My Experience On the Anabolic Diet

Nutrition
2402

[quote]allNatural wrote:
do we have to have sugar to spike insulin or can cheese and beans work? Also, I read glutamine and creatine should be taken separately b/c they use the same receptors or something so you should take say, 10g glutamine pre and 10g creatine PWO…or should i not believe everything i read?[/quote]

allNatural,

Nope, we don’t need sugar (as in sucrose) to spike insulin however most manufacturers will use a simple carbohydrate (like dextrose) that rates highly on the GI or II to improve creatine delivery.

To answer your question about cheese and beans, yes, they will create a reaction within your body to release insulin but much less so than the simple CHOs mentioned above. I would caution the use of beans on this diet during the week as they are CHO rich and will quickly eat away your 30g limit for the day.

Remember, on the AD, manipulating insulin during the week is not the goal. We’re trying to create an optimal hormonal environment for growth and fat loss. More importantly, we’re trying to teach the body to use fat as it’s primary energy source. Leave the manipulation of insulin for the weekends.

In terms of the creatine/glutamine question, while I’m not certain, I do believe that they do both use the same path ways for absorption. Therefore, as I described in my post preceeding this, I would prioritise creatine PWO and glutamine before bed if you have the cash . . .

Hopefully that helps but if I’m off with any of my advice please chime in.

Cheers.

Sasha

2403

[quote]HouseOfAtlas wrote:
toughcasey wrote:
4 weeks in and i am really craving ice cream. my mom bought some of this “low carb” ice cream and i want to get everyones opinion.

http://www.schwans.com/product/productDetails.aspx?tb=2&c1=1578&c2=1621&c3=1662&prd=51765

i had some last night and it tastes awesome!! how do the AD veterans feel about something like this…

thanks for any advice!

From what I see, a 1/2 cup of ice cream (which is barely anything) has 16g of carbs.

I, personally, would never eat this during the week. I’ve even cut out string cheese during the week because I felt like, for some reason, it was keeping me from losing weight. I eat lots of other fats (flax seed, organic peanut butter, fish oils), so I’m sure I’ll be okay.

Back on topic, I’d stay away from the ice cream.
[/quote]

ToughCasey,

I’ll cover this in the FAQs when I get around to putting it all together but while manifacturers say it’s low carb, its not necessarily the case with sugar alcohols.

On the AD we need to treat all alternative energy sources, like sugar alcohols, as CHOs. So unfortunately, anything with ingredients like Xylitol, Malitol and Shititol (which is what happens when you consume too much of this stuff) is out. Some of the things to watch out for are sugar free gum and protein bars. Check out the Carbohydrate Rountable article on T-Nation for more info on sugar alcohols.

So how do we cure your insatiable appetite for ice cream? Simple, try:

2 scoops of a whatever flavour of Micellar Casein you really like.
1 Tbsp of extra thick cream
1 Tbsp of natural peanut butter
Ice
Water
Blend

This should help you last till the weekend.

Good luck.

Sasha

2404

[quote]Overrev wrote:
Hey everyone,

I’m on day 9 and I was wondering when I will have successfully made the shift. I haven’t crashed yet and only had a minor headache on day 7 or 8. I was just curious as to how I will know if it is safe to carb up on days 13-14. I led a fairly high carb diet previous to this. Carb intake thus far has been well under 30g a day. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Overrev[/quote]

Overrev,

Sounds like you’re right on track and try to follow the diet as strictly as Dr. D lays it out as possible. The shift doesn’t necessarily happen on a given day, but over time. If you’ve already been following a low CHO diet for a while you may not be hit as hard as those who have been following a CHO diet. Just stick with it and you’re body will come around.

One thing to remember, the CHO loads are important on this lifestyle as we’re not mimicking the Atkins/South Beach diet. The weekends are for glycogen replenishment in the muscle bellies (for training) and kicking our metabolism in the ass. No matter what your physique goals are on the AD, we need to take in those CHOs on this lifestyle. Let’s just make sure we follow the 75/25 rule when it comes to our selections. 75% good carbs (fruit, oatmeal, etc.) 25% bad carbs (sugar, etc.)

Again, if I’m off with any of this please feel free to chime in and help out.

Cheers.

Sasha

2405

sasha thanx a million again for ur advice …i will order creatine monohydrate on mon…as i will be leaving to souh africa tommorow for shows …i just wish …i get enough food choices there . wont be working out with weights , i will do power walks though will be back on 26june . do u suggest creatine loading ? or i take 10gms everyday ? and also on weekends?

ok now a little contribution too this awesome thread this is a website most of u must have gone through …and if some 1 is afriad of our high fat diet and specially saturated fat his website will be a real help .

all articles are based on research and u get all the answers we look for in terms of healh and well being, hormones and saturated fat.and also how we are manipluated by media, docs, and food industry .also how a high carb diet can really be dangerous for our well being and health . i hope this website helps a lot for some 1 who even has a little doubt about having a lot of fat in diet like we do .

2406

[quote]raviraj wrote:
sasha thanx a million again for ur advice …i will order creatine monohydrate on mon…as i will be leaving to souh africa tommorow for shows …i just wish …i get enough food choices there . wont be working out with weights , i will do power walks though will be back on 26june . do u suggest creatine loading ? or i take 10gms everyday ? and also on weekends?

ok now a little contribution too this awesome thread this is a website most of u must have gone through …and if some 1 is afriad of our high fat diet and specially saturated fat his website will be a real help .

all articles are based on research and u get all the answers we look for in terms of healh and well being, hormones and saturated fat.and also how we are manipluated by media, docs, and food industry .also how a high carb diet can really be dangerous for our well being and health . i hope this website helps a lot for some 1 who even has a little doubt about having a lot of fat in diet like we do .
www.theomnivore.com[/quote]

Raviraj,

No need to load creatine as there has been no evidence that shows that doing so improves saturation levels in the muscle bellies. I believe the recommended doses are cool.

For your trip . . . easy travel foods include:

  • Nuts (Brazil, walnuts, etc.)
  • Deli meats
  • Cheese (mini babybels)
  • Seeds (hemp, pumpkin, etc.)

Thanks for the website contribution.

Cheers,

Sasha

2407

[quote]allNatural wrote:
I read glutamine and creatine should be taken separately b/c they use the same receptors or something[/quote]

[quote]SashaG wrote:
In terms of the creatine/glutamine question, while I’m not certain, I do believe that they do both use the same path ways for absorption.[/quote]

Where did you get this info from?

Dave Barr states, "I keep seeing noobs perpetuate this myth, but I wonder where they get it from.

Not only is it not untrue, even if they used the same transporter, it would just delay absorption, not abolish it."

2408

[quote]
“Not only is it not untrue, even if[…]” [/quote]

What an odd construction.

2409

no advice guys on the energy thing pre workout?help please!

2410

[quote]toughcasey wrote:
4 weeks in and i am really craving ice cream. my mom bought some of this “low carb” ice cream and i want to get everyones opinion.

http://www.schwans.com/product/productDetails.aspx?tb=2&c1=1578&c2=1621&c3=1662&prd=51765

i had some last night and it tastes awesome!! how do the AD veterans feel about something like this…

thanks for any advice![/quote]

Casey,
Just don’t get too dependant on those low carb products. I have a buddy that lives on those things and I think it’s hampering his progress. Most of those products contain sugar alcohols and some hardcore guys even stay away from those. But again, everything in moderation.

2411

I enjoy the simplicity of the diet… I find the worst things are the carb loads… I’ve only done 2 of them, but I haven’t made it a full 36-48 hours with lots of carb meals because I just feel gross, even off fruit, oats, and peanut butter sandwiches. haha. :slight_smile:

Read the whole thread, and the AD ebook. Thread was even better than the book. Thanks to everybody who’s contributed since the beginning, it’s been an invaluable resource.

2412

[quote]mikemazz wrote:
no advice guys on the energy thing pre workout?help please![/quote]

i will give u some choices ok

  1. 2 teaspoon heavy cream 2 teaspoon flaxseed powder + casein or regular whey protien 30 - 40gms 90min before workout( if u work u can also take this to ur office)

  2. if u workout like me in afernoon i take boneless chicken/beef/fish some vegeies again 90 or 120 min before workout

3)4whole eggs in 2 teaspoon butter and some vegetables

4)25gm walnuts+almonds and whey protien 25 - 40gms ( if u work u can also take this to ur office)
keep it simple u can also add a cup of strong coffee if u wish 30 min before workout
i also sometimes take a gap of 2 hours afer having a meal and workout not with a heavy stomach our body will tell u that
if u dont have energy i think u must eating too less fat …thats a big no i tried and it made me feel like hell and if u are new on his diet dont worry every 1 here went through a phase of low energy ur body is going through a metabolic shift and in some days u will have terrific energy more then what u used to feel on a carb diet every 1 on his thread will bet on this.

all again depends what time u workout if 90 min dosent suit u …make it 1 hour but is better to have some gap
pls also keep a good check on ur total calories hope u are not eating too less .
and in case if u are new on this thread pls read the whole thread u will not only get great recipes but a lot of info also …the thread is long but is very intresting and packed with a lot of info hope it helps -raviraj

2413

[quote]drewbro wrote:
toughcasey wrote:
4 weeks in and i am really craving ice cream. my mom bought some of this “low carb” ice cream and i want to get everyones opinion.

http://www.schwans.com/product/productDetails.aspx?tb=2&c1=1578&c2=1621&c3=1662&prd=51765

i had some last night and it tastes awesome!! how do the AD veterans feel about something like this…

thanks for any advice!

Casey,
Just don’t get too dependant on those low carb products. I have a buddy that lives on those things and I think it’s hampering his progress. Most of those products contain sugar alcohols and some hardcore guys even stay away from those. But again, everything in moderation. [/quote]

i know u must be having all this carvings for the icecream but is it worth eating i t even if it slightly disturb our goals .?..we all have carvings belive me but we eat that on weekends. if u stay away from it in some weeks all this carvings will go instead
of this icecream u can have a wonderfull tasty pudding
2 teaspoon heavy cream + crushed almonds, walnuts, pista,cashew + flaxseed powder 2 teaspoons + 25-40gm of whey protien any flavour of our choice or which u have with u and if u need sweet taste try stevia its alkaline in nature and will help 100 percent better then sugar alcohols blend it and ur high fat moderate protien snack is ready hope it helps …would be great if u dont eat that low carb icecream-raviraj

2414

thanks to everyone for the great advice, so much for my “low carb” atkins candy bars…

…one more question though, how about fiber? i have some low carb tortillas that have a ton of fiber and the package claims that you can subtract the fiber from the carbohydrate to get a “net carb” rating…

how does this play into the AD guidelines?

thanks again

2415

[quote]toughcasey wrote:
thanks to everyone for the freat advice, so much for my “low carb” atkins candy bars…

…one more question though, how about fiber? i have some low carb tortillas that have a ton of fiber and the package claims that you can subtract the fiber from the carbohydrate to get a “net carb” rating…

how does this play into the AD guidelines?

thanks again[/quote]

I do not include fiber in the carb count.

2416

Thank you SashaG,

Although I haven’t been craving carbs much I am still looking forward to carb up days, only to visit the land where Il Cazzo hails from to stop by Primo’s Hoagies and smuggle food back. If anyone’s in Jersey or Philly you gotta stop by one of their locations.

Overrev

2417

ok i bought and read the book weeks ago and read this thread twice ,now i have a real life question for the dudes and gals living this diet…
How many of you folk have put on good muscle size on this eating plan?

2418

[quote]TommyGunn wrote:
allNatural wrote:
I read glutamine and creatine should be taken separately b/c they use the same receptors or something

SashaG wrote:
In terms of the creatine/glutamine question, while I’m not certain, I do believe that they do both use the same path ways for absorption.

Where did you get this info from?

Dave Barr states, "I keep seeing noobs perpetuate this myth, but I wonder where they get it from.

Not only is it not untrue, even if they used the same transporter, it would just delay absorption, not abolish it." [/quote]

I got this info from the R&D guys at one of the world’s biggest supplement companies while working there for two years.

As it was not first hand knowledge I was sure to caveat it in my post.

Thanks for the citation and clarification.

Sasha

2419

[quote]mikemazz wrote:
no advice guys on the energy thing pre workout?help please![/quote]

In terms of pre-workout energy do you mean using a stimulant or do you mean food energy?

If it’s a stimulant that you’re looking for, I have heard nothing but great reviews for Spike. Otherwise, careful with caffeine and others on this diet as sensitivity tends to creep up on the AD. The energy rushes will be greater but the subsequent crashes are worse.

In terms of food energy. I train first thing in the morning so I usually take in one cup of coffee, 2 scoops of whey protein isolate and 5 fish oil caps. It seems to do me fine once I actually wake up :wink:

Hope this helps.

Sasha

2420

[quote]mikemazz wrote:
ok i bought and read the book weeks ago and read this thread twice ,now i have a real life question for the dudes and gals living this diet…
How many of you folk have put on good muscle size on this eating plan?[/quote]

Mike,

I’ve been the typical hard gainer in terms of building muscle and to compliment that, I tend to like to pack on a little extra “love” in my mid-section. No joke, on the AD, once you get the hang of it, body composition manipulations are much easier.

You want to build up your lifts and pack on some size, increase your calories incrementally. I saw strength results withing the first few weeks on this lifestyle.

If you want to dial in the physique and get lean, cut your calories and off you go. Just remember that the carb ups are just as important when “dieting” as they are when you’re not. Just keep them cleaner and reduce the duration in which you do it. I find that between 24 and 30 hours is what has worked best for me.

I’m definitely not a vet by any stretch but I have become a firm advocate for this lifestyle. It’s easy to follow, effective and best of all, tasty!

Just stick with it and you’ll reap the rewards.

Cheers.

Sasha

2421

yea im a hard gainer big time but maybe a hardgainer cause my eating has always sucked.so im looking to pack soem muscle on while remaining leanish.and like you every time i tried to bulk ive become a moose in the belly and no muscle on top.so eat more calories on this plan.

now for the energy thing im looking for food for energy,im weary of stimulants for energy because sometimes they dont respond well to my body and im worried about keeping me up all night as i workout at night so id take them at around five.
thanks again for your answers