My Experience On the Anabolic Diet

Nutrition
2862

[quote]Deinabolic wrote:
allNatural wrote:
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=462122

On the flip side, the low-carb, high-fat diets that have become popular can decrease insulin sensitivity. That’s why none of my trainees go on no-carb diets, unless they’re dieting down for a show and then they’ll do occasional no carb diets every few months for a maximum of 3 weeks at a time.

The excerpt above doesn’t qualify what a “no carb” diet is. Considering the time this interview was published, I guarandamntee he’s referring to typical Atkinsish non-stop ketosis diets that were becoming en vogue back then, not those involving routine reloads/refeeds.

[/quote]

that was just an example. I could be wrong, but I confidently remember him specifically saying these type of diets (AD) decrease insulin sensitivity.

2863

[quote]allNatural wrote:
Deinabolic wrote:
allNatural wrote:
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=462122

On the flip side, the low-carb, high-fat diets that have become popular can decrease insulin sensitivity. That’s why none of my trainees go on no-carb diets, unless they’re dieting down for a show and then they’ll do occasional no carb diets every few months for a maximum of 3 weeks at a time.

The excerpt above doesn’t qualify what a “no carb” diet is. Considering the time this interview was published, I guarandamntee he’s referring to typical Atkinsish non-stop ketosis diets that were becoming en vogue back then, not those involving routine reloads/refeeds.

that was just an example. I could be wrong, but I confidently remember him specifically saying these type of diets (AD) decrease insulin sensitivity.
[/quote]

allNatural,

I’m going to have to side with Deinabolic on this one. Think about it from your body’s point of view. If we’re severely restricting the release of the insulin through diet for 5 days, on the 6th day when our pancreas does secrete it, it will be highly sought after by the body and utilized accordingly (rather than being stored as fat). It’s the principle of scarcity of resource.

People with poor insulin sensitivity tend to be those who are on perpetually high CHO diets that are usually made up of high GI/II indexed foods. They’re always releasing insulin into the blood stream and the body eventually recognizes that it’s not necessary to do so and eventually shuts down insulin secretion accordingly. This is also why Dr. B sites high fibre foods as being good for insulin sensitivity, because it has little to no effect on insulin secretion.

In the long term, it’s difficult to understand how an AD styled lifestyle will effect one’s insulin sensitivity. Our bodies are amazingly adaptive and maybe over time our bodies will stop reacting to the cycling methods we’re employing. That in itself is reason enough to customize, adapt and change up one’s approach to the AD.

Cheers,

Sasha

2864

[quote]SashaG wrote:

allNatural,

I’m going to have to side with Deinabolic on this one. Think about it from your body’s point of view. If we’re severely restricting the release of the insulin through diet for 5 days, on the 6th day when our pancreas does secrete it, it will be highly sought after by the body and utilized accordingly (rather than being stored as fat). It’s the principle of scarcity of resource.

People with poor insulin sensitivity tend to be those who are on perpetually high CHO diets that are usually made up of high GI/II indexed foods. They’re always releasing insulin into the blood stream and the body eventually recognizes that it’s not necessary to do so and eventually shuts down insulin secretion accordingly. This is also why Dr. B sites high fibre foods as being good for insulin sensitivity, because it has little to no effect on insulin secretion.

In the long term, it’s difficult to understand how an AD styled lifestyle will effect one’s insulin sensitivity. Our bodies are amazingly adaptive and maybe over time our bodies will stop reacting to the cycling methods we’re employing. That in itself is reason enough to customize, adapt and change up one’s approach to the AD.

Cheers,

Sasha

[/quote]

You don’t really have to side with anyone, we’re not in an arguement, just trying to find the truth about an unclear subject. Anyway, I asked T-Nation’s new writer Tony Gentilcore “Do low carb, high fat diets like the Anabolic Diet decrease insulin sensitivity?” and he said…

“The whole premise behind those kind of diets is to just shift the body from a predominantely “sugar burner” to a “fat burner.” As far as decreasing insulin sensitivity, no. I mean, as long as you ARE getting your carbs in at the right time, and you’re getting your EFA’s…insulin sensitivity will improve IMO.”

I don’t know how qualified he is (he’s not a doctor) but it looks like good news. Until someone can find actual evidence I’ll go with this. I’ll try to get JB’s take on it.

2865

Hey all…I’m in week 2 of the AD and I’m loving it so far. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get to the gym but once since I’ve started, due to a bunch of stuff out of my control. So far, I’m feeling ok and have actually dropped a pound or 2, which is amazing considering I haven’t been able to lift in about a week and a half.

Still reading the whole thread…110 plus pages is a lot of posts!

2866

[quote]allNatural wrote:
SashaG wrote:
You don’t really have to side with anyone, we’re not in an arguement, just trying to find the truth about an unclear subject. Anyway, I asked T-Nation’s new writer Tony Gentilcore “Do low carb, high fat diets like the Anabolic Diet decrease insulin sensitivity?” and he said…

“The whole premise behind those kind of diets is to just shift the body from a predominantely “sugar burner” to a “fat burner.” As far as decreasing insulin sensitivity, no. I mean, as long as you ARE getting your carbs in at the right time, and you’re getting your EFA’s…insulin sensitivity will improve IMO.”

I don’t know how qualified he is (he’s not a doctor) but it looks like good news. Until someone can find actual evidence I’ll go with this. I’ll try to get JB’s take on it.
[/quote]

allNatural,

No insinuation at all . . . just speaking my peace. It’s all good on the AD thread!

Let us know JB’s thoughts as it would be interesting to understand his point of view seeing as he subscribes a very similar diet aside from pre/post workout nutrition.

Cheers,

Sasha

2867

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1173827

U can download the AD thread!

I compiled that archive for ease of reading on your computer.

Enjoy

2868

Hey all,

I’m so glad I found this diet! I’ve been wandering around the nutrition world, but fat loss without muscle loss was always pretty hard for me … however, in the past I reacted well to some low-carb stuff so I’m giving the AD a try.

This coming weekend is my first carb-up, but I’m not really craving any carbs or anything, so I’ll try to keep it moderately clean…

I decided to stretch the break-in-phase a bit longer, because I had a hole in my foot (stepped on some glass) and was - partly - unable to train fully ( also, one week when I very-low-carbed, I didn’t really train, it was a ‘resting-week’ ). So this is day 15 already( first two days I had an extra apple in the morning though :wink: ), carb-up is at seventeen.

I had a mild crash at the start of this week but I’m trying to stick to it, I’ll start the carbup tomorrow evening after work! I don’t know however if that stretched break-in has been a good idea? Anyone else did the same thing?

I feel the difference already though. No strength loss, I feel really full of life and very focussed, very alert! Great diet, I’m loving steak and cheese, and the people around me wonder how it’s possible that I visibly lean out while eating this fat-loaded stuff :slight_smile:

2869

I’m day 5 on the AD and crashed today. Felt pretty attracted to carbs today too, so i upped my calories from protein and fat to sort of combat the sugar cravings. My body says ‘give me carbs and sugar!’ then i just gave it more steak and cheese.

I’m pretty sure i made the better decision but hell,i’ll just ask it anyway. Did i do the right thing?

2870

[quote]simpletbrain wrote:
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1173827

U can download the AD thread!

I compiled that archive for ease of reading on your computer.

Enjoy
[/quote]

Ah man thanks…you rock!

2871

Hey all,

I wanted to check in because I am starting the anabolic diet. I have read about 20 pages of the thread and will continue to read more.

I am already on a low carb diet, so I’m not expecting to crash heavily. The shift for me will be to the weekend carb-ups, and eating a lot more fat than I have been. I’m hoping intitially for some improvements in body composition, but I understand that it I should wait several weeks before really hitting the stride on the AD, as Hoss has mentioned in the past.

On a side story, the first time I ever did a low carb diet (about two years ago), I went from moderate-high carb intake straight down to very low carb.

Within a few days, I was extremely ill–I went to the doctor and everything, I had terrible headaches, nasuea, and overall flu-like symptoms. It was so bad my roomate almost took me to the ER. After two or three days it passed, and I was low carb dieting without any issues.

Until reading this thread, I didn’t really see that it could have been related to the diet, because I was metabolically slamming the breaks on my body.

I believe it happened because it was the first time my body had experienced anything like the metabolic changes a low carb diet brought, plus I was not ingesting nearly enough fat to compensate. Thoughts?

Newly AD,

The Boomster

2872

Congratulations on drinking the kool-aid :slight_smile: With regard to low-carbs, I’ve noticed that individuals who drop from a very high carbohydrate intake down to less than 30g per day rapidly achieve ketosis. For whatever reason, the shock to the body shifts it rapidly to using ketone bodies rather than glucose in the brain.

I’ve also noticed, anecdotally, that once someone has utilized a high fat diet, it’s easier to make the metabolic shift. What also gives credence to DiPasquale’s theory (and lack of focus on ketosis as the “holy grail” of VLCD) is that for individuals who are more “fat” adapted, it’s actually more difficult to achieve ketosis. This is why you’ll see some wiggle room with carb recommendations.

Just remember, it’s more about keeping the body primed for fat usage than “getting in as many carbs as I can” as some people think. While I don’t have the scientific literature to back me up, I’d ponder than 4g of carbohydrate originating from broccoli (and not coming from fiber) will keep insulin inert in comparison to 4g of refined sugar. You can eat quite a lot of “carby” vegetables (and even exceed that 30g limit) so long as you’re sticking to greens and avoiding sugars. You’ll see some posts indicating that certain veggies (cruciferous ones primarily) become unlimited in the sense that it’s tremendously difficult to eat the volume of food necessary to compromise the efficacy of the diet.

I highly recommend a good protein powder to alleviate our nacent sweet touth desire, and investing in perhaps some heavy cream and sugar free jello. Dee-lish :slight_smile:

2873

Hi,

I have a question about strength loss on the AD. I started two weeks ago, I have the ebook but have not read the entire thread - so sorry if this has been covered.

I started at 89Kg and am using the calorie guidelines suggested by JB in his GSD - about 2200 per day. I know that the book says not to drop calories during the break-in period, but I have been doing pretty low carb dieting for a few weeks prior and figured I wouldn’t have much of a problem.

Also, for background purposes, because I had already cut carbs fairly low beforehand, I started directly with the 5 on 2 off protocol.

Before starting on the agressive calorie restriction, I could bench 110Kg for 5, 4, 4, 4, 3 reps.

During the first week (Wednesday) I could only do 110Kg 7x2. But since I was restricting carbs and calories, I figured that I would be Ok.

I had a mild carb-up last weekend, about 300 grams each day - breakfast and peri-workout. I didn’t want to go crazy since I chose to follow the shorter break-in period.

This week, again Wednesday, I could only do 110Kg 4x2.

my question is, after the fat is gone and I bump the calories back, will the strength come back? Or, should I stop the aggressive calorie restriction right away?

Fyi, the fat (or maybe muscle, but my bicep measurement, for example, was constant from week one to week two) is coming off at an impressive rate (1.5Kg during the first week and the same 1.5Kg the second week) and I am pleased with the results otherwise. Also, I feel great throughout the week, just a little hungry from lack of food :slight_smile:

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated!

2874

[quote]I know that the book says not to drop calories during the break-in period, but I have been doing pretty low carb dieting for a few weeks prior and figured I wouldn’t have much of a problem.

Also, for background purposes, because I had already cut carbs fairly low beforehand, I started directly with the 5 on 2 off protocol.

Also, I feel great throughout the week, just a little hungry from lack of food :-)[/quote]

You should do the 12 day low carb break in period. It is not a requirement, but highly suggested to make sure your body makes the metabolic shift. Otherwise, you could be sitting in metabolic limbo for weeks, which could be the cause of your lack of energy / drop in strength.

EAT. Hunger should not be an issue on this diet. If you’re hungry, chances are you are not eating enough. Don’t do calorie restriction until you’ve been on for a month at least and you know how your body reacts. Now, I don’t mean you have to eat like a pig, but just eat when you’re hungry until you’re not anymore. I probably get in 2500 calories per day, which is pretty low on this diet, and I’m still losing fat at a good rate while making strength gains.

My strength also went down when I first started. Totally zapped me in the gym, as I was used to pre and post workout carbs for energy. Now I can see mt strength climbing again and I have tons of energy in the gym. Stick to it, but do it the right way. Modifying it from the beginning is going to leave you weak and frustrated.

2875

Did my first carb up… i now hate carbs… eat way way way to much…
i started off night before last and eat 3 cups oatmeal with butter and brown sugar along with 3 cups of cereal… slept good woke up had 2 more bowls of oats then i had half cup pecans then a huge sweet tater for lunch i had a blt from arbies with a fruit cup and pizzzzza for dinner… eat half a large and half a small… then before bed had another 2 bowls of oats and 2 more bowls of cereal… i decided i might be one of those can eat all the carbs ever so i cut it to pretty much a 24 hour period good idea? im bulking but slowly???

2876

Day twelve for me today. Its been a good break-in. I think I kind of crashed a little about midweek the first week, as I was fighting to stay awake after work. I had the same problem yesterday, but I think its due more to lack of sleep since the past weekend, than lack of carbs. Also, I’ve managed to add weight during training and really only had one seriously ‘flat’ session and it was this week. But I think that was due more to my one slip-up with a few beers and a cigar the night before when some friends popped in…

Anyway, its been okay and I’ve enjoyed it for the most part. I’ve seen a definite increase in libido and I’ve felt strong(er), but I’m not sure if its the hormone/fat burning thing or if its simply because I’ve been taking in more calories than before. I’m 6’4" at 280 and I was actually around 289 on the first day. I’ve been taking in around 3300-4000 calories each day, usually under 4000. And I know thats up from what I was getting before. I went with the 12x to 15x recommendation on calories from DH. I should probably take some measurements as well, but I haven’t yet. Either way, training weights have gone up and bodyweight seems to have gone down, or at least i lost alot of water and maybe some fat.

This weekend I think I’ll definitely have some carb heavy meals, starting with breakfast and oatmeal, but I may try to keep it more limited considering my mid-week slip up on the cervezas. Seems like the right choice at least. Opinions?

Anyway, so far so good,I dig it. Thanks for the inspiration AD folks!

2877

Okay, I’ve had to grab fast food a few times lately, so what do you think is the better choice out of these for the AD:

Chipotle Chicken Fajita Burrito Bol (no torilla, no rice, chicken, green peppers and onion, sour cream, cheese, gaucamole, salsa)

Wendy’s Triple w. Cheese and mayo
(no bun, 3 beef patties, toss on some jalapenos, onion, pickle, tomato)

Supersonic Jalapeno C. Burger w/ mayo
(no bun, two patties, lettuce, etc)

Chic-Fil-A
Chicken club sandwich
(no bun, chicken breast, bacon, swiss, lettuce, etc)

Panda Express
Beef and broccoli or maybe Mandarin Chicken (no sauce) or both w/ mixed veggies

I guess it’d depend on how many calories you’d want, but when it comes down to beef and fat, or chicken and fat, plus a few veggies, I’ll wonder.

And have we ever had a good list of fast food styled choices for the AD on here? I dont remember it.

2878

Hey,

Just a question, last night on Day 4 of the initial break in period I had half a pound of skirt steak and a large side of green beans with parmesan cheese for dinner.

Afterwards, I was very full, and I also noticed I seemed to have a really nice pump.

Is this abnormal?

The Boomster

2879

[quote]JimmyBoom wrote:
Hey,

Just a question, last night on Day 4 of the initial break in period I had half a pound of skirt steak and a large side of green beans with parmesan cheese for dinner.

Afterwards, I was very full, and I also noticed I seemed to have a really nice pump.

Is this abnormal?

The Boomster[/quote]

Man, I have noticed a pump as well, and I haven’t been able to workout much yet due to things being kind of crazy.

2880

Well, its friday, day 12 of the break in! I have had alot of cravings last week, but not so many this week. If I am craving carbs then I just sit there and think of a menu plan for the weekend. The hardest part of this diet is not eating fruit, I LOVE FRUIT. Tomorrow im going to down a whole watermelon, probly 6 bananas, peaches, nectarines, cherries, mangos, I better stop now before I rush my fruit basket.

Throughout this whole week i have had so much energy its unbeleivable, I can’t go to sleep until 2:00 in the morning. The first three days of this diet were the toughest, I did not feel like doing anything, I had a lack of motivation and energy. Its all backwards now though.

I just noticed somthing, it feels alot better to write or cravings down or post them here. Next time your craving somthing, post it in this thread.

2881

i think you guys should check out JB ARTICLE THE POWER OF INSULIN its might clear this issue up.