My Experience On the Anabolic Diet Part III

Nutrition
401

Just starting out my diet. I don’t think it should take me long to get fat adapted. I have been on the AD before and I usually am on a fairly low carb diet anyway (100-200) grams. I am feeling great but after taking a little cruise period for two weeks, I got back in the gym starting a new DC blast today. Probably not the smartest idea in the world since DC is demanding and my body is searching for carbohydrates, but oh well. The back squat widowmaker was pretty rediculous. I even went fairly light to start off (285lbs), it was still brutal. 20 reps and two blood shot eyes later I dizzily was able to re-rack the weight.

I have a feeling my carbs are a little high for trying to get fat adapted. I think I am netting 43, but its only 6% of my total calories. Heres where they are coming from:

12 eggs-around 13 grams

4 TBSP of peanut butter- 8 grams

4 scoops protein powder- 8 grams

12 ounces of broccoli- 8 grams

1/2 cup of mixed nuts: 6 grams

I also have some flax seed meal in there which would be another 8 grams of pure fiber, but I was reading that in the beginning you should count everything as carbs, fiber included.

Is this reasonable or do I need to cut out some stuff to get adapted?

402

You don’t need to count fiber, so that 12oz of broccoli is more like 2g carb, if it, etc.

If not for fiber, this diet would never work. The diet is based around meat and cruciferous vegetables, plain and simple. If you’ve never taken a dump on a high-fat/protein diet without fiber… You don’t know what pain is. What does your total calorie and macro breakdown look like?

The way I knew I was adapted was because I had to basically leave two of my workouts in the can because it felt like I had nothing to lift with. Other people report noticeable mood/energy changes, but the overarching idea seems to be things not happening the way they normally would for a few days.

403

I have felt great energy-wise, but lifting felt like a whole different animal. My legs were already shaking during biceps curls, so I think my body is adapting well so far.

And I think those values are all net carbs, my bag of broccoli says 2 net carbs per serving and there are 4 servings.

My breakdown is roughly 300 pro, 200 fat, and 43 net carbs listed previously. Protein is is probably closer to 250 on non-workout days. So that comes out to 38% protein, 57% fat, 5% carb

404

As a broccoli-pounder, I assure you there are not 8g of non-fiber carbs in 3/4 a lb of broccoli. Most people will tell you not to even log broccoli because the thermal effect of food will actually turn broccoli into negative calories due to the work your body has to do to digest it.

I’d check your PB and mixed nuts too, those usually have about half their carbs from fiber unless they’re cashew-heavy.

405

[quote]samdan wrote:
As a broccoli-pounder, I assure you there are not 8g of non-fiber carbs in 3/4 a lb of broccoli. [/quote]

Actually…there are lol. Calories in Broccoli, boiled | CalorieKing
Calories in Broccoli, raw | CalorieKing but I’m sure it wouldn’t make a difference in results

Ajweins, I would check those eggs on fitday/calorieking though. On the carton they round it up to 1g/egg but it’s really like 0.6, not like it’s going to make much of a difference anyway but takes about 6g off of your total

406

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
samdan wrote:
As a broccoli-pounder, I assure you there are not 8g of non-fiber carbs in 3/4 a lb of broccoli.

Actually…there are lol. Calories in Broccoli, boiled | CalorieKing
Calories in Broccoli, raw | CalorieKing but I’m sure it wouldn’t make a difference in results

Ajweins, I would check those eggs on fitday/calorieking though. On the carton they round it up to 1g/egg but it’s really like 0.6, not like it’s going to make much of a difference anyway but takes about 6g off of your total[/quote]

Nice call!

Anyway, think I am going to buy some heavy cream to day to throw in some shakes. After reading through the Experience II thread yesterday and realizing even more how big of a genius DH is, I am going to follow the AD completely by the book. No deviations for 3 months, and realize that it will be a long term change to get my body turning to fat as its primary fuel source. I am going to keep my refeeds at the same caloric level as the weekdays for the most part, and try to keep the foods as relatively clean as possible. My joints already feel 10x better from all the fat. And I am looking a lot leaner.

When I tried this diet a couple years ago I was using it as a way to justify eating a bunch of crap foods on the weekends. I am glad I have a better understanding of it now.

407

We have about 1500 packets (bought a box at Sam’s Club) of sweet ‘n’ low but I found that it does have carbs that affect metabolism even though label says zero carbs. One of the AD gurus suggested Stevia as a sweetener. I just bought Truvia (containing Stevia) but it claims 0 calories but 3g carbs in the form of Eythritol.

According to the Truvia folks:

“…Unlike sugar which provides 4 calories per gram, the body does not use erythritol for energy, so it does not contribute calories. In other words, the caloric value for erythritol is zero calories per gram. Truvia does not increase blood sugar. The body does not metabolize or use Truvia the same way that it uses sugar and other carbohydrates. The body cannot convert Truvia to glucose or blood sugar. Therefore the grams of carbohydrates donâ??t count. The net carbs in Truvia natural sweetener are zero…”

I am searching the internet and some suggestions were to count half the carbs per packet (i.e., 1.5g) since erythritol is a partially digestible carb. What do you AD’ers think?

BTW, be carefeul of buying stevia products from some manufacturers. They use blends and some contain maltodextrin.

408

Unfortunately you did not buy stevia -but rather and as you have found -a blend of stevia and other assorted additives. Why, oh why can they not just leave well enough alone?!
Stevia is a fantastic sweetener and needs nothing at all added to it.
Stevia is also wonderful at rebuilding the adrenals…again, as long as there is nothing added to it.

What you have is an artificial sweetener and I would suggest you
A.) Sell it -throw it or give it away
or at least
B.) Count the carbs

409

I could have taken it back but I see that my wife went ahead and opened the box. I’ll count the carbs and use it up. Rather than play games with how much to record, I guess I will report all 3g. I sometimes dring green tea without sweetener but sometimes I like it with. Maybe I will try compromising and using 1/4-1/2. Thanks Pauli.

It would be cool if I could just grow the plant itself and somehow easily utilize it in drinks and cooking.

410

OK. Started finding information on growing your own stevia at sites such as How to Grow Stevia. I might try that this spring. You also get the additional benefit of some bug protection from the plants. Cool!

411

What leanness of ground beef do you guys buy. I tried to use a search function but couldn’t find anything, so sorry if this has been asked a million times. I guess I have just been so used to buying as lean of meat as possible I have programmed myself to think fatty ground beef is bad. What lean/fat ratio do you guys go with? Does the good doctor have a recommendation? I am guessing 80%?

412

What leanness of ground beef do you guys buy. I tried to use a search function but couldn’t find anything, so sorry if this has been asked a million times. I guess I have just been so used to buying as lean of meat as possible I have programmed myself to think fatty ground beef is bad. What lean/fat ratio do you guys go with? Does the good doctor have a recommendation? I am guessing 80%?

413

Pauli what’s your opinion on Stevia on a low carb diet and in general? I know DH uses/used it.

I had stevia but ran out and it’s much more expensive (I can get unlimited free splenda at college but stevia at a health food store is pretty expensive)

414

[quote]ajweins wrote:
What leanness of ground beef do you guys buy. I tried to use a search function but couldn’t find anything, so sorry if this has been asked a million times. I guess I have just been so used to buying as lean of meat as possible I have programmed myself to think fatty ground beef is bad. What lean/fat ratio do you guys go with? Does the good doctor have a recommendation? I am guessing 80%?[/quote]

The important point to remember is to rotate your protein. So, that means eat both lean and fatty cuts of different animals.

I would also recommend that you take note of what works best for you. Some folks can get lean eating bacon and such -they need more fat. Others just won’t get lean eating such fatty proteins -they need less -or ‘better’ fats.

A professional observation:
I have never seen anyone get lean eating high fat proteins. I’m sure it happens -I have just never seen it.

Fats are needed -of this there is no doubt. However, as DH has so wisely noted…
“How much you eat = How much you gain.
What you eat = What you gain.”

Animal fats are needed, of course -but essentials like assorted fish oils, olive oil, borage oil and flax lingans will give you much better results than a pound of bacon for breakfast each day.

jus say’n…

415

[quote]Pauli D wrote:
ajweins wrote:
What leanness of ground beef do you guys buy. I tried to use a search function but couldn’t find anything, so sorry if this has been asked a million times. I guess I have just been so used to buying as lean of meat as possible I have programmed myself to think fatty ground beef is bad. What lean/fat ratio do you guys go with? Does the good doctor have a recommendation? I am guessing 80%?

The important point to remember is to rotate your protein. So, that means eat both lean and fatty cuts of different animals.

I would also recommend that you take note of what works best for you. Some folks can get lean eating bacon and such -they need more fat. Others just won’t get lean eating such fatty proteins -they need less -or ‘better’ fats.

A professional observation:
I have never seen anyone get lean eating high fat proteins. I’m sure it happens -I have just never seen it.

Fats are needed -of this there is no doubt. However, as DH has so wisely noted…
“How much you eat = How much you gain.
What you eat = What you gain.”

Animal fats are needed, of course -but essentials like assorted fish oils, olive oil, borage oil and flax lingans will give you much better results than a pound of bacon for breakfast each day.

jus say’n…
[/quote]

Great advice. Thanks. And thats actually exactly what I wanted to hear. Right now my meats of choice are chicken breast and pork loins, both of which are pretty lean and pretty cheap in my area. So I just like to throw some nuts or evoo with them. I will probably pick up some 85% lean hamburger to throw in as well.

Just for anyone who is interested, the induction phase is going well. My gym numbers are weaker but I was sick last week and feel really flat but this is to be expected. I have dropped quite a bit of weight and it seems like the most of it has came from the waist (I am sure its just water but either way I am not arguing). I have zero cravings and I am excited to have some dark meat and green beans for thanksgiving dinner.

It will be interesting to see how my first few carb-ups go. When I tried this diet before I went way way way way way way way overboard. I basically treated this diet as an excuse to binge on the weekends. But after reading every post by guys like DH and Trib, I realize what this diet is about and am 100% committed to doing it right by the doctor. I am guessing I will start with only carbing up on saturday and keeping my cals about equal to my weekdays. Maybe a little higher if I go out for a burger or something. I would rather error on too little of carbup than too much to make sure I stay fat adapted.

416

need some help on what to do next as i see myself at a crossroads and would like some advice from those whove been in my predicament. my main goal is to get the most effective and efficient results from my cycle. more specifically, my END goal is a body comp overhaul…the same as everyone else here…gain as much muscle as possible whilst losing as much fat as possible.

the problem is, i dont know where to go from here…ive put on a good solid 10 lbs in the past couple of months of LBM whilst losing 1.5" of fat from my midsection.

things have been going well enough, but ive not stalled in the past couple of weeks, and the only culprit i can think of is my diet.

ive been living a low carb style, and have been consuming 60/20/20 P/F/C of 3k cal of clean eating for the past half year. id say that was sufficient for my 5’ 10" 195 lb frame at about 15% BF. but ive been reading ALOT lately and now am at a loss of where to go from here.

should i up my carbs cause ive incorporated tren ace? should i try the anabolic diet? should i try low fat? i just dont know…

i am pretty sure i should definitely bulk first in order to get the most out of my cycle, but what nutrition guideline should i follow to get optimal results? heres my thoughts:

next two weeks: maintenance phase of anabolic diet
six weeks(at the end of six weeks my cycle will be tapered off): bulk using the anabolic diet
eight-twelve weeks after that(post cycle): cutting using the anabolic diet.

any advice on my plan would be appreciated. would the anabolic diet complement the cycle? or should i just keep going on with the macro ratios ive been using and just raise calories? as you can see…i am paranoid about carbs as i want as little of fat accumulation during my bulk, but if its prudent to up the carbs during a cycle, then i’d do what needs to be done.

any help/advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

417

[quote]tribeoner wrote:
need some help on what to do next as i see myself at a crossroads and would like some advice from those whove been in my predicament. my main goal is to get the most effective and efficient results from my cycle. more specifically, my END goal is a body comp overhaul…the same as everyone else here…gain as much muscle as possible whilst losing as much fat as possible.

the problem is, i dont know where to go from here…ive put on a good solid 10 lbs in the past couple of months of LBM whilst losing 1.5" of fat from my midsection.

things have been going well enough, but ive not stalled in the past couple of weeks, and the only culprit i can think of is my diet.

ive been living a low carb style, and have been consuming 60/20/20 P/F/C of 3k cal of clean eating for the past half year. id say that was sufficient for my 5’ 10" 195 lb frame at about 15% BF. but ive been reading ALOT lately and now am at a loss of where to go from here.

should i up my carbs cause ive incorporated tren ace? should i try the anabolic diet? should i try low fat? i just dont know…

i am pretty sure i should definitely bulk first in order to get the most out of my cycle, but what nutrition guideline should i follow to get optimal results? heres my thoughts:

next two weeks: maintenance phase of anabolic diet
six weeks(at the end of six weeks my cycle will be tapered off): bulk using the anabolic diet
eight-twelve weeks after that(post cycle): cutting using the anabolic diet.

any advice on my plan would be appreciated. would the anabolic diet complement the cycle? or should i just keep going on with the macro ratios ive been using and just raise calories? as you can see…i am paranoid about carbs as i want as little of fat accumulation during my bulk, but if its prudent to up the carbs during a cycle, then i’d do what needs to be done.

any help/advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
[/quote]

Hey man,

Congrats on the progress…from looking at your macro’s, I would say your protein intake is far too high compared to your energy nutrient intake. Without knowing how well you handle carbs etc, it is somewhat diffcult to recommend an ideal breakdown. BUT having said that, I would recommend dropping your protein intake in favor of some healthy fats instead.
Eg. 45% Protein, 50% Fats, 5% carbs…could be a pick, once you are fat adapted.

I say this, because you may have turned yourself into a protein oxidizer due to this nutrient been so much higher compared to the rest of your intake.

GJ

418

[quote]Gymjunkie wrote:
I would recommend dropping your protein intake in favor of some healthy fats instead.
Eg. 45% Protein, 50% Fats, 5% carbs…could be a pick, once you are fat adapted.

I say this, because you may have turned yourself into a protein oxidizer due to this nutrient been so much higher compared to the rest of your intake.

GJ[/quote]

Preach it, GJ!

419

[quote]Pauli D wrote:
Gymjunkie wrote:
I would recommend dropping your protein intake in favor of some healthy fats instead.
Eg. 45% Protein, 50% Fats, 5% carbs…could be a pick, once you are fat adapted.

I say this, because you may have turned yourself into a protein oxidizer due to this nutrient been so much higher compared to the rest of your intake.

GJ

Preach it, GJ![/quote]

Hey Pauli,

I have been having some good discussions with The Mighty Stu re protein intake and the conversion to glucose. I do believe that protein is VERY important and the intake needs to be high generally, but not alot more compared to your energy nutrient intake…which is what I was lead to believe for too long. My recent results have proved this…for me anyway.

Guess, you as well know, the key is to find what works for you…

As of next week, I am starting 2 a days, and upping my intake accordingly. Time to gain some muscle, whilst dropping the last 1-2%bf getting down to a happy level.

GJ

420

Hey Mr Pauli D, I would be grateful if you could confirm what is Charles Poliquin’s view on fat intake, I mean, I’ve seen loads of articles stating that he prefers low carbs (typically less than 50g a day) and high protein 1.5-2 g/lb) but I’ve never seen anything on fat intake other than he likes to megadose on fish oil?

Cheers
Emz