My Experience On the Anabolic Diet Part II

Nutrition
561

Phew, so I took around 10-12k cals over my 36 hour load. I have never eaten so much in my entire life.
I gotta say, I feel pretty shit today.

I just finished an upper chest/tricep workout and it was hell.
I feel better now than I did before I started though - but every movement felt like I was straining a muscle or joint. Very weak today…
My triceps have certainly never felt so pumped though, and that was before I even moved onto the tricep exercises!

I just feel lethargic, I’m aching and stiff (particularly my neck) and generally a little out of it.
I’m going to do a bit of circuit training followed by SS cardio a little later so hopefully that’ll perk me up.

After these loads I feel like I just want to deplete my sorry ass again just to feel a little more back to ‘normal’.

I think I’m gonna struggle to get my 3200 cals today…

562

[quote]nz6stringaxe wrote:
synny wrote:
and is there anything wrong with having 4-5 30ml shots of EVOO every day?

Aside from the fact that that’s about 1200cals, I wouldn’t say so. However, I think it’d be easier to take the oil in the form of food rather than beverage; over salads, vegetables, meat, etc.
[/quote]

Yeah I have to say that the idea of chugging a few shots of EVOO makes me want to hurl, but there’s nothing wrong with it per se. Personally, I think anyone on the AD would benefit more by pouring their EVOO over a nice big bowl of salad greens. Mix that oil with a bit of crushed garlic and a squeeze of fresh lemon, and you have a delicious salad that can accompany any meal. I can’t stress enough the importance of fresh greens when you’re on the AD!! Three cups of salad greens is like 1g net carbs, and is so important for yoiur health. :wink:

563

[quote]El Sonido wrote:
synny wrote:
is there anything wrong with having 4-5 30ml shots of EVOO every day?

Is there anything wrong with eating my own height in baguettes in a 24 hour period? haha[/quote]

I was laughing my ass off at the “eye candy” you posted earlier!!! My hubby totally didn’t get it. :slight_smile:

564

[quote]j0nasln wrote:
Hey guys, I’ve got a question about calories on the mass building phase.

As far as the amount of calories, if I want to gain 10 pounds and be 175…then I need to eat 175 x 25 calories a day, which comes out to 4375, or 30625 a week.

So is there going to be any problem eating about 3700 calories on the weekdays and then a total of around 11,000 calories for the carb up? In the book he mentions it’s ok to reach a weekly goal, but judging from some posts in the old AD thread this seems a bit extreme.
[/quote]

What kind of cals are you eating right now? I agree with the guys that you should do a gradual increase if you are really going to make that your target. And how long do you plan to do your carb load? That’s a whole lotta carb calories to be stuffing in your pie hole over a short peroid of time… Ugh I feel bloated just thinking about it!!! lol

565

That is a lot of calories.
I don’t even want to think about how much time I actually spent preparing and eating food this weekend.

I bought a 1kg tub of raisins and it’s almost empty! maybe 100-200g left… that can’t be good.
I also bought a 1kg bag of oats which is about 3/4 empty.
I think my calorie intake was probably closer to 15k… jeez, no wonder I feel like shit today! hehe

On second thoughts, I think around 10k isn’t too bad - there’s going to be a lot of bloating but it’s totally worth it for the increased strength and energy levels for the following week.

566

[quote]Nat7774 wrote:
My updated meals for next week. No more nuts, less cheese and shake only before bed. Hoping this will help with shedding some fat!

Mon & Wed - P/F High 3700cal (Training)

  1. Pre WO - 4T Cream / 3T EVOO / 0.5T PB Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
  2. Post WO - 5egg Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
  3. 4.5 Eggs + Spinach, CC & cheese omelette
  4. 250g fillet steak + broccoli
  5. 2 beef burgers
  6. 4T Cream / 2T EVOO / 0.5T PB Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
    — 34%P / 3%CHO / 63%F —

Tue & Thurs - P/F Med 2400cal (HIIT Cardio)

  1. Pre WO - 4 x BCAA
  2. Post WO - 5egg Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
  3. 4.5 Eggs + Spinach, CC & cheese omelette
  4. 250g fillet steak + broccoli
  5. 4T Cream / 2T EVOO / 0.5T PB Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
    — 39%P / 3%CHO / 56%F —

Fri CarbUp1 3000cal / 420g CHO (Training)

— 21%P / 56%CHO / 29%F —

Sat CarbUp2 3000cal / 400g CHO (Rest)

— 16%P / 52%CHO / 30%F —

Sun - P/F Low 2400cal (1750)

  1. 2 eggs & 100g bacon + 4 x Omega 3
  2. 300g salmon + broccoli
  3. 4T Cream / 2T EVOO / 0.5T PB Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
    — 32%P / 2%CHO / 65%F —

Weekly total (13x - 2860cal / day)

20,000cal

Averages

215g P / day (1g / Lb BW)
28g CHO / day
— 30%P / 2%CHO (5days) / 51%F —

Any comments?
[/quote]

Is it okay if I have a few comments?

Perhaps I’m mis-reading this, but it looks like most days you’re only having three meals of real food. The egg protein shake is just raw eggs? Or powdered egg protein? Either way, that seems like a lot of liquid meals. It is much, much better to be getting your calories from a diverse selection of whole foods. I eat a measly 2000 kcal a day, and I shove in 4-5 meals a day. Eat salad greens w/EVOO at two meals, in addition to your regular greens. Have a serving of fatty fish at least every other day. Diversify your veggies - asparagus, zuchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, squash, spinach, celery. Try having olives or avacado once in a while for your fat source. There’s nothing wrong with cheese, an ounce of cheddar and a couple of deviled eggs make a yummy afternoon snack. I don’t see any ground flax seed or other fiber source in there - try to incorporate some to keep the pipes running smoothly.

Remember, we get 30g net carbs a day. If you eat 5 meals a day, that comes out to 6g net carbs per meal. I eat 50g of berries in the morning, several cups of veggies over the day, a mixing-bowl size salad, and a couple tbs of almond butter, and stay under my 30g with no difficulty. The key (in my opinion) to satying happy on the AD is to eat a variety of whole foods, and to maximize your 30g so you have a steady stream of produce over the day. There is more to the AD than red meat and eggs! :slight_smile:

567

Sonido how much do you drink on carb loads? I mean the huge bloat factor for me is just starting to annoy me…Im gonna see if eating the same cals during my load as my low-carb days. If I look shitty enough to ruin my day then Im gonna go into Thibs CCC (Carb-Cycling Codex)

568

[quote]bkmacky9288 wrote:
Sonido how much do you drink on carb loads? I mean the huge bloat factor for me is just starting to annoy me…Im gonna see if eating the same cals during my load as my low-carb days. If I look shitty enough to ruin my day then Im gonna go into Thibs CCC (Carb-Cycling Codex)[/quote]

I try to drink as little as possible.
I noticed this load that of all the stuff I ate, it was GRAPES that made me feel bloated because of the water content. Thing is, halfway through the day I just get so thirsty and feel dehydrated and I start losing the willpower and end up drinking. I do try to keep it controlled though and make sure I sip slowly.

It does make a big difference to the bloating though.

How long will your load be if you keep to low-carb calorie levels?
Surely you’d do best to spread that over 2 days (36 hours)?

569

What do you guys do with all the fat in ground beef?!
I know I want to be high fat but it’s just so calorically dense.
I’m cooking up a batch and just drained a cup’s worth of fluid from the pan and it’s still swimming!

570

Well I made it to 3200-3300 cals today and I’m totally stuffed.
I had to double the oil in my tuna salads (4tbsp instead of 2) to do it and I just had to force down a ground beef, spinach and flax omelette… ugh…
I took a spoonful of oil for the first time today hehe - not bad at all but it’s definitely better for use in salads.

It’s all worth it though, for sure. I’m definitely noticing gains in my overall upper body thickness, particularly arms and shoulder area.
I also started ab work again today. I’d really neglected my core since I started lifting full time so decided it was about time…

Jeez, I hope I’m over my carb-crash tomorrow, I’ve just felt like absolute shit today. I’ve barely been up 11 hours and I’m ready for bed VERY soon (I’m usually up 15 hours at least).

571

[quote]El Sonido wrote:
bkmacky9288 wrote:
Sonido how much do you drink on carb loads? I mean the huge bloat factor for me is just starting to annoy me…Im gonna see if eating the same cals during my load as my low-carb days. If I look shitty enough to ruin my day then Im gonna go into Thibs CCC (Carb-Cycling Codex)

I try to drink as little as possible.
I noticed this load that of all the stuff I ate, it was GRAPES that made me feel bloated because of the water content. Thing is, halfway through the day I just get so thirsty and feel dehydrated and I start losing the willpower and end up drinking. I do try to keep it controlled though and make sure I sip slowly.

It does make a big difference to the bloating though.

How long will your load be if you keep to low-carb calorie levels?
Surely you’d do best to spread that over 2 days (36 hours)?[/quote]

yea Im going to keep it at two days. Im a little concerned reading that Thibs says the supercompensation starts to stop working after awhile on diets like the AD, which almost makes me just want to use it for cutting and carb cycling for gaining

572

[quote]j0nasln wrote:
Hey guys, I’ve got a question about calories on the mass building phase.

As far as the amount of calories, if I want to gain 10 pounds and be 175…then I need to eat 175 x 25 calories a day, which comes out to 4375, or 30625 a week.

So is there going to be any problem eating about 3700 calories on the weekdays and then a total of around 11,000 calories for the carb up? In the book he mentions it’s ok to reach a weekly goal, but judging from some posts in the old AD thread this seems a bit extreme.
[/quote]

I wouldn’t, especially if you haven’t been adapted for several months. Don’t skimp those fat calories. There’s no point in trying to swap calories during the week for cho on load days.

573

Sonido, I know it’s too late now, but when you said it’d be hard to get in your 3200cals, my first thought was “why 3200 cals?”

Well, duh, I know why you’re aiming for this regular amount of calories, but you just consumed roughly 10,000cals excess previously? Why would you eat more? I’m still in the process of learning to do this for some things, but I must stress listening to your body over your intellect! You do NOT know what is going on in your body as well as your body does. Would you like proof/references? How about the general knowledge that science still has countless mysteries to uncover in the nutrition world? Our bodies understand them; our brains don’t.

Whose opinion matters more, your brain’s or your body’s?

I urge everyone to pay more attention to their bodies. This is one reason I feel the AD is so detrimental. By the way, the bloating (if you didn’t already know) I imagine is just a response from pulling in your preexisting internal water stores in with the glycogen being produced. The water gets displaced and all of a sudden there’s no water in the places from which it came, so you’re horribly thirsty. I’m not sadistic enough to not drink when I’m that thirsty, but I wonder how it would affect you.

Very soon I’ll be back to taking a carbed protein drink with every workout. I’m excited to revisit ‘normal’ metabolism. The physiological things I’m reading in the ISSA books are very interesting to me at the moment. For example, the usage of fats, carbs, and protein as they pertain to different forms of exercise, differeing intensities, and rest. More and more sources point me in the direction to believe the AD is strictly a fat loss or maintenance option, but a horrible choice for performance athletes and even bodybuilders.

574

Sunshne, thanks for the comments I will take what I can onboard.

The eggs are raw omega 3 which really help to get some cals + P&F in and make a great tasting shake. Is that ok? I know it seems like a lot of liquid meals but I find it easier to follow this way esp for pre, post and before bed times where I donâ??t have time or feel like whole foods. I could have a meal before bed - I used to but I have read drinking a shake is preferable even by the good doc and really helps with sleeping so I am giving it a try.

I will swap the steak and broccoli for salmon and salad on cardio days. I use flax meal and husks. All in all I like what I am eating, feel good and find it easy to prepare / afford. Thanks again for your response any more suggestions appreciated.

Cheers.

[quote]sunshne wrote:
Nat7774 wrote:
My updated meals for next week. No more nuts, less cheese and shake only before bed. Hoping this will help with shedding some fat!

Mon & Wed - P/F High 3700cal (Training)

  1. Pre WO - 4T Cream / 3T EVOO / 0.5T PB Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
  2. Post WO - 5egg Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
  3. 4.5 Eggs + Spinach, CC & cheese omelette
  4. 250g fillet steak + broccoli
  5. 2 beef burgers
  6. 4T Cream / 2T EVOO / 0.5T PB Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
    — 34%P / 3%CHO / 63%F —

Tue & Thurs - P/F Med 2400cal (HIIT Cardio)

  1. Pre WO - 4 x BCAA
  2. Post WO - 5egg Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
  3. 4.5 Eggs + Spinach, CC & cheese omelette
  4. 250g fillet steak + broccoli
  5. 4T Cream / 2T EVOO / 0.5T PB Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
    — 39%P / 3%CHO / 56%F —

Fri CarbUp1 3000cal / 420g CHO (Training)

— 21%P / 56%CHO / 29%F —

Sat CarbUp2 3000cal / 400g CHO (Rest)

— 16%P / 52%CHO / 30%F —

Sun - P/F Low 2400cal (1750)

  1. 2 eggs & 100g bacon + 4 x Omega 3
  2. 300g salmon + broccoli
  3. 4T Cream / 2T EVOO / 0.5T PB Protein Shake + 4 x Omega 3
    — 32%P / 2%CHO / 65%F —

Weekly total (13x - 2860cal / day)

20,000cal

Averages

215g P / day (1g / Lb BW)
28g CHO / day
— 30%P / 2%CHO (5days) / 51%F —

Any comments?

Is it okay if I have a few comments?

Perhaps I’m mis-reading this, but it looks like most days you’re only having three meals of real food. The egg protein shake is just raw eggs? Or powdered egg protein? Either way, that seems like a lot of liquid meals. It is much, much better to be getting your calories from a diverse selection of whole foods.

I eat a measly 2000 kcal a day, and I shove in 4-5 meals a day. Eat salad greens w/EVOO at two meals, in addition to your regular greens. Have a serving of fatty fish at least every other day. Diversify your veggies - asparagus, zuchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, squash, spinach, celery. Try having olives or avacado once in a while for your fat source. There’s nothing wrong with cheese, an ounce of cheddar and a couple of deviled eggs make a yummy afternoon snack. I don’t see any ground flax seed or other fiber source in there - try to incorporate some to keep the pipes running smoothly.

Remember, we get 30g net carbs a day. If you eat 5 meals a day, that comes out to 6g net carbs per meal. I eat 50g of berries in the morning, several cups of veggies over the day, a mixing-bowl size salad, and a couple tbs of almond butter, and stay under my 30g with no difficulty. The key (in my opinion) to satying happy on the AD is to eat a variety of whole foods, and to maximize your 30g so you have a steady stream of produce over the day. There is more to the AD than red meat and eggs! :)[/quote]

575

[quote]nz6stringaxe wrote:
Sonido, I know it’s too late now, but when you said it’d be hard to get in your 3200cals, my first thought was “why 3200 cals?”

Well, duh, I know why you’re aiming for this regular amount of calories, but you just consumed roughly 10,000cals excess previously? Why would you eat more? I’m still in the process of learning to do this for some things, but I must stress listening to your body over your intellect! You do NOT know what is going on in your body as well as your body does. Would you like proof/references? How about the general knowledge that science still has countless mysteries to uncover in the nutrition world? Our bodies understand them; our brains don’t.

Whose opinion matters more, your brain’s or your body’s?

I urge everyone to pay more attention to their bodies. This is one reason I feel the AD is so detrimental. By the way, the bloating (if you didn’t already know) I imagine is just a response from pulling in your preexisting internal water stores in with the glycogen being produced. The water gets displaced and all of a sudden there’s no water in the places from which it came, so you’re horribly thirsty. I’m not sadistic enough to not drink when I’m that thirsty, but I wonder how it would affect you.

Very soon I’ll be back to taking a carbed protein drink with every workout. I’m excited to revisit ‘normal’ metabolism. The physiological things I’m reading in the ISSA books are very interesting to me at the moment. For example, the usage of fats, carbs, and protein as they pertain to different forms of exercise, differeing intensities, and rest. More and more sources point me in the direction to believe the AD is strictly a fat loss or maintenance option, but a horrible choice for performance athletes and even bodybuilders.[/quote]

I’m not arguing for the AD but it is supposed to be monitered on how you feel and its supposed to “evolve” into an individual thing. Nothing says you have to gorge yourself on 10,000 calories in one day. It’s about finding what amount works for you.

576

You know, I do recall reading numerous times to go by “how you feel” in a manner of speaking.

I think it just must be easy for people (especially how we’re all “unguided” personally by DiPasquale) to miss when their minds get excited and want to take things to the extreme.

577

had 2 headaches over the last week, have had heaps of energy, does this mean ive nearly converted to fat burning mode? this weekend will be my carb up if im sure ive adapted…

anyone got advice/help?

578

Quick question, it may have been answered before but I couldn’t find one. On the AD, carbohydrate grams from Fiber are not to be counted in the 30grams overall during the day, correct? Does this mean that, if vegetable X has 15 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of fiber, that I should only count 10 grams of carbs from eating that vegetable?

579

[quote]inunneley wrote:
Quick question, it may have been answered before but I couldn’t find one. On the AD, carbohydrate grams from Fiber are not to be counted in the 30grams overall during the day, correct? Does this mean that, if vegetable X has 15 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of fiber, that I should only count 10 grams of carbs from eating that vegetable?[/quote]

Yes

580

[quote]El Sonido wrote:
What do you guys do with all the fat in ground beef?!
I know I want to be high fat but it’s just so calorically dense.
I’m cooking up a batch and just drained a cup’s worth of fluid from the pan and it’s still swimming![/quote]

I use a semi spoon shaped spatula thing with grooved holes in it. As I scoop out the meat whatever goes through back into the pan I leave. If it’s REALLY fatty I may give it a shake first to let a bit more drain off. If you just hold it in and drain the pan sideways, whatever is left should be fine.