2 but ok. So is your only judge that you didn’t lose muscle that you kept your strength? Have you tried to increase it and it just ended up staying the same? Mine has been going up pretty well but like I mentioned the measurements are smaller.

Whats weird for me is that I can’t believe how drastic I have to get to lose bodyfat now. It’s been so long since I’ve “bulked” too (mid january…definitely a very unsuccessful dragged out cut lol, I’m gonna try to keep it short and sweet in the future). I’ve gotten to 11% or so in the past and at about 2300 calories. I’m at 15% and was eating 2300. I guess when I was near the end though in the past I was doing 4-5 longer cardio sessions as opposed to the 3 30min walks I was doing this time prior to the last 1.5 weeks in which I’ve added the more intense cardio and lowered calories a little.

edit: does anyone know if theres a GSD discussion thread like they have now for all the other articles?
edit 2: nvm I found it lol[/quote]

I was ingesting carbs when my arm was at its largest so all measuremnts are relatively superficial in that state anyway. As stated, I was also smoothed out at 16% BF so I was totally unsatisfied with my look.
Since commencing the GSD my strength has not diminished, so that’s a better judge for me. Sure, I expect to lose some mass. From what I’ve read it is inevitable. However, I am confident the fortnightly refeeds on GSD could trigger a highly potent anabolic rebound effect. This could negate any losses and, who knows, lead to some new gains.
Perhaps there are other regular carb-loaders on this thread who are better placed to speculate whether there is some validity to the idea a refeed every 14 days while on a restricted keto diet could actually trigger an extreme anabolic reaction?

649

[quote]JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
elusive wrote:
You could have lost water/glycogen weight. This wouldn’t change your BF% of course and would make you lose some size as well.

That would be what I thought it was if I had started from a higher carb diet however I had already been on low carbs. Now when I dropped that 3.5lb. with no loss in caliper measurements I had gone from 150g of carbs on workout days (3 days a week) to 100g so its possible there was more some glycogen depletion and at that point was when my arm size went down like 1/4in. but its not like 50g less 3 days a week will make a huge difference and at the end of my carb ups my measurements are still as low

I’m interested to see what my measurements for arms, weight, and composition will be after the week of higher calories (although carbs will be at 100-150g a day)

Your concerns are common. I used to feel the same. The fear of losing hard earned mass when dieting is tough to take.
I’m currently 172lbs after 31 days on GSD. My bicep is 15-1/8th ins. My biceps were 15-1/2 when I was 184lbs. However, I was too fat for my liking. Further, I was finding it very hard to gain more mass probably due to insulin resistance issues. So I decided I was going on a anti-lard mission and opted for GSD.

The last time I dieted down to the 172lbs mark last year my biceps were strugling to break the 14-1/2 barrier, so I’m more than 1/2ins better off now. My belief is that getting lean is going to aid me getting bigger when it’s time to revert back to mass building. However, until that spare tyre goes that goal is not going to happen.

I also have to say that the words of the late, great Arthur Jones come to mind when he said most bodybuilders who want to gain 10lbs of muscle would be better off losing 10lbs of fat - then they’d actually look like they had gained 10lbs.
After losing 1-3/4 ins off my waist so far and seeing some abdominal definition appear, I can see what he means.

JB

I totally agree with the idea of losing fat so you can continue to build muscle. The problem is when you lose the muscle you worked hard to achieve in the first place with some fat gain…it ends up being a continuous circle going no where. I thought you said your arm loss was about 1/8in. not close to 1/2 but ok. So is your only judge that you didn’t lose muscle that you kept your strength? Have you tried to increase it and it just ended up staying the same? Mine has been going up pretty well but like I mentioned the measurements are smaller.

Whats weird for me is that I can’t believe how drastic I have to get to lose bodyfat now. It’s been so long since I’ve “bulked” too (mid january…definitely a very unsuccessful dragged out cut lol, I’m gonna try to keep it short and sweet in the future). I’ve gotten to 11% or so in the past and at about 2300 calories. I’m at 15% and was eating 2300. I guess when I was near the end though in the past I was doing 4-5 longer cardio sessions as opposed to the 3 30min walks I was doing this time prior to the last 1.5 weeks in which I’ve added the more intense cardio and lowered calories a little.

edit: does anyone know if theres a GSD discussion thread like they have now for all the other articles?
edit 2: nvm I found it lol

I was ingesting carbs when my arm was at its largest so all measuremnts are relatively superficial in that state anyway. As stated, I was also smoothed out at 16% BF so I was totally unsatisfied with my look.
Since commencing the GSD my strength has not diminished, so that’s a better judge for me. Sure, I expect to lose some mass. From what I’ve read it is inevitable. However, I am confident the fortnightly refeeds on GSD could trigger a highly potent anabolic rebound effect. This could negate any losses and, who knows, lead to some new gains.
Perhaps there are other regular carb-loaders on this thread who are better placed to speculate whether there is some validity to the idea a refeed every 14 days while on a restricted keto diet could actually trigger an extreme anabolic reaction?

[/quote]

It’s ok I’ve read a ton about refeeds and keto so I know they can be very beneficial, thanks for the comments though. Out of curiosity do you know what bodyfat% your at now?

650

Hey guys, with the talk on here i started doing the GSD. If I needed to have a refeed on the 27th but it is supposed to be on the 20th how would I go about making it happen on the 27th since it’s supposed to be once every 2 weeks? I assume waiting another week going 3 weeks would be too long.

651

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
elusive wrote:
You could have lost water/glycogen weight. This wouldn’t change your BF% of course and would make you lose some size as well.

That would be what I thought it was if I had started from a higher carb diet however I had already been on low carbs. Now when I dropped that 3.5lb. with no loss in caliper measurements I had gone from 150g of carbs on workout days (3 days a week) to 100g so its possible there was more some glycogen depletion and at that point was when my arm size went down like 1/4in. but its not like 50g less 3 days a week will make a huge difference and at the end of my carb ups my measurements are still as low

I’m interested to see what my measurements for arms, weight, and composition will be after the week of higher calories (although carbs will be at 100-150g a day)

Your concerns are common. I used to feel the same. The fear of losing hard earned mass when dieting is tough to take.
I’m currently 172lbs after 31 days on GSD. My bicep is 15-1/8th ins. My biceps were 15-1/2 when I was 184lbs. However, I was too fat for my liking. Further, I was finding it very hard to gain more mass probably due to insulin resistance issues. So I decided I was going on a anti-lard mission and opted for GSD.

The last time I dieted down to the 172lbs mark last year my biceps were strugling to break the 14-1/2 barrier, so I’m more than 1/2ins better off now. My belief is that getting lean is going to aid me getting bigger when it’s time to revert back to mass building. However, until that spare tyre goes that goal is not going to happen.

I also have to say that the words of the late, great Arthur Jones come to mind when he said most bodybuilders who want to gain 10lbs of muscle would be better off losing 10lbs of fat - then they’d actually look like they had gained 10lbs.
After losing 1-3/4 ins off my waist so far and seeing some abdominal definition appear, I can see what he means.

JB

I totally agree with the idea of losing fat so you can continue to build muscle. The problem is when you lose the muscle you worked hard to achieve in the first place with some fat gain…it ends up being a continuous circle going no where. I thought you said your arm loss was about 1/8in. not close to 1/2 but ok. So is your only judge that you didn’t lose muscle that you kept your strength? Have you tried to increase it and it just ended up staying the same? Mine has been going up pretty well but like I mentioned the measurements are smaller.

Whats weird for me is that I can’t believe how drastic I have to get to lose bodyfat now. It’s been so long since I’ve “bulked” too (mid january…definitely a very unsuccessful dragged out cut lol, I’m gonna try to keep it short and sweet in the future). I’ve gotten to 11% or so in the past and at about 2300 calories. I’m at 15% and was eating 2300. I guess when I was near the end though in the past I was doing 4-5 longer cardio sessions as opposed to the 3 30min walks I was doing this time prior to the last 1.5 weeks in which I’ve added the more intense cardio and lowered calories a little.

edit: does anyone know if theres a GSD discussion thread like they have now for all the other articles?
edit 2: nvm I found it lol

I was ingesting carbs when my arm was at its largest so all measuremnts are relatively superficial in that state anyway. As stated, I was also smoothed out at 16% BF so I was totally unsatisfied with my look.
Since commencing the GSD my strength has not diminished, so that’s a better judge for me. Sure, I expect to lose some mass. From what I’ve read it is inevitable. However, I am confident the fortnightly refeeds on GSD could trigger a highly potent anabolic rebound effect. This could negate any losses and, who knows, lead to some new gains.
Perhaps there are other regular carb-loaders on this thread who are better placed to speculate whether there is some validity to the idea a refeed every 14 days while on a restricted keto diet could actually trigger an extreme anabolic reaction?

It’s ok I’ve read a ton about refeeds and keto so I know they can be very beneficial, thanks for the comments though. Out of curiosity do you know what bodyfat% your at now?

[/quote]

No worries. I have a Tanita BC-545 bodyfat scale - which cost me 200 quid! - and was supposed to be as reliable as the most scientific methods on earth, according to the Daily Mail review. However, I have found it to a bit inconsistent so I take its readings with a pinch of salt. When I kicked off the GSD it told me I was 16% BF. The last time I was measured with calipers I was at the 16% mark and I believe I was in similar condition then. So although I appreciate there is a bit of guesswork involved, I’m happy the 16% is an accurate mark.
I’m due my weekly weigh-in on Friday so I will post the update then. It should be noted the change in physical appearance is what is motivating me more than any measurement.

652

[quote]Needmassquick wrote:
Hey guys, with the talk on here i started doing the GSD. If I needed to have a refeed on the 27th but it is supposed to be on the 20th how would I go about making it happen on the 27th since it’s supposed to be once every 2 weeks? I assume waiting another week going 3 weeks would be too long. [/quote]

I’m on Day 32 of GSD. I’ve not been in your position but here’s my advice from what I’ve learned. The low carb/calorie diet along with training is quite oppressive. If you’re just starting GSD you might get away with any it for three weeks. However, training on 1800kcals a day is a gamble just about every way you look at it. Do it for too long and it quickly becomes counter-productive. One option would be to beast in for the first 10-14 days, then scale back training in your third week, pehaps 1-2 sessions a week with a view to maintenance, until you get to re-feed day. Another option is to have two mini-re-feed days on the 20th and 27th, e.g. no more than 200g carbs while keeping it clean.
I recently had 7 days off from training due to certain issues. However, I managed daily walks and stuck to the diet religiously in that time. After the 7 days I was due my fortnightly carb-up. However, I didn’t feel like it and considered holding off until another week. In the end I ended up having a cheat meal at night and a bit of chocolate. So it was almost a mini-refeed with a fraction of the carbs/calories I would normally ingest. The next day I trained and felt pretty good considering. I don’t know if I would have managed to get in the gym had I not eaten the carbs the night before. Now I think it’s enough to get me through to the 30th, which is my next re-feed day.

653

[quote]JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:
elusive wrote:
You could have lost water/glycogen weight. This wouldn’t change your BF% of course and would make you lose some size as well.

That would be what I thought it was if I had started from a higher carb diet however I had already been on low carbs. Now when I dropped that 3.5lb. with no loss in caliper measurements I had gone from 150g of carbs on workout days (3 days a week) to 100g so its possible there was more some glycogen depletion and at that point was when my arm size went down like 1/4in. but its not like 50g less 3 days a week will make a huge difference and at the end of my carb ups my measurements are still as low

I’m interested to see what my measurements for arms, weight, and composition will be after the week of higher calories (although carbs will be at 100-150g a day)

Your concerns are common. I used to feel the same. The fear of losing hard earned mass when dieting is tough to take.
I’m currently 172lbs after 31 days on GSD. My bicep is 15-1/8th ins. My biceps were 15-1/2 when I was 184lbs. However, I was too fat for my liking. Further, I was finding it very hard to gain more mass probably due to insulin resistance issues. So I decided I was going on a anti-lard mission and opted for GSD.

The last time I dieted down to the 172lbs mark last year my biceps were strugling to break the 14-1/2 barrier, so I’m more than 1/2ins better off now. My belief is that getting lean is going to aid me getting bigger when it’s time to revert back to mass building. However, until that spare tyre goes that goal is not going to happen.

I also have to say that the words of the late, great Arthur Jones come to mind when he said most bodybuilders who want to gain 10lbs of muscle would be better off losing 10lbs of fat - then they’d actually look like they had gained 10lbs.
After losing 1-3/4 ins off my waist so far and seeing some abdominal definition appear, I can see what he means.

JB

I totally agree with the idea of losing fat so you can continue to build muscle. The problem is when you lose the muscle you worked hard to achieve in the first place with some fat gain…it ends up being a continuous circle going no where. I thought you said your arm loss was about 1/8in. not close to 1/2 but ok. So is your only judge that you didn’t lose muscle that you kept your strength? Have you tried to increase it and it just ended up staying the same? Mine has been going up pretty well but like I mentioned the measurements are smaller.

Whats weird for me is that I can’t believe how drastic I have to get to lose bodyfat now. It’s been so long since I’ve “bulked” too (mid january…definitely a very unsuccessful dragged out cut lol, I’m gonna try to keep it short and sweet in the future). I’ve gotten to 11% or so in the past and at about 2300 calories. I’m at 15% and was eating 2300. I guess when I was near the end though in the past I was doing 4-5 longer cardio sessions as opposed to the 3 30min walks I was doing this time prior to the last 1.5 weeks in which I’ve added the more intense cardio and lowered calories a little.

edit: does anyone know if theres a GSD discussion thread like they have now for all the other articles?
edit 2: nvm I found it lol

I was ingesting carbs when my arm was at its largest so all measuremnts are relatively superficial in that state anyway. As stated, I was also smoothed out at 16% BF so I was totally unsatisfied with my look.
Since commencing the GSD my strength has not diminished, so that’s a better judge for me. Sure, I expect to lose some mass. From what I’ve read it is inevitable. However, I am confident the fortnightly refeeds on GSD could trigger a highly potent anabolic rebound effect. This could negate any losses and, who knows, lead to some new gains.
Perhaps there are other regular carb-loaders on this thread who are better placed to speculate whether there is some validity to the idea a refeed every 14 days while on a restricted keto diet could actually trigger an extreme anabolic reaction?

It’s ok I’ve read a ton about refeeds and keto so I know they can be very beneficial, thanks for the comments though. Out of curiosity do you know what bodyfat% your at now?

No worries. I have a Tanita BC-545 bodyfat scale - which cost me 200 quid! - and was supposed to be as reliable as the most scientific methods on earth, according to the Daily Mail review. However, I have found it to a bit inconsistent so I take its readings with a pinch of salt. When I kicked off the GSD it told me I was 16% BF. The last time I was measured with calipers I was at the 16% mark and I believe I was in similar condition then. So although I appreciate there is a bit of guesswork involved, I’m happy the 16% is an accurate mark.
I’m due my weekly weigh-in on Friday so I will post the update then. It should be noted the change in physical appearance is what is motivating me more than any measurement.[/quote]

ok yea let us know. So you’ve been on this for 32 days but haven’t gotten any readings since you started? How long do you plan on running the diet?

654

[quote]JamesBrawn007 wrote:
Needmassquick wrote:
Hey guys, with the talk on here i started doing the GSD. If I needed to have a refeed on the 27th but it is supposed to be on the 20th how would I go about making it happen on the 27th since it’s supposed to be once every 2 weeks? I assume waiting another week going 3 weeks would be too long.

I’m on Day 32 of GSD. I’ve not been in your position but here’s my advice from what I’ve learned. The low carb/calorie diet along with training is quite oppressive. If you’re just starting GSD you might get away with any it for three weeks. However, training on 1800kcals a day is a gamble just about every way you look at it. Do it for too long and it quickly becomes counter-productive. One option would be to beast in for the first 10-14 days, then scale back training in your third week, pehaps 1-2 sessions a week with a view to maintenance, until you get to re-feed day. Another option is to have two mini-re-feed days on the 20th and 27th, e.g. no more than 200g carbs while keeping it clean.
I recently had 7 days off from training due to certain issues. However, I managed daily walks and stuck to the diet religiously in that time. After the 7 days I was due my fortnightly carb-up. However, I didn’t feel like it and considered holding off until another week. In the end I ended up having a cheat meal at night and a bit of chocolate. So it was almost a mini-refeed with a fraction of the carbs/calories I would normally ingest. The next day I trained and felt pretty good considering. I don’t know if I would have managed to get in the gym had I not eaten the carbs the night before. Now I think it’s enough to get me through to the 30th, which is my next re-feed day. [/quote]

OK thanks I had a similar idea. Next week I have some trip I have to go on on Friday and that week will be a little bad with diet but it will be over by Thursday of the next week. So i’ll go from that point (June 4th) to the 13th before a refeed. This will be 8 days instead of the normal 13 but it’s not that big of a difference since the calories and carbs are so low and I’ll just keep it to a more moderate carb up (around 4-5,000 calories probably). On the 27th though…that will likely be a big binge haha. On your real refeeds for this diet do you go all out?

655

Chaps,

Carb Cycling is the bomb!

So far i’ve been doing it for about two weeks and in the time my weight has not changed at all. Well down 0.2lbs. I have carbs on training days, low carb on Cardio and off days. In that time I have got leaner without a doubt. In my kitchen the back door gives a reflection and when its dark because of the favourable lighting, I look more defined than I am, consequently any change in that glass notices first.

Last night, I saw my top two abs!

In normal conditions, the veins in my hands are more visible, and the veins in my forearms run uninterupted, where as before they would show in some parts and not others, due to the fat covering them. Now, i’m not going to get all my abs out by the summer, because I have loose skin which has to be operated on, but I can definately pop the top two out by then

I eat about 3000kcal a day, 300g protein. I dont count the rest normally, just following a few guidelines, such as not mixing FAT/CHO. On training days most meals are PRO/CHO with the last meal tending to be PRO/FAT. On non training days, all meals are PRO/FAT/.

So as a slow recomp tool its amazing. I’ve low carbed the last 6 months or so, dropping about 125lbs in the last year. Since I started CC’ing i’ve added 20kg to my bench, 10kg to my deadlift and 5kg to my squat. No other changes.

656

I am finishing up a monster of a refeed day. I’ll know if I overdid it if the scale isn’t down by my next refeed day! Oh well, I needed this one psychologically. And, the scale was at 226 this morning, which is the lowest I’ve been in 10 years (down from 250 since I started). 215 is getting closer!

657

[quote]pumped340 wrote:

ok yea let us know. So you’ve been on this for 32 days but haven’t gotten any readings since you started? How long do you plan on running the diet?
[/quote]

My initial plan was to complete 28 days with 100% compliance - which I achieved - then evaluate my progress. My next target is 42 days. I must admit that I’m starting to feel the urge to carb up more these days as the diet continues.
I think realistically to get the six-pack I desire I would need to stay on it for at lest the 56 - 70 day mark, which would be a major achievement in my book.
Berardi states that 84 days should be the absolute maximum anyone should stay on this diet.
As I say, the 42 day target is next then I’ll re-evaluate and perhaps consider moving the carb-up dates to every 7-10 days.

658

[quote]Needmassquick wrote:

OK thanks I had a similar idea. Next week I have some trip I have to go on on Friday and that week will be a little bad with diet but it will be over by Thursday of the next week. So i’ll go from that point (June 4th) to the 13th before a refeed. This will be 8 days instead of the normal 13 but it’s not that big of a difference since the calories and carbs are so low and I’ll just keep it to a more moderate carb up (around 4-5,000 calories probably). On the 27th though…that will likely be a big binge haha. On your real refeeds for this diet do you go all out?
[/quote]

There appears to be two schools of thought: (1) according to my reading of Berardi, the macronutrient split during refeed is not that specific and anything more or less goes as long as you don’t exceed 3.5x your usual GSD caloric intake. This also tallies with the views of Mauro DiPasquale and his Anabolic Diet (the original version anyway); (2) ingest loads of carbs but minimise fat intake as much as possible. At one end of the spectrum is CT, who advocates a clean carb-up with only 200g or so of quality carbs. His argument is that a body in ketosis can only take in 300g or so of carbs and the rest will get stored as fat so theories that state glycogen ‘supercompensation’ will occur during huge refeeds with 1000g of carbs are flawed. Other CKD proponents like Lyle McDonald obviously sit at the other side of the spectrum and advocate such huge carb refeeds, with these carbs often coming in the shape of simple sugars.

Personally, I’m committed to a middle ground. So I’ll attempt to carb up with relatively good food until 6pm, then indulge in a large cheat meal at night with perhaps some cake, etc. Of course I’ll be staying within the 6,000 calorie limit regardless.

659

[quote]JamesBrawn007 wrote:
pumped340 wrote:

ok yea let us know. So you’ve been on this for 32 days but haven’t gotten any readings since you started? How long do you plan on running the diet?

My initial plan was to complete 28 days with 100% compliance - which I achieved - then evaluate my progress. My next target is 42 days. I must admit that I’m starting to feel the urge to carb up more these days as the diet continues.
I think realistically to get the six-pack I desire I would need to stay on it for at lest the 56 - 70 day mark, which would be a major achievement in my book.
Berardi states that 84 days should be the absolute maximum anyone should stay on this diet.
As I say, the 42 day target is next then I’ll re-evaluate and perhaps consider moving the carb-up dates to every 7-10 days.[/quote]

Sounds like a good plan. It seems Dave Tate was doing one every 7 days so I’m sure that wouldn’t be too much of a problem. I’m only going to do the diet for 4-6 weeks so I’ll likely just stick with the once every 14 days but if I feel like strength is going down or I’m losing too much muscle I’ll make it a little more frequent

By the way to everyone, this is a good article on carb cycling. It was written for cutting but I’m sure you could just raise the calories with equal proportions for bulking. There may even be one for bulking somewhere because it’s mentioned in the article that he was going to write one http://www.intensemuscle.com/30423-carb-cycling.html

660

[quote]pumped340 wrote:

By the way to everyone, this is a good article on carb cycling. It was written for cutting but I’m sure you could just raise the calories with equal proportions for bulking. There may even be one for bulking somewhere because it’s mentioned in the article that he was going to write one www.intensemuscle.com/30423-carb-cycling.html[/quote]

Um wow, extremely detailed article…you should definitely read this. It sums up an entire approach to carb cycling from one man’s perspective. A couple of things I really agree with here:

YOU MUST BE IN A CALORIC DEFICIT TO LOSE FAT!

  • The author actually says EVERY DAY, even high days. This is slightly contradictory with the example he uses where he claims carb cycling is bulking/cutting together. You must be in a surplus to bulk, however eating around your workout can be considered anabolic.

YOU MUST DO CARDIO (fasted? not necessarily)!

  • Stubborn fat tends to remain in place unless you pound away at it, Lyle McDonald has discussed this in detail.

YOU MUST EARN YOUR CARBS!

  • I believe high days on a true carb cycle (not a CKD with a refeed) should be paired with a hard workout. You should sweat and deplete to prevent any spillover of glycogen uptake to adipose tissue uptake.

Disagreements:

  • Whole food sources (pasta, whole wheat bread, potatoes, yams, fibrous veggies)…again, a Troponin nutrition principle. Couldn’t this work with other CHO sources as long as they were isocaloric?

  • Zero carb days is a new phenomenon, and I’d consider this a LOW day because of the fibrous veggies and trace amounts in other foods. This could simply be a difference in nomenclature. They might also call their low days ‘moderate’ days.

  • Can you really bulk and cut at the same time? I’ve read both, but I tend to see scientifically it’s impossible. A hypocaloric diet will always be a cut, which is what he describes each day in this version of carb cycling.

Definitely worth a read!